Category Archives: Books
Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes
I’ve been a fan of Sherlock Holmes since I was a teenager. I’ve always admired the great detective’s ability to solve crimes with a combination of keen observation, deductive reasoning and imagination. I also envied his ability to discern someone’s … Continue reading
Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in a Quaint English Village
If you’ve ever read or watched any of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple stories, or seen the Midsomer Murders TV series, or even some of the episodes of Inspectors Morse or Lewis, then you’ll know that picturesque English villages are actually … Continue reading
Escape from Model Land
Have you ever noticed that when you buy something online they show you a bunch of other stuff under a heading like “you might also enjoy?” Obviously, the retailer is trying to get you to spend more money on their … Continue reading
Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid
We know that climate change is having a devastating impact on our planet: rising sea levels, more intense forest fires, more frequent and more powerful storms. We also know that many plant and animal species are going extinct or suffering … Continue reading
Mozart’s Starling
On the 27th of May 1784, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wandered into a Vienna pet shop not far from his home and heard a starling singing a near-perfect imitation of a theme from his Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major … Continue reading
Life Is Hard
Life is Hard is about living well in the face of hardship and suffering.
Part personal essay, part history of philosophy and part philosophical reasoning, it’s essentially an examination of Pandora’s Box with chapters on sickness, grief, loneliness, failure and other ills, and a final chapter on hope. Continue reading
Younger Next Year
The authors of Younger Next Year boldly claim you can turn back your biological clock. By following their suggestions, a person in their sixties or seventies can be fitter and healthier than they were in their fifties. The book is … Continue reading
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating
While bedridden and convalescing from a long and mysterious illness, author Elisabeth Tova Bailey adopts a snail. A visiting friend brings her some potted violets and, living among them, a common forest snail. Bailey is barely able to sit up … Continue reading
The Disordered Cosmos
From a very young age, Chanda Prescod-Weinstein knew she wanted to be a scientist. By sixth grade, she’s reading about things called quarks that make up everything we can see in the universe. At 13, her mother drives her away … Continue reading
Four Thousand Weeks
On the cusp of a new year, it’s natural to reflect on our lives, to take stock of the things we’ve accomplished and the dreams we have yet to fulfill. Are we living our life the way we really want … Continue reading
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