Category: Books

Notes about everything related to books, including reviews of books I’ve read

Book: Peter Thiel “Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future”

No comments

Peter Thiel is the founder of PayPal, who later merged with Elon Musk, and together they created a unique solution for the payment market, supporting the growing eBay at the time. Later, as an investor, he backed a relatively young Facebook. In short, he has plenty to be proud of. But beyond pride, he decided to share his knowledge and views on business and startups with students at Stanford University. His lectures gained widespread popularity, partly thanks to the efforts of student Blake Masters, who recorded them in detail. Masters’ notes took on a life of their own, spreading far beyond the university. After some time, Peter Thiel decided to turn Masters’ notes into a book (hence, Masters is credited on the cover as a co-author).

The core idea of the work is to create businesses that bring something entirely new, rather than simply copying or slightly improving existing concepts. The reasoning is that existing ideas can only be improved to a certain extent, whereas new ones offer entirely unprecedented opportunities. Thiel supports this idea by sharing his views on what a startup team should look like, what they should focus on, and more.

To jump ahead slightly, I didn’t initially expect the book to offer groundbreaking insights, but it turned out to be less of an instructional guide and more of a stimulus for reflection on the examples provided and the questions posed by the author. Peter Thiel doesn’t try to teach; instead, he shares his perspective on building businesses, the ways in which the educational system and ingrained American beliefs help or hinder this process, and he poses very interesting questions that have no definitive answers:

This book is about the questions you must ask and answer to succeed in the business of doing new things: what follows is not a manual or a record of knowledge but an exercise in thinking. Because that is what a startup has to do: question received ideas and rethink business from scratch.

In this form, the book became not only interesting but also useful for me. I definitely recommend it to anyone involved in business and the creation of unique products in one way or another. But let’s talk in a bit more detail about the points Peter Thiel emphasizes in his book.

Read more

Book: Fredrik Backman “Britt-Marie Was Here”

No comments

As I mentioned earlier, Fredrik Backman is a writer whose books need time to leave an aftertaste. Therefore, no matter how much I enjoy the books I’ve already read, I’ve made it a rule to give myself a break before starting a new one, even if they are interconnected.

Britt-Marie Was Here is exactly that kind of book. It tells the story of one of the characters from the novel My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry. The events of the new novel begin almost immediately after those of the previous one, although they are mostly unrelated. This is expected, as Britt-Marie is a secondary character in the first book—one you cannot forget because of her obsession with order and extreme meticulousness about every little detail. She is perceived by everyone as a “pain in the neck,” someone who is not just difficult to negotiate with but even hard to talk to.

Partly because of this character trait, I took such a long pause between the two books. I simply couldn’t convince myself that the story of this woman would interest me. Especially since my wife told me that she liked this book significantly less than A Man Called Ove and My Grandmother… But it’s always important to form your own opinion.

Read more

Book: Dmytry Lukashuk, Maxim Goryunov “The Belarusian National Idea”

1 comment

The book “Беларуская нацыянальная ідэя” (“The Belarusian National Idea” in English) probably would have passed me by entirely if its title hadn’t caught my attention in the news, where it was almost labeled as terrorist. Despite this, it was published in Belarus and even sold in a state-owned bookstore.

Essentially, it is a 600-page compilation of excerpts from 85 interviews with various well-known (whether widely or in smaller circles) Belarusian figures. All the interviews were conducted as part of the “Ідэя X” show on “Euroradio,” hosted by Dmitry Lukashuk and Maxim Goryunov. The central theme of the show was the Belarusian national idea. The hosts posed various questions: what exactly is this idea? Does it even exist? What does it mean to the guest, or how do they envision it? And is it even necessary?

Formally, the book is considered to be in Belarusian, but in reality, it is bilingual. Dmitry asks questions and converses in Belarusian, Maxim in Russian, and the guests respond in whichever language they prefer. Some answer exclusively in Belarusian, others only in Russian, while some guests switch languages, answering each question in the language it was asked. This means that the book can only be fully understood by readers who are fluent in both languages.

Read more

Book: Minako O’Hagan, Carmen Mangiron “Game Localization”

No comments

In game development (and software development in general), there is one discipline that, in my opinion, receives far too little attention. Yet it is extremely important and can significantly impact both the perception and the sales of a product. This is localization—the process of preparing a product for another market, which is often understood simply as translating it into another language.

I can talk quite a lot about the topic of localization in general and game localization in particular (and, if all goes well, I’ll share more separately), as I spent many years as the head of several service departments at Wargaming, including the Localization Department. This is precisely why any materials on this subject are always of interest to me.

