TheRicanReader

Review: Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse—and What to Do About It by Cory Doctorow Narrated by the author Courtesy of Macmillan Audio Estimated Read Time: 2–3 minutes Star Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5) If you’ve ever wondered why Amazon search feels pay-to-play, why Apple takes a 30 percent cut from app developers, or why once-beloved platforms now feel extractive rather than helpful, Cory Doctorow has a word for it—and a compelling explanation. In Enshittification , Doctorow names and dissects a pattern most users experience but rarely see explained. Platforms begin by serving users well. Once users are locked in, they shift to serving advertisers and business customers. Finally, when switching costs are high and competition is weak, platforms extract maximum value from everyone—users, creators, and suppliers alike. Doctorow grounds his argument in concrete examples. Amazon’s marketplace, once optimized for consumers, now captures roughly 40–50 percent of many sellers’ re...

Brad Meltzer is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of thirteen thrillers, six nonfiction books, and the host of History Channel’s  Lost History.  His work often blends storytelling with themes of character, leadership, and moral courage.   Candidly, when I finished Brad Meltzer’s Make Magic, my first reaction was, this didn’t change how I think about kindness, empathy, or compassion. And that’s true. Adapted from Meltzer’s 2024 commencement speech at the University of Michigan—delivered at his son’s graduation—this is a fast, one-sitting read (30-45 minutes) built on familiar truths. If you’ve spent years reading philosophy, Stoicism, leadership, or personal development, there’s nothing here that feels groundbreaking. But after sitting with it, I realized that critique might actually miss the book’s purpose. Make Magic isn’t trying to advance wisdom. It’s trying to protect it. The Stoics reminded us long ago that we don’t suffer from a lack of principles—we suffer fro...

Estimated read time: 2 minutes Review: Human Again: In the Age of AI by J. D. MacPherson Courtesy of NetGalley and Book Whisper  I approached this review from two perspectives, one as an avid supporter of the AI revolution, the other from the lens of how AI would view the author’s written work.  Most books about artificial intelligence focus on knowledge : what AI can do, how it works, and why it matters. J. D. MacPherson makes a more important distinction. In Human Again , she argues that the real advantage in an AI-driven world isn’t knowledge—it’s insight . Data is abundant. Understanding is not. . Written in clear, engaging language, MacPherson shows how humans and AI can work together not to accumulate more information, but to extract meaning from it. Her concept of INK —Insight versus Knowledge—runs quietly but decisively through the book. AI can surface facts at scale; humans provide context, judgment, values, emotion, and direction. When the human element and AI the a...

  What You Need to Know About AI: A Primer on Being Human in an Artificially Intelligent World by James Wang — Courtesy of NetGalley Artificial intelligence is no longer theoretical—it is reshaping how we work, invest, govern, and live. In What You Need to Know About AI , James Wang offers a grounded, no-hype primer for readers who want to understand AI and its implications for being human in a rapidly automated world. Wang is strongest when explaining cause and effect: how economics, incentives, and technological progress intersect to drive AI’s adoption. He avoids the extremes that dominate much AI writing—there is no sci-fi alarmism (Terminator, iRobot, or HAL) and no blind optimism (AI is not going to save this world, only mankind can do that). Instead, Wang presents AI as a powerful human-created tool, capable of broad benefit but also real disruption, including misuse by bad actors and nation states. The book is informative and, at times, demanding (at least it was for...

Estimated read time: 1 minute, 15 seconds Stopping By Jungle on a Snowy Evening by Richard T. Morris, illustrated by Julie Rowan-Zoch Richard T. Morris offers a whimsical, energetic twist on Robert Frost’s iconic poem by pairing the famous poet with an imaginative child riding through the woods on a hippopotamus. The result is a playful juxtaposition—old meets new, quiet contemplation meets joyful chaos. For young readers who love poetic rhythm, fantasy, and humor, this is a lively introduction to Frost and to the idea that creativity comes from both discipline and distraction. The book’s conceit is clever: Frost is trying to write his now-legendary poem, but each time he settles into the woods, the child and his hippo interrupt him with an escalating parade of imaginative detours—snow, rain, aliens, cookie dough, and more. The poet keeps attempting to construct a line; the child keeps joyfully derailing him. It becomes a gentle tug-of-war between order and play, tradition and spontan...

Estimated read time: 1 minute Claude by Emma Bland Smith Claude is a beautifully told children’s picture book based on the true story of Claude, a rare all-white alligator born in a Louisiana swamp. From the start, his striking appearance makes the other alligators uneasy—and that difference puts him in real danger. Rescued and brought to a Florida zoo, and eventually to his permanent home at the California Academy of Sciences, Claude’s journey becomes a gentle, affirming exploration of what it means to be different in a world that doesn’t always know how to react. Emma Bland Smith tells this real-life story with warmth, clarity, and respect for young readers. She never oversells the message; instead, she allows Claude’s experiences to show how uniqueness can attract fear but also draw in people who recognize value, vulnerability, and strength. Jennifer M. Potter’s illustrations are excellent—expressive, detailed, and perfectly tuned to the emotional beats of Claude’s life. Her artwor...

Cheryl B. Klein delivers a charming, thoughtful story about two hamsters who could not be more different. Henry is quiet and orderly; Marvin is loud, fast-talking, and endlessly excited about one thing—“Seeds!” After 205 days as roommates, Marvin’s nonstop chatter finally pushes Henry over the edge. Their fallout is brief but meaningful, and their reconciliation is even better: both realize they weren’t truly listening to each other, and open communication helps them find a way to live together in harmony. The illustrations by Alwar are a standout—expressive, funny, and perfectly tuned for young readers. Kids will easily pick up on the emotions in each scene, and the art adds depth and humor to the story’s message. A sweet, relatable tale about introverts, extroverts, and the importance of understanding one another. Great for early elementary readers and a solid pick for classroom shelves. C.Francis 12/11/25

Review: Don’t Feed The Lion by Bianna Golodryga and Yonit Levi (Estimated read time: 2 minutes) 
My thanks to NetGalley and Arcadia Publishing for providing an Advanced Reader’s Copy. Childhood is rarely simple. Most of us remember the awkwardness of those preteen and teenage years—the uncertainty, the longing to belong, the sting of every slight, real or imagined. Now place yourself back in that fragile space and imagine seeing your locker at school defaced with a swastika painted across it. What does a 13-year-old do with that kind of hate? In Don’t Feed The Lion, journalists Bianna Golodryga and Yonit Levi take that moment and widen it into a timely, deeply human story about antisemitism, courage, grief, and the fragile ways young people build meaning when the world shows them its ugliest side.
 Theo, a Jewish teenager and gifted soccer player, is thrust into a crisis he never asked for. His response is not heroic in the cinematic sense—it is confused, painful, halting, and hone...

Review: A Buddhist Path to Joy by Mel Pine - Read Time 2 minutes  Advanced Reader’s Copy courtesy of NetGalley Mel Pine sets out to explore the promise of joy through a Buddhist lens—a timeless topic with the potential for clarity, comfort, and guidance. Unfortunately, A Buddhist Path to Joy rarely finds its center. What begins as a sincere attempt at spiritual illumination gradually dissolves into digressions, redundancies, and thematic meandering that obscure the book’s more valuable insights. There are moments where Pine succeeds: an anecdote that lands, a practical reminder about compassion, a succinct explanation of mindfulness that cuts through the fog. These flashes of usefulness suggest a more focused book hiding inside a much larger, less disciplined one. Readers willing to sift will find a few helpful nuggets. But those moments are overshadowed by the sheer volume of material that feels tangential or unnecessary. Rather than guiding the reader along a coherent path, the n...