johnfial_qr8lrr The Martian: A Novel, Andy Weir (2014, read 2015) LOG ENTRY: SOL 381 I’ve been thinking about laws on Mars. Yeah, I know, it’s a stupid thing to think about, but I have a lot of free time. There’s an international treaty saying no country can lay claim to anything that’s not on Earth. And … Read more
A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking (1998, read 2015, posting 2017) Didn’t actually have any notes/report written, just a few highlighted quotes. Probably didn’t enjoy the book that much or really understand it: Perhaps one of my favorite quotes: A well-known scientist (some say it was Bertrand Russell) once gave a public lecture on … Read more
2,300 wordsRead time @ 250 words/minute: 9 minutes Table of Contents Introduction Driving is like a second career. We have lost the ability to converse and think Driving is a “simulation for the mind.” I didn’t want to be a pilot, I wanted to stare out the window and daydream. By “waking up,” I … Read more
The Soulmate Experience: A Practical Guide to Creating Extraordinary Relationships, Joe Dunn and Mali Apple (2011, read 2012) “Your beliefs create your experience.” This was another good relationship book, but nothing cosmic. Still, it’s worth reviewing annually or semi-annually with a willing partner. I also liked it for its overall view on life, where your … Read more
Cure: A Journey into the Science of Mind Over Body Jo Marchant (2016) “AS INDIVIDUALS, rather than putting our faith in mystical rituals and practices, the science described in this book shows that in many situations, we have the capacity to influence our own health by harnessing the power of the (conscious and unconscious) mind.” … Read more
The Laws of Medicine: Field Notes from an Uncertain Science (TED Books), Siddhartha Mukherjee, 2015 “Is medicine a science?” ““Doctors,” Voltaire wrote, “are men who prescribe medicines of which they know little, to cure diseases of which they know less, in human beings of whom they know nothing.”” I read this book because of a … Read more
Food Rules , 2009 & In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, 2008 Michael Pollan I have a theory that a writer’s second book, which is what this one is for me, is the most difficult to write and the most revealing to read. To borrow a metaphor from geometry, a first book is like … Read more
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Yuval Noah Harari, 2015 The best history book I’ve ever read. In his first of four sections, on the cognitive revolution, Harari traces humans past their success out-competing other hominid species. Whether deliberately or proximally (and likely both), we eliminated all our competitors. This revolution came about perhaps because … Read more
The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible, A. J. Jacobs “A friend of mine said that even observing the Sabbath might be breaking the Sabbath, since my job is to follow the Bible. That gave me a two-hour headache.” Almost certainly the best religious book … Read more
Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal, Mary Roach (2013) Mary Roach’s Gulp was everything I’d hoped for, and a wonderful book for me to read. To call it interesting would be a massive disservice – the content is rich in story, wild yet grounded facts, and prose colorful enough to stimulate any sense while reading. … Read more