Category Archives: Books
The Worlds I See
Dr. Fei-Fei Li may not be a household name, but for over twenty years she’s been a driving force behind the advancement of artificial intelligence, particularly computer vision and deep learning. Her book, The Worlds I See, is both a personal memoir and a history of AI. Continue reading
What An Owl Knows
People have mixed feelings about owls. They’re silent nocturnal hunters with haunting cries. They appear in our stories, myths and even cave paintings. In this book, Jennifer Ackerman surveys the latest research about owls, the scientists who study them, and the ways we humans relate to them. Continue reading
Democracy in a Hotter Time
Democracy in a Hotter Time is a collection of essays about the relationship between climate change and democracy. The contributors do a good job diagnosing democracy’s problems dealing with the “long emergency” of climate change, but few propose practical solutions. I was disappointed by this book. Continue reading
Not the End of the World
Not the End of the World is a powerful antidote to climate doom-ism. Hannah Ritchie shows how our situation today, awful as it is, is still far better than the past. And she points to solutions that could make the future even better. Continue reading
The Rights of Nature
In 2017, New Zealand’s Parliament passed a law granting legal personhood to the Whanganui River. Granting legal rights and personhood to nature might seem crazy at first. But David Boyd explains in this book that extending rights to non-humans isn’t so strange after all, and could help save the planet. Continue reading
The Creative Act: A Way of Being
The Creative Act is an unconventional book, a collection of short reflections gleaned from Rick Rubin’s career as a nine-time GRAMMY award-winning music producer.
It offers insight into being an artist/creator and inspiration to do artistic, creative work. The key is being open to the creative energy of the Universe. Continue reading
2023 Reading Wrap-Up
Here’s a quick recap of the books I read in 2023. I read 27 books last year. That’s consistent with my pace for the past couple of years. I’m impressed by the truly prodigious tallies racked up by other readers … Continue reading
Unwinding Anxiety
Judson Brewer says anxiety is a habit, a learned behavior. In Unwinding Anxiety he presents a helpful framework for dealing with anxiety centered on hacking your brain’s reward system to reduce or eliminate it. Continue reading
Five Times Faster
We’re not on track to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2050. While there has been some progress, it hasn’t been nearly fast enough. In the last two decades, the amount … Continue reading
Nonfiction November 2023 Week 5: New To My TBR
It’s time to wrap up Nonfiction November for another year. Lisa @ Hopewell’s Public Library of Life is hosting. “It’s been a month full of amazing nonfiction books! Which ones have made it onto your TBR? Be sure to link back … Continue reading
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