While looking for an old post for a reader, I came upon one of the bestseller lists I did last year, which reminded me that I hadn’t posted one of these in a while.  I had been trying to keep them up quarterly so that readers of this blog could see the books other readers were buying, but, what with all the links required, these posts are a real hassle to put up. So, since I, like most everyone else, gravitate toward pleasure and away from pain, I’ve not kept up with my quarterly timetable.

I can probably muster up the gumption to do it annually, so here is the list of the bestselling books from 2008.  These are the books that readers of this blog purchased through Amazon by clicking on the links or book icons on my blog, MD’s blog and the home page of the website.  I’ve listed only books not written by MD and/or me.

The number one bestselling book was Mistakes Were Made, which is one of the better books that I’ve read in a long, long time.  It’s now out in paperback, so if you haven’t read it, get a copy.  It explains in an easy-to-read way how the confirmation bias works and why we all need to carefully examine why we believe what we believe.  And it shows the validity of Stuart Chase’s famous quote: Read more »

Seattle skyline from the plane window as we flew in a couple of days ago

I’ve long thought the critical thinking skills of the majority of Americans have been decaying over time.   More and more people seem to accept whatever they hear from a television commentator or a newspaper reporter without ever considering that whatever they’re hearing may be incorrect.   In many ways we’ve become a nation of sheep, and kind of stupid sheep, at that.   When I ponder on this, I always think of my favorite George Carlin quote:

Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.

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Skulls in our library. See bottom of post for description.

In 1981 MD and I read a book that changed our lives.  I don’t know why because I didn’t have a particular interest in paleontology or anthropology at the time, but I picked up a copy of Lucy: the Beginnings of Humankind by Donald Johanson.  The book sat around the house for awhile before I found the time to read it, but when I started reading, I couldn’t quit.  It was an absolutely riveting read.

I carried the book with me and read it everywhere.  At the time, I was doing a lot of emergency room medicine, so I took the book along on one of my 24 hour shifts.  As luck would have it, I had a slow night, so instead of sacking out as I would have usually done, making sure I got some shut eye before the inevitable car wreck or gunshot wound showed up to shatter my peace, I read Lucy.  I finished it sometime during the middle of the night and the couldn’t get back to sleep for thinking about it.  I couldn’t wait to get home to MD and tell her about it and force her – at gunpoint, if necessary – to read it.  I couldn’t live with myself if I were this enthusiastic about something and had no one to discuss it with.

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NOTE: EFFECTIVE DEC 29, 2008 WE ARE TEMPORARILY SUSPENDING THIS OFFER.  DON’T WORRY, WE WILL DO IT AGAIN SOON.  AS IT TURNS OUT OUR SHOPPING CART WAS OVERWHELMED WITH ORDERS AND CRASHED REPEATEDLY CAUSING ALL KINDS OF PROBLEMS.  WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF OBTAINING A NEW AND IMPROVED SHOPPING CART.  WHEN WE’VE GOT IT UP AND FUNCTIONAL, WE’LL  REPEAT THIS OFFER.  THANKS FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING.

MD and I escaped from snowy Seattle to a windy, overcast – but snow free – Dallas where we had our own Merry Christmas with kids and grandkids.  Chaos has reigned since we arrived and was over the top yesterday.  Now that I’ve had a chance to catch my breath, I’d like to wish all readers of this blog a belated Merry Christmas and a great holiday season whatever holiday it is you celebrate.

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