recently read: Accelerando and In Praise of Slowness
I am incapable of only reading ONE book at a time. Sometimes I marvel at my ability to pair books together. I found this combination fascinating to be read in semi-parallel and close succession.
I did my best to read In Praise of Slowness by Carl Honore slowly. I read the first few chapters on the subway and then one or two every couple of evenings and the last two this shabbos. I really do like it and agree with much of it, however, the main difficulty is how to be slow (and balanced) and still interact with the real world. Shabbos helps loads, but it’s not enough. I’m definitely looking forward to the three day yontif, especially due to the stresses preceding it. Having dietary concerns (almost full-celiac) helps, as I can no longer just buy pre-packaged foods easily (except during pesach, yay!!! go non-gebrochts!). He has a nice bibliography of books he’s mentioned and URL’s to visit. 5/5 stars.
Accelerando by Charles Stross is the complete and utter opposite in many ways. I picked this up because it has been short-listed for the 2006 Hugo Award. Please note that you can download this for free here in a multitude of formats; it is distributed under a Creative Commons license. I took it out from the library so I could read it over shabbos. [note to self: get e-book reader ok’d for shabbos and yontif ;) ] This is a brilliant book, Stross knocked my socks off. When my to-read pile diminishes a little more, I will go looking for his others. Society, techonlogy, implications abound. Go, read, enjoy. 5/5 stars.