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CRAVING Judson Brewer (2017). The Craving Mind. Brewer is a medical doctor with a PhD; he directs the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Ample research supports the claims, and his writing style is often framed as a puzzle taking the reader on an investigation, revealing discoveries layer by layer, with a conclusion at the end of the chapter...i prefer the outcome/claim/learning at the beginning, and then, for those that wish, they can follow the trail backward. There is a heavy emphasis on Buddhist meditation and mindfulness, accompanied by his personal experiences on retreats in these two areas. The best and most practical learning occurs near the beginning of the book and is called the RAIN (an acronym) method for dealing with addiction (defined as any continuing behavior that produces negative/unwanted consequences).  R=recognize and relax into the experience A=accept and allow whatever is happening I=investigate the experience, get curiou...
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I CHING Frank MacHovec (2007). Pocket I Ching. MacHovec has an MA in educational and counseling psychology and a PhD in clinical psychology, he worked for 30 years in the profession in a number of organizations legend says that Fultsi created the I Ching around 2800 BC, a system of 64 hexagrams of yin and yang patterns for understanding the cycles of life and death MacHovec's interpretations of the 64 hexagrams are mixed, some better than others...i prefer the actual I Ching in all its imagery and detail, although the images might be difficult for modern eyes to interpret, so an interpretation like MacHovecs can be useful. Themes that suggest their own practices: apply minimal effort toward issues, problems, projects...the goldilocks "just right amount" let there be rest and relaxation between periods of working and learning keep things simple as possible learn from mistakes--ok to fail...just part of learning do the right thing and let the chips fall wherever they fall--...
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101 SUBVERSIVE Jeffrey Schrank (1972). Teaching Human Beings:                                                 101 Subversive Activities for the Classroom. I couldn't find any official educational credentials for Schrank, but i verified that he was a high school English teacher at a private school. The book's activities are targeted to high school students but they could be adapted to later grades chool, college, and even adults. One theme is the need to UNLEARN the negative and/or misinformed conditioning of parents and teachers so that one can be more positive and better informed about life. The first set of activities (which we generally do not learn in formal schooling) is to educate the SENSES...some examples: touch a tree, rain, grass, food, bodies, hold hands while walking; observe closely clouds, insects, flowers, eyes... A second set of...
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SNOW GOOSE Paul Gallico (1945). The Snow Goose. Gallico graduated from Columbia University, became a journalist, and later a famous novelist. this is the story of Philip, a hunch backed, claw handed, kind hearted painter and friend of birds who lives alone in an abandoned lighthouse on the edge of the North Sea wall in England. A young girl Frith comes to him with an injured snow goose that they both care for...when the goose leaves, Frith leaves, when the seasons change and the goose returns, Frith returns, year after year...Philip also has a small sailboat that he eventually takes on a trip to rescue men on a beach from German attack across the channel...Philip dies after saving many men, and the men tell the story of seeing a goose circle which meant that they would be saved...Frith returns to the lighthouse to retrieve a painting Philip made of her, and the snow goose takes its final leave, symbolizing Philip saying goodbye and Frith sending her love...the Germans mistake the light...
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LOVE & RISK Nora Roberts (1999). The MacGregors:                                             For Now, Forever (1987), [and]                                            In From the Cold (1990). "For Now, Forever" is the story of Daniel MacGregor, head of the clan, and his courting and marriage to Anna, his doctor-wife...i appreciate the personalities of both Daniel and Anna, unique, different, filled with life and charm. "Take love where it is offered. Let it live with you. Don't be afraid..." (114)   "In From the Cold" is the story of Ian MacGregor, caught between his Scottish highland roots and the years just before the American Revolution...Ian is wounded after the Boston Tea Party by a musket, riding in the snow to ...
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CENTAUR Cory Doctorow (2026). The Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life after AI. Doctorow has no formal degrees, but has 2 honorary doctrates in computer science and law, and serves as visiting professor at several universities. Centaur is a person assisted by a machine--the person is in charge of the work, whereas the reverse centaur is a person in servitude to the machine--forced (imposed from the outside) to work at the rate of the machine.  If we use AI (artifical intelligence) as a centaur, it can be a useful supplement to our work, however, if we are forced to use AI by someone (like our boss), then we've become the reverse centaur. In viewing tech like AI, Dorcorow recommends we not only ask what the tec does, but more importantly, ask who it does it to, and who it does it for (for what purpose). The surprising thing to me is that most of the AI narratives are targeted to attract investors (not users). AI demos and stories excite our imagination, many of which turn out to b...
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POSSIBILITIES & ART Nora Roberts (1985). All the Possibilities, & One Man's Art. These are books 4 & 5 of Roberts' Mac Gregor saga.  All the Possibilities is the story of Alan (serious politician) and Shelby (creative potter). "With Shelby, sometimes watching was enough." (1991) One Man's Art is the story of Grant (comic strip artist) and Gennie (painter artist)...both are famous but Grant secretly lives in a lighthouse in Maine with only his initials attached to his daily published comic, and Gennie's art is shown internationally, her home base in bustle of downtown New Orleans. "...summer...it always seems to end before you're finished with it." practices: spend time watching/observing someone perform a simple task requiring movement that takes at least 5 mins (e.g., doing dishes, ironing, sweeping the floor, cooking a meal)...notice body movement, especially the hands...what feelings are elicited by careful observation? this summ...
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