Article first published as Book Review: The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells on Blogcritics. About: The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells is a science fiction classic written in 1897. The novella was first serialized in Pearson’s Weeklythe same year it was published. 196 pages Publisher: Simon & Brown ISBN: 1613822162 My rating for The Invisible Man – 4 Great price on this book paper or free in electronic format through the Man of la Book Affil­i­ate Account More books by H. G. Wells Part of the League of Extra­or­di­nary Gen­tle — Men of la — Book Chal­lenge (Vol. 1) Thoughts: What if what you consider a blessing is also a curse? The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells touches on this very same question. How many of us wouldn’t like to be invisible? That’s what the protagonist, Griffin, thought when he became invisible only to find it to be the bane of his existence. Yes, there are some positives aspects but H.G. Wells concentrates mostly on the negative ones. I thought Wells did a good job building up the eerie atmosphere that is prominent throughout the story. Actually, the atmosphere is the star of the book as none of the characters…

Article first published as Book Review: The Technologists by Matthew Pearl on Blogcritics. About: The Technologists by Matthew Pearl is a fictional book about the early days of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The story takes place in the years after the American Civil War during a very fragile time in our history. The pub­lisher is giv­ing away one copy of this book— enter at the end of the post. 496 pages Publisher: Random House ISBN: 1400066573 My rating for The Technologists – 4 Great price on this book in paper or electronic for­mat through the Man of la Book Affil­i­ate Account More books by Matthew Pearl Thoughts: The Technologists by Matthew Pearl (website) is an entertaining read with wonderful historical detail and a bunch of nerdiness thrown in for good measure. While I wasn’t sucked into the book as much as I would have liked, I found the characters captivating and the plot line interesting. The author does a great job interweaving reality and fiction as well as the dialog which was spoken in that time period. The harsh social norms of the time are presented in the form of a lone MIT female student who is forced to study in isolation. There were…

Article first published as Book Review: The Watchman of Ephraim by Gerard de Marigny on Blogcritics. About: The Watchman of Ephraim by Gerard de Marigny is a fictional book taking place a decade after 9/11. The book takes place in all over the United States. The author is giv­ing away one eCopy for two winners of this book— Kindle Format Only – enter at the end of the post. 429 KB Publisher: JarRyJorNo Publishing ASIN: B004KAAXXU My rating for The Watchman of Ephraim – 4 Great price on this book in paper or elec­tronic for­mat through the Man of la Book Affil­i­ate Account More books by Gerard de Marigny Thoughts: The Watchman of Ephraim by Gerard de Marigny (website | Facebook | Twitter) is a fast paced thriller full of intriguing characters and suspense. The dialog is tight and the plot moves along in a fast pace. Cris De Nero, the protagonist, is a self made man, a good father and husband. The characters, their interaction and relationships are well defined. The recruiting efforts for The Watchmen are described in a fascinating way and the way the company is transforming under Cris’ leadership could make a book by itself. There are several themes throughout the novel, patriotism, G-d and country, safety…

Article first published as Book Review: Nitt Witt Hill by Sebast­ian Gib­son on Blogcritics. About: Nitt Witt Hill by Sebastian Gibson is a political satire which brings forward the absurdities of today’s politics. Unfortunately we call these absurdities “news”. The pub­lisher is giv­ing away one copy to two winners of this book— enter at the end of the post. 248 pages Publisher: Sebastian Gibson Publishing ISBN: 0984777628 My rating for Nitt Witt Hill – 4 Great price on this book in paper format through the Man of la Book Affil­i­ate Account Thoughts: Sebastian Gibson (website | Twitter | Facebook) sets the mood for Nitt Witt Hill right on the first page with a warning from famed author, critic, and political satirist Mark Twain: “Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot”. In Nitt Witt Hill (named after Nitt Witt Ridge in California), Mr. Gibson leaves no political wing safe, he highlights the absurdity, corruption and idiocy of the political class (yes, class). While the situations in this books are twisted, they are also, unfortunately, sadly accurate. I have long maintained that the politicians…

Article first published as Book Review: The Ruins of Us by Keija Parssinen on Blogcritics. About: The Ruins of Us by Keija Parssinen is a fictional book set in Saudi Arabia. The book is a character study of marriage in the midst of a culture clash. The pub­lisher is giv­ing away one copy of this book— enter at the end of the post. 352 pages Publisher: Harper Perennial; Original edition ISBN: 0062064487 My rating for The Ruins of Us – 4 Great price on this book in paper or elec­tronic for­mat through the Man of la Book Affil­i­ate Account Thoughts: The Ruins of Us by Keija Parssinen (website | Facebook | Twitter) starts off slow but picks up towards the end. The protagonist, Rosalie, finds out that her loving husband has hidden a second wife from her, but Rosalie is a Texas girl. The interesting part, for me, is the descriptions of a part of the world which, unfortunately, I will most likely never get to visit and that of a foreign culture. The descriptions of the beautiful and not-so-beautiful parts of Saudi Arabia were wonderfully written and the cultural issues expatriates have to deal with were fascinating. The characters were engaging and some even likeable, but I felt that the story…

About: The Wounded Giant: America’s Armed Forces in an Age of Austerity by Michael O’Hanlon is a non-fiction eBook in which the author lays out his ideas for military budget cuts. The book is available only in as an eBook by The Penguin Press. 256 pages Publisher: The Penguin Press HC ISBN: 1594205035 My rating for The Wounded Giant – 4 Great price on this book in paper or elec­tronic for­mat through the Man of la Book Affil­i­ate Account Thoughts: In The Wounded Giant: America’s Armed Forces in an Age of Austerity, Michael O’Hanlon argues the defense budget cuts outlined by Congress could be catastrophic. The author takes a deep breath and tries to analyze the cuts and bring forward his own solutions while still maintaining national security priorities. From nuclear missile programs, to the U.S. Navy, offshore bases and more Mr. O’Hanlon takes a sober look, without political baggage at where we should, and could, cut. To my surprise, this is a very readable book which makes some good sense out of a very cumbersome subject. The book opens up a discussion on reasoned proposals to plan for future conflicts based on hard intelligence data. Mr. O’Hanlon also makes his analysis in clear sentences which…

Article first published as Book Review: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (Jay Rubin, trans.) on Blogcritics. About: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami is a fictional1987 novel set in 1960s