One of my former colleagues recommended the book Game Localization, where the authors decided to take an in-depth look at this phenomenon from the perspective of a scientific approach to translation in general.

The scientific approach is both a strength and a weakness of the book. The strength lies in its thorough exploration of the topic, its study of the history of the issue, and its examination of many aspects of localization. The weakness lies in the same excessive scientific rigor: countless references to other academic works on translation, an overwhelming number of quotes from analytical studies by other authors… in short, all the hallmarks of a scholarly work that tend to be too tedious for the average reader. Such readers are usually more interested in understanding the essence of the topic rather than the various methods for preparing academic research.

The authors begin their narrative from afar, discussing the history of video games in general and their localization in particular—covering the period from the mid-1980s to roughly the present day (the book was published in 2013, and much has changed in the industry in the past eight years). They then delve into the essence of the game industry (GameDev), explaining key terminology, genres, the role of narrative elements, the industry structure, and so on.

Read more

Book: Boris Akunin “The History of the Russian State. A Cure for the Empire”

No comments

The previous volume of The History of the Russian State deeply disappointed me with its superficiality and inconsistency in presenting the material. I even ended my review with the words, “Interest and trust in the series are rapidly declining.” However, I had no intention of stopping my reading of the series. And now, a new volume has been released, focusing on the last rulers of the Russian Empire in the 19th century—Alexander II and Alexander III.

Let me say right away: the narrative has become more coherent. There is no longer any jumping back and forth across the years of their reigns. In fact, the entire volume is presented as one continuous story. It feels almost like a computer game: you have a mission, which starts under specific initial conditions (the end of Nicholas I’s reign), and the story unfolds as two “players” take their turns, with the second stepping in after the first.

Indeed, Boris Akunin illustrates what Alexander II inherited from the exceedingly strict Nicholas I, the conqueror of the Decembrists and any form of free-thinking. And how, despite this, his successor managed to implement a significant number of progressive reforms, many of which had been envisioned by his grandfather, Alexander I.

Read more

Book: Alexey Markov, Alexey Antonov “Crypt-Your-Mathics 3.0”

No comments

Bitcoin, blockchain… Over the past couple of years, everyone has heard these words, along with the phrase “should have invested in bitcoin in time.” However, very few people truly understand what this technology is and the principles behind these new digital currencies. I’ll admit, for a while, I also had only a vague idea of the details. But there are people out there who are willing to explain everything in plain language.

I first learned about Alexey Markov by chance when I stumbled upon a link to his book with the rather politically incorrect title “Hulinomics”. In this book, he explained economics in simple terms, peppered with some profanity, and why understanding its principles is essential for everyone. I rather liked the book (4 out of 5), as I mentioned in my review at the time.

Since then, I’ve kept an eye on what else Markov has published, though I wasn’t in a rush to read more. He wrote a book about “why some people have it all, while others have nothing,” essentially exploring why not everyone earns a lot of money (“Zhlobology”). He also authored a collection of clever advice on various topics (“Hoolifacts”) and, together with Alexey Antonov, a book about cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology titled Crypt-Your-Mathics. It was the latter that I decided to read.

I’ve already written about Markov in my previous review, so let me briefly introduce the second author of the book—Alexey Antonov. Since 2016, he has been interested in blockchain technology, actively involved in business in this field, and engaged in educational activities, giving lectures. In short, he jumped on the train early, so he knows both its advantages and drawbacks.

Together, Markov and Antonov wrote a book that, in style, closely resembles Markov’s eccentric manner, seen in his articles and his famous “Hoolinomics”. The authors set out to explain not only clearly but also as openly as possible about this new market, which is full of pitfalls. At least, that’s what they promise, albeit in their own distinctive manner:

Read more

Book: Darrell Huff “How to Lie with Statistics”

1 comment

Darrell Huff spent most of his life as a journalist and writer, yet he gained worldwide fame as an expert in statistics. This recognition came thanks to his most successful book, How to Lie with Statistics, written back in 1954 but still relevant to this day. At least, publishers continue to successfully reprint it time and again.

The entire tone of the book can be summarized with its very first epigraph, which quotes Benjamin Disraeli: “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.”

No, the author does not try to portray statistics as a terrible or useless science. Instead, in a light and ironic manner, he explains what many people perceive as infernal mathematical gibberish. He also demonstrates how numbers can be used to manipulate opinions and the perception of information.

