more fun with books...
Because everyone needs a good summer read, I thought I'd stick with the spirit of my last post and offer some book recommendations. (i.e. the book I'm reading now and the next two on my list)Up to bat: Better Off by Eric Brende
I've just started reading this, and so far it's excellent. An MIT graduate student and his wife try to live electricity-free for a year. They join a society that even the Amish consider outdated. Brende is not against technology in general, but is fed up with how it runs our lives and even takes priority over individuals. He is wondering if there is some middle point, and if so what that point is, where technology truly makes things easier but doesn't overtake everything and make life ridiculous. I'm only on chapter 3, but so far I've found the book challenging, thought-provoking, and entertaining.
On Deck: A Generous Orthodoxy by Brian McLaren
This book came out awhile ago, and a couple of weeks ago I looked it up on amazon.com. As I enjoy and truly respect McLaren's other books, I was shocked to see it had an average rating of only 3 out of 5 stars. This really surprised me, so I looked at several pages of reviews. With exceptions I could count on one hand, the book received either a one star rating or a five star rating. It was either branded as poisonous heresy or heralded as an insightful, integral part of understanding Christianity's place in today's world. This split opinion intrigued me, and always a sucker for controversy, I picked up the book.
In the Hole: West of Jesus by Steven Kotler
This book is right up my alley and I cannot wait to read it. The tagline on the cover reads, "Surfing, Science, and the Origins of Belief." That description is pretty much dead on, as the book is basically Kotler exploring the neuroscience and biology of belief via a sort of mythical surfing narrative. Should be great. In fact, I may actually decide to read this one before McLaren's.
posted by becka @ 9:32 PM
1 Comments:
About "Better Off"...
I saw a Primetime recently where a woman in NYC and her husband decided to buy nothing for a year except for the basics (ie. food, toilet paper, etc). She did have an advantage because she lived in Manhattan and could walk to work or ride the subway, but it was pretty wild how her life changed...she didn't buy anyone gifts...made them, she didn't buy one new book (such a shame), but continued to read from checking out books at the libary, as well as DVDs, never ate out once the entire year, and gave up things like cable and internet. It was wild to see how it effected her life...made her more appreciative of things, and the obvious, saved her a ton of money. Pretty crazy huh?
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