As an Indie author, Christmas is the season for maximum sales and https://usbookreviews.com helped get reviews and visibility for my book and sales during peak season last year. This New year they have an amazing, never before seen offer and I am thrilled to share the bounty with my author friends.
Last year people who were thinking of reviewing particular books often mentioned it in the relevant threads (like this one :) ) Also there was a consensus, I think, that there would be little harm in a book being reviewed by more than one person, and it might be interesting.
This seemed pretty trivial to accomplish, so I've created one. I've attached instructions for obfuscating contact info and making drafts anonymous in the comments on the top row.
Are you intending to allow/disallow reviews of books that were the subjects of the previous contest? if you don't want duplicates, a link to the list might appreciated.
I wanted to try last year, but I fizzled out after a page or so. I'm glad I didn't follow through, because I got to see what the finalists looked like and what works for this kind of contest. I'm going to try this year: I give myself a 65% chance of submitting something.
I noticed that all of the books reviewed by finalists last year were nonfiction. Nearly all of them had political implications. Most of them were sorta speculative. If I was gaming the system to maximize my chances, I'd keep those factors in mind when selecting a book.
These categories seemed to be pretty overrepresented in the entries overall, as indeed they're overrepresented in the sorts of books that Scott tends to review.
If I were writing a review this year (and I'd like to but doubt I'll find time) I would pick something as far away from these categories as possible. How about a cookbook?
There's lots of good food in England. Good Indian food, good Chinese food, good Middle-Eastern food, good Thai food ... .
Many years ago I was in York with my son, who wanted to try Yorkshire pudding. We found a restaurant that specialized in historic English cooking — more modern than we do, probably 18th and 19th century. When I got back to London I told one of my English acquaintances that we had been in York and found a restaurant that had good English food.
I think English cooking is undergoing a slow revival (heck, Gordon Ramsay's signature dish is Beef Wellington).
I would say that English food is harder to get right than a lot of other cuisines. You can cook a decent curry if you've got the right ingredients in the right proportions, just throw it in a pot. But cooking a really good roast is tricky.
Anyway if there's any good English cookbooks then I'd love to read a review of one that goes into all these sorts of issues.
I'm not really sure what "in the US" means with respect to books, but I would guess that in the US, English language cookbooks are also not especially biased towards being about North American cuisine?
And in any case, one probably wants to review a cookbook that had a reason to be interesting rather than a uniformly random cookbook. Dirichlet-to-Neumann is probably telling some kind of joke, but I don't get it.
I can't speak to English cooking as such, but there is a classic cookbook for Irish cooking which is as much about the culture of early 20th century Ireland as it is about the actual recipes:
"In Laverty’s cookbooks, the persona of the Irish woman of the house countered assumptions of docility, self-deprecation and mere passive acceptance of the duty to accommodate nutritional needs and generate and support sturdy citizens. Instead, food-related practice was to be acknowledged as contributing, in pivotal ways, to Ireland’s national narrative. A close reading of the language and storylines in these works highlights the remarkable abilities and positive impact that Irish women could and did have in the domestic sphere and beyond. Evident also is the resourcefulness with which women could and did adapt to evolving economic circumstances and incursions of modernity, and the sense of accomplishment that could come with housework – and especially cooking – if contemplated as a means of empowerment not oppression, and as a vocation unequivocally warranting deep appreciation and respect".
Google Docs let you see the author's username - does this mean we shouldn't use a Google account we use for anything else community-linked, so as to be anonymous?
If you go to drive.google.com, then click on either "Shared with me" or "Recent", you'll see a list of docs and the names of their owners. So... don't do that.
Can we do reviews of book-like things that aren't books? I'd like to do a review of a court decision that's about 180 pages long and is more a dissertation about a group of people abusing the judicial system than the specific case being ruled on.