Read more

Book: Kiril Egerev “This Button Needs Text”

No comments

The discovery of the past few months for me is the book This Button Needs Text by Kiril Egerev. It likely would have gone unnoticed if Alexey Arefyev hadn’t recommended it in his Telegram channel about product management.

Kiril Egerev is a seasoned copywriter who has worked in many online publications, both as an author and as an editor. Recently, he has been working as a UX writer at Russia’s Sberbank. For those unfamiliar with professional terminology, let me clarify: a “copywriter” is someone who professionally writes various types of non-fictional texts. These can include advertising copy, descriptions, official letters, and so on. UX stands for “User eXperience,” which essentially refers to how users interact with your product and what emotions they experience during this interaction. A UX writer (or UX copywriter) is a specialist focused on creating product texts. Here’s a direct quote from the book:

“UX writers are typically the ones who write clear and non-annoying texts for error messages, buttons, switches, and all other interface elements. They help develop the product’s voice, compile style guides, ensure consistency and adherence to typography requirements, and often handle user emails as well.”

In his book, Kiril aims to explain “briefly and clearly” what his work entails and why it is essential for any product, countering the common misconception of “who cares what we call the buttons; everyone will understand anyway.” In IT, there is also a role known as UX specialist (often called a “UXer”). In practice, the line between a UX specialist and a UX writer is very blurred. It’s generally accepted that the former focuses more on the overall interface and interaction (proper arrangement of elements, creating an intuitive design), while the latter specifically handles interface texts. However, in reality, one doesn’t exist without the other. As a result, the tasks often fall to either a team of two specialists with narrower roles or a single person who does it all.

Read more

Book: Robert E. Howard “The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane”

No comments

Today, there are probably few people who are unfamiliar with the character of Conan the Barbarian. Even if they haven’t read a single book about him, they are likely to remember the iconic image of a young Arnold Schwarzenegger portraying the character. However, in the Soviet Union, the author of the Conan series (and many other works), Robert E. Howard, was virtually unknown until 1989. Although Howard himself didn’t write a large number of works, several of his characters became cult figures, Conan being the foremost among them. The series about this hero, which many other authors have continued, now includes not just dozens but hundreds of stories.

Personally, I first encountered Robert E. Howard’s work back in the distant year of 1990, when the Minsk publishing house Eridan released a collection of the author’s works titled The Hour of the Dragon.

A year earlier, in Krasnoyarsk, a thin booklet of just 52 pages had been published, containing two of Howard’s short stories translated by Alexander Bushkov under one cover. Eridan, in its full-length book, used both of these stories in the same translation. The Eridan collection included works about various characters, including the titular novel about Conan the Barbarian. However, one of the stories translated by Bushkov was Wings in the Night, featuring a protagonist named Solomon Kane. At the time, this character didn’t leave much of an impression on me. The story was the only one about him in the collection, and for a 13-year-old, his image clearly paled in comparison to the ruthless, muscular barbarian Conan. It was read and forgotten, in short. Two years later, the same Eridan began publishing a four-volume collection of Robert E. Howard’s works, but even in this, Solomon Kane appeared in only two stories—Wings in the Night and Red Shadows. You’ll agree, that’s hardly enough to develop any strong feelings for the character.

Read more

Book: Olga Gromyko “Year of the Rat”

No comments

Although I became acquainted with Olga Gromyko’s work even before her very first book was published and have since followed her writing closely, it so happened that one particular series slipped past me. As I kept reading Olga’s new works, I never found the time to go back to the Year of the Rat duology. This was partly due to several opinions I came across that were rather critical of the series compared to her other works.

However, the time finally came to fill this gap and form my own opinion by reading both parts consecutively. First of all, I must say that this series is best read as a single piece—both volumes together. It’s essentially one story split into two parts, with the second book (Wanderer) released about a year after the first (Seer). The first book ends quite abruptly, right in the middle of the story. Secondly, I must admit that my opinion of the series was mixed, both during and after reading it. I can understand some of the critics, but let’s try to delve deeper into the details.

Year of the Rat was published in 2009 and 2010, and it can, in a way, be considered a transitional work between the Belorian series (which made Olga Gromyko a well-known writer) and the subsequent space epic As*troheads. Yes, there was also the novel A Plus for a Minus, co-written with Andrey Ulanov, which explored an almost contemporary world. But stylistically, Year of the Rat is closer to the Belorian series. The action takes place in a pseudo-medieval setting where magic exists and is generally acknowledged by the populace. The protagonist is, once again, a young woman, although she is now accompanied by two companions. In the next series, Olga would depart from this approach, but here it seems she was still experimenting with new creative directions. Of course, this is just my speculation.

Read more