The full list for 2013 is here. Cowen's book is my favorite among this month's titles, but I enjoyed the Liebling (Hat tip Master P) and will visit more of his work.
Word Freak:Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players, Stefan Fatsis
Stefan Fatsis, a former Wall Street Journal reporter and National Public Radio regular, recounts his remarkable rise through the ranks of elite Scrabble players while exploring the game's strange, potent hold over them—and him.
Scrabble might truly be called America's game. More than two million sets are sold every year and at least thirty million American homes have one. But the game's most talented competitors inhabit a sphere far removed from the masses of "living room players." Theirs is a surprisingly diverse subculture whose stars include a vitamin-popping standup comic; a former bank teller whose intestinal troubles earn him the nickname "G.I. Joel"; a burly, unemployed African American from Baltimore's inner city; the three-time national champion who plays according to Zen principles; and Fatsis himself, who we see transformed from a curious reporter to a confirmed Scrabble nut.
He begins by haunting the gritty corner of a Greenwich Village park where pickup Scrabble games can be found whenever weather permits. His curiosity soon morphs into compulsion, as he sets about memorizing thousands of obscure words and fills his evenings with solo Scrabble played on his living room floor. Before long he finds himself at tournaments socializing—and competing—with Scrabble's elite.
But this book is about more than hardcore Scrabblers, for the game yields insights into realms as disparate as linguistics, psychology, and mathematics. Word Freak extends its reach even further, pondering the light Scrabble throws on such notions as brilliance, memory, competition, failure, and hope. It is a geography of obsession that celebrates the uncanny powers locked in all of us. This edition includes a new 2013 afterword by the author.
Note: The key to being good at competitive Scrabble is knowing all the allowable words of 2-4 letters, playing strategically and finding bingos. It also seems to require a touch of madness. Enjoyable throughout, though a trifle long.
Tales from Ovid, Ted Hughes
When Michael Hofmann and James Lasdun's ground-breaking anthology After Ovid (also Faber) was published in 1995, Hughes's three contributions to the collective effort were nominated by most critics as outstanding. He had shown that rare translator's gift for providing not just an accurate account of the original, but one so thoroughly imbued with his own qualities that it was as if Latin and English poetwere somehow the same person. Tales from Ovid, which went on to win the Whitbread Prize for Poetry, continued the project of recreation with 24 passages, including the stories of Phaeton, Actaeon, Echo and Narcissus, Procne, Midas and Pyramus and Thisbe. In them, Hughes's supreme narrative and poetic skills combine to produce a book that stands, alongside his Crow and Gaudete, as an inspired addition to the myth-making of our time.
Note: Not sure that verse adds anything to my favorite stories. Perhaps the opposite. Call me a rube, but I prefer Robert Graves.
How to Write for Children: And Get Published, Louise Jordan
Huge numbers of people want to write for children, but it is notoriously difficult to find a publisher in this increasingly competitive area. This inspiring and practical guide from acknowledged expert on children's publishing, Louise Jordan, offers the very latest information on market trends and gives valuable advice on: developing your ideas, themes and style; presenting proposals and manuscripts; approaching publishers and agents; and what you need to know once your book has been accepted for publication. Children's publishing has its own set of rules and demands, but this helpful guide will show you how to make your work stand out from the crowd and appeal to commissioning editors, and, of course, your intended audience.
Note: Do it well. Know the market. Be persistent.
Ecological Imperialism:The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900-1900, Alfred Crosby.
People of European descent form the bulk of the population in most of the temperate zones of the world--North America, Australia and New Zealand. The military successes of European imperialism are easy to explain because in many cases they were achieved by using firearms against spears. Alfred Crosby, however, explains that the Europeans' displacement and replacement of the native peoples in the temperate zones was more a matter of biology than of military conquest. Now in a new edition with a new preface, Crosby revisits his classic work and again evaluates the ecological reasons for European expansion. Alfred W. Crosby is the author of the widely popular and ground-breaking books,The Measure of Reality (Cambridge, 1996), and America's Forgotten Pandemic (Cambridge, 1990). His books have received the Ralph Waldo Emerson Prize, the Medical Writers Association Prize and been named by the Los Angeles Times as among the best books of the year. He taught at the University of Texas, Austin for over 20 years
Note: Focus on the middle part of the guns, germs and steel troika. A little dry, but useful perspective on the creation of mini-europes around the world. Less about the other part of the exchange, but the flow of germs seems to have been largely one directional.
The Tyranny of E-mail: The Four-Thousand-Year Journey to Your Inbox, John Freeman.
John Freeman is one of America’s pre-eminent literary critics; now in this, his first book, he presents an elegant and erudite investigation into a technology that has revolutionized the way we work, communicate, and even think.