If you are MarxBro and still post here: would you be interested in co-authoring a review of Das Kapital (or some other seminal Marxist work of your choosing)? I am a reasonably good writer and a lapsed socialist so I'd enjoy the opportunity to steelman the ideas which I'm drifting away from
I'm not marxbro (thank god) but do lean strongly toward Marxist ideas and would enjoy coauthoring a review, though I would prefer it be a more recent work than the original Marx. Would be up for Jameson, Adorno, Althusser, Gramsci etc. or something like Foucault or others. Pretty flexible
This would be much more enjoyable if you did it with anyone else tbh
I think he was banned, as well as so generally disliked, in part because he was really bad at productive engagement. So I really doubt he'd be much of a good book review author either
I think Jaki gives the best arguments to doubt any possibility for AI. Even if he is wrong readers of ACX will be better equipped to answer doubters and better argue for AI safety. Also Jaki should be more widely read by ACX fans,his brilliant analysis of the intersection of science and religion is what helped make Slate Star Codex so popular (at least with me). Jaki’s brilliant presentation of science history and anecdotes make reading him a joy even for the most hardened atheist.
“Certainly, it is rewarding and refreshing to read such penetrating criticism of a field in which gratuitous theorizing and dogmatism are able to flourish because our scientific understanding is so small”-Sir John C. Eccles, Nobel Laureate
“This is a fascinating book in style as well as in content…..which every scientist should read.” -Eugene P. Wigner Nobel Laureate
I'm not equipped to write a book review; however, I did forward this post to two friends, both published authors. I thought you might want to know that both declined immediately solely due to the choice to use Google.
A perception that Google abuses its users by being cavalier about sharing user data with its advertisers. To paraphrase a trite expression: "if the service is free, you are the product." I'm not as adamant as my friends, but I don't appreciate its business model and try to avoid its products when feasible.
I think there are ways to share specific docs in iCloud (and potentially all the cloud based storage services); however, I'm not up to speed on it. It was just intended as an FYI.
If the people you talked to did not suggest an alternative, it suggests your description "solely due to the choice to use Google" is false. If you did not ask them for an alternative, it says something about your motives.
My motive was pretty straight forward: to alert Scott that he may get more responses by embracing alternatives in addition to Google. My use of "solely" is arguably inaccurate. They may well have not been interested even if not Google; however, both said something to the effect of "No thanks, I won't use Google."
A. Why do you care?
B. What is your motive for bothering to post your comment?
Darn, I recently posted a book review I'm proud of ("How To Change" by Katy Milkman) though I guess it would've been hard to anonymize that one since it's all "look how Beeminder has all of behavioral economics figured out already".
Looking for book-to-review recommendations! Criteria:
- Nonfiction (-ish; fictionalized history, allegory, etc. are okay)
- Surprising or opinionated in some way (i.e. not just a popular introduction)
- On a subject you wouldn't be shocked to see an ACX post about (e.g. not a cookbook; topics of interest to me include history, philosophy, religion, language, and technology)
- Can be read and reviewed without deep research/background (not "dense" or over-academic)
- Old is fine, obscure is fine, both potentially a plus
I would like to see someone review Keith Johnstone's "Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre".
The book appeared on my radar when the ssc subreddit ran a book recommendation survey, and this was one of the most recommended ones. As you would expect, almost all the books were philosophy/math and science/sci-fi, and this one stood out. I couldn't understand why so many rationalists were excited about a book about theater. Turned out, it was really entertaining, about a whole lot more than just acting, rich with insights into many things (among them the idea of status) and generally enjoyable to read. Kind of seems like Keith Johnstone tried to figure out how to train people to become competent comedic actors and unintentionally ended up inventing a therapy of sorts. Try it if you haven't. Better stop here before I end up writing a review myself or overselling it.
This book also might fit your criteria. An excellent book very well argued. Another one I think is a perfect fit for ACX and the rest of the rationalist community.
Just submitted mine last night! Given that we still have access to our Google Docs, do you mind if we fix minor typos after the deadline? Or is it 100% pencils down.
At what point would we be able to cross-post submissions to personal blogs?
After the contest is over.
As an Indie author, Christmas is the season for maximum sales and https://usbookreviews.com helped get reviews and visibility for my book and sales during peak season last year. This New year they have an amazing, never before seen offer and I am thrilled to share the bounty with my author friends.
Is there a registry of books people are already doing? I have a couple of books I might want to review, but worry someone else already is.
Last year people who were thinking of reviewing particular books often mentioned it in the relevant threads (like this one :) ) Also there was a consensus, I think, that there would be little harm in a book being reviewed by more than one person, and it might be interesting.
This can possibly break Scott's intention to not know who the reviewers are.
