Alexandria - Book #87

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Title Alexandria
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Author Lindsey Davis
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Genre Mystery
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Pages 338
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Publisher Minotaur
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Copyright 2009
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Synopsis (from web-site)
Falco, Helena and their immediate family, including Aulus, go to Roman Egypt to see more of the Seven Wonders of the World. Uncle Fulvius and Cassius, later joined by Pa, are up to some pensioners' scam, getting in the way, while Falco looks into high academic culture at the Great Library. This is home to all the knowledge of the world - though when the corpses start appearing in the customary odd circumstances, it takes more than great minds to understand Who Did It. The academic world festers while management dithers, diplomats dose, undertakers fib and businessmen diddle. The Pharos is shrouded in mist and the Pyramids lost in a sandstorm. A sinister wind blows up out of the desert, adding to the hot air even before the arsonist sets things alight. Fortunately a mad inventor is on hand – and Falco just happens to know how his most useful invention works...

This is the one with the crocodile.


Why I read It
This is book 19 in the Falco series. Marcus Didius Falco is a private informer (Investigator) in Ancient Rome and these books take him through the cases that seem to find him. Originally read book 1, The Silver Pigs, because it was a mystery book by an English woman author.

The Good
Funny as always, Falco builds his case though luck, wisdom, and just plain stubbornness. Falco is self depreciating, somewhat street wise, and a really likeable character. In fact, all the characters are interesting and the books bring them to life.

The Bad
It is book 19; some things are a little predictable. Even so I still look forward to each new book in the series and the mysteries are usually pretty well grounded in the realities of human nature. By that I mean these are the sort of crimes you could find in any city today.

The Ugly (my opinion)
A good solid book with great characters. While the myteries are straight forward, they are well written. But more then anything, these stories are character driven and would recommend you start at the beginning.

The Truth? (other reviews)
Shots

Mormon Mentions
None.

Author Biography
I was born and brought up in Birmingham, read English at Oxford, then joined the civil service, which I left in 1985.

My first published fiction was romantic serials in Woman's Realm. I started writing about the Romans with The Course of Honour, the remarkable true love story of the Emperor Vespasian and his mistress Antonia Caenis. My research into First Century Rome inspired The Silver Pigs, the first outing for Falco and Helena, which was published in 1989. Starting as a spoof using a Roman 'informer' as a classic, metropolitan private eye, the series has developed into a set of adventures in various styles which take place throughout the Roman world. Its devoted readers follow the friends and family of my hero (and his dog, Nux) as avidly as they devour the mysteries he investigates; we have lively interaction via my website.

Anything For A Vote - Book #86

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Title Anything for a Vote: Dirty Tricks, Cheap
Shots, and October Surprises in U.S.
Presidential Campaigns
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Author Joseph Cummings
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Genre Nonfiction – Politics
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Pages 293
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Publisher Quirk Books
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Copyright 2007
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Synopsis (from web-site)
Today's political pundits express shock and disappointment when candidates resort to negative campaigning. But history reveals that smear campaigns are as American as apple pie. Anything for a Vote is an illustrated look at 200-plus years of dirty tricks and bad behavior in presidential elections from George Washington to G. W. Bush. Highlights include:
1836: Congressman Davy Crockett accuses candidate Martin Van Buren of secretly wearing women's clothing: 'He is laced up in corsets!'

1912: Theodore Roosevelt is shot in the chest while preparing to give a campaign speech, then proceeds to deliver it anyway: 'I don t know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot, but it takes more than that to kill a bull moose!'

1960: President Harry Truman advises voters that 'if you vote for Richard Nixon, you might go to hell!'
Arriving a full year before the 2008 presidential election, Anything for a Vote is a valuable reminder that history does repeat itself, that lessons can be learned from the past (though they usually aren't), and that our most famous presidents are not above reproach when it comes to the dirtiest game of all political campaigning.

Why I read It
It was referenced in an article I read.

The Good
A fun little book covering all the US Presidential campaigns. Chocked full of fun facts and trivia presented in a light style.

The Bad
A little too light at times. He dismisses everything as silliness that opposing parties said about each other in order to get elected. I wonder how much was true and how much was just politics as usual.

The Ugly (my opinion)
Anyone interested in political elections should read this fun book. It also puts to rest the false claim that we used to be more civil in the past. George Bush versus John Kerry doesn’t even come close to as bad as it gets. And it is true, history does repeat itself.

The Truth? (other reviews)
Couldn't find any easily, but here is an article in the New York Times where the author is quoted and the book mentioned.

Mormon Mentions
Unfortunately it was written before the last election or we may have got some Mitt Romney talk.

Author Biography

I am the author of Anything for a Vote: Dirty Tricks, Cheap Shots, and October Surprises in U.S. Presidential History, available now from Quirk Books. This blog, like the book, takes a historical look at dirty politics----and the 2008 Presidential contest is already building up to be one of the dirtiest in history-- showing that, much as we bemoan how contentious our elections have become, dirty presidential contests are as American as apple pie and television.

