Cameron Catanzano

Super Useful (Even) in Audio

Revisado: 04-25-25

I was initially skeptical of an audio book on technical writing, but I grew to love the format. I’ll probably go back and read the thing (eventually), but the audio book was a convenient way to keep the ideas fresh on my mind.

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Great Cap to a Great Trilogy!

Revisado: 04-20-25

I'm not sure if anything can top the thrill and mystery of Wool. But Shift and Dust collectively really round out the whole series and turn it into something greater than the sum of its parts.

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Damn Good Book

Revisado: 03-13-25

I’m hooked. Great author and a great universe. Af first glance, it all sounds like a cheesy, pedantic post apocalyptic sci-fi concept, but the execution is flawless. The character’s rich. The world complex. If you’re like me, you’ll even begin to wonder who’s even right in this situation, sometimes wondering if the “bad guys” are the ones that should win.

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Great Advice Great Voice Acting

Revisado: 06-19-23

Talk to Me is an easily approachable book, chock-full of anecdotes and advice from a great professor and journalist. Not to mention, the voice acting is top-notch, so the audible format works great.

I came across the book a long time ago since Dean Nelson was a professor at my university; he published it when I was either a Junior or Senior. I had met him briefly a couple of times in a group setting (though he wouldn't remember me), knew a few people from his student newspaper, wrote two Pope eds for the same paper, and saw a few of his live Writer’s Symposium interviews. He was a celebrity of sorts for our small college (at least for the writing/interview nerds like me). It's grasping at straws; I know. But he always had a kind of magnetic personality and I always admired him (long before the book). Having now read the book, I think it captures his approachable, supportive personality. It reads (or listens?) like you've been grabbing coffee with a mentor, soaking up his anecdotes and gold nuggets of advice.

3 or 4 years after the book was published, I finally decided to pick it up after taking on a part-time gig writing news stories for my law school. I'm no career journalist; I haven't taken a journalism course in my life (Sorry to Dean Nelson; I dropped his department's journalism seminar 2 weeks in... Scheduling conflicts). I do have some experience interviewing though. I managed my student radio station and hosted a couple of interview-style shows. For that level of experience, this book was perfect.

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A Subtle, Focused Book

Revisado: 10-17-22

Not everyone will want to read a book like this; it’s not classic beach read material. But if you were in any way considering reading this book, you should read it.

It was published before the war in Ukraine and the most recent cracks in China’s zero COVID policy. To that extent, it may be a half beat behind recent trends in US-Taiwan rhetoric/policy, the weakening of Russian international posture, and shifts in both the unity and posture of the European Union and NATO. Still, this sober, scary, nuanced, and hopeful book is about as comprehensive and up to date as one could ask for.

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The single most comprehensive piece of climate change fiction

Revisado: 07-20-22

I’ve read a lot of environmental fiction, and nothing I’ve come across grapples with climate change in such a comprehensive, hopeful manner. Is it a bit outlandish in parts? Sure. Oversimplified? Probably. But it sparks conversation and bold imagination on nearly every sub-category of climate change. Migration, finance, geo-engineering, vigilantism… it’s ALL on the table.

It certainly has its particular philosophies baked in. Good chances you’ll disagree with at least some of what you’re hearing; I wasn’t on board with every little thing, but it’s certainly still fiction - complex, challenging, up-for-interpretation fiction. Frankly, this would make for a great book club or seminar class read.

I may be pre-disposed to this kind of wonky, near-future sci-fi; I also spend a lot of time thinking about climate change. So… I may just be a part of the niche target audience. That being said, if you have any interest in this book, I think it’s worth the shot. It’s probably somewhat niche… but It’s still fairly approachable for most readers.

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My Favorite Climate Change Book To Date

Revisado: 04-24-22

First off, (although it may go without saying) Edoardo Ballerini knocks the narration out of the park. Easy 5/5.

But it’s more than just a good performance. The substantive story of ‘termination shock’ gripped me from beginning to end (all 20-something hours). As with virtually every book, even the best, there are certainly things that I personally felt “meh” about.

1) The whole “In the future, the US gov is a basket case/ laughing stock (see: COVID, Trump, and Qanon)” has become a bit of a trope in Cli-Fi. ‘Termination Shock’ handles it with a bit more subtlety than most (US Americans are still significant players, even if their government is absent); Still, the overall premise has become a bit pedantic.

