Y.S. Stephen - Reader | Casual Observer

Writing a book has many gains. You have the title of an "author", people respect you somewhat and that opens doors of opportunity. Aside from personal benefits, there is no celebrity status attached to reading. It does not matter how voracious or well-read you are. No one cares. According to Damon Young, author of  The Art of Reading : "Despite civilisation’s glut of signs, the virtues of reading are rarely celebrated. Reading well is treated as a rudimentary skill, not a lifelong ambition; not a creative talent to tenaciously enrich and enhance. This contrasts with the popular writing industry: degrees, short courses, workshops, masterclasses, centres, festival panels... Many promise not only technical know-how, but also tricks for convincing editors to publish and audiences to buy." The information age has made everyone writers of some sort. Most of us want to get our ideas out there and be published by any means. Through the use of blog...

At the heart of The Three Questions is the theme of identity - how to know who you are, how to live true to what you find, and how to continually evolve while staying true to your discovery. This is a book that is meant to shake the foundations of whatever you think you believe in and look at the world with unique eyes - your eyes, free of superstition and limiting beliefs. WHO WOULD ENJOY IT? People who enjoyed the bestselling The Four Agreements would like this too, though I think this book does not hold a candle to the searing sentences of the four agreements.  Even if you are not familiar with the author's past work, you can still enjoy this if you admire toltec traditions and love exploring different truths of different cultures. WHAT I LOVE ABOUT IT The book itself is simple to read and straight-forward with its messages. There is a bit of repetition, but that does not get too unbearable.  There are good passages within that crystallises the essence o...

Influencer examines the volatile environment of social media content creation, how to master it, and make a living out of it. WHO WOULD ENJOY IT? Anyone looking to become an ethical "influencer" or grow their social media account. Because this book focuses on Instagram a lot, it is particularly useful for those who want to focus on growing their followers on that platform. WHAT I LOVE ABOUT IT Due to rapid changes in technology and social media algorithms, there aren't many authors brave enough to write a book on how to build a followership on social media platforms. However, the author did a good job covering basic issues that are not hinged on changing technological fads like "How do you find your voice...?, "How do you stand out from the crowd?",  "How do you get sites and brands to notice you?", etc I also love the sections where people with a large social media following give tips on what they think they did right to becom...

Angelic is a post-apocalyptic tale about two warring communities. While one of the communities, called the Mans, is on a quest for an item that will make them more powerful, the other colony, the Monks, is satisfied with how things are and determined to keep it that way. However, the situation gets out of hand when two members of each community come together on a quest that will change what everyone knows about the past and the present. WHY I LOVE THE BOOK Though the authors were not subtle about the messages they want to pass across to the readers, it did not get in the way of my enjoyment of the story. The art style is in no way unique but it does its job. The characters are quirky, yet relatable. CHARACTER FOCUS - THE MANS The Mans are a colony of what looks like a seal sitting in a pod-like machine. Their mobility and health deteriorate when separated from their machines, hence they tend to be seen sitting in the all the time. This pod machines also enable them ...

The Best Damn Answers to Life’s Hardest Questions claims to offer witty solutions to common life problems and tries to do so in an illustrated form consisting of flow charts as well as lists of pros and cons. WHO WOULD ENJOY IT? I am not sure as I did not enjoy it and I am struggling to think of who might. IS IT WORTH READING? The Best Damn Answers to Life’s Hardest Questions is a book that does not know what it wants to be. Though its title sounds serious, the way the book went about fulfilling the message of its title seem confusing - the intent was clear, but it falls flat in its execution. Also, I am not sure using flowchart is the best tool for the topic and genre the authors are dealing with. Valiant effort, though. SAMPLE PASSAGE ----------- The Best Damn Answers to Life’s Hardest Questions - A Flowchart Book by Tess Koman and Katie Vernon is available to buy on all major online bookstores from September 2018. Many thanks to Workman Publishing Group for revi...

Belong tries to tell us what we already know -  the sorry state of modern communication, a condition made worse by digitalisation of interaction. It also tries to tell us how to build friendships and communities that enrich us. However, it becomes difficult to make use of these solutions because of the abundance of self-help cliches and secular spirituality troupes in the book. The core kernel of building a community, according to the author, goes thus: "The first step is GOING IN.  This includes determining what we want in a friend and community and what we offer, becoming intentional about our relationships, gauging the type of energy we emit and respond to, and understanding how we do—or don’t—show up for others. Then comes GOING OUT—how to find a few special friends who feed our soul; or how to find a fully engaged group with similar business, artistic, and social aims; or both." Aside from the vagueness and impracticalities of this book, the cyn...