Life Sentences - Book #85

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Title Life Sentences
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Author Laura Lippman
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Genre Adult Fiction
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Pages 342
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Publisher William Morrow
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Copyright 2009
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Synopsis (from web-site)
Author Cassandra Fallows has achieved great success with her memoirs, but her latest venture involving a still-unsolved mystery in her hometown unearth's old wounds and sorrow as Cassandra finds herself alienated by former friends with conflicting versions of the events.

Why I read It
Laura Lippman is another one of the writers I found way back when I was trying to read more women. She writes a series of books featuring Private Detective Tess Mon?? and several stand alones like this one. The common feature of all her writing is the city of Baltimore.;

The Good
Well written and engaging story.

The Bad
The plot was not as fast paced as she usually writes. No one was in danger, no one faced any peril; while not a bad thing it is not in keeping with her previous works.

The Ugly (my opinion)
I like it because I love Laura Lippman’s writing style. It makes a good point of how fluid history is, whether on a grander scale, or more importantly, on a personal one. Just because we remember it doesn’t mean that it happened, and vice-versa. My favorite line comes right at the beginning of the book (pg 13) “My father believed in unconditional love, but only under certain conditions.” Love that!

The Truth? (other reviews)
Washington Post
New York Times

Mormon Mentions
None

Author Biography
Laura Lippman was a reporter for twenty years, including twelve years at The (Baltimore) Sun. She began writing novels while working fulltime and published seven books about “accidental PI” Tess Monaghan before leaving daily journalism in 2001. Her work has been awarded the Edgar ®, the Anthony, the Agatha, the Shamus, the Nero Wolfe, Gumshoe and Barry awards. She also has been nominated for other prizes in the crime fiction field, including the Hammett and the Macavity. She was the first-ever recipient of the Mayor’s Prize for Literary Excellence and the first genre writer recognized as Author of the Year by the Maryland Library Association.

Long Lost - Book #84

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Title Long Lost
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Author Harlan Coben
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Genre Mystery
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Pages 384
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Publisher Dutton
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Copyright 2009
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Synopsis (from web-site)
Myron Bolitar hasn't heard from Terese Collins since their torrid affair ended ten years ago, so her desperate phone call from Paris catches him completely off guard. Now a suspect in the murder of her ex-husband in Paris, Terese has nowhere else to turn for help. Myron heeds the call but then a startling piece of evidence turns the entire case upside down.

Why I read It
Mr. Coben made his start writing a series of books featuring the irrepressible Myron Bolitar, former pro athlete turned Sports Agent turned Private Investigator for his clients; and his sociopathic and highly successful best friend Win. Together they are a great combination of smart ass and kick ass that make the books fun to read. I believe this is the 9th in the series and he has almost as many stand alone novels as well.

The Good
Funny and fun to read. Here are two guys who actually follow through with their promises to even the score. Imagine Jack Bauer if he was funny.

The Bad
You have to accept some pretty stretched scenarios sometimes - just remember it is fiction.

The Ugly (my opinion)
It delivers exactly what I am looking for in a Bolitar novel. It may be more suited for guys, but you ladies feel free to give it a try. His stand alones might be a better first choice though.

The Truth? (other reviews)
Mysterious Reviews

Mormon Mentions
None

Author Biography
Harlan Coben (born January 4, 1962) is an American author of mystery novels and thrillers. The plots of his novels often involve the resurfacing of unresolved or misinterpreted events in the past (such as murders, fatal accidents, etc.) and often have multiple plot twists. Both series of Coben's books are set in and around New York and New Jersey, and some of the supporting characters in the two series have appeared in both. Coben was born to a Jewish family in Newark, New Jersey but was raised and schooled in Livingston, New Jersey. While at Amherst College, he was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity. Also a member of the Amherst chapter of Psi Upsilon at that time was Dan Brown, author of The DaVinci Code. They remain good friends to this day. After graduating from Amherst College as a political science major, he worked in the travel industry, in a company owned by his grandfather. He now lives in Ridgewood, New Jersey with his wife, Anne Armstrong-Coben MD, a pediatrician, and their four children.

Harlan Coben discussing the character

Rejected Book Proposal #1

Given the success of Julie and Julia, wherein some regular Joe tries to imitate somebody well known for fame and fortune, then blogs about it; I have decided to pursue the same path.

Starting next week Lisa and I will be making costumes and actively trying to recreate all of William Shatner's love scenes. It will probably be a Wednesday night thing - so please no phone calls between 9:30 and 9:32 pm - because it is BUSINESS TIME (Making Love for 2, Making love for 2 minutes, because when you are as intense as I am, 2 minutes is all that you need).

We will probably start with this because we already have the outfits and it is pretty close to Lisa's normal hair style.

I suspect Amy Adams will also play me in the movie too.

Enough Already – Book #83

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| Title | Enough Already: clearing mental clutter|
| | to become the best you |
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| Author | Peter Walsh |
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| Genre | Nonfiction |
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| Pages | 271 |
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| Publisher | Free Press |
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| Copyright | 2009 |

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Synopsis (from web-site)
Peter Walsh, an organizer and designer from TLC's Clean Sweep, knows how to eliminate clutter. Here, Walsh tackles the masses of mental clutter that inundate people daily. Walsh guides listeners through the irksome daily muss and fuss toward thorough self-improvement

Why I read It
I love everything about decluttering and simple living so I read all the books I can about the subject. Don Aslett is another good source for this topic.

