Schattenstern

Still not dead yet!

Major stuff I've read lately:
- Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell - A somewhat dated but solid book on plot and structure. It's kind of genre-oriented rather than literary-oriented, and very much toward the mystery and thriller genres, but it's got some very good advice on plot and characters, which I imagine many subsequent books on plot and characters have repeated and reworked in the meantime.

- The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel - A really good book to read early on when you're investigating the personal-finance-o-sphere. This is not a cookbook, 'do this' sort of personal finance book, but more a "seriously think about how you THINK about money before you set your goals" kind of book. I've read a lot in this sphere, and still I thought this was an excellent and fresh take, highlighting how some serious introspection can help you avoid serious mistakes.

-  How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Katy Milkman - ...meh?  I dunno, maybe I've read too much in this area to find this particularly thrilling.  Also, it suffers a bit from being too "explain the experiments" to really appeal to the average reader while at the same time just rehashing things that actual informed readers already know.  So, it retreads some common ground, I felt.

- Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots - I've now read this book three times, and still love it. A witty, exciting story about a former hench who gets injured by a superhero and uses her considerable data analysis-fu skills to calculate the cost in property damage and human life of deploying superheroes/WMDs for basic crime. This gets her hired by the world's scariest supervillain, and away we go. A neat world mashup of super heroes and corporate drudgery, with a lot to say on exploitation and capitalism. Also I loved the main character's voice and I am WAITING (not so) PATIENTLY for the sequel that's set to come out in a few months, as I really, really want to see how Anna's arc progresses and how her relationship with Leviathan evolves.

Reading now:
- Reading the next Morgan Housel book, The Art of Spending Money.  Am less impressed than with The Psychology of Money, mostly because i'm about a third of the way in and it's making the exact same points.  It also seems, more than Psychology of Money, focused on the problems of rich people (all the ways super rich people fritter away their money) rather than issues seen by more average folks.  I've also started reading Little Bosses Everywhere, which...someone here might have suggested?  Interesting book on MLM/pyramid scheme history.