Books. Such Lovely Things.
My latest reads:
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
While I think I would not have liked being raised under such a regime, there's no denying the system works. It takes incredible dedication on both the parts of the mother and the child, and there is much to be learned from having the capacity to maintain such consistency over time like that. I wish I could apply some of that to my own life even now!!
The Wonderful Future That Never Was: Flying Cars, Mail Delivery by Parachute, and Other Predictions from the Past by The Editors of Popular Mechanics
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is definitely a fun coffee table type book. The ideas inventors and scientists had over 50 years ago and more is proof we are indeed a race of optimists and dreamers. If only we had space cars by now!!
Mathematics 1001: Absolutely Everything That Matters About Mathematics in 1001 Bite-Sized Explanations by Dr. Richard Elwes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
To say I've completely "read" is it not exactly true. I still hope to purchase my own copy and really sit down and work through the book cover to cover... all zillion pages of it!
The only downside to this book is a lack of hands-on practice available to actually work-as-you-learn, but that is not something the author intended to add. Just something I would have liked to see. An accompanying workbook would be a great addition!!
And while I read this book quite a while ago, I didn't have this journal to post about it then. I think it's probably due for a re-read anyway...
The Gates of Janus by Ian Brady
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
While I know my appreciation for this book is not something the average person would understand, I found this amazingly insightful. Regardless of how you feel about Brady, or the idea of serial killers in general, there is no doubt this work exposes some dark thoughts and ideas that while we might like to pretend don't exist, are worth pondering. I've always believed that anyone is capable of anything given the right circumstances, and this book raises the question of easily the right circumstances can come about.
An extremely insightful view into the human - not just "criminal" - mind.
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
While I think I would not have liked being raised under such a regime, there's no denying the system works. It takes incredible dedication on both the parts of the mother and the child, and there is much to be learned from having the capacity to maintain such consistency over time like that. I wish I could apply some of that to my own life even now!!
The Wonderful Future That Never Was: Flying Cars, Mail Delivery by Parachute, and Other Predictions from the Past by The Editors of Popular Mechanics
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is definitely a fun coffee table type book. The ideas inventors and scientists had over 50 years ago and more is proof we are indeed a race of optimists and dreamers. If only we had space cars by now!!
Mathematics 1001: Absolutely Everything That Matters About Mathematics in 1001 Bite-Sized Explanations by Dr. Richard Elwes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
To say I've completely "read" is it not exactly true. I still hope to purchase my own copy and really sit down and work through the book cover to cover... all zillion pages of it!
The only downside to this book is a lack of hands-on practice available to actually work-as-you-learn, but that is not something the author intended to add. Just something I would have liked to see. An accompanying workbook would be a great addition!!
And while I read this book quite a while ago, I didn't have this journal to post about it then. I think it's probably due for a re-read anyway...
The Gates of Janus by Ian Brady
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
While I know my appreciation for this book is not something the average person would understand, I found this amazingly insightful. Regardless of how you feel about Brady, or the idea of serial killers in general, there is no doubt this work exposes some dark thoughts and ideas that while we might like to pretend don't exist, are worth pondering. I've always believed that anyone is capable of anything given the right circumstances, and this book raises the question of easily the right circumstances can come about.
An extremely insightful view into the human - not just "criminal" - mind.