All Book Reviews
Rated from 0.5 to 5 stars.
Reviews
1776
"This work is a very important piece of historical writing, and a strong exercise in dissecting the first year of the Revolutionary War. I particularly liked the quilted layer of storytelling, jumping from one soldier's narrative to another and throughout the ranks. Washington, as he often does in stories from the time, looms large as a truly omnipotent figure."
Finished: March 2026
Steve Jobs
"Ever since I was a kid, Steve Jobs fascinated me in ways I didn't quite understand. Now after finishing this biography, I think I have started to understand why. I will be honest in that I cannot respect the rude manner in which he worked and pushed his employees, but it is clear that his vision was truly grand, even beyond what Apple is today. And this is because of 'Jobs consciously positioning himself at the intersection of the arts and technology', a notion I myself have held since childhood."
Finished: March 2026
Team of Rivals
"This book documents a very interesting time in American history and is structured quite beautifully. Focusing around Lincoln's cabinet lends itself to a much better understanding of Lincoln as both a man and a politician. There were parts of the book that could have been written in a more engaging and invigorating prose, but overall it was formatted in a very intentional and intelligent manner. Goodwin really allows us to see the humanity in Lincoln throughout."
Finished: March 2026
Fiskadoro
"Having read Tree of Smoke and Train Dreams, I took it upon myself to delve deeper into Denis Johnson's body of work, starting more towards the beginning. His second book, Fiskadoro, is very intriguing. It seems a common trope for authors to write a novel set after the apocalypse, and a lot of these novels tend to have similar themes and motifs and just beat the hell out of a dead horse. This was definitely not one of those novels. It's really hard to say anything about this story, without giving something away, but I will say this: I did not expect a novel titled after a singular character to encompass such a variety of different characters' stories. And the way Johnson meshes them all together is truly special. I can really see the origin of the prose in his later work here."
Finished: February 2026
On Writing
"I'm trying to read more books about the craft of writing itself. And as King reminds me in this book, getting better at writing is just reading and writing as much as possible. His detailed suggestions are also particularly helpful. Overall an important read for any writer."
Finished: February 2026
Greenlights
"I was very pleasantly surprised with this memoir. I had put off reading it for quite a while as I thought it would be some classic Hollywood mumbo jumbo, but it was actually quite inspiring and interesting to get a peek into Matthew's life and the lessons he's learned. A quote that really stuck out to me comes from his travels in Africa where he witnesses two men arguing with one another and learns that ‘They are not trying to win arguments of right or wrong. They are trying to understand each other.’"
Finished: February 2026
AI 2041
"This is a very interesting book. Comprised of ten short stories followed by analyses by the AI expert authors, this book delves into what the future of AI may hold in 2041. Written back in 2021, one can already see some of their accurate hypotheses. Some of the prose in the stories lacks artistic vigor, but the analysis afterwards really makes up for it. The authors discuss and raise many important moral dilemmas of the increased usage of AI. They stress the governance of AI in the future, an issue we are already seeing in 2026..."
Finished: February 2026
Mark Twain
"What an interesting person Twain was. From his beginnings in Virginia City to his life after his wife died, he was so dramatically radical. He was ultra-moralistic while also quite inable to be self-aware of his own faults until too late. This was the biography I enjoyed the most from Chernow. It is interesting to consider Twain as the first American celebrity, forming the basis for its place in our current society."
Finished: January 2026
Ben-Hur
"Some parts are truly amazing, other parts are disappointing. Sheikh's first description of Jesus is truly beautiful."
Finished: December 2025
Empire of the Summer Moon
"This was a pretty good telling of the Comanche people ending with the last chief and transition-ary figure Quantah Parker. Hope the movie is half as good."
Finished: November 2025
Washington
"Very interesting, especially in regards to him being a Freemason. Once again classic Chernow prose, same rating even though I enjoyed Grant book more."
Finished: November 2025
Grant
"Ulysses is an important figure that resembles a true Yankee. Chernow is a bit patronizing in his prose and shows elective bias regarding what to include."
Finished: October 2025
The Crossing
"Started this just before going on my retreat at Mission San Antonio de Padua, read a ton more there and some while sitting at a picnic table on Cliff Dr in Santa Cruz. The prose in this is just magnificent. McCarthy is almost unmatched in terms of American writers. In the modern age, he is perhaps the best."
Finished: October 2025
Matterhorn
"This was an amazing novel, incredibly realistic and very moving. Dealt very well with race struggles in the midst of war."
Finished: October 2025
No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama bin Laden
"This was an interesting book. I enjoyed the backstory of the author almost more than the actual account of the raid to kill Osama. I also enjoyed reading about how SEALs and the millitary in general feel about those sending them into battles."
Finished: September 2025
The Afghanistan Papers
"This is an important piece of work, though often quite a boring read."
Finished: August 2025
The Forever War
"This has been, so far, the most exciting and human account of the wars in Afghanistan/Iraq. This book says a lot about the people impacted in those wars, rather than the war itself. I really commend his work as a journalist and author."
Finished: August 2025
Train Dreams
"Novella, suggested by my friend Craw upon seeing I was reading Tree of Smoke by the same author, alleged it should have won the Pulitzer — started and finished Sunday June 15. Short but spanning a great range of emotions and topics — a truly great American novella."
Finished: June 15, 2025
Ghost Wars
"Now this is an extremely important work. Everyone knows that the CIA intervernes in different foreign countries in various ways, but what exactly went down in Pakistan and Afghanistan during this time actually explains a lot. And it seems they haven't learned their lesson..."
Finished: June 2025
Tree of Smoke
"Suggested by Shane Gillis on episode of MSSP, what a great book. Denis Johnson is able to spin prose around the lives of so many different characters in such a beautiful and complete way. Truly may be my favorite piece of art about the Vietnam War."
Finished: June 2025
Retribution: The Battle for Japan, 1944–45
"I loved this book. It is quite long, but it is very enjoyable and I finished it quite quickly. A deep dive into the Japan of World War 2 which doesn't ever get as much attention as it should."
Finished: May 2025
The First Heroes
"This was a pretty interesting tale. Though sometimes not the best written book, the story itself is definitely engrossing."
Finished: May 2025