The Good
Great advice, that in my experience, we all need. I have yet to meet a truly decluttered person.

The Bad
More about the psychology behind the mental clutter in our lives rather than the nitty gritty details..

The Ugly (my opinion)
An informative read which I can pretty much guarantee will have something to help you within its pages.

The Truth? (other reviews)
J!
Associated Content

Mormon Mentions

None


Author BiographyPeter Walsh (born 1956) is an Australian-born professional organizer, writer and television personality who resides in Los Angeles. Walsh was born in rural Victoria and was educated at Salesian College (Rupertswood). He holds a master's degree with a specialty in educational psychology. He has been an organizational consultant for the past 12 years. His clients have included numerous Fortune 500 companies as well as private individuals and he has been president and CEO of an international training and development company. As an author, Walsh has written two books, How to Organize (Just About) Everything and, most recently, It's All Too Much. Among other programs, Walsh is a regular on Oprah. Walsh was an organizer on the TLC program Clean Sweep. On April 2, 2009 it was announced he will host a talk show on future channel OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, which is to be launched in 2010.

Twenties Girl – Book #82

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Title Twenties Girl
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Author Sophie Kinsella
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Genre Adult Fiction
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Pages 435
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Publisher The Dial Press
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Copyright 2009
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Synopsis (from web-site)
When the spirit of Lara's great-aunt Sadie-a feisty, demanding girl with firm ideas about fashion, love, and the right way to dance-mysteriously appears, she has one last request: Lara must find a missing necklace that had been in Sadie's possession for more than seventy-five years, and Sadie cannot rest without it. Never mind that Lara has her own problems--which Sadie could care less about. Will this sparring duo ever find what they're after?


Why I read It
About 8 years ago I began reading a lot of English fiction about 30 somethings (being an English 30 something myself). I found several entertaining authors during that period that I have stuck with, Kinsella being one of them.

The Good
Light and breezy, they always feature a distressed young woman who doesn’t know her own self worth; but through a series of improbable events all ends well. It won’t change your life but it is fun. It is a romantic comedy movie in book form.

The Bad
It’s not great literature nor does it pretend to be. If you are pretentious about your reading then you may want to give it a pass.

The Ugly (my opinion)
I love Sophie Kinsella books and her writing style. I usually read them over the course of one day and treat it like a movie in a book. Be warned if you are sentimental (i.e. Lisa) you may get teary eyed and feel the need to call all your grandparents after finishing.

The Truth? (other reviews)
Pittsburgh Tribune
Entertainment Weekly

Mormon Mentions
None

Author Biography

Educated at Putney High School and New College, Oxford, she worked as a financial journalist before turning to fiction. She is best known for writing the Shopaholic novels series of chick-lit novels, which focus on the misadventures of Becky Bloomwood, a financial journalist who cannot manage her own finances. The series focuses on her obsession with shopping and its resulting complications for her life.

The first two Shopaholic books were adapted into a film and released in February 2009, with Isla Fisher playing Becky and Hugh Dancy as Luke Brandon.

She also has a series of Romance novels under her real name Madeleine Wickham.

The Gargoyle - Book #81

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Title The Gargoyle
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Author Andrew Davidson
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Genre Adult Fiction
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Pages 465
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Publisher Doubleday
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Copyright 2008
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Synopsis (from web-site)
The narrator of The Gargoyle is a very contemporary cynic, physically beautiful and sexually adept, who dwells in the moral vacuum that is modern life. As the book opens, he is driving along a dark road when he is distracted by what seems to be a flight of arrows. He crashes into a ravine and suffers horrible burns over much of his body. As he recovers in a burn ward, undergoing the tortures of the damned, he awaits the day when he can leave the hospital and commit carefully planned suicide—for he is now a monster in appearance as well as in soul.

A beautiful and compelling, but clearly unhinged, sculptress of gargoyles by the name of Marianne Engel appears at the foot of his bed and insists that they were once lovers in medieval Germany. In her telling, he was a badly injured mercenary and she was a nun and scribe in the famed monastery of Engelthal who nursed him back to health. As she spins their tale in Scheherazade fashion and relates equally mesmerizing stories of deathless love in Japan, Iceland, Italy, and England, he finds himself drawn back to life—and, finally, in love. He is released into Marianne's care and takes up residence in her huge stone house. But all is not well. For one thing, the pull of his past sins becomes ever more powerful as the morphine he is prescribed becomes ever more addictive. For another, Marianne receives word
from God that she has only twenty-seven sculptures left to complete—and her time on earth will be finished.

Why I read It
There is a lot of online buzz about this book; it is the it book of the moment (think DaVinci Code, Twilight, Time Traveler’s Wife, White Oleander, etc.). I always like to jump on any bandwagon going so I ordered it right away. Of course like the other books listed, the literary snobs feel they are above this sort of book.

The Good
If you are looking for a bookclub selection you can’t go wrong with this story. On the surface it is a story of an alcoholic, drug addicted, porn actor/director who suffers a horrific accident leaving him severely burned; and his heavily tattooed, chain smoking, schizophrenic, gargoyle sculpting girlfriend. That is quite a plot but on a deeper level it is the story of love and how it can conquer the coldest of hearts (stone?) and find true beauty in the grotesque.

