Little Pixie Posted April 24, 2014 Share Posted April 24, 2014 (edited) This book wasn't exactly what I thought it was. A lot of the information in it is based on taoism. I didn't know anything about taoism, nor that the book would talk about it. The one thing that didn't appeal to me, were the 'exercises' described in the book. The author tells things like, rub with your hands in circles 36 times over this area. To me it didn't seem to make much sense, it didn't appeal to me and the amount of times (36, 81, 9) seemed a bit random. I do Taoist Tai Chi and I`m guessing those numbers are based on the number `3` , ie, they`re all divisable by that number. 3 has something to do with stability ( a chair with 3 legs will always balance, oslt ), though I think it`s still confusing. BTW, great book haul ! Edited April 24, 2014 by Little Pixie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I wonder if the repetition serves as a sort of placebo effect? If a person thinks they are doing something healing, sometimes it's simply a function of mind over matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 25, 2014 Author Share Posted April 25, 2014 Hi Athena, haven't read the book and also know nothing of Taoism....but I am thinking that with the general run of people who's brains are wired normally, repetitious movements- like controlled breathing does- might serve to switch the brain off thinking about immediate surroundings and into a different mental state. Maybe. Just guessing. Or the whole thing might be a load of mumbo jumbo you just saw straight through! Some things we do must often seem illogical to an autistic person. Thanks for the review.x I suppose you're right, good thinking . x I do Taoist Tai Chi and I`m guessing those numbers are based on the number `3` , ie, they`re all divisable by that number. 3 has something to do with stability ( a chair with 3 legs will always balance, oslt ), though I think it`s still confusing. BTW, great book haul ! x Personally I don't like the number 3 . I avoid it! I find it hard to eat three of something, I try to usually make it either 2 or 4 (ie. eating 3 cucumber slices feels uncomfortable). I'm getting better at it though and more tolerant of it. It makes sense though, those numbers do all relate to the number 3. x I wonder if the repetition serves as a sort of placebo effect? If a person thinks they are doing something healing, sometimes it's simply a function of mind over matter.x I suppose that could be true, yes . I hadn't really thought of it that way. Thanks for all your comments . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Personally I don't like the number 3 . I avoid it! I find it hard to eat three of something, I try to usually make it either 2 or 4 (ie. eating 3 cucumber slices feels uncomfortable). I'm getting better at it though and more tolerant of it. It makes sense though, those numbers do all relate to the number 3. Ooh, interesting. Is it a thing about the geometry of even numbers being calming, due you think ? If it`s not being too nosy, what sort of art do you like, if any ? I`m very fond of these - Pissarro , Roerich, Edward Hopper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Personally I don't like the number 3 . I avoid it! I find it hard to eat three of something, I try to usually make it either 2 or 4 (ie. eating 3 cucumber slices feels uncomfortable). I'm getting better at it though and more tolerant of it. That is very Sheldon-like! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Signor Finzione Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 x Personally I don't like the number 3 . I avoid it! I find it hard to eat three of something, I try to usually make it either 2 or 4 (ie. eating 3 cucumber slices feels uncomfortable). I'm getting better at it though and more tolerant of it. It makes sense though, those numbers do all relate to the number 3. x Do you do it with the TV volume too? I do! It has to be on an even number. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Just catching up on the thread - glad you liked the game of thrones book. I'm on book two at the moment, so I'll be reading that one soon hopefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 26, 2014 Author Share Posted April 26, 2014 Ooh, interesting. Is it a thing about the geometry of even numbers being calming, due you think ? If it`s not being too nosy, what sort of art do you like, if any ? I`m very fond of these - Pissarro , Roerich, Edward Hopper. x I don't know, there are odd numbers I like too, such as 25 (my birthday). But overall I do like the even numbers a lot too. The square root of two is also a favourite of mine. I've known this number up to 30~ decimals from when I was 14. I tend not to volunteer this knowledge usually, because back at secondary school people laughed at me for learning it and liking it. My family likes it though and so does my boyfriend. I quite like a lot of paintings, those you linked are really nice! I have only seen the Pissarro one before. I'm not much into modern art, I prefer art from earlier times. I'd like to see more art, but so far have been too tired to travel to a museum. I did buy a book about paintings so I look forward to going through that. I went to some museums while at secondary school but everyone else didn't like it, while I enjoyed