September 28, 2012

“Mr. Monk in Trouble” by Lee Goldberg – The Lost Treasure in Gold County

If you've seen the television show, then you are definitely familiar with Adrian Monk, a brilliant detective who would be the perfect man… if he did not suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder, something which either hampers or helps him in every case he is in. 

You could perhaps qualify Monk as someone who is knocking at the door of the World’s Greatest Detectives Club, and not without reason; he has the smarts, detective skills and personality to one day be held to the same standards as all-time greats such as Colombo, Poirot, Holmes, and a few others.

September 25, 2012

From Zero to Hero in 3:43 – “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk” by Ben Fountain

While there are many who either agree or disagree with the war led in Iraq, there is one thing which cannot be doubted, and it’s that for the soldiers down there doing the fighting, life is far from being all fun and games. The mental stress and grueling physical challenges they go through simply cannot be understood by those who haven’t gone through them.

In Ben Fountain’s Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, we are taken into a fictional skirmish during the war called "The battle of Al-Ansakar Canal". Billy Lynn is a 19-year old native Texan on his first army tour, and as a result of winning that skirmish which lasted a grand total of three minutes and forty-three seconds, he earned a Silver Star. Seeing as how Fox News managed to capture the ordeal, the soldiers participating in it became stars and celebrities, sent on a nationwide victory tour in hopes of increasing the public’s support for the war.

September 21, 2012

Step Into David Sedaris’ Mysterious Mind Once Again in "Dress your Family in Corduroy and Denim"

I've already reviewed a couple of Sedaris' works (Naked and Me Talk Pretty One Day), and if you’ve read those then chances are you know what kind of person Sedaris is already. 

However, for those who are just making their arrival, I’ll just point out that David Sedaris is without a doubt one of the most original and intellectually-advanced minds living on Earth today. His stories are always unique and set in a somewhat surrealist world which on one hand looks like ours, but on the other hand is completely different from it.

September 19, 2012

"Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

David Sedaris may be one of the most interesting (and perhaps influential for some) thinkers of this century. Thankfully, he decided to put his ideas on paper, and as a result we were treated to some of the most unique, thrilling, thought-provoking and funny novels of all time, such as Naked for example, one of his most famous works.

Deciding to provide a tad of insight into his own life, David Sedaris wrote Me Talk Pretty One Day, a collection of 27 essays, many of which originally appeared in newspapers such as The New Yorker.

September 18, 2012

Drama, Ridicule and Surrealism in “Naked” by David Sedaris

Why do we read books exactly? While some people only use books in order to research facts, there are still many who see them as a form of entertainment… they read books because they allow their readers to escape from the real world, at least for a few hours. 

And so, we do not complain when books present far-fetched stories; we are content to completely suspend our disbelief in favor of hearing something interesting, which in most cases wouldn’t happen in this world.

September 14, 2012

"The Poet" by Michael Connelly

The Poet by Michael Connelly (Book cover)
We've already touched upon some of Michael Connelly’s fantastic novels (The Drop and The Last Coyote), and we've already met detective Harry Bosch, Michael’s ever-lasting protagonist.

Despite all the troubles which have taken hold of Bosch’s life throughout time, he is back for yet another murderous adventure in The Poet.

September 13, 2012

"The Five People you Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom

We have all wondered at some point as to what happens beyond the realms of death… what happens to us once the body ceases to live. There are countless different theories, yet no indisputable facts which can give you an answer beyond all doubt.

In his book titled The Five People you Meet in Heaven Mitch Albom depicts a very interesting concept of the afterlife through the life of an old and grizzled war veteran, Eddie.

September 12, 2012

"Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

You may not exactly be familiar with Aldous Huxley, but he was not only a man to be revered for his ideas, but also the descendant of Thomas Huxley, the man who helped Darwin put his famous theory together.

In any case, Aldous, who lived from 1894 to 1963, took great pleasure in criticizing his society, and in 1932 he published Brave New World, marking a certain change in Aldous’ orientation.

September 8, 2012

"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey

We've all seen these kinds of people, whether in real life or on television; the kind of people who are smart, powerful, secure… basically capable of making things happen in this world… effective people. While of course it is true that each and every one of us follows his or her own path in this life, there are certain things from which we could all benefit.

I know this may sound a bit confusing, but consider for a minute Stephen R. Covey’s book titled The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The books is basically a collection of stories, insights and anecdotes which serve to point out the seven habits which those highly effective people have developed. 

September 7, 2012

"Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman

Before looking into the title itself, a little word about the author, Daniel Kahneman. Besides being a writer he also did some extensive work in the field of psychology, even earning a Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his theory which challenged the rational model of judgment and decision-making. 

He is one of the world’s greatest thinkers, constantly trying to think of innovations that would make humankind progress, and Thinking, Fast and Slow is basically the culmination of years upon years of diligent research. In Thinking, Fast and Slow Kahneman discusses the two main systems of thought we follow. The first one is that of fast reactions, intuitions and emotions, while the second one is slower, clearer and more logical.

September 5, 2012

"The Dog Stars" by Peter Heller

Peter Heller has always been known for his ability to create strangely unique, bizarre and attractive universes where opposites seem to meet and blend seamlessly together.

Take for example The Dog Stars, where we follow the story of Hig who makes his way through a post-apocalyptic world… a post-apocalyptic world unlike most of us are capable of imagining.

September 4, 2012

"Cat’s Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut

I've already reviewed a couple of his books, Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions, but in case you have forgotten about who Kurt Vonnegut was, it suffices to say that he is considered to be one of the world’s greatest literature titans. His works go beyond mundane stories as he seeks to explore concepts, philosophies and ideas through his unique and imaginative scenarios. If you haven’t checked out any of his works, I suggest you do so as fast as possible because you are really missing out on something incredible.

In any case, Cat’s Cradle, written in 1963, is considered by many to Kurt’s most ambitious novel as he went way beyond thinking outside the box. He invented new terms (which sadly, aren’t really used today) such as "granfalloon" and "wampeter". However, the impressive part is that he created an entirely new structured religion he dubbed Boskonism, which he then actually submitted as part of his papers for a Master’s Degree in anthropology.

September 1, 2012

"The Invisible Ones" by Stef Penney

In The Invisible Ones by Stef Penney, Rose Janko has lived his life as a gypsy, travelling around with his family without having any precise goals to attain. Seven years ago, Rose Janko went missing without a trace, and private investigator Ray Lovell was hired on the case. Unfortunately, today the investigator, is stuck to a hospital bed, being struck by paralysis with delirium dangerously looming over him. 

The interesting part of his life, however, is the one which led up to the accident that put him in a hospital bed. What exactly led the gypsies to choose Ray as an investigator? Well, it had pretty much nothing to do with his investigative skills and more with the fact that Ray is actually half-Romany himself.