Books are explorable Universes and Authors are Gods!
The Wager – David Grann
The Lost City of Z – David Grann
Two books of incredible historical adventures by David Grann. The Wager depicts the 1741 shipwreck of a British ship in Patagonia. The voyage itself was excruciating, but the scurvy-laden, storm-throttled crossing was almost benign compared to the trauma that ensued when they landed on a rock in one of the most remote regions on earth. The Lost City of Z follows British Colonel Percy Fawcett in his obsessive search for civilization in the Amazon until his disappearance, along with his son and son’s friend, in 1925. Both accounts describe the incredible persistence, determination and endurance of the explorers in their desperate bid for survival.
Master and Commander – Patrick O’Brian
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet -David Mitchell
Inspired by The Wager and 18th Century nautical exploration, and at Merv’s recommendation, I read the 1969 novel about a H.M.S .Captain in 1800. It is fiction but it reads at times like a technical handbook of sailing a sloop with a motley crew. The Thousand Autumns, at Eric’s suggestion, is a brilliantly conveyed description of an 18th century Dutch trading outpost in Nagasaki, Japan, during a period of extreme isolationism, when the Dutch East India Company goes bankrupt and abandons its officers with no supply or means of return.
Stories of Your Life and Others -Ted Chiang
Exhalation: Stories – Ted Chiang
Two collections of short stories by the clever sci-fi master; exploring aspects of modern life through tweaks and discrepancies to our conventional standards and common sense. Entertaining and interesting, and eliciting expansive thought.
The Story of Contemporary Art – Tony Godfrey
A fantastic survey of artistic evolution since the early twentieth century. Themes and movements presented with a cohesive narrative incorporating a diverse and eclectic roster of artists working to express The Great Truth.
The Big Dig – WGBH
It’s not a book, but this podcast is phenomenally educational and informative on a topic that I was very aware of as a Bostonian in the early part of my life, and now realize how little I actually understood of the gargantuan project. For all its flaws and endless delays, it was an inspiring civic investment that transformed downtown Boston from decrepit and noisy elevated highway underpass into serene and peaceful parkland.
A Brief History of Intelligence – Max Bennett
I am currently reading this mind-blowing account of brain evolution, development and function, with a focus on its relationship and application to Artificial Intelligence; an incredible scientific synthesis of modern biological and technological knowledge and innovation. I am thinking differently about all of my actions and perceptions, knowing my pre-frontal cortex is running a simulation of everything; imagination is the same cerebral process as memory, attention and focus!