Category: Books

Magnifico: The Brilliant Life and Violent Times of Lorenzo De’ Medici – Miles Unger

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Late in the morning of August 27, 1466, a small group of horsemen left the Medici villa at Careggi and turned onto the road to Florence. It was a journey of three miles from the villa to the city walls along a meandering path that descended through the hills that rise above Florence to the north. Dark cypresses and hedges of fragrant laurel lined the road, providing welcome shade in the summer heat. Through the trees the riders could catch from time to time glimpses of the Arno River flashing silver in the sun.

The book is the biography of one of the most influential culture patrons, statesmen and diplomats of Renaissance Italy: Lorenzo de Medici, leader of the Italian cultural lighthouse, Florence, at the end of the 15th century. The well-researched volume follows not only the life of Lorenzo, but also his Medici predecessors, the organisation of the Republican city, contemporary poems and pictures from Lorenzo and his friends, and the geopolitical situation of the peninsula during those decades.

Living only 43 years, Lorenzo left a strong legacy for his diplomacy (keeping the balance between the factions of the Italian peninsula), wisdom in state affairs (keeping his beloved city prosper), but foremost, for a patron of arts than influenced world for centuries (making his house and Florence a cultural beacon for sculptors, painters, Antiquity readings and memorabilia, poets) and even as a university founder (University of Pisa).

Lorenzo de Medici made the very best of the large resources of his disposal, when Italy was still the center of the banking and trading world. Soon, the discovery of Americas (1492), the pressure of the Ottomans (conquering Constantinopole and later Otranto on the heel of the peninsula) and the larger resources of the more populous states around Italian lands (France, Holy Roman Empire) significantly cut from the available Italian resources.

Additionally, his legacy of wisdom, diplomacy and statesmanship was probably influential in raising the next de Medici generations, which became Popes (Leo X, Clement VII) and royals (e.g., Caterina de Medici, queen of France).

As the author, Miles Unger, notes, it is remarkable for a city of only 50,000 people to be the center of cultural world for decades, bringing the best of artisans and art within their walls. The strong free spirit of the Florentines, their trading prosperity reinvested in art, their republican traditions – all played in creating an effervescence where art and beauty could grow, without going into excesses. Short-lived, the century of prosperity for Florence created such a strong legacy and new benchmarks in beauty and art that could never be unseen.

I really enjoyed the book, although the imagines and notes were not well functioning on the e-reader. I liked the deep analysis on why Lorenz acted they why he did, and what was the state logic he followed. I was not very keen on the poems from the era, or the long descriptions of his Lorenzo’s or his friends art physiology. Overall, a great biography of a fascinating character.

Persepolis Rising (The Expanse, book 7) – James S.A. Corey

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A warning tone sounded through the drum, echoing with the distance and the free air. An artificial voice reassured them with its tone while it repeated, ‘This is an emergency alert. Report to shelters and await official instructions.’

“Listen,” Naomi said. “They’re playing our song.”

“Oh my,” Clarissa said, laughing. “We have lived our lives wrong, haven’t we?

Every book in the Expanse series bring something novel, unexpected, and this book does the same. This time, decades have passed and the crew of the Roci is now old, and captain Holden and his co-pilot and lover Naomi are looking for retirement. Bobby, the ex-Mars marine, is set to take their place. However, the protomolecule stolen by the Mars splinter military led by Duarte in the Laconia system is used to create new wonderweapons. And the Laconians, well-led and organized, take over the Medina station, the vital highway intersection between the 1300 worlds where humanity expanded.

The protagonist of the book is not captain Holden this time, but Bobby, Laconians (the new governor of Medina) and the leadership of the now-dispossessed Medina leadership (Drumer). The book seems to just set the scene for another epic struggle between the authoritarian and well-organized Laconians and the free-spirited Belters, residents of Medina.

The book ends on an all-time low, where Laconians are in charge of the critical inter-worlds highway, their weapons are unbeatable, the Sol-Mars alliance was defeated, captain Holden is prisoner on Laconia, Avasarala is now old and out of power, the crew of Roci is reduced and in exile (some crew died), and the insurgency is only marginally successful, allowing some ships to escape from Medina. Additionally, the use of the protomolecule awaken the aliens that destroyed the protomolecule (and 1300 worlds highway) creators.

The plot and writing are still entertaining, but it feels a notch down compared with the other books. There is no central character, mesmerizing and influential, as captain Holden. No other additional, memorable characters are created or even introduced. There is some character development, but it feels an ageing book and story; preparing however for something bigger.

Let’s see where the story takes us.

