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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.

education self-improvement

All Episodes

00:13:25

Start With Why (Simon Sinek) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/04/06

What is your purpose/cause/belief & are you starting with your WHY? 'Start With Why' by Simon Sinek is a book about leadership/business but it can be used by an individual to help better themselves and bring more clarity to their own life. He explains the difference between successful, long-standing, impactful companies/organisations in a qualitative way. The main themes of the book are his introduction to the Golden Circle of WHY/HOW/WHAT and ensuring that these are implemented in the correct

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00:18:23

12 Rules For Life (Jordan B. Peterson) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/04/05

Remember to pet a cat that is meaningful while skateboarding with your shoulders back straight, did I get that right? '12 Rules For Life' by Jordan B. Peterson is an eclectic mix of his personal anecdotes as well as the accounts of his academic work. It's a little bit of self-help but also has a strong emphasis on the stories and archetypes that are found in mythology. The book is split up into 12 chapters of his 'rules', which were originally based upon a post he made on Quora.If you would like to

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00:13:11

The Death Of Artemio Cruz (Carlos Fuentes) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/04/02

Have you read any Mexican literature lately and would you be surprised if it is about death? 'The Death Of Artemio Cruz' by Carlos Fuentes is the most notable work of the author during the Latin American Boom period. It is an interweaving of Artemio's deathbed and flashback scenes from his long life in Mexico and abroad. These include his multiple personas as a corrupt politician, lieutenant, lover, orphan, sugar daddy and father. The themes of the book examine the ignominy of a slow death and

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00:16:01

Ethics Into Action (Peter Singer) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/03/30

Reflecting on his time as an animal activist, Henry Spira wanted his epitaph to read "he pushed the peanut forward". 'Ethics Into Action' by Peter Singer is a biography of the life of Henry Spira. Spira lived from 1927-1998 and played a large part in the animal liberation movement that erupted towards the end of the 20th century. He achieved some significant changes through his activism; helping to stop cruel fertility experimentation on cats, cosmetic testing on rabbits and unnecessary pain/death

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00:13:53

Blitzed (Norman Ohler) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/03/26

Did you know of the drug use of methamphetamines and cocaine in the Nazi regime? 'Blitzed' by Norman Ohler (a novelist turned semi-historian & back again) argues that drug use was rampant in the German military of the 1940's as well as in the highest command (amongst Hitler and his direct subordinates). Ohler interprets historical events by focusing on the personal physician of Hitler, a man named Dr Theodor Morell, and his administration of opiates and meth to the Führer from 1941-1945.I

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00:11:49

Anything You Want (Derek Sivers) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/03/23

How can you grow a huge company while simultaneously trying to keep it as small as possible? 'Anything You Want' by Derek Sivers explains this paradox while reflecting on his time running CD Baby (an online music store). It's a mini memoir of sorts, a condensation of 10 years of entrepreneurship into 40 lessons. He details the whole process of starting, growing, delegating, managing and finally selling a company. The core themes that emerge are about establishing a compass (knowing what you want)

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00:17:53

More From Less (Andrew McAfee) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/03/19

Did you know we are past 'peak stuff' and are now using less resources while still having increasing prosperity? 'More From Less' by Andrew McAfee is essentially a book about how technology is changing the world. It's an optimistic outlook of human progress as the data shows we are growing GDP while declining in the amount of resources required to produce products. Andrew believes this is primarily due to the 4 Horsemen of The Optimist: technology & capitalism supported by good governance and

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00:12:16

On The Road (Jack Kerouac) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/03/16

I just can't wait to get on the road again. 'On The Road' by Jack Kerouac is a classic of American literature and is frequently listed as one of the best books of the 1900's. It is a non-stop adventure that blurs the line between fiction & non-fiction. Sal Paradise (the author) provides a 1st person account as he crosses back and forth across the US with his mad friend Dean Moriarty (Neal Cassady). Kerouac became the voice of the 'Beat Generation' and the frantic energy and madness of travel is

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00:12:55

Think Like A Monk (Jay Shetty) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/03/15

Chew your drinks and drink your food! 'Think Like A Monk' by Jay Shetty is his story of transitioning from a career in high finance to becoming an ascetic monk and back again. The book is split up into 3 main sections titled: Let Go, Grow & Give. These explore topics such as removing the ego, letting go of negative emotions, finding purpose and giving back to others once your house is in order.Juan summarised the book as follows. "This book was in my backlog for a while so I was keen to finally

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00:15:55

The Infinite Game (Simon Sinek) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/03/12

Why can chasing profits and short-term business strategies be detrimental to a company? 'The Infinite Game' by Simon Sinek is a book about responsible, ethical, long-term business practices but the thinking can be applied to other areas as well. It contains 11 chapters with mini stories at the start but is more of an expansion of Simon's ideas. The core themes of the book argue for the benefits of a long-term outlook (opposed to short-term cost cutting/boosting of profits/share price increase/etc.,)

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00:13:21

An Introduction To Buddhism (The Dalai Lama) - Book...

