Books that Make You Feel Smarter

We all know and love the "For Dummies" books, since they simplify things and explain complex things anyone can understand. If you want something different that entertains as well as informs, you can find books on almost any topic that will educate you in a memorable, fun way.

The Intellectual Devotional by David S. Kidder & Noah D. Oppenheim is a collection has a page for each day, loaded with information about influential authors, books, works of art, artists, religion, math, and science. Even the educated can learn something in this handy tome, such as the true story of the strange circumstances leading to Mozart's death, what makes Ulysses such a special book, why religions treasure certain places and things, and what lead to now-common mathematical equations we all had to learn in high school. This book can pique interest in subjects you've never read about, and can inspire you to reread a beloved book. I myself had such fun with this book that I used it as inspiration to jot down some ideas for short stories and books. The only thing that disappointed me is that the music section was devoted to classical music only (I was hoping to read a passage on the Beatles, even though I'm pretty well versed in their history [huge fan!]), but luckily a second edition will be making its way to bookshelves soon. This is a wonderful read that can be enjoyed one bit at a time, and you can even skip through and/or use the index if you want to read about certain things.

Sarah Vowell's Assassination Vacation is an informative and amusing book about the author's pilgrimage to sites related to the assassinations of Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley. I myself am not a history expert, but this book described the relationships between the presidents and their wives and friends, as well as facts about the assassins themselves. Through her sharp sense of humor, Vowell explains the odd circumstances after Lincoln's death involving his son Robert Todd Lincoln and John Wilkes Booth's brother Edwin. She also traces the history between President Garfield's bitter rivalry with Stalwart leader Roscoe Conkling, as well as Chester Arthur's horror at the idea that Guiteau's assassination was intended as an homage to the vice president. One fascinating aspect of her trek was on Mount Marcy in New York, where Theodore Roosevelt was camped on the day McKinley was shot. She describes how she struggled climbing up the mountain and compared herself to Roosevelt's robust exclamations of "Beautiful country!" as he climbed. Vowell's description of Roosevelt's joy of hiking turning to grim despondency after learning that McKinley's wounds were fatal resonate with the reader, as do all the stories and facts she presents in this book.

Although I've always been terrible at science, the concept of The Social Atom intrigued me, as the author argues that physics have a place in sociology and human behavior. On his blog, the author describes the basic ideas of the book¹, noting the correlation between education and birth rates as well as the patterns that develop in crowds. What's appealing about this book is that the explanations for such phenomena are both highly scientific as well as straightforward and understandable. One memorable aspect of the book is Buchanan's dissection of The Prisoner's Dilemma, which is a philosophical argument that explains how its more in one's self interest to not rat out friends when given an opportunity to do so, as both you and your partner in crime would benefit from both of you keeping your mouths shut.

Everyone can appreciate fine art, and How to Read a Painting by Patrick de Rynck is a handy guide for art appreciation and recognizing symbolism in paintings. The book is especially helpful in that it doesn't merely describe a painting, it provides pictures and close ups of details. The story behind the subjects of the paintings is also given considerate attention, as a chaotic scene in The Rape of the Sabine Women by Nicolas Poussin is broken down in historic detail. There are quite a few religious works in the book, with Biblical scenes explained for those not familiar with some already famous tales from the Old or New Testament.

The Future of Music : Manifesto for the Digital Music Revolution begins with a plausible scenario; everyday life filled with music as if it were, as the authors (David Kusek and Gerd Leonhard) describe it, "like water: ubiquitous and free-flowing". Like utilities, music will be available more readily to the public without the presence of physical formats like CDs and music stores. Instead, it will be accessible online and through services like digital radio and file-sharing. While most of this seems obvious, the idea of record companies completely disappearing as well as standing music stores might seem high-concept to those over eighteen, although we see examples of it everyday (the rise of Amazon.com, the closing of stores everywhere, and YouTube and MySpace allowing artists to showcase talents without the helpful hand of an agent and record executive). The book explains how the current music system works and how it has been and is being undermined by the internet, and how users will be able to discover new music through services that will cater to a user's taste, sort of like a musical version of TiVo.

Hopefully this guide will assist you in finding books that can broaden your mind without numbing your excitement. Use it for yourself or for a loved one for ideas for gifts, and use your newfound knowledge to keep expanding your horizons, or to impress dates and people at parties. Happy reading!

1 - "The Social Atom: The key ideas" Mark Buchanan (http://thesocialatom.blogspot.com/2007/02/key-ideas.html)