h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Miscounted. THREE books by Pinker, "Language Instinct", "Stuff of Thought" AND "How the Mind works."

Isn't 'Consciousness Explained' good?

I'm on page 84 out of 468. Thus far I'd agree. I've been wanting to read Dennet for some time after watching a lots of youtube videos of him (ditto Pinker). I find trying to imagine his voice while reading helps parse the text!

I'm so far up to his still-deconstructing-our-earlier-myths-and-legends about the mind, but he's getting onto discussing the intentional stance (which assumes agency in inanimate objects) which is a view of his I realy want to learn more about.

Is it good? Yes.

Just finished Reading Lolita In Tehran. It's given me some fresh insights on things like Pride and Prejudice and made me want to read the works of some other authors mentioned, as well as telling me how bad things got in Iran after the revolution.

Started Cromwell: Our Chief of Men by Antonia Fraser.

Bedtime book: Ivanhoe. One of my favourites.

Have now finished "Rosaand the veil of Gold" by Kim something. A well written modern fairy tale set in Russia.

Finished 'Special Topics in Calamity Physics'. I'm quite ambivalent about it; it's very flash and up its own arse, but nonetheless quite good, and suddenly ups a few gears towards the end.

I'm going to buy 'Your Inner Fish' next week, dunno what I'll read til then.

Inner Fish - excellent book

I was very impressed and influenced by the parts about hox genes and embryo development showing links in developmental stages in mammals in the way arches grow to be common features.

That'll make sense when you've read it.

It's not just a book about a 'transitional fossil' but about human development and evolution. Highly recommended.

Currently reading:
'Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs' - John Lydon
'The Islamist' - Ed Husain
A Jeeves and Wooster - I forget the title.

Bought from the charity shop:

'Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of the Zombie Vampires'
and
'Bill, the Galactic Hero on the Planet of the Hippies from Hell'

Both by Harry Harrison and AN Other (two different others)

Borrowed from the library:

'Maggie the Mechanic'
'The Girl from H.O.P.P.E.R.S.'

Graphic novel compilations by Jaime Hernandez

Red Dog by Louis de Bernières

Just finished Life and Fate which got to be a bit of a toil at the end. So I want something light and fluffy now.

Read either of Lewis Carroll's 'Alice' books Sho. I'd say they're light and fluffy and they never fail to make me

I've finished reading "Trilobite!" by Richard Fortey. It contains many fascinating facts about trilobites, and also the palaeontological process, how it relates to other sciences (turns out it's not just stamp-collecting after all! ), and is generally interesting. It did pygidium off a bit towards the end, though.

I'm now reading the staggeringly interesting "Guide To Business Modelling" by John Tennent and Graham Friend. So far no mention of Kate Moss...

RF

I've recently read Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony, and Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer. I like the Artemis Fowl books.

Now I've got The Amber Spyglass by Phillip Pullman and On the Shoulders of Giants, edited with commentary by Stephen Hawking. The latter is a collection of the important works of astronomy and physics, starting with Nicolaus Copernicus.

Just finished Why Evolution is True by Jerry A Coyne

Untold millions of bits of evidence for Darwinian evolution, nothing for creationism. In fact, he provides a large number of disproofs for creation.

Started Villette by Charlotte Bronte. Cromwell is on hold while I finish Moab is my Washpot by Stephen Fry. Lord, he was a little tyke when he was young! (Great book, btw)

I loved the Stephen Fry.

As fluff (since I read both Alices about 2 or 3 years ago) I'm reading The Mill on the Floss. I can't believe I've never read this, despite having it on my shelf for at least 10 years. I've read Silas Marner and Adam Bede by George Elliot, and I loved both of them - especially Silas Marner, which is odd as it was one of my O-level* set books.

*if anyone remembers those!

Shoulders of giants. Tough book. Not finished it, but fascinating.

Why evolutino is true. Bought it at the Darwin exhibit from the NHM when I was in London, it's on ym shelf will read it when I've finished Dennet and Pinker.

Also started reading Colour blindness : Causes and Effects by Donald Mcintyre.

I remember O-level set books. I had to do To Kill a Mocking Bird. The process of picking the book apart got in the way of any enjoyment of the book. I refused to go near it until some people on this thread recommended it. We'd recently inherited some gift tokens, just enough to buy the book, so I got a copy. I figured that it hadn't cost me anything, so I might as well give it another go. I was surprised at how good it was. I guess my dislike of English Lit lessons and all they entailed coloured my memory of the book.

Oh, and a combination of a cold and raging allergies left me too unwell to persevere with Cromwell, so I'm reading A Murder Is Announced by Agatha Christie. It's about all I can cope with right now.