The Blind Spot Effect is a book that essentially teaches how to pay attention to your thoughts and improve your observation of the world around you in order to find your blind spots. The end game of this is to enable you to make better decisions. WHO WOULD ENJOY IT? Anyone looking to improve their decision making. IS IT WORTH READING? There are a lot of real-life examples in this book, with quotations from experts that deal with the mind and brain. If you do not mind going through all this, then you will enjoy this book. The content is valuable and if you read carefully, could change the way you perceive things. SAMPLE PASSAGE Stories don’t always steer us in the right direction. Having a coherent narrative about something, no matter what it is, from “I’m fat” to “Immigrants are taking all our jobs” to “Our company is the best and will never be beat,” may all be easy on the brain, but are they true? We are generally accurate with our stories — at least enough to keep ...

One of the luxuries of modern life is the growing distance between us and what we eat. As we throw down bits of fruits, grains, fluids, and flesh down our gullet, we hardly take a thought about who cultivated them and in what manner. Or maybe we are afraid of what we might find if we peer too long down that rabbit hole. Yet there is an ugly underbelly to food production today - from bee-killing chemicals, slavery, unethical genetic enhancement, cruel treatment of animals, and so on.  The Dead Eye and the Deep Blue Sea is a true life story that explores all the above themes. It is a story of  Vannak Anan Prum, a man lured on a shipping boat where he, alongside other unfortunate souls, are forced to toil for years without pay, without seeing land, feeding on little food, getting maimed or killed by sea creatures and ship nets. Vannak is one of many people forced to work under inhumane conditions to feed others in different parts of the world. WHO WOULD E...

Contrary to decades ago when anyone carrying the title of a herbalist is viewed as a charlatan or a third-worlder, a large part of the western world has woken up to the realities of the magical power of plants around them. The Herball's Guide to Restorative Tonics, Delicious De-Stressors and Sleep Inducers shows an array of herbs and the kind of power they wield when combined well. WHO WOULD ENJOY IT? Anyone with an interest in natural medicine. IS IT WORTH READING? It depends on the reader. The book itself is full of recipes, plant attributes and other information about the right brewing processes needed to make an effective drink. Most importantly, the book cautions against picking plants based on assumptions or any other part of a plant other than the one specified. In short, this is not a book for amateurs. --------- The Herball's Guide to Restorative Tonics, Delicious De-Stressors and Sleep Inducers - A Compendium of Plant-based Drinks to Make a...

Springfield Confidential takes a broad look at the authors' working years as The Simpson's writers, examining what makes the show popular, its early behind-the-scenes feud, its weird cast of creators, and some answers to pertinent questions fans love to ask. WHO WOULD ENJOY READING IT? Fans of the show would love the answers and clues shown here. For example, did you know Moe and Chief Wiggum were allegedly modelled after animals? A gorilla and pig respectively. Also, aspiring creatives would find solace and wisdom in the authors' depiction of the world of writing and comedy, what it takes to do a great work and the pitfalls littered across its landscape. WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THE BOOK The book confirmed my intuition about some creative issues that have troubled me for a while. The book reveals that a lot of great things about The Simpsons where not planned or strategised. For example, the "Moaning Lisa" episode cemented Lisa's personality as the consci...

"A thief, an assassin, a mage and a cleric walk into a tavern in the ancient city of Umber. Awaiting them is a mysterious bard with a dangerous scheme: to break into the dungeon of a powerful death cult in search of treasure. For these five desperate criminals, it's the last chance for hope in a city of corruption and despair. But what they find instead is an undead army preparing to conquer the world. Now, they must fight to protect the city that pushed their backs to the wall, or watch it burn." A thief, an assassin, a mage and a cleric WHO WOULD ENJOY READING IT? Night's Dominion deals with political as well as religious themes. If you like fantasy stories set in a background of serious social topics then you will enjoy reading this one. CHARACTER FOCUS There is a lot to say about loving your country, but when the system is set up to tear you down, then humans are wired to ditch patriotism and don a garb of cynism and hatred of fellow cou...