The Survivors Club - Ben Sherwood (3.5/5 Near Death Experiences)

This book is an analysis of the commonalities found in the genetic make-up, habits, life choices, faith, and age of people who have come close to dying. The author did extensive research on the topic and he explains it to the reader by telling the stories of the survivors and explaining how they survived.

I often found myself jealous of the author, in researching this book he had the opportunity to be trained in survival by the United States Military and various other organizations in surviving life threatening situations. The best part of the book is the beginning where it discusses how not to die if an Airplane that you happen to be flying in plummets to the ground and explodes. Of course it tells you that you don't really need to know how to survive that situation, because the odds of it occurring are slimmer than an Olsen twin on a diet.

If you are looking for ideas on how to survive mountain lion attacks, jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge, sinking ferries in the Bering Sea, and stab wounds from knitting needles, then this is your kind of book. The most interesting fact in the book is that if you regularly attend church activities on multiple nights a week then your life expectancy is substantially higher, at least until you begin questioning your faith and then it goes down the tubes.

Not the best put together book but I gave it extra points for being non-fiction and not being soporific.

Labeling: The New Frontier

As you have probably noticed, there have been some changes to the sidebar of this website. The "Topics" thingy will now provide us with a better way of classifying the books that have been reviewed. I believe this will make it easier for visitors to search for books that they might find interesting. It will also give those of us that have been here for a while a way to find book reviews that we may have missed when they were originally posted.

All of the "Contributors" listed on right sidebar should have permissions to use the labeling function. To access the labeling page you will first need to log in to Blogger and then click on the "Customize" link in the top right corner of the homepage. You will then click on the "Posting" tab on the left side, followed by the "Edit Posts" tab just below it. You should now be able to see all of the posts on the site. To add a label you need to click on the little grey box to the left of the post title. Then go up to the top of the list and click the drop down menu "Label Actions." From there you can add an existing label or input a new label.

I have now labeled most of the books I have reviewed. In a few cases I labeled a post written by someone else because I was familiar with the book. I would appreciate it if you would go back through the list and apply label to the books you have reviewed. You may apply multiple labels to a post, but please don't go nuts.

I'm always open to new suggestions about how to make this website more interesting. I recently watched a video of a conference on blogging that my dad sent me that had some pretty interesting ideas. Please send me any ideas you may get while watching it.

“How to Build a High Traffic Blog without Killing Yourself”

It's hard to believe that we've been posting book reviews here for over a year now. There are now over 100 books on this website! Thanks to all those that have contributed. Please let me know if you know anyone that might be interested in writing reviews. Send me their email address and I'll send them a permissions invite.

The Last of the Mohicans - James Fenimore Cooper (3 of 5 Cheap Haircuts)

Before you read this book, make sure you do the following:

1. Learn French
2. Take an college course on American Indian politics
3. Minor in the French and Indian War
4. Commit to yourself in writing that you are willing to read countless sentences that are over 100 words long
5. Don't read Eats, Shoots & Leaves

I have often heard that this book is one of the classics of American literature. Now that I've read it...uh...I can't really tell you why. I'm guessing that back in 1826 when it was first released, everyone was still concerned about getting scalped. But even then, Mark Twain (1835 - 1910) who was a bit closer to that time than me said the following, "Cooper's art has some defects. In one place in 'Deerslayer,' and in the restricted two-thirds of a page, Cooper has scored 114 offences against literary art out of a possible 115." Glad to know I wasn't alone in my opinion.

The book does have some exciting sequences. I think all of them involve people trying to avoid getting scalped. I've heard that the movie is pretty intense. It's probably because the producer cut out all of the non-scalping parts.

The writing style is pretty pompous at times; I've had more fun reading legal cases than portions of Cooper's book. The run-on sentences sometimes make the comings and goings of the plot fuzzy. Perhaps one of the redeeming qualities of the book though is that not everything ties up in a pretty little pink bow. It is very unlike all of the narrow escapes in the rest of the book. I found the ending both surprising and somewhat refreshing. But...I'm still only giving it a 3 of 5.

Anyone want to argue that this should still be an American classic? What other books did you read in high school that you think were overrated?

