When Money Buys Happiness
Do we shop compulsively, and if so, how can we stop? It seems that most of our shopping behavior is in fact quite sensible. Geoffrey Miller’s new book, “Spent: Sex, Evolution and Consumer Behavior” seems to prove that.
The Wind in the Willows
A delightful read on a summer afternoon is The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. It’s one of the nicest children’s books there is. Just reading it puts you in a good mood. “It was a golden afternoon. The smell of the dust they kicked up was rich and satisfying; out of thick orchards […]
The canon. The beautiful basics of science
Once in a while you stumble upon a book that will change the way you see and approach things. This is one of them. Natalie Angier, Pulitzer Prize winning reporter for the NYT (booksite), has written a book for those of us who need beauty, involvement and lateral thinking to get into science. It’s all […]
Six Songs
In The World in Six Songs. How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature, Daniel J. Levitin lists six songs that inspired him in 1975 to become a musician. These are his “comfort” songs: Autobahn by Kraftwerk Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony as performed by Herbert von Karajan & the Berlin Philharmonic Revolver by the Beatles (whole album) […]
Up to Speed
Carole Eilertson & Louise Kennedy have just published their lovely EFL coursebook Up to Speed (Cornelsen) for business professionals who want to fine-tune their upper-intermediate English skills. Geared to one-to-one learners (and small groups), their book focusses on day-to-day operations, teamwork, meetings, presentations, networking and project management. What I like about their approach is a […]
The truth
I’ve been thinking about what makes democracy tick as I read a book by David Foster Wallace, the most brilliant writer of my generation in many ways, who killed himself on September 12th, losing his 20-year fight against depression. This book is called „McCain’s Promise“, and it’s about what makes people care enough to get involved in politics. According to Wallace, it comes down to straight talk.
9/11: The falling man
I’ve just finished Don DeLillo’s “Falling Man”, an alternately moving and bleak description of relationships after the attacks on the Twin Towers, focussing on a troubled marriage. When Lianne sees her estranged husband Keith, a survivor of Tower 1, come in the door covered in blood and helps him clean up, she realizes that most of […]
