Books!
January has been quite quiet - after the brilliant insanity of December it's been pleasant to only have to focus on daytime activities. Plus, I've added a new activity to my calendar - and wanting to add another, although being defeated by logistics currently - so it's been good. That said, February and March are filling up fast, and I'm definitely looking forward to getting out, seeing lovely people, and bouncing around to bouncy music.
I've been using the time to catch up my reading. I've got a ton of books that I haven't read, and I got a few new ones for christmas too, so here's a bit of look-in at Things That Interest Me.
The True Story of the Bilderberg Group by Daniel Estulin - Stewart had bought this a little while ago, and read a lot of the main points to me, but I found it a very interesting read, and finally finished it just before christmas. Bits of it can be a bit self-congratulatory about the methods he used to get information, but all-in-all it's a shocking read.
Writing on Drugs by Sadie Plant - I picked this up in a little local bookshop ages ago, and had never got around to reading it until recently - my loss. It traces the written history of drug use, from the first opium users, the poets and writers. It talks about cocaine, and how Jekyll and Hyde was written, as well as it's influence on Freud - and tons more. It examines society's relationship with drugs throughout history, as well as looking with surprising detail at the US government's support of heroin production in Afghanistan, as well as the British Empire's role in getting millions of chinese people hooked on opium. Brilliantly honest and unbiased, she covers a spectacularly wide scope. Highly recommend to everyone.
The Dice Man - This book caught my eye as being interestingly subversive, and my mother dutifully picked it off my Amazon wishlist for christmas. I would probably say that, as a generalisation, it's probably written primarily for men. There's a lot of sex, which was fine for me (although on a couple of occasions I was starting to think "is this really necessary - can I have some plot now?") - but I think on average men would prefer it. However, in between the sexual escapades, there was a lot of very interesting psychological talk - and you can tell that the author clearly has some actual knowledge in this area, and is able to present it in a wonderfully witty and imaginative way.
DMT: The Spirit Molecule - This is another one that caught my eye during my random browsing of Amazon, and helpfully Stewart's parents bought this for me! I've only just started reading it, but so far it seems fascinating, (and very scientific).
The Self-Hypnosis Diet - Some of you may know (most of you probably don't) that I have a lot of problems with food. It's not an eating disorder, but it's probably closer to a phobia (or at the very least a completely irrational attitude) about certain types of food. I've been trying to sort this for years on my own without success, and recent events have reminded me that this isn't working, and it needs to change. So, here goes.
I've been using the time to catch up my reading. I've got a ton of books that I haven't read, and I got a few new ones for christmas too, so here's a bit of look-in at Things That Interest Me.
The True Story of the Bilderberg Group by Daniel Estulin - Stewart had bought this a little while ago, and read a lot of the main points to me, but I found it a very interesting read, and finally finished it just before christmas. Bits of it can be a bit self-congratulatory about the methods he used to get information, but all-in-all it's a shocking read.
Writing on Drugs by Sadie Plant - I picked this up in a little local bookshop ages ago, and had never got around to reading it until recently - my loss. It traces the written history of drug use, from the first opium users, the poets and writers. It talks about cocaine, and how Jekyll and Hyde was written, as well as it's influence on Freud - and tons more. It examines society's relationship with drugs throughout history, as well as looking with surprising detail at the US government's support of heroin production in Afghanistan, as well as the British Empire's role in getting millions of chinese people hooked on opium. Brilliantly honest and unbiased, she covers a spectacularly wide scope. Highly recommend to everyone.
The Dice Man - This book caught my eye as being interestingly subversive, and my mother dutifully picked it off my Amazon wishlist for christmas. I would probably say that, as a generalisation, it's probably written primarily for men. There's a lot of sex, which was fine for me (although on a couple of occasions I was starting to think "is this really necessary - can I have some plot now?") - but I think on average men would prefer it. However, in between the sexual escapades, there was a lot of very interesting psychological talk - and you can tell that the author clearly has some actual knowledge in this area, and is able to present it in a wonderfully witty and imaginative way.
DMT: The Spirit Molecule - This is another one that caught my eye during my random browsing of Amazon, and helpfully Stewart's parents bought this for me! I've only just started reading it, but so far it seems fascinating, (and very scientific).
The Self-Hypnosis Diet - Some of you may know (most of you probably don't) that I have a lot of problems with food. It's not an eating disorder, but it's probably closer to a phobia (or at the very least a completely irrational attitude) about certain types of food. I've been trying to sort this for years on my own without success, and recent events have reminded me that this isn't working, and it needs to change. So, here goes.