The Bad
The description of his pre-accident life and his consequent injuries are pretty strong. I would never want to suffer a burn injury and that was before knowing what the treatment involved. I have heard from some of my friends that the initial descriptions were too hard to make it through.

The Ugly (my opinion)
This is an original and compelling story well worth the read. If you have a hard time with the graphic nature of the burns just gut through it. The deeper tale is very moving and can open up many avenues of debate among other readers. My favorite line from the whole book though has little to do with the overall plot, but it amused me. “Even nuns know that while poverty is a virtue, it is terribly inconvenient.” (P245)

The Truth? (other reviews)
New York Times 1
New York Times 2
The Guardian

Mormon Mentions
None

Author Biography

Andrew Davidson was born in Pinawa, Manitoba, and graduated in 1995 from the University of British Columbia with a B.A. in English literature. He has worked as a teacher in Japan, where he has lived on and off, and as a writer of English lessons for Japanese Web sites. The Gargoyle, the product of seven years' worth of research and composition, is his first book. Davidson lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Dirty Quotes Out of Context (All New)

Talking to our kids about the first day of school my one son mentions a long term sub that we used to live near. My oldest blurts out:

"I've packed his groceries."

It just sounds really dirty, but he of course was talking about his new job at the grocery store.

In EQ last Sunday we were joking with one of the guys who will soon be leaving for his mission to Mongolia that he would be missing an upcoming event. I said:

"Yeah, he will be too busy milking the Yak."

Because that is what they do in Mongolia.

Milking the Yak

Inside the Gas Chamber - Book #80

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Title Free: Inside the Gas Chambers: Eight Months in the Sonderkommando of Auschwitz
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Author Shlomo Venezia
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Genre Historical Nonfiction
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Pages 196
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Publisher Polity
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Copyright 2009
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Synopsis (from web-site)
Slomo Venezia was born into a poor Jewish-Italian community living in Thessaloniki, Greece. At first, the occupying Italians protected his family; but when the Germans invaded, the Venezias were deported to Auschwitz. His mother and sisters disappeared on arrival, and he learned, at first with disbelief, that they had almost certainly been gassed. Given the chance to earn a little extra bread, he agreed to become a ‘Sonderkommando’, without realising what this entailed. He soon found himself a member of the ‘special unit’ responsible for removing the corpses from the gas chambers and burning their bodies.

Dispassionately, he details the grim round of daily tasks, evokes the terror inspired by the man in charge of the crematoria, ‘Angel of Death’ Otto Moll, and recounts the attempts made by some of the prisoners to escape, including the revolt of October 1944.

It is usual to imagine that none of those who went into the gas chambers at Auschwitz ever emerged to tell their tale – but, as a ‘Sonderkommando’, Shlomo Venezia was given this horrific privilege. He knew that, having witnessed the unspeakable, he in turn would probably be eliminated by the SS in case he ever told his tale. He survived: this is his story.


Why I read It
I like historical fiction and truly believe the awfulness of man's treatment of man should never be forgotten, lest it be relived.

The Good
You would be hard pressed to find a more accurate depiction of this horrific event. I cannot fathom how so many people were okay with this happening and actively participated in it (I am speaking of the Germans, specifically the SS).

The Bad
This book will disturb you on a fundamental level - as it should.

The Ugly (my opinion)
A terrible story that needs to be told, or it could happen again. I finished this in church waiting for the service to begin. I could only imagine the horror if one day some power decided Mormons should be exterminated on this scale. Very moving.

Author Biography
Originally from the Jewish-Italian community of Thessaloniki, Shlomo Venezia was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau when he was twenty years old and enrolled in the Sonderkommando, of which he was one of the few to survive. These special teams were employed by the SS to empty the gas chambers and to burn the victims' bodies before being eliminated in their turn after several months.

You Want It, Baby You've Got It!!!

To celebrate some Twitter achievement you can download a song for free from Amazon.

Just go here

I took advantage of it a just got this classic

Binding Bonds Broken

So on my internet travels I came across an interesting post about shaving on Justin Owings blog. Basically he had found plenty of research stating that shaving cream is nothing but a big gambit (i.e. a waste of money) and razor blades will last a lot longer than we think with one simple step. A step so simple a effective the razor blade companies do not really advertise it. The reason razors dull is the minerals found in water. If we leave our razors wet when we have finished shaving the water will evaporate eventually and leave mineral deposits on the blade. To avoid this simply run your razor down your towel a few times after rinsing it. Takes less than a second but it will at a minimum triple the life of your blade. And NEVER leave your razor in the shower!

Not one to spread wild rumors I have been running an experiment of one for the last two months. That’s right, I have been shaving JT to great effect. But really I have been shaving sand shaving cream for the last two months without any ill effect. In fact shaving takes less time as I can actually see what has gotten done and I have no complicated preshave lather ritual to do. My blade is also holding up just fine too.

No clue whether if this would also work for other lady bits and legs too, but it does fine for faces. So stop wasting money and pay off your mortgage sooner. Just say no to the cream!

