Mere Mortals Book Reviews

Are great men born or made? Fyodor Dostoyevsky explores this question amongst many others in his extraordinary novel 'Crime And Punishment'. Published in 1866 this Russian masterpiece is still considered one of the greatest books ever written. It tells the story of Rodion Raskolnikov and his psychological undoing after committing a horrific crime in an insane intellectual pursuit. Raskolnikov's subsequent subconscious guilt and near descent to insanity is beautifully captured in a book that does not lack in thought provoking themes.I summarised the book as follows. "If you are even minutely interested in psychology this book is a must read. Dostoyevsky is probably one of the greatest writers to ever express the monologue and internal states of his characters. A personal highlight for me was Raskolnikov's rant at Sonya in Part 5 - Chapter 4. The book is long and deals with dreary themes but keeps delivering the reader new developments to consider."I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Kyrin out!Timeline:(0:00) - Introduction(3:34) - Do morals exist beyond the individual?(5:27) - Comparison with Thérèse Raquin(8:04) - Are great men born or made?(12:43) - Master of the monologue and psychology(14:26) - The quirks of fate(15:23) - Russian names and long reading(16:44) - Pragmatic lessonConnect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

Following on from the review of What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami, Juan from the Mere Mortals digs into the learnings that he found through the book.As always, we hope you enjoy!Connect with Mere Mortals:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

You really get to know what Mr Murakami talks about when he talks about running. A really wonderful piece of literature which comprises a few short pieces throughout his time in 2005/06 , it goes through the trials and tribulations of preparing for a marathon as he has aged, not doing as well as he would have expected, running distances longer than a marathon, the feelings around that and many more. Tune in for Juan's short take on the book.As always, we hope you enjoy!If you would like to support our channel and grab the book as well, find our amazon link below:https://amzn.to/3yDRyetConnect with Mere Mortals:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

Is there a moral boundary that cannot be crossed, even by those who act unthinkingly? 'Thérèse Raquin' is a simple story with only four main characters. Set in 19th century Paris, it tells of passion, betrayal, murder, deception and ultimately, accountability. Émile Zola wrote the book in a literary style known as 'Naturalistic'. In the preface he expressly states that he was interested in the temperaments of the personas, rather than their characters. By this he explores how humans would behave in an extreme situation, where free will plays very little part.Kyrin of the Mere Mortals crew had this to say. "Overall it is gloomy and sad but manages to be very entertaining, even riveting at points. The simple plot and sparse use of characters makes it flow superbly, without the reader needing to backtrack and reconfirm previous passages. The descriptions of old grimy working-class Paris spring into the mind clearly. It prompts questions of unendurable suffering, the acceptability of suicide and how the sub-conscience interacts with morality. A fine read!"Connect with Mere Mortals:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

Are you willing to put it all on the line and to die for your beliefs? In 'The Trial And Death Of Socrates' we indeed find someone who is willing to do this. This short book is composed from three of the four Socratic Dialogues (Apology/Crito/Phaedo) by the Athenian philosopher, Plato. It mostly takes the form of monologues by Socrates with some short back and forth with his friends. It tells of his trial, reasons for not fleeing, musings on death & the soul before his final suicide by poison.Kyrin of the Mere Mortals crew had this to say. "What does one owe the state? Is suicide morally acceptable? Is the soul immortal? These are several questions that arise when one reads of Socrates final days and his rhetorical arguments. He obviously was a man who thought deeply and indeed contained much wisdom. Unfortunately his argumentative and holier than thou personality resulted in making too many enemies and subsequently led to his unfair punishment. A short and quick read but one that requires concentration, perfect for those who love philosophy."Connect with Mere Mortals:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

“Let me not then die ingloriously and without a struggle, but let me first do some great thing that shall be told among men hereafter.” This is a wholly Mere Mortal endorsed quote from 'The Iliad'. Written sometime long ago (thought to be 8th century B.C.) by the poet Homer, it is an epic poem of part of the war between the Greeks and the Trojans outside the walled city of Ilium. The main focus of the numerous battles rests with two heroic fighters, the Trojan prince Hector and the demigod Achilles.I summarised the book as follows. "The poem is superbly written and easily understandable to this day. It reveals both the sublime and the ignoble of battle. The honour, glory and heroism is offset by the gore, sorrow and cowardice. The unpredictability and downright erratic nature of the gods can be observed throughout and calls to question why the ancients worshipped such capricious beings? The book is surprisingly fun, considering the brutal scenes within. Creative adjectives that go before each character is a unique style I also hadn't encountered before."Connect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

Tim Ferriss, the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The 4-Hour Workweek, shares his book a Tribe of Mentors, a choose your own adventure type book where you can pick and reach from 130+ of the world's top successes. Hand in hand with the existing book review, the team went through some of the favourite quotes we encountered through this book (note there is a LOT of quotes in this one). Juan divulges why these quotes resonated so well with his Why's through this quote series. Enjoy!Connect with Mere Mortals:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

Tim Ferriss, the #1 New York Times best-selling author of The 4-Hour Workweek, shares his book a Tribe of Mentors, a choose your own adventure type book where you can pick and reach from 130+ of the world's top successes. Tim uses a great selection of questions that allows each of the individuals in the book to share open and honest insights into their life and how they handle things like "how to say no" and "the best things they have bought under $100". An insightful book, best served as a pick up and read rather than going cover to cover. 8/10.Connect with Mere Mortals:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

In this video I go over some of my favourite quotes from abridged version of 'The Gulag Archipelago'. These are select snippets that highlight the most important passages of the book where I will then adding my own personal reflections on the quote and why it struck me so deeply. If you are looking for a general overview of the book, please head to the Book Review, which gives a synopsis of the principal themes.I summarised the book as follows. "The Gulag Archipelago is a monumental work and truly exposes one of the worst regimes that humans have ever created. The quotes I picked out struck me for their poignancy and capture the literary style of Solzhenitsyn. Not for the faint of heart, they show how kids were given 10+ year prison sentences, the fear evoked by an arrest and the depravity of the gulag guards."I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Kyrin out!If you would like to support the channel, you can grab yourself a copy of the book here! https://amzn.to/3ntvrVOTimeline:(0:00) - Purpose of the video(0:57) - Arrests as a pandemic(2:42) - War heroes as criminals(5:30) - Stalin the jackal(7:20) - Inefficient interrogation(8:53) - You today, me tomorrow(10:51) - The line dividing evil cuts every human heart(12:45) - Hunger strikes are useless(14:41) - No gas for the gas chambers(16:37) - Competing plans(18:22) - Conditions of the corpses(20:24) - Children were not spared(21:38) - Arrests never got easier(22:55) - Blatnye: the theives(24:15) - 10 years in the camps for a child(26:08) - Going over your life with a fine-tooth comb(28:10) - Crocodile tears(30:41) - Growing old overnightConnect with Mere Mortals:Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show

Nature vs Nurture, which is more influential? This is one of the queries that pop up when reading 'The Call Of The Wild' by Jack London. Probably the most well known of his works, it is very similar to 'White Fang' in many ways. We follow a St Bernard cross Scotch Collie named Buck as he returns to the icy wilderness of Northern Canada. Along his journey he rediscovers his baser, deep rooted instincts.Kyrin of the Mere Mortal crew had this to say. "Sometimes you can read two very similar books and only one of them will move you. This occurred for me with White Fang, leaving me slightly disappointed with Call Of The Wild. They both touch upon similar themes, have similar scenery and characters but something was just lacking. A decent book nevertheless and worth reading if you love dogs and the wilderness."Connect with Mere Mortals:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcast/Support the show