Which Books Should We Read If We Have Limited Time?

Tags: Winners, bookcritics.org, your tastes, Historical Fiction, Science, N. Korea, Value of Work, Genes

I like the www.bookcritics.org because it is a more democratic Way of picking good books from less familiar and well known publishing houses they cover more than the elitist oriented ones and political such as Pulitzer Prizes ones. This award is highly prized by authors of books. I also love the University of Virginia Book Festival whose selection process is superb. Miami Book Festival is also superb for political books not in the main stream only.

Don't forget that everyone has their own taste in books. So the best way to buy and read books is to go to Independent Book Stores who tend to have good books available, because they cannot make money on the best sellers. The Big Commercial Books stores based the books they keep on their shelf on how much is selling so if you don't look in the first several weeks, they will probably be off the shelfs. Remember the public display table Books are paid for by the book publisher.

I buy my books from www.amazon.com because they seem to have every book no matter how popular. The unpopular books are normally priced higher. I go to Powell's for fiction because they actually read the books for their reviews. http://www.powells.com/indiespensable/?slideshow=Indiespensable%2017 It is based in Portland, Oregon and normally I buy enough books to avoid shipping charges, but normally I pay a higher price than I do on Amazon, but gladly do it to support Independent Book Stores. I belong to the Progressive Book Club, but I rely on watching the author I see on www.c-span.org scroll at top for BookTV and other recommendations.

Official History. Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cromwell,_1st_Earl_of_Essex

... Cromwell played an important part in the English Reformation. The parliamentary sessions of 1529–1531 had brought Henry VIII no nearer to annulment.^[10] However, the session of 1532—Cromwell's first as chief minister—heralded a change of course: key sources of papal revenue were cut off and ecclesiastical legislation was transferred to the King. In the next year's session came the fundamental law of the English Reformation: the Act in Restraint of Appeals of 1533 which forbade appeals to Rome (thus allowing for a divorce in England without the need for the Pope's permission). This was drafted by Cromwell and its famous preamble declared:

Where by divers sundry old authentic histories and chronicles, it is manifestly declared and expressed that this realm of England is an Empire, and so hath been accepted in the world, governed by one Supreme Head and King having the dignity and royal estate of the imperial Crown of the same, unto whom a body politic compact of all sorts and degrees of people divided in terms and by names of Lords Spiritual and Lords Temporal, be bounden and owe to bear next to God a natural and humble obedience. ...

Another non-fiction book I will probably read is the Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes (Pantheon). Many times really good books are on the NY Times Best Seller list for the first one or two weeks, then the readers of good books disappear. Malcolm Gladwell is an exception.

The Cleanest Race: How North Koreans See Themselves - And Why It Matters by Matthew Crawford

Emanuel and Eric, I strongly recommend both of you to watch the video at C-Span http://www.booktv.org/Program/11315/The+Cleanest+Race+How+North+Koreans+See+Themselves+And+Why+It+Matters.aspx

Myers who lives in South Korea thinks that our approaches from the Right, Left, and Center won't work on North Korea. The Japanese Occupation controlled the elite with propaganda where we are one people. When the Japanese left, these propagandists moved to North Korea and supported the North Korean rulers with a non-typical approach that we are generally familiar with. Of course the non-middle class or poor Koreans who don't read were brutally suppressed.

The propagandist in North Korea depended on perceived military might and Mother ruler beliefs to think that Mother will protect the suffering North Korean people. Myers said that it is ridiculous to believe that North Korea will give up their Nuclear Bombs. Having the Chinese negotiate with North Korea is basically futile too. First they hate the Chinese and Chinese have no interest in giving up the economic perks they get the North Korea.

Their approach to control is to keep the populace ignorant and the elites heavily propagandized. But word of the outside world is leaking in by satellites providing access to South Korean and Chinese television so it is likely that change will come over time.

Just like we did not understand the Japanese during World War II, our American interpreters who thought they knew the Japanese language forgot about the culture of Japanese where they say things indirectly. Since I have lots of experience in this language at home, I had no problem understanding the true meaning of what the Japanese were saying by thinking all the time.

Unlike South Koreans, the North Koreans seem to be more favorable towards Japan. My hearing sometimes is bad, but I thought Myers said something about Hikomori in understanding. Only the lower classes have left North Korea or try to, but many also return.

"Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work."

Although very few of my friends believe me, I was going to turn the TV off, but I saw the high intelligence in his eyes and expression so I kept it on luckily before he started to speak. Talking well is genetic and has nothing to do with intelligence. Many dumb salesman are superb talkers. Unfortunately in our society, we base intelligence on how well they talk. I based it later on how well they answer difficult questions. I was right! He can!

He is a non-conformist thinker, a rare commodity in our corporate so-called free enterprise hierarchical country. By the way they operate CEO's are basically dictators. That is why CEOs make very poor political leaders with many examples to prove my point including Bush, Cheney, Corzine, those in I am chief in government positions such as Hoover, and possibly Spitzer . But no one seems to express this obvious observation. Whitman, if she is elected in California, would be a disaster. Brown has proven that he is able to govern throughout his career. He is honest and competent. It would be tragic if Californians vote to go from the frying pan to the fire by electing Whitman.

Since you are both intellectuals, you might want to read the book by Matthew Crawford "Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work." See below. http://www.booktv.org/Program/11418/2010+Virginia+Festival+of+the+Book+Matthew+Crawford+quotShop+Class+as+Soulcraft+An+Inquiry+Into+the+Value+of+Workquot.aspx

He got his Ph.D. on Political Philosophy at the University of Chicago, mainly on interpreting Plutarch. When he could find no Academic job, he headed a Think Tank, but would not name it. He left because they wanted to start with a conclusion and then find evidence for it. It was most likely one of conservative Think Tanks. Not much on Wikipedia, but does list his publications before he opened a motorcycle repair shop. This book has found lots of interest in academic circles. A strong contact was Alan Blinder of Princeton and as you know, a former Federal Reserve Vice Chairman.

The author is a moderate Republican who wants to get rid of Monopolies to get true competition and provide jobs that have face time so it cannot be shipped electronically overseas. It is about time we start making the Blue Collar Skill profession prestigious as so called scholarly professions.

I normally skipped over this in pre-recording it, but I watched Rebecca Skloot who I really liked in her short 30 minute interview just before his. The c-span.org hosts seem to ask many really good questions! The same holds for the audience at the Virginia Book Festival. She was at the Virginia Book Festival, one of my favorite science writers. The books they select are of higher quality than other ones. She is a very good Free Lance Book Critic of Science Books.

Just before a Federal District Judge invalidated many Gene Patents, she talked about her book where in 1950 cell lines from Henrietta Lacks were taken without her knowledge and then she died at age 30. John Hopkins finally found a cancer cell line which was truly Immortal. Skloot indirectly said that genes should not be patented. In 1950 life could not be patented as it should be including seeds which Monsanto did by going through our public seed bank! The want to eliminate any alternatives to genetically modified food crops so they can sell their Weed killer. Round Up Resistant crops have already been discovered.

That is how Evolution in terms of mutation and selection works! Evolution occurs much faster than we have been taught to believe. Epigenetic turning off or on of genes due to environmental or psychological effects as we see in the Scots-Irish Republicans. Unless the families move away from this environment, they will always be unusually paranoid with fear that change will hurt them. Why don't the smart ones know this. Oh yes, they do not believe in Evolution. God predetermines everything!

Don't they know that some crazy forget Jesus Norwegian brought his religion to our country in the 19th century during the Robber Baron times? The same can be said of the many new religions now.

Jim Kawakami, April 8, 2010, http://jimboguy.blogspot.com