Hooray for le Carré!
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XML apologist. Erlang enthusiast. Currently JVMs & Performance stuff at Netflix. Previously JVMs & performative stuff at Twitter. He/him.
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Ian Brown's books
2025 Reading Goal
37% complete! Ian Brown has read 9 of 24 books.
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Ian Brown started reading The Secret Pilgrim by John le Carré
Ian Brown reviewed Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard
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 finished reading Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard

Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard
Ordell "Whitebread" Robbie makes a fine living selling illegal high-powered weaponry to the wrong people. Jackie Burke couriers Ordell's profits …
Ian Brown started reading Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard

Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard
Ordell "Whitebread" Robbie makes a fine living selling illegal high-powered weaponry to the wrong people. Jackie Burke couriers Ordell's profits …
Ian Brown reviewed Extremely Online by Taylor Lorenz
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 finished reading Extremely Online by Taylor Lorenz

Extremely Online by Taylor Lorenz
Acclaimed Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz presents a groundbreaking social history of the internet—revealing how online influence and the creators …
Ian Brown set a goal to read 12 books in 2024
Ian Brown reviewed Starter Villain by John Scalzi
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
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
Ian Brown started reading Extremely Online by Taylor Lorenz
Looking forward to starting @taylorlorenz@mastodon.social's new book.