Justin's Notes
The Return of the Kindle
Oct. 30, 2024
When I first decided I wanted to try to get back into reading in 2020, I figured the best way for me to start was to have a Kindle. I wanted the mobility and simplicity it offered, and it gave me an excuse to buy a gadget. As I began enjoying reading more, I started buying some physical books and fell in love with flipping pages and searching for books at shops. My collector personality came out in full force the more I read, and I didn't touch my Kindle for a couple of years.
If I am honest, the release of new Kindles made me wonder if I would enjoy using one again. So I decided to give it a try again and read Eleven Rings on it. I have really enjoyed it. I was able to read while I was making coffee or eating without worrying about spilling. It felt so much easier to get in five minutes of reading here and there throughout the day. And just how light and easy it was to hold was nice, especially as I split my reading time most of this month between the list of books below and Words of Radiance, an almost 1,100-page tome.
I will always love physical books and having shelves growing as I continue to read more and more. But the Kindle is a nice change of pace and, honestly, may very well become my primary way of reading while traveling, especially if I am reading something giant. I have become a fan once again of the e-reader.
I thought this book was enjoyable, but I have to admit, it isn't my favorite. Which, coming out of finishing the book, felt a little unexpected because of how popular it seems to be. I think part of it was that the war stories I have read so far are historical fiction, so reading non-fiction just obviously felt quite a bit different. Honestly, it isn't any less dark and difficult as far as the subject goes, but more so because of the flow. I felt like the writing at times felt slightly scattered, jumping from place to place a lot quicker than I expected it to. Also, it just felt less narrative-driven, which I think makes sense. It just personally felt a little harder for me to latch onto. I would say the first half of the book, which even includes the D-Day battle, felt hard for me to really get into.
What I did love about this book, though, was how much it focused on the bond the soldiers had. I believe that soldiers in war are one of the greatest examples of how much we need those around us that we trust, and that community and fellowship are two of the greatest things we have in this life. Ambrose is often writing about how injured soldiers coming back into duty would plead to go back to Easy Company. They would rather be with the soldiers they trusted and knew if they were going to be in the war. I also enjoyed learning about some of the battles and timelines that happened in World War II, which I don't remember ever learning about as a student. Specifically, I thought the chapters talking about the battle and siege near/in Bastogne were incredibly interesting. I felt like the grit, determination and dedication that Easy Company showed in that battle were so impressive. I thought Ambrose wrote about the battles and more action-oriented parts of the story really well, especially in Bastogne.
This was still a great book that I enjoyed, and if you like reading and learning about war, I would recommend it. If you prefer fiction like I do, and are not specifically looking for WWII material, I would recommend a few of the other books I have read (Matterhorn and The Things They Carried) over this. Non-fiction war junkies, though, will love this, and most likely, if you are one of those readers, you have probably already read it.
I really enjoyed this book. I love basketball, and although this is only my second basketball book I have read, I have become a big fan of reading about the game. Eleven Rings is the autobiography of the greatest coach in basketball, Phil Jackson. Starting from his childhood, going into his career as a player and his two rings with the Knicks, and then heavily detailing his years as a coach of those incredible Bulls and Lakers teams.
As someone who has watched The Last Dance documentary probably three times through (it's often how I scratch my basketball itch during the NBA off season), it was fun to read a different perspective of those teams and those three-peat dynasties. But honestly, the chapters following his three-peat of the Shaq & Kobe Lakers and then the later Kobe titles were even more fascinating because this was my first time diving into those teams and those runs. I also appreciated how Phil wrote about his own mistakes and shortcomings during his coaching years and reflected on what he learned from them.
As you can probably assume, you will only care about this book if you care about basketball. If you don't, I don't think you will enjoy this much at all. There are interesting parts about leadership, but really, it's a book about Phil and his life with basketball. If you are a basketball fan, though, I would highly recommend.
The Shawshank Redemption is my favorite movie of all time. I don't know if most people know it is based on a Stephen King novella, but if you didn't, you do now! Honestly, everyone should read this novella. It is only 100 pages and perfectly captures everything I love about the movie. The fact that King can tell such a compelling story full of hope, justice, and the desire for freedom in such a short amount of time while having an incredibly engaging plot and characters full of depth is insane to me. The differences between the two were minute and didn't make the story feel much different between the two mediums. Although the movie does feel like the better way to experience this story, with how small and incredible the novella form of the story is, I absolutely see myself reading it again and again over the years. Maybe I will alternate between a re-watch and a re-read every. If you love the movie, please take a few hours to read the novella. It is well worth it.