Mere Mortals Book Reviews

Hey we are the Mere Mortals and we review books of all genres/styles but with an emphasis on those that have stood the test of time (the 'classics' if you will). Join us on Weekly live episode on Thurs 11am AEST (Thurs 1am UTC+0) plus bonus episodes from my cohost Juan.

Mere Mortals Book Reviews is a education podcast hosted by Kyrin Down & Juan Granados, with 406 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Kyrin Down & Juan Granados hosts Mere Mortals Book Reviews, a education show with 406 episodes published.

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  Mere Mortals Book Reviews

  I Never Watched Game of Thrones. Then I Read the Book | Book Review

  Aug 25, 202616 min

  I never watched Game of Thrones. Then I finally picked up George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones and I get it now. I went into the first book of A Song of Ice and Fire with almost no connection to the TV series. In fact, years ago I made it about four minutes into episode one before turning it off. The book was a very different story. It starts slowly enough, building the people, families, politics and world but somewhere around the first third it starts accelerating. By the final few hundred pages I was absolutely smashing through chapters just trying to find out what happened next. In this review I get into: Why George R. R. Martin's POV structure works so well How he manages to interweave so many characters and storylines Why the world somehow feels enormous while remaining grounded The comparison with The Lord of the Rings The brutality, darkness and unpredictability of the story Why the final third completely hooked me The slightly uncomfortable reality of starting an unfinished series Whether you should read the book if you've already watched the show My rating: 9/10. 00:00 I finally read A Game of Thrones 01:02 Going in without watching the TV series 03:09 The problem with starting an unfinished series 05:11 Bigger than The Lord of the Rings? 06:19 Why the POV structure works so well 08:15 When the book hits overdrive 10:47 The dialogue, brutality & darkness 11:51 Why the fantasy still feels grounded 13:46 My final thoughts 14:47 Should you read A Game of Thrones? Connect with Mere Mortals: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/ Discord: https://discord.gg/Xs9DjsurFq Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts Value 4 Value Support: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

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  Mere Mortals Book Reviews

  I Read Elon Musk’s 69 Rules for Success | The Book of Elon Book Review

  Jul 24, 202612 min

  I read The Book of Elon by Eric Jorgenson, a collection of Elon Musk’s most useful ideas on purpose, engineering, business, hiring, intensity and problem-solving, presented largely through Musk’s own words. Rather than another Elon Musk biography, this book attempts to distil his operating system: how he thinks, why he works with such extreme intensity and which principles have shaped companies including Tesla and SpaceX. But does it offer anything genuinely new? 00:00 What is The Book of Elon? 00:28 How I received the book 01:03 This is not an Elon Musk biography 01:48 Three million words distilled 02:24 More than 1,000 source references 03:10 The 69 Core Musk Methods 03:35 How the book is designed 03:56 My background with Elon Musk 04:42 Why so much of it felt familiar 05:45 Is it useful as a reference book? 06:35 Why I probably wouldn’t reread it 07:19 Who should read this book? 07:55 Elon’s “ultra hardcore” philosophy 08:24 Success because of—or despite—his methods? 08:43 My biggest criticism of the book 09:49 The reader who may find it transformative 10:26 My final recommendation 10:58 Elon Musk’s recommended reading list 12:01 Final verdict Connect with Mere Mortals: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/ Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReU Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcast Connect with Mere Mortals: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/ Discord: https://discord.gg/Xs9DjsurFq Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts Value 4 Value Support: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

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  Mere Mortals Book Reviews

  Homer’s Odyssey: Still Worth Reading Today?

