I constantly have a stack of 3-4 books that I’m reading. One for the evening, one for the morning, and then a wildcard or two. Does anyone else read like that??
Anyway, I recently finished Yuval Noah Harari’s Homo Deus, the “sequel” to Sapiens. Harari is VERY smart, and it’s nice how often he concludes chapters with “We just don’t know.” I appreciate that level of pragmatism regarding ancient history AND future soothsaying. I don’t agree with all he lays out in Homo Deus, but it was hard to put down and definitely worth the read.
I’m currently reading Falling Upward by Richard Rohr, who is a Franciscan monk and a very wise old Christian. I try to always have a book approaching spirituality in my line up to read in the morning, and it’s interesting to read a book steeped in the teachings of Jesus, rather than my usual Buddha dharma, especially when so many of the messages are essentially the same. This book is a guide towards the two halves of life… the discovery, building, and defining of the world around you in the first half, and the necessary fall and rebuilding towards a deeper spiritual truth in the second half. His point is that not everyone gets to the second half, and many spend their lives struggling to find meaning, thinking the first half is all there is.
I also just started Where The Heart Beats by Kay Larson, a book about John Cage’s life and intersection with Zen Buddhism, based off of recommendations from the Influence of Zen thread. It is so far a very enjoyable read. Larson has a really interesting voice.
And my third book in the pile is The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Katz. It’s a resource book about fermentation, but I’ve been reading it like a novel because it’s so interesting and well written. I love it. Something about it makes me feel good about being a human and makes me want to be a better one. Katz doesn’t deny the subtle radical politics of fermentation.
As is apparent, 90% of what I read is non-fiction… although earlier this year I read the Three Body trilogy, immediately followed by Lonesome Dove. That was a ride.
