The Best Books I’ve Ever Read — On Building Science and Beyond

Letsblogoff Books Building Science Home Energy Efficiency

letsblogoff books building science home energy efficiencyOh, man, how can I say there’s a single book that I’d call “the best book I’ve ever read”? That’s just not possible. But it’s the topic of today’s Let’s Blogoff, so, as usual, I’ll answer the question the way politicians answer questions. That is, I’ll answer the question the way I want it to be asked.

Oh, man, how can I say there’s a single book that I’d call “the best book I’ve ever read”? That’s just not possible. But it’s the topic of today’s Let’s Blogoff, so, as usual, I’ll answer the question the way politicians answer questions. That is, I’ll answer the question the way I want it to be asked.

What’s the best book I’ve ever read? It depends. If you’re asking, what’s the best book I’ve ever read about hobbits, clearly it’s The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein. But even that answer is cheating because LOTR is really three books.

So, here’s what I’ll do. I’ll give you what I think may be “the best book I’ve ever read” within various contexts. Ready? Here we go!

What’s the best book I’ve ever read about lobotomies? Hands down, it’s My Lobotomy by Howard Dully. Unlike my wife, I’m not one of those people who always has to have a book going. So when I pick up a book and can’t put it down, it’s got to be a really gripping story. This is one. Read it, and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

What’s the best book I’ve ever read about education? That’s difficult because I’ve read quite a few. I guess I’d have to say, though, that Summerhill by A.S. Neill is the one that’s had the most profound effect on my thinking about how we educate young people. Many of the same principles apply to adult education. Basically, Neill’s philosophy is that much of what happens in schools destroys students’ curiosity and desire to learn and that if teachers will just create an inviting environment for learning and help guide students as they explore the world, a whole lot more learning happens.

What’s the best bookletsblogoff window seat books building science I’ve ever read in a window seat? Oh, that’s easy: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. What else can you say about a book with the best opening line ever: “Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice.” This one could also contend for best, best book I’ve ever read.

What’s the best book I’ve ever read about weirdness? Well, if you’ve paid attention to the Energy Vanguard blog, you’ve already an article written around this one: Eccentric Lives and Peculiar Notions by John Michell. (The article here was Eccentric Lives, Peculiar Notions, & Building Science Absurdities.) But there’s another one that I like a lot, too: Mr. Wilson’s Cabinet of Wonder by Lawrence Weschler. All I’m going to say about that one is that it’s about the Museum of Jurassic Technology, which I visited in 2004.

What’s the best book I’ve ever read that changed my life when I was young? It would have to be Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. I think I was 19 when I read it first, and it blew my mind. It wasn’t mind-blowing in a Carlos-Castaneda-hallucinatory-spirituality way, but in a holy-crap-this-guy-went-to-the-edge-and-back way. I’ve never been able to use the word ‘quality’ without thinking of that book since that first reading. It’s another book that’s made an appearance here in the EV blog, too — in Building Science 101.

What’s the best book I’ve ever read about building science? Even though I’m not finished with it yet, Water in Buildings by Bill Rose is definitely the one. It’s beautifully written. I really like his simple, direct style of writing, his intellectual passion, his providing the broader context, and his going to the heart of the issues. Great book! I’ve already mentioned in two articles in the past month (You’re Free to Ignore the Laws of Building Science and Dew Point — A More Meaningful Measure of Humidity?, where it came up in the comments), and this makes the third.

The real question: After spending my evening thinking about the best books I’ve ever read, now I’ve got a new question: What’re the best books I’ve never read? And when will I ever find the time to read them, even if I do find out what they are?

 

This article is part of the biweekly Let’s Blogoff (letsblogoff.com) event, which brings people from all over the blogosphere to write about a common topic. We all offer our own take on the topic and always end up with an eclectic, fascinating collection of blog posts. Below is the list of other bloggers who participated in this one.

 

 

Photo of books by somegeekintn from flickr.com, used under a Creative Commons license. Photo of window seat by Laurel Fan from flickr.com, used under a Creative Commons license.

