Spencer’s Comments (group member since May 14, 2022)

Spencer’s comments from the 'Extracurricular' Reading group.

Just sprint read the last half of it last night. SO GOOD. I was not ready for this book. The writing style and entire plot was so well written. Hard to put this book down. 4 starts because I'm not sure I'd ever read it again.

Super captivating so far. It is not at all what I expected, but it is SO SO SO good! Its hard to put this one down. I love all the mythology and the writing style is superb.

Wow. Super crazy book so far. Everyone seems to cater to the former president and yet for all they try to do, this adventure is starting out horribly. I'm excited to see how it plays out.

The inescapable fact is that the brain is an unnerving place as well as a marvelous one.

Bryson, Bill. The Body (p. 89). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Suicide by lifestyle takes ages.

Bryson, Bill. The Body (p. 20). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

WOW. What a book. I was totally captivated by the entire thing the whole time. Such a great overview of the human body and how it works. Throw in some examples and crazy stories of early medicine and now I cannot stop talking about this book. Every night with my friends I feel like I bring up something I've learned from this book at least once.

Great book. This one I will recommend to many friends and family for a long time!

Seriously, read this!

A great book by Malcolm Gladwell. I have enjoyed everything I have read of his so far.

In this book I enjoyed how diverse his topics and examples were yet he still made the same point all around and connected them.

The idea of what a persons culture or background is and how that effects an individuals growth and intelligence was really thought provoking.

I think I liked Talking to Strangers a bit better though.

My post thread for Relentless

"I acquiesce and make a Negroni. It is said that Negronis are like breasts: “One is not enough, two is perfect, and three is just too many.” Today I am tempted to see what happens if I drink four."

Tucci, Stanley. Taste: My Life Through Food (p. 256). Gallery Books. Kindle Edition.

This book was delightfully funny. I was crying with laughter within thew first two chapters, and the puns didn't stop there.

Stanley recalls the most important experiences of his life, via meals he ate or restaurants he dined at, during that period in his life.

He includes recipes for all the dishes (and drinks) he mentions, and has fun stories about all of them.

Funny food puns and a look into how much of a foodie he really is, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I read it in two days.

I am about 75% of the way through the audio version. I started this book so that I could listen to it on the drive for two hours to visit my family this weekend.

I find his points and examples to be fascinating, and especially the part about plane crashes in part two. I was captivated.

I am excited to see haw he brings it all together in the final chapters of his book.

Discussion post for Outliers by Malcom Gladwell

Good re-read for me. I read this in 2020 and its funny looking back at his ideas now. Covid implemented a lot of the remote work.

Reading this simultaneously with I Will Teach You To Be Rich helped me realize i need more income to become part of the 'New Rich' and travel like I want to and pursue more hobbies. Maybe I'll start a business this week. Who knows

I saw Tom released this book, so I figured I'd go ahead and give it a quick read.

The essays are funny, there is no read chronological order, but that works for this book. He makes some jokes, tells you about his life lessons he learned, and really showed me more of his personality. I thought it was a good afternoon read.

I thought this book was decent. Overall I think the message was well received, maybe a few too many times. Cam Hanes is a beast. I enjoy this mans work, yet I found this book to be a little repetitive. I get that he is the 'Keep Hammering' guy, but this book got a little preachy in my opinion. Then, at the end of the book, he wraps it all up by talking about how he raised his kids and if he did it right. He comes full circle with the realization that this lifestyle isn't for everyone and he needs to keep himself in check. I really admired that part and thought it closed the book well (in addition to David Goggin's, of course).

I am just about finished with Endure, and he gets a little preachy. I get that he is a pro athlete, he kind of shoves that down your throat. Don't get me wrong, I admire this guy and his dedication, but everything for him revolves around hunting and "Keep Hammering". I'm all for people growing and following their passions, but this book is a little repetitive, maybe I don't like his writing style.

So far I enjoy this book. It's a little too dry to be listening to at the gym, but that's okay.

So far he is good, I know he doesn't mean to come off as better than everyone else, but I'm not sure I enjoy the view that everything he does revolves around bowhunting and that's how he justifies it.

I'm only a few chapters in, so I will have to wait and see what else happens.

My intro to Les Misérables.

So far I am only 9 chapters into the first book Volume I. - Fantine, Book One - Just A Man.

We have a Bishop, M. Charles-Francois-Bienvenu Myriel, who is our main character for the first book I guess. He seems to be creating a positive impact on his community, moving the hospital to his estate, visiting prisoners before their execution, and meeting with poor villages in the hills. He seems to have a big heart and takes no shortcuts, he always puts others first.

So far this book is very dry, It's hard not to zone out but I will be persistent through this book. It's only ~1600 pages. I may need to use spark notes though.

I'm going to keep updating this as i go. Hopefully it will help me stay engaged.