The Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence (1999)

Author: Ray Kurzweil | Page Count: 400

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE AN OPTIMIST?"

"I have been accused of that..."

This text is a complicated and multi-layered mountain to climb. The question is of course whether or not it’s worth it. That depends at least somewhat on you, as a reader and a human being. The gigantic prism-hued elephant in the room is that this is a book built upon a foundation of predictions of the future as viewed from the late 90s. If you are a person who understands and does not lie to yourself about the world as it currently stands (read: teeters on the brink) in this second decade of the twenty-first century, you will find yourself laughing at Kurzweil’s VERY rose-tinted reading of the then-future. These predictions are wondrous to ponder, but the simple truth is that we won’t see them come to pass given how incapable we are at overcoming our petty and bellicose nature, as a species.

Is there value in reading it as (partly) a work of fiction, though? I would argue yes, if you’re able to set the narrative and speculative parts into the proper context. I say ‘partly,’ because roughly half of this text is comprised of facts, figures, real-world technological timelines, and treatises on certain aspects of quantum physics. Get ready to have a finger planted in the Notes appendix at all times. And, those notes can get to be quite lengthy. Are you up for reading what equates to a college (or graduate-level) textbook? That’s what you can look forward to for a significant portion of this venture.

I realize I’m being excessively negative and dismissive (Hello, my name IS Neg, if you weren’t already aware.), but being the person I am, and in order to be honest with anyone who would potentially be reading this, it is nothing more than a necessity born of truth. Again, if you can make yourself read the speculative portions of this as a piece of fiction, then I do believe there is merit in making the large amount of time it will take to digest this work. These works. Plural. This is because of the dual nature of the book itself and the concept album that was created as a result: Our Lady Peace’s Spiritual Machines.

As a consumer of media, whether you realize it or not, you are fishing for hope, both real and entirely fictional. The beautiful thing is that the verity of a piece of media matters little to those of us who rest our mental (and for some, spiritual) well-being upon them. Not just hope, but strength, resolve, comfort, stimulation, and countless other things essential to the human experience can all be legitimately garnered from works that derive entirely from the minds of humanity itself. Raine Maida did a spectacular job of examining some of the very human concerns springing from the technological trends discussed herein. Albeit (at least partially) from the other end of the telescope.

Indeed, while many of the basic quantum and computational concepts discussed have stuck with me, what has haunted me the most, ever since I first read this, are the philosophical ramifications that Kurzweil subtly mentions in passing by having the reader character he creates simply dismiss outright. This is clearly 1.) intentional, 2.) accurate for her arc, and 3.) presented such that they’re meant to ceaselessly be splinters in your mind, even if most of what is predicted is never able to come to pass.

To Kurzweil’s credit, perhaps he teased that aspect of it because he knew he wasn’t personally capable of fully going down that side of the path on his own. I think it really works because of that, with the value being found in the intersection of his expertise, Raine’s pathos, and the reader/listener’s willingness to engage with what’s poking out of the shadows found there.

I also like it for how it consistently gives me pause. I like that it ultimately scares me in subtle ways the Matrix trilogy simply doesn’t, no matter how hard it tries.

4 Virtual Mollies For Every Man (and Woman) out of 5

Nutted by NEG

The Physics of Star Trek (1995)

Author: Lawrence Krauss  |  Page Count: 188

'Thanks to Albert Einstein and those who have followed in his footsteps, the very fabric of spacetime is filled with drama.'

It's common knowledge that Star Trek not only 'boldly' ignored the laws of grammar, but that it wilfully ignored the laws of physics, too, However, in some instances the real-world science behind the fictional quick-fixes is surprisingly close to the TV show technobabble. Most fans will know why transporters were introduced, but not how they would theoretically work. TPoST provides answers.

It doesn't set out to debunk or discredit TV writers—it's not trying to achieve credibility by standing on the ashes of others—instead it aims to inform and explore the reality of what would be needed to achieve the life-changing physics used in the show. It's not just another boring cash-in / tie-in / stick-the-arm-in book designed to milk the wallets of every weak-willed Trek fan ever.