seeing the art, so I never really pursued my interests any further. I was taught about art at secondary school but I'm afraid I've forgot most of it. x That is very Sheldon-like!x That's true! x Do you do it with the TV volume too? I do! It has to be on an even number. x I always set the TV volume at set volumes , which ones they are depends on the TV used. We have one in the bakery (my grandma's old TV) and one in the main house, that I use, and it depends also on if I'm playing a game, watching TV or watching a DVD or Blu-ray, since the volumes differ for those (tbh, I haven't played a game in a while with sound on, if I play any games I usually have the sound off). It also depends who else is watching with me, if it's just me I normally have it on softer than when there are multiple people with me. My family prefers it when things are a bit louder. x Just catching up on the thread - glad you liked the game of thrones book. I'm on book two at the moment, so I'll be reading that one soon hopefully.x I hope you enjoy them all too . I'm currently reading the fourth one and enjoying it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 26, 2014 Author Share Posted April 26, 2014 Dr. Richard Béliveau and Dr. Denis Gingras - Eet Gezond, Leef Gezond: De Invloed Van Voeding En Dagelijkse Leefstijl Op Onze Gezondheid (La Santé par le Plaisir de Bien Manger) Genre: Information Age-range: Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 272 Synopsis (GoodReads):From the authors of the bestselling Foods That Fight Cancer and Cooking with Foods That Fight Cancer comes a vital resource: a fascinating, indispensable guide to eating our way to good health. In this highly anticipated addition to their bestselling series, Dr. Richard Béliveau and Dr. Denis Gingras continue to discuss the powerful link between food and health, this time turning their lens on a broader array of diseases and conditions. With their trademark accessible explanations of complex medicine and research, the authors discuss the impact of diet on obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer. And again they show us just how easy (and pleasurable) it can be to alter our diets for optimum health. My thoughts: I bought this book at a book fair a few months ago. I felt like reading something to do with healthy food. The book is colourful with nice graphs, tables and pictures. I quite liked the layout, it was very clear. The graphs and tables are very useful and are referred to in the main text. The text is well written and reads easily. It explains things very clearly. I had some memories of my biology lessons, as a few things that are mentioned in the book I learned during those lessons. The book has inspired me to eat healthier. While I don't like every food that the authors have described, I do like quite a few of them and it'd be good for me to eat healthier (though I'm eating somewhat healthy at the moment, relatively speaking. I eat quite a few vegetables). It has also encouraged me to lose more weight (which I was already doing though). I really enjoyed reading this book. It has educated me and was interesting, fun to read and inspirational. Rating: ***** (9/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 26, 2014 Author Share Posted April 26, 2014 I feel my review doesn't really do the book justice. But I'm so tired.. I found it difficult to even write a review. On a side note, I've read 64 books this year so far, 18608 pages (excluding the book I'm reading atm, A Feast for Crows). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 64 books in 4 months is jaw-dropping . I am way behind at 23 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 26, 2014 Author Share Posted April 26, 2014 I never thought I'd get that far to be honest! Though what matters is that you have fun in your reading, so as long as you have fun, 23 is good too! (besides, 23 is an excellent number ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 Do you like prime numbers, Athena? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted April 26, 2014 Share Posted April 26, 2014 x I don't know, there are odd numbers I like too, such as 25 (my birthday). But overall I do like the even numbers a lot too. The square root of two is also a favourite of mine. I've known this number up to 30~ decimals from when I was 14. I tend not to volunteer this knowledge usually, because back at secondary school people laughed at me for learning it and liking it. My family likes it though and so does my boyfriend. Some things just resonate. I like 25 as well. I`m not wild about the square root of 2, but I know it pops up a lot in maths and is very important. I quite like a lot of paintings, those you linked are really nice! I have only seen the Pissarro one before. I'm not much into modern art, I prefer art from earlier times. I'd like to see more art, but so far have been too tired to travel to a museum. I did buy a book about paintings so I look forward to going through that. I went to some museums while at secondary school but everyone else didn't like it, while I enjoyed seeing the art, so I never really pursued my interests any further. I was taught about art at secondary school but I'm afraid I've forgot most of it. I love these Cezanne`s as well. There are some lovely ( free on Kindle ) art books on Amazon.uk ; I don`t know if you can download them and save yourself the trip to a gallery? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 27, 2014 Author Share Posted April 27, 2014 Do you like prime numbers, Athena?x A lot of them, yes ! x Some things just resonate. I like 25 as well. I`m not wild about the square root of 2, but I know it pops up a lot in maths and is very important. x My history with the square root of 2 is that when I read it (it was in a maths book), it was the longest number I had ever seen, so I decided to memorise it. Later on I played the number on the keyboard/piano (I know this sounds crazy) and it sounded allright. x I love these Cezanne`s as well. There are some lovely ( free on Kindle ) art books on Amazon.uk ; I don`t know if you can download them and save yourself the trip to a gallery? x Those are very nice . I can't download any ebooks from Amazon UK, I'm only allowed to download them from Amazon US. Watching paintings is input for me too though so I need to get better first before I'll be able to view some paintings and not get so tired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 Athena, if you're interested in maths and prime numbers, I'd really recommend The Music of the Primes by Marcus du Sautoy. It's both an historical look at the mathematicians who work with prime number theories, and what we use prime numbers for. I thought it would be a bit dry and dusty, but he has a very accessible style of writing, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I became engrossed in the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted April 27, 2014 Share Posted April 27, 2014 (edited) My history with the square root of 2 is that when I read it (it was in a maths book), it was the longest number I had ever seen, so I decided to memorise it. Later on I played the number on the keyboard/piano (I know this sounds crazy) and it sounded allright. Athena, I just played the square root of two on a keyboard, and you're right, it does sound nice! I tried pi as well. Not so nice. Now pie on the other hand, very nice. Edited April 27, 2014 by dtrpath27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 28, 2014 Author Share Posted April 28, 2014 Athena, if you're interested in maths and prime numbers, I'd really recommend The Music of the Primes by Marcus du Sautoy. It's both an historical look at the mathematicians who work with prime number theories, and what we use prime numbers for. I thought it would be a bit dry and dusty, but he has a very accessible style of writing, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I became engrossed in the book.x Thanks, I've put it on my wishlist . x Athena, I just played the square root of two on a keyboard, and you're right, it does sound nice! I tried pi as well. Not so nice. Now pie on the other hand, very nice.x I fully agree! Pi is much less nice on a keyboard. And pie is very nice indeed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 29, 2014 Author Share Posted April 29, 2014 George R. R. Martin - A Song of Ice and Fire 4: A Feast for Crows Genre: Fantasy Age-range: Adult Format: Paperback Pages: 854 (936 if you include the appendix) Synopsis: (no synopsis since it's part of a series) My thoughts: Having recently read the very awesome A Storm of Swords (parts one and two), I could hardly wait to start the next book in the series. This book is well written and full of tension. I really liked the writing style and reading more about the characters, the new ones too. It was interesting to hear some new points of view of things. One of the things I found a shame is that some of my favourite characters weren't in it. They will be in the next book. While it makes sense to do things that way, with the many characters that the series has, I did miss them from time to time and was curious how they were doing. The book doesn't contain as many exciting plot twists as did the previous book (A Storm of Swords 2: Blood and Gold). I did like the plot twists in this book though and many were unexpected. I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to read the last book, A Dance with Dragons (for me it's again split up into two parts, Dreams and Dust and After the Feast)). I have to admit, sometimes my head had a little bit of trouble keeping up with all the characters and plot twists. In retrospect, perhaps I should've taken more time to process it all, but I didn't want to stop reading the book . Overall I really enjoyed reading this book. Rating: ***** (10/10) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 29, 2014 Author Share Posted April 29, 2014 (edited) Update on Reading Goals after (almost) four monthsDays: 119 (01-01 <-> 29-04)Total books read this year: 65 (a lot)Amount of pages read (averaged): 19462 (woohoo)Amount of books bought : 291 (too much..?)Amount of books free: 3 (not enough )Reads TBR / R: 56 vs 9Male / Female authors: 50% 50% (excluding 5 unknowns or multiple)Nationalities (from most to least): US (27), UK (22), Netherlands (10), Australia (2), France (1), Belgium (1), Canada (1)New authors vs. known authors: 33 vs. 30 (3 a combination)Standalones vs. series books: 35 vs. 30Genres (most to least): Chick-lit (13), Fantasy (10), Contemporary Fiction (10), Information (9), Science-fiction (6), Thriller (6), Detectives (5), Historical Fiction (4), Literature (4), Biography (1)Type: Text'books (60), Graphic Novels (2), Comics (2), Manga (1)Format: Paperbooks (64) (56 paperback, 8 hardback (not hardcover)) Kindle (1)Ageranges: Adult (40), Young-Adult (18), Children's (11)Fiction vs. Nonfiction: 56 vs. 9English vs. Dutch: 44 vs. 21 (nice)Publication Years: Mainly books from since 2000Ratings: Mainly 10s, 9s, 8s (excellent)Reading Goals:- Read 75-100+ books (well underway!)