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michael_taylor's reviews
268 reviews
The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
The Intelligent Investor has one central tenant; if you are thinking of buying Individual Stocks - DON'T. You don't know anymore than anybody else. Get yourself an ETF and just chill out forever. I'm simplifying but that's the jist of it.
The book is also aware that most people don't listen to common sense and with that being the case it attempts to arm you with as much knowledge as it can. I like the recognition that money is more about psychology than it is about money. As a Canadian citizen there was a lot that didn't apply to me (particularly bonds) but for the most part it was informative.
I found the summary chapters by Jason Zweig to be more helpful than most of the content written by Graham. Thank you Mr. Zweig for breaking things down in a way that were previously a lot more cryptic. For somebody such as myself who considers themselves an aspiring student of finance, this is a good starting point. Even if some of it went over my head.
The book is also aware that most people don't listen to common sense and with that being the case it attempts to arm you with as much knowledge as it can. I like the recognition that money is more about psychology than it is about money. As a Canadian citizen there was a lot that didn't apply to me (particularly bonds) but for the most part it was informative.
I found the summary chapters by Jason Zweig to be more helpful than most of the content written by Graham. Thank you Mr. Zweig for breaking things down in a way that were previously a lot more cryptic. For somebody such as myself who considers themselves an aspiring student of finance, this is a good starting point. Even if some of it went over my head.
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
challenging
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book represents the best and worst of Murakami to me. The best in the sense that it's filled with very poetic, dream like writing. There's so much creativity and intrigue on display. The way the chapters are laid out and linked together are fun to discover.
The worst he has to offer in that it's often confusing and meandering. Entire plots are picked up and dropped at the strangest of times. The professor is the most obvious example. Shows up at the start - disappears for most of the book and then shows up at the end for one of the most awkwardly placed exposition dumps I've ever encountered in a Murakami novel.
It was also oddly obsessed with sex in a way that I didn't feel had a place in the story. The chubby girl in pink never clicked with me.
I suspect that as with most of his other books I'll reflect more fondly on it the further from it I get. If you liked the surreal aspects go read Kafka on The Shore. If you liked the more character driven aspects, go read Colorless Tsukuru. I think both of those display more of what he has to offer as an author. I didn't hate this, I just didn't think it was his best.
The worst he has to offer in that it's often confusing and meandering. Entire plots are picked up and dropped at the strangest of times. The professor is the most obvious example. Shows up at the start - disappears for most of the book and then shows up at the end for one of the most awkwardly placed exposition dumps I've ever encountered in a Murakami novel.
It was also oddly obsessed with sex in a way that I didn't feel had a place in the story. The chubby girl in pink never clicked with me.
I suspect that as with most of his other books I'll reflect more fondly on it the further from it I get. If you liked the surreal aspects go read Kafka on The Shore. If you liked the more character driven aspects, go read Colorless Tsukuru. I think both of those display more of what he has to offer as an author. I didn't hate this, I just didn't think it was his best.