Milo and the Calf

Tag: recommended for the enthusiast

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    Review: Foucault in California

      Foucault in California: A True Story Wherein the Great Philosopher Drops Acid in the Valley of Death Simeon Wade Whoa boy, this one was a trip. Famous French philosopher hooks up with a young academic and an experimental musician. They head to death valley and take acid. Serious 1970s content ensues. Foucault acid trip…

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    Review: Brown’s Dare to Lead

    Dare to Lead: Brave Work, Tough Conversations, Whole Hearts Brene Brown Brown is everywhere now and a force in the world of leadership development / business psychology / personal development. Part self-help guru part executive coach, part cool mom, Brown has hit a certain sweet spot among a certain type ambitiously present upwardly mobile types…

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    Review: Williams’ the Dinosaur Artist

    The Dinosaur Artist: Obsession, Betrayal and the Quest for Earth’s Ultimate Trophy Paige Williams I have a friend who categories books such as this as “better as an article” and perhaps there is some truth to that.  Williams takes the compelling story she wrote for the New Yorker of a fossil hunter, the government of…

  • Delany’s Atheist in the Attic

    The Atheist in the Attic Samuel Delany I am a huge fan of the work of Samuel Delany and I’m convinced that a hundred years from now, he’ll be one of the most studied writers of our time. This is a minor work made of two pieces, a short novella that imagines the conversations between…

  • Smith’s Don’t Call Us Dead

    Don’t Call Us Dead: Poems Danez Smith A slim, early volume by one of my favorite working poets. You can see the visceral power and honesty here, (some of the poems here are repeated in the more comprehensive Don’t Call Us Dead) but perhaps it isn’t as fully developed as I think it is in…

  • Wright and Hope’s Billion Dollar Whale

    Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World Tom Wright and Bradley Hope     Kind of a business tell all book, but in the end more a book about hubris, greed, and insane spending sprees. This is a book about Jho Low, an overweight soft-spoken Malaysian who would, with…

  • Solider’s Whereas

    Whereas: Poems Layli Long Soldier Another book of contemporary poetry, this one short listed for the National Book Award. More formally experimental than Smith’s Don’t Call Us Dead, this one left me feeling a bit cold. While stylistically interesting, I found it a bit cold, and I prefer my poetry rawer, I think. Still, and…

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    Kurtz’s Stronger Than Iron

    Stronger Than Iron: Not Finishing Was Not An Option Wayne Kurtz and Stefan Zetterstrom There are endurance events, like a marathon, or even a half marathon. And then there are ultra endurance events, like 50 milers and hundred milers, and, I’d argue, ironmans. But then there is shit that is just so crazy that’s its…

  • Donin’s To Pray As A Jew

    To Pray As A Jew: A Guide To The Prayer Book And The Synagogue Service Hayim Halevy Donin A detailed discussion of the technical aspects of the rituals and traditions of Orthodox Jewish prayer. Literally a handbook that takes you, moment by moment, through Shabbat and daily services, and prayer at home. As I’ve written…

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    Walker’s Why We Sleep

    Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams Matthew Walker, Phd. A truly terrifying book about the long term health consequences of cutting your sleep short. Especially if, like me, you’re the parent of young children, who drinks coffee and alcohol. Its all around a grim scene, increased risk of all cause morbidity,…