June 2019 – Page 2 – Ryan’s Book Blog

The Miserable Mill

June 4, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

The Miserable Mill is book four in the Series of Unfortunate Events from Lemony Snicket. The book, released in 2004, details the events of the Baudelaire orphans as they are passed to another foster home. This time they are required to work at a wood mill while all the time being stalked by the dreaded Count Olaf.

My Thoughts

Another interesting read. I have to admit, these books are fun to read and I want to watch the Netflix versions with my kids. Neil Patrick Harris would be a great Count Olaf. Of course, the books are pretty well patterned at this point. It’s just a matter of how ridiculous are the adults going to act and how quickly will Count Olaf show up.

Recommendations

It’s still worth reading these books in order. However, they are worth the read.

The Bad Beginning

June 3, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

The Bad Beginning is just that. A bad beginning. It starts with a fire and 3 newly orphaned children. They inherited a fortune and one man is out to get it. Count Olaf.

Written in 1999, The Bad Beginning is the first book of the “Series of Unfortunate Events” which is now appearing on Netflix.

My Thoughts

This story went down fast and was enjoyable. The plot is fairly transparent and it reads as an aid to children’s vocabulary.

It was also fun!

Recommendation

Read it for fun or read it to a child if you’ve forgotten how to have fun.

Blink

June 2, 2019 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Blink is a book on the power of the unconscious mind and its impact on your everyday life. Published in 2005, Malcolm Gladwell teaches us that we can teach and even learn from that great machine in our heads.

My Thoughts

My thoughts is my normal convention but it seems a bit ironic here. As a psychology grad, I’ve learned a bit about priming and how we can be influenced by things we do not consciously perceive. That’s a bit of a terrifying thought when I stop to think about it.

We tend to think we are in control of most of our experiences. We aren’t. That’s hard on the pride. Still, there is a great deal we can influence and we are free to make choices. Our creator gave us that right. It stands to reason we should be as clear minded about what lay before us so we can make reasonable choices based on the information we are given.

All that said, it is a confounding principle to know that sometimes there is too much information. Too many choices are paralyzing and won’t let us move forward. It’s tempting to just flip a coin and call it a day… But that wouldn’t be very responsible would it?

Recommendation

It’s a bit of pop psychology that I think everyone would enjoy as long as they can keep things in perspective.