Elon Musk – Walter Isaacson

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1. Question every requirement. Each should come with the name of the person who made it. You should never accept that a requirement came from a department, such as from “the legal department” or “the safety department.” You need to know the name of the real person who made that requirement. Then you should question it, no matter how smart that person is. Requirements from smart people are the most dangerous, because people are less likely to question them. Always do so, even if the requirement came from me. Then make the requirements less dumb.

2. Delete any part or process you can. You may have to add them back later. In fact, if you do not end up adding back at least 10% of them, then you didn’t delete enough.

3. Simplify and optimize. This should come after step two. A common mistake is to simplify and optimize a part or a process that should not exist.

4. Accelerate cycle time. Every process can be speeded up. But only do this after you have followed the first three steps. In the Tesla factory, I mistakenly spent a lot of time accelerating processes that I later realized should have been deleted.

5. Automate. That comes last. The big mistake in Nevada and at Fremont was that I began by trying to automate every step. We should have waited until all the requirements had been questioned, parts and processes deleted, and the bugs were shaken out.

This is a great biography of Elon Musk, the entrepreneur of Tesla and SpaceX by Walter Isaacson, a Pulitzer Prize winner for biographies, former Director of CNN and editor of prestigious journals. The book follows chronologically the life of Elon Musk, from infancy to 2023, in a through investigative and insightful list of chapters.

The author of the book, Walter Isaacson, is world class in how he manages to cover the biography of someone, keeping it captivating for the reader and staying neutral. Isaacson wrote several biographies, and the one on Musk taking two years of research.

It was insightful to read the principles behind the rise of Musk’s companies, his determination and all tribulations in building his entrepreneurial life. Many colleagues and family members were interviewed, but the central piece remains Musk.

Elon Musk is clearly with an Asperger syndrome, which make understandable his total focus on pure engineering, manufacturing process and product design, and disregard for human emotions, constantly pushing the team and giving impossible timelines.

Nevertheless, his vision is grand, from electric cars and batteries, to solar panels, rockets, satellites, boring company, twitter, neuralink, AI. He tried a lot and succeeded much, but not always.

It was impressive to see Musk’s desire to understand the process, ability to motivate people, ambition, hard work (with little time for family), serial entrepreneurship and desire for total control.

This is captivating, well-written, well-researched, well-thought, balanced biographies of one the most influential entrepreneurs of our planet.

Exhausted: An A–Z for the Weary – Anna Katharina Schaffner

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But what can we actually do when we are burnt out? How can we heal? I continue to be struck by the paradox that looms so large at the heart of the debates: the happiness industry pushes individual coping strategies, while research shows that in the vast majority of cases, it is our working environments that are making us sick. The burnout researchers Christina Maslach and Michael P. Leiter identify six main factors causing burnout in organisations: excessive workload, insufficient autonomy, inadequate rewards, breakdown of community, mismatch of values and unfairness. When we experience any of these at work, we are much more likely to burn out. A growing number of healthcare professionals argue that burnout should be reconceived as ‘moral injury’, that it is a result of unbridgeable value clashes, ethical dilemmas and continuous violations of our dignity at work.

This book is about burnout, but goes much further than that, in trying to uplift and broaden reader’s horizons with little histories and gems of wisdom. The book has a very fitting structure, where chapters are in alphabetical order and every chapters is a word, which becomes the topic of that respective chapter. It was an ingenious way to give structure to a book composed of disparate stories.

Exhausted is a great book to read: engaging; well structured; well divided – making easy to read, in 5-10 minutes, a chapter per day; great writing style; interesting stories (e.g., Bartlebly). A superbly written and organized book, with a great title, tag line and cover.

As a drawback, the book is clearly not enough professionally edited, with some extra spaces in some parts.

However, it is a book that makes you think. Anna Katharina Schaffner does not propose any theory or way to get out of a burnout. It does not finish with an action plan. It allows the reader to make it’s own mind about how to move forward. The book just puts in front of the reader the mental pieces so that the reader builds its own road, in its way.

Exhausted does not try to add any significant or overwhelming statistics, it just shows different stories and histories, allowing the reader to chose what it wants.

A great book to read.

Show Your Work – Austin Kleon

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I had a professor in college who returned our graded essays, walked up to the chalkboard, and wrote in huge letters: “SO WHAT?” She threw the piece of chalk down and said, “Ask yourself that every time you turn in a piece of writing.” It’s a lesson I never forgot.

The Vampire Test. It’s a simple way to know who you should let in and out of your life. If, after hanging out with someone you feel worn out and depleted, that person is a vampire. If, after hanging out with someone you still feel full of energy, that person is not a vampire. Of course, The Vampire Test works on many things in our lives, not just people—you can apply it to jobs, hobbies, places, etc.

