Thursday, 5 July 2012

I'll learn to read soon, in June.


Black Mass: Apocalyptic Religion and the Death of Utopia.
John Gray is the author of many critically acclaimed books. A regular contributor to The New York Review of Books, he is a professor of European thought at the London School of Economics.
I tend to agree with a reviewer who opines that Gray is too pessimistic and negative.

Michio Kaku. Physics of the future.
A review from the NY times: Reading a dull, charmless nonfiction book is almost always better than reading a dull, charmless novel. With a nonfiction book, you might at least learn something.
It’s definitely better than nothing. I am not sure than books on science and technology need to be ‘charming’.
Richard Dawkins. A Devil’s Chaplain: Reflections on Hope, Lies, Science, and Love.
This is the first collection of essays from scientist and author Richard Dawkins. Dawkins's essays are lively, fascinating, and based on scientific facts. He delves in many different areas including personal relationships. Dawkins is engaging and keeps reminding his readers to remain curious, ask questions, and to live the examined life.

I Have Landed: The End of a Beginning in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould
Gould’s final collection is a stimulating journey into the wonders of scientific discovery and his most personal. Richard Dawkins (above) shared correspondences with Gould, in the short time leading to the latter’s passing away.
Haruki murakami 1Q84
Not everyone’s cup of tea, but everyone’s not all from the west either. Storytelling is not all about formulaic best-selling western authors, but the readers be the judge. A couple of formulaic best-selling western authors are John Grisham (The Litigators), and Robert Ludlum (The something title). I know what I’d rather have on my shelf.

Hitchens vs Blair debate. Be it resolved religion is a force for good in the world. 
A far-ranging discussion on one of humankind’s most vexing questions, tackled in the 6th semi-annual Munk Debate by two debaters, one the world's most famous recent Roman Catholic convert in the shape of ex-PM Tony Blair and the now departed (cancer) charismatic sceptic Christopher Hitchens. The full debate  is on youtube: Hitchens vs Blair debate.

Why We Run: A Story of Obsession by Robin Harvie is about extreme distance running.
I am not an extremist myself. It's hard enough to be a moderate runner, though I am extremely slow.
Roddy Doyle. A Star Called Henry. First book in a series of three. Meet Henry Smart--adventurer, IRA assassin, and lover. The other two books are Oh, Play That Thing! and The Dead Republic.

Bullfighting, Doyle’s second collection of stories, offers a series of bittersweet takes on men and middle-age, revealing a panorama of Ireland today.

Photography, running, Chomsky and Vidal. Strange bedfellows perhaps, but not so in my book-
shelf.

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