Thankfully, you won't need a degree in quantum mechanics to make sense of the text, but some basic high school science knowledge will help. If you know why Newton owes a debt to an apple, or why Einstein is more than a black and white poster in a student dig, then you're all set. I don't know if true physicists or mathematicians would agree, but for an average Joe like me the structure of the book is a credit to the author. Complex theories are built bit by bit atop a foundation of easier concepts, making it very easy to follow.

Not everything pertaining to a hobby or interest need pander to its target audience. Often the best additions are the ones that teach us something of value at the same time, whether it be academic or emotional. I think a large percentage of Trek fans would agree with that statement because even if Paramount weren't in it to challenge norms and teach by example, Gene was, and the people he reached keep that vision alive. Ultimately, TPoST is perfect for Trek fans who possess a passion for learning and have an interest in the wonder of science.

4 cosmic poker games out of 5

Scar Tissue (2004)

Author: Anthony Kiedis, Larry Sloman | Page Count: 465

"I was still high out of my mind and trying not to lose an eyeball or tuft of hair, so I started running through the halls. Jennifer chased me. For some reason, I had a bag of cookies, so I started throwing the cookies at her, to keep her far enough away that she couldn't connect with any of her punches."

Scar Tissue chronicles the life of Anthony Kiedis, lead singer of The Red Hot Chili Peppers, from his birth and childhood in Michigan to his adolescence in Southern California to the formation of the band and his trials and tribulations with fame, love, and drug addiction all the way to his sober present while living a life that was totally untethered and impulsive.

The text reads as if Keidis is telling the story right to the reader which is pretty much how it was written since it was transcribed by Sloman as it was told to him with surprising recollection and detail by Keidis. The window it opens into the world of music and fame is fascinating as well as the change in culture that would allow a prepubescent kid to skateboard around a city unmonitored just exploring and experiencing. That isn't unheard of nowadays, but parents are sometimes arrested for that lack of chaperoning. Keidis' own personal journey is a running theme throughout from his self described egomania to his much healthier and calmer "life of service" which is equally fascinating. There are also several photos presented offering a visual look into his life that are interesting. An absorbing read punctuated with some insights and peeks into the hollywood behind-the-scenes.

4 Nothing drops the panties faster than music out of 5

Escape From Camp 14 (2012)

Author: Blaine Harden | Page Count: 210

A perverse benefit of birth in the camp was a complete absence of expectations.

And so Shin's misery never skidded into complete hopelessness. He had no hope to lose, no past to mourn, no pride to defend. He did not find it degrading to lick soup off the floor. He was not ashamed to beg a guard for forgiveness. It didn't trouble his conscience to betray a friend for food. These were merely survival skills, not motives for suicide.

Escape From Camp 14 tells the true story of a North Korean man Shin Dong-hyuk as he was born in a political prisoner labor camp, his life growing up inside and his eventual escape from the camp and North Korea. The hardships that he faced are some of the worst crimes against human rights that can be imagined. I felt a sort of disconnect at first like I was reading a history similar to the holocaust or stories of Russian gulags; terrible but with a distance that time and historical perspective brings. The author and Shin however stress in the text how North Korea has perpetrated among the cruelest and most long running campaigns of human rights violations ever that is still going on right now and how it is allowed to continue by a clusterfuck of politics, denial, conspiracy and apathy.

That is the point, but the tale itself is more personal as it relates to Shin. He is one of many who were trained from birth to be subservient to authority with no cause towards things like human dignity and integrity as well as the physical hardships of forced slave labor, malnutrition, starvation and murder. Things like respect and love were not even foreign concepts; they didn't exist at all. When his mother and brother are executed for a planned escape, Shin is forced to watch and won't meet his mother's  eye not because he can't bear the sight of her death, but because he was angry at her for putting him in danger by escaping. She was his mother only by fact she birthed him, but there was no love. She was just a person and competitor for food who would beat him when he stole her lunch. Even his eventual escape wasn't prodded on by some grandiose uprising of the human spirit within him. He escaped because he was tired of being hungry and heard from an outside prisoner that grilled meat was particularly good.

A fascinating look at a personal tale behind North Korea's cloak that gives some insight to international geopolitics and the perhaps unseen side of the strength of human spirit.

5 spit roasted rats out of 5

Bradbury Speaks: Too Soon from the Cave, Too Far from the Stars (2006)

Author: Ray Bradbury | Page Count: 256

"Run, leaving your footprints to be blown away with the firewind as the last rocket targets the great Cosmic wall."

