Musings

My bookman brought home a copy of Stradivari's Genius by Toby Faber the other day and I thought it looked quite interesting. Now, after reading the NY Time review of it, I'm going to have to read it. I am one of those sad individuals who cannot play any instrument but wish so much that I could. I tried learning piano once when I was in college but learning in a class with 15 other people is not the way to go. I have considered learning the violin since there is no room in my house for a piano, but it is not easy for an adult, or at least this adult, to make room in her life for learning to play an insturment. Perhaps someday when I win the lottery jackpot and don't have to work or when I no longer need to sleep at night. Zooming off in a completely different direction, I have been mulling over creating my own personal history of philosophy study course. Montaigne has my interest piqued and it somehow seems like it could be so useful in thinking about not only literature but any number of things. I have had some philosophy but it has all been in relation to literature. I even still have the big book I had to buy for the lit theory class. I could start there, but I am hoping for something more. Yesterday I read a review in the TLS about a new multi-volume series on philosophy called A New History of Western Philosophy, Volume One: Ancient Philosophy by Anthony Kenny. The reviewer also mentioned Bertrand Russell's History of Western Philosophy and actually does a bit of comparison of the two. Russell comes out ahead on readability and placing the philosophies into context, but Kenny wins on thoroughness (he includes philosophers prior to Socrates). My Bookman suggested I should read Sophie's World to get me going. But I am not sure where to start. I am looking for an overview of course, but I also plan on reading the philosopher's themselves and I would like to include non-western thought in my study too. Your thoughts and suggestions are welcome and hoped for.