NOVEMBER 2007 - BOOK REVIEWS
Short Stories, Epic Tales, and Engrossing Novels | | | | The Interpretation of Murder
By Jed Rubenfeld
A fantastic work of mystery based on a pivotal time in Sigmund Freud’s life during his one and only visit to the U.S. Rubenfeld expertly toys with the real—Freud’s genius, idiosyncrasies, and his relationship with Carl Jung, who made the journey with him—and the fake—a grisly murder of a high society New York woman and the young doctor who gets caught up in the case. The ending left me somewhat disappointed, but the writing style, the historical setting and the insight into Freud and early psychoanalysis are superb. There’s even a bit of Hamlet thrown into the mix. Click on the image to buy now!
| | | | | | | The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
By Bill Bryson
Bill Bryson is a beloved son of Iowa for good reason: this mild-mannered, beautifully rendered trip down memory lane to small-town USA and a more innocent time is full of nostalgic fondness for the town and the state in which he grew up. The memoir has all the charm of Leave it to Beaver, combined with the poignant insights and interesting perspectives that make Bryson such a great author. Sure, it’s an exaggerated account—too many things are “best in the world” in Bryson’s childhood—but that’s how kids think, and there are times when you almost believe him. Click on the image to buy now!
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| | The 4-Hour Work Week
By Timothy Ferriss
Read this book and go quit your job. Or, go enter a Chinese kickboxing championship and win. Or, go skiing with the elite. Or … really, do anything, and do it for four hours. This is at once a ludicrous, alarming, fascinating, and eerily logical dissection of the 9-to-5 days most of us put in, and why 80 percent of our results come from only 20 percent of our effort. Ferriss may be on to something special, or he may be certifiably brilliant, or he may be completely nuts: I think it’s a little bit of all three. But this is an incredible book that should be read by anybody who is remotely disgruntled or feels like they should be doing something else with their lives. Click on the image to buy now!
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