Books

[stormkeeper_lovedoris]

Sorry that my ratings are again pretty uniform....

100 Things We’ve Lost to the Internet by Pamela Paul – This is exactly what the title says and it is awesome. And a quick read that you can do in a few days. Along with each item that we lost is a page or two about it. Not all are things we’re sad to see go, such as boredom and the rolodex. Also, I don’t agree with Paul’s entire list; I still have plenty of solitude when I want it and I am as productive as ever. But there are some real losses in here that Paul lays out well: private humiliation (seems all humiliation is public now), magazines (RIP Bitch and Utne and Ms when it was good and more like a ‘magazine-book’ instead of a flimsy shadow of itself), asking politely, and a lot more. Grade: 8

 

Good Power by Ginni Rometty -  The author was the CEO of IBM. She had an incredible journey. Grew up poor after her dad walked out on the family, loved to learn, excelled at school, got a scholarship from GM, always worked hard and learned a lot. After sharing her own story, Rometty talks about how business can improve both for business’ sake and to improve the world. I enjoyed it a lot. Grade: 7

 

What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad – I began this novel with the idea that it told a relatively simple story: a boy flees an unnamed Middle Eastern country (perhaps Syria) and washes ashore on an unnamed (Greek?) island where he must evade the authorities with the help of his new friend. Then came the ending. It stunned. At first I thought it was a plot twist. Then I googled and saw that it left lots of people scratching their heads. Then I understood that something much deeper had gone down and that this is much more than a simple tale. And yeah, it’s much more literary and more ‘deep’ – but accessible – than my usual fare. Grade: 8

 

The Impossible Will Take A Little While edited by Paul Rogat Loeb – Published 20 years ago, this is a series of essays about hope during dark times. I read it, sadly reflecting that things like climate crisis and erosion of democracy have only gotten worse since. And the book is not a fluff piece; it doesn’t give any trite reasons for optimism. There were many nuggets of wisdom in here which made the book a good read – and it stands the test of time. Grade: 7

 

Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty – I think any book that helps make Buddhism accessible and do-able in the modern world is a good thing. Jay Shetty – a former monk – accomplishes that here. There are a lot of solid ideas to try, subtle ways to change your mindset. Definitely one of the better books I’ve read on “training your mind for peace and purpose every day” (as the book’s subtitle says). Grade: 8