'Origins: How Earth's History Shaped Human History' by Lewis Dartnell

Origins: How Earth’s History Shaped Human History, Lewis Dartnell (4.0)

The author nicely puts together many things we may have heard or read in the past about how the earth’s physical features over millions of years have impacted life in general and human life in particular. Sometimes a bit dry, I suggest reading each chapter in one sitting to get the most impact. There were nuggets of important information throughout the book. My main comment is that many things were stated as fact that are still, in fact, theory. As we gain new techniques, we learn things about our past and I expect that to continue. I will be curious to see what might change in this book in 25-50 years’ time.

'Remarkably Brilliant Creatures' by Shelby Van Pelt

Remarkably Brilliant Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt (3.5)

I was a little surprised at the level of enthusiasm shown for this book. It is definitely a ‘feel-good’ book that is generally enjoyable to read. That being said, it is predictable and a tad far-fetched. I love octopi and real stories about their surprising natures. A giant octopus plays a big role in this story and is quite a charmer. The story follows a widower, a troubled young man and said octopus. That the octopus sees as much or more than some readers will figure out, indicates he’s both the heart and brains of the tale. I did find the story to be very predictable and the idea that the octopus was so smart was a bit much to take. If you want a relatively light book with an enjoyable outcome, this book will serve.

'Going Infinite' by Michael Lewis

Going Infinite, Michael Lewis (4.0)

I found it interesting that the drama following the subject of this book continued to the writer and the book itself. For those not interested in crypto-currency or familiar with the latest fallen wunderkind, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), Mr. Lewis started this book as a study of a company and person whose net worth became shockingly large in a very short time. It sounds like a Michael Lewis subject, but the interesting part is that during the writing (as the author followed and researched SBF) the company went bankrupt and SBF was arrested for major mismanagement of funds. I don’t think Mr. Lewis made him appear innocent in his writing, but he did seem to lose his journalistic distance as he struggled to account for why SBF did what he did. Sam reminded me of Rainman – a non-neural-typical person with one strength (math/gaming), no empathy (he had to teach himself how to smile) and zero interest or understanding of how people and businesses work. Bottom line, Sam only cared about the game, nothing else. Would you want someone like that in charge of a company worth billions? Really not surprising that it failed, and he doesn’t think he did anything wrong.