Mere Mortals Book Reviews

Want an unhelpful book about how to meditate, then look no further! 'Three Steps To Awakening' by Larry Rosenberg (with Laura Zimmerman) is a collection of his audible teachings condensed into a short book. In it he differentiates 'awareness' into the practicing part (actual meditation practice) and into the everyday living part. The book is split into three main sections on how to meditate: whole body breath awareness, breath-as-anchor and choiceless awareness.I summarised the book as follows. "It's a short book that I wouldn't describe as neither beginner nor advanced. It comes across as very scattered and lacked a real structure. It was composed from his audible teachings and this tends to result in a book that is sub-standard when compared to those which are expressly written for the purpose of reading. The only saving grace is the Q&A sections, which actually are somewhat helpful."As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!Timeline:(0:00) - Synopsis(2:02) - The Three Steps(4:29) - Personal Observations(5:43) - Summary(8:20) - Pragmatic Takeaway: Go to the better source!Connect with Mere Mortals:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

Why did Seneca consider the learning and pursuit of 'philosophy' as the most important thing that a person could do? 'Letters From A Stoic' by Seneca are a collection of 124 letters (although this version only contains 40) he sent to his friend Lucilius in the last years of his life. He provides guidance on how to think about mental pitfalls, illness, death and vices but also on nobler topics of pleasure, friendship and serenity. I summarised the book as follows. "The Penguin Classic version by Robin Campbell is an easy to read translation in modern language. It contains gems of wisdom but for me was not as genuine as other Stoic works, such as 'Meditations' by Marcus Aurelius. He simultaneously shows the knowledge gained from age, as well as the grumpiness! Plenty of helpful advice though on how to contemplate illness and death, particularly in Letters 77 & 78."I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Kyrin out!Timeline:(0:00) - Synopsis(2:58) - Philosophy: The most vital pursuit(6:16) - Living A Good Life: The outcome of philosophy(7:51) - Personal Observations(13:08) - Summary(14:32) - Pragmatic Takeaway: Use others quotes but expand upon themConnect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

'Cycles Of The Phoenix' by C.A. Nicholas is his magnum opus symphony and is a collection of stories that he has written over the years. It is quite a thick book and consists of 'Sanity's War', 'Strange' and 'Kaya: Where Have You Gone?'. These stories are mainly fantasy/sci-fi based and follow his characters as they deal with depression in different environments.Juan summarised the book as follows. "This book was extremely descriptive. The way Charlie writes you can tell he takes it up a notch by describing in detail every part of the scene. Whilst the stories have the fantasy element of swords battles, dragons and demons, the main theme is the deep seated anxiety and depression that his characters face."As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!Timeline:(0:00) - Synopsis(2:05) - Charlie's book in his own words(4:45) - Why Juan doesn't normally read fiction(6:08) - SummaryConnect with Mere Mortals:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

Willkommen im Schlachthof fünf! 'Slaughterhouse-Five' by Kurt Vonnegut is a thoroughly bizarre book written in his simple, scattered and non-linear style. We follow the life of Billy Pilgrim, an optometrist, alien abductee, prisoner of war and time-traveller. The book is anti-war and is one of the principal works that discussed the fire-bombing of Dresden by the allies towards the end of World War II. As such the themes of the book centre around the atrocities of war as well as the fatalism of the protagonist.I summarised the book as follows. "It's a book that is non-standard in just about every way possible. It takes an awful topic like the holocaust of Dresden and masks it with humour and a ridiculous philosophy. Personally I found the story a bit too out there for my taste and struggled to find an emotional connection with Billy, the protagonist. However I highly rated 'Cat's Cradle' by the same author so this could just be a personal preference rather than a critique of the author or this book in particular."As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!Timeline:(0:00) - Synopsis(2:24) - Atrocities Of War: No side is guilt free(6:05) - Fatalism: Nihilism without the despair(9:16) - Personal Observations(11:46) - Summary(13:03) - Pragmatic Takeaway: Study German harder and go to DresdenConnect with Mere Mortals:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

Would you go to war if your country demanded it of you? 'Goodbye To All That' by Robert Graves is commonly cited as one of the best books written about The Great War. It is a memoir written at age 33 of his childhood in English boarding schools, the brutality of the conditions in the trenches during WWI and his post-war life amongst fellow poets/writers. The bulk of the book is focused on his direct experiences at the front resulting in his general pacifist attitude as well as being ostracised by the rabidly patriotic non-combatants back home.I summarised the book as follows. "It's a gritty and raw tale coming from a sensitive poet, an unusual combination. It shows trench warfare in it's horrifying ignominy but then will quickly contrast this with the blandness of not fitting into a normal civilian life. It is about as real as you can get as Graves does not particularly have any allegiance to a particular group and is simply recounting his life as he sees it."As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!Timeline:(0:00) - Synopsis(2:38) - Pacifism: Can there be a just war?(7:48) - Ostracism: How much can one endure?(11:29) - Personal Observations(13:57) - Summary(15:51) - Pragmatic Takeaway: Read more about 'just war'Connect with Mere Mortals:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

