City Travel Guides > Books > Society- Politics and Philosophy

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.Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
City Travel Guides > Books > Society- Politics and Philosophy
by: Daniel C. Dennett

March 29, 2007
I've been a Daniel Dennett fan ever since The Mind's Eye, a mind-opening book he co-authored/edited with Douglas Hofstadter. In similar vein, I was enthralled by Kinds of Minds; and Darwin's Dangerous Idea showed just how extensive and versatile a thinker Dennett is.

So I was surprised to be disappointed by Breaking the Spell. Maybe it's because I'm older and wiser, or maybe I was expecting this book to be something that it wasn't, but it just seemed to lack substance. The essential thesis of the book is that religious belief is no sacred cow, and should be open to the same level of scientific and philosophical investigation as any other sphere of human activity. This much could have been said in less than a page; and Dennett is ... Read More:
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.Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain
City Travel Guides > Books > Society- Politics and Philosophy
by: Oliver Sacks

November 02, 2007
By now, it's a given that an Oliver Sacks' book is worth your time and close attention. His particular talent lies in making the science interesting without becoming a "pop-science" writer. This is not an easy achievement, but Sacks manages it with facility. He can explain the science in terms of case studies - many of which have claimed his medical attention. He does this while mixing in experiences of his own and some personal reflections which are anything but intrusions. While some of his books are essays on selected individuals ["An Anthropologist on Mars" is an example], this one has a very special focus: the minds that make music unbidden.

Music arising in the mind without prompting may seem a common enough occurence. The advertising industry ... Read More:
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.Overcoming Social Anxiety: A Self-help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioural Techniques
City Travel Guides > Books > Society- Politics and Philosophy
by: Gillian Butler

May 27, 1999
This book is not bad, but it's not very good either. The book is detailed and gives a good description of what social anxiety and shyness is and how it develops and continues, but it is missing something. In some parts the book is painfully dry. I think I'll need to see a professional to help me overcome my problems.
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.Understanding Child Development Linking Theory and Practice (A Hodder Arnold Publication)
City Travel Guides > Books > Society- Politics and Philosophy
by: Jennie Lindon

April 29, 2005
This book is not bad, but it's not very good either. The book is detailed and gives a good description of what social anxiety and shyness is and how it develops and continues, but it is missing something. In some parts the book is painfully dry. I think I'll need to see a professional to help me overcome my problems.
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.We-think: The Power of Mass Creativity
City Travel Guides > Books > Society- Politics and Philosophy
by: Charles Leadbeater

February 18, 2008
This book is not a good example of 'collaboration' as it never really gets the reader engaged. The authors ramblings tend to bore and towards the end I just skipped sections when I sensed a 'ramble' coming on. Also on page 155 I can't see how 150 Terrabytes of storage = Billions of Laptops - more like a few hundred and the 'Replicator' was a Star trek piece of kit - not Star Wars... You'd be better off reading Wikinomics as some of the stories mentioned in this book are in Wikinomics and much better described with more depth and useful facts. Avoid!
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.My New Baby (All in a Day)
City Travel Guides > Books > Society- Politics and Philosophy
from: Child's Play (International) Ltd

2000-03
I bought this book on the strength of the other reviews and it did not disappoint. The illustrations are lovely, and I was delighted to see depictions of breastfeeding the new baby included.
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.Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ
City Travel Guides > Books > Society- Politics and Philosophy
by: Daniel Goleman

September 12, 1996
Very interesting for someone new to the concept of emotional intelligence, especially parents or teachers. Almost all examples and studies are drawn from children (kindergarten or primary school age, mostly), and how their EQ can be observed and stimulated. However, the book of limited use to adults who want to understand the strengths and limitations of their own emotional intelligence, or how to improve it.
I gather when this book first came out it was a groundbreaking work. Much research and writing has been done since then, so there are probably better choices for someone who wants to learn about emotional intelligence in adults.
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.The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives
City Travel Guides > Books > Society- Politics and Philosophy
by: Leonard Mlodinow

May 29, 2008

Have you ever flipped a coin 100 times to see the sequence of heads and tails that comes up? If you have, you know that there can be long streaks of heads and tails. Random results that end up 50-50 don't look that way in the short term.

Human perception is such that we like to find patterns where none exist. I remember the CEO of a company I worked for would draw a trend line through one data point with great authority, totally unaware of what he was doing.

More often, we judge by samples of behavior and time that are too short to be representative. Professor Mlodinow does a good job of showing how executives are often fired just before they get their best results, and how seldom the new executive does any better than the prior one.

In sports, ... Read More:
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.Understanding Children's Development (4th Edition) (Basic Psychology S.) (Basic Psychology)
City Travel Guides > Books > Society- Politics and Philosophy
by: Peter Smith, Helen Cowie, Mark Blades

February 17, 2003
Its a very good book covering all areas very well.
A good accompanyment to a BA Early Years Education.
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.Sod That for a Game of Soldiers
City Travel Guides > Books > Society- Politics and Philosophy
by: Mark Eyles-Thomas

June 01, 2007
I feel i have to write in a retort to Jayetee's reveiw. The comments about the authour being rude and abusive, although being his/her personnel opinion should not stand.
I have recently laid the book down after what i can describe as one of the most moving accounts that i have ever digested.
Mark Eyles-Thomas served with the Parachute Regiment, calling all other members of the armed forces who did not earn the Maroon beret as HATS, is what is best described as banter, mickey taking and having a massive sense of self pride. What the Paras and other elite units do is not normal, these people are close, because of what they are asked to do; by people sat in their living rooms and cosy offices. Is the reviewer so naive as to think those HATS do not have their own colourful language to describe ... Read More:
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Used Price: £3.88