Robert Breen

On Tyranny

Finished reading: On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder 💙📚

A concise summary of the tactics used by totalitarian governments to suppress freedom and democracy. Clear examples from twentieth-century despots support each of the twenty lessons. ★★★★☆

Full review.

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany

Finished reading: The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany by William L. Shirer 💙📚

I’m glad I read this hefty tome. I can put current events and government decisions into the context of what happened in Nazi Germany. I know better what to look for. ★★★★☆

Full review.

Maximum Bob

Finished reading: Maximum Bob by Elmore Leonard 💙📚

A recent New Yorker article by Anthony Lane prompted me to read this one, my first Elmore Leonard book. I enjoyed the pacing and dialogue and colorful cast of characters, all set in languid south Florida.

★★★★☆

"America has been a terrific country for investors. All they have needed to do is sit quietly, listening to no one."

— Warren Buffett, 2023 Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Letter

"Take gratefully any pleasures the world provides, but don’t curse God when they fail. Nobody in the universe ever promised you anything. Most things break, including hearts. The lessons of a life amount not to wisdom but to scar tissue and callus."

Wallace Stegner, The Spectator Bird 💙📚

Instapaper Rakuten Kobo Integration Instapaper Rakuten Kobo IntegrationWe’re excited to announce a new integration that will bring Instapaper to all Rakuten Kobo eReaders. The integration will provide Kobo readers with a seamless way to...

Good news for Kobo readers or those looking to escape the Amazon ecosystem: Instapaper Read-It-Later comes to Kobo e-Readers later this summer.

David Barber returns to Evernote after a dalliance with Bear:

"When I’m using Evernote, it becomes my central repository for receipts, travel plans, info that came to me via email, desk scraps, web-clips, and quick t... https://robertbreen.micro.blog/2025/07/16/david-barber-returns-to-evernote.html

Love this. Very creative!

Amy Crouch (@amylouise) on Madame Bovary:

"I hope that when you pay attention to the world, see every flower on every oat-stalk and every bumbling country doctor, you find that you can look them into loveliness. I hope... https://robertbreen.micro.blog/2025/07/07/amy-crouch-amylouise-on-madame.html

That's so cool!

The Great Gatsby

Finished reading: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald 💙📚

See my review for notes and favorite highlights. Still and always ★★★★★.

I love the message here, and that picture of young Sir Rubin! Priceless!!

Is it OK to read Infinite Jest in public? Why the internet hates ‘performative reading’ Posts mocking strangers for cracking open classics have become popular. So where are we supposed to read them?

Irreverent take on why the internet hates ‘performative reading’:

"We’re told by college professors that students can’t read entire books any more, that gen Z parents don’t like reading to their kids, that smartphones ruin... https://robertbreen.micro.blog/2025/07/03/irreverent-take-on-why-the.html

The Rose Reading Room at the New York Public Library. It’s just a few subway stops from our apartment, so I’m able to spend time here often. What an inspiring place for a reader or writer!

City Dogs: https://robertbreen.micro.blog/2025/06/30/city-dogs.html

The car trip with F. Scott Fitzgerald is one of the funniest things I've ever read. Moveable Feast!

Finished reading: Brightness Falls by Jay McInerney 💙📚

McInerney’s great American novel: flawed characters grappling with timeless themes, set in what is arguably the greatest city on earth. I loved it. ★★★★★

See my full review for notes and favorite highlights.

Finished: Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King 💙📚

Not King’s best short story collection. I think that award goes to You Like It Darker from last year. But any collection of stories by this generation’s master storyteller is still pretty great.

blog.robertbreen.com/2025/06/06/n...

I passed the four-year mark of quitting alcohol today. Where I once struggled with days or weeks, now the years are piling up. The key for me was ruling out any thoughts of future moderation. It took many failed attempts before I accepted this simple truth. #sober

Great insights here, Mark. I've had a very similar e-reader journey and keep coming back to Kindle. Long live my 2019 Kindle Oasis!

Keep a Book Journal with Day One and Apple Shortcuts - Robert Breen Discover how to keep a private, beautifully organized book journal using Day One and Apple Shortcuts. Log your reading history, notes, ratings, and cover images effortlessly—perfect for readers who wa...

📚 Track your reading in a way that’s personal, private, and beautifully designed.

@robertbreen.bsky.social built a Shortcut for Day One that logs title, author, notes, rating, and cover art as a private alternative to Goodreads.

robertbreen.com/2025/04/23/k...

Where We Were Meant to Be - Robert Breen What began as a quiet walk through Central Park became a waking nightmare when my wife suddenly fell ill. This is the story of how chance, timing, and a city full of strangers led us to the right plac...

New Post: Where We Were Meant to Be

robertbreen.com/2025/05/30/w...

London Rules by Mick Kerron - Robert Breen ★★★★☆ | Spy-Detective | Digital | Own | StoryGraph | Goodreads  Another brilliant volume in the wonderful Slow Horses saga. Jackson Lamb is as disgusting and brilliant as ever, with the Slow Horses ne...

Another brilliant volume in the wonderful Slow Horses saga. Jackson Lamb is as disgusting and brilliant as ever, with his Slow Horses saving the day yet again from ineptitude of the intelligence service bosses. These are comfort books to savor. 💙📚

blog.robertbreen.com/2025/05/17/l...

The Greatest - Robert Breen We’re in the middle of a cross-country car trip from Phoenix to New York City. We’re traveling with two dogs, which has put a serious crimp in our sightseeing options. We are living on truck stop coff...

Blog Post: The Greatest

We’re in the middle of a cross-country car trip from Phoenix to New York City. We’re traveling with two dogs, which has put a serious crimp in our sightseeing options. We are living on truck stop coffee, fast food, and DoorDash ...

blog.robertbreen.com/2025/05/13/t...

Not Exactly Traveling Light - Robert Breen We’re off to New York for five months with dreams of traveling light—but ended up packing eight boxes and a blender. Turns out, stuff really does expand to the space allowed.

Blog Post: Not Exactly Traveling Light

robertbreen.com/2025/05/10/n...

The Cost of Adventure - Robert Breen As we get set to start a new adventure in New York City, we’ve closed the chapter of our short RV life. We bought this Winnebago EKKO new and owned it for just under two years. We explored some amazin...

Blog Post: The Cost of Adventure

#vanlife #rvlife #nextchapter
blog.robertbreen.com/2025/05/09/t...

Tomorrow! Road trip!

Bear is a fantastic notes app if you're on Mac and iOS. I use it for all my reading notes, commonplace book and linked backup for my Day One journal. This video does a great job of showcasing its features if you're curious. #PKM

Savor the Moments - Robert Breen One of the things I love about keeping a journal is how a past entry can transport me so completely back in time to that moment. Here’s a passage from my journal on this day eight years ago: I try to ...

Blog Post: Savor the Moments.

One of the things I love about keeping a journal is how a past entry can transport me so completely back in time to that moment ... #journaling #timetravel

blog.robertbreen.com/2025/05/07/s...

Systems, Not Goals: https://blog.robertbreen.com/2025/05/06/systems-not-goals/