What should you be reading this summer—and how should you be reading it? We’re often told that fiction offers us entertainment, moral examples, and lessons about life. But are we getting too quick to dismiss complicated fiction—the kind that doesn’t have straightforward heroes and happy endings? Josh and Ken talk to writers and philosophers about reading and misreading for your summer pleasure.
Books discussed on the air
Jennifer Ackerman,The Genius ofBirds |
David Abram,The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human World |
 George R.R. Martin,A Game of Thrones / A Clash of Kings / A Storm of Swords / A Feast of Crows / A Dance with Dragons |
Robin Wall Kimmerer,Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants |
Margaret Mitchell,Gone With the Wind |
Jenny Odell,How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy |
Thomas G. Pavel,The Lives of the Novel: A History |
Cynthia Voigt,Homecoming (The Tillerman Cycle) |
 Maryanne Wolf,Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain |
Comments(5)
Tim Smith
Saturday, June 29, 2019 -- 11:18 AM
Here are two for the summerHere are two for the summer reading shelf...
Beyond Concepts - by Ruth Garrett Millikan - Concepts are fundamental to philosophy. Millikan looks under the hood, suggest some new terms, looks at natural information... I really enjoyed this book ... but it might take more than a summer for an untrained reader to finish. It took me over a year.... paperback soon but e-book out for under $20.
Consider Phlebas - by Iain M. Banks - readily available in the cheap used format. With an Amazon studios TV series in the works, it is time to lock down your mental imagery of this Science Fiction classic. This is the first of the Culture series that attacks AI and humanity. This book might be a poster child for genre misread, complicated fiction and really great summer reading.
Todd
Thursday, July 4, 2019 -- 7:09 AM
1. All Art is Propaganda:1. All Art is Propaganda: Critical Essays of George Orwell
Although I am familiar with Orwell's 1984, Animal Farm, "Politics and the English Language", I have never read his less popularized works. This compilation by George Packer is an excellent place to start. I never realized how broad Orwell's (Blair's) essays reach. From Dickins to Gandhi, he covers quite a bit of territory in this abridged anthology. He is very much the "public intellectual" and displays an amazing ability to write well through his clarity of arguments and wit.
2. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
A friend recommended this novel in the spring, and I hope to finish it before school begins in the fall. It is rather long at just under 1000 pages but sustains a level of intensity common for shorter works. Briefly, it is a love story that transcends parallel universes, an insight into the nature of solitude, cult fanaticism, novel writing, rape, assassination, and family devotion. A marvelous weave of masterful subplots worth diving into and disappearing for a couple of hours a day. It is my summer camp for the mind.
Tim Smith
Wednesday, October 30, 2019 -- 12:31 AM
Todd, I read 1Q84 on yourTodd, I read 1Q84 on your recommendation. Thanks for pointing this out. It was a good read if a long one. I'm not sure about the sexual politic here or the cultural import. I will say this was my first Murakami and not my last. Thanks again. Best
Harold G. Neuman
Monday, July 8, 2019 -- 9:03 AM
I read a little book a few几年前我读过一本小书。它讨论了作者所称的本质主义，即找出什么对一个人的生活和日常事务是重要的，什么是不重要的。我不记得这位年轻作家的名字了，但我敢肯定，人们可以通过谷歌的奇迹找到他。这本书确实帮助我决定了一些(我认为)与我的生活无关的事情。这些事情比我们最初认识到的更为重要。为什么?因为有很多垃圾在争夺我们的注意力——越来越多的垃圾。实用主义的发现巩固了我对这一切的看法。毕竟，本质主义是一种关于有用与不那么有用的陈述。Check out this book, if you are tired of clutter
Harold G. Neuman
Friday, August 30, 2019 -- 11:26 AM
In keeping with a desire toIn keeping with a desire to absorb as much as I am able on philosophy, I plan to review some of Wilfrid Sellars work. Among those will be EMPIRICISM AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF MIND. Have read some others' comments on Sellars, many complimentary, and felt I should see for myself.