FWIW – there was another suggestion for saving money, just don’t shave. The two methods for accomplishing this are demonstrated by wife’s brothers (well was demonstrated by Randy before he sold out). Anyways grow a beard like Randy, or avoid full maturity like Steve (so you can only manage a few scraggly chin hairs every month or so).

My To Be Read Pile

Here is a look at my To Be Read pile that sits on my desk. I am about 25% the way through The Gargoyle and about a third the way through Flashforward. It is mainly nonfiction but I do have several fiction titles on order at my library with two of them arriving tomorrow (Laura Lippman and Lindsey Davis’ latest) which will need to be integrated.

The Gargoyle Andrew Davidson
Flashforward Robert Sawyer
Twenties Girl Sophie Kinsella
How We Decide Jonah Lehrer
The Body Fat Solution Tom Venuto
Inside the Gas Chambers Shlomo Venezia
Enough Already Peter Walsh
Anything for a Vote Joseph Cummings
Why We Suck Denis Leary
The Seven Sins of Memory Daniel Schacter
When Bad Things Happen To Good People Harold Kushner

What I Read

People often wonder what I like to read. Here is a probably incomplete list of where I am with certain authors. Not included are a lot of one hit wonders and/or new authors who I would definitely read any more books they would care to publish. I also left out deceased writers that I have read their entire backlist.

Here is the short list of all the writers that, except for the odd book, I keep up on. I love all these guys, but my absolute favorites would have to be Rankin, Keyes, Mankell, Moore, and Murakami.
Monica Ali
Chris Anderson
Jeffrey Archer
Dave Barry
Mark Bowden
Christopher Buckley
Dan Brown
John Burdett
Martin Clark
Harlan Coben
Robert Crais
Lindsey Davis
Helen Fielding
Janet Fitch
Stephen Frey
Tess Gerritsen
Victor Gischler
Malcolm Gladwell
John Grisham
Mark Haddon
Steve Hamilton
Nick Hornby
Khaled Hosseini
Arnaldur Indritason
Sebastian Junger
Marian Keyes
Sophie Kinsella
J.A. Konrath
Erik Larsen
Dennis Lehane
Jeff Lindsay
Laura Lippman
Henning Mankell
Steve Martin
Stephanie Meyer
Christopher Moore
Haruki Murakami
Mary Roach
Tom Perrotta
Joe Queenan
Ian Rankin
Louise Rennison
JD Robb*(Not Nora Roberts)
JK Rowling
Curtis Sittenfeld
Zadie Smith
Nicholas Sparks
Vikas Swarup
Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Donna Tartt
Lynne Truss

This next list is active writers that I have read a significant portion of their backlist and who I am trying to become current on. Of this list I would say John Harvey is the only one I am actively/directly pursuing that goal. The others I will pick something up if none of the above have anything current out that I need to read.
Martin Amis
Robert Asprin
Michael Chabon
Michael Connelly
James Ellroy
Stephen Fry
Jane Green
John Harvey
Carl Hiassen
Homer Hickam
Stephen King
Harold Kushner
Elmore Leonard
Paul Levine
Robert Ludlum
Ian McEwan
Lauren Myracle
Hakan Nesser
George Pelacanos
Cornelia Read
Philip Roth
Richard Russo
Neal Stephenson
Sue Townsend
PJ Tracy
Jonathan Tropper
Scott Turow

This is a list of deceased writers I am working on. I will read Crichton’s last book as soon as I can. Larsson is an interesting case. He is a Swedish writer who turned in three complete manuscripts and then unfortunately had a heart attack and died. The first was released last year and was brilliant. I am anxiously awaiting the next two.
Douglas Adams
Kingsley Amis
Michael Crichton
Stieg Larsson
Sinclair Lewis

The next is a special case. Beaton writes two series of books and I only like the Hamish ones. I am completely up to date on those.
MC Beaton

These next two I have read a majority of them and have officially quit them. Cussler was difficult after reading so many, but the quality has gone downhill. I was just reading them to read them.
Clive Cussler
Jeffrey Deaver

Plus there are plenty of UK and Japanese writers that I would read everything, but my access is severely limited. So I have read what I can and I am hopeful for more opportunities in the future..
Iain Banks
Mark Barrowcliffe
Colin Bateman
Christopher Brookmyre
Ken Bruen
Jonathan Coe
Mike Gayle
Wendy Holden
Natsuo Kirino
Miyuki Miyabe
Patrick Neate
John O’Farrell
Banana Yoshimoto

Okay You BG Nerds

I have just finished season one and I am now working through the second, but I keep coming back to the same question. Why in the hell do they have one doctor but 30 reporters? I mean come on, fire some of the reporters and retrain them. That doctor is old and his knowledge will be dieing with him.

Plus I always think it is weird when they waste things like glasses or bottles. That stuff is going top run out if they do not look after them.

Semi-Deep Thoughts from the Shallow End

So I saw this video over at Male Pattern Fitness a week or so ago and it got me thinking. How often do we see someone accomplishing something significant in life and automatically devalue it in a bid to secure our own egos? Typically we say to ourselves "If I had the time or desire that they do, I could easily do it to." Consequently what they have done has no value. And we excuse ourselves from actually doing anything because we will do it one day. As if it will be just a matter of waking up and deciding to do it.

