Sitzbook: Four Quick Reviews

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Hi Everyone! Today I’m continuing my reviews for Sitzbook. My thoughts on the four books I’ll review today weren’t terribly comment-heavy, so I decided to do them in a quick, compressed format. Here we go:

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

The Good: This book is about Professor Randy Pausch, a man who was terminally sick and gave his famous “last lecture” to highlight how to really achieve one’s dreams. You can read more here. It’s a great way to think about what’s truly important in your life.
The Not-So-Good: The book gets very personal at times, and Pausch occasionally comes off as having all the answers. I know that certainly wasn’t his intention, though, and it’s not like that sensation is overbearing or anything.
Should You Read It? Yes, possibly, but as I read the book, it occurred to me that this is the type of book everyone should write, since it’s a great way to leave behind a record of our values, memories, and love. So read it if you want, and then write your own “last lecture.”
Coming to theaters: Sitzbook: The Movie, starting Jason Statham.

Moneyball by Michael Lewis

The Good: I read this because I had the impression that it wasn’t really about statistics and baseball, but in reality it was. I guess it’s good in the sense that it makes statistics and baseball sort of interesting. The writing is also good, and one can identify with some of the people mentioned in the book.
The Not-So-Good: At the end of the day, it’s still about statistics and baseball.
Should You Read It? No, just watch the major motion picture starring Brad Pitt, although that’s not that much more interesting, seeing as it’s also about statistics and baseball.

The Big Short by Michael Lewis

The Good: Like Moneyball, it was a free book from Amazon’s Kindle Lending Library.
The Not-So-Good: It’s about the roots of the recent financial crisis and it’s really boring as a result.
Should You Read It? No. C’mon, I just said it was boring.

 

Earth (The Book) by The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

The Good: It’s pretty funny in a few parts, and you can find the hardcover “textbook” version for a couple of dollars at a Barnes and Noble near you. Nice pictures, too.
The Not-So-Good: America (The Book) was quite a bit funnier in most parts.
Should You Read It? Yeah, sure, but maybe not from cover-to-cover, but rather just leave it in the john to read a page or two every now and then.

You’d think that reading two pages with so many pictures would be a breeze, but it took me quite a bit longer to read this book, per page, than one that’s purely text.
So, that’s it for today! I’ll be back with more reviews throughout the week, and hopefully I’ll get caught up. Thanks for reading!
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Sitzman

Errand-Running Monkey at Sitzblog
Hey! I'm Ryan Sitzman, the person in charge of Sitzblog. If you want to know more about me, you can check out my profile on Google or go to my personal site, RyanSitzman.com. You can also click on any of the redundant little boxes to the left and it should take you to my profiles for all kinds of social networks. Thanks!
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