At some point, I’d like to read a book that imagines a more active role for the US Gov in a story like this, but ‘Termination Shock’ isn’t trying to be that book. Instead, with the US Gov conveniently off the table, we get the opportunity to bring other compelling global players closer to the forefront.

2) As sometimes comes with a great book, I felt like I could use a bit more closure with the final ending. In general, I really loved how the story all came together. The resolution just felt a little meh. Not bad; Not “Wow! What an ending!” For some reason I’m not qualified to diagnose, it just seems like they cropped the story a little too early.

All that said, I’ve of the mind that you shouldn’t rate a book by its ending - just because it’s the last thing you read. All caveats aside, ‘Termination Shock’ is an easy 5/5 as far as I’m concerned.

Maybe it helps that I came into this having done my “solar geo-engineering homework,” so I didn’t have a problem tracking with all the science and modeling talk. Still, I got the impression this would be just as approachable for someone who never came across the concept (albeit, your reaction might start off with a bit more of a “WTF?!”). Since ‘The Planet Remade’ isn’t normally considered a beach read, you might actually preferring skipping that “homework” anyways; ‘Termination Shock’ probably leans pro stratospheric sulfur, but it doesn’t gloss over any of the risks, complications, or short comings. Room is left for debate.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Started off strong, but I wasn’t satisfied with the last half. 3.5.

Revisado: 04-09-22

The world building and set up gripped me from the first pages. I loved the context and their perspective. As a whole, the book has a lot to say to the “apocalypse” genre. The events of the book is certainly devastating, but their relationship with the world that was lost is far more complicated than someone living in Toronto. For an incredibly short read, this premise is worth picking the book up.

However, the strong beginning and gripping premise aren’t enough for a 4 of 5 stars. At the end of the day, I just found the last half of this book to be a bit rushed and the antagonist a bit out of place.

First half of this book was a slow burn and I was in it, but after a certain point, the story begins making time jumps later and later into winter. If the book was longer, I think they could have developed the middle and end much letter. Particularly, I felt there was a need to flush out the antagonist. Otherwise, he just felt a little rushed and a bit flat.

Performance, on the other hand, was an easy 5/5. I was completely engaged. Zero complaints.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

Quick and Useful

Revisado: 03-26-22

First Things First: This is definitely someone’s 5/5. If that’s you, I’m very glad you found this book. My experience was closer to a 3.5, good nuggets here and there, definitely worth it, but I wasn’t super engaged. YET I’m probably to blame for some of my low engagement, hence I decided to meet in the middle and call it a 4/5.

As For The Substance: This is a very quick book. I’m on spring break during law school right now; This gave me a manageable “personal project” to check off and provide some motivation alongside my more demanding “school projects” (unfortunately appellate briefs don’t write themselves).

Still, the virtue of a quick read is always limited by the quality of content. Fortunately, the content here is timeless. No matter your age, no matter your emotional maturity, this book is at least a valuable refresher in understanding (and living with) human emotions. ‘Atlas of the Heart’ surveys and gives language to the vast spectrum of human emotion with granular specificity (all while avoiding overly abstract/academic terms and models). This isn’t a book just for psych or comm students. It’s certainly not a book just for PhDs. Consider it an everyday day, users guide, to understanding emotions.

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Performance: This isn’t your usual audiobook performance. Brené Brown brings an conversational tone reminiscent of monologue style podcasts. If that’s not your scene… maybe listen to a sample first and see how you like it? All things considered, I liked this style so It worked out for me.

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You don’t find a lot of books like this.

Revisado: 03-22-22

The ending left me with mixed feelings. I wasn’t totally on board with the route she chose BUT I respect the choice; Taken as a whole, this was a damn good book.

I’ve been scouring a lot of environmental fiction lately, and ‘damnation spring’ has been one of my clear favorites (alongside ‘bewilderment’ and ‘American War’). Lots of great authors have taken a shot at apocalyptic (or at the very least dystopian) cli-fi. ‘Damnation Spring’ is far more grounded.

It’s about environmental protection and a toxic torts case straight out of ‘Dark Waters’, but it’s also about family, work, and the struggle to leave a better life for your children. I loved the plot; I loved the setting; I love the characters even more. This was the book I was looking for when I bought ‘Migrations.’ Now, it’s my new gold standard.

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