Grigory Belykh, Leonid Panteleev “The Republic of FeDoSh”

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It’s hard to believe that this book is almost a hundred years old! Yet, you don’t really feel that in the emotions of the characters. Sure, there’s a slight sense of “old-fashionedness,” that these are clearly not modern kids, but overall, you only remind yourself that it’s a century-old book.

To start from the beginning: I had wanted to read this book for a long time. My parents had traded scrap paper for it back in Soviet times, but I first saw the movie based on the book. I enjoyed the film. That’s when I decided that I should read the original. However, it took me almost twenty years to finally do it.

Even so, I was hesitant to begin. You know how some books seem to have their own right time? What you enjoyed 10-15 years ago might now, upon rereading, feel dull or even disappointing. That’s exactly what I was afraid of—that this book might resonate perfectly with teenagers but wouldn’t hit the same way in adulthood.

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Boris Akunin “The Week of the Three-Eyed”

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The novel The Week of the Three-Eyed is quite interesting and in some chapters reminds me of the works about Erast Fandorin, though only slightly. It’s an easy read but doesn’t evoke much excitement, especially considering that the fourth “historical” volume about the same period is far more gripping. It feels more like an addition to the historical narrative, and as a standalone book, it falls short even compared to the previous fictional parts of the series, not to mention the famous Fandorin cycle.

The play Kill the Viperling felt even more lackluster, more like a reflection on what Russia could have been without Peter the Great. Although, there’s still a big question of whether that was ever really possible.

Boris Akunin “Between Europe and Asia. The History of the Russian State. The Seventeenth Century”

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The entire series by Boris Akunin on the history of the Russian state is very easy and interesting to read. Perhaps, at times, he adds personal emotions, but I didn’t notice any major discrepancies. Especially when you consider that history is often shaped by the victors , and the emotional component actually benefits the text, making it more engaging to read.

The fourth volume covers the Time of Troubles (after Boris Godunov), the rise of the Romanov dynasty, the annexation of Ukraine, and ends right before the final ascension of Peter the Great (which will be the focus of the next volume).

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Keith R. A. DeCandido “Serenity”

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I am a big fan of ‘Firefly’ series and ‘Serenity’ movie as well. But this particular novel is mostly just a novelization of the ‘Serenity’ movie. Yes, it definitely gives you more inner emotions and thoughts of characters than a movie can do. But still it is just a text version of the story you know (if you watched the movie), slightly adopted screenplay, I guess.

The novel is good for fans, and I even want to re-watch the original series after that, but really don’t expect a lot here.

Dawn-Michelle Baude “The Executive Guide to E-mail Correspondence”

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The book provides very valuable advice on writing business letters in general, not just in English. It thoroughly covers aspects such as the structure of a letter, the order in which information is presented, key points of emphasis, and more. English adds its own nuances, which the author addresses separately (as the book focuses specifically on correspondence in English).

The content is divided into thematic chapters with examples, and each is broken down almost paragraph by paragraph. I initially started reading the e-book version but soon realized that this is the kind of book you need to have as a reference on your desk. This way, you can refer to it when necessary and compose a letter with recommendations tailored to a specific situation or topic. It serves as a kind of cheat sheet.

I recommend it to anyone whose job involves a lot of business correspondence. It’s definitely worth getting the paper version and keeping it handy on your desk.

My rating: 5/5

Andrzej Sapkowski “The Witcher”

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I had wanted to read the book for many years but, for some reason, always hesitated to start. Finally, riding the wave of the well-known game about Geralt the Witcher, I decided to give it a go.

Honestly, I expected much more. The saga starts as a collection of short stories about various contracts of the witcher, a monster hunter. Then, the author decides to turn it into a full-fledged epic saga. And this is where the tension started to weaken. The witcher gradually stops being a witcher, essentially losing all the traits that defined him (at the very least, he doesn’t use them at all). The intrigue keeps building and building, often interspersed with frankly tedious and unnecessary lyrical digressions that don’t add much to the main plot. Book after book, but the saga feels very uneven. Sometimes you fly through the pages, unable to put it down, and other times you want to skip entire chapters. And finally… it ends with a whimper. With nothing. There’s no clear understanding of what it was all for, and the “deus ex machina” feels contrived and unconvincing in terms of the characters’ logic. Even after that, there are a few more chapters that don’t give a sense of closure.

However, overall, I think the character of Geralt the Witcher far outshines the quality of the book itself.

My rating: 3/5

Igor Mann, Renat Shagabutdinov “A Business Hack for Every Day”

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The book is interesting because it brings together a variety of small, useful tips from different areas of everyday work that are relevant to almost anyone. Nearly all of the content can be found independently by reading books or watching video tutorials. However, the value lies in the concise presentation: everything is collected in one place and in a single book.

The material is conveniently divided into sections, and some may be less interesting to the reader if they don’t pertain to their field (for example, tips on marketing or big data, which are quite specific). Others are more universally applicable. If something piques your interest, the authors generously provide resources where you can learn more.

I didn’t find any groundbreaking revelations for myself, but some of the tips helped me look at tricks I already use from a different perspective, showing how they could be improved.

The book is easy and quick to read, so I can recommend it. No one is saying you have to do things exactly as suggested, but if you find something useful, the benefit will be undeniable.

Book: Howard Behar “It’s Not About the Coffee: Lessons on Putting People First from a Life at Starbucks”

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The book doesn’t so much explain Starbucks’ corporate culture as it repeatedly emphasizes just a couple of fundamental principles of Starbucks. The author hardly delves into how this culture is built or instilled in employees (referred to as partners in the company’s culture).

Additionally, the book doesn’t feel like a cohesive work. The chapters are barely connected, and at times, they essentially repeat the same ideas but with slightly different wording.

I would say it feels more like the author’s personal journal, where he meticulously records his thoughts, often referencing other authors he constantly cites. If you approach the book from that perspective—as the thoughts of a Starbucks top executive—then it does contain interesting insights into building one’s work and relationships with employees and customers.

Erik Spiekermann “Stop Stealing Sheep & find out how type works”

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The description promised a lot of useful information about fonts for those who know little about the subject. The topic is generally very interesting to me, and the book is colorful—so I bought into. However, it turns out that the book is practically about nothing. It’s not even a book, but rather a collection of loosely connected thoughts, heavily sprinkled with images and tons of font names and highly professional terminology. After a while, you start to realize you no longer understand what’s being described. Even the design of the book, in my opinion as a reader, was quite inconvenient, despite the author constantly emphasizing the importance of choosing fonts and design for readability. Ironically, the book itself doesn’t excel in this regard. But the main problem for me is that it’s unclear who the book is for and what goal the author was trying to achieve. Simply put, the book feels like it’s about nothing. I don’t understand where all the praise is coming from.

My rating: 1/5

Igor Ryzov “The Kremlin School of Negotiation”

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I have very mixed feelings about this book, both during the reading and after finishing it. On the one hand, there are many interesting insights worth considering. On the other hand, much of the material felt quite superficial and unlikely to truly help someone become a better negotiator just by reading this book. This becomes especially apparent when you compare it to other negotiation training resources. Even the appendix at the end—on national negotiation traits—seems questionable: my personal experience working with colleagues from various countries suggests that things aren’t as simple or clear-cut as the author presents them.

Do I recommend reading this book? Yes. Will it genuinely help as a training tool? In some aspects—yes, but not significantly.

My rating: 3/5