Regardless of topic, what is the most mind-blowing book, essay or article you have read so far in 2014?

“Smarter Than You Think: How Technology is Changing Our Minds for the Better” Clive Thompson writes for NY Times, talks on NPR, and now has a book that argues against much of the common wisdom that says we are forgetting how to read and learn... I have found some of it convincing and some overstated.  The book made it to some of the best lists for 2013. I will be going to a forum in DC on January 15th in which Thompson will address the issues. I think both sides have useful things to add to the discussion of how the new media has changed the way we think. (I posted a blog entry a short while ago on two people who write well about how we no longer read the way we used to and it has t had a lot of traffic. @

Over vacation, I read a kids' book called which was really enjoyable. Best young adult book I've read in over a year.

For essays/articles, I'd say this piece by Alexander Zubatov (not a writer I've read anything from before), from the new issue of The Montreal Review:  http://www.themontrealreview.com/2009/The-Advent-of-Virtual-Realism.php.  It's probably the best, most thought-provoking piece I've seen explaining the crisis in the humanities but also really diagnosing the features of our current cultural moment.

Hyperobjects by Timothy Morton

Thanks for the A2A Here is an article which I found really interesting. It forces you to question the assumptions which  you have made in case of your faith,religion and God. http://nirmukta.com/2009/07/26/a-scientific-view-of-the-god-delusion/ Enjoy reading it.

"The Magic Furnace" by Marcus Chown, which explains where all the atoms came from, and how we figured it out. Doesn't get much more profound than that. https://www.google.ca/search?q=marcus+chown+magic+furnace&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=eZgQVe25DYqnyQTJ0YKoCw

I recommend Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari.  I first took the MOOC, became interested in the whole topic and now am reading the book.  It is fascinating, thoughtful and entertaining at the same time.  You don't very often get that combination!

The accidental prime minister by Sanjaya Baru.  It gives a detailed account of the internal happenings of the PMO(prime minister's office). It does not leak any classified information but explores the human and emotional side of the prime minister. It also depicts the rise and fall of Manmohan Singh clearly.