Mere Mortals Book Reviews

Welcome back Mere Mortalites to another book review, this time on Courage is Calling by Ryan HolidayI enjoyed the new series by Ryan on the four virtues, and even with a few Ryan Holiday books under my belt this really shined.

Stillness is the Key is a self-help book written by Ryan Holiday that explores the concept of stillness and how it can be used to improve one's life. The book argues that stillness, or the ability to be calm and focused in the face of chaos and distrac...

I like recently published books for their utility, but for pure enjoyment and beauty it's hard for me to go past the classics.In December 2022 we upped the ante and reviewed 5 books on this channel. As usual I was all over the shop with Russian poetry,

At the of it all, there is not much to do other than pity the heroine of this tale.'Tess Of The d'Urbervilles' by Thomas Hardy is a realistic story of a continually unfortunate country girl set in Victorian England.

Am I simpler than a computer? I might just be!'Coding For Beginners Using Python' by Louie Stowell is an instructions guide to learn the basics. It's a combination of simple exercises for loops/dictionaries/drawing and more complex games that mimic Min...

What can the lives of the Ancient Greeks teach us about how to live well?'The Age Of Alexander' by Plutarch is a selection of 9 Greek lives from his work called 'Parallel Lives'. It covers prominent people from various locations and various professions,

Would you have the honour to behave like a coward?'Eugene Onegin' by Alexander Pushkin is a novel in verse of an unhappy Russian dandy. Onegin lacks meaning from a city life and struggles to find it in the countryside, with the same superficial  gossip,

Do you want to know how to change your mind or how innovation works?In November 2022 we sadly only covered 2 books on this channel. Both Juan and I have been rather busy as of late and so didn't put in the time like we normally do.

Don't stand in the way of this or you might get railroaded .... literally!'How Innovation Works' by Matt Ridley is a how-to book that somewhat becomes an argument for change. It uses primarily stories from history to illustrate the key thesis,

Are you willing to change your mind on a controversial topic?'How To Change Your Mind' by Michael Pollan is a dive into the North American history of psychedelics & their use in emerging scientific studies. It focuses primarily on 3 types: LSD,