Let's talk in unfair generalities. Fiction authors are different from other folks. They make a living telling lies much like actors, but that's where the similarities end. An actor is a tool. An author is a craftsman. Actors want to take your love. Authors want to excite your imagination. Within a fiction writer's falsehoods is buried a universal or deeply personal truth, waiting to be exhumed by a reader.

Authors shut themselves indoors and confess their innermost thoughts to a non-judgemental keyboard. They use their work to help them understand the world, not to make the cover of Hello! or OK! magazine. So why should we care what an author has to say about anything other than his or her work? Strictly speaking, we shouldn't. And there it ends.

And yet, while I'd much rather have a Bradbury novel or short story collection to take me journeying, I'll read anything and everything he wrote because his world view was informed 100% by his role as storyteller. When he looked at a tree he didn't just see a tree - he saw a place where children climbed and friendships were born; a shelter from the biting rain where two lovers first kissed; a place that blossoms once a year, under which a lonely mother cried. He saw the stories that might have been and both consciously and unconsciously catalogued the details he needed for the ones that would write themselves through him.

The thirty-seven essays in the featured book are of interest to me only because they were written by Ray. Some are two pages in length and some are ten. Some are thought-provoking and informative and some aren't, but in each instance his poetic mind was the hearth in which the insights were forged.

3½ backwards walks out of 5

The Hot Zone (1994)

Author: Richard Preston | Page Count: 418

She had bled around the edges of the Band-Aid. She did not see any monkey blood on her hand.
She put the last glove under the faucet. The water was running and it filled up the glove. The glove swelled up like a water balloon. She dreaded the sudden appearance of a thread of water squirting from the glove, the telltale of a leak, a sign that her life was over.

A true story about an outbreak of Ebola virus in a suburb of Washington D.C. Written more as a thriller than a historical account worked in making the story incredibly dramatic and more horrifying than any actual horror novel if one were to think about the possibilities put forward in the text. The book covers many principal characters from the first outbreak of the so called filoviruses or thread viruses as they first appeared in Africa and the ensuing chaos they wreaked on the populace of Sudan and Zaire and the possible sequence of events that led to their traveling to the U.S. The workers at a monkey house stumble upon some sick monkeys which will eventually turn into a huge joint operation between the Army and CDC to prevent an outbreak that could endanger 90 percent of the population.

Preston weaves the history of the viruses and the many characters surprisingly well as the story is easy to follow despite the large number of participants and multiple events happening simultaneously. Writing it in the style of a thriller was a good decision as writing it any other way that could possible make it uninteresting would be a shame.  It will keep you up at night if you imagine the filoviruses spreading the same way that say HIV has spread. It would be a world changing event. Riveting stuff in a surprisingly quick read.

4½ Livers turned as hard as salami out of 5

Survival in Auschwitz (1958)

Author: Primo Levi | Page Count: 187

At that time I had not yet been taught the doctrine... that man is bound to pursue his own ends by all possible means, while he who errs but once pays dearly.

Survival in Auschwitz first appeared in English as If This Is A Man. Translated from its original italian, it tells the story of the author Primo Levi's capture, transfer to Auschwitz and subsequent liberation from it. He describes the inhuman treatment of the "haftlings"( the word for prisoner) by not only the nazis, but also fellow prisoners either out of the same racist views of the time, to possibly gain favor and privilege or just as a means to help themselves. The latter of which he didn't seem to hold against them given the circumstances and as it was a behavior he also participated in.

Levi actually doesn't beat the reader over the head with how it was horrible and how the reader should feel. He simply states clearly the events that transpired and lets the reader think about it as if he doesn't want pity or sympathy, but rather just to tell the story. There is even a running theme about how the physical stress, as bad as it was with disease, malnutrition and inadequate...everything, wasn't as bad as the dehumanization. Being told they were less than human and then forced to prove them right by having to embrace it for survival by stealing from fellow prisoners, loss of compassion for a struggling worker because it only slows down their work and other moments that he felt nothing for at the time and only much later remembered clearly enough to feel regret.
His prose is clear and concise, but still affecting and insightful. A very good read.

4 Soup and bread rations out of 5

50 Facts That Should Change The World (2004)

Author: Jessica Williams | Page Count: 303

These are facts, but they are not immutable truths. It's not too late to change the way our world works.

