Long Time Expat In Japan
Japan is awesome. I've written a couple of posts about my adopted home. While there are more than a few examples of great innovations, I've also written about how Japan has mangled the English language. Maybe I shouldn't say "mangle.” In the end, words are imported. And when they are imported, they transform and take … Continue reading Japan Is Awesome – Usually
Thin Air By Robert B. Parker (1995) In case you haven't figured it out by now, I'm a bit of a Parker fan. I haven't reviewed all his Spenser novels, but I'm working on it. Thin Air is number 22 in the series, if I'm not mistaken. I've enjoyed most, though not all of them. … Continue reading Book Review – Thin Air
Walking Shadowby Robert B. Parker Walking Shadow is the 21st Spenser novel. It is one of the better ones in this middle era for the series. (Note: spoilers) Spenser is in Port City, a fictitious city that's near Boston, but the reader is unclear exactly where. The beginning is a bit atypical for a detective … Continue reading Book Review – Walking Shadow
Living in Japan, things move differently. It was only last week that Japan lifted mask restrictions. I know, I know. The rest of the world was maskless for more than a year. But this is how things work over here. The pace is different, and people are more cautious. The official date was March 13, … Continue reading Maskless
Paper Dollby Robert B. Parker Paper Doll is the 20th of the Spenser novels. I'm reading them mostly in order. A little while back I wrote about Pastime, which is #22, so I reviewed them slightly out of order. (spoiler alert for a novel written in 1991) The story revolves around Spenser's investigation of the … Continue reading Book Review – Paper Doll
Trillion Dollar Coachby Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, and Alan Eagle I don't much write about work-related stuff. But I'd been thinking about happiness and work, and I had a book on my (virtual) shelf I had bought about four years ago. I read it. And it was okay. The coach in the title is Bill … Continue reading …in Which I Write About Business Stuff
Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life (hereafter S2S)by Arthur C. Brooks The title is a mouthful. It was something of a turnoff, to be honest. It reminded me of the self help books that I want no part of. Books that aim to help you squeeze … Continue reading Second Half of Life
A couple of years back, I played with anagrams of political folk, and never posted them. I found them, so I'm sharing. Some are not bad, imho. Paul Manafort > On a fatal rump Sarah Huckabee Sanders > Erases sacred bunk, ha ha Sean Spicer > I sense crap Anthony Scaramucci > A month's inaccuracy … Continue reading Politician Anagrams
Megathreats by Nouriel Roubini Roubini, an economist and professor, is best known for predicting (in 2006) the financial meltdown of 2008. As a result of that prediction, he's been nicknamed, "Dr. Doom." After reading this book, his nickname is well-deserved. Megathreats explores the economic and geopolitical risks and challenges facing the world in the 21st … Continue reading Book Review – Megathreats
Pastime (1993)by Robert B. Parker I'm reading the Spenser novels in order. I skipped reviews on a bunch, but might as well start from here. Paul Giacomin, who you might remember from Early Autumn, needs to find his mother. She’s missing without even a goodbye. If you don’t remember the Early Autumn, that’s okay. It’s … Continue reading Book Review – Pastime
B.S. Donovan 