This seemed pretty trivial to accomplish, so I've created one. I've attached instructions for obfuscating contact info and making drafts anonymous in the comments on the top row.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1D5fsbjfQQCOGsmMxxhm7-9SsMqROWVaWGROveb2872c/edit?usp=sharing
Are you intending to allow/disallow reviews of books that were the subjects of the previous contest? if you don't want duplicates, a link to the list might appreciated.
I too would love a list of already reviewed books.
Do you prefer reviews of recently published books, or would a book published in, say, 1960 be fair game?
Check the previous finalists to get an idea. Older books did just fine.
How well did the Galen review (2nd century) do in the end?
It got Third Place.
And remember, Scott guessed it'd win.
I wanted to try last year, but I fizzled out after a page or so. I'm glad I didn't follow through, because I got to see what the finalists looked like and what works for this kind of contest. I'm going to try this year: I give myself a 65% chance of submitting something.
Do it!
I wish everyone writing a review great skill, I'm excited to see what you all create.
Thanks for re-running the book review contest, Scott.
I noticed that all of the books reviewed by finalists last year were nonfiction. Nearly all of them had political implications. Most of them were sorta speculative. If I was gaming the system to maximize my chances, I'd keep those factors in mind when selecting a book.
Still, many wanted the review of Arabian Nights to win until they learned it was by Scott and not part of the contest.
Scott is unusually suited to writing reviews that appeal to his readers.
These categories seemed to be pretty overrepresented in the entries overall, as indeed they're overrepresented in the sorts of books that Scott tends to review.
If I were writing a review this year (and I'd like to but doubt I'll find time) I would pick something as far away from these categories as possible. How about a cookbook?
A cookbook is an amazing idea. Sadly it would need to be an English language cookbook, and English cooking...
Contra meme, I don't think there's anything wrong with English food. When I visited London I thought Pret was way better than most American fast food.
There's lots of good food in England. Good Indian food, good Chinese food, good Middle-Eastern food, good Thai food ... .
Many years ago I was in York with my son, who wanted to try Yorkshire pudding. We found a restaurant that specialized in historic English cooking — more modern than we do, probably 18th and 19th century. When I got back to London I told one of my English acquaintances that we had been in York and found a restaurant that had good English food.
He named it.
I think English cooking is undergoing a slow revival (heck, Gordon Ramsay's signature dish is Beef Wellington).
I would say that English food is harder to get right than a lot of other cuisines. You can cook a decent curry if you've got the right ingredients in the right proportions, just throw it in a pot. But cooking a really good roast is tricky.
Anyway if there's any good English cookbooks then I'd love to read a review of one that goes into all these sorts of issues.
...English language cookbooks are not especially biased towards being about english cuisine?
At least not in the US.
I'm not really sure what "in the US" means with respect to books, but I would guess that in the US, English language cookbooks are also not especially biased towards being about North American cuisine?
And in any case, one probably wants to review a cookbook that had a reason to be interesting rather than a uniformly random cookbook. Dirichlet-to-Neumann is probably telling some kind of joke, but I don't get it.
It was a snap answer, but let's say aimed at an American audience.
"North American cuisine" is a vague concept, but it doesn't include a lot of British cooking.
I can't speak to English cooking as such, but there is a classic cookbook for Irish cooking which is as much about the culture of early 20th century Ireland as it is about the actual recipes:
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/maura-laverty-ireland-s-first-celebrity-chef-still-dishes-up-food-for-thought-1.2774422
My mother had a copy of "Full and Plenty" which is still in the house:
https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/nationaltreasures.ie/public/thumbnails/52KWT2_large_thumb_1.jpg
"In Laverty’s cookbooks, the persona of the Irish woman of the house countered assumptions of docility, self-deprecation and mere passive acceptance of the duty to accommodate nutritional needs and generate and support sturdy citizens. Instead, food-related practice was to be acknowledged as contributing, in pivotal ways, to Ireland’s national narrative. A close reading of the language and storylines in these works highlights the remarkable abilities and positive impact that Irish women could and did have in the domestic sphere and beyond. Evident also is the resourcefulness with which women could and did adapt to evolving economic circumstances and incursions of modernity, and the sense of accomplishment that could come with housework – and especially cooking – if contemplated as a means of empowerment not oppression, and as a vocation unequivocally warranting deep appreciation and respect".
I looked for it on Libgen and it wasn't there. Then I remembered this extremely well-written R+L=J hint: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/6613029-i-looked-for-you-on-the-trident-ned-said-to
"Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" is great.
