“Some of my moments of deepest self-satisfaction have been brought on by the perfection of my parallel parking.”
— Rebecca Goldstein, The Mind-Body Problem
— Rebecca Goldstein, The Mind-Body Problem
Everybody Lies — Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
Google remembers every search anyone does. If you combine all that data in the right ways, you can come up with a lot of results, theories and conclusions. That’s what Seth Stephens-Davidowitz does in this book. The title comes from one … Continue reading
A Cabinet of Philosophical Curiosities — Roy Sorensen
Each day you must take an A pill and a B pill. After you tap an A pill into your palm you inadvertently tap two B pills into your hand. The A and B pills are indistinguishable. The pills are … Continue reading
This review is about books, logic, philosophy, puzzles, Roy Sorensen. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment
Elizabeth Smither — The Mathematics of Jane Austen
It was probably the title that enticed me to buy this collection of understated short stories. The title story is about a woman trying to write a thesis on the use of mathematical concepts in the writings of Jane Austen. … Continue reading
This review is about books, Elizabeth Smither, New Zealand, short stories. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment
Minna Needs Rehearsal Space — Dorthe Nors
This book is fun.This book is short.This whole book is a staccato list of sentences.Like these.It’s about a woman called Minna.Minna needs rehearsal space.Obviously.But she is stymied by her boyfriend.She is stymied by her sister.She is stymied by her friends.It’s … Continue reading
One Hundred Prisoners and a Light Bulb — van Ditmarsch & Kooi
You and two other logicians (Alice and Bob) are in a room. A controller comes in and paints a spot onto each of your foreheads. You can each see the others’ spots (Alice and Bob both have black spots) but … Continue reading
The Ring of the Nibelungen — P. Craig Russell; Rudolf Sabor
I’ve heard of comic operas, but here is a comic based on an opera. My children have some books illustrated by P. Craig Russell, so I was excited to find that he has produced a comic book adaptation of Richard … Continue reading
This review is about books, comics, music, opera, P. Craig Russell, Richard Wagner. Bookmark the permalink. 1 Comment
The Mind-Body Problem — Rebecca Goldstein
If you don’t already know a lot about the history of philosophy, you will by the time you’ve finished this book. If you do, then you’ll recognise a lot of it. Like Goldstein’s more recent 36 Arguments for the Existence … Continue reading
This review is about books, novels, philosophy, Rebecca Goldstein. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment
On What Matters — Derek Parfit
How should we live? And why does it matter? This book is just amazing. In its two massive volumes, Derek Parfit lays out a very detailed and very carefully argued ethical framework. It’s like a prodigiously sustained deep dive into … Continue reading
This review is about books, Derek Parfit, ethics, philosophy. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment
The Long Earth — Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter
Like a lot of great SF, this starts with just one single premise. What if we suddenly discovered an unlimited number of pristine Earths, and we could all travel between them at the flick of a switch? One day, a … Continue reading
This review is about books, novels, SF, Stephen Baxter, Terry Pratchett. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment