In 2013 I read a great many books, mostly fiction. This happens when I am underemployed and stressed. I read 66 works of fiction for the first time, some of those from favorite authors, others brand new to me.

I also read 6 works of non-fiction. Here are short reviews:

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Businessby Charles ( Read more... )

Here are before & after pictures of people who have completed a month long meditation retreat. Ah, to be at peace. Via artkourosI had heard the name Charles Dellschau, but didn't have much information to hang on that name. Now I do, & it's amazing stuff - can you imagine taking the time to draw, write, & stitch all these incredibly textured illustrations, ( Read more... )

I just discovered the journal Flavour today. No idea when I will have time to read it, but it looks fascinating.

"Flavour is a peer-reviewed, open access, online journal that publishes interdisciplinary articles on flavour, its generation and perception, and its influence on behaviour and nutrition. The journal publishes articles from all ( Read more... )

This article is a summary of recent research on earworms. Here's my summary of their summary ( Read more... )

"We usually think of over-indulgence in terms of a lack of willpower. I scoff the doughnut because I can't marshal the necessary self-control to resist it. A great deal of psychology research has pursued this particular line, demonstrating, for example, that willpower seems to be a finite resource. Expend it in one situation and you'll have less ( Read more... )

A conversation on tracking symptoms of physical health & how tricky that can be made me think of this quote. It's about mental health, but still connects for me.

My friend Meyer, the economist, says that cretins are the only humans who can be absolutely certain of their own sanity. All the rest of us go rocketing along rickety rails over spavined ( Read more... )

A small study on our perception of other people's positive & negative experiences starts out thusly...

"Have you ever had the feeling that everyone else seems so sorted, so at ease? You look about you and see friends chatting over lunch, people laughing on their mobiles, others escaping contentedly through novels or newspapers. According to ( Read more... )

( Read more... )

These studies were small but interesting, & the articles are short.

The first study shows that memory performance is boosted while walking. "The headline finding was that the working memory performance of both age groups improved when walking at their chosen speed compared with when sitting or walking at a fixed speed set by the researchers ( Read more... )

You definitely want to avoid an encounter with a banded krait. A single bite from this snake delivers enough venom to spell the end for a dozen people. Working like a chemical brake, the active toxin finds its way to your neurons, and snuffs out the signals that would otherwise animate your muscles. It’s bad stuff ( Read more... )