Ian Brown started reading The Fund by Rob Copeland
I like reading non-fiction books about people in power, or with lots of money, behaving badly.
Reviews and Comments
XML apologist. Erlang enthusiast. Currently JVMs & Performance stuff at Netflix. Previously JVMs & performative stuff at Twitter. He/him.
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Ian Brown reviewed Cuba libre by Elmore Leonard
A novel on the Spanish-American War featuring adventurer Ben Tyler, an Arizona horse dealer. Just …
Speed run through the Spanish-American War.
4 stars
An enjoyable, fast-paced (it is an Elmore Leonard book after all) tour through turn-of-the-century Cuba. A heck of a western, even if it takes place in the Carribean. ACAB, even back then.
Ian Brown started reading Cuba libre by Elmore Leonard
A novel on the Spanish-American War featuring adventurer Ben Tyler, an Arizona horse dealer. Just …
More Elmore
Ian Brown reviewed The Secret Pilgrim by John le Carré
Smiley's Planet
5 stars
Content warning There are no good guys.
This book is a short story collection under deep cover as novel. A speech by George Smiley causes the protagonist, known only as "Ned" (though he adopts numerous surnames throughout the book) to reminisce or recount another episode, each a self-contained reflection on the morality, futility, and, perhaps, necessity of spying.
As always, le Carré's witty, terse prose and deep skepticism creates a first-class book that often verges on literature.
Ian Brown finished reading The Secret Pilgrim by John le Carré
It is George Smiley's world. We're all just passing through it, unaware of all the tedious tradecraft, office politics, and ideological crises happening around us.
Ian Brown started reading The Secret Pilgrim by John le Carré
Hooray for le Carré!
Ian Brown reviewed Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard
Ordell "Whitebread" Robbie makes a fine living selling illegal high-powered weaponry to the wrong people. …
Deja Vu
4 stars
I got like 5 pages into the book before I realized that this was the source material for "Jackie Brown". A fun read. About as hard-boiled as hard-boiled gets. I gotta say the movie version of this book doesn't add much. Every clever twist, every violent act, every deadpan line...anyway, Tarantino kinda blows is what I am trying to say. A hack of a director with Leonard's writing doing all of the heavy lifting.
Ian Brown reviewed Extremely Online by Taylor Lorenz
Acclaimed Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz presents a groundbreaking social history of the internet—revealing how …
To err is human. To forfeit the battle for the shortform creative video market to TikTok is Vine.
5 stars
A fast (but, at times, suprisingly in-depth) survey of the rise of user-generated content in the age of social marketing, "Creators", and influencers.
@taylorlorenz@mastodon.social shines a light on some familiar faces but also gives a voice and shows the work done by a lot of folks forgotten or ignored by the current narratives around the landscape of attention-seeking platforms, products, and people.
What ultimately sets this book apart from so many others that have also focused on the companies and products that shape our world today is that Lorenz examines the people behind the content, not the technology.
Worth a read.
Ian Brown reviewed Starter Villain by John Scalzi
Inheriting your mysterious uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might imagine.
Sure, there …
Cat GIF goes here.
5 stars
Another genre-bending romp from @scalzi@mastodon.social. Fast and fun, this book was a great bit of mental floss to kick off another year of reading. As always Scalzi delivers laugh-out-loud lines with clever dialog and banter. Pick up a copy at your local bookstore or at the nearest public library ASAP.
Ian Brown finished reading Starter Villain by John Scalzi
Inheriting your mysterious uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might imagine.
Sure, there …
Another genre-bending romp from @scalzi@mastodon.social. Fast and fun, this book was a great bit of mental floss to kick off another year of reading. As always Scalzi delivers laugh-out-loud lines with clever dialog and banter. Pick up a copy at your local bookstore or at the nearest public library ASAP.
Ian Brown started reading Starter Villain by John Scalzi
Inheriting your mysterious uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might imagine.
Sure, there …
Looking forward to this. Need a brain-floss book.
Ian Brown started reading Extremely Online by Taylor Lorenz
Acclaimed Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz presents a groundbreaking social history of the internet—revealing how …
Looking forward to starting @taylorlorenz@mastodon.social's new book.
Ian Brown started reading Doppelganger by Naomi Klein
A rather compelling read so far.
Ian Brown started reading Dust by Hugh Howey
Here we go again. Not sure I am emotionally ready for a return to this universe.
Ian Brown started reading Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson
I am reading this not to understand Elon Musk. I don't give a shit what made him a damaged human, bigot, and all around dickhead. I just want to read the parts about the Twitter takeover and the aftermath.