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What NON-FICTION book would you like to read and discuss next?

Collaborate in choosing our next NON-FICTION book for group discussion within this forum. A minimum of 5 posts is necessary to participate here!
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Chris OConnor

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What NON-FICTION book would you like to read and discuss next?

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We're ready for selecting a new NON-FICTION book.

Actually, we're a bit late on picking our next read. That's my fault so I apologize. :blush:

What NON-FICTION book should we read next? Please only make suggestions here if you actually plan to participate. Post the title and maybe a few words on why you're suggesting whatever you are suggesting. And please look at the books other people have suggested and let everyone know if you like any of them or feel any of them would not make for a good discussion.

We don't really need to do a poll after this suggestion thread. Let's just have an active discussion right here and as soon as we have 5 or more members agreeing to read and discuss a book we'll go with that book. That means you should do more than just post your own suggestion. Please read about the books your fellow members have suggested and let everyone know which book suggestions you like or dislike.
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Chris OConnor

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Re: What NON-FICTION book would you like to read and discuss next?

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My non-fiction book suggestion is Cosmic Queries: StarTalk's Guide to Who We Are, How We Got Here, and Where We're Going by Neil deGrasse Tyson.

In this thought-provoking follow-up to his acclaimed StarTalk book, uber astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson tackles the world's most important philosophical questions about the universe with wit, wisdom, and cutting-edge science.

For science geeks, space and physics nerds, and all who want to understand their place in the universe, this enlightening new book from Neil deGrasse Tyson offers a unique take on the mysteries and curiosities of the cosmos, building on rich material from his beloved StarTalk podcast.
In these illuminating pages, illustrated with dazzling photos and revealing graphics, Tyson and co-author James Trefil, a renowned physicist and science popularizer, take on the big questions that humanity has been posing for millennia--How did life begin? What is our place in the universe? Are we alone?--and provide answers based on the most current data, observations, and theories.

Populated with paradigm-shifting discoveries that help explain the building blocks of astrophysics, this relatable and entertaining book will engage and inspire readers of all ages, bring sophisticated concepts within reach, and offer a window into the complexities of the cosmos.
For all who loved National Geographic's StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson, Cosmos: Possible Worlds, and Space Atlas, this new book will take them on more journeys into the wonders of the universe and beyond.
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Mr. P

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Re: What NON-FICTION book would you like to read and discuss next?

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I posted a few suggestions outside this thread....do I need to repost? Can posts be moved?
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Chris OConnor

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Re: What NON-FICTION book would you like to read and discuss next?

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It would be helpful to repost it here. You can go to your post and click "Edit" and then copy the code and paste it here. :bananadance:
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Re: What NON-FICTION book would you like to read and discuss next?

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Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know

https://m.barnesandnoble.com/w/think-ag ... 1984878106

I am not able to copy the blurbs...sorry.
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Re: What NON-FICTION book would you like to read and discuss next?

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Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything About Race, Gender, and Identity

I just found this title through a review in Skeptic Magazine. It has great reviews and seems to come from two authors that are left leaning, favoring traditional liberal sentiments. The cancel culture and the Uber PC crowd has got me down. Since I abhor the far right, I have found it challenging to also have what I feel is an equal ignorance on the side I lean toward. Let's see what these folks have to say.

https://www.amazon.com/Cynical-Theories ... 221&sr=8-1
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Re: What NON-FICTION book would you like to read and discuss next?

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The Spirit of Music: The Lesson Continues

amazon.com/Spirit-Music-Lesson-Continue ... amp;sr=8-1

Victor Wooten is arguably the best bass player on the planet...and is just an awesome human being. A personal idol of mine and the reason, along with Flea, that I moved from guitar to bass as a primary instrument.