How about getting the best of both worlds by reviewing a cookbook by a Nobel-winning economist? https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59631206-cooking-to-save-your-life?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=ieIZfjaOJ9&rank=1
You can see all the entries that didn't make it as finalists: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vgXd-H7Fk6I7qAG7Dwh6VZn8dYIhV0dQHsI_owPSIIg/edit#gid=0
I'm not familiar with many of these books, but it seems like the entries were overwhelmingly non-fiction.
Google Docs let you see the author's username - does this mean we shouldn't use a Google account we use for anything else community-linked, so as to be anonymous?
Can you explain? Where on eg https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vgXd-H7Fk6I7qAG7Dwh6VZn8dYIhV0dQHsI_owPSIIg/edit#gid=0 do you see the author's username?
In my Google Sheets index page at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/ , where it lists all spreadsheets I've recently opened, it lists the author's name as "Scott Alexander." The same thing happens on the Docs index page at https://docs.google.com/document/ .
I wouldn't be surprised if there're other ways to find it too, but that's the simplest and the first I came across.
If you go to drive.google.com, then click on either "Shared with me" or "Recent", you'll see a list of docs and the names of their owners. So... don't do that.
May one person submit more than one book review?
"Please limit yourself to one entry per person or team."
Oh. Duh. I scrolled right past that while looking for it. Thanks!
Can we review multiple books, either as a comparison or in a series?
As long as there's only one review, yes.
Can we do reviews of book-like things that aren't books? I'd like to do a review of a court decision that's about 180 pages long and is more a dissertation about a group of people abusing the judicial system than the specific case being ruled on.
This is a cool idea, I hope Scott says yes.
I'll chime in and entreat Scott to accept.
Yes.
Admittedly I was only a finalist, but I did pitch you other articles!
If you are MarxBro and still post here: would you be interested in co-authoring a review of Das Kapital (or some other seminal Marxist work of your choosing)? I am a reasonably good writer and a lapsed socialist so I'd enjoy the opportunity to steelman the ideas which I'm drifting away from
Jesus. As if we haven't read enough marxbro.
He's been banned, so I'd go easy on the anti-Marxbro rhetoric. Not kicking a man when he's down etc.
I'm not marxbro (thank god) but do lean strongly toward Marxist ideas and would enjoy coauthoring a review, though I would prefer it be a more recent work than the original Marx. Would be up for Jameson, Adorno, Althusser, Gramsci etc. or something like Foucault or others. Pretty flexible
Could we have a quick back-and-forth to check we're on the same page without spamming up the thread? I'm FrankieHenshaw at gmail dot com
This would be much more enjoyable if you did it with anyone else tbh
I think he was banned, as well as so generally disliked, in part because he was really bad at productive engagement. So I really doubt he'd be much of a good book review author either
Ask Freddie deBoer to join you :)
Is there a list of already reviewed books, are duplicates allowed and are hostile reviews appreciated.
If anyone is looking for a cool book to review please consider this one. I don’t have the time or writing skills to enter the contest.
Brain, Mind and Computers https://www.amazon.com/dp/0895269074/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_YCF81K0CJRZ6BP4PKYCM
I'm interested! I assume you've read it? If so, could you please briefly describe why you want to see it reviewed?
I think Jaki gives the best arguments to doubt any possibility for AI. Even if he is wrong readers of ACX will be better equipped to answer doubters and better argue for AI safety. Also Jaki should be more widely read by ACX fans,his brilliant analysis of the intersection of science and religion is what helped make Slate Star Codex so popular (at least with me). Jaki’s brilliant presentation of science history and anecdotes make reading him a joy even for the most hardened atheist.
This is from the back cover of my copy.
“Certainly, it is rewarding and refreshing to read such penetrating criticism of a field in which gratuitous theorizing and dogmatism are able to flourish because our scientific understanding is so small”-Sir John C. Eccles, Nobel Laureate
“This is a fascinating book in style as well as in content…..which every scientist should read.” -Eugene P. Wigner Nobel Laureate
Thanks! Just ordered the book. Clincher for me was that there's an unsympathetic reference to Jaki in Godel Escher Bach. :-)
Lol! Yeah I was rereading it last night. Jaki was a little caustic.
