Reading

Titles in bold-italics are the ones I recommend.

My library:

2009

Goal: Read 10,000 pages of science, economics, health, history, or policy books.

  1. Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection – John T. Cacioppo, William Patrick – 11-JAN-2009 – 124 pp (started before Jan 1st, so count after) – Related book web site and blog, book Twitter
  2. The Long Tail, Revised and Updated Edition: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More – Chris Anderson – 26-JAN-2009 – 254pp (378 total) – Related book web site, TED talk
  3. Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less – Barry Schwartz – 31-JAN-2009 – est 236pp (614 total) – Related TED “Paradox of choice” talk, TED “The real crisis? We stopped being wise” talk
  4. The World Without Us – Alan Weisman – 19-FEB-2009 – est 369pp (983 total) – Related book web site
  5. Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy and the New Science of Desire – Martin Lindstrom – 01-MAR-2009 – 297pp (1280 total) – Related book web site
  6. The Trojan War: A New History – Barry Strauss – 02-MAR-2009 – est 288pp (1568 total) – Related author site, blog
  7. Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution–and How It Can Renew America – Thomas L. Friedman – 09-MAR-2009 – est 421pp (1989 total) – Related author site, author’s New York Time articles feed, first chapter
  8. The Pluto Files: The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet – Neil deGrasse Tyson – 09-MAR-2009 – 216pp (2205 total) – Related podcast with Dr. Moira Gunn
  9. Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness -Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein – Done – 271pp (2476 total) – Related book web site, blog,
  10. Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries – Neil deGrasse Tyson – Done – 306 pp (2882 total) – Related video about book
  11. Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 – Steve Coll – Done – 721 pp (3603 total) – Related NPR: All Things Considered, New Yorker Update
  12. Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School - John Medina – Done – 312pp (3915 total) – Related the Rules, author speaking engagements, blog
  13. Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates – Cordingly, David – 2009-05-10 – 244pp (4159 total) – Related review, review
  14. FDR – Jean Edward Smith – 2009-05-30 – est 636pp (4795 total) – Related __
  15. Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body – Shubin, Neil – 2009-05-30 – 205 pp (5000 total) – Related Quirks and Quarks interview, Tiktaalik music video, Colbert Report 2008-Jan-14 interview,
  16. The Logic of Life – Tim Harford – 2009-05-30 – 217 pp (5217 total) – Related __
  17. The Omnivore’s Dilemma – Michael Pollan – IN PROGRESS – est pp (__ total) – Related __
  18. Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe’s Hidden Dimensions – Lisa Randall – IN PROGRESS – est pp (__ total) – Related __
  19. Title – Author – IN PROGRESS – est pp (__ total) – Related __

2008

Goal to read 25 books.