- Read TBR books (56 so far)- Re-read some books (9 so far, could be more re-reads)- Read both physical books and Kindle ebooks (I've only read one Kindle book)- Read some of my boyfriend's books (manga) (for later in the year, when his things are here)- Read from a variety of genres (going well, though some genres could use some attention)- Read both fiction and non-fiction (but not in equal amounts) (I could read some more non-fiction)- Read more books by authors I love (going well)- Read some books by authors new to me (going well)- Read both 'easier' and more difficult books (going well)- Read both short and longer books (going well)- Finish off some series (finished off some series, underway)- Start some new series (underway, more to come)- Read both series books and standalones (going well) Overall I'd say my reading is going well . I could read more of certain genres, more non-fiction, more Kindle books etc. but overall I'm enjoying what I've been reading so that's good. I've read 65 books in almost four months and almost 20000 pages. I'm quite proud if I may say so. (well, reading is one of the few nice things I'm still doing these days.. watching things and playing games really tire me so I don't do them much). I love (big) books and I cannot lie No one else can deny That when I have a book I need a nook To read to read to read.. Edited April 29, 2014 by Athena Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 My history with the square root of 2 is that when I read it (it was in a maths book), it was the longest number I had ever seen, so I decided to memorise it. Later on I played the number on the keyboard/piano (I know this sounds crazy) and it sounded allright. I think it sounds interesting rather than crazy. It reminded me of Edmund De Waal`s ceramics ; I saw a show where he talked about how, when he looked at his pots arranged in the correct order, he could hear music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted April 29, 2014 Share Posted April 29, 2014 Amount of books bought : 291 (too much..?) Nooo ! If only `cos it makes my 99 books bought look manageable. Congrats on the reading goals, you`re doing well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted April 30, 2014 Author Share Posted April 30, 2014 I think it sounds interesting rather than crazy. It reminded me of Edmund De Waal`s ceramics ; I saw a show where he talked about how, when he looked at his pots arranged in the correct order, he could hear music. x Thanks for the link ! It's quite interesting he hears music when the pots are arranged in the correct order. I don't hear music but I feel much better when things are arranged in a to me good order. x Nooo ! If only `cos it makes my 99 books bought look manageable. Congrats on the reading goals, you`re doing well. x . And I'm off to buy more soon.. (at the book fair, maybe in shops..) Thanks . You too I think! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 2, 2014 Author Share Posted May 2, 2014 The book shop in Eindhoven, Van Piere, is getting rid of all their second hand books (awww ) so it was all 50% (yay ). Here's what I bought: Dr. Raj Persaud - Staying Sane: How to Make Your Mind Work for You Natasha Solomons - Mr Rosenblum's List: Or Friendly Guidance for the Aspiring Englishman Melvin Burgess - Junkies (Junk) Fiona Walker - Snap Happy Stephen Lawhead - The Celtic Crusades 1: The Iron Lance Julian May - Trillium 2: Black Trillium Sara Douglass - The Wayfarer Trilogy 2: Enchanter Sara Douglass - The Crucible 1: The Nameless Day Kristine Kathryn Rusch - The Fey 2: The Changeling Kristine Kathryn Rusch - The Fey 3: The Rival C. J. Cherryh - Foreigner 1: Foreigner C. J. Cherryh - Foreigner 3: Inheritor C. J. Cherryh - Foreigner 12: Betrayer C. J. Cherryh - Fortress 2: Fortress of Eagles C. J. Cherryh - The Goblin Mirror I also bought some new books in the book shop: J. K. Rowling - The Casual Vacancy George R. R. Martin - Tuf Voyaging Mark Lawrence - The Broken Empire Trilogy 1: Prince of Thorns Mark Lawrence - The Broken Empire Trilogy 2: King of Thorns Sterre Hunvie - Leven met ADD Sandra Kooij and Suzan Otten-Pablos - Hyper Sapiens: Praktische Gids voor Mensen met ADHD Catherlijne Wildervanck - ADHD: Hou Haal je het Uít je Hoofd? (I still have to add them to GoodReads and Book Collector but first it's read-a-thon time). Here's a photo of all the books: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted May 2, 2014 Share Posted May 2, 2014 C. J. Cherryh - Foreigner 1: Foreigner C. J. Cherryh - Foreigner 3: Inheritor C. J. Cherryh - Foreigner 12: Betrayer C. J. Cherryh - Fortress 2: Fortress of Eagles C. J. Cherryh - The Goblin Mirror Mark Lawrence - The Broken Empire Trilogy 1: Prince of Thorns Mark Lawrence - The Broken Empire Trilogy 2: King of Thorns Nice! I'm planning on getting the first Foreigner book soon. I hope you enjoy them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.