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wandering_meditations's reviews
84 reviews
The Return of the Taliban: Afghanistan after the Americans Left by Hassan Abbas
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Very informative. Really clears up a lot of confusion around the Taliban, especially in recent years. One thing that is made very evident in this book is that the current Taliban are NOT the same as the Taliban in the 90s. Sure, most of the members are the same, but their opinions have changed.
The Judas Blossom by Stephen Aryan
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A great mix of historical fiction and fantasy. The story is alright, but the historical elements make up for it. As an avid reader of history, this book is great to read when you want to relax yet still stay immersed in the world of history.
The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War by Craig Whitlock
informative
medium-paced
5.0
very detailed and well-researched. Covers the timespan of 2001-2021. The book mainly covers where the US government went wrong in Afghanistan and all the mistakes and blunders they made.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
This book is very clear and straight to the point with no filler. Probably one of the best self-help books out there. This book teaches that you must accept the fact that we all have problems and we'll always have problems, you cannot escape them. But fortunately, we can CHOOSE which problems we do have, and we do that by choosing what to give a f**k about. It all starts by selecting your values, i.e. how you measure success/failure, in other words, your metric system. Then you can carefully select the problems that you would be happy to solve. Happiness is just that; solving good problems. Once you've solved it, move on to the next!
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Was a really interesting read. You get to experience "first-hand" how a primitive spider society becomes an advanced one. The author does a great job explaining this societal evolution. They go from being typical spiders to having space-faring capabilities. You see them develop complex societal institutions like religion, etc. On the other hand, the book follows the plot aboard a spaceship containing the last of the human race. They way they seem to devolve despite already being advanced is remarkable. There's a nice contrast: spiders went from being primitive to advanced, while the humans went from advanced to primitive!
The Courage to Be Disliked: The Japanese Phenomenon That Shows You How to Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness by Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
One of the best self-help books out there. The advice given in this book is very practical and immediately actionable. It's all fully based in Adlerian psychology.
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Afghanistan: A Military History from Alexander the Great to the War Against the Taliban by Stephen Tanner
informative
sad
fast-paced
5.0
This book is incredibly dense. In less than 350 pages it covers history from Alexander the Great all the way up to 2008. Each of the 13 chapters in this book could've easily been a 350 page book on its own.
It took me a while to get through it due to its denseness but there's a lot of great information in it. Very factual and straight to the point, barely any filler (I would say the very last chapter had the most 'filler').
It took me a while to get through it due to its denseness but there's a lot of great information in it. Very factual and straight to the point, barely any filler (I would say the very last chapter had the most 'filler').