Saturday, September 10, 2016

What are you reading? Sept 10, 2016

Books 

  • Volume 10 of A History of Western Philosophy: The Twentieth Century to Wittgenstein and Sartre by W. T. Jones.  I haven't read the first 9 volumes; I found this one in a used book store.  But I like Jones approach and he makes things clear.  I may pick up the other volumes when I can.  Now on page 49.
  • I finished The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers.  Good new fashioned space opera.  That is, all the wonders of space opera plus interesting aliens, well developed characters (some of them female!).  Lots of fun. I wrote a review.
  • Frederick the Great: King of Prussia by Tim Blanning.  A very good bio of a remarkable ruler, but I wish there were more maps (I often wish this!) and the descriptions of battles could be more detailed.  p. 235.
  • Tips on Cardplay by Mike Lawrence.  Lawrence is one of the best bridge writers alive.  Play is the worst part of my game.  This book also includes some tips on defense. p. 73.
  • Google Blogger for Dummies by Susan Gunelius.  All about Google Blogger!  I like it. But I'm still learning. p. 243.
  • Modernity and its Discontents  by Steven B. Smith.  About the Enlightenment and counter Enlightenment and how to have the best of both.  About 42% through (on my Kindle, no page numbers).
  • Perdido Street Station  by China Mievelle.  High level science fiction. This one is a bit on hold.  Page 22.
  • Overcoming Anxiety and Depression on the Autism Spectrum by Lee Wilkinson.  Takes a cognitive behavioral approach.  Not my favorite approach, but it summarizes the method well.  16% through (no page numbers on my Kindle). 
  • How to Reassess your Chess by Jeremy Silman.  A really good chess book. p 21.

Periodicals

Your turn

Use the comments to tell me what you are reading and what you think of it. 

5 comments:

  1. I'm reading...

    Book: Visual Intelligence by Amy E. Herman. About half way through. So far, it's been a recap of cogsci I'm familiar with but still enjoyable. She uses observation of art to teach generalized principles of observation with critical thinking to help us not miss less obvious pieces of information.

    Book: The Owner's Manual for the Brain by Pierce J. Howard, PhD. This is a good broad survey of current knowledge on the brain and the state of neurology and complementary fields like nutrition. Includes recommendations for how to apply the research in real life and critiques of the shortcomings of our current level of knowledge.

    Magazine: Logic Problems by Penny Press. Because, sometimes my pencil eraser just needs to feel useful. They leave enough evidence to support obvious finds and then deductive reasoning to help you untangle the puzzle. This is good mental exercise for me. Given how distractible I am, it's a real practice in focus, re-focus and hey! focus!

    Articles: Too numerous to list. All primary sources (reputable, scientific, peer-reviewed) about the latest in neurology specific to expressive and receptive communication. Searching for the needle in the haystack for someone I love. He's brilliant, but struggling. He loves life and everyone in it - and I plan to keep it that way.

    Thanks for the invite to share what we're reading. I find I learn a lot about people by knowing what they like to read.

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    1. That looks like a cool collection of books! I used to do those logic puzzles, but I got tired of them. I might pick them up again. Good luck on the article search.

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  3. I'm reading Naples 44: A WWII Diary of Occupied Italy by Norman Lewis. Unflinching account of the lives of people who lived under siege for a long time.

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    1. You mean a literal siege? If so, I didn't know there was a siege of Naples. Or do you mean it figuratively?

      Either way, is the book good?

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