Steve’s Blog

This was one of my favorite books of the last few years. I’ve lived for over 20 years in the US South and seen Lafayette’s name everywhere. I didn’t realize before reading this book that the US was even more obsessed with him than I’d thought: places named “Fayette” are a tribute to him too. Lafayette left his name across America, but the story of his role in the American Revolution takes up only about 100 pages of a 400+ page book. He comes across as the Forrest Gump of France, appearing at the center of every major event in…

I have disclaimers for this review. Jason has joined me for a podcast episode before, and after reading this book, I invited him on again. It’s an excellent business book. There’s no wasted space in it. It’s about 200 densely packed pages. It’s truly a slow read because every few sentences you stop to jot down ideas. I also had an AI tool open while reading. Jason would explain a business metric or idea, and I’d use AI to follow on. For example, in an early chapter, he talks a lot about sorting customers by profitability. By the end of…

I’ve started a lot of Robert Harris books, but not finished many of them. He’s written nearly 20 novels, so it’s not surprising that some fit my taste better than others. Agrippa was one I finished, and quickly. It has the same style as his Cicero trilogy: a fake biography Agrippa was the right-hand man of Augustus, the first Roman emperor, and this story is written from the point of view of Agrippa at the end of his life. The best word I have for Harris’s writing style is “punchy”. The book opens like this: I came into the world…

Some people are going to hate this book. I can hear the complaints already. Emma Southon’s writing is an acquired taste. Here’s a typical quote: “Historians have read the statements of slave owners as truthful and objective, rather than the self-conscious constructions of those justifying slave ownership. I’m sorry but: Fuck that.” Yep, this is a very different approach to history. The author is deliberately provocative and writes for people who might not normally be interested in ancient history. The author is also taking a different approach with her topic. I’ve never seen a book on Roman slavery before. I…

I have disclaimers for this review. Jason has joined me for a podcast episode before, and after reading this book, I invited him on again. It’s an excellent business book. There’s no wasted space in it. It’s about 200 densely packed pages. It’s truly a slow read because every few sentences you stop to jot down ideas. I also had an AI tool open while reading. Jason would explain a business metric or idea, and I’d use AI to follow on. For example, in an early chapter, he talks a lot about sorting customers by profitability. By the end of…