Category Archives: Book Notes

Notes on A.C. Grayling: The Case Against Religion and for Humanism

Posted on Thursday 12 June 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

A.C. Grayling is a British philosopher whose 2013 book The God Argument: The Case Against Religion and for Humanism, is a clear and concise summary of why religion is best abandoned and why humanism (as he describes it) is a … Continue reading →

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Clarke, Childhood’s End, part 2 – themes

Posted on Friday 6 June 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Last week I started my discussion of re-reading several classic Arthur C. Clarke novels, and summarized the plot of Childhood’s End, in this post. Now some comments on themes. My purpose in these rereadings is not to explore the history … Continue reading →

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Clarke, Childhood’s End, part 1

Posted on Saturday 31 May 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

I have been re-reading several classic novels by Arthur C. Clarke, published in the 1950s and ‘60s, because they were books that I read in my formative years (i.e. ages 13 to 15), and so influenced my early thinking and … Continue reading →

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Lucius Shepard, RIP, and Readerly Notice

Posted on Sunday 23 March 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

I did not know Lucius Shepard, beyond seeing him across the room (at the bar) at some con, perhaps the Portland Westercon in 2001, looking back at my schedule. But as a reader of his, I have the following observation. … Continue reading →

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Your Brain on Religion

Posted on Saturday 4 January 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Interesting article today on Salon, an excerpt from a book by D.F. Swaab, about to be published. This is your brain on religion: Uncovering the science of belief I especially agree with this, the first paragraph: As far as I’m … Continue reading →

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Sin against mankind

Posted on Monday 23 December 2013 by Mark R. Kelly

Back to reading that A.C. Grayling book, and can’t resist documenting for the record this passage that Grayling quotes by one W.K. Clifford: It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence. If a man, … Continue reading →

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David McRaney 2, Gravity, Haiyan, GRR Martin

Posted on Tuesday 19 November 2013 by Mark R. Kelly

I’ve been meaning to close out my thoughts on David McRaney’s brilliant second book, YOU ARE NOW LESS DUMB, which I first posted about a month ago. First, let me follow up on his ‘narrative bias’ described in the first … Continue reading →

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Review of David McRaney’s You Are Now Less Dumb, part 1

Posted on Monday 14 October 2013 by Mark R. Kelly

David McRaney’s second book, YOU ARE NOW LESS DUMB, extends the themes of his first book, in greater depth — there are 17 chapters in some 300 total pages, compared to 48 shorter chapters in the first book. And it’s … Continue reading →

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Review of David McRaney’s You Are Not So Smart

Posted on Monday 14 October 2013 by Mark R. Kelly

As I mentioned in a Facebook post last night, without bookstores to browse through, I discover titles and authors I might not otherwise have seen most often through web excerpts and interviews — at sites like Slate and Salon, Huffington … Continue reading →

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Notes on Daniel Dennett, 1

Posted on Wednesday 24 July 2013 by Mark R. Kelly

I plan to post various kinds of responses to books I’ve read or am reading; some will be reviews, some will be notes with comments. This entry is one of the latter. (Note this only covers the first 60 pages … Continue reading →

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