There’s no question that email is an explosive phenomenon. The first email, developed for military use, was sent less than forty years ago; by 2011, there will be 3.2 billion users. The average corporate employee now receives upwards of 130 emails per day; by 2009 that number is expected to reach nearly 200. And the flood of messages is ceaseless: for increasing numbers of people, email means work now occupies home time as well as office hours.
Drawing extensively on the research of linguists, behavioral scientists, cultural critics, and philosophers, Freeman examines the way email is taking a mounting toll on a variety of behavior, reducing time for leisure and contemplation, despoiling subtlety and expression in language, and separating us from each other in the unending and lonely battle with the overfull inbox. He enters a plea for communication which is slower, more nuanced, and, above all, more sociable.
Note: People spend too much time informing themselves and others about unnecessary details. There is a sinister side of email that undermines personal and organizational productivity. Don't send, if possible; check only twice a day (never at the beginning or end of the day); and consider alternative media.
Between Meals: An Appetite for Paris, AJ Liebling.
The author shares his memories of Paris in 1926 and 1927 when he was a student there and describes French cuisine, customs, and urban life
Note: Like a cross between "A Movable Feast" and that show on Food Network where that annoying guy with the spiky hair visits diners; and I mean this as both compliment and criticism. Easy to read.
Average Is Over: Powering America Beyond the Age of the Great Stagnation, Tyler Cowen
The widening gap between rich and poor means dealing with one big, uncomfortable truth: If you’re not at the top, you’re at the bottom.
The global labor market is changing radically thanks to growth at the high end—and the low. About three quarters of the jobs created in the United States since the great recession pay only a bit more than minimum wage. Still, the United States has more millionaires and billionaires than any country ever, and we continue to mint them.
In this eye-opening book, renowned economist and bestselling author Tyler Cowen explains that phenomenon: High earners are taking ever more advantage of machine intelligence in data analysis and achieving ever-better results. Meanwhile, low earners who haven’t committed to learning, to making the most of new technologies, have poor prospects. Nearly every business sector relies less and less on manual labor, and this fact is forever changing the world of work and wages. A steady, secure life somewhere in the middle—average—is over.
With The Great Stagnation, Cowen explained why median wages stagnated over the last four decades; in Average Is Over he reveals the essential nature of the new economy, identifies the best path forward for workers and entrepreneurs, and provides readers with actionable advice to make the most of the new economic landscape. It is a challenging and sober must-read but ultimately exciting, good news. In debates about our nation’s economic future, it will be impossible to ignore.
Note: Never boring predictions about the future from my favorite economics blogger: get ready for greater inequality and machine assisted living; make sure your children are comfortable with technology if you want them to succeed.
Word Freak:Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players, Stefan FatsisStefan Fatsis, a former Wall Street Journal reporter and National Public Radio regular, recounts his remarkable rise through the ranks of elite Scrabble players while exploring the game's strange, potent hold over them—and him.
Scrabble might truly be called America's game. More than two million sets are sold every year and at least thirty million American homes have one. But the game's most talented competitors inhabit a sphere far removed from the masses of "living room players." Theirs is a surprisingly diverse subculture whose stars include a vitamin-popping standup comic; a former bank teller whose intestinal troubles earn him the nickname "G.I. Joel"; a burly, unemployed African American from Baltimore's inner city; the three-time national champion who plays according to Zen principles; and Fatsis himself, who we see transformed from a curious reporter to a confirmed Scrabble nut.
He begins by haunting the gritty corner of a Greenwich Village park where pickup Scrabble games can be found whenever weather permits. His curiosity soon morphs into compulsion, as he sets about memorizing thousands of obscure words and fills his evenings with solo Scrabble played on his living room floor. Before long he finds himself at tournaments socializing—and competing—with Scrabble's elite.
But this book is about more than hardcore Scrabblers, for the game yields insights into realms as disparate as linguistics, psychology, and mathematics. Word Freak extends its reach even further, pondering the light Scrabble throws on such notions as brilliance, memory, competition, failure, and hope. It is a geography of obsession that celebrates the uncanny powers locked in all of us. This edition includes a new 2013 afterword by the author.
Note: The key to being good at competitive Scrabble is knowing all the allowable words of 2-4 letters, playing strategically and finding bingos. It also seems to require a touch of madness. Enjoyable throughout, though a trifle long.
Tales from Ovid, Ted Hughes
When Michael Hofmann and James Lasdun's ground-breaking anthology After Ovid (also Faber) was published in 1995, Hughes's three contributions to the collective effort were nominated by most critics as outstanding. He had shown that rare translator's gift for providing not just an accurate account of the original, but one so thoroughly imbued with his own qualities that it was as if Latin and English poetwere somehow the same person. Tales from Ovid, which went on to win the Whitbread Prize for Poetry, continued the project of recreation with 24 passages, including the stories of Phaeton, Actaeon, Echo and Narcissus, Procne, Midas and Pyramus and Thisbe. In them, Hughes's supreme narrative and poetic skills combine to produce a book that stands, alongside his Crow and Gaudete, as an inspired addition to the myth-making of our time.
