Book Reviews

Sunlit stone steps leading upward, with a habit tracker being checked off beside coffee, dumbbells, running shoes, a book, and a phone—symbolizing The Road to Better Habits by Darius Foroux.

The Road to Better Habits, Updated and Expanded: A simple framework for transforming your habits by Darius Foroux

A Simple Framework That Sticks When I was desperately trying to climb out of a deep depression, I latched onto a simple lifeline:[…]

Three friends sit with retro game consoles at a glowing sunset, a pixel-heart game cartridge floating above a city—Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Clay | February 20

A Love Letter to Gaming and Friendship I have to admit something before we get into the review: I saw Tomorrow, and Tomorrow,[…]

You are a YouTube expert in ambient channels. You work on the channel @softorbitsoundscape.(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXNbP7J7deKBCfBeHn2PFaw). You are helping me create the fourth video in the channel. It is an outdoor terrace scene with rain. The soundscape will be rain sounds. The rain will be animated to give it a comforting vibe. Walk me through the process in detail to make this attached image ready for use in Davinci Resolve to create the static portion of the video. I have access to kittl and photopea tools.

Do It Today: Overcome Procrastination, Improve Productivity, and Achieve More Meaningful Things by Darius Foroux

Clay | February 13

Do It Today by Darius Foroux: Overcoming Procrastination & Finding Meaning I must have discovered Darius Foroux over 10 years ago. At the[…]

Bioluminescent alien octopus and advanced spacecraft orbiting a vast blue ocean planet, inspired by the science fiction novel Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky.

Children of Ruin (Children of Time #2) by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Clay | February 6

Exploring Alien Intelligence I loved Children of Time so much that picking up the sequel, Children of Ruin, was a no-brainer. This second[…]

The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga

Clay | January 30

Stop Chasing Approval, Start Living: The Courage to Be Disliked Review I am honestly at a loss for how The Courage to Be[…]

A retro-style sci-fi illustration of a massive alien stone fortress floating in unspace, glowing with energy as a lone spacecraft approaches amid a swirling cosmic entity.

Lords of Uncreation (The Final Architecture #3) by Adrian Tchaikovskyv

Clay | January 23

Lords of Uncreation Review: A Fitting End to the Final Architecture? Lords of Uncreation is the final book in Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Final Architecture[…]

Photorealistic cocktail party scene with two professionals talking while subtle overlay icons show microexpressions, personality traits, and trust cues, representing the science of charisma and social skills.

Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People by Vanessa Van Edwards

Clay | January 16

Charisma is a Learned Skill: My Review of ‘Captivate’ by Vanessa Van Edwards I discovered Vanessa Van Edwards through MasterClass. I subscribed to[…]

Elegant “ClayReads Book Awards” featured image with gold serif lettering on a dark theater backdrop, framed by curtains and subtle confetti, with stacks of books, a small gold trophy statue, reading glasses on an open book, and a Roman helmet beside an hourglass and quill.

2025 in Review: The ClayReads Book Awards

Clay | January 9

2025 in Review: The ClayReads Book Awards I read 72 books in 2025. That is 3 books short of my 2024 total, but[…]

Armored SecUnit “Murderbot” with a glowing red visor stands guard on a rugged alien world during a dangerous planetary survey.

All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries, #1) by Martha Wells

Clay | January 2

All Systems Red Review: I Finally Caved and Read Murderbot My mother has been begging me to read The Murderbot Diaries for years.[…]

Golden light spirals up from an open book in an old-fashioned study, transforming into a cluster of gold coins against a hazy Gilded Age city skyline.

The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattles

Clay | December 26

The Science of Getting Rich Book Review: Does It Stand the Test of Time? I have seen The Science of Getting Rich on[…]