Eats, Shoots & Leaves - Lynne Truss (4.5 of 5 Overburdened Commas)

This "Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation" is hilarious; if you haven't read it, go find it - now, unless you're doing laundry or cooking, which everyone knows are things that you can't just put down and walk away because you'll find that your shirts will be all wrinkled or your rice will be crusty on the bottom of the pan!

I suppose there are many grammar books out there that can tell you what was wrong with that first paragraph (and all of the following paragraphs). That which makes this book so special is the unique voice that the author brings to the book. Yes, she'll outline the basic rules of grammar, but no, it's not boring.

Frankly, I learned more from her examples of incorrect usages and general principles. One of my favorite passages was her summary of the purposes of each of the marks of punctuation. She writes, "in the family..." Ah poop. I wrote down the page number in my notes, but I just realized that I took the book back to the library last week. Oh well. Go get your book out. It's on page 137.

I'd like to meet this woman, but I have a sneaking suspicion that she might be a tad intimidating. Her best advice for using commas is, "don't use the comma like a stupid person." Oh well. Go take a look at the emails you got today. The world could surely use more people like her.

Percy Jackson & The Olympians series by Rick Riordan

I am a huge fan of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson & The Olympians series. I was introduced to Book 1: The Lightning Thief by our librarian at school. I opened up the book and barely put it down for a second until I had finished. I borrowed the next three books from the library in quick succession and then waited anxiously for the final book, Book 5: The Last Olympian, to become available. I finished it this morning and--BOY HOWDY!--this is an amazing series.

In a nutshell, the hero of the story is Percy Jackson--a demigod (son of a Greek god)--living in the modern day. Turns out Mt. Olympus and all those "mythological" stories we learned about in school aren't exactly ancient history. Mt. Olympus just moved to the new seat of western civilization and culture: New York City. The gods, and their magic, is still around us all the time. As mortals, we just lack the ability to see it; something called The Mist keeps us from seeing a giant monster for what it really is. On the other hand, being a demigod, Percy and his other demigod friends, are always running in to trouble with the aforesaid monsters...plus the ever-present drama that is Mt. Olympus and the Olympians. These demigods are the new heroes of our day--like Hercules of ancient times. As heroes, the adventures never stop and each new book is better than the last.

I am recommending this series to anyone and everyone. The stories are fabulously exciting and definitely entertaining. If you liked Harry Potter you'll almost definitely like these. The story's pattern is sort of the same, but there's enough unique material here you won't find yourself constantly comparing the two. Anyway, check them out. Percy Jackson rocks my world.

A++

Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad (4 of 5 Restless Cannibals)

I do not make a habit of reading books more than once. Exceptions occur in the following cases:

1. I have to read the book for two different classes (Heart of Darkness)
2. I forget I already read the book (The Time Machine)
3. Religious study (Book of Mormon)

I was surprised that I enjoyed this book more than the first run through the jungle back in my 11th grade English class. This might be due to improved reading skills. It might also be a superior instructor. It could just be a short-lived fascination with cannibalism. Go fish.

Yes, it is a lot to slosh through, but the text does contain some powerful descriptions of the African continent during the time of European occupation. I believe this classic novel is worth your time if you haven't already read it.

Have you returned to any books lately to discover that you either liked or disliked them more than the first read?

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

One of my good friends recommended this book to me and then added to her recommendation by actually giving me a copy. I finally got a chance to read it on my flight home from New York and it proved to be a very fast read and an engrossing story.

Rebecca is the mysterious story of a young woman who is swept off her feet, marries quickly, and settles at the English estate of Manderly as the second wife to a wealthy landowner. Once arriving, however, she finds herself constantly questioning her place in reference to the first wife--Rebecca. Who Rebecca was, how she was viewed by the servants and the neighbors, how she was loved by Maxim himself...all of these questions begin to drive the heroine quite mad (...but not literally). How the story all turns out? Well that's what the reading is all about.

Overall I enjoyed the book. The author is very skilled at keeping the reader interested. At the moment when I started getting a little bored of the storyline, BAM! she threw a million "answers" at me and a million more questions as well. I literally read this entire book in one sitting, and I think its an entertaining enough read to recommend it.

