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PODCAST

Mere Mortals Book Reviews

Kyrin Down & Juan Granados

Hey we are the Mere Mortals and we review books of all genres/styles but with an emphasis on those that have stood the test of time (the "classics" if you will). Join us on Weekly live episode on Thurs 11am AEST (Thurs 1am UTC+0) plus bonus episodes from my cohost Juan.

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All Episodes

00:19:40

The Myth Of Sisyphus (Albert Camus) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2022/02/01

Is Sisyphus trapped in an eternal torment, or is he perhaps the most fulfilled man in history?'The Myth Of Sisyphus' by Albert Camus are multiple essays diving into the philosophy of the absurd. There are 4 main parts that examine whether suicide is a good idea, the thoughts/actions of an absurd man, artists who have created absurd fictional characters and why Sisyphus is the embodiment of the absurd. It also includes some other poetical works, namely of his love for Algiers and its landscape.I

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00:22:25

Lot's Of Leviathan's, Nutmeg & Nymphets

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2022/01/30

Well you can't accuse me of sticking to only one type of book, I was all over shop this month.For January 2022 I tackled Leviathan and man that was booooooorrrrrriiiiiinnnnnnnggggg. I much more enjoyed Lolita (which was less controversial than I thought it would be) and Nathaniel's Nutmeg (detailing the crazy adventurers and merchants in the 1500's). A big thanks to Petar & Oscar Merry for helping to support the show, bloody legends!I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world

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00:24:30

Leviathan (Thomas Hobbes) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2022/01/25

A seminal work that many people like to quote (including me), but probably haven't read (not me now).'Leviathan' by Thomas Hobbes is a treatise on human nature/government/religion and how they all mingle. His basic argument is that human emotions & our individual rights lead to war. Therefore we need a government to contain this violence. The book is very detailed and contains lots of definitions and formal explanations of his thoughts.I summarised the book as follows. "It's split into 4

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00:20:53

Nathaniel's Nutmeg (Giles Milton) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2022/01/18

The real spice wars don't turn out so well for the little guy, but there is just as much death/mayhem.'Nathaniel's Nutmeg' by Giles Milton is a narrative history of the spice trade in the early 1500's to mid 1600's. It reveals the shipping rivalry that occurred between England & The Dutch over the highly valuable spices of nutmeg, pepper and cloves. It's told through individual adventurers with their ships and of their route, tropical diseases, warfare, politics and living conditions.I

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00:30:27

Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2022/01/11

Delusion, obsession and dubious ethical choices swirl around in the head of this unreliable narrator.'Lolita' by Vladimir Nabokov details the disturbed account of Humbert Humbert's (the narrator) fantasy with the young Dolores Haze (Lolita). Humbert lusts after 'nymphets' and begins a semi-consensual sexual relationship with the underage Lolita. However the relationship is perhaps not all it seems as the delirium and bizarre behaviour of Humbert become more apparent.I summarised the book as follows

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00:13:23

Twelve and a Half (Gary Vaynerchuck) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2022/01/04

'Twelve and a Half' by Gary Vaynerchuck (aka Gary Vee) focuses on the 12 emotional traits that are the crucial ingredients to successful interactions, on and off the business landscape. The half includes an emotion which Gary himself is building up, kind candor, and the book is split up into three parts: Decription of each emotion, examples and excercises to build up your skills in each emotion.I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Juan out!Timeline:(0:00) - Intro(1:55) -

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00:16:22

The Art of Learning (Josh Waitzkin) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/12/28

'The Art of Learning' by Josh Waitzkin might be better detailed as the Art of Mastering. I summarised the book as follows. "Broken up into the fundamentals and the progress from chess master to push hands champion, Josh does a phenomenal job of sharing his life lessons with us"I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Juan out!Timeline:(0:00) - Intro(1:30) - Synopsis(6:14) - Themes(12:54) - Takeaways & SummaryConnect with Mere Mortals:Website:

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00:18:32

A Slightly Disappointing Month Of Reading :(

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/12/26

Unfortunately there were no real standout books for this month.For December 2021 I have been reading some slightly thinner works and took a break from the philosophy to find some fun ones that wouldn't test my brain too much. And whilst I did enjoy all of these, none of them stood out as something I would remember strongly and be likely to bring up in everyday conversation. I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Kyrin out!Timeline:(0:00) - Intro(0:47) - The Portrait Of A

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00:13:45

Don't Tell Mum I Work On The Rigs (Paul Carter) -...

