Audiobook: “The Hundred Year Marathon” by Michael Pillsbury

| February 7, 2024

Started a “new to me” audiobook by Michael Pillsbury titled “The Hundred Year Marathon: China’s Secret Strategy To Replace America As The Global Superpower.” His experience and expertise on China is pretty much unmatched so what he shares offers an intense look at understanding the Chinese longterm philosophy and strategy. The possibility … or perhaps […]

Books: Pacific Thunder (audiobook) and standing in line to vote

| November 8, 2023

On Tuesday, November 7th, 2023, I actually stood in line for 20- 30 minutes at the polls in order to vote in an off-year election! It wasn’t a big deal, but I wasn’t expecting a line considering I met my son for brunch after his doctor’s appointment and timed it purposely to not be at […]

Audiobook: “With The Old Breed” by E. B. Sledge

| October 17, 2023

As I’ve blogged a few times before, when it comes to history books, I enjoy reading and learning about World War II history and those of “the Greatest Generation” who rose to moment to save the world in the 1940s. My focus for the last decade or so has been in studying the Pacific Theater […]

Audiobook – Inflated: How Money and Debt Built the American Dream by R. Christopher Whalen (published 2010)

| February 28, 2023

This past month on our trip to Florida, I downloaded an audiobook on Hoopla from the library in order to save on iPhone data (our Mint Mobile plan has a 4GB limit). I started it on my AfterShokz headset while on the beach, but Brenda soon wanted to listen with me … so we both […]

Audiobook: “Lethal Tides” by Catherine Musemeche

| October 1, 2022

Another interesting story tied to scientific development during World War 2 has crossed my email inbox from WSJ+.  This one is about the virtually unknown Mary Sears, “the first oceanographer of the Navy.” Her groundbreaking oceanographic research led the U.S. to victory in the Pacific theater during World War II, according to the summary. I’m […]

Audiobook: “Land Of Big Numbers” by WSJ’s Te-Ping Chen

| June 8, 2022

In keeping with a previous book, I downloaded another book: “Land Of Big Numbers” by Te-Ping Chen. It is a collection of stories … on the “diverse and legion Chinese people” and according to a review, this book offers an “acute social insight” on Chinese history, their government, “and how all of that tumbled—messy, violently, […]

Books: Katherine Johnson – My Remarkable Journey: A Memoir

| September 19, 2021

One of the more inspiring movies in the last decade or so was that based on the career of Katherine Johnson called “Hidden Figures” in 2016. It was compelling enough and about NASA and the Apollo space program that when I spotted the book “My Remarkable Journey: A Memoir” by Katherine Johnson, Joylette Hylick and […]

Audiobook: Bill O’Reilly and "Killing the SS" on the Libby app

| September 5, 2021

Last week I downloaded a new library app called Libby that is an Overdrive component for audiobooks for borrowing digitally from the library. I put it to use immediately after checking out the Bill O’Reilly book “Killing the SS.” So far it is very interesting considering I’m only in chapter 2, but love the storytelling […]

Books (audio): In “Search of a Kingdom” by Laurance Bergreen

| July 28, 2021

Perhaps it is my aging eyes, just worn out in the evening … or just too many distractions when the TV is on … but my book reading has slowed a bit. Of the several books sitting next to my chair, on my Kindle or iPad, most have been started, but sit unfinished.  So this […]

Audio book from WSJ+: “All Against All” by Paul Jankowski

| May 22, 2021

Audiobooks and eBooks are some of the perks that come with being a long time Wall Street Journal subscriber. This WSJ+ membership includes early pre-production copies and likely word-of-mouth publicity marketing associated with giving away free “controlled” copies of books. I say controlled because readers do not really own the books, but are granted the […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog