Solving The Price Is Right caught my eye, but I guess I should have read and comprehended the subtitle of it a little better before I dove in to read it. “How Mathematics Can Improve Your Decisions on and off the Set of America’s Celebrated Game Show.” I’m a software engineer – I’ve dealt with a LOOOOOT of Math in my life. I don’t really need to be seeing graphs and percentages when I’m trying to read a book about a game show. So unfortunately this book became my first DNF of the year.
However. If you’re looking for statistics and an in depth analysis of The Price is Right and how to make your wagers should you ever find yourself on the show – and you’re ready, sooo soo ready for tons and tons of math – GO FOR IT and read this book. It just wasn’t the right match for me but I am sure there are more statistically minded people out there who would absolutely love this one.
I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.
About the Book
The Price is Right is television’s longest-running game show. Since its inception in 1956, contestants have won cars, tropical vacations, diamond jewelry, even a live horse, and the hosts’ excited catchphrase “come on down!” has become part of our everyday vernacular. Part of the program’s enduring appeal is the apparent ease of the game, guessing the cash value of certain prizes. But, if that’s the case, then why do so many contestants come away from the show empty-handed?
Solving The Price is Right is an in-depth exploration of the underlying probability theory of the popular television program that explores how biases and behavioral pitfalls limit our ability to successfully apply logic and math both on and off the show. With rigorous data and analysis compiled from Seasons 47 and 48 (356 total episodes), investor and math practitioner Justin L. Bergner draws strategic and mathematical insights from all facets of the show, from Contestant’s Row bidding to the Showcase Showdown, and all 77 Pricing Games, using a combination of game theory, probability theory, statistics, and pattern recognition. In each section, Bergner summarizes contestant performance, highlights the biases leading to sub-par outcomes, and shows how outcomes can be improved by executing the right strategies while avoiding cognitive biases.
Throughout, Bergner applies the lessons learned to the fields of business, finance, and our real lives, shedding light on themes of reverse psychology, strategic patience, and the importance of establishing what is sufficient for success in our pursuits. The result is a truly unique and meticulously researched book that uses Solving The Price is Right as a lens to examine our own choices – and how to make better ones.
Justin L. Bergner graduated cum laude from Yale University with a B.A. in Economics and Mathematics with a specific focus on Game Theory and Probability Theory. Since receiving an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, he has served as an Equity Investment Analyst and Portfolio Manager. He maintains the popular mathematics blog www.popculturemath.com.
“It’s been a long night in New York City… it’s been a long night in Newark too…”
Saturday night John Mayer kicked off his SOLO tour at The Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. I am not sure I realized I was going to the kick off show when I first bought tickets, but even once I did realize it was going to be the opening night I still didn’t realize just how special it would be.
I had never been to the Prudential Center before. I ended up buying an accessible ticket and parking in the garage that had a bridge to the center (for a whopping $51). I was pleasantly surprised that once I got inside I was almost at my section! I couldn’t have planned that better if I had tried.
JP Saxe opened the show, I didn’t think I knew anything about him, but then he sang “If the World Was Ending” and I did know that song. He seemed to like the F-word but otherwise was a nice 30 minute or so set.
As soon as the lights dimmed for John, pretty much everyone was up on their feet. When he kicked off the show with Slow Dancing in a Burning Room I knew this setlist was going to be pretty bananas, and that it absolutely was. There were a handful of songs I hoped/thought he would play and I think he hit almost all of them. I’ll be curious to see how the setlists changes (or not) as the tour progresses. He had also said that the setlist was just a suggestion and at any time a sign could knock him into a different song entirely. It seemed like he only ended up adding one song from the printed setlist – Split Screen Sadness. All I Wans Is To Be With You was on the setlist but was skipped.
“There’s no tour in my entire life I thought about more than this one. There’s not been more times in my life that I have been on this stage in my mind than this one. I have been here before a thousand times. Half of those times it was a BUST. But I forgot about the fact that you’d be here in your own loving and incredibly enthusiastic way and now I realize that everything’s ok” he said after finishing Queen of California and it seemed to take him a few songs to shake off those first show doing something completely new nerves. He also mentioned he had talked to his pal Andy Cohen that morning, as he does every morning, and Andy assured him that we knew what we were getting into when we bought the tickets – that it would be him SOLO and that’s what we were expecting.
My favorite part had to be when he played a video of him from 2002 before Room For Squares was taking off and then did Neon and Why Georgia. He also talked a bit about how he’s not really nostalgic for his songs/work that he’s done (and acknowledged that we are) and that he may not feel the same way as he did when he wrote some of the songs, but the songs are a reminder that at one point he did feel that way. After he did the ‘deep cut’ Home Life, I’m not sure if he thought it went over very well, because he teased a bit of “On Broadway” and said it was a trick to make people who didn’t dig it forget all about it and defer the applause… He also started Wonderland – to massive cheers – and then asked if the song was stupid. But said he was going to sing it sincerely. Has he not been all these years?!
He played the piano for a few songs – a bit of New Light, You’re Gonna Live Forever in Me and Changing. At the end of Changing he ended up looping the piano and playing the electric guitar over it and it was pretty amazing. He said it was some of the craziest shit he’s done. He also said he had made a rule that he wouldn’t loop the guitar this tour – but he didn’t say he couldn’t loop the piano. He also said he was allowed to break the rule – which he did end up breaking before the show was over.
There was a new song Driftin’ – in the set. Online chatter seems to be that everyone loves it but I wasn’t that into it. Of course, maybe hearing it a few more times will change my mind as I’m always a little iffy about new songs the first time I hear them. He also talked a bit about Why You No Love Me and how he wasn’t going to play that because he didn’t think it worked and wouldn’t it be funny if he DID play it. But he’s not playing it.
When he left at the end of the main set I was hoping he’d do an encore. The entire place went NUTS. I’ve never been one to get goosebumps, but I absolutely had them. I hope John felt it too because he seemed very unsure how him solo was going to go over. And it went over amazingly well. I’m so glad I’m getting to see another show on this tour in a couple of weeks.
I do kind of wish that the venues were a bit more intimate for this type of show – but the ticket sales and demand seemed to be so crazy he probably did need the larger venues. I also feel like I cheated listening back to the recording to write this… but if it’s out there might as well use all the resources I can, right?
I absolutely love learning more about Katherine Johnson, so I was super excited to pick up the new Young Katherine Johnson book. This tells some stories about her growing up in the form of comic strips. A lot of funny ones but some series ones too about the racism she and her family had to deal with. I thought this was a fun approach to teach some good lessons and some history as well, both of which very important, in a way that kids would enjoy. It also has some interactive math related questions throughout with answers at the end of the book so you can see if you figured it out correctly.
I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.
About the Book
A close and playful glimpse at the childhood of one of the world’s greatest geniuses and cultural icons, Katherine Johnson who was the subject of the hit film Hidden Figures!
Katherine Johnson grew up to be the first Black woman to work at NASA, figuring out the path for spacecrafts to go around the Earth and land on the Moon! But before she set her sights on outer space, she was busy making the Earth’s surface her laboratory!
Equipped with a mind for math, nothing gets past Katherine: how did Noah manage to put 48,000 animals on his ark, not to mention all that feed?!
Accompanied by her brother Charlie and her chicken Lucinda, Katherine makes the world her playground and sometimes dreams of a Moon that could answer her questions… or even, growing up in the early 1900s, a more equal society where black people and white people could have the same rights…
Clay Play! Whimsical Gardens shows you how to create over 30 magical miniatures! I’ve always wanted to start doing crafting with clay, but haven’t made the jump yet. The little mushroom homes in this book are so adorable though, one of these days I need to take the leap. The book starts out with various supplies you might need and some details on how to make certain shapes with the clay as well as how to store your clay when you’re not working with it. Then it dives right into the homes, which are made using jars! How clever! My favorite was the ladybug cottage that is also featured on the cover of the book. No whimsical garden would be complete without fairies, elves or gnomes! The accessories were all adorable too. Certainly a lot of adorable ideas to consider!
I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review from Net Galley. I was not otherwise compensated.
About the Book
Full-color illustrations and easy-to-follow directions explain how to transform simple balls and coils of polymer clay into more than 30 enchanting keepsakes that include fairies, gnomes, and elves with their adorable cottages and hideaways; popular garden ornaments such as a mini wishing well, birdbath, and welcome sign; and a variety of cute little plants and animals. The detailed, step-by-step instructions feature numerals corresponding to color photos that provide helpful examples. Crafters of all ages will adore these fun-filled projects, which make charming decorations and unique gifts.
The Lonely Girls in the 4th book in the Lucy Kendall Crime Thriller Series. You’ll need to read the other 3 before this one as it is not a standalone. I absolutely devoured books 1-3 over the weekend and then had a hard time getting back in the zone to get into this one. But once I did… oooh the twists and turns! One thing that ended up happening I did have a thought in the back of my mind that it may end up happening, sort of. It kind of went above and beyond anything my own imagination could come up with. But a young girl that Lucy helped when she worked for CPS goes missing and the crime scene is absolutely staged to look like the death of Lucy’s sister and Lucy is absolutely being targeted by someone. When her best friend goes missing next, she’ll do anything it takes to find her… and then things just start getting wilder and wilder! Definitely a great ending to this series – it ends with closure! Looking forward to reading some more books by Stacy Green in the future.
I received a free e-copy of this book from Net Galley in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.
About the Book
The room spun and my legs gave way as I looked at my name scrawled in blood-colored lipstick on the mirror above the girl’s broken body. Was this young girl dead because of me?
When the body of a vulnerable teenage girl is found on a remote farm in the Maryland hills, Private Investigator Lucy Kendall knows her past has come back to haunt her. Lucy’s sister died when she was a young girl, and the dead teenager looks exactly like her—her dark hair dyed blonde, her wrists slashed.
Lucy’s name is scrawled on the bathroom mirror above the girl’s body, and the dead girl is clutching a silver coin in her small, fragile hand, identical to the one which has just been mailed to Lucy. Lucy is shaken to her very core, determined to find out why a cruel murderer wants her to feel responsible for this girl’s death.
Lucy vows to track down this twisted killer who seems to know so much about her family’s tragic past. But when her closest friend Kelly is abducted and Lucy receives a phone call saying she has forty-eight hours to find her, she knows the evil perpetrator won’t stop until she comes face to face with him. As the clock ticks and Lucy frantically tries to track him down, she is sent messages showing her friend growing weaker and weaker. Lucy cannot let another innocent life be taken. But can she find Kelly in time? And what will her abductor want in return?
Gripping and spine-chilling, The Lonely Girls will keep you up all night, unable to put it down until the final heart-pounding twist. Perfect for fans of Karin Slaughter, Lisa Gardner and Robert Dugoni.
***Previously published as All Fall Down.***
The Girl in the Cabin is the 3rd book in the Lucy Kendall Crime Thriller series. This book is a continuation from 1 and 2 and if you’ve made it this far, you’ll end up hooked like me. In this book, Lucy’s friend has gone missing and she has reason to believe he has gone after the serial killer that has been part of the sub plot in books 1 and 2. This time, she’s determined to find her and her friend, before it is too late. But her reputation precedes her and while the law enforcement assigned to the case appreciate her insight and help, they warn her not to go off on her own and investigate. She promises, but can she keep it? These books are absolutely impossible to put down and I love all the twists and turns they take. I still have one more left to read and while I’m hoping there won’t be another cliffhanger at the end – I’m also not sure what I’ll do with myself once I am done! Lucy is sort of like a female Dexter. And I absolutely love her, even though I often times don’t know if I should be rooting for her or not.
I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.
About the Book
She can stop the killing. But at what price?
When the body of a sixteen-year-old girl is found in a remote hunting cabin in the middle of the snowy Maryland woods, a shiver runs down Private Investigator Lucy Kendall’s spine. The handprints around her neck, her broken bones, and the incense left burning at the scene are vital clues to who committed this terrible crime—Mary Weston, a notorious serial killer. She has outwitted the police for many years and left many parents without daughters. Is the girl in the cabin a sign she is killing again?