As Malcolm Gladwell pointed out in Outliers, what separates us from those who have succeed usually is a hell of a lot of hard work. Anotherwords, instead of devaluing others, they get off their ass and just do it. I like how Andy Roddick says "I get that a lot" when hearing it doesn't look that hard to return his serve on TV.

People are doing some amazing things with their lives out there, and we should be celebrating their achievements. Whether that be in sports, education, or even their hobbies; and if you think you can do it - just don't say that you could, get off the couch and pick up that weight, write that first paragraph of your book, or sign up for that class. Speak with your actions, not your smart ass mouth.

FREE - Book #79

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Title Free: The Future of a Radical Price
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Author Chris Anderson
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Genre Business Nonfiction
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Pages 254
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Publisher Hyperion
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Copyright 2009
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PLEASE NOTE: True to the concepts presented in this book you can get most if not all of the content online for free. Just click on the author's name above and it will take you to his web-site. Frome there you can easily access various means of getting the book.


Synopsis (from web-site)
We all know free--it's a trick that marketers use. But free is changing. When you think about it, there are two economies, one of atoms and one of bits. In the atoms economy, which is to say most of the stuff around us, things tend to get more expensive over time. But in the bits economy, which is the online world, things get cheaper. The atoms economy is inflationary, while the bits economy is deflationary.

The 20th Century was primarily an atoms economy. The 21st Century will be equally a bits economy. This book is about the differences between 20th Century free and 21st Century free--free moving from a marketing trick to a new economic model.

Anything free in the atoms economy must be paid for by something else, which is why so much traditional free feels like bait and switch--it's you paying, one way or another. But free in the bits economy can be really free, with money often taken out of the equation altogether. People are rightly suspicious of free in the atoms economy, and rightly trusting of free in the bits economy. Intuitively, they understand the difference between the two, and why free works so well online.

Today the online world is a country-sized economy built of free. The most interesting business models are in finding ways to make money around free. Sooner or later every company is going to have to figure out how to use free or compete with free, one way or another. My book is about how to do that.


Why I read It
I read Anderson's previous book The Long Tail and liked it, plus the cover stood out. I am always checking the new shelf for business type books - we are what we do. Plus he has 5 kids - so I am not the only one.

The Good
Anderson lays out his theory in a straight forward easy to unstand manner. Also he uses a ton of examples to make his point, insomuch you cannot not get his meaning.

The Bad
Very radical that it might be a bit extreme to be believed. And as with anything radical everyone can always think of an exception to the rule exmple, whether they are helpful or not.

The Ugly (my opinion)
Fun thought provoking book. It got my creative mind flowing about free business models. I like the way he expressed prices have a ground floor (typically free) and whatever you do to keep them up from that is fighting gravity. Remember this rule, gravity will always win. I also like the illustration of those who are among the world's richest who have made their fortunes from a free business model.

The Truth? (other reviews)
The New Yorker
The New York Times
Washington Post

Mormon Mentions
None.

Author Biography

I'm the editor of Wired Magazine and the author of The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More and FREE: The Future of a Radical Price.

I live in Berkeley, CA, with my wife and five children.

I'm also the co-founder of BookTour, which is responsible for the book tour information you may have noticed on author pages here at Amazon (they're a minority investor in the company).

In my spare time, I have a hobby-gone-wrong in the form of an aerial robotics company called DIY Drones. We develop open source unmannaned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which some people find thrilling and others find worrying. You can make up your own mind: diydrones.com

I'm trying, I'm trying

Here is a tale from last week to celebrate my now 16 year old.

So Gunnar got invited to a birthday party for a girl he met at Youth Conference. Unfortunately she lives 40 miles away and Gunnar doesn't drive. That's okay though as I have some birthday cash to spend and there is something I need in the "big" city ( I picked up a used 40 pound kettlebell). So off we go.

My errand doesn't take very long and so we have an hour to kill so he doesn't show up totally early. I proceed to pick up my dinner at Chipotle and for the first time ever there is no one in line before me. So that only killed two minutes.

I then took him to his first pawn shop - an excellent father/son bonding experience. You got to know where to buy your used CD's, video games, and movies - never pay retail.

We still have 20 minutes so I go to Kwik Trip to pick up a drink. I ask Gunnar if he wants one (with the party in a few minutes there might have been a chance he would say no, a very small chance). He says yes and I get a Diet Dew and he gets regular (I know!) Dr. Pepper with a Cherry flavor blast (aka red sugar syrup). While standing in line he manages to spill it down the front of his new white t-shirt (Yes, just standing in line).

This baby is ruined and the party is in 10 minutes. But never fear, being the BESTEST dad ever I know there is an Old Navy across the street so I jet over there for a new t-shirt. We get in the car and I suggest given his luck he should probably leave it in the bag until we get to the house; he can change in the car before going in.

So we proceed to drive to the house using the mapquest directions and suddenly we are in a fancy neighborhood with some MASSIVE homes. Then I see it and say:

Me: Is that it with all the kids playing Volleyball in the FRONT yard?
Gunnar: Crap, yes it is. Where am I going to change my shirt now? (BTW - he is starting to freak out - don't let him tell you different).
Me (jokingly): I could pull away from the curb and drive around the block?
Gunnar (full on losing it now): YES!! YES!! YES!!
Me: okie dokie

So I pull out and turn right (the house is on a corner) only to find it is a 30 yard dead end - a little round about at the end. So I drive about 5 mph and shirt change is successfully made and crisis averted. All thanks to awesome Dad.

