For those of us who don’t subscribe to a one-size-fits-all approach, articulating a personal, intentional philosophy about when to walk away might be the best we can do. I worked in publishing for a decade and strive to be purposeful in my reading practice while routinely finishing several dozen new books a year and putting down countless others. I spoke with similarly committed writers, teachers, editors, and bookworms about their philosophies in the hopes of creating a guide for others to decide where their limits are—and when they should quit a book.
I remember the day when, at the age of 7, I realized that I wanted to figure out how reality worked. My mother and father had just taken us shopping at a market in Calcutta. On the way back home, we passed through a dimly lit arcade where a sidewalk bookseller was displaying his collection of slim volumes. I spotted an enigmatic cover with a man looking through a microscope; the words “Famous Scientists” were emblazoned on it, and when I asked my parents to get it for me, they agreed. As I read the chapters, I learned about discoveries by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek of the world of microscopic life, by Marie Curie about radioactivity, by Albert Einstein about relativity, and I thought, “My God, I could do this, too!” By the time I was 8, I was convinced that everything could be explained, and that I, personally, was going to do it.
Decades have passed, and I am now a theoretical physicist. My job is to work out how all of reality works, and I take that mission seriously, working on subjects ranging from the quantum theory of gravity to theoretical neuroscience. But I must confess to an increasing sense of uncertainty, even bafflement. I am no longer sure that working out what is “real” is possible, or that the reality that my 7-year-old self conceived of even exists, rather than being simply unknown. Perhaps reality is genuinely unknowable: Things exist and there is a truth about them, but we have no way of finding it out. Or perhaps the things we call “real” are called into being by their descriptions but do not independently exist.
As cities get hotter, architects and designers are exploring ways a building, or even an entire urban district, can be designed to create windy conditions on purpose. It could change the shape of cities, and redefine what makes a livable place in a hotter future.
A question underlying “By Any Other Name” is whether it’s more important for your work or your name to endure. Picoult argues in this substantive novel that, while a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet, even sweeter is being recognized for your achievements.
“Spirit Crossing” returns to three of the author’s familiar themes: the rape of the natural world in the pursuit of profit, the mistreatment of Native Americans, and, with emphasis this time, that thousands of Native American women and girls are missing and not much ever seems to be done about it.
Ann Powers insists that her major new book, Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell, is not a biography. Still, the legendary artist stands alone on the book’s cover, and its chapters unfold to the rhythm of Mitchell’s career from the 1960s to the present. The difference is that Traveling doesn’t train its spotlight exclusively on one star. Powers forces Mitchell to share the spotlight with many others—friends, collaborators, musicians, authors, Powers herself in confessional mode—and a sprawling backdrop of cultural and musical change. As a result, the pioneering singer-songwriter appears less singular and more life-size than ever.
As you start this book, though, you may wonder why anyone would think it’s for entrepreneurs. What Rogers has to offer is, indeed, more memoir than advice, though there are nuggets to capture on nearly every page and end-of-chapter takeaways embedded in a lively, fun sort of treasure hunt that feels friendly and approachable. Rogers’ entire life on the edge shows readers that being a little bit (or a whole lot) unique isn’t a hurdle. Unconventionality is not a deal-breaker; in fact, it can help you break into success.
This book is an inspiration — especially for readers whose dreams are burning with ideas but not a lot of coin. “The Outsider Advantage” is for when the drum beat of entrepreneurship is just too irresistible.