So many books...

A quick run down of some of this month's books.

Favorites so far are the Scalzi books and Robinson and Burroughs books.

Scalzi is just fun! I'm enjoying coming home to some science fiction.

Look me in the Eye and Running with Scissors are books written by brothers about their very different, fascinating, illuminating, and scary, childhoods. I didn't find anything shocking in it, but I wonder what folks who had a normal childhood would think of them. Hey, anyone out there have a normal childhood?

Byron Katie's books are her self-found form of Zen. Interesting, possibly useful, but I have the same problem with them that I've had with other Buddhist perspectives. Excessive detachment seems too often to lead to a remarkable lack of compassion. In addition, "loving what is" seems to me to discourage individuals and societies to investigate positive change. Like so much, when taken to the extreme, this ideal becomes dysfunctional. I don't want to live in her world.

Ayn Rand...well, there she is. Again. Thought I might find something new but, sadly, did not. Again with the extremism and lack of compassion. Not to mention, except here I am mentioning it, there are flaws in the Objectivism logic than any first year philosophy student could point out. I don't want to live in her world either.

Listening from the Heart of Silence, and Evolution's End, are both a little woo-woo for me. They have grains of truth, helpful ideas, but use garbly-gook to bind themselves together. I found myself wishing they had had exceptionally critical and thoughtful editors to help them better present their ideas and clear their thoughts and language. Bet you wish I had that too, eh?