Working closely with the police, Lucy is determined to catch this evil woman. But when the bodies of three other teenage girls are found in remote locations, it’s almost like Mary is toying with them. Lucy is determined to bring her to justice before more innocent lives are snuffed out.
But then Mary’s son Chris—one of Lucy’s closest friends—disappears. Lucy is convinced Mary is responsible, and she will do anything to find him. So when Mary sends Lucy a message asking to meet her alone, Lucy knows that she must face her darkest fears and risk her own life. She is the only person who can stop Mary. But what will she need to sacrifice?
You won’t want to stop turning the pages of this unputdownable crime thriller. Fans of Lisa Regan, Robert Dugoni, and Kendra Elliot will be reading The Girl in the Cabin late into the night.
***Previously published as Gone to Die.***
Rebel Girls Rock features tales of 25 women in music – including Bjork, Dolly Parton, Lizzo and Olivia Rodrigo. Each of the “girls” has a one page bio including their birthday and where they are from and a one page illustration of them. It was interesting to learn how some of them got their start and what made them want to go into the music industry. At the end of the book there are some blurbs on some other girls who rock who didn’t make it into the main book – like Beyonce, Billie Eilish and Jojo Siwa.
I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.
About the Book
TRUE STORIES OF WOMEN WHO RAISE THE ROOF!
This collection features 25 stories of extraordinary women in music—women who have moved hearts and minds with their lyrics, uplifted other musicians, and gotten people to jump, dance, and sing along with their music.
Belt out pop anthems with Lizzo, bang on the drums with Nandi Bushell, and write country hits with Dolly Parton. The women in this book come from all around the world. They play different instruments, experiment with new sounds, and stand out in their genres. But one thing is true of them all: They rock!
With a forward by iconic rocker Joan Jett and activities curated by Gibson Guitars, this book will have readers everywhere jamming out! Plus, scannable codes let you listen to more stories on the Rebel Girls app.
Little Lost Souls is the 2nd book in the Lucy Kendall Crime Thriller series. This book picks up where Book 1 left off, so I would say it could not be read as a stand alone as you’ll need the backstory to fully understand it. Lucy is a private investigator who tries to help children who are victims of pedophiles since she lost her sister after she was abused as a child. In this second installment, she tries to solve the mystery of while teens are being snatched and where they are going. She ends up getting involved in trying to bring down a sex trafficking ring. But once again, everyone has secrets and Lucy has to figure out who she can trust in order to remain safe and to get the correct information to put those in charge away. There is also a sub plot that continues from book 1 and is still not resolved. Guess it’s time to read #3 now…
I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.
About the Book
To save the lost children of the city, she must put herself into terrible danger…
On the streets of Philadelphia, as the snow falls and black ice settles in dark back alleys, lost and vulnerable teenagers are being snatched off the streets. When one of them is found alive, Private Investigator Lucy Kendall knows she will never forget the sight of the boy’s brown eyes, forever dulled. She vows to find the monster behind the suffering.
Desperate to save the lost children of the city, Lucy goes into the dark places where the police cannot. But when a key witness is found dead, and a strand of Lucy’s long red hair is located near her body, Lucy suddenly finds herself under suspicion and on the run.
The chief of police knows all about Lucy’s own dark past and is convinced she’s guilty. Hiding in the shadows, unable to trust anyone, Lucy continues her search for the real killer. At last, in a dangerous suburb of the city, she befriends vulnerable fifteen-year-old Riley, who claims to know who the murderer is.
But when Riley disappears, Lucy must race to find the twisted soul responsible for snuffing out the lives of these little lost souls before another innocent girl is taken. Lucy is determined to get justice even if it costs her freedom… or her life.
A gripping, page-turning thriller full of mystery and suspense. Perfect for fans of Rachel Caine, Lisa Regan and Robert Dugoni.
***Previously published as See Them Run.***
