What I am reading: September 8, 2018

Peter Flom
Sep 8, 2018 · 3 min read
Stock image from Pexels

This is the second of what I hope to be a regular feature. I will list what I am reading and invite your comments and lists of what you are reading.

Finished this week

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This is a collection of short essays (2 to 5 pages). As with any such collection, I like some better than others — and if you read it, so will you. I would quibble with the subtitle — some of these ideas are quite well known — but I enjoyed the book. My full review.

Currently reading

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I am on page 183. Wilson is a brilliant scientist and an excellent writer. In this book, he discusses why certain species (especially human beings and some species of ants, termites and wasps) dominate their respective ecosystems. The key, per Wilson, is eusociality. That is, these species have group dwellings that are defended against enemies and stocked with food by multiple generations of interrelated individuals.

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I am on page 649. This is an excellent history of western philosophy. Kenny takes a somewhat unusual approach: Rather than a strictly chronological approach or a strictly subject oriented one, Kenny alternates. I think this works pretty well.

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I am on page 35. DeSalvo argues that most of us write far too quickly. She looks at the habits and routines of excellent writers and analyzes them for a general audience of writers.

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I am 2/3 through (I am reading this on Kindle and it doesn’t have page numbers). This is my favorite of the “Year’s best SF” collections. Sadly, it will be the last one edited by Gardner Dozois, as he died during 2018. As usual, this is a great collection.

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I am on p. 46. My therapist recommended meditation and I found this book which I really like because Harris has a nice sense of humor, doesn’t take himself too seriously and avoids the mystical aspects of some kinds of meditation, which I am not that interested in.

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The story of a battalion of African American soldiers in WW I — and after. An interesting study of race in the era and of a story I had not even heard of.

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An interesting and well written book on bridge, set up as a set of conversations between a student and an instructor.

Started this week

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I am on p. 90. Popular history at its best, this is a joint biography of four fascinating leaders in the early 16th century.

Peter Flom

Written by

Freelance statistician (www.statisticalanalysisconsulting.com). Learning disabled adult (www.IAmLearningDisabled.com). 2E. Father. Active on Quora. Liberal.

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