Nerd notes from Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time.
There is no way I can read this book without taking notes.
I want to taste and glory in each day, and never be afraid to experience pain; and never shut myself up in a numb core of non-feeling, or stop questioning and criticising life and take the easy way out. To learn and think; to think and live; to live and learn: this always, with new insight, new understanding, and new love.
| — | Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath |
“…I could be more of a prisoner as an older, tense, cynical career girl than as a richly creative wife and mother who is always growing intellectually — who is committed to certain ideals and purposes shared with her mate. This could be heaven if we made it such…
“And with him there would be great, evolving, intellectual dignity to life. I am sure of it. I can walk tall and proud beside him in my body and in my mind.”
— Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath
On Death…
“I know — no matter how strong and sound I may be at this moment; no matter how I laugh, or weep, or play the fool; no matter how little thought I give it, or whether I think about it all day long — I know the hour will come, at last, when I shall gasp, choke, grow black in the face, in the vain struggle for another single mouthful of that air which has always been mine at will. And no one will be able to help me; there is no escape from that hour; no power on earth can keep it from me. And it is all a matter of chance when it happens — a great lottery; one draws to-day, one to-morrow; but my turn will surely come, and each day that passes brings me twenty-four hours nearer to the end.”
— Henry Handel Richardson, Maurice Guest
…this shook me somewhat, so I made it a point to put it down here.
But a machine that was powerful enough to accelerate particles to the grand unification energy would have to be as big as the Solar System — and would be unlikely to be funded in the present economic climate. Thus it is impossible to test grand unified theories directly in the laboratory.
| — |
Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time Deadpan humour from Mr Hawking. |
I had that tendency towards solitude common to only children. When trying to accomplish something serious, I liked to do it myself. Having to check things out with other people and get them to understand seemed to me a great waste of time and energy when it was a lot easier to work alone in silence.
| — | The Wind-up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami |
We think about mortality so little, these days, except to flail hysterically at it with trendy forms of exercise and high-fiber cereals and nicotine patches.
| — | In the Woods, Tana French |
Been away from Tumblr for a while. I’d love to say I’ve been away reading, but that hasn’t been the case, unfortunately.
I’m in self-congratulatory mode this evening nevertheless after I saw what my Goodreads tracker looked like today. Decided to take a screen cap of it before some of the books move out of the screen.
My best read so far in 2011’s got to be The Fortunes of Richard Mahony by Henry Handel Richardson. Perhaps it’s too premature for me to declare it my best read in 2011, but it’s going to be pretty hard to find another that surpasses this book in the next two months or so, I reckon.
Still hoping to strike gold somehow in what remains of 2011. Anyone with suggestions is most welcome to drop me a message!
I’ve finally found my copy of Maurice Guest!
Here.
I’ll follow up with a photo after I get home.
Darlinghurst has brilliant book cafes I must say.