Is it possible for humans to extend their life span, possible even to reverse aging altogether? 'Superhuman' by Dave Asprey is his explanation of how we can increase our life span and stop the aging process. His approach is scientifically driven and he delves deeply into the research to back up his claims. The main themes of the book are on the Seven Pillars of aging that contribute to our decline and the simple interventions that can be used to stop this process.Juan summarised the book as follows. "It is a goddamn technical book. There was a page or two where he got very specific and detailed that I just had to skip by. A lot of information and takeaways but you have to work for them. The book is well written and Dave himself comes across as a funny and likeable guy, when he is not deep diving into the actual science. I felt like there was plenty of practical and implementable techniques to use for myself."As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!Timeline:(0:00) - Synopsis(1:58) - Structure of the book(4:34) - Heavy on the science(5:51) - Key takeaways(11:55) - Final thoughtsConnect with Mere Mortals:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

What circumstances would drive someone to voluntary smuggle themselves back into a concentration camp? 'The Happiest Man On Earth' by Eddie Jaku is the memoir of a man who endured tremendous suffering, managing to survive through the holocaust. The book starts with life before WWII, his subsequent experiences in the concentration camps before moving away from Belgium/Germany and emigrating to Australia. There are some intense and amazing stories from his time in the camps, including his daring escape from Auschwitz and need to return by smuggling himself back in.Juan summarised the book as follows. "I thought I would get quite used to reading those Holocaust books but I didn't with this one. It was a really enjoyable read because of the way it is just so succinctly broken up into the various chapters, it will keep you coming back for more. The perspective that these books provide are what I always gain as a pragmatic takeaway. As Eddie says 'life can be beautiful if you make it beautiful. It is up to you.'"As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!Timeline:(0:00) - Synopsis(1:53) - General Thoughts(4:00) - Smuggling Himself Back Into Auschwitz(6:05) - Key Principles(9:26) - Final ThoughtsConnect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

What is the strange attraction and repulsion that we have towards violence? 'In Evil Hour' by Gabriel García Márquez is a fictional story set in the same universe as his most famous work of '100 Years of Solitude' but without the magic realism he is famous for. The story starts and ends with a killing, depicting the start of the oppression and the escalation that is to follow. Violence (both overt and subtle) lingers throughout the interactions of the tyrannical mayor as he re-institutes a curfew and control over his town.I summarised the book as follows. "This is one of the first works from García Márquez and for me, not one of his finest. He captures the environment and ambience of the setting but the story and characters lacked a bit of bite. It felt like it needed a more dominant, driving antagonist as the mayor was responding to everything that happened, instead of instigating it like a 'proper' villain would do. That being said it still does contain the unique style of the great Colombian and is worth reading if you want to see his progression as a writer."As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!Timeline:(0:00) - Synopsis(2:22) - La Violencia: The political battle of Colombia(3:36) - Los Pasquines: The dark side of human nature(6:33) - Personal Observations(9:23) - Summary(11:05) - Pragmatic Takeaway: Keep up the out loud readingConnect with Mere Mortals:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

What are the reasons for the rise of safe spaces, microaggressions and extreme social justice on American college campuses? 'The Coddling Of The American Mind' by Greg Lukianoff & Jonathan Haidt attempts to explain the psychology and cognitive distortions of iGen (also known as Generation Z). Three Great Untruths have been adopted by these students which has led to the culture of 'safetyism' in which safety has become a sacred value that cannot be questioned.I summarised the book as follows. "It's a detailed and critical examination of a particular type of mass psychological mania. Greg & Jonathan present sound arguments of well-balanced research that shows how overprotection and technological change is creating an energetic but poorly directed culture amongst students. It provides plenty of specific and broad advice on how to fix the problems and my only negative was that I personally have become less interested in the topic than I was say 2 or 3 years ago and therefore found myself becoming bored in parts."As always, we hope you enjoy, Mere Mortals out!Timeline:(0:00) - Synopsis(2:36) - Anti-Wisdom: The three great untruths(5:40) - Safetyism: An uncalculated risk(8:00) - Personal Observations(12:58) - Summary(14:47) - Pragmatic Takeaway: No screen TuesdayConnect with Mere Mortals:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

Looking for a book full of truth that is actually full of shameless lies? 'Cat's Cradle' by Kurt Vonnegut is a satirical novel of black humour that treats of a dangerous situation similar to the Cold War. It follows the writer John as he researches Felix Hoenikker; one of the fathers of the atomic bomb & the inventor of the insanely dangerous Ice-Nine. Along his journey he meets an enigmatic midget, the most beautiful girl in the world and the mysterious Bokonon. The underlying themes of the book centre around the possibility of Armageddon due to rampant technological increase and the absurd religion designed to give purpose and meaning.I summarised the book as follows. "It's a fun easy read that will have you laughing. Totally ridiculous with biting dark humour on actually serious issues. Some of the finest satire I have read. The book has a unique style of extremely short chapters, there being 127 in only 206 pages. I would recommend it to those who enjoy the series of Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy or The Diceman."I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Kyrin out!Timeline:(0:00) - Synopsis(2:07) - Armageddon: The price of technology and development(5:19) - Bokonism: The religion of the absurd(8:36) - Personal Observations(10:58) - Summary(12:18) - Pragmatic Takeaway: Have some absurdityConnect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show