This is pretty interesting. I've never thought to keep track of what I've been reading on a yearly basis. I think I'll give it a shot:
Books Read So Far In 2009:
1. The Sun and the Moon: Hoaxers, Showmen, and Lunar Man-Bats in 19th-Century New York by Matthew GoodmanVery interesting narrative of the classic newspaper hoax claiming that a new type of powerful telescope had found life on the moon, including sheep, beaver people, and man-bats. A fascinating history, the narrative includes such famous figures as P.T. Barnum and Edgar Allan Poe. Apparently the hoax was very popular and believed by a lot of people. The Enquirer would have killed for the same response from it's similar stories.
2. True Enough by Farhad ManjooA very interesting analysis of how the public discussion of issues is often shaped by entities that are more interested in their own agendas than on providing people with the information they need to make informed decisions. I think Mr. Manjoo could have done a little better at delving into the reasons why people are able to be manipulated so easily and what can be done to help solve that problem. But it's a fairly good book, as far as it goes.
3. Saturn Returns: Astropolis Book 1 by Sean WilliamsA very interesting novel about the future of mankind and space exploration. New forms of human existence and civilizations and all that. No aliens or faster than light travel. There's a character who talks in nothing but Gary Newman lyrics. That was annoying. But over all it was a decent read.
4. A Mathematician Reads The Newspaper by John Allen PaulosAn interesting book. I had assumed that it would deal with specific newspaper articles that Mr. Paulos was critiquing. Instead it covered general overviews of certain stories and topics. Nevertheless, it was done well. My math skills were tested a tiny bit, but I feel the better off for it.
5. The Dark Side by Jane MayerA very engrossing book all about how the Bush administration managed to pervert the US system of government to give the President and VP more power than they should have so that they could torture and deny prisoners any sort of legal process. This is one book that will leave you angry and frustrated, but it's information that's important to know.
6. Bad Science by Ben GoldacreI was very interested to hear of the specific incidences of misuse of science occurring in the UK. I also very much enjoy Dr. Goldacre's attitude in handling the subject and his general outlook. He seems to be a very thoughtful and likable figure.
7. A Crack In The Edge Of The World by Simon Winchester This is a book about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the fires that followed, destroying most of the city. The book contains a lot of fascinating but sometimes difficult explanations of geography and plate tectonics. There is also a lot of analysis about historical and cultural context, and a narrative of the author's personal exploration of the fault line and geological hot spots in order to get a better understanding of it all. A very interesting read.
8. Irrationality by Stuart Sutherland This book explores the ways that humans make irrational decisions and provides tips for improving rationality. It's a treasure trove of knowledge about experiments performed to understand the human decision making process. There were a few times I felt that the examples used were not as adequate for the task as could be hoped, but overall the book covers some good ground with regards to critical thinking.
9. Charlatan by Pope BrockA must read for anybody interested in the history of medical quackery. It tells the story of "Doctor" John Brinkley, who in the early 20th century managed to get rich by convincing people that he had found the fountain of youth - all they needed to do was pay him a ton of money to implant goat testicles into their bodies. A fascinating look at the time and culture that spawned him and the fight to stop him and his kind.
10. Freedom For The Thought That We Hate by Anthony LewisA fascinating book about the history of freedom of expression and the first amendment in the US. The whole issue is often more convoluted than you would think, and this book provides some really good perspective on it all.
11. Founding Faith by Steven WaldmanA very interesting book regarding the American first amendment and how it relates to religious freedom. Steven Waldman insists that both sides in the culture wars over religious freedom tend to get it wrong, and that the intentions of the founding fathers were much more nuanced than people want to realize.
12. Fool by Christopher MooreIntrigue, romance, action, incest, deception, wild monkey sex, vulgarity, depravity and heinous fuckery most foul. All in a completely historically inaccurate medieval England. What more could you want?
13. Polaris by Jack McDevittReally enjoyable science Fiction mystery story. The crew of the starship Polaris disappears mysteriously. Sixty years later, strange things are happening that seem to be linked to the old ship. It's a page turner!
14. The Adventure Of English by Melvin BraggA fascinating history of the English language and about how it's evolved over time. Includes an interesting exploration of how words are borrowed from other languages and cultures and the effects of different dialects and grammar. Shows how foolish people can be when they try to pin down and fix the language in stone.
15. Uranium by Tom ZoellnerA very captivating history of the scientific, political, and social aspects of Uranium and atomic energy and warfare. Investigates the mineral from many different viewpoints. A great tool for understanding one of the forces that has shaped modern society.
16. The Lost Gospel Of Judas Iscariot by Bart EhrmanA fascinating look at the discovery and historical relevance of the recently discovered Gospel Of Judas. Features a good discussion of ancient gnostic philosophy and an in-depth look at the mythology surrounding the historical figure of Judas Iscariot.
17. Jesus Interrupted by Bart EhrmanAn in-depth discussion of the contradictions in the new testament. Also an argument for why we need to consider each of the authors of the books of the Bible in their own historical context and honestly consider what each of them were actually trying to say, rather than shoehorn them into a modern understanding of the Bible and what it means to us.