A collection of 50 essays that reveal not only the facts themselves, but also the circumstances of their existence, their extent and possible solutions. Some are more pressing than others, but all are engrossing especially if one takes the time to think about them further. Some are a problem only in certain countries like the UK's overuse of surveillance or the USA's unpaid dues to the United Nations, but the majority are grave global problems such as the deadline for oil reserves or the size of the illegal drug trade.

It is a quick, but fascinating read for anyone who feels like being enlightened a bit to some real problems both ethical and technical. The engrossment is helped by Ms. Williams concise, but compassionate prose that feels both knowledgeable and sincere. Despite it being written in 2004, it is astounding how many of the facts are still ongoing. There is also an updated 2.0 version which should be checked out for anyone wanting some real issues to learn about and possibly help fix. Or at the very least some decent conversation topics. You know, if you're an asshole.

4 Exploitations of developing countries out of 5

John Lydon: Stories of Johnny - A Compendium of Thoughts on the Icon of an Era (2006)

Editor: Rob Johnstone | Page Count: 318

"[H]e has proved time and again that a big anti-establishment Fuck You can and should be something that any individual is free to choose."

The correct ratio of arrogance and enthusiasm can be a positive thing. John Lydon has spent his entire life making himself a visible target for the socially repressed and political ideologists to attack, and in so doing he exposes the attacker's own prejudices and fears. Love him or hate him, the world needs Lydon. Truth needs Lydon. He admits the things he says can seem contradictory and that his opinion will change from day to day but it always reflects how he feels at that time, and the core values that underline his philosophy never change.

I've labelled this a 'biography' but it only slightly fits that category. It's similar to the kind of critical studies you find on every academic reading list at school, the kind of thing that collects together essays offering different perspectives on a chosen topic. By assimilating the separate elements it helps build up a picture of a man; whether or not it's an accurate picture is open to debate. Nevertheless, it's a fun undertaking and the constantly shifting topics keep it interesting.  

One chapter focuses on the rise of punk, one on the reaction of the media, and another on the nuances of Lydon's unique vocal delivery, etc. You don't need to start at the beginning and work your way through to the end, you can jump in anywhere. It's focussed primarily on the Sex Pistols era but there are enough Public image Ltd anecdotes to please fans of both sides.

Black and white photos are scattered haphazardly across the pages. They're obvious filler, sometimes bearing no relation to the text whatsoever.

The entry by Kris Needs and the essay by Judy Nylon are essential reading.

3 "originality always offends" out of 5

Contributors: GREIL MARCUS; LEGS McNEILL; CLINTON HEYLIN; KRIS NEEDS; PAT GILBERT; JUDY NYLON; NIGEL WILLIAMSON; ALAN CLAYSON; BARB JUNGR; ALAN McGEE.

Does Anything Eat Wasps? And 101 Other Unsettling, Witty Answers to Questions You Never Thought You Wanted to Ask (2005)

Author: New Scientist | Page Count: 211  

“Living in a universe where antimatter predominates would be akin to living in our mirror image.” - Mike Follows

There's no single author for the book, nor does the editor get his or her name on the cover.  It’s attributed simply to New Scientist, the magazine from which the information within its pages is culled.  It’s a book of questions posed by New Scientist readers and subsequently answered by New Scientist readers.  As such, the quality dips and rises, as do the facts we’re given.  Some of the answers are even contradictory.  I love to read stupid facts while dropping a turd in the white chair but the book was put to better use wiping my ass after the final pinch.

1 question they didn’t answer was why it deserved to be printed? out of 5

A Brief History of Underpants (2008)

Author: Timothy James Brown | Page Count: 128

"Some extremists refused to let their patriarchal oppressors remove their trunks before stuffing them with fire-lighters."

The book takes the view that underpants are hilarious. It proposes that underpants played a key role in shaping great historic events. It tries to convince the reader that it's the most piss-inducing, rib-tickling piece of prose ever written. Farting in a lift is sometimes funny. Urinating in the frozen food aisle of Tesco may even raise a titter. But underpants don’t. It's 128 glossy pages that smelt funny, half of which contain, I quote, "…some spectacular pictures of pants," is the author’s idea of a quality read. Thank Christ I only paid 49p for it.