B+

Terrorism: The New World Disorder - Nicholas Fotion (4 of 5 Just Causes)

I came across this book while doing research for my DC internship paper. In the end, I don't think I'm going to use the terrorism angle anymore, but the book was interesting enough to push through.

The book begins with a philosophical analysis of reasons for starting a terrorism campaign vs. reasons for continuing it. It covers the advantages and disadvantages of terrorism, as well as actor types, motives and objectives.

Most of the book is a description of the history of terrorism. The goal of the author is to show that terrorism is nothing new. It goes back many decades if not centuries. The form may change a bit over time, but the underlying theme is the same. The final chapter predicts that terrorism will continue to be a prominent world issue for many years to come.

The World We Have - Thich Nhat Hanh (3.5 of 5 No Car Days)

I read this book a few months ago for my Environmental Literature class. It's a tiny little handbook that can probably fit in your pocket and because it's only about 100 pages, you could likely get through it in one sitting.

Short and sweet: it's a Buddhist approach to conserving the world we have. Most of the book focuses on the Buddhist ideology for protecting nature. The last chapter contains many simple habits that you can put into practice to make a difference in your home, family and community. If this angle to the green revolution sounds interesting to you, check it out. The worst case scenario is you lose an hour or two.

Buffettology - Mary Buffett (4.5 of 5 Shares of Gillette)

Mary Buffett was married to one of Warren's sons for a time before filing for divorce. During her stay in the Warren compound she had the opportunity to see the inner workings of the Oracle of Omaha's investing strategy. In this book she outlines the core Buffet investing strategies.

The underlying theme of Buffet's time-tested strategy is value investing in bear markets. When the indexes hit bottom, you dump your money into companies that have been around for many years and aren't going anywhere. They make products that consumers will always buy and have to buy often. The best way to find these companies is by walking into any local grocery store. There you'll find names like Johnson and Johnson, Mars, Gillette, etc. Their stock prices will be down because of the overall market but they will surely rise during the economic recovery.

There is also an interesting section of the book that discusses arbitrage. This is essentially looking for rumors of potential buyout situations. When a company agrees to buy another, it will establish a buyout price per share for all available shares. Your profit will be the difference between the current share price and the buyout price. This strategy is difficult and more risky than the first. It is hard to find these buyout deals before the crowd does, and the agreements often don't go through in the end. The buyout offers do however create a great deal of volatility that day traders can exploit.

What Matters: The World's Preeminent Photojournalists and Thinkers Depict Essential Issues of Our Time - David Cohen (4.5 of 5 Gold-plated Handbags)

I found this book at the library while doing research for my internship paper on malaria. Twenty to thirty key issues are covered ranging from atrocities in Sudan to rampant consumerism in the United States. Many of the full-page photos are absolutely stunning. The combination of these images with an engaging text make this book a powerful experience.

This book has generated several interesting conversations in the month or so that it has been sitting on our kitchen table. The poignant images quickly draw any passerby into the book. The chapters are largely self-contained allowing a reader to become familiar with an issue in one sitting. I would usually go through one or two chapters while eating my morning raisin bran.
The controversial nature of the topics often prompted me to talk them over with my roommates.

At the very end of the book there is a short chapter that outlines additional resources for each topic covered. There is also information about how readers can participate, donate, serve in each area.

Tarzan of the Apes - Edgar Rice Burrows (3.5 of 5 Bulging Biceps)

This is another of the books from my Darwin class this past semester. I had not read the book previously, but I had seen several theatrical versions of the Tarzan story. I feel that these other versions in someways made my reading of the book more difficult. I kept having to tell myself that the book was the original work and that the movies were the copies.

For those curious about going back to the roots of the Tarzan story, you'll most likely enjoy your experience. I was surprised to discover that it was the first novel in a series of 40 or so books. Move over James Bond. If you want to enjoy it as fiction, it's a quick enjoyable read. If you want to dig a little bit more, there is a deeper commentary here about human nature. Burrows believed that the epitome of mankind combined modern intelligence and technology with primeval strength and agility. Time and time again this belief is portrayed by Burrows in Tarzan's actions.

If you think you can read the book without hearing Phil Collins echoing in the back of your mind, I say go for it.