Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking - Susan Cain

A book on introverts in a world where extroversion is the norm, how introverts can better deal with that world, and how extroverts should make better use of the special qualities that introverts possess.

Sadly, the book is typical example of the Malcolm Gladwell school of writing, with a mix of some research, wide extrapolations and the author's ideas all mixed up. And descriptions of how the researchers look -- really?!

I actually think the book /has/ a point, and I think some of the 'findings' make sense; but perhaps a magazine article would be enough for this?

I enjoyed Through the Language Glass: Why the World Looks Different in Other Languages. I liked it best for being a tour through the way linguists and cogsci people refined their methodologies (or how much data it took to force them to), more than as a study of cutting edge conclusions.

Social Perception and Social Reality: Why Accuracy Dominates Bias and Self-Fulfilling Prophecy looks like it might be interesting, but I haven't read it yet. (The basic premise is that an unbiased look at the psychological literature confirms that stereotypes are generally accurate and biases generally weak and fleeting.)

Via Davis Kingsley I was introduced to An Elementary Approach to Thinking Under Uncertainty, a little textbook that does a pretty good job of helping students apply the cogsci of rationality to their everyday lives, stuffed full with examples and exercises (which could be a gold mine for CFAR, honestly).

This is probably old hat to a lot of people here, but I recently discovered Ted Chiang and he is fantastic. Genuinely mind-expanding fiction, in the vein of Borges. A couple of specific recommendations, with links to electronic versions, although you should really just buy this book:

The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate - The best time travel story ever!

Exhalation

Just finished The Name of the Wind. Lots of great passages, but not enough sweetness and too much bitterness for my taste in fantasy. The retelling of the story by a dispirited hero is an unfortunate format, as we already know that he does not really win in the end.

Hopefully the sequel is better, if I am to believe an Amazon reviewer that "most of the book is about Kvothe having sex and learning how to fight and having sex with people who train him to fight or fight with him."

Started 50 Shades of Grey. So far it reads like Twilight, only Bella is 21 and Edward is a tycoon.

I forgot to post in the August thread, so I'll do it here. I read Fallout: Equestria over a few days, and it was actually really good. (Way better than the current rationalist MLP fic.)

I continue re-reading Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series of nautical historical novels set during the Napoleonic wars in early 19th century. These are probably the best historical novels ever written, and I see them as one of the great achievements of 20th century literature.

I read three of these last month, finishing with The Far Side of the World. Every page brings delight, and instills a fuller, richer sense of life than almost any other book I've read in years.

Recommendation: the novel 'Spur', by Phil Geusz

Our protagonist has accepted being cursed into the shape of a horse, taking the place of a wealthy man in exchange for luxuries and lots of monthly cash. The wealthy man dies - and to his horror, our hero finds he is still a horse. Events escalate, secrets are revealed, personal growth happens. While not exactly dedicated to Bayesianism or even just rationality, the climax involves the expression of a sentiment familiar to any reader of HPMoR who's gotten to the bits about dementors, and seems to express it quite well in terms readers more familiar with fantasy than science-fiction can appreciate, which could form a stepping-stone to dealing with the idea of existential risks in the real world.

Discovered through this review. Available through Lulu or Amazon for $15, or as a PDF or HTML ebook for $6.