American readers should note that "pants" in Britain is short for "underpants." The phrase "ants in your pants" is much more terrifying to us than to you. And when you ask, "does my fanny look big in these pants?" we have been known to occasionally drop our chips.

0½ for Raquel Welsh in her furry bikini out of 5

Lurker in the Lobby: A Guide to the Cinema of H.P. Lovecraft (2006)

Author: Andrew Migliore / John Strysik | Page Count: 352

H.P. Lovecraft, a pioneer of science and horror fiction, not only influenced generations of authors but inspired hordes of filmmakers as well.  And it is these films which Lurker in the Lobby focuses on, indexing and chronicling their stories (in front of the camera and off) and general worth to the Lovecraft fan.  The book begins with the HPL quote, "I shall never permit anything bearing my signature to be banalised and vulgarised into the flat infantile twaddle which passes for 'horror tales' amongst radio and cinema audiences!"  His warning is actually quite apropos as most of these films hardly live up to the maddening horror described in his works.  Some of the movies therein are direct (and indirect) adaptations while others only contain certain reoccurring Lovecraft themes.

The authors do a good job of pinpointing a variety of Lovecraftian cinema including stronger representations such as The Dunwich Horror (1970), In the Mouth of Madness (1995) and Re-Animator (1985) to the lesser known yet respectable Call of Cthulhu (2005), The Resurrected (1992) and The Shunned House (2003) to the "flat infantile twaddle" Lovecraft prophecised with Die Monster Die (1965), The Shuttered Room (1967), and Beyond the Wall of Sleep (2004).  Though I warn the potential reader, the films' plots are entirely synopsized, so beware of spoilers throughout the book.  After the Features is the Television section which documents episodes from such series as Masters of Horror, Monsters and Night Gallery to even Digimon and The Real Ghostbusters.

The Gallery section exhibits a range of pre-production sketches from an array of made and (mostly) unmade features to poster art and production stills.  The artwork is truly grotesque in its beautiful depictions of Lovecraft's menagerie of creatures, curiosities and gods.  The Interviews to some will be the most fascinating section as the authors converse with such directors as Guillermo del Toro, John Carpenter, Roger Corman, and Stuart Gordon among other artists willing to discuss behind-the-scenes tidbits and their adoration for HPL.

After finishing the book I found myself delving deeper into Lovecraft's literature and indulging in the films mentioned in this collection, even searching out some of the lesser known ones, having a great time understanding and studying the influence that is H.P. Lovecraft.  Lurker in the Lobby: A Guide to the Cinema of H.P. Lovecraft is a well organized reference for the followers of Lovecraft who wish to learn more about their preferred film adaptations and perhaps shed new light on a few forgotten gems.

4 concluding conflagrations out of 5

Nutted by Borderline (He’s a Crafty Lover)

High On Arrival (2009)

Author: Mackenzie Phillips, Hilary Liftin | Page Count: 292

"Not now darling, Daddy's shooting up."

The controversial memoir of Mackenzie Phillips following her from childhood to the present. It is a story almost typical about how child stars can spiral out of control into self destruction with drugs, sex and daddy issues and how she overcame these problems. As to the more salacious revelations in the book, I'll say free loving hippies + lots of drugs = I believe it.

There is certainly plenty of stuff to work with in her story, it is just hampered a bit by the writing. It's clear Phillips wrote most of it herself with constant overuse of certain words and phrases and while it is mostly chronological she does tend to drift at points. I suspect Liftin was just hired to clean up the manuscript after Phillips wrote it all down, but there is an interesting story with some fascinating details like how before rehab was a regular thing, addicts were still allowed to drink alcohol as it was considered separate from drugs. How far we've come.

2½ I suppose other addicts could sympathize more out of 5

Qi: The Book of General Ignorance (2006)

Author: John Lloyd and John Mitchinson  |  Page Count: 320

Qi (Quite interesting) is a television series hosted by the always entertaining and rather dapper Stephen Fry.  It’s a panel game / quiz show that'll make you laugh while presenting some obscure fact about jellyfish or bread rolls.  If you’re lucky it'll have a story involving jellyfish and bread rolls together that'll cause funny-man Alan Davies to bring great shame upon his curly head... bless his follicles.

