For those who are new ... we discuss books. I list what I'm reading, and people comment with what they're reading. Sometimes, on Sundays, I post a special edition on a particular genre or topic.
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Just finished
Dodger by Terry Pratchett. This is very different from Discworld. It's set in early Victorian London. The protagonist is, indeed, loosely based on the Artful Dodger of Oliver Twist, but only loosely. He does live with an elderly Jew, but they live alone and the old man is a watchmaker, nothing much like Fagin.
Dodger is a "tosher" - that is, he hunts through the sewers of London, looking for coins or other valuables. He's also a thief (can he help it if people aren't careful with their stuff?) but then he defends a young woman who he sees getting beaten, and it turns out she is no ordinary young woman at all.
Delightful. With appearances by Charles Dickens, Robert Peel, and others, including a young Queen Victoria (who is amused).
full review
Now reading
Cooler Smarter: Practical tips for low carbon living by the scientists at Union of Concerned Scientists, a great group. These folk make sense, concentrating on the changes you can make that have the biggest impact with the least effort.
Thinking, fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman. Kahneman, most famous for his work with the late Amos Tversky, is one of the leading psychologists of the times. Here, he posits that our brains have two systems: A fast one and a slow one. Neither is better, but they are good at different things. This is a brilliant book: Full of insight and very well written, as well.
The secret life of pronouns by James W. Pennebaker. What our choice of pronouns and other "function words" says about our mood, our education, our personality and other things
Louis D. Brandeis: A life by Melvin Urofsky. Supreme Court Justice Brandeis was fundamental in shaping the modern state of the law and of law firms and played a key role in many reform movements as well. A fascinating man and a well written biography.
What hath God wrought? by Daniel Walker Howe. Subtitled "The transformation of America 1815-1848. I am reading this with the History group at GoodReads. This is very well written, and does a good job especially with coverage of the treatment of Blacks and Native Americans.
The hard SF renaissance ed. by David G. Hartwell. A large anthology of "hard" SF from the 90's and 00's. I think Hartwell takes himself a bit too seriously, but the stories are good.
Just started
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meachem. So far I've only read a few pages, but this is an extremely admiring look at Jefferson.