Michael T. Starks

Category: Books

  • Project WHY’s

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    I love working on creative projects. I especially enjoy working with other talented individuals on creative projects. Most of my recent projects have not involved others. Because the creative energy of a group inspires me, I sometimes struggle to complete projects I’m doing alone. If I’m to believe Simon Sinek, I run out of steam…

  • Nosferatu

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    Last night, I watched my first Robert Eggers movie, Nosferatu. From a technical point of view, the movie is impressive. The cinematography is stunning, and the top-notch acting serves the story. It’s just that I find the story of Dracula more compelling than the story of Nosferatu. Comparisons with Bram Stoker’s Dracula are inevitable. I…

  • Meditations – Part 2

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    Somewhere along the way, I finished reading Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius. It took me a few months because I mostly read a page or two at night before falling asleep. Meditations ends with a whimper rather than a bang, which is why I did not feel compelled to say anything about it the day I…

  • Revenge of the Tipping Point

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    As promised, here are some thoughts regarding Malcolm Gladwell’s latest book, Revenge of the Tipping Point. Instead of updating his first book, The Tipping Point, Gladwell explores different questions with this sequel, twenty-five years later. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the book, as narrated by the author. (That’s why I provided the Audible link above.)…

  • Meditations

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    I’ve read about a third of Meditations: A New Translation by Marcus Aurelius, updated by Gregory Hays. Based on how much Ryan Holiday has gushed about Meditations, I expected to be blown away. But so far, that hasn’t happened. I agree with Pierre Hadot that the entries seem like “spiritual exercises”. In his Introduction, Gregory…

  • Arthur C. Clarke

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    I probably started reading Arthur C. Clarke’s books when I was in grade school. Here are some of my favorites. His short stories have been compiled into The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke. I remember reading a smaller collection of his stories called The Nine Billion Names of God, which is not so easy…

  • Marcel Proust

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    I’ve never made it all the way through Proust’s epic, Remembrance of Things Past, aka A la Recherche du Temps Perdu. Still, I consider Marcel Proust one of my heroes. His insights into the human condition are nothing short of extraordinary. Here is one of my favorite quotes from the translation by C.K. Scott Moncrieff…

  • Benefits of Profanity

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    Several studies show us the benefits of cursing. Here are a few examples from a CNN article. Apart from what the studies say, I’m curious about using profanity in marketing. Is it a good way to market a book? I’m guessing it is. I just purchased a book called Quantum Bullsh*t. I have no idea…

  • Biographies

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    Biographies and autobiographies can be inspiring. I finished listening to Govt Cheese by Steven Pressfield on Audible tonight. He went through many, many years of writing stuff nobody wanted before he finally wrote The Legend of Bagger Vance, while in his early fifties, which was adapted into an excellent movie directed by Robert Redford. (Full disclosure: I haven’t read…

  • Orson Scott Card

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    Sometimes, we like the output of a creative individual more than their personal views and actions. I’ve never met Orson Scott Card in person. If I did, I would want to talk to him mostly about science fiction. While I don’t like that Card supports laws against homosexual activity and same-sex marriage, I love that…