My book nominations

[Janet Medina]

Late to the game, but here are my book nominations. I have not read both books completely, but have read parts of both of them and saw an enlightening recent live interview with one of the authors (Michael Pollan).

Janet

A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness (2026) - Michael Pollan

In Pollan's singular narrative inquiry and deft handling of complicated subjects, he ungirds a world that reaches far deeper than the reality we wade through, day in and day out. Eye-opening and mind-expanding, A WORLD APPEARS deconstructs and rebuilds the laboratories of our minds one theory at a time, amplifying how we might make better use of our awareness and more meaningfully connect with our own souls.

I Heard There Was A Secret Chord: Music as Medicine - Daniel J. Levitin (2024)

In his latest work, neuroscientist and New York Times best-selling author Daniel J. Levitin (This Is Your Brain on Music) explores the curative powers of music, showing us how and why it is one of the most potent therapies today. He brings together, for the first time, the results of numerous studies on music and the brain, demonstrating how music can contribute to the treatment of a host of ailments, from neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, to cognitive injury, depression, and pain.

Sent from my iPad

[Chuck Mak]

My picks:

What is it like to be a bat? By Thomas Nagel 

The world of perception by Maurice Merleau-Ponty

Sent from Gmail Mobile

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SundayPhilosophers" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to sundayphilosoph...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sundayphilosophers/B3E7CA7D-E65D-43B8-A308-1AA22B967A62%40verizon.net.

[Angie Boyter]

Chuck,

The kindle version of the Merleau-Ponty was listed at $180!!! There is no audio version. Before that it sounded very intriguing.

THEN I noticed it is available from a different publisher for $15.65 kindle and $8.60 audio. That made it a lot more appealing!

Angie

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sundayphilosophers/CAA%2B61A%2By2bToA_Pd_cKmWCi2-kJfXAxz%3D9iGQn9TxZV7fiSnsw%40mail.gmail.com.

[Chuck Mak]

Just tell David he can really afford it even if its $180. 

Sent from Gmail Mobile

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sundayphilosophers/CAMeoaPw7csAB261-nM-6TOgs%2B8-XTkNgF%2B%2B73mcOx-6UtyVBSQ%40mail.gmail.com.

[Sheila Zelkowitz]

I apologize in advance for sounding or actually being an insensitive lout, but I am really having trouble with our current policy that we cannot select a book unless David can get a copy in a convenient form ( such as text to speech  applications),  I agree that we should try to find books that have an audio version,  but over the years we've eliminated really interesting selections because a single member could not access a copy.  Please understand that I am not unsympathetic but I try to make my voting decisions based solely on my interest in the book.  What do you think we should do in the future?

Sheila

Virus-free.www.avg.com

On Fri, Jun 26, 2026 at 9:52 AM Angie Boyter <angie....@gmail.com> wrote:

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sundayphilosophers/CAMeoaPw7csAB261-nM-6TOgs%2B8-XTkNgF%2B%2B73mcOx-6UtyVBSQ%40mail.gmail.com.

[Angie Boyter]

Sheila, 

You can certainly.nominate it, but be forewarned that David and I will not vote for it.

Angie

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sundayphilosophers/CAGN87vbcWcmxUpVOeb7f30uELSMour7%3DOy%3DV%2Brvv8M-fVx3QVg%40mail.gmail.com.

[Sheila Lambowitz]

Angie

That’s fine—we all vote against books we don’t want to read. That’s different from not nominating them at all.

Sheila

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 26, 2026, at 11:28 AM, Angie Boyter <angie....@gmail.com> wrote:



To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sundayphilosophers/CAMeoaPx5sDqq8tk_SdqTXNs-n%3DjuuvTLE3AsH9U3jx7vnk5E7w%40mail.gmail.com.

[Steven Clark Cunningham]

Given that the technology has advanced so quickly, and that apps like Speechify and OCR apps are so good now, it seems like this should be a moot point.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Can+you+have+any+print+book+read+to+you%3F&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#lfId=ChxjMe

Steve

Sent from my mobile phone. Please excuse typos, etc.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sundayphilosophers/51E646A8-AD85-4EFC-8D51-0EE6BEE0ABFB%40gmail.com.

[Angie Boyter]

Steve, 

Thank you, but David has unfortunately had vision problems for MANY years and as a result never got a cell phone.

He gets books from the National Library for the Blind and can listen to Audible books on his reader for the blind but has not found any other sources.

I wish he could get onto  a cell phone, but I am not the person to try to teach him to use one!

Angie

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sundayphilosophers/CAH16UxsKobzCg5RFKeqfyasUw7g2Qt_MXZTe52oSzYBmzCwWXg%40mail.gmail.com.

[Steven Clark Cunningham]

Yes, I get it, Angie.  Do you guys have a computer or tablet? Maybe would work on that also?

Looking forward to coming to your place on Sunday!

Steve

Sent from my mobile phone. Please excuse typos, etc.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sundayphilosophers/CAMeoaPy5ka7CokPZq_2jsdX%2Bko%2B6CyS78jpND2orOU1KGPZ_5w%40mail.gmail.com.

[Karl Kasamon]

I think we can nominate two books so for the second one I would like to nominate 

On Tyrany, 

(2017) by Timothy Snyder, a Yale historian specializing in 20th-century Europe and the Holocaust.

The book’s core argument is that our political order faces threats not unlike the totalitarianism of the twentieth century, and that we are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism, or communism — but our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience.

The 126-page book is presented as a series of twenty practical instructions on combating the rise of tyranny, such as “defend institutions,” “remember professional ethics,” and “believe in truth.”  Some other lessons include things like taking responsibility for the public symbols around you, being kind to language and avoiding empty clichés, and investigating things for yourself rather than passively accepting what you’re told.

Karl 

Please excuse brevity and typos, sent from iPhone

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sundayphilosophers/CAH16UxtsKg6kptSmm61FbcmKwL740nff3kiqT-czR5uFfcUcUQ%40mail.gmail.com.