For those who are new ... we discuss books. I list what I'm reading, and people comment with what they're reading. Sometimes, on Sundays, I post a special edition on a particular genre or topic.
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Readers and Book lovers schedule
Readers & Book Lovers Series Schedule
Just finished
A Devil is Waiting by Jack Higgins. The president is going to visit London. Some Islamic terrorists plan to assassinate him. Sean Dillon has to stop them. I gave up on this one. The writing was making it unenjoyable.
Master of the Senate by Robert Caro. The third in Caro's monumental, amazingly researched bio of LBJ. I had been reading this but put it down. Not because it's a bad book - it is a great book - but because Johnson was so viciously nasty that I had to stop for a bit. Johnson wanted, craved, needed power. And he was absolutely brilliant at getting it and using it. But he let nothing stand in his way. Regardless, this is vital reading for understanding the senate. Full review
Now reading
Cooler Smarter: Practical tips for low carbon living by the scientists at Union of Concerned Scientists, a great group. These folk make sense, concentrating on the changes you can make that have the biggest impact with the least effort.
Thinking, fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman. Kahneman, most famous for his work with the late Amos Tversky, is one of the leading psychologists of the times. Here, he posits that our brains have two systems: A fast one and a slow one. Neither is better, but they are good at different things. This is a brilliant book: Full of insight and very well written, as well.
What hath God wrought? by Daniel Walker Howe. Subtitled "The transformation of America 1815-1848. I am reading this with the History group at GoodReads. This is very well written, and does a good job especially with coverage of the treatment of Blacks and Native Americans.
The hard SF renaissance ed. by David G. Hartwell. A large anthology of "hard" SF from the 90's and 00's. I think Hartwell takes himself a bit too seriously, but the stories are good.
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meachem. So far I've only read a few pages, but this is an extremely admiring look at Jefferson.
The van Rijn method by Poul Anderson. The first volume of collected stories that make up Anderson's Polesotechnic League, when mankind spans the universe.
The irrationals by Julian Havil. The history of irrational numbers, nicely presented.
Just started
On politics: A history of political thought from Herodotus to the present by Alan Ryan. What the subtitle says - a history of political thought. Seems good so far.