I’ve been thinking and writing about Iain M. Banks recently, in the context of a learning journey I am on at Stanford. Reflecting on his work in an academic setting was a different experience and got me thinking — thinking about how we think about the future.
Read MoreHere is the best of what I read in 2021.
Read MoreIt is said that the pagan ethos of Beowulf is still present in modern civilization — buried under classical values, Christian theology, secular humanism, and anything else. Of course it is. And yet we have had a legitimate transition of power between opposing camps. Some thoughts.
Read MoreHere's the best of what I read in 2020.
Read MoreI have occasionally posted on social media about the Trump presidency, but haven’t felt moved to write something longer. I am doing so now because I feel it is important to “stand up and be counted” before the elections.
Read MoreHere's the best of what I read in 2019. Like all of us, I am struggling to make sense of the world, and all of these books helped me on that journey. Perhaps one theme is that each one provoked thoughtfulness even when I strongly disagreed with the author
Read MoreIain M. Banks died in 2013 and with that came an end to his series of Culture novels. Every few years, I end up destroying many days and weeks of sleep by re-reading a selection of these books (life is full, so any reading occurs after 9 pm).
Read MoreHere's the best of what I read in 2018. I set myself an arbitrary count of ten this year. This really forced me to think about which books had a meaningful impact on me, i.e. not just “great books I can unhesitatingly recommend”.
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