Category: books

How did I come to read this book?

I read Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne because it’s on a lot of lists of classic books, and I’ve read other top Verne books, but not this one.

Then, because I somehow thought Journey to the Center of the Earth had more dinosaurs in it, I read The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle, which is possibly the one I was thinking of.

The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle made me think of Michael Crichton’s novels The Lost World and also Congo, which I read in 2010.

Congo was (according to Wikipedia) inspired by King Solomon’s Mines, a novel by H. Rider Haggard, which I’ve also repeatedly seen on lists of classic books, so I read King Solomon’s Mines.

Then, because the novel She is by the same author as King Solomon’s Mines, and I’ve seen it on lists of classics (some indicating that it was an early science-fiction or early feminist novel), I read it too.

Phew!

Overall impression? What a creepy story. Really not my style.

There were some interesting psychological/philosophical observations, and some poetic, if melancholy, descriptive passages, but mainly the atmosphere was, in general, unpleasantly macabre. The physical surroundings of the characters consisted almost entirely of caves and tombs, except when the characters were traveling on stormy seas or across mosquito-infested swamps. There is no joy in this book whatsoever; the survival of the narrator is a matter of narrow escape—of relief rather than victory. But maybe that’s the point? Reading the book is like passing through a haunted house: you frighten yourself thoroughly with impossibilities, and then return to the real world with a new appreciation for normalcy.

So yeah. Well done, H. Rider Haggard. Thanks, I hate it.

See below for some more specific observations on this unsettling book from 1886.

Continue reading She: A History of Adventure by H. Rider Haggard

When and Why I Read She: A History of Adventure

This is the other famous book by the author of King Solomon's Mines.

Genre: classic adventure
Date started / date finished: 28-Feb-25 to 08-Mar-25
Length: 245 pages
ISBN:
Originally published in: 1886/2006/2020

The subtitle of this copy is “The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity.” An alternate subtitle I’ve seen is “The Legacy of Autism and How to Think Smarter About People Who Think Differently.” But I see the book as being more of a history of autism and less of a prophecy or practical manual. That being said, it was fascinating. It’s no wonder the book won an award (the 2015 Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction, now known as the Baillie Gifford Prize).

I bought this book in 2018; I’m glad to have finally read it.

Continue reading Neurotribes by Steve Silberman

When and Why I Read Neurotribes

I've been reading about brains and genetics.

Genre: psychology
Date started / date finished: 05-Feb-25 to 22-Feb-25
Length: 486 pages
ISBN: 9780399185618
Originally published in: 2015/2016
Amazon link: Neurotribes

This adventure is full of realistic true details about, say, strangely geometric basaltic columns, but at the same time, it’s full of absolute nonsense. That’s par for the course for science-fiction, but this is early science-fiction. Now, our science-fiction stories are typically out in space, or in the future. In the time of Jules Verne, there were still many mysteries much closer to home.

Therefore, to read and enjoy this book in spite of advances in geological knowledge, you have to ignore the voice in your head that says, “Of course there isn’t a cavity deep inside the earth that sustains plant and animal life similar to the plant and animal life of prehistoric times.” You have to think to yourself, “What if there were?”

What if your uncle and employer, a grumpy old scientist—and the godfather of your charming girlfriend—proposed to go down into the theoretically hollow earth (which you believe is unbearably hot) based on some explorer’s writings from centuries ago? You’d think he was crazy, and you certainly wouldn’t want to go with him.

But your charming girlfriend tells you it is needful for you to go out into the world boldly and make a name for yourself. So you go. But you’re expecting your uncle’s crazy quest to fail at every moment, and you’re looking forward to throwing in the towel, turning around, and going home.

Eventually, you concede that you were wrong; but by that time, you’re more than a bit worried about how you’ll make it back alive to tell of the marvels you’ve seen. You descended into the bowels of the earth in a volcanic crater in Iceland, but you’ll emerge from a different volcano… in Italy!

When and Why I Read Journey to the Center of the Earth

This is one of the more famous Jules Verne stories. It keeps popping up on lists of classics. But I haven't read it, so I'm reading it.

Genre: sci-fi/adventure
Date started / date finished: 07-Feb-25 to 16-Feb-25
Length: 146 pages
ISBN: B074W95Z2Y
Originally published in: 1864/2017
Amazon link: Journey to the Center of the Earth

I used to work for Princeton University Press (PUP), and once in a while I go look through their list of new releases. There was a time when I read the whole printed catalog cover to cover in the course of my duties; it always made me want to get hold of the books and become more informed on topics ranging from the geology of South America to… Dining Posture in Ancient Rome.

Now, it’s no different. I see PUP books, I want to learn stuff! A while back I heard about a PUP sale, and made a list of books to be considered for purchase (as ebooks, since I’m out of range of most English-language book supply chains, and the books I can get aren’t cheap). But I don’t like forking over money for ebooks, because I don’t feel like they’re mine, I can’t see them on my shelf, and there’s a limitless supply of public domain ebooks that I can read for free. So in the end, I narrowed the shortlist down to just one book, this one. It purports to answer a compelling question, one that’s addressed to some extent in the twin studies book I read recently: What makes us who we are?

Continue reading Innate: How the Wiring of Our Brains Shapes Who We Are by Kevin J. Mitchell

When and Why I Read Innate: How the Wiring of Our Brains Shapes Who We Are

I'm reading this because the twins book made me want to learn more about inherent differences and similarities between people.

Genre: neuroscience
Date started / date finished: 27-Jan-25 to 07-Feb-25
Length: 306 pages
ISBN: B07CSHZRGN
Originally published in: 2018
Amazon link: Innate: How the Wiring of Our Brains Shapes Who We Are

My reading is about half fiction and half non-fiction; among non-fiction books, there are a lot of pop-science books; among the pop-science books, there are a lot of pop-psychology books. Some of the pop-psychology books have made interesting (but rather isolated) statements about twin studies. These statements intrigued me; surely the scientific study of twins deserved to be described in more depth. Finally, I’ve read a whole book about twin studies!

Author Nancy L. Segal is a researcher (and a twin) with an early 2000s-style website and a number of books to her name; this book, Entwined Lives: Twins and What They Tell Us About Human Behavior, isn’t the most recent book she’s published, but seems to be the most general. It may actually be the most accessible, general book on twin studies in existence. So if the topic interests you, read on.

Continue reading Entwined Lives by Nancy L. Segal

When and Why I Read Entwined Lives

FINALLY I'm reading a book that I hope will shed more light on my understanding of the nature/nurture debate from the perspective of twin studies. Once in a while I read a sentence that suggests a surprising amount of similarity between identical twins is innate (twin brothers separated at birth both walk backwards into the sea?), but of course the reality is complex. And maybe after this I can read a book that's more recent than 1999, lol.

Genre: biology
Date started / date finished: 28-Dec-24 to 04-Feb-25
Length: 337 pages
ISBN: 0525944656
Originally published in: 1999
Amazon link: Entwined Lives