The book is co-authored by the creator of the show, so it’s not just a quick cash-in, it’s the real deal.  It collects together a wealth of trivia about all things unusual, some wickedly cruel and some very mundane things you didn't know you wanted to learn more about.  It’s broken up into digestible chucks.  Each topic is typically just one page in length.  Some are only half a page but still manage to squeeze in enough info to justify their inclusion.  Topics are the usual general knowledge categories: history, science, religion, food, geography, geology, etc.  It even sheds light on whether or not a Jaffa Cake is really a cake or simply a biscuit.

It’s written for people who speak the Queen's English, so Americans may well get a little lost at times.  I make no allegations.  If you’re not convinced you need a book of general ignorance, ask yourself this question: Who wouldn't want to know which insect has a penis that snaps off in times of stress?

Buy it.  Eat it.  Regurgitate the trivia at your friends during lunch break.  They'll love you from afar.  Leave it in the shitter and learn while you birth a log.  It has exactly 101 uses.  It’s really Quite Interesting.

5 slices of French Toast (but is it really French?) out of 5

H.R. Giger Tarot (2000)

aka: Baphomet: The Tarot of the Underworld

Author: Akron | Illustrator: H.R. Giger | Page Count: 223

This is the usual Tarot package, which means it’s a book giving details of readings and spreads and a deck with which to use. The cards are beautifully presented, large format card but totally impractical for use; nor is it a full deck, it’s just the Major Arcana. Worse, some of them have been changed. The Hanged Man is now The Hanged Woman, to better represent the painting Akron has chosen, and Temperance has become Alchemy. It doesn't really matter as they weren't painted to commission; like I said, they were simply chosen, the paintings existed before the book was conceived and have none of the traditional imagery or symbolism necessary for the user.

I've no doubt Giger could have produced a fundamentally different Tarot if he set his mind to it, one which included the necessary symbolism and still managed to maintain his sexually fuelled nightmarish imagery.  The book includes a chinagraph pencil sketch for each of the 22 cards, most of which would have been better suited to the purpose had they been fully painted.

After a brief introduction wherein Akron gives his reasons and justifications for using the paintings, he gives his interpretation of the meanings of the cards. Some of Akron’s writings are deep and insightful; had the book been written as a mere observational piece it could have been fascinating.

I know there are people that collect decks regardless of their usefulness, so for those people, and especially for fans of Giger, it’s an interesting package.  The collection is available in the German or English language.  It contains: a soft cover book by the occultist Akron, 22 fully illustrated Tarot cards and a spread mat for laying the cards on during readings.

If you want a proper Tarot deck get the Rider-Waite deck, not this.  I'm scoring this from a Giger fan POV and ignoring the lack of practicality.

5 biomechanical phallic disturbances out of 5

Ghosts Caught on Film 3: Photographs of the Supernatural (2011)

Author:  Gordon Rutter  |  Page Count: 159

With an ever increasing amount of photographic evidence of the paranormal, Gordon Rutter takes command to organize the images in this collection and administer his expert analysis. GCoF3 is a hardcover book consisting of over 60 disputed images of ghost photography.

The photos are organized into 8 chapters including opinions from the author on each piece. From reading each description it's obvious that Rutter is an expert in the field of photography and has gone to great lengths to investigate the stories on each image. The author's level of technical knowledge (i.e. camera & film type, shutter speed, etc) when debunking the content is truly fascinating. He never once labels any photo as definitive proof of ghosts, only calling them "intriguing mysteries". And though there are a mass of interesting shots, a number of them I found hardly supernatural.

At times it felt as if I was staring at a Where's Waldo book, never locating the intended subject. While followers of ghost photography will find this entry intriguing be warned that some images are more curiosity than paranormal.

4 cases of pareidolia out of 5

Nutted by Borderline

Badass: A Relentless Onslaught of the Toughest Warlords, Vikings, Samurai, Pirates, Gunfighters and Military Commanders to Ever Live (2009)

Author: Ben Thompson | Page Count: 337

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.

Badass is a book written by Ben Thompson as an extension of his website chronicling historical figures who excelled at what they do whether it be combat, science, espionage or just generally being awesome. The book contains 40 chapters each telling the story of one historical figure with articles arranged by time period from antiquity to the modern age.

