User Profile

Ji FU

fu@millefeuilles.cloud

Joined 1 year, 8 months ago

Trying to find a better way to track books I want to read than a random spreadsheet. I had used readinglog.info which was provided by my local public library until they shut down the program. Luckily, I regularly backed it up via their CSV export. I've used Library Thing for years, but adding books for "To Read" really screwed up a lot of the other features of the website, like recommendations, etc. I really love Free Software & the Fediverse particularly. My primary social media account is on Friendica @fu@libranet.de for now everything I post here is automatically "re-tooted" there.

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Ji FU's books

To Read (View all 8)

Currently Reading (View all 5)

Ciara O'Neal: Pedro the Pirate (Hardcover, 2024, Cardinal Rule Press) 4 stars

Hoist a sail? Do it solo! Explore the high seas? Who needs a crew? Not …

A great idea, a fun book, four year old lost interest.

4 stars

I received this book for free as part of LibraryThing's Early Review program an exchange for an honest review.

The book was cute. I really loved the IDEA of showing a foster kid in a new environment, his desire to have nothing to do with these new people, and in the end needing to work together and be nice to achieve a new goal.

The actual story (words) made no actual reference to the foster kid situation, it just sounded like a pirate story. When paired with the "for the parents" section before the story and the book's illustration the idea should be clear. Unfortunately, the pictures didn't seem to be enough to keep my four-year-old's attention, even though they looked great to me. She listened as she went along her playing way. I think it may have been better if the story started with a quick line about how …

Jean Calvin: Selections from Institutes of the Christian Religion (Hardcover, 1996, Encyclopaedia Britannica) 1 star

Institutes of the Christian Religion" is the world-changing book of Christian theology by John Calvin, …

A second rule is, that in reading the Scriptures we should constantly direct our inquiries and meditations to those things which tend to edification, not indulging curiosity, or in studying things of no use.

Selections from Institutes of the Christian Religion by  (Page 63)

It certainly could be argued that Calvin is doing exactly what he is forbidding others to do.

Robert A. Heinlein, Barrett Whitener: Time for the Stars (AudiobookFormat, 2011, Blackstone Audio, Inc.) 3 stars

Travel to other planets is now a reality, and with overpopulation stretching the resources of …

Old Science fiction pointed toward young adults

3 stars

Probably was one of my least favorite in Heinlein's "Scribner's Juniors" "series". Like the others it's really a stand-alone story amongst a series of similar tales. (Young adults leading scientific adventures).

This one is about two teenage twin boys finishing school and invited to a symposium by the "long range foundation" a private non-profit company that can focus on funding endeavors that don't have to make investors happy with quick returns, nor be at the will of fickel politicians, they can work on projects that will be years, decades or centuries before a return, if any occurs.

The project the LRF is now working on is to deal with the overpopulation of the planet. The 1954 written book is very concerned that in the future (maybe 200 years from now?) the world population is unsustainable with over 4.5 billion people (never mind that 75 years from when ti was written …

Jean Calvin: Selections from Institutes of the Christian Religion (Hardcover, 1996, Encyclopaedia Britannica) 1 star

Institutes of the Christian Religion" is the world-changing book of Christian theology by John Calvin, …

Profane men think that religion rests only on opinion, and, therefore, that they may not believe foolishly, or on slight grounds desire and insist to have it proved by reason that Moses and the prophets were divinely inspired. But I answer, that the testimony of the Spirit is superior to reason. For as God alone can properly bear witness to his own words, so these words will not obtain full credit in the hearts of men, until they are sealed by the inward testimony of the Spirit.

Selections from Institutes of the Christian Religion by  (Page 20)

Glenn Jacobs: Mayor Kane (AudiobookFormat, 2019, Hachette Book Group and Blackstone Publishing; Unabridged edition) 3 stars

The surprising story of how wrestling superstar Glenn "Kane" Jacobs beat all the odds to …

Good Wrestling stories, bad politics.

3 stars

I'm a Libertarian and a wrestling fan, so this should have been just up my alley. The wrestling stories where good, even if I had heard some of them before. I appreciated Kane's story about meeting Ron Paul with regards to him having been around famous people most of his life, but that was the only time he was ever actually nervous about meeting someone.

I was disappointed in the life in politics side of it. Kane talks about being influenced by von Misses and Harry Browne, not to mention Murray Rothbard, but then spends nearly a quarter of the book talking about how great Trump is. A politician that is the antithesis of libertarianism.

This audiobook was read by the author, but it may be the one time I would have rather someone else did it. Glenn stumbles over his own words and his reading voice is so different …