Editorial Reviews
Review
“[A] bit like Carlos Castaneda’s shamanist tales, a bit like tween fiction, a bit like websites on, say, sonic healing through principles of sacred geometry and—at its best—an enactment of epiphanies told in the ping-pong dialogue. . . . It’s a book that stands happily against traditional music pedagogy and canned notions of achievement. This is to its great credit.” —Ben Ratliff, The Washington Post

“Wooten, bassist for Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, delivers a remarkable fable in which music is dying. . . . This allegorical foray into the power of music is both heartfelt and wildly imaginative. Music lovers will adore this sparkling manifesto.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Part exhortation, part New Age–ish memoir, part philosophical treatise, Wooten’s book is full of surprising and illuminating lessons. . . . [An] always rewarding delight for music fans of a mystical bent.” —Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
Victor L. Wooten is an American bass player, composer, producer, and five-time Grammy Award winner, as well as an original member of the jazz and bluegrass band Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. He is also the author of the parable The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth Through Music.
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Re: What NON-FICTION book would you like to read and discuss next?

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The Genius of Birds

amazon.com/Genius-Birds-Jennifer-Ackerm ... amp;sr=1-1

I have been into animals all my life. They are fascinating co-inhabitants of this planet and much more desirable to get to know better. I recently purchased this book and have my eye on "The Soul of an Octopus" as well. Intelligence in animals has traditionally been ignored or denied. But the more we learn about them, the more IGNORANT WE seem.

Editorial Reviews
Review
“[A] gloriously provocative and highly entertaining book. Jennifer Ackerman provides a masterly survey of research in the last two decades that has produced a revolution in our understanding of bird cognition. The Genius of Birds [is] important not only for what it says about birds, but also about the human ingenuity entailed in unraveling the mysteries of the avian brain. It is at once a book of knowledge but also a work of wonder and an affirmation of the astonishing complexity of our world.” —Wall Street Journal

“Lovely, celebratory. For all the belittling of ‘bird brains,’ [Ackerman] shows them to be uniquely impressive machines . . .” —New York Times Book Review

“Richly researched . . . The Genius of Birds provides engrossing evidence that will have readers looking at birds in a completely new way.” —The Daily Progress

“A lyrical testimony to the wonders of avian intelligence.” —Scientific American

“Ackerman is a pro at parsing scientific con­cepts in an accessible style, and her lyrical writing underscores her appreciation for the beauty and adaptability of birds.” —BookPage

“Ackerman writes with a light but assured touch, her prose rich in fact but economical in delivering it. Fans of birds in all their diversity will want to read this one.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Ackerman offers plenty of interesting tidbits and backs them up with the relevant history or science, using footnotes to avoid cluttering the text with anything that might slow a reader down. This is one of those terrific books that makes a scientific topic fun without dumbing it down.” —Washington Independent Review of Books

“I love birds; always have. The only thing better than love is love plus deep appreciation. The Genius of Birds is a journey of deep appreciation for the beautiful geniuses all around us, in our gardens, sharing our air, and sharing more of our minds than we might have expected.”
—Carl Safina, author of Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel

“Delightful, revolutionary, and illuminated by the clean, curious gaze of an intelligent seeker, The Genius of Birds is fueled by awe and always, its close cousin, deep respect for the condition of life. It’s a book that demands a moral consideration of the world.” —Rick Bass, author of The Ninemile Wolves and For A Little While: New and Selected Stories
About the Author
JENNIFER ACKERMAN has been writing about science, nature, and human biology for almost three decades. Her most recent books include Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream: A Day in the Life of Your Body; Ah-Choo: The Uncommon Life of Your Common Cold; Chance in the House of Fate: A Natural History of Heredity; and Notes from the Shore. A contributor to Scientific American, National Geographic, The New York Times, and many other publications, Ackerman is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship in Nonfiction, a Bunting Fellowship, and a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
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Chris OConnor

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Re: What NON-FICTION book would you like to read and discuss next?

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Awesome suggestions! I'm a nature nut myself and birds are a favorite. I've got a bluebird house right outside my office door. I am hoping they'll find it soon. There is a nest nearby and I see the male and female coming and going from the nest. Maybe next season they'll opt for my nest box.
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Re: What NON-FICTION book would you like to read and discuss next?

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Last year during the work from home phase and early covid emergence, I had an awesome thing happen. A Robin built her nest right on the front door light fixture. I got to watch the whole process from a very close viewpoint. All the chicks survived. She had two different broods too! After that, I built a small platform hoping another would use it. I made it match a small three sided structure I built the year before (was going to use it as my forge/workshop...but I have yet to do that.)
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