[espy]

 

[pedonbio]

I heard a lecture by Christopher Ryan, author of Sex At Dawn about sex and human evolution. I have got to read that book! He believes that we use sex for social interaction and bonding more than reproduction, pointing out that only people, bonobos, and dolphins have sex when reproduction is impossible.

Last week in a different thread I mentioned that I had participated in MFM threesomes mostly as a male bonding experience. Hmmm. Maybe I'm more aware than I thought.

[espy]

He believes that we use sex for social interaction and bonding more than reproduction, pointing out that only people, bonobos, and dolphins have sex when reproduction is impossible.

I'll admit I'm rarely thinking of baby names when I'm playing "hide espy jr".

[pedonbio]

The next time somebody posts asking, "How can I get laid?" I can recommend this book that a friend found featured on the "new book" table at her branch of the Seattle Public Library.

[homevintner]

A War Like No Other by Victor Davis Hanson. How the Athenians and Spartans fought the Peloponnesian War.

Distant Thunders by Taylor Anderson. Fourth in "The Destroyermen" series.

[Palomine]

Halfway through "The Sherlockian" by Graham Moore. A work of historical fiction (not my usual cup of tea but since I devour anything Holmes-related...) it features twin storlyines: one involving Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and another involving a contemporary Holmes scholar. It's decent so far, but perhaps I expected a bit more given the reviews, which were filled with praise. Still, since I'm stuck waiting for the return of "Sherlock" to PBS...

[pedonbio]

Love Sherlock! 

[Hark]

"End of Faith" by Sam Harris.

Almost 1/2-way through, but just finished a chapter regarding Muslims and their inability or unwillingness to "modernize" their faith, or it will destroy the world as we know it.  Given the current political climate here in the U.S., especially with the rise of Christian politicians subtly hinting that REAL Americans want a theocracy (insinuated cynicism), I can't wait to finish this book.

I don't wish to be insulting or offensive, but I'm a die-hard atheist, and any politician that says "God told me..." scares the fuck out of me.   

[AgentDee]

I just finished Steven King's 1074 page epic book "under the dome" wow, I just read its being made into a miniseries in a joint venture with Spielburg, I am SO gonna watch it!

[pedonbio]

I just finished Steven King's 1074 page epic book "under the dome" wow, I just read its being made into a miniseries in a joint venture with Spielburg, I am SO gonna watch it!

I wish you luck, Dee. I felt the same way when a mini-series was made out of The Stand twenty or so years ago. But they left the sex out.

[MrsPacman1]

I wish you luck, Dee. I felt the same way when a mini-series was made out of The Stand twenty or so years ago. But they left the sex out.

Oh, thank GOD. I thought I was the only one who was disappointed about that. 

Just finished thumbing through and partially reading, "Cobain Unseen" by Charles R Cross. Very cool book. There are recreations of letters to his bandmates and family, journal pages, homemade cards, polaroid photos and various artwork. He was allowed into the Cobain "vault" by his estate (read: Courtney Love) to go through his immense collection of oddities and rare toys. If you're into Nirvana or even into people who have interesting collections, I definitely recommend it.

Mrs*'Maximum Overdrive' was my favorite King movie*Pacman

[rtpoe]

Having recently acquired a tablet computer with an eBook reader, I went poking around through the included library link and on the Internet Archive for some free books to download and start reading. I came across Will and Ariel Durant’s magnum opus, The Story of Civilization, eleven volumes (plus an epilogue work) covering the entire history of the western world through the Age of Napoleon (After working on the series for decades, they died before they could complete it).

I’ve already started reading The Age of Faith (since the Middle Ages is a particular interest of mine), and now I want to read the whole darn set. Their style is clear and easy, and they write for the general audience. It’s the sort of thing people don’t create anymore: grand overviews of History and Culture for the general public.

[brakblake]

Just finished up an interesting read that makes me feel slightly better about people in my generation: 

Not Quite Adults: Why 20-somethings are choosing a slower path to adulthood, and why it's good for everyone. By: Richard Settersten PH.D, & Barbara Ray

http://www.amazon.com/Not-Quite-Adults-20-Somethings-Adulthood/dp/0553807404/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305247504&sr=8-1

In addition to that, over the last 4 weeks i've also finished 2 other books:

Behind the Japanese Bow by: Boye Lafayette de Mente

http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Japanese-Bow-Boye-Mente/dp/0844284912/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1305247756&sr=1-1 (i wish there was a better link than this)

And something about how the US has so screwed up the Far East through various underhanded campaigns by the CIA and various forms of foreign policy over the last 100ish years....interesting stuff.....Dont remember the name and therefore can't provide a link)




All things told, I have probably read about 500 pages worth of informative books in the last 4 weeks....(which is some giant leap larger than the 500 pages worth of books that I had read in the previous 7+ months). And it's fairly amazing how much I read in the day when I'm looking for a job XD

[pedonbio]

Having recently acquired a tablet computer with an eBook reader, I went poking around through the included library link and on the Internet Archive for some free books to download and start reading. I came across Will and Ariel Durant’s magnum opus, The Story of Civilization, eleven volumes (plus an epilogue work) covering the entire history of the western world through the Age of Napoleon (After working on the series for decades, they died before they could complete it).

I’ve already started reading The Age of Faith (since the Middle Ages is a particular interest of mine), and now I want to read the whole darn set. Their style is clear and easy, and they write for the general audience. It’s the sort of thing people don’t create anymore: grand overviews of History and Culture for the general public.

Wow! Brings back memories! I read most of it in high school; in a lot of ways the work is dated (As it should be--the first volume is nearly 100 years old), but it is a really good framework for more detailed studies. Their relationship was also interesting. She was 14 or 15 when they married.

[calcifer]

Anyone who digs history should check out "American Pharaoh."  It's a chilling account of Chicago's Mayor Daily Sr.  It's quite a horror story for a biography.