It's Easier Than You Think: The Buddhist Way to Happiness
This book, published in 1995, is probably the first book about Buddhism that I read.
The Toa of Elvis
The Tao of Elvis is organized into 42 chapters, one for each year in the life of Elvis Presley. Each chapter has some interesting information about the King of Rock and Roll and quotes from his acquaintances. Each chapter has quotes from Lao Tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher, Deng Ming-Dao, a modern Chinese American author, and others.
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
Intuitively, it seems to me that Eckhart Tolle has more than a little wisdom. I think that what he says about ego is well worth considering. But he has not become someone I look to as a spiritual teacher.
How to Think About War and Peace
This remarkable book was written in 1943 and published in 1944, obviously a significant time for the topic. At midlife, I discovered a love for philosophy and began browsing that section in local book stores. How to Think About War and Peace was republished in 1995 concurrent with the 50th anniversary of the United Nations. I bought the 1996 paperback second printing edition which I brought with me to Mexico.
Why Free Will Is Real
Christian List approaches the subject of free will from the perspective of an external observer investigating what it means for a human being to have free will. He acknowledges that his subject is much to big for any single book to give a comprehensive account of free will. List also indicates that his book addresses only attacks on the reality of free will which come from the scientific community.
For The Thinking Sapiens: Short Takes On Life
Peter Lawrence seems to me to be both wise and street smart. At $2.99 his book is a bargain. And although it is a short book, it is longer than my book of wisdom would be.
The Moves That Matter - A Chess Grandmaster on the Games of Life
Last year, 2019, my views on the state of the world changed significantly. I became aware of several thinkers, one of whom was Jonathan Rowson. He is a co-founder of Perspectiva which uses the tag line “The next paradigm.” I began spending some time on the Perspectiva website. I soon learned that Rowson published a book late in 2019 entitled The Moves That Matter - A Chess Grandmaster on the Game of Life.
What the Hell?! An Unexpected Story of Amazing Grace…
What the Hell?! An Unexpected Story of Amazing Grace… by Henk Wilms will appeal to those few Christians who are interested in deep Bible study. But this book could also be of interest to a much wider audience because it could be transformational on a grand scale. Its appeal to me is primarily at a personal level as well as aligning with my desire for civil dialogue.
The Island of Knowledge: The Limits of Science and the Search for Meaning
Marcelo Gleiser summarizes his book as follows: Because much of Nature remains hidden from us, our view of the world is based only on the fraction of reality that we can measure and analyze… But as I will argue in this book, other parts will remain hidden, unknowables that are unavoidable, even if what is unknowable in one age may not be in the next one. We strive toward knowledge, always more knowledge, but must understand that we are, and will remain, surrounded by mystery.
Santander: Rambling on Borrowed Time
Ellison describes his book in the Preface.
What follows is a loosely organized chronicle of other such rambles, the memories and musings I’ve gleaned from a half-century of rambling about life, schools, and the world. I wrote most of them piecemeal over eighteen years for The Argus and The Daily Review (Bay Area News Group).
Dutch Girl: Audrey Hepburn and World War II
On October 31, 2019 I visited my mother on her 100th birthday. My mother loves to read and I have shared her love of books since I was a teenager. I noticed the book she was reading, Dutch Girl - Audrey Hepburn and World War II by Robert Matzen.
Knowing the Deepest Happiness: A Beginner's Guide to Mindfulness and a Workbook to Create Daily Rich-U-Alls for Optimal Well-Being!
By combining the teachings of ancient Eastern philosophy with the science of modern-day positive psychology, this book outlines ten principles, each having a chapter of its own. Each chapter encapsulates the essence of one of these principles. The first four principles come from the philosophy of Buddhism and are often used as a prayer or mantra for loving kindness meditation. The remaining six principles come from the foundations of positive psychology.
THE DEEP PHILOSOPHY GROUP - History, Theory, Techniques
I do not remember how I came upon THE DEEP PHILOSOPHY GROUP - History, Theory, Techniques but it deeply resonated. Beow, I have captured a few of the ideas in the book. I would like to apply these concepts to an ongoing study of Collective Presencing.
Recapture the Rapture: Rethinking God, Sex, and Death in a World That's Lost Its Mind
Only once before have I bought a book before its publication date. On April 26, 2021 Recapture the Rapture: Rethinking God, Sex, and Death in a World That's Lost Its Mind by Jamie Wheal arrived and I immediately started reading it. It lived up to my high expectations.