I went to the movies to kill time and saw the Proposal - a very funny movie.

Wishful Drinking - Book #78

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Title Wishful Drinking
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Author Carrie Fisher
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Genre Autobiography
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Pages 156
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Publisher Simon & Schuster
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Copyright 2008
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Synopsis (from web-site)
Finally, after four hit novels, Carrie Fisher comes clean (well, sort of ) with the crazy truth that is her life in her first-ever memoir. In Wishful Drinking, adapted from her one-woman stage show, Fisher reveals what it was really like to grow up a product of "Hollywood in-breeding," come of age on the set of a little movie called Star Wars, and become a cultural icon and bestselling action figure at the age of nineteen. Intimate, hilarious, and sobering, Wishful Drinking is Fisher, looking at her life as she best remembers it (what do you expect after electroshock therapy?). It's an incredible tale: the child of Hollywood royalty -- Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher – home wrecked by Elizabeth Taylor, marrying (then divorcing, then dating) Paul Simon, having her likeness merchandized on everything from Princess Leia shampoo to PEZ dispensers, learning the father of her daughter forgot to tell her he was gay, and ultimately waking up one morning and finding a friend dead beside her in bed. Wishful Drinking, the show, has been a runaway success. Entertainment Weekly declared it "drolly hysterical" and the Los Angeles Times called it a "Beverly Hills yard sale of juicy anecdotes." This is Carrie Fisher at her best -- revealing her worst. She tells her true and outrageous story of her bizarre reality with her inimitable wit, unabashed self-deprecation, and buoyant, infectious humor.

Why I read It
Heard a very funny interview with Carrie Fisher on NPR’s Wait, Wait, Don’t tell me. She was a guest on the “It’s not my job” segment. In it she mentions the book and shares some stories from it.

The Good
She is brutally honest and doesn’t avoid any of the hard truths about her life. At the same time she manages to be very funny. The discussion on whether her daughter and Elizabeth Taylor’s grandson (who were dating) were related is worth the read alone. It really lays out the pitfalls of the Hollywood life and multiple marriages can lead too.

The Bad
Can be a bit brutal for some, but it was her life. If you want to keep your nerd boy Princess Leia image do not read this book.

The Ugly (my opinion)
The shallow gossipy side of me loved this book. I also like learning the truth behind the public image that we are usually presented with. Great fun and an interesting what it means to be labeled and branded at such a young age.

The Truth? (other reviews)
Entertainment Weekly
Salon

Mormon Mentions
None.

Author Biography

Carrie Fisher has been a compelling force in the film industry since her feature film debut opposite Warren Beatty in the 1975 hit Shampoo. The daughter of Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, she became a cultural icon when she played Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy. Her star-studded career includes roles in countless films such as Austin Powers, The Blues Brothers, The Burbs, Charlie’s Angels, Garbo Talks, Hannah and her Sisters, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, The Man with One Red Shoe, Scream 3, This is My Life, When Harry Met Sally, and Wonderland. In 1987, Fisher’s book, Postcards from the Edge, leapt onto the New York Times’ bestseller list and netted her the Los Angeles Pen Award for Best First Novel. Three more bestsellers followed: Delusions of Grandma, Surrender the Pink, and The Best Awful. Fisher turned Postcards into a screenplay for the hit film starring Shirley MacLaine and Meryl Streep, Her writing has also appeared in Details, Harpers Bazaar, the New York Times, Travel & Leisure, Vogue, and many other major publications. Fisher hosted her own show on the Oxygen network, Conversations from the Edge. Her television credits range all the way from Laverne and Shirley to Sex and the City, with recent appearances on popular programs such as 30 Rock and Weeds. Her experiences with addiction and bipolar disorder—and her willingness to speak honestly about them—have made her a sought-after speaker and respected advocate for these communities.

Totally pointless side note: As the only guy of my generation not to see the movies in the theater, I did not grow up with the Leia fantasy like everyone else. That said I did find the thirty-something Carrie Fisher I saw in the movies very hot :-)

The Reincarnationist - Book #77

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Title The Reincarnationist
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Author MJ Rose
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Genre Adult Suspense
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Pages 451
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Publisher Mira
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Copyright 2007
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Synopsis (from web-site)
A bomb in Rome, a flash of bluish-white and photojournalist Josh Ryder's world exploded. Nothing would ever be the same. As Josh recovers, his mind is invaded with thoughts that have the emotion, the intensity, the intimacy of memories. But these are not his memories. They are ancient... and violent. There's an urgency to them he can't ignore—pulling him to save a woman named Sabina... and the treasures she protects. But who is Sabina? Desperate for answers, Josh turns to the world-renowned Phoenix Foundation—a research facility that scientifically documents cases of past life experiences. He is led to an archaeological dig and to Professor Gabriella Chase, who has discovered an ancient, powerful secret that threatens to merge the past with the present. Here, the dead call out to the living, and murders of the past become murders of the present.


Why I read It
I picked up one of her books (The Memorist) from my new fiction shelf at my library, and about 10 pages into it I realized it was clearly a sequel. So I requested the first book in the series from a nearby library.

The Good
Loved reincarnation as a concept. Is our soul continually trying to right past wrongs?

The Bad
The plot was kind of jumpy and I had a hard time keeping all the character names straight. Everything worked out rather to conveniently, but to be fair it would be hard to have the plot work without the incredible coincidences.

The Ugly (my opinion)
It was okay, and ultimately I will read part two. The topic was interesting enough to outweigh the plot weaknesses.

The Truth? (other reviews)
Mysterious Reviews
The Book Reporter

Mormon Mentions
None

Author Biography

M.J. Rose, is the international bestselling author of 10 novels; Lip Service, In Fidelity, Flesh Tones, Sheet Music, Lying in Bed, The Halo Effect, The Delilah Complex, The Venus Fix, The Reincarnationist, and The Memorist.

Rose is also the co-author with Angela Adair Hoy of How to Publish and Promote Online, and with Doug Clegg of Buzz Your Book.

She is a founding member and board member of International Thriller Writers and the founder of the first marketing company for authors: AuthorBuzz.com. She runs two popular blogs; Buzz, Balls & Hype and Backstory.

PLEASE NOTE: MJ Rose is one of the very most influential online authors out there. If you have an interest in books as a reader OR a writer, her blogs are a must.

Columbine - Book #76

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Title Columbine
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Author Dave Cullen
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Genre Non-Fiction
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Pages 358
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Publisher Twelve
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Copyright 2009
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Synopsis (from web-site)
On April 20, 1999, two boys left an indelible stamp on the American psyche. Their goal was simple: to blow up their school, Oklahoma City-style, and to leave "a lasting impression on the world." Their bombs failed, but the ensuing shooting defined a new era of school violence-irrevocably branding every subsequent shooting "another Columbine."

When we think of Columbine, we think of the Trench Coat Mafia; we think of Cassie Bernall, the girl we thought professed her faith before she was shot; and we think of the boy pulling himself out of a school window-the whole world was watching him. Now, in a riveting piece of journalism nearly ten years in the making, comes the story none of us knew. In this revelatory book, Dave Cullen has delivered a profile of teenage killers that goes to the heart of psychopathology. He lays bare the callous brutality of mastermind Eric Harris and the quavering, suicidal Dylan Klebold, who went to the prom three days earlier and obsessed about love in his journal.

The result is an astonishing account of two good students with lots of friends, who were secretly stockpiling a basement cache of weapons, recording their raging hatred, and manipulating every adult who got in their way. They left signs everywhere, described by Cullen with a keen investigative eye and psychological acumen. Drawing on hundreds of interviews, thousands of pages of police files, FBI psychologists, and the boys' tapes and diaries, he gives the first complete account of the Columbine tragedy.

In the tradition of Helter Skelter and In Cold Blood, Columbine is destined to be a classic. A close-up portrait of violence, a community rendered helpless, and police blunders and cover-ups, it is a compelling and utterly human portrait of two killers-an unforgettable cautionary tale for our time.

Why I read It
I have always liked historical non-fiction, and Columbine has been on my mind with its tenth anniversary. I remember vividly when it happened and 10 years seemed like enough time for the myths to work themselves out.

The Good
I think the author did a very good job of presenting the facts with out sensationalizing it. He manages to present a sympathetic picture of Dylan Klebold without excuses his actions at all. He also gently clears up a lot of the misconceptions (i.e. myths) that were built up immediately around the event (like the She said Yes).

The Bad
While there is value to understanding the motivations of the killers, it can be seen as too much. A lot of people will not care why they did it because ultimately there is no reason. Also there are no photo’s at all so I spent a lot of time going online to see all the people he was talking about. He did not include the detailed story of the library, where 10 of the students were killed, and they committed suicide. Finally I found myself wanting a little biography of all the victims.

The Ugly (my opinion)
A very good book and extremely informative. If you want to know more about what happened at Columbine, or the psychology of perpetrators of violence in general, this is a great resource for your library. For some reason the author left out parts of the story and I had to supplement with my own research (but it was easy to find). I also looked up a lot of where are they now stories as that wasn’t really part of the book.

The Truth? (other reviews)
New York Magazine
New York Times

Mormon Mentions
None

Author Biography

Dave Cullen is a journalist and author of the New York Times bestseller Columbine, an indelible portrait of the killers, the victims, and the community that suffered one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century. He has contributed to the New York Times, Slate, Salon, Times of London, Washington Post and the Guardian.

Cullen is considered a leading authority on the Columbine killers, and has also written extensively on Evangelical Christians, gays in the military, politics, and pop culture. A graduate of the MA program at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Cullen has won several writing awards, including a GLAAD Media Award, Society of Professional Journalism awards, the Jovanovich Imaginative Writing Award, and several Best of Salon citations. He is an Ochberg Fellow at the Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Dave grew up in Chicago, and has worked in most regions of the U.S., as well as England, Kuwait and Bahrain. He worked as a computer systems developer for EDS and a management consultant for Arthur Andersen. He served as a Private and a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He moved to Colorado in1994, and currently lives in Denver.