Do you see the world as a prison or a playground? If you answered prison, I have a book for you to check out. Michael Pollan just explored the history and the science and the experience of using certain chemicals found in mushrooms and ergot to reset your brain. Go read it. I’ll wait. It’s called How to Change… Read More »
When I chit-chat with people, I always ask them if they have read anything interesting lately. I can’t talk about television or movies or music or sports or technology in an intelligent manner. But I can bore you with the latest book that’s captured my brain cells. The end of overeating: Taking control of the insatiable… Read More »
I would rather be lucky than good. Luckily, Richard Wiseman wrote a book telling me how to grow luckier. The author breaks luck down into four principles to consider when increasing your luck. I’ve explained his takeaways and interpreted with my own jive. Principle One: Maximize your chance opportunities There are three aspects to a person’s… Read More »
It’s been a light couple of months of reading for me for some reason. Maybe because I’m bad at life? Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson Benjamin Franklin is my sauce, my jam, my condiment of choice. I love the way he thinks and how he approached his life and I want to… Read More »
You have no idea how nice it is to be able to read whatever you want for as long as you want. It’s a luxury I wish upon everyone. Except for you, Ted. The Wise Man’s Fear: The Kingkiller Chronicle Day Two by Patrick Rothfuss This is book #2 in the Kingkiller Chronicle. I think… Read More »
I haven’t touched my laptop in weeks because I’ve been wandering around India and my internet access has ranged from nonexistent to terrible to (now) good. This is my first day of “good” and my hands are itching to write, so let me tell you about the few books I’ve read recently. Fast Food Nation by Eric… Read More »
Oh hey, look, more book reviews. Cataloochee, A Novel by Wayne Caldwell Ambitious novel telling the story of a few generations living in the area in Tennessee that is now the Great Smokey Mountains. The prose was true to the “country” way of talking, but not pretty. There were a lot of characters, but the most… Read More »
Ever since finishing my book, I’ve felt adrift and wrong. This happens to me at the end of every big project — after graduating law school, after paying off my loans, after officially retiring — defeat takes over. I always expect to feel a sense of pride that never comes. It doesn’t help that there’s a… Read More »
Reading is everything. Wild by Cheryl Strayed After reading the magnificent book Tiny Beautiful Things, I’ve fallen in love with Cheryl Strayed. Wild is the book she wrote after the death of her mother and the end of her marriage. She walks the Pacific Coast Trail and tries to heal. Her voice is so achingly lovely and… Read More »
People have asked how I pick books to read. I have a large list entitled “books” in Google Keep and whenever someone recommends a book to me, I add it to that list. When I go to the library, I whip out my books list and see what that particular location has available immediately. I… Read More »