Book Reviews and More

CategoryNon-Fiction

Watch It Wednesday: Are Smartphones Bad for Us?

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Sunglasses and smartphone

Do you think that your smartphone is your best friend; or worse still, that smartphones are going to end earth as we know it? Either way, you may be right! ‘Some More News’ might make you think twice in their episode ‘Are Smartphones Bad for Us?’ Let’s take a look.” The show pulls from 147 different academic studies, books, articles, and videos to explore the...

Should You Read Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance?

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Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth asks what is the biggest indication of future excellence and comes to the conclusion that it is grit, a combination of passion and perseverance. The ideas, case studies, and research at the core of this book are compelling and clear in their explanation. Angela Duckworth, PhD, is a 2013 MacArthur Fellow and professor of psychology at...

Key Ideas from Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

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You have a choice. Mindsets are just beliefs. They’re powerful beliefs, but they’re just something in your mind, and you can change your mind. As you read, think about where you’d like to go and which mindset will take you there. Carol Dweck – Mindset Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck is one of my all time favorite books on the psychology of motivation, mindset, and the...

A review of “The Talent Code: Unlocking the Secret of Skill in Sports, Art, Music, Math, and Just About Everything Else”

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The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle seeks to demonstrate that skills are meritocratic, they don’t care who you are or how you were born. Skills develop based on biological imperatives that allow anyone with dedication and consistent effort to become talented. Although talent feels and looks predestined, in fact we have a good deal of control over what skills we develop, and we have more potential...

The Psychology of Money Book Review: Unveiling Timeless Wealth, Greed, and Happiness Lessons.

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The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness by Morgan Housel captured my interest from the start of the book and kept me engaged all the way to the end. The basic idea is that we are too quick to treat money as though it has natural rules and laws like we would with issues of physics or biology and not nearly as interested in applying principles of psychology with...

Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke: A New Framework for Decision Making?

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Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts by Annie Duke was a surprisingly excellent read. The last book that I read, Little Bets, discussed the importance of taking a “betting framework” into our lives and decisions, however Thinking In Bets was able to not only express the same ideas as Little Bets, but to provide an entirely more...

Book Reviews and More

Wyatt McGilllen

Hey there! I'm Wyatt McGillen, a 26-year-old book enthusiast from Wisconsin. My background includes a bachelors of arts with majors in Philosophy, History, and Politics and Government and a national finalist in impromptu speaking.

I love learning about our world and how we fit into it. This blog is an accumulation of philosophy, sociology, and impromptu speaking. These topics are all filled with captivating stories, interesting facts, and profound ideas. All of which enrich my life and hopefully yours.

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