  Jul 1, 202613 min

  In this Mere Mortals book review, I talk through The Odyssey by Homer the famous follow-up companion to The Iliad, and one of the great adventure stories of the Western canon. Compared with The Iliad, I found The Odyssey much more readable, more story-driven, and honestly more enjoyable. This is the great soldier-returning-home story: Odysseus trying to make his way back to Ithaca after the Trojan War, while Telemachus searches for answers, Penelope holds off the suitors, and the gods keep interfering with everyone’s lives. 0:00 Intro — The Odyssey after The Iliad 0:54 The basic structure of The Odyssey 1:18 Odysseus, Ulysses and the journey home 2:03 Telemachus, Penelope and the suitors 2:43 Where Odysseus has been 3:09 Cyclops, monsters and the famous adventures 3:46 Returning to Ithaca 4:04 The original soldier-coming-home story 4:25 Why The Odyssey reads better than The Iliad 5:02 The book that kept me reading at night 6:00 Why this story has lasted 7:10 Iliad vs Odyssey: rage vs cunning 8:19 Major themes: home, temptation, storytelling and justice 10:03 The parts I skimmed 10:43 Should you read The Iliad first? 11:37 Final thoughts on The Odyssey 12:26 Final recommendation Connect with Mere Mortals: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/ Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReU Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcast Substack: https://substack.com/@meremortalsnotes Connect with Mere Mortals: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/ Discord: https://discord.gg/Xs9DjsurFq Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts Value 4 Value Support: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

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  Mere Mortals Book Reviews

  The Hairy Ass Of The Art World | Get The Picture (Bianca Bosker) BOOK REVIEW

  Jun 23, 202629 min

  Art is hairy, art is context, art is beauty and ..... art is big butts!? In this episode, I dive into 'Get the Picture' by Bianca Bosker, a 2024 book that explores the contemporary art world from the inside. Bosker approaches it through immersive journalism, working as a gallery assistant, art fair staffer, studio helper, museum guard and briefly as an artist herself. What I found most compelling was how the book uses those experiences to wrestle with the big questions: what counts as art, whether art is about beauty or context and how much of the industry is driven by genuine appreciation versus status, money and insider games. I talk through the parts of the book that felt especially grotesque to me — the pretension, the coded language, the collector ego, and the sense that access and reputation often matter more than the work itself. Thankfully, the book also shows a far more meaningful side of art. I discuss the sections that felt uplifting and enlightening, especially Bosker’s time with artists, collectors and museum guards who engage deeply with artworks and encourage slow, personal looking rather than outsourced interpretation. That side of the book helped me understand why art still matters and why people are drawn to it so powerfully. Overall, I came away feeling that the art world isn’t inherently broken so much as structurally lopsided, with highly passionate creators often vulnerable to exploitation. I really enjoyed Bosker’s writing, admired the depth of her reporting and would recommend to give it a read.  If you got value from the podcast please provide support back in any way you best see fit! Timeline:  (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:10) Bianca Bosker's immersive tour of the art world (00:04:45) The pretence, power and status games of art (00:08:51) Shock art and the question of what counts as art (00:13:07) A more meaningful and uplifting side of art (00:16:16) Is the art world inherently broken? (00:21:20) Bianca Bosker's journalism (00:25:02) Final Verdict (00:27:20) Short hiatus and podcast closing notes  Connect with Mere Mortals: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/ Discord: https://discord.gg/Xs9DjsurFq Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts Value 4 Value Support: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

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  Mere Mortals Book Reviews

  Philosophy Mixed With Business | Zero To One (Peter Thiel) BOOK REVIEW

  Jun 16, 202616 min

  Abstract ideas made definite. In this episode of Mere Mortals book reviews, I dive into Peter Thiel’s 'Zero To One' and why its big-picture thinking resonates more than tactical business how‑to. I explore Thiel’s blend of abstract philosophy and concrete startup stories (from PayPal to Palantir) and discuss his contrarian takes on competition, monopoly and the value of being the last mover. I unpack the optimistic vs pessimistic, determinate vs indeterminate lens Thiel uses to read cultures and markets and why these frames can guide founders to build something truly unique rather than drift into “zombie company” territory. I share what made the book engaging for me, where it might fall short if you’re after nuts-and-bolts execution and who I think will get the most out of it. Ultimately, it’s a concise, idea-rich read that can reorient how you think about differentiation, market definition and creating from zero to one. If you got value from the podcast please provide support back in any way you best see fit! Timeline: (00:00:00) Intro (00:00:35) Introducing Zero to One by Peter Thiel (00:04:27) Contrasting with other business classics (00:07:41) Why high‑level ideas can beat operational minutiae (00:11:03) Who is Peter Thiel? Background and ventures (00:12:52) Verdict: a solid read for entrepreneurs (00:14:00) Value for Value: how to support the show (00:15:08) What’s next: upcoming book reviews  Connect with Mere Mortals: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/ Discord: https://discord.gg/Xs9DjsurFq Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts Value 4 Value Support: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast

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