The Physics of Climate Change
When I noticed that Lawrence Krauss had published a book about climate science, I immediately bought it. Krauss is a theoretical physicist, a public intellectual and an activist who I highly respect. Over the years I have read several articles he has written.
Unsettled WHAT CLIMATE SCIENCE TELLS US, WHAT IT DOESN’T, AND WHY IT MATTERS
I noticed Unsettled WHAT CLIMATE SCIENCE TELLS US, WHAT IT DOESN’T, AND WHY IT MATTERS by Steven E. Koonin soon after I finished reading The Physics of Climate Change by Lawrence Krauss. I am often interested in more than one point of view on a matter and I sometimes seek out contrary opinions. From the provocative title, Unsettled, I knew that this book would be different, perhaps worth reading.
Agnostic: A Spirited Manifesto
Recently a member of the InterSpiritual Agnostics & Seekers facebook group posted a link to Agnostic: A Spirited Manifesto by Lesley Hazleton. I was immediately interested in this book, bought it and read it. Since my midlife crisis I have self-identified as an agnostic.
The Art of Self-Improvement: Ten Timeless Truths
The Art of Self-Improvement is a comprehensive survey of the self-help and self-improvement field from ancient to current times. It is mostly a descriptive work, although Schaffner occasionally adds her own evaluative perspective. And in a few instances she adds personal details which I very much appreciated.
Friends: Understanding the Power of our Most Important Relationships
Consequently, when I became aware of his book, Friends: Understanding the Power of our Most Important Relationships, I decided to read it. Recently I had experienced some challenges with interactions with a good friend and the topic of friendship was on my mind. I hoped to gain some deep insights from Robin Dunbar.
How to Survive the Modern World
In 2008, Alain de Botton founded The School of Life... Their books and articles are full of wisdom... they work as a team without identifying individual writers.
Seeing Through the World: Jean Gebser and Integral Consciousness
One of the members of my Crafting Communitas Crew encouraged me to join the Gebser Crew. They are starting their inquiry with the short book Seeing Through the World: Jean Gebser and Integral Consciousness by Jeremy Johnson. I decided to buy and read this book and I found it very stimulating. I am processing the ideas in this book by writing this book report, a process which helps me to clarify my own thinking.
Feeling & Knowing: Making Minds Conscious
I wish to know about the functional mechanisms that allow us to experience in mind a process that clearly takes place in the physical realm of the body.
METAMODERNISM AND THE RETURN OF TRANSCENDENCE
METAMODERNISM AND THE RETURN OF TRANSCENDENCE by A. Severan (a pen name for Brendan Graham Dempsey) is only 70 pages long but it is dense with information and insight.
THE EVOLUTIONARY MANIFESTO Our Role in the Future Evolution of Life
I first became aware of John Stewart and The Evolutionary Worldview from the YouTube video The deep meaning of deep evolution with John Stewart - Voices with Vervaeke. I bought the book and enjoyed reading it. In my opinion, it is one of the better grand narratives that I have discovered.
[THE COMPLEX ALTERNATIVE] Complexity Scientists on the COVID-19 Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic has been with us for two years, which is long enough for reflection to be informative. That is what [THE COMPLEX ALTERNATIVE] Complexity Scientists on the COVID-19 Pandemic does. This book has many contributors and is edited by David Krakauer and Geoffrey West of the Santa Fe Institute (SFI).
12 Commandments: For Extraordinary People To Master Ordinary Life
I have written many book reports but my experience with 12 Commandments: For Extraordinary People To Master Ordinary Life is more likely to be something special. There are 10 people that I have identified that seem to me to have deep undertanding and considerable wisdom. Hanzi Freinacht is one of them and I have very high expectations of what I will discover in his book.
Metamodernism: Or, The Cultural Logic of Cultural Logics
This book was a stretch for me but well worth the effort. Many people will not read it. But I am hoping that a few of my friends will at least read my report and commentary.
First Principles and First Values
There is too much of interest to me in First Principles and First Values: Forty-Two Propositions on CosmoErotic Humanism, the Meta-Crisis, and the World to Come by David J. Temple to be contained in a single book report.