Reading, part 1...of many.
Reading, Part 1 of many.
Started December 17, 2017
Finished December 27, 2017
Years ago I was driving with a friend by the Fayetteville
Public Library and cynically remarked that it’s all the library’s fault that I
am where I am today. My mother took us
to the library on a regular basis. That
she did this was actually quite interesting as her eldest sister actually died
in a car/train accident in a Cincinnati Public Library bookmobile that
apparently stalled on an active train track.
My aunt (mother’s sister) is also an avid library supporter who wonders
why I buy books for myself rather than going to the library. Probably the reason I buy these books is that
either the library doesn’t have them or I am just a slow reader sometimes.
I am not an expert on reading, but there is no doubt that
various aspects of reading are good for one’s health and well-being. Most people who read a lot are quite
successful. Many studies have shown that
young kids do better in school with more exposure to reading. I have found that I feel empowered or maybe
accomplished when I discipline myself to read.
I sit and read emails and other items all day long, but going through
books is sometimes not so easy because I can be tired in the evening after
reading too many emails and manuscripts/papers.
Many years ago I started a year-long course, Education for Ministry, at the church that I
attend. I wasn’t really sure what my
ministry was except for giving undergraduate pre-med students a hard time and
having them freak out about whether they would get into med school with a B in
my course. The reading in this course
was pretty intense especially in the first year. The first year covers the entire Old
Testament. The textbook was
terrible. I honestly don’t know how I
squeezed in all the time needed to read the biblical scripture as well as the
textbook. It’s hard to read all of
Exodus in one week and the textbook while running a big research group. Anyway, I got through that and the New
Testament (this textbook
was FAR better). I took a year off
and dealt with the focus on the History of Christianity. The book used is long and detailed, Diarmaid
MacCulloch’s, Christianity, the first 3000 years. This book is more than 1000 pages long. It is a very interesting read, but you cannot
try to remember every detail that he puts into this book. Each chapter is 50-60 pages long and I did
not want to repeat the stress of reading all on the weekend like the previous
two years. So, I decided to read in
segments. It worked well and I have been
doing this for quite some time now.
I will try to write more about the books I read this year or
so, but here is the partially remembered list with a rough rating system.
I have had this sitting in my library for too long. It was a good read. It introduces many philosophers and gives
interesting stories of their lives.
Compares and contrasts different ideas.
I wanted to really like this book because it has incredible
reviews and he is a famous scientist. It
is no doubt information-filled and highly thorough. However, I found his writing to be incredibly
colloquial. Maybe he thinks he is
bonding with people by writing in such a colloquial manner. It turned me off. There is a lot of interesting information in
this long book and I think it is a useful one for any educator or health practitioner
to read as well as anyone concerned about the state of the human condition.
Jennifer A. Doudna and
Samuel H. Sternberg
M
I also wanted to like this book. I wanted to learn more about the new gene technique
CRISPR. But, this is not the book for
that except maybe to go through the comprehensive references. The author is the supposed inventor and she
lets you know too many times how good she is for this audience. I was really unhappy and surprised with the
items she wrote about some of her colleagues including the person who actually
got her to start researching CRISPR.
Apparently Dr. Doudna did not think it was originally worth her time to
meet over coffee with her agriculture colleague who first mentioned CRISPR to
her and started Doundna’s lab down the road to fame. I think there may be better books and/or resources
to use. The book does have some
interesting philosophical ideas to consider.
Others may have a different view than I do regarding this book.
This philosophical text received an outstanding review in
the Wall Street Journal. The author does
not waste a single word and the writing is outstanding. I am not sure it is life changing, but it is
an important book to read and I think any high school senior or college student
could handle its intellectual rigor and discussion. This philosopher is famous for his anti-naral
ideas. Basically he says human suffering
would end if no humans were ever born.
That’s an interesting idea, but not a single one of us has this choice…
it was made for us…intentionally or unintentionally. He also is like one of my high school
teachers who basically said we all have the right to commit suicide. That also may be true, but most people who
think about suicide in any capacity are really, if but for a fleeting moment,
not quite mentally healthy. They may
think it will solve a problem and it perhaps does - terminally. In any case, a worthy book to read and
discuss with young people, I think.
I picked this up a few years ago at Joseph Beth in
Cincinnati around Christmas time.
Figured that I would read it then, but that did not happen. Anyway, I plowed through this between
Thanksgiving and Finals week. It starts
off ridiculously slow, but gains traction toward the end. He brings in very interesting religious and
philosophical arguments at the end of the book.
Bottom line - we all decide if Santa really exists in our own way.
These are all I can remember. I am reading too many books at one time right
now. I started a few and then moved to
some other items. I will make a post
about the current books that I am reading soon.
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