Rather than a boring history lesson though, Thompson gives these awesome stories the interesting enthusiasm they deserve by punching up the stories with his laid-back writing style filled with hyperbolic analogies and profanity-laced pop culture similes making history somewhat less stodgy. The text is never boring or overwhelming like staring into a textbook in class and is easily digestible with short, to-the-point chapters (unlike the mouthful of a title) and various extras like fun facts, various illustrations and some personal commentary. If history is your thing, then you'll probably enjoy this and if it's not your thing then you still might appreciate the stories in this much more entertaining format.

3½ Spinal cords ripped out through the urethra out of 5

Chasing Lincoln's Killer (2009)

Author: James L. Swanson | Page Count: 208

Chasing Lincoln's Killer is a novel about not just President Lincoln's assassination, but also the entire conspiracy behind it and of course the ensuing manhunt. Following many participants, we see the story unfold from the planning to well past the manhunt and trials of the guilty parties. The text presents the story as a more contemporary suspense novel rather than a history lesson, but still uses many details from transcripts and diaries of the participants as well as numerous photos from the period depicting many things from newspaper articles to actual photos of the conspirators. We learn a bit about how they felt about the events they were a part of.

What we don't really see in the novel is more of the historical causes and such that precipitated and allowed this tale to happen. This dumbing down is necessary for the books intended audience of young teenagers, so I can't really fault it for that. Don't want to scare the kiddies with the boring nuts and bolts behind the words. The book is well-paced and easy to read not just because of Swanson's writing, but also the layout itself. The big font and spaces are also intended to make it easier for a younger audience without the reading skills to handle a regular novels' length and small text. The book would be half the length otherwise.

Interesting subject matter written in an easily digestible style over 14 chapters that could serve as a launching point for the curious to learn more on their own.

3 Booth could have just strolled into the White House out of 5

De Profundis (Written 1897. Published 1905)

Author: Oscar Wilde| Page Count: 72

"We have forgotten that water can cleanse, and fire purify, and that the Earth is mother to us all. As a consequence our art is of the moon and plays with shadows..."

De Profundis is an epistle written by Oscar during his imprisonment in Reading Gaol (that be ye olde spelling of jail, the big house, the hoosegow etc).  The work was for the eyes of Lord Alfred Douglas, although he isn't mentioned by name.  It’s a piece of writing which at times seems almost pitiful, full of both profound realisations and what seems to me to be obvious attempts at self-delusion.  It’s also both self-effacing and at times supremely arrogant (although if arrogance was to ever be perceived as a kind of misunderstood virtue there is no one more deserving of it than Wilde).  In short, it’s a monologue about the beauty of suffering and about the need for it in order to be born anew.

The religious tones get very heavy at times and it occasionally feels like he is clutching at illusory straws with which to weave himself a basket that he might sail away from the very real hardships into a world of literary flagellation, overseen by Christ as poet, offering salvation through escapism.  Two years of eating black bread and scrubbing stone floors would do that to even the sturdiest individual.  It offers a very real insight into his mindset during those last years but is perhaps much too gloomy to be of interest to anyone other than Wilde fans.

3½ fruits of experience grow on trees in shadow out of 5

Total Kabbalah (2007)

Author: Maggy Whitehouse | Page Count: 224

If you’ve ever wanted to explore what the tree of life is all about you could trawl the internet for free or you could cough up some cash and start here, get it from someone who lectures in it and has studied it for many years.  The book gives background, general principles and a guide to practical applications.  It’s fully illustrated throughout which helps with visualisations and the repetition helps your mind keep placements and associations; on the flip side some of the illustrations are there for no real purpose and are tenuously linked to the text.
Elsewhere it glosses over a lot of things, both the Tarot and Numerology is mentioned but as each could easily fill a book by themselves they are shuffled to the side and it suffers for that.
The author is a Christian and while she attempts to keep the text relevant to all faiths, or no faith, there are a number of times the Christian perspective takes over completely, particularly at the beginning and the end.  The middle section is mostly non-biased and it’s there that we find the interesting parts; it’s where you feel like a student studying a textbook and not just a casual reader.
Half the book justifies the cost and the other half is interesting but will have no further interest after reading once.  It will have little use to someone already versed in the Kabbalah but for newcomers or those with just a cursory interest it is easily assimilated and easy to understand.

3 large format with pages as thick as backing boards out of 5