  1. How Doctors Think – Jerome Groopman – 04-JAN-2008 – A look at how doctors make mistakes. Patients should take on a more participatory role by asking the right questions and challenging doctors to be more confidence. Finished Jan 2008
  2. What is Intelligence?: Beyond the Flynn Effect – Dr. James R. Flynn – 17-JAN-2008 – Does IQ measure what it purports to measure? Flynn attempts to account for the increases of these scores increasing such that adults from generations ago would appear mentally challenged on today’s tests. Finished Jan 2008
  3. The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs – Madeleine Albright – 09-FEB-2008 – Former Secretary of State Albright discusses why appreciation of religion will solve many of challenges of the United States.
  4. Doc Holliday – Gary L. Roberts – 11-FEB-2008 – A biography about the gentleman rogue. Turns out the most evil man of the west was the victim of embellishments.
  5. Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae – Steven Pressfield – 25-FEB-2008 – Herodotus’s Histories didn’t feel compelling, but it did provide context. Frank Miller’s 300 visually captured the excitement and energy we ought to feel and usually missing. Its only weakness, I thought, was context. Gates of Fire finds a great middle ground by providing both context and energy.
  6. Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time – Dava Sobel – 05-MAR-2008 – I’ve been to Greenwich and seen the clocks, so it was good to better understand the importance.
  7. A Whole New Mind: Moving from the Information Age to the Conceptual Age – Daniel H. Pink – 06-MAR-2008 – How to tap into the resources for the right side of the brain in business.
  8. Einstein and Religion: Physics and Theology - Max Jammer – 07-MAR-2008 – Okay.
  9. On Education – Krishnamurti – 18-APR-2008 – Difficult to read as philosophically very different from what I believe.
  10. The Persian Puzzle: The Conflict Between Iran and America – Kenneth Pollack – Done – Helped me understand the difficulties and appreciate Pollack’s prescription for solving this.
  11. The Edison Gene: ADHD and the Gift of the Hunter Child – Thom Hartmann and Lucy Jo Palladino – Done -
  12. The Subtle Knife – Philip Pullman – Done – Possibly even better than The Golden Compass.
  13. The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature – Matthew Ridley – Done – About the Red Queen hypothesis where organisms are locked in evolutionary arms races against its parasites, other members of its species, and other species.
  14. The Amber Sypglass - Philip Pullman – 03-JUL-2008 – Conclusion of The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife.
  15. The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design – Richard Dawkins – 06-JUL-2008 – An atheist defense for why evolution does not need God. The design of life is too haphazard to have been by a gifted designer.
  16. Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious – Gerd Gigerenzer – 19-JUL-2008 – Started off pretty well.
  17. His Excellency: George Washington – Joseph J. Ellis – 02-AUG-2008 – George didn’t want to go to war. He had to in order to make a living. Riiiight.
  18. Revolutionary Characters: What Made the Founders Different - Gordon S. W.ood – 17-AUG-2008
  19. State of Fear – Michael Crichton – 17-AUG-2008 – Global warming is a ruse perpetrated by scientific bias upon do-gooder Americans to flush their money down the drain on nothing.
  20. Marriage Beyond Black and White: An Interracial Family Portrait - David Douglas and Barbara Douglas – 24-AUG-2008 -
  21. The Thousand Orcs – R.A. Salvatore – Worst book in the Forgotten Realms or Salvatore I have read. Same struggles, new series, no depth, no surprises. Yet I continued on to book 2?
  22. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong – James W. Loewen – 10-SEP-2008 -
  23. Snowball Earth: The Story of the Great Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know It – Gabrielle Walker – 28-SEP-2008 -
  24. The Lone Drow – R.A. Salvatore – 14-OCT-2008 -
  25. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World – Jack Weatherford – 17-OCT-2008 -
  26. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking – Malcolm Gladwell – 30-OCT-2008 – We tend to quickly assess the data around us. This is called thin-slicing. We run into trouble when we stop using this ability, such as in cases of extreme stress. (my Goodreads review)
  27. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference – Malcolm Gladwell – 05-NOV-2008 – We are social creatures, so new ideas spread from person to person like viral epidemics. Connectors have a large number of acquaintances (barely know). Mavens are always on the lookout for more efficient ways to accomplish things. Salesmen convince people of new ways to do things. Is this how viral marketing got started?
  28. The Art of Strategy: A Game Theorist’s Guide to Success in Business and Life – Avinash K. Dixit and Barry J. Nalebuff – done
  29. Into a Dark Realm – Raymond E. Feist – done
  30. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? – Phillip K. Dick – done
  31. Across the Nightingale Floor – done
  32. Grass for His Pillow – done
    In Progress

  1. The Once and Future King – T.H. White – 15% done -
  2. Wrath of a Mad God – Raymond E. Feist – 50% done -
  3. Loneliness – 30% done

GIVEN UP

  1. A People’s History of the United States: 1492 to Present – Howard Zinn -10% done -
  2. Conscious Courtship – Raymond Switzer – in progress 20% – Based on psychoanalysis and Baha’i writings. Not a fan of psychoanalysis.
  3. The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature – Steven Pinker – in progress 5% done – Thinking of putting this one down. Too convoluted.
  4. The Aeneid – Virgil – in progress 5% done – Too interested in other books.
  5. The GenoType Diet – Dr. Peter D’Adamo – Done – Smoothly written and easy to follow. Should be done soon. Just read the parts about calculating the type and description of my type.
  6. Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory and the Search for Unity in Physical Law for Unity in Physical Law – Peter Woit – 5% done – Very, very dry. I found it difficult to get into it.

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