Slouching Towards Bethlehem — Joan Didion
This classic book of essays is divided into three parts. The first part covers California in the 1960s. This makes the sixties seem just as crazy as their reputation — Didion lived through some turbulent times back then so I’m … Continue reading
Consciousness: A Very Short Introduction — Susan Blackmore
This is a nice pocket-sized guide to consciousness. Actually it’s a guide to the problem of consciousness, since there is no consensus on what consciousness is or even exactly what the word means. Blackmore is even-handed regarding the various competing … Continue reading
Towns and cities need social spaces….
Happy Tau Day. Yes, pi is STILL wrong….
Demian — Hermann Hesse
Demian is very mysterious and alluring. This book is about him and his influence on the narrator — they first meet when they are both schoolboys. Demian then turns up repeatedly as the years go by, gradually taking the narrator … Continue reading
Blink — Malcolm Gladwell
Snap judgements are surprisingly accurate. Even the ones we make without knowing how. Even the ones we make when we don’t even know we are doing it: “I just had a bad feeling about him, I can’t explain it”. This … Continue reading
Zeustian Logic — Sabrina Malcolm
This story is more fun than you would think, given that it is about a teenage boy coming to terms with his father’s death. Astronomy and mythology are two of Tuttle’s boyish hobbies; they run like threads through the stories … Continue reading
Auckland Writers Festival 2018
I love the Auckland Writers Festival. Every year I attend a few events, miss lots of good ones, and I always say that next year I will be better organised and see more. This year I took a day off … Continue reading
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea — Jules Verne
It’s good to finally read this famous book, starring the famous Captain Nemo and his famous ship the Nautilus, and discover that its fame is well-deserved: it’s a page-turning adventure story with drama, intrigue and nifty gadgets. The narrator, a … Continue reading
A reading dinner tonight… and now our…
#booknight2018 #readnz