I believe this week is the first of spring. With that, a few thoughts on some books I'm enjoying:
Whistling Vivaldi, by Steele. A fascinating look at the effect of stereotypes and how to stop the unhealthy side. By an African-American academic who discovered that if he whistled classical music while walking through white parts of USA, he wasn't viewed as a threat. Has many insights for people doing cross-cultural work inside and outside USA.
Greatest Sailing Stories Ever Told, by Caswell. Twenty-seven incredible pieces on sailing including humor pieces, journal entries, and essays. When it is too cold to go sailing, these keep me warm with inspiration.
Book of Man, by Bennett. Although the editor is highly conservative politically, this collection of short stories, poems, and readings for boys are interesting and helpful. Centered around themes like work or leisure, these give me material for bedtime stories with my young boys.
Celebration of Discipline, by Foster. A good collection of thoughts by Quaker writer on spiritual habits that can deepen and focus your life (i.e. meditation, prayer). Reading this on my Kindle.
On the list of what-I’ll-read-next-if-I-get-the-time:
- A new book by Pulitzer Prize-winner Katherine Boo about life in the slums of Mumbai: Beyond the Beautiful Forevers. Looks a little depressing but very realistic and balanced. Great review by WSJ India here.
- A book on raising kids: Boundaries for Kids by Cloud and Townsend.
- Three books on overconfidence: The Logic of Failure by Dorner, Thinking Fast and Slow by Kahneman, and Everything is Obvious Once You Know the Answer by Watts.
No comments:
Post a Comment