+1 to ‘Thing Knowledge,’ which I read a couple of years ago. From the perspective of TK, theories and texts will be ‘Nothing Knowledge?’
A couple of my recommendations: • Marcia Bjornerud’s “Timefulness”. Geology meets History meets Philosophy. • Ed Yong’s “An Immense World.” Meditation on the senses of non-human creatures. A layperson’s take on one of my favorite books of all time, Jakob von Uexkull’s “A Foray into the Worlds of Animals and Humans.” • I also re-read Asimov’s Foundation series (all five of them) after several decades, since I had started watching the Apple TV version. He is an awful writer but his ideas are sparkling. I wish there was a creative genre for speculative ideas without demanding characters, plot or worldbuilding. regards, Rajesh On Nov 28, 2024 at 10:24 PM +0530, Venkatesh Rao via Silklist <[email protected]>, wrote: > Nice lists. I’m not as heavy a reader as you folks looks like, but a couple > from me: > > Selection of Byung-Chul Han. I read Burnout Society, Psychopolitics, and > Transparency Society. (they’re short, monograph length, so 3=1). Kinda > hate-read since I’m averse to Heideggerian tendencies, but stimulating and > provocative in an evil-twin way. > > Thing Knowledge by Davis Baird. Brilliant development of a “material > epistemology” arguing that technical objects embody knowledge in ways > comparable to texts and theories. > > The Story of Southeast Asia by Eric Thompson. > > Old classic but new to me: The Evolution of Technology by Brian Arthur > > > > On Wed, Nov 27, 2024 at 11:10 PM Ingrid Srinath via Silklist > > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > This year I was blown away by Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead, > > > published in 2022. Like David Copperfield, this is a novel that brings to > > > life conditions in Southern Appalachia - poverty, neglect, addiction - in > > > ways that neither academic nor journalistic writing could. > > > > > > H-Pop : The Secretive World of Hindutva Pop Stars by Kunal Purohit was an > > > eye-opening deep dive into the ecosystem that fosters cultural Hindutva. > > > > > > No Presents Please : Mumbai Stories and Mithun Number Two and Other > > > Mumbai Stories by Jayant Kaikini both translated by Tejaswini Niranjana > > > presented wonderfully nuanced evocations of life in Mumbai’s lower middle > > > class. > > > > > > Mostly, however, 2024 was a year when my To Be Read shelf expanded way > > > faster than I could deplete it. > > > > > > Kind regards, > > > > > > > > > Ingrid Srinath > > > > > > > > > > On 25 Nov 2024, at 07:22, Thaths via Silklist > > > > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > It is coming up on Thanksgiving week in the US. And that means it is > > > > time for Silklist's annual tradition of sharing book recommendations. > > > > > > > > Please share your top reads of the year in this thread. > > > > > > > > Here are mine: > > > > > > > > Other Rivers: A Chinese Education by Peter Hessler > > > > Hessler weaves many threads (His students from when he taught at a > > > > Teachers college as a Peace Corp volunteer in the 90s, teaching at > > > > Sichuan University in 2019-2021, his experience sending his twin > > > > daughters to Chinese Public School, Hessler and his wife's family > > > > history of China-US encounters) into a beautiful tapestry that > > > > describes the China of today, and how it has changed over the 30+ years > > > > that the author has been going to China. > > > > > > > > Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu > > > > A novel in the style of a script for your average TV/Hollywood cop > > > > drama that explores the Asian-American experience. The novel wields > > > > Hollywood tropes about Asians brilliantly to great effect while getting > > > > to the truth about the complexities of Roles we think we're playing. > > > > > > > > The Sun Walks Down by Fiona McFarlane > > > > Using the canvas of a 6-year-old boy being lost in The Bush of Southern > > > > Australia, and the community that is looking for him, McFarlane paints > > > > a beautiful picture of the multi-faceted life of a small, Outback town > > > > in Colonial Australia. There is a cacophony of characters through whose > > > > eyes we witness the world. > > > > > > > > Mina's Matchbox by Yōko Ogawa > > > > I loved reading this book about the years young Middle Schooler Tomoko > > > > from Okayama spends with her Aunt's family in Ashiya. Tomoko develops a > > > > binding friendship with her Asthmatic cousin Mina (of the book's > > > > title). It is a coming of age story of sorts. I loved the evocative > > > > descriptions, and the painting of the life of a rich, eccentric, and > > > > loveable household in Ashiya. > > > > > > > > James by Percival Everett > > > > A brilliant alternate narrative of Huckleberry Finn. > > > > > > > > Fourteen Years with Boss by Ashokamitthiran > > > > A brisk read. Popular modernist Tamil writer's memoir about his years > > > > working in PR for Chennai's Gemini Studios in the 50's and 60's. > > > > > > > > Congo: The Epic History of a People by David Van Reybrouck > > > > Ever since I read King Leopold's Ghost in the early 2000s I've been > > > > fascinated by the history of Congo. I've consumed a couple of dozen > > > > books about the region, and dream of visiting some day. I thought I was > > > > pretty steeped in Congolese history. This book was refreshing. The > > > > author covers the usual stations of the cross of Congolese history > > > > (Stanley, King Leopold, Belgium, Independence, Lumumba, Mobutu, > > > > corruption, mining, Kabila, Hutu-Tutsi conflict, Complex wars,...), but > > > > brings fresh perspective (and the voices of many Congolese). I really > > > > liked the last chapter about how Congo-China trade is a ray of hope for > > > > a much abused nation. > > > > > > > > The Liberation of Sita by Volga > > > > A look at some incidents/characters in the Ramayana looked at through a > > > > Feminist lens. Highlights the patriarchy that pervades the popular > > > > narrative of the Ramayana. > > > > > > > > Sakina’s Kiss by Vivek Shanbhag > > > > I loved Perur's masterful translation of Shanbhag's previous book. This > > > > one didn't disappoint either. I like the ambiguity in the book. If I > > > > were to only pick two books for the entire year, I would book-end the > > > > year with Sakina’s Kiss and The Liberation of Sita. > > > > > > > > The Upstairs Delicatessen: On Eating, Reading, Reading About Eating, > > > > and Eating While Reading by Dwight Garner > > > > A memoir and a meditation on a life of Eating and Reading. I loved the > > > > author's erudition about both his chosen subjects. > > > > > > > > Chasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens by Andrea Wulf > > > > I watched the transit of Venus in California in 2012. It was beautiful > > > > seeing this tiny dot (Venus) move across the face of the sun. Back then > > > > I had not known about the importance of measuring the transit of Venus > > > > in the 1700s. Some years later I read about Cook and Bank's voyage on > > > > the endeavor. One of my favorite pieces of art is Lisa Reihana's In > > > > Pursuit of Venus (Infected). This wonderful book is the story of (some > > > > of) the scientists from around the world to measure the transit of > > > > Venus so that the distance between the earth and the sun could be more > > > > precisely calculated. The book covers both expeditions in the 1760s > > > > (Transits of Venus occur in pairs separated by a few years). > > > > > > > > -- > > > > Homer: Hey, what does this job pay? > > > > Carl: Nuthin'. > > > > Homer: D'oh! > > > > Carl: Unless you're crooked. > > > > Homer: Woo-hoo! > > > > > > > > -- > > > > Silklist mailing list > > > > [email protected] > > > > https://mailman.panix.com/listinfo.cgi/silklist > > > -- > > > Silklist mailing list > > > [email protected] > > > https://mailman.panix.com/listinfo.cgi/silklist > -- > Silklist mailing list > [email protected] > https://mailman.panix.com/listinfo.cgi/silklist
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