johgabcab's reviews
24 reviews

Babel: Around the World in Twenty Languages by Gaston Dorren

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funny informative lighthearted fast-paced

5.0

Dead Reckoning: How I Came to Meet the Man Who Murdered My Father by Carys Cragg

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Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman

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emotional lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History by Stephen Jay Gould

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challenging funny hopeful informative lighthearted reflective slow-paced

5.0

I cannot sing my praises for this book. It is dense and uses a lot of biological jargon. At times it reads as a scientific paper, so for general audiences it may be a bit of a turnoff. But its larger philosophical impact is outstanding. It reminds me that the world I live in is a mere stroke of luck. That if one rolls the tape back, humanity would take a different form than it does at the moment. It reminded me that we are a small speck in the wider mystery of the universe.
When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Reset: Reclaiming the Internet for Civil Society by Ronald J. Deibert

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funny informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again by Robert D. Putnam

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informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas S. Kuhn

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informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

I couldn't put the book down, it's such a revolutionary read. It is seminal in the social sciences and philosophy. It analyses scientific revolutions from a sociological perspective, revealing the forms and evolution of science. 
Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature by Richard Rorty

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challenging informative reflective slow-paced

5.0

The book that made me obsessed with philosophy. Richard Rorty's blend of pragmatism and soft postmodernism changed my perspective on the world. It rattled me to the core and made me view science and knowledge in a completely different light.
The Double Life of Benson Yu by Kevin Chong

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emotional sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0