18. A Talent For War by Jack McDevittThe plot of this book actually comes before Polaris, which I read earlier (#13 on my list). Apparently he wrote this book in 1989, so it came out quite a while before Polaris (2004). I noticed that a lot of plot elements were eerily similar between the two books. A mystery involving a legendary ship, a side adventure involving a conspiracy group, a number of sabotages to overcome.... among others. Still, it was done well and I very much enjoyed it.
19. Lies And The Lying Liars Who Tell Them by Al FrankenThis is the first book I've read by Al Franken. I enjoyed it. It's partisan in places, but less so than I thought it might be. Mr. Franken seems to have put in an honest effort to make sure that he actually has his facts straight. So when he accuses people of being hypocritical or inconsistent with the truth, I find his analysis to be credible. A very good read.
20. Seeker by Jack McDevittThis is the third Alex Benedict novel. Just like the other two, I found it engrossing. It was similar to the last two, but broke away a bit from the formula. I noticed a few inconsistencies in the story. I think perhaps he changed his mind about a few small plot elements. In any case, it's a good read.
21. SHAM by Steve SalernoSteve Salerno takes on the Self Help Actualization Movement (SHAM). First half of the book contained solid information. Second half was full of a lot of unsupported theories about SHAM's impact on society. There was still some small amount of good information in the second half, though the author's willingness to use such flimsy reasoning bothered me. I've set up
another thread on the topic.22. The Truth (With Jokes) by Al FrankenInteresting book for picking apart more of the dirty dealings in Washington. I liked the part at the end where he makes unrealistically utopian predictions regarding the future... or, since he was writing this in 2005 and talking about the next Democratic president's first 100 days, the present. A bit of over-the-top liberal propaganda thrown in for good measure as well. He didn't stick his neck out and predict who the next president would actually be though. Too bad.
23. Rush Limbaugh Is A Big Fat Idiot And Other Observations by Al FrankenThat was a pretty short book. Not much to it. A few good criticisms of Rush Limbaugh's rhetoric. I felt a little uncomfortable about the fat jokes... but I understand that it's meant to be ironic humour. Those parts didn't tickle my funny bone, but I can see that it wasn't actually meant to be mean spirited.
24. Our Inner Ape by Frans de WaalA fascinating book on primatology and how primate behaviour has much to say about out own behaviour. Some people want to single out the chimpanzee or the bonobo as being key to understanding human behaviour. Frans de Waal takes the position that they're both important in understanding how we work, and that we should be focusing less narrowly on conflicts themselves and realize that conflict resolution and the related social dynamics are a fascinating and important area to study.
25. Coyote by Allen SteeleVery interesting book narrating the degenerated political situation on Earth a handful of decades into the future, and narrating a conspiracy to take over Earth's first colony ship headed to the planet Coyote. A pretty interesting tale. There were some aspects that I thought were silly from a scientific point of view early on. The book kind of pissed me off near the end though. I won't go into detail and give spoilers... but I'll just say that I want to give everybody involved in that trip near the end a smack upside the head! And what's with that ending? How the %$#%! did they pull that off???
26. Rat by Jerry LangtonThe book is subtitled "How the World's Most Notirious Rodent Clawed It's Way to the Top". It's an interesting book about, what else, rats. A lot of interesting facts about rats, things that you might not want to know if you're easily icked out by them. But it's fascinating stuff. For example, their skeleton is so malleable that a rat can fit through a hole the size of a quarter. If they can fit their head through, they'll have no problem getting the rest of their body through. The book also contains an in-depth exploration of how rats have evolved to live and thrive in the company of humans, and how we have a very complicated relationship with this creature.
27. Hoaxes, Myths, and Manias by B. Radford and R. BartholomewAn interesting look at some cultural phenomena that have been observed and recorded throughout human history up to the present day. The book claims to be about critical thinking, but I think that was just an excuse to bring together this collection of writing. The little quizzes at the end of each chapter were trying too hard to make the theme fit. Still, it's good to encourage people to look at these things with a critical eye.
28. Truth And Fiction In The DaVinci Code by Bart EhrmanNot a whole lot of new material here for Ehrman fans, but it's an interesting look at the history of Christianity as it relates to the claims made by Dan Brown's characters in The DaVinci Code. Recommended for anybody who's read the book and wondered if the claims that were made are actually backed up by historical research.
29. Where The Right Went Wrong by Pat BuchananThis book is basically a rant against neo-cons and how they've supplanted standard conservatism. I'm in agreement with Pat on several points, like how the US should be much more careful about sticking it's nose into everybody else's business. I don't agree with him on other points, and I'm not entirely convinced he's representing history well. For example, he says that America avoided the collapse of European countries by holding off entering both world wars for a while - but there were some key differences between America and European nations that played a great part in the collapse of empires after the wars. Also, I was a little mystified that he made the assertion that Christian values are what doomed Rome - that seems like a strange thing for a devout Christian to assert.
