Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews

WWW Wednesday September Twenty-Third

It’s WWW Wednesday. This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and brought back by Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

1. What I’m currently reading:

Their Life’s Work: The Brotherhood of the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers, Then and Now I know, I know, I’m in Green Bay, Wisconsin, so reading this should seem like sacrilege. But the Kindle price and audio book price are too good to pass up, and I like reading about pro football. Not too long ago I read the biography of John Elway of the Broncos (see review here), so reading about the Steelers isn’t that much of a stretch. Besides, the Steeler’s dominance of the 1970’s mirrors the Green Bay Packers’ dominance of the 1960’s. And, let’s not forget that the Packers spanked the Steelers years later in Super Bowl XLV. 🙂

I’m also listening to The Chocolatier by Jan Moran, a 2020 book that is a reasonable price on Kindle and audio book right now.

San Francisco, 1953: Heartbroken over the mysterious death of her husband, Celina Savoia, a second-generation chocolatière, resolves to take their young son to Italy’s shimmering Amalfi coast to introduce him to his father’s family. Just as she embarks on a magical, romantic life of making chocolate by the sea surrounded by a loving family, she begins to suspect that her husband had a dark secret – forged in the final days of WWII – that could destroy the relationships she’s come to cherish.

While a second chance at love is tempting, the mystery of her husband’s true identity thwarts her efforts. Challenged to pursue the truth or lose the life and those she’s come to love, Celina and her late husband’s brother, Lauro, must trace the past to a remote, Peruvian cocoa region to face the deceit that threatens to shatter their lives.

2. What did you recently finish reading?

Faceboook: The Inside Story by Steven Levy. This was one of those Amazon Gold Box Deals last weekend so I got both the book and audio book for Bargain Sleuth-approved prices and it is a very well researched and informative book, not dry and technical like it could have been.

I’ve had a love-hate relationship with Facebook since they made major changes to Pages run by businesses in 2013. I was running two blogs at the time, and while Facebook wasn’t our only outlet, it was the one where we received the most feedback. Suddenly, no one was seeing our posts. All the algorithms changed so only paid posts get any traction on Facebook, and it remains that way today. I use it for this blog, but don’t rely on it, because only 10% of the people that like my page actually see my posts.

“Levy’s all-access Facebook reflects the reputational swan dive of its subject. . . . The result is evenhanded and devastating.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“[Levy’s] evenhanded conclusions are still damning.”—Reason

“[He] doesn’t shy from asking the tough questions.”—The Washington Post

“Reminds you the HBO show Silicon Valley did not have to reach far for its satire.”—NPR.org

Today, Facebook is nearly unrecognizable from its first, modest iteration. In light of recent controversies surrounding election-influencing “fake news” accounts, the handling of its users’ personal data, and growing discontent with the actions of its founder and CEO—who has enormous power over what the world sees and says—never has a company been more central to the national conversation.

Millions of words have been written about Facebook, but no one has told the complete story, documenting its ascendancy and missteps. There is no denying the power and omnipresence of Facebook in American daily life, or the imperative of this book to document the unchecked power and shocking techniques of the company, from growing at all costs to outmaneuvering its biggest rivals to acquire WhatsApp and Instagram, to developing a platform so addictive even some of its own are now beginning to realize its dangers.

Based on hundreds of interviews from inside and outside Facebook, Levy’s sweeping narrative of incredible entrepreneurial success and failure digs deep into the whole story of the company that has changed the world and reaped the consequences.

3. What do you think you’ll read next?

I’m way behind on my ARCs from NetGalley, so I’ll probably try to tackle those next. Most don’t publish until November or December, but I always like to get those out of the way before taking on library books.

And speaking of library books, I’ve still got a stack of newer releases to plow through, and it’s mostly the same as last week’s WWW (see post here), so I’ll be working on those before heading to the library on Friday for even more new releases that have become available to me.

So, what about you? What are you reading? Leave a comment and your link if you have one. Thanks for stopping by!

For more reviews, visit www.bargain-sleuth.com

Never miss a post! Subscribe to our email list below.

Join our Facebook page Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews or join our book group here.

We are also on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and now Tumblr. Check us out!

This post contains affiliate links.

28 comments

    • It’s been hit or miss with some of them; I didn’t use NetGalley much even though I’ve been a member for several years. Now I feel like I’ve bitten off more than I can chew with ARCs and new releases coming in from the library, after months of not having new books to read.

      Like

  6. The Chocolatier looks romantic, and I’m in a romance mood these days.

    I work in advertising and know that Facebook has become a necessary evil. It’s in our lives and I don’t see it exiting any time soon.

    Liked by 1 person

    • The Chocolatier is romantic with a mystery, too. I thoroughly enjoyed it. As for Facebook, a necessary evil is a good way to describe it. I get such little action on my Facebook page, and half the time my family doesn’t see my personal posts, so I use it only as much as I need to.

      Like

    • I don’t watch much TV but several people have mentioned the show to me today after seeing what I was reading. I’ll have to add it to my watch list as well as the one mentioned below. “Reminds you the HBO show Silicon Valley did not have to reach far for its satire.”—NPR.org

      Liked by 1 person

  12. The Facebook book sounds so interesting! I don’t have a Facebook myself but have been aware of a lot of the changes and evolution of the platform, and it would be interesting to get an inside look on all of that. Happy reading!

    Liked by 1 person

  13. I love the sound of The Chocolatier, I’d love to know your thoughts about it 🙂 Enjoy reading for the rest of the week, till next time!

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.