Great conversations in Chandler, AZ
Our next meetup will be Wednesday, December 14. We will discuss Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. The book is available for free from Project Gutenberg and also free on Amazon Kindle.
Instead of our typical location, we will meet at the Hayden Library at ASU at 6 PM to experience the Frankenstein Bicentennial Project.
Our next meetup will be Wednesday, November 9 at 6PM. We will read The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture by Glen Weldon. Amazon summarizes: “A witty, intelligent cultural history from NPR book critic Glen Weldon explains Batman’s rises and falls throughout the ages—and what his story tells us about ourselves.”
Also, at our next meetup we will pick books to read for the next six months. Please bring your ideas.
Our next meetup will be Wednesday, October 12 at 6 PM. We will read The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman.
Editorial reviews (via Amazon):
“This book changed the field of design. As the pace of technological change accelerates, the principles in this book are increasingly important. The new examples and ideas about design and product development make it essential reading.”—Patrick Whitney, Dean, Institute of Design, and Steelcase/Robert C. Pew Professor of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology
“Twenty-five years ago The Design of Everyday Things was instrumental in orienting my approach to design. With this latest revised and expanded edition, Don Norman has given me a host of new ideas to explore as well as reminding me of the fundamental principles of great and meaningful design. Part operating manual for designers and part manifesto on the power of designing for people, The Design of Everyday Things is even more relevant today than it was when first published.”—Tim Brown, CEO, IDEO, and author of Change by Design
“Norman enlightened me when I was a student of psychology decades ago and he continues to inspire me as a professor of design. His new book underpins all essential aspects of interaction design, the mother of human creation. It equips designers to make the world a safer, more pleasant and more exciting place. The cumulated insights and wisdom of the cross-disciplinary genius Donald Norman are a must for designers and a joy for those who are interested in artifacts and people.”—Cees de Bont, Dean, School of Design, and Chair Professor of Industrial Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Our next meetup will be Wednesday, September 14 at 6 PM. We will read The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu.
From Amazon:
The Three-Body Problem is the first chance for English-speaking readers to experience this multiple award winning phenomenon from China’s most beloved science fiction author, Liu Cixin.
Set against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution, a secret military project sends signals into space to establish contact with aliens. An alien civilization on the brink of destruction captures the signal and plans to invade Earth. Meanwhile, on Earth, different camps start forming, planning to either welcome the superior beings and help them take over a world seen as corrupt, or to fight against the invasion. The result is a science fiction masterpiece of enormous scope and vision.
Our next meetup will be Wednesday, July 13 at 6PM at Gangplank Chandler. We will discuss Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior by Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman.
Publisher’s weekly says:
Recently we have seen plenty of irrational behavior, whether in politics or the world of finance. What makes people act irrationally? In a timely but thin collection of anecdotes and empirical research, the Brafman brothers—Ari (The Starfish and the Spire), a business expert, and Rom, a psychologist—look at sway, the submerged mental drives that undermine rational action, from the desire to avoid loss to a failure to consider all the evidence or to perceive a person or situation beyond the initial impression and the reluctance to alter a plan that isn’t working. To drive home their points, the authors use contemporary examples, such as the pivotal decisions of presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and George W. Bush, coach Steve Spurrier and his Gators football team, and a sudden apparent epidemic of bipolar disorder in children (which may be due more to flawed thinking by doctors making the diagnoses). The stories are revealing, but focused on a few common causes of irrational behavior, the book doesn’t delve deeply into the psychological demons that can devastate a person’s life and those around him.
It’s a book that’s sure to influence how you think about thinking!
Our next meetup will be Wednesday, June 8 at 6PM at Gangplank Chandler. We will discuss Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. It’s available for free online via Project Gutenberg and also free on Kindle. We will also see the movie, preferably on that Wednesday night! An alternative/supplemental book is Castle Waiting Volume 1: Lucky Road by Linda Medley, a feminist fairy tale told in graphic-novel format.
Our next meetup will be Wednesday, May 11 at 6PM. We will discuss American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America. This controversial book argues that America is actually comprised of eleven distinct nations, each with its own history, culture and values. It’s sure to be a lively conversation, especially for people who have moved around the country!
We met on April 13 and picked a set of upcoming books to read:
Our next meetup will be Wednesday, April 13 at 6PM. We will read Sowing Seeds in the Desert: Natural Farming, Global Restoration, and Ultimate Food Security by Masanobu Fukuoka.
This book is obviously near and dear to us living in Arizona. It’s not just about food and agriculture, but also about life and philosophy.
At this meetup, we will discuss and choose what books to read over the next six months. So, come with a list of book ideas!
Our next meetup will be Wednesday, March 9 at 6 PM. We will read The Wright Brothers by David McCullough.
“A story of timeless importance, told with uncommon empathy and fluency. . . . A story, well told, about what might be the most astonishing feat mankind has ever accomplished. . . . The Wright Brothers soars.” (Daniel Okrent, The New York Times Book Review)