Note: Not sure that verse adds anything to my favorite stories. Perhaps the opposite. Call me a rube, but I prefer Robert Graves.
How to Write for Children: And Get Published, Louise JordanHuge numbers of people want to write for children, but it is notoriously difficult to find a publisher in this increasingly competitive area. This inspiring and practical guide from acknowledged expert on children's publishing, Louise Jordan, offers the very latest information on market trends and gives valuable advice on: developing your ideas, themes and style; presenting proposals and manuscripts; approaching publishers and agents; and what you need to know once your book has been accepted for publication. Children's publishing has its own set of rules and demands, but this helpful guide will show you how to make your work stand out from the crowd and appeal to commissioning editors, and, of course, your intended audience.
Note: Do it well. Know the market. Be persistent.
Ecological Imperialism:The Biological Expansion of Europe, 900-1900, Alfred Crosby.People of European descent form the bulk of the population in most of the temperate zones of the world--North America, Australia and New Zealand. The military successes of European imperialism are easy to explain because in many cases they were achieved by using firearms against spears. Alfred Crosby, however, explains that the Europeans' displacement and replacement of the native peoples in the temperate zones was more a matter of biology than of military conquest. Now in a new edition with a new preface, Crosby revisits his classic work and again evaluates the ecological reasons for European expansion. Alfred W. Crosby is the author of the widely popular and ground-breaking books,The Measure of Reality (Cambridge, 1996), and America's Forgotten Pandemic (Cambridge, 1990). His books have received the Ralph Waldo Emerson Prize, the Medical Writers Association Prize and been named by the Los Angeles Times as among the best books of the year. He taught at the University of Texas, Austin for over 20 years
Note: Focus on the middle part of the guns, germs and steel troika. A little dry, but useful perspective on the creation of mini-europes around the world. Less about the other part of the exchange, but the flow of germs seems to have been largely one directional.
The Tyranny of E-mail: The Four-Thousand-Year Journey to Your Inbox, John Freeman.John Freeman is one of America’s pre-eminent literary critics; now in this, his first book, he presents an elegant and erudite investigation into a technology that has revolutionized the way we work, communicate, and even think.
There’s no question that email is an explosive phenomenon. The first email, developed for military use, was sent less than forty years ago; by 2011, there will be 3.2 billion users. The average corporate employee now receives upwards of 130 emails per day; by 2009 that number is expected to reach nearly 200. And the flood of messages is ceaseless: for increasing numbers of people, email means work now occupies home time as well as office hours.
Drawing extensively on the research of linguists, behavioral scientists, cultural critics, and philosophers, Freeman examines the way email is taking a mounting toll on a variety of behavior, reducing time for leisure and contemplation, despoiling subtlety and expression in language, and separating us from each other in the unending and lonely battle with the overfull inbox. He enters a plea for communication which is slower, more nuanced, and, above all, more sociable.
Note: People spend too much time informing themselves and others about unnecessary details. There is a sinister side of email that undermines personal and organizational productivity. Don't send, if possible; check only twice a day (never at the beginning or end of the day); and consider alternative media.
Between Meals: An Appetite for Paris, AJ Liebling.The author shares his memories of Paris in 1926 and 1927 when he was a student there and describes French cuisine, customs, and urban life
Note: Like a cross between "A Movable Feast" and that show on Food Network where that annoying guy with the spiky hair visits diners; and I mean this as both compliment and criticism. Easy to read.
Average Is Over: Powering America Beyond the Age of the Great Stagnation, Tyler CowenThe widening gap between rich and poor means dealing with one big, uncomfortable truth: If you’re not at the top, you’re at the bottom.
The global labor market is changing radically thanks to growth at the high end—and the low. About three quarters of the jobs created in the United States since the great recession pay only a bit more than minimum wage. Still, the United States has more millionaires and billionaires than any country ever, and we continue to mint them.
In this eye-opening book, renowned economist and bestselling author Tyler Cowen explains that phenomenon: High earners are taking ever more advantage of machine intelligence in data analysis and achieving ever-better results. Meanwhile, low earners who haven’t committed to learning, to making the most of new technologies, have poor prospects. Nearly every business sector relies less and less on manual labor, and this fact is forever changing the world of work and wages. A steady, secure life somewhere in the middle—average—is over.
With The Great Stagnation, Cowen explained why median wages stagnated over the last four decades; in Average Is Over he reveals the essential nature of the new economy, identifies the best path forward for workers and entrepreneurs, and provides readers with actionable advice to make the most of the new economic landscape. It is a challenging and sober must-read but ultimately exciting, good news. In debates about our nation’s economic future, it will be impossible to ignore.
Note: Never boring predictions about the future from my favorite economics blogger: get ready for greater inequality and machine assisted living; make sure your children are comfortable with technology if you want them to succeed.
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