I picked up this book with no background knowledge about the author or topic, but it was recommended as a good book on improving critical thinking skills. Later I found quite a few TED talks online by the writer, and learned about the impressive life that the author lived as a doctor in Sweden and overseas as well as a global health expert.

The book starts with a short quiz and these results are enough to really change the way you see the world around you. Once the author explains all the background behind each question the book really comes together.

There are ten points to be aware of – ten blind spots that could affect your thinking and lead you astray while considering an issue. The author illustrates (literally) and explains each point, writing in a style that is very enjoyable to read. Because he is writing in a non-native language the expressions and the way he describes situations are very unique. He seems like a very intense person with a quirky sense of humor, and later when seeing him do TED talks online I could understand where it comes from.

Along with the ten points he also tells stories of his experiences and these make for very good reading. Sometimes he diverges a bit when a topic is more interesting to him but I was able to forgive the short digressions – the book isn’t too long at all.

The book does deliver on its promise and the challenge for me now is to keep these blind spots in mind in the future. I’m good at keeping 2-3 things in my head at once but 10 will be tough. It would be worth going back and skimming this book again after a while to really help the points sink in.

This book was published in 2017 and the author died shortly before publication. I was especially surprised to read the section where he outlined his 5 biggest fears for the world in the future, and the number one threat on his list was a global pandemic. It is amazing to consider that he died just a few years before this fear was actually realized.

Next I’ll be reading A Journey Without Maps by Graham Greene.

This travel book chronicles a trip by bicycle in several parts through Central Asia loosely following Marco Polo’s path towards China. I’m always up for books about long term journeys, and as this journey took nearly a year I was excited to read it.

This was the first time for me to read about a trip by bicycle over such a long distance. Usually I read travel books with people moving by train, foot, cars and buses, even airplanes. Surprisingly traveling by bicycle introduces some factors that had a big impact on my enjoyment of this book.

The first thing I noticed was that traveling by bicycle through foreign lands meant less interaction with local people. Zooming by on a bike limited conversation – whereas the language barrier may not allow for deep and meaningful conversation, at least through some gestures and patience ideas can be exchanged. Not so when you flash by on a fast moving bicycle. I hadn’t thought about it before, but there wasn’t much interaction with local people during the long journey, and so the book was filled with a lot more introspection.

I understand that by riding a bike through the vast empty regions of Central Asia you’ll have a lot of time in your own head to think things through, and although it may be a good way to sort out personal thoughts and feelings, for me it wasn’t so compelling to read.

Much more interesting were the descriptions of the different areas of the countries she passed through, the interactions with her biking partner Mel, and the occasional run-ins with local authorities and rambunctious kids. The author’s writing style was very descriptive, although sometimes a little over-poetic for me.

One thing I like about travel writing is hearing about the local dishes that people cook and eat, and unfortunately most of the meals described in this book are ones that can be carried long distances on a bike. Oatmeal and instant noodles feature prominently here.

So in summary, I loved the journey, the ending of the trip was very satisfying to me, and hearing about the long term challenges of a trip through an area I’ve visited only briefly was definitely worth a read. A little more curiosity from the author might have made a deeper experience for herself and the reader, but I think most of her growth happened internally along the trip, and I certainly respect that. I think that when I write about travel in the future, I should strive for some kind of balance between what I think about my surroundings and also descriptions of external events.

The next book I’m reading is Factfulness, by Hans Rosling.

Near the end of last month my library reservation for Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson finally came through. At 1,270 pages it was a biggie, and took a while to finish. It is the fourth book in the series, and it seemed to me to be the longest.

All the characters are here – and there is suitable development to keep things interesting and to satisfy the fans. Everybody moves closer to the big showdown that will happen in the fifth and final book.

I’ve read the first three books, and while the first few started out fairly lean and fast-moving, it seems like the more recent books spend a great deal of time explaining how everything works in this world that Sanderson has created.

For me, I prefer the action, twists and turns, and companionship and discovery that is usually a big part of these novels. For some reason this one focuses a little too much on “the rules” for this world. There are chapters and chapters full of science experiments to discover these rules, and it just felt like the information was put in there to cover logical bases rather than to develop the story.

Another point that stuck out for me was that our heroes (especially Kaladin and Shallan) are on the hero’s journey once again. Each book ends with them reaching some sort of accomplishment and solving their personal problems, however the next book starts with them again having some other personal problem or challenge, and off we go again to climb the mountain. The payoff of reaching the summit is always nice, but we know there’s just going to be a taller mountain to climb next time.

It is not all bad news – I especially enjoyed the mystery of the “deadeyes”, and checking in with Lift and Rysn – two side characters that are my favorites of the series.

I recognize that it must be a colossal amount of work to put these novels together, and to make sure everything is logical and makes sense. For casual readers like me, I think this book just got caught up in catering to the hardcore fans, and lost the brisk pace and fun we usually get in Sanderson’s storytelling style. Hopefully all the pieces are in place for the final book and we’ll reach a satisfying finish.

Next, I’m starting on Lands of Lost Borders by Kate Harris.