30. What Liberal Media by Eric AltermanThis book is basically an exploration of conservative bias that is present in the media. It's mostly an examination of cases of conservative bias as he sees them cropping up in the media. He denies that there's an overt liberal bias in the media, the existence of which I've always believed is over hyped. I think that this book tries to give the opposite impression though, that there's a conservative bias prevalent in the media. But that assumption's just as problematic as the assumption of a liberal bias. In any case, the book supplies a very interesting perspective on the discussion.
31. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. LoewenThis is a case for the inadequacy of American history textbooks. The title's a little bit of a misnomer, because the books mostly about the information and perspectives that the history textbooks leave out. There's very little information regarding any actual lies or mistakes. Also, it seems to me that the author focused overly much on social disparity in history, and not as much on other equally important and overlooked factors of history teaching. Still, the book raises some good and important points that should be considered.
32. Blunder: Why Smart People Make Bad Decisions by Zachary ShoreThis is one of those books that's hard to put down. It contains many examples of poor decision making throughout history, and the author analyzes a type of factor that he believes are behind these errors, what he calls "cognition traps". He's essentially categorized certain types of errors people make, and has even invented his own terms for them. The very interesting perspective provided by this analysis on historical and contemporary events is extremely thought provoking.
33. Common Sense by Glenn BeckGlenn Beck has some interesting things to say regarding how both the Democrats and Republicans want to increase government power over American lives. This book is at times insightful, and at other times nonsensical. He urges people to start a non-violent revolution where everybody can suddenly recognize and vote for politicians with integrity, but gives very little in the way of actionable suggestions for how this revolution will be accomplished. All the same, I'm glad there are people who make some sort of stand against the two party monopoly.
34. Do Gentlemen Really Prefer Blondes by Jena PincottThis is a book on the science of sexual attraction written from a female's perspective and obviously meant for a female audience. However, as a male I still found the book very interesting. It includes a lot of discussion of different aspects of sexual attraction and possible reasons why courtship happens the way it does. It's fascinating stuff.
35. The Prosecution Of George W. Bush For Murder by Vincent BugliosiVincent Bugliosi lays out his argument for a legal basis to prosecute former U.S. President Bush for murder. He argues that Bush knowingly lied to the American people in order to invade Iraq, and that this deception, under current law, qualifies as murder of all the soldiers who died in the war. He makes a logical case, though I still have some reservations. His arguments regarding this prosecution only took up maybe 1/4 of the book though, the rest was a big rant about how bad of a president Bush was, how much misery his war caused, and how today's popular culture has gone down the crapper.
36. The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman DoidgeA fascinating look at neuro plasticity, and how brain functions that were once thought to be hard-wired turn out to have a remarkable ability to change with the right techniques. I sometimes thought that the author was overstating the effects in certain areas, but there's no doubt that the ability to modify brain functions is one of the most remarkable discoveries of the past century.
37. Blink by Malcolm GladwellMalcolm Gladwell writes about "thin slicing", which turns out to be the ability to draw conclusions from a small amount of data. The key is that you have to know precisely which pieces of data are the most relevant to finding out what you want to know. Many experts on subjects develop an intuitive sense for thin slicing, though they may not be able to articulate what key pieces of data their minds are processing. This book is a captivating look at how the process of thin slicing can work well, as well as the ways it can lead people disastrously astray.
38. Mind Wide Open by Steven JohnsonA chronicle of one man's search to try and understand the inner workings of his brain. A fascinating look at brain waves, galvanized skin responses, brain scans, and all sorts of tests of mental functioning. There was also some exploration of brain dysfunctions, how they work and what can be learned from them. Very interesting.
39. FREE: The Future Of A Radical Price by Chris AndersonThis book explains why business models based on a price of $0.00 may actually make a lot of sense, especially in the digital world. Questions of value aren't as neatly congruous with monetary price as many people want to believe, and there are many ways to capitalize on essentially free products and services. In fact, given the nature of online content, "free" may be an inevitability that everybody's going to have to deal with. Chris Anderson presents a fascinating look at the price that's changing the world.
40. Fads & Fallacies In The Name Of Science by Martin GardnerA classic book on pseudo-science from the 50's. Packed full of descriptions of cults and crackpots, it's a fascinating look at the state of pseudo-science from about half a century ago. I particularly enjoyed the description of the advent of Dianetics and Scientology, which I've been curious about. A very interesting read.
41. The Long Tail by Chris AndersonThis is a book about how the Internet does more than just allow a new venue for selling goods to the public. The very nature of computers and their ability to store and organize vast amounts of data and manage that data over the Internet is actually a game changer economically. It makes business models based on previously untenable levels of popularity completely viable, and is changing the relationship between the popular hits and the small niche markets. Very relevant for understanding how the Internet is changing the shape of business.
42. Practical Demonkeeping by Christopher MooreA demon, a djinn, and a 92-year-old immortal guy walk into a town. It's a fun and whimsical supernatural tale, with all the interesting and wacky characters you'd expect from a Christopher Moore novel.
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