This Post Has 13 Comments

  1. About being a parent, &quot
    About being a parent, “Kids are worth it!” by Barbara Coloroso. Subtitled “Giving Your Child The Gift Of Inner Discipline.”

  2. Allison, 

    Allison, 
     
    Thanks for the tip on Bill’s book. It is loading into my Kindle app on the I-pad right now. I needed a new book on it later this week, what a choice!

  3. Allison, I agree with your
    Allison, I agree with your choice for favorite Building Science Book…Bill Rose had me at Phlogistons. 
     
    Almost everyone knows of Joe Lstiburek…It surprises me that many people have not read Bill’s book….Joe Lstiburek will often have Bill review his papers before he publishes. 
     
    Only a few downsides to Bill’s Book…It’s pricey, almost impossible to find a used copy…and it gets a little technical(Not-So-EASY to follow sometimes)….If you do get a copy…do NOT loan it out..you may never see it again…I have had to replace my copy. 
     
    Now for another book about “Water” that’s darn near as good… “Water” by Luna Leopold(Time Life 1966 & 1981)available USED starting at $1 !!!!….lots of pictures and EASY to read (even for an architect). 
     
    Allison…how about starting a “study group” to help some of us slog thru the technical parts of Bill’s book? 
     
     
     

  4. Michael C.
    Michael C.: Having (mostly) escaped the child-raising duties that most adults have, I hadn’t heard of Coloroso, but my wife, a teacher and mother, loves her work. 
     
    John N.: You’re welcome! You’ll love it, though as John B. says, Rose doesn’t shy away from the science and math. 
     
    John B.: A study group, eh? Hmmmm. How do you propose we do that? Webinars? Chat? Blog?

  5. Highly recommended …….Get
    Highly recommended …….Get Out of My Life, But First Could You Drive Me and Cheryl to the Mall by Anthony E Wolfe. A parent’s guide to the New teenager.

  6. Danny G.:
    Danny G.: Having lived with a teenage 2 of the past 4 years, I have to say that title is perfect! I’ll have to check it out. Thanks.

  7. Fantastic list of books here
    Fantastic list of books here – this is my favorite post so far. I just added One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez to my reader. 
     
    Cheers

  8. My four children all attended
    My four children all attended a school that was completely run on Summerhill principles. All are fine & sensibly happy people, creative and successful. It really works!

  9. I found myself liking Gabriel
    I found myself liking Gabriel García Márquez a great deal. As you pointed out, he has a wonderful way of pulling you in with his first sentences. I liked “One Hundred Years of Solitude” a lot, but I personally preferred “Love in the Time of Cholera,” which has another can’t miss opening: “It was inevitable: the scent of bitter almonds always reminded him of the fate of unrequited love.” He goes on to talk about a suicide who “had escaped the torments of memory with the aromatic fumes of gold cyanide.”  
     
     
     
    And since others have recommended books on water, I thought I’d throw “Cadillac Desert” by Marc Reisner into the mix. It’s about water rights and dams and rivers in the western United States, which sounds like the yawn of all time, but it turned out to be absolutely fascinating—and fun to read too! 
     

  10. Bob B.:
    Bob B.: Thanks, Bob! I think you’ll like Marquez’s book. 
     
    John R.: Yep, it sure does. Kids have been graduating from Summerhill for many decades, and they do just fine. Some people have misinterpreted as Neill’s philosophy as a don’t-discipline-the-kids philosophy, but that’s not what he advocates at all. In fact, he wrote a book called Freedom, Not License to clear up that misconception. 
     
    Joe F.: Thanks for the Cholera endorsement. I’ll have to read that one sometime. And continuing on the subject of water, you just reminded me of another amazingly wonderful book: Secret Knowledge of Water. I loved it!

  11. And now the REAL question
    And now the REAL question every politician has at the top of his mind: What is the best book you ever read while walking your dog? 🙂 
     
    Ok, maybe it’s just us. Like you, I cheated on the answer. Oh, well. Poetic license.

  12. Thank you for sharing your
    Thank you for sharing your great article and I like it very much. Welcome to Canada Goose Parka.

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