Monday Musings

Every Monday, Should Be Reading posts a list of questions people can write on as they like. I don't think I've ever participated before, but I usually enjoy reading others' responses. The questions are:

• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it!
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!

I recently purchased The Plain Reader: Essays on Making a Simple Life, and anticipate it arriving in the post sometime this week. I first heard about it on The Sprocket podcast, which covers bikes, beer, music, and 'simplifying the good life'.   I have on order, through Interlibrary Loan, two books: Frans de Waal's Chimpanzee Politics, and a bit of historical fiction by David Liss called A Spectacle of Corruption.   Last year I purchased eighty books, which is waaaaaaaaaay too many,  and right now I'm trying to declutter.

I currently starting two books, Neil Shubin's Your Inner Fish and Michael Shermer's The Believing Brain. I've read both authors before; in fact, I read Shubin just a few weeks ago. I enjoyed his The Universe Within Us, but haven't posted comments yet.  Your Inner Fish has been on my to-read list foreeeeeever, and I bought it a few weeks ago because I wanted a science read.