Wonderland is a refreshing take on a world (and people) that takes itself (themselves) entirely too seriously at times. The premise of the book is that many significant advances in society got their start in amusement—our amusement. According to the author, the book is “a history of play, a history of pastimes that human beings have concocted to amuse themselves as an escape from the daily grind of subsistence.” The
Buddhist Economics: An Enlightened Approach to the Dismal Science by Clair Brown My rating: 4 of 5 stars Although longer than it needs to be, this is an important body of work. The premise of the book is that major worldwide challenges, such as global warming and income inequality, are profoundly influenced by economics--economic policy--and that our current economic policies (and primary measure--GDP) are failing to address, --no, they are
The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph by Ryan Holiday My rating: 5 of 5 stars Although everyone can benefit from applying the precepts of stoicism to weather the turbulent waters of life, this book will profoundly impact entrepreneurs, trailblazers, leaders of change and transformation or anyone who has chosen to move outside of their comfort zone to take on a monumental task or
The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself by Sean Carroll My rating: 5 of 5 stars I don't generally gravitate to non-fiction science books (a byproduct of my (mis)adventures with Jan in Mr. Doran's 10th Grade biology class, I'm sure.) But I'm glad I did. Sean Carroll writes in a conversational and entertaining style--so much so that my old (outdated and erroneous) "tapes" about