Show Your Work is one of those short books that makes you think and change what you do. It short enough to not be a drag, but with enough substance to change minds. The book argues that the creative process is collaborative, perseverent and open. It comes with many gems of wisdom, common sense and a great pace of writing.

The books suggests to make our stories visible, ask for feedback and be clear on the main points: how, who, so what? It is very positive on expressing stories: as long as we passionately write about our interests, we find our nice. The more we write and express ourselves, the better we are. The more we add structure and motivation (so what? test) the better our stories become.

The book is not only for artists, but for everyone who is interested in communicating. What is amazing is that the book presents in such an easy way, that the reader feels compelled to at least try to be better.

What a wonderful book! Totally recommend.

The 4-Hour Workweek – Timothy Ferriss

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Slow Dance:
Have you ever watched kids, On a merry-go-round? Or listened to the rain, Slapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight? Or gazed at the sun into the fading night? You better slow down. Don’t dance too fast. Time is short. The music won’t last. Do you run through each day, On the fly? When you ask: How are you? Do you hear the reply? When the day is done, do you lie in your bed, With the next hundred chores, Running through your head? You’d better slow down, Don’t dance too fast. Time is short, The music won’t last. Ever told your child we’ll do it tomorrow? And in your haste, Not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch, Let a good friendship die, Cause you never had time, To call and say Hi? You’d better slow down. Don’t dance so fast. Time is short. The music won’t last. When you run so fast to get somewhere, You miss half the fun of getting there. When you worry and hurry through your day, It is like an unopened gift thrown away. Life is not a race. Do take it slower. Hear the music, Before the song is over.

The book argues that working only a few hours a week and living decently is possible.

However, the book acknowledges that this perspective requires rewriting of the usual career system. Remove working and no pension plans are needed, for example.

Regarding pension, the author makes the point that working hard and unhappy an entire professional life for only a few happy years in retirement, when people are already sick and old, makes no sense. He suggests living happily, working remotely in a job that allows much individual freedom, so the available time is spend doing happy things (like traveling or hobbies.

The book is also full of biographic notes from the author: how he started his business (supplements), how he made his exit, how he became a Chinese martial art champion (exploiting the weight measurements before fights), etc.

What transpires from his message is the idea to think differently, to get out of the usual working time and focus on the things that matter. Out with the protocol or useless meetings, out with coordination calls and replying politely to emails.

The book comes with a strong argument that time spent at work is not equal to productivity (doing more) or efficiency (doing better). In fact, it slowly burns us and makes us sicker, aloof and unhappy.

It also nicely argues that a lifetime of pain for a few years of happiness in retirement, when we cannot even enjoy the benefits due to our age, is madness.

However, what the author ignores is the safety net that a savings plan offers. All what the author proposes works with everything goes atomized and well (so no sickness, no job loss, no links with family or friends).

Additionally, many people find pleasure in what they work. Some people would do their job even if not paid, as volunteers, because they just enjoy what they are doing.

Overall, a good food for thought book, but not amazing.

Intre Orient si Occident – Neagu Djuvara

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În istorie nu există miracole, ci, din când în când, întâmplări minunate; există, câteodată, în viața popoarelor clipe privilegiate când, într-o singură generație, destinul adună mai multe schimbări decât în câteva veacuri de toropeală.

Cartea urmărește societatea românească între 1800 și 1848, in Țara Românească și Moldova, pe câteva niveluri: oraș, tigani, țărănime, momente importante, boierime etc.

Ceea ce este impresionant este felul lui Djuvara de a scrie, este ca și cum ai vorbi cu un prieten, un stil foarte oral, fără fraze lungi sau dense. Asta face cartea, foarte bine documentat si voluminoasa, o plăcere de a citi, o lectură relaxantă pe un subiect greu.

Djuvara alege subiecte interesante pentru capitolele sale, dincolo de faptele mari politice sau istorice, cu istorisiri din viața oamenilor, în special a boierimii.

Un lucru deosebit este titlul cărții, ce răzbește din fiecare capitol, o evoluție a societății române în doar 2 generații. Deși nivelurile societății sunt analizate separat, impresia de evoluție, lentă, dar fără întoarcere, este clară.

Poate al doilea mare atu al cărții, după stilul de scris, sunt poveștile adunate, foarte picante si interesante, chiar și după secole.