Would love to hear any book/essay recommendations on the intersection of sci/religion or science history
I'm not equipped to write a book review; however, I did forward this post to two friends, both published authors. I thought you might want to know that both declined immediately solely due to the choice to use Google.
It is not obvious to me why someone would decline due to the choice to use google. Care to fill in the blank?
A perception that Google abuses its users by being cavalier about sharing user data with its advertisers. To paraphrase a trite expression: "if the service is free, you are the product." I'm not as adamant as my friends, but I don't appreciate its business model and try to avoid its products when feasible.
Fair enough, thanks
I'm fine with you including a link to some other way to store documents anonymously.
I think there are ways to share specific docs in iCloud (and potentially all the cloud based storage services); however, I'm not up to speed on it. It was just intended as an FYI.
If the people you talked to did not suggest an alternative, it suggests your description "solely due to the choice to use Google" is false. If you did not ask them for an alternative, it says something about your motives.
My motive was pretty straight forward: to alert Scott that he may get more responses by embracing alternatives in addition to Google. My use of "solely" is arguably inaccurate. They may well have not been interested even if not Google; however, both said something to the effect of "No thanks, I won't use Google."
A. Why do you care?
B. What is your motive for bothering to post your comment?
Wonderful! I loved the previous book reviews, especially the one about the Land Value Tax, by George. Thank you for doing this, Scott!
Darn, I recently posted a book review I'm proud of ("How To Change" by Katy Milkman) though I guess it would've been hard to anonymize that one since it's all "look how Beeminder has all of behavioral economics figured out already".
Am I allowed to enter a book review I have published? I can think of at least two that might be of interest to people here.
I'd prefer it be something new that nobody knows is associated with you.
Looking for book-to-review recommendations! Criteria:
- Nonfiction (-ish; fictionalized history, allegory, etc. are okay)
- Surprising or opinionated in some way (i.e. not just a popular introduction)
- On a subject you wouldn't be shocked to see an ACX post about (e.g. not a cookbook; topics of interest to me include history, philosophy, religion, language, and technology)
- Can be read and reviewed without deep research/background (not "dense" or over-academic)
- Old is fine, obscure is fine, both potentially a plus
- You would want to read a review of it
I would like to see someone review Keith Johnstone's "Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre".
The book appeared on my radar when the ssc subreddit ran a book recommendation survey, and this was one of the most recommended ones. As you would expect, almost all the books were philosophy/math and science/sci-fi, and this one stood out. I couldn't understand why so many rationalists were excited about a book about theater. Turned out, it was really entertaining, about a whole lot more than just acting, rich with insights into many things (among them the idea of status) and generally enjoyable to read. Kind of seems like Keith Johnstone tried to figure out how to train people to become competent comedic actors and unintentionally ended up inventing a therapy of sorts. Try it if you haven't. Better stop here before I end up writing a review myself or overselling it.
A review of Impro: https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2010/01/23/impro-by-keith-johnstone/
Thanks, haven't read that one previously.
“Philosophy Between the Lines: The Lost History of Esoteric Writing“ by Arthur Melzer
The book turned my whole world upside down and totally changed the way I consume media.
I would love to see someone write a review of "Godel, Escher, Bach" by Douglas Hofstadter for ACX.
That's funny, I considered that in the past but decided it was too well known among SSC readers. I'd like to see it reviewed here too though!
I don't see that being well known disqualifies a book. And how it looks after all these years might be interesting.
"Playing to Win" by David Sirlin
https://www.sirlin.net/ptw
I'd be interested in the take of someone who isn't a competitive gamer.
This book also might fit your criteria. An excellent book very well argued. Another one I think is a perfect fit for ACX and the rest of the rationalist community.
The Successful Error: A Critique of Freudian Psychoanalysis https://www.amazon.com/dp/195097040X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_4AB11JEDD6PMXQJJ4XVC
Will there be a people's choice awards this year, as with last year?
Due on April 5 at what time, and in what time zone?
Is there a rule that the book reviewed needs to be in English?
1. Are reviews by co-authors eligible?
2. Are we allowed to show drafts to, and get feedback from, a few other people while writing a review?
What time April 5th? 11:59 PM PST? or EST
(important for last-minute writers/editors!)
Should we see a confirmation email or anything after submitting?
Just submitted mine last night! Given that we still have access to our Google Docs, do you mind if we fix minor typos after the deadline? Or is it 100% pencils down.
Thanks so much for running this contest!