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/12/21

Woooooeeeewooooeeee. Misleading title alert!!!'Don't Tell Mum I Work On The Rigs' by Paul Carter is a memoir of Paul's 35 years of life from 1969-2004. It's told in a chronological order and is centred around his work life in the oil drilling industry. This profession took him all over the world (Nigeria, Brunei, Colombia, Russia, Singapore, etc.,) and resulted in zany stories involving bar fights, a horny monkey, shocking injuries and a bar full of midgets.I summarised the book as follows. "It's

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00:13:59

Peril At End House (Agatha Christie) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/12/15

Mon Ami, Hercule Poirot is on the scene!'Peril At End House' by Agatha Christie is a whodunnit crime story that will leave you guessing until the very end. Nick Buckley has 3 close calls with death before her cousin Maggie is killed in her place. Fortunately Poirot and Hastings are available to investigate the crime and untangle the weave of seemingly incomprehensible events.I summarised the book as follows. "I found this mystery quite fun despite the morbid nature of the crime. It's the perfect

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00:31:05

The Portrait Of A Lady (Henry James) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/12/07

The ritual of courtship has really changed in the last century & a half. 'The Portrait Of A Lady' by Henry James is a fictional (although realistic) tale of love set in the 19th century. It follows Isabel Archer, a beautiful middle class American teenager who is elevated into the upper society of Europe and is courted by a suite of bachelors. It features a core group of 12-15 ladies & gentlemen and explores the themes of love and societal expectations.I summarised the book as follows. "This

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00:16:20

Cilka's Journey (Heather Morris) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/11/30

'Cilka's Journey' by Heather Morris is the sequel to 'The Tattooist of Auschwitz' which we have covered on the channel before.I summarised the book as follows. "Didn't quite live up to the original, the book felt like it was several pages too many and while the story itself was great it could have been constructed in a better way."I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Juan out!If you'd like to support the team and grab the book, why not use this link

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00:21:11

German Philosophy Is Difficult To Understand:...

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/11/28

This recap was supported with the help of Petar the slav, many thanks for the boostagrams!Well I tried my best to understand what the Germans think about life but it wasn't too successful. I found the writing of Nietzsche and Heidegger to be quite obscure and didn't really learn anything from them. I did have fun diving into the Dune world though, just in time to see the upcoming movie. Juan enjoyed reading (as much as one can) about the story of The Tattooist Of Auschwitz and I reveal some of the

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00:23:35

Beyond Good And Evil (Friedrich Nietzsche) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/11/23

I don't use the word often, but 'polemical' describes this work perfectly.'Beyond Good And Evil' by Friedrich Nietzsche is mostly an attack on philosophers but also contains snippets of his general thoughts on the interplay between religion & society, the mindset of a free spirit and some other assorted rants. It was originally written in his native German and is mostly comprised of statements (rather than logical arguments) of his opinions on all these topics.I summarised the book as follows

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00:11:24

The Question Concerning Technology (Martin Heidegger)...

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/11/16

More questions than answers, more confusion than clarity.'The Question Concerning Technology' by Martin Heidegger is a philosophical book containing multiple essays by the German philosopher. It centres around his concepts of 'Standing Reserve' & 'Enframing' but also contains a deconstruction of Nietzsche as well. The book contains no real structure but does have many helpful notes from the translator (as it was originally written in German).I summarised the book as follows. "I have no idea what

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00:12:02

The Tattooist of Auschwitz (Heather Morris) - Book...

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/11/09

'The Tattooist of Auschwitz' by Heather Morris blends fiction with reality to bring the tale of the Tattooist of Auschwitz to us all, his love for Gita and the things one must do to survive.I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Juan out!If you would like to support the Mere Mortals, feel free to grab this book here: https://amzn.to/3H16rMOTimeline:(0:00) - Intro(0:30) - Synopsis(8:40) - Themes/Takeaways(11:34) - SummaryConnect with Mere Mortals:Website:

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00:17:47

Dune (Frank Herbert) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/11/02

He who controls the spice controls the universe!'Dune' by Frank Herbert is a sci-fi classic that is comparable with some of the other amazing fictional universes. The story takes place on Arrakis, a barren planet scarce of water but containing the immensely valuable spice. House Atreides suffers a catastrophic betrayal and so the young Duke Paul undergoes a quest for revenge and to restore his rightful inheritance. I summarised the book as follows. "It's a fun world and I can see why it has

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00:19:25

Humankind (Rutger Bregman) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/10/26

Everything you know about human nature is a falsehood, but maybe that's a good thing.'Humankind' by Rutger Bregman is an argument for why humans are good at heart (and in action). He presents this as a dichotomy between the philosophy of Thomas Hobbes & Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Much of the book is spent debunking commonly cited examples of our innate cruelty (Milgram Shock/Standford Prison experiments), but also has anecdotes from history and more trustworthy statistics.I summarised the book as

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00:17:04

Slowing The Pace: October 2021 Recap

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/10/25

I had to slow down my reading pace to about 1 x book per week due to focusing on some new goals. I also think my average page length might be slightly increasing which also is a reason for the slow down. So only 3 x reviews for me from this month. The real highlight (which I forgot to mention) was Juan's review of Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari which he reckons is the best book he's ever read. Worth going to check out that book review!I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world

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00:12:39

Sapiens (Yuval Noah Harari) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/10/19

Let's go on a journey through human history in 500 pages.A glimpse into my love for the book Sapiens, the points that really struck me and how much information can be packed in one book is beyond me.I hope you have a fantastic day wherever you are in the world. Juan out!If you would like to support us and grab the book use our link here! https://amzn.to/3vfVfXeTimeline:(0:00) - Intro(0:28) - Synopsis(3:05) - Not a historical book(4:35) - Synopsis, or not(5:27) - Personal observations(10:15) -

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