Deși groasă și cu istoriile în niște decenii foarte grele pentru țările române (teren de război între marile puteri), cartea este relaxantă, memorabilă, plăcută și informativă. O recomand din toată inima și, în general, cărțile lui Neagu Djuvara.

Stars and Bones – Gareth L. Powell

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We saw a dying star being pulled into a black hole. Watched icy comets graze the atmospheres of super-Jovian gas giants. Discovered a matching pair of Earth-like planets locked in an orbital dance around a hot, young star, their oceans seething with the potential for life.

The book is a detective and survival sci-fi story of a scout pilot thrown into saving humanity from an alien nano entity. The premise and the plot of the book are amazing: humanity is saved by a superior intelligence right at the point of its own destruction, it’s sent in its entirety into alien arks outside Earth, and it’s taking care of. But a mysterious entity, like a virus, able to mimic humans, is posing a great threat to the human arks. Standing tall is a scout pilot, who is the first responder to an accident to a remote planet that starts the infection.

The premise of the book is great, and the topics are some of the darlings of the afficionados of the genre. But the writing and plot are terrible. A classic case of a great idea and bad implementation. The book is a solid 3/5, where the theme is 5 stars, while the writing and characters are a low 1 star.

I was reading this book right after “The Road” by Cormac McCormack, which is a marvel of writing. Not much happens in that book, but the writing is impeccable, top of the drawer. This book, Stars and Bones, is the opposite. Great themes, good plot twists, but the characters and the protagonist are cringe and shallow. There is no psychological depth, little on motivations, little exploration of the world. The premise of the book promised so much more.

Overall, a good book, but not exceptional.

The Road – Cormac McCarthy

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You have to carry the fire.”
I don’t know how to.”
Yes, you do.”
Is the fire real? The fire?”
Yes it is.”
Where is it? I don’t know where it is.”
Yes you do. It’s inside you. It always was there. I can see it.

The book follows the journey of a dad and his son, traveling south in the United States, in a contemporary post-apocalyptic world. They struggle to find food, shelter, clothes, avoid other humans turned to cannibalism. All the while, the father tried to teach his son survival skills, but also to be human, resilient, cautious and positive.

Not much happens during their journey, but the few interactions are meaningful and memorable.

The book won the Pulitzer Prize and it can be seen in the exceptional writing. The short book is a pleasure to read due to the writing skills, the descriptions, the atmosphere, the dialogue, the feelings and motivations of the characters. As reader, one is transported in that post apocalyptic world, without the need of long descriptions or explanations.

In fact, we never know the names of the family, what triggered the apocalypse, where exactly they are traveling and, in general, what happened to the world. We have only glimpses of their past and hints of what the apocalypse was.

It matters not, as the story is about passing the humanity from one generation to another, in the microcosm of this father and his son. Luck is on their side, but all has a countdown.

The late author, Cormac McCarthy, was a prized Hollywood inspiration, this book and one other (No Country For Old Man) being transposed into movies.

Are we carrying the fire?

A beautiful and touching book.

The World for Sale – Javier Blas, Jack Farchy

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The commodity traders are arbitragers par excellence, trying to exploit a series of differences in prices. Because they’re doing deals to buy and to sell all the time, they are often indifferent to whether commodity prices overall go up or down. What matters to them is the price disparity – between different locations, different qualities or forms of a product, and different delivery dates. By exploiting these price differences, they help to make markets more efficient, directing resources to their highest value uses in response to price signals. They are, in the words of one academic, the visible manifestation of Adam Smith’s invisible hand.

There are companies richer that big countries, that you never heard about. The book presents the history of commodity trading firms, from their start in early 60s to present day. Commodities are energy, metals and agricultural products that we commonly use. As trading grew and become global, these firms picked up, increased the trend and developed the global flows of products that fuel our lives and industries and feed ourselves.

Starting from trading oil, the global commodity traders, overwhelmingly European and based in Switzerland, become global power houses, not only in trading, but also in producing goods, owning warehouses and financing industries and countries.

On the good side, global commodity trading dramatically decreased prices for costumers, using every opportunity to create a better deal, a better price. In this endeavors, traders because rich, with profits in the billions.

On the bad side, those firms bought from and financed dictators, morals or international sanctions having little to do with a good deal.

What makes the book interesting is that it’s exceptionally well researched, dynamic and manages to present all major global commodity traders in an un liniar way. There is a plethora of stories and characters.

Also memorable is how some of the richest companies in the world grew quietly, outside press or magazines. Only an IPO in the early 2010s started to shed some light on their fabulous incomes, all of them being private before that and even now.

This is an exceptional, real world, contemporary, well researched, well written, engaging and memorable book. What a read!