my mind on books

Mindfield: How Brain Science is Changing Our World by Lone Frank (Oneworld Publications, 2009), originally published in Danish in 2007, is now available in English translation.

Product description from the publisher:

Our world is about to be revolutionised. The way we see economics, health, and law enforcement will change. Our perception of happiness, advertising, and even morality will be turned upside down.

Reporting from the frontlines, award-winning writer Lone Frank tracks down the world’s top researchers in brain science and bravely volunteers herself in the name of discovery. As she enrols in a globe-spanning experiment on the moral nature of humanity, endures brain scans to learn the secrets of empathy, and dons a God Helmet to probe the neurological nature of religious experience, her adventures open the door to a plethora of shocking, mind-bending, and frequently comical revelations.

An insider’s guide to the outermost boundaries of brain science, Mindfield offers an uplifting vision of what it means to be human in the new age of the brain.

A sample chapter is available at the publisher’s website.

(I don’t know much about this book but like the title)…
Wild Chickens and Petty Tyrants: 108 Metaphors for Mindfulness by Arnie Kozak (Wisdom Publications, 2009)

Description from the publisher:

Product Description
Mindfulness is a process of self-inquiry directed at what is happening in the moment, a focus on experience as it occurs without inner commentary or judgment. Metaphors are indispensable to mindfulness practice. They motivate us, help us bring mindfulness into daily life, and show us how to use mindfulness as a tool for self-improvement. Their imagery helps anchor understanding and provides a bridge from concept to experience. This book presents 108 metaphors for mindfulness, meditation practice, self-change, acceptance, and other related concepts. Compiled by the author over a 25-year period, they employ imagery as diverse as the inner mute button, Earl Gray tea, and the bladder of Oliver Cromwell. Many are original; others are selected from the classic literature on Buddhism and mindfulness. Each is a node in a network of interweaving concepts that enliven the experience of mindfulness while alleviating stress, anxiety, and depression.

Book’s website includes an excerpt, blog, and more.

Alltop, (found via Mashable) “inspired by popurls,” aggregates stories on many topics, including books, philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, Buddhism, lifehacks…

The New York Times Notable Books of 2008 list is out. Here are the more “mind-related” highlights from the nonfiction list (with links to Amazon and to the New York Times review):

Descartes’ Bones: A Skeletal History of the Conflict between Faith and Reason by Russell Shorto (NYT review)

The Drunkard’s Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives by Leonard Mlodinow (NYT review)

A Great Idea at the Time: The Rise, Fall, and Curious Afterlife of the Great Books by Alex Beam (NYT review)

How Fiction Works by James Wood (NYT review)

Moral Clarity: A Guide for Grown-Up Idealists by Susan Neiman (NYT review)

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely (NYT review)

A Secular Age by Charles Taylor (NYT review)

The Superorganism: The Beauty, Elegance, and Strangeness of Insect Societies by Bert Hölldobler and E.O. Wilson (NYT review)

The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America by David Hadju (NYT review)

Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us) by Tom Vanderbilt (NYT review)

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