Saturday Reading

Its Monday evening and I am updating this after a hiatus of 2 days. Well the weekend was spent doing laundry, grocery shopping at Aldi and Walmart and reading book at Barnes and Nobles. I read the book Iconoclast, Its not a radical different book as it does borrow from Gladwell's book but still its a good read. The book classifies iconoclast as person who perceives things differently than other ordinary people. Iconoclasts inherently a strong term and means people who mock cherished orthodox beliefs but it has positive cannotation. I remember when I first encountered this word. I associated with Raja Ram Mohan Roy. Iconoclasts according to book differ from the hoi polloi in perception, fear response, and social intelligence. I liked his comparison of Pablo Picasso and Von Gogh. Both of these artists work now rake in millions while Von Gogh died penniless. Pablo was able to amass a fortune and despite his unassuming physique. He was a darling of the masses. Iconoclasts do not see things different from other people but they do perceive it differently and as a consequence able to see value in it. I enjoyed the one chapter on how iconoclasts become icons. They have plasticity and are able to make changes in the perception of masses who are not iconoclasts. Overall the message of the book is why ordinary people don't bring about big changes. The three factors are Flawed perception; Fear of failure; and the inability to persuade.

The infinite book was another fun book I read. It has the usual topics you can find on most infinity book but I was delighted to find the topic on the question of eternity.

The stories in Stone was a coffee table book which you may want to peruse to discover the various symbols and their meanings. I am sure once you read this book, visiting the neighborhood cemetery would never be same again. Highly recommended.