Zeno of Elea, H.D.P. Lee

 

Zeno of Elea:  A text with translation and notes by Henry Desmond Pritchard Lee

Started: August 18, 2026
Completed: August 20, 2026
Recommendation: Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody

Media: Paperback

Words for which I sought help:

otiose -- of no use; pointless or superfluous

puerile -- immature, especially in being silly or trivial; childish

Review:

There is very little reference to Zeno in existing works and no original works of Zeno have been found as of now.  I feel that Lee goes as far as possible with the small scraps he addresses.  I never thought of Zeno as the founder of the dialectic (I thought it was Socrates, but I was clearly wrong) and am glad to know more of him.

Being You, Anil Seth

 

Being You:  A new science of consciousness by Anil Seth

Started: December 2, 2023
Completed: August 17, 2026
Recommendation: Highly Recommended
Recommended By: Anil Seth at a lecture he gave

Review:

It took me a long time to read this book.  That was true for two reasons:  1) I often read to escape and this book is no escape and 2) the material required thought.  The basic argument is that living and consciousness are linked (the need to protect one's life is a significant part of consciousness).  "Living" does not rule out computer based life, but it would have to have a threat to its existence which required maintenance and occasional careful consideration.  I found the argument broadly compelling.

For We Are Many, Dennis E. Taylor

 

For We Are Many by Dennis E. Taylor is the most recent book in the Bobiverse series

Started: March 26, 2026
Completed: August 12, 2026
Recommendation: Highly Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody
Media: Audio on CD

Review:

I wondered how far von Neumann machines as a center point for a story could go.  I didn't think very far, but this book is excellent.  It is amazing to me that Taylor keeps coming up with complex and believable ideas on how the future might unroll.  Really enjoyed this book.

Villa Coco, Andrew Sean Greer

 

Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer

Started: July 31, 2026
Completed: August 6, 2026
Recommendation: Recommended
Recommended By: My Wife
Media: Audio

Review:

This book was fun!  There was a bit of a mystery, a bit of romance, and a bit of conniving.  All of that blended together in Greer's odd style to create an enjoyable read.

Senlin Ascends, Josiah Bancroft

 

Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft is the first book in the Books of Babel series.

Started: July 23, 2026
Completed: July 30, 2026
Recommendation: Highly recommended
Recommended By: A reviewer on youtube.
Media: Audio

Review:

I kind of thought that a series about the Tower of Babel would have religious overtones, but this does not have any overt religion (there are some moral lessons, but it doesn't seem to be an allegory or anything like that).  Instead, the tower serves as a backdrop for a search and rescue or mission oriented story.  The character development is interesting, although some characters seem to follow a basic structure, none are particularly strongly correlated with the basic structure.  This was a fun read with plenty of unexpected adventure and largely the story of naïveté graduating into a better understanding of how to work with the world in which one finds ones self.  Bancroft has done a good job with world creation and sets a nice backdrop for the main character to do the things that seem well beyond a school head master.

Athens and Sparta, Adrian Goldsworthy

 

Athens and Sparta:  The rivalry that shaped ancient Greece by Adrian Goldsworthy

Started: July 10, 2026
Completed: July 23, 2026

Recommendation: Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody
Media: Audio

Review:

This book is a little dry and assumes awareness of some Ancient Greek history.  Goldsworthy is clear about the areas where there is speculation and he is quick to try and bracket things like troop estimates realistically.  He is also straight forward in pointing out that the history was written basically by the victor as there are no significant records of the Spartan perspective.  I think that this was a good overview of the relationship between the cities and offers a good foundation for a deeper study.

The Dragon Round, Stephen S. Power

 

The Dragon Round by Stephen S. Power

Started: June 14, 2025
Completed: July 22, 2026
Recommendation: Recommended
Recommended By:  Power and I chatted on Twitter several (maybe 10?) years ago (I think he was an editor for a book I had enjoyed, but my Twitter account is no more since Musk took over).  He was an interesting person and I wanted to support his work, so I picked up the book.

Media: Trade paperback

Words for which I sought help:

grue -- a shiver or a shudder

penteconter -- An ancient Greek sailing vessel (used for both war and trade) with 50 oars

Review:

I enjoyed this book which is sort of a castaway story.  Parts of the book felt rushed to me, but it is a good story.  The argument for personal revenge is not made as strongly as I would have liked and while it feels like the main characters undergo some growth and character change, as the book comes to its end, it feels like the characters have reverted to form.