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/03/09

Find within a key insight into why Buddhist's believe in reincarnation. 'An Introduction To Buddhism' by The Dalai Lama is not a specially written book but a polished transcript of a presentation he gave to a western audience. The book is split into 3 parts. The first is his teaching on the 4 Noble Truths, the second his commentary on 'The 8 Verses On Training The Mind' & the third his deconstruction of Atisha's 'Lamp For The Path To Enlightenment'.I summarised the book as follows. "It's

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00:16:30

David & Goliath (Malcolm Gladwell) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/03/05

If you are up against a powerful opponent/system, maybe your perceived weakness are actually your strengths? 'David & Goliath' by Malcolm Gladwell is a collection of 9 core stories showing how an underdog beat the odds to win. The book is split into 3 parts: the advantages of disadvantages (& vice versa), the theory of desirable difficulty and the limits of power. The main themes investigate how our preconceptions can be limiting our potential and what sort of mindset is required to compete

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00:18:49

The Madness Of Crowds (Douglas Murray) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/03/02

Can you actually reason with madness? 'The Madness Of Crowds' by Douglas Murray is an extension of his own fight in the cultural wars as a journalist and political commentator. The book is split into 4 parts each of about 50-60 pages long on Gay/Women/Race/Trans. It highlights the modern absurdities of far left thinking, the historical treatment of minority groups and the implications of getting this all wrong.I summarised the book as follows. "It is smoothly written considering the density of

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00:09:38

Three Steps To Awakening (Larry Rosenberg With Laura...

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/02/26

Want an unhelpful book about how to meditate, then look no further! 'Three Steps To Awakening' by Larry Rosenberg (with Laura Zimmerman) is a collection of his audible teachings condensed into a short book. In it he differentiates 'awareness' into the practicing part (actual meditation practice) and into the everyday living part. The book is split into three main sections on how to meditate: whole body breath awareness, breath-as-anchor and choiceless awareness.I summarised the book as follows

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00:16:02

Letters From A Stoic (Seneca) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/02/23

Why did Seneca consider the learning and pursuit of 'philosophy' as the most important thing that a person could do? 'Letters From A Stoic' by Seneca are a collection of 124 letters (although this version only contains 40) he sent to his friend Lucilius in the last years of his life. He provides guidance on how to think about mental pitfalls, illness, death and vices but also on nobler topics of pleasure, friendship and serenity. I summarised the book as follows. "The Penguin Classic version by

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00:07:11

Cycles Of The Phoenix (C.A. Nicholas) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/02/22

'Cycles Of The Phoenix' by C.A. Nicholas is his magnum opus symphony and is a collection of stories that he has written over the years. It is quite a thick book and consists of 'Sanity's War', 'Strange' and 'Kaya: Where Have You Gone?'. These stories are mainly fantasy/sci-fi based and follow his characters as they deal with depression in different environments.Juan summarised the book as follows. "This book was extremely descriptive. The way Charlie writes you can tell he takes it up a notch by

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00:13:33

Slaughterhouse-Five (Kurt Vonnegut) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/02/19

Willkommen im Schlachthof fünf! 'Slaughterhouse-Five' by Kurt Vonnegut is a thoroughly bizarre book written in his simple, scattered and non-linear style. We follow the life of Billy Pilgrim, an optometrist, alien abductee, prisoner of war and time-traveller. The book is anti-war and is one of the principal works that discussed the fire-bombing of Dresden by the allies towards the end of World War II. As such the themes of the book centre around the atrocities of war as well as the fatalism of the

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00:16:32

Goodbye To All That (Robert Graves) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/02/16

Would you go to war if your country demanded it of you? 'Goodbye To All That' by Robert Graves is commonly cited as one of the best books written about The Great War. It is a memoir written at age 33 of his childhood in English boarding schools, the brutality of the conditions in the trenches during WWI and his post-war life amongst fellow poets/writers. The bulk of the book is focused on his direct experiences at the front resulting in his general pacifist attitude as well as being ostracised by

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00:13:31

Superhuman (Dave Asprey) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/02/14

Is it possible for humans to extend their life span, possible even to reverse aging altogether? 'Superhuman' by Dave Asprey is his explanation of how we can increase our life span and stop the aging process. His approach is scientifically driven and he delves deeply into the research to back up his claims. The main themes of the book are on the Seven Pillars of aging that contribute to our decline and the simple interventions that can be used to stop this process.Juan summarised the book as follows

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00:11:01

The Happiest Man On Earth (Eddie Jaku) - Book Review

Mere Mortals Book Reviews ·

2021/02/13

What circumstances would drive someone to voluntary smuggle themselves back into a concentration camp? 'The Happiest Man On Earth' by Eddie Jaku is the memoir of a man who endured tremendous suffering, managing to survive through the holocaust. The book starts with life before WWII, his subsequent experiences in the concentration camps before moving away from Belgium/Germany and emigrating to Australia. There are some intense and amazing stories from his time in the camps, including his daring

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388 results

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