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Bryan Fordham Locked account

bfordham@bookwyrm.social

Joined 11 months, 4 weeks ago

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reviewed A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)

George R.R. Martin, George R. R. Martin: A Game of Thrones (Paperback, 2005, Spectra) 4 stars

In A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin has created a genuine masterpiece, bringing together …

Review of 'A Game of Thrones' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Really enjoyed this. I see some people are writing novels of their own, just to say hope much they hate it. Which is just weird.

There are no pure heroes. Some are better than others, but all the characters have their flaws. There is magic, but it’s wild and fairly uncontrolled. The politics and character flaws drive the story.

Jonathan M. Katz: Gangsters of Capitalism (2022, St. Martin's Press) 4 stars

A groundbreaking journey tracing America’s forgotten path to global power―and how its legacies shape our …

Review of 'Gangsters of Capitalism' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Highly recommend this book.

My dad was a marine, and took pride in that fact. I didn't know Much about Butler until I came across his "War is a Racket" speech. This book is a great biography.

It's not really about Butler, though. It's about the imperialism he fought for and then fought against. It's about how the US created a kitty of problems in the name of profit, and how we keep doing that.

Greg McKeown: Essentialism (Hardcover, 2014, Crown Business) 3 stars

Essentialism isn't about getting more done in less time. It's about getting only the right …

Review of 'Essentialism' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Some good idea, as long as you have the privilege to implement them. It aunt's you have other people to do the "non-essential" things you deem to be beneath you.

When I was a teenager I worked on my dad's construction crew during the summer. When I complained about the boring stuff I was doing, he said "You want to do exciting stuff, but i need you to do what's needed."

I think there's a reason most of his examples are executives. Quite honestly, most executives could just not show up and still be considered successful. Front line workers still have to actually do the work.

Hallie Rubenhold: The Five (2019, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) 4 stars

Review of 'The Five' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Incredible book. Fascinating, and heartbreaking.

This focuses on the women, and what their lives may have been like. No real detail about their murders is discussed as the focus is not the person who killed them.

I have a lot of thoughts about this one, which I will need to write down. For now, though, I highly recommend this one.

reviewed The Twelve by Justin Cronin (The Passage Trilogy, #2)

Justin Cronin: The Twelve (Paperback, 2012, Ballantine Books) 4 stars

The great viral plague had left a small group of survivors clinging to life amidst …

Review of 'The twelve' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

4.5 stars, rounded up.

I enjoyed this one once it got going. A good chunk at the beginning is giving the backstory to a lot of characters from the first book. A LOT of backstory. It was a bit much for my taste.

And some things were a bit too neat, but that's not an overall issue with this book. It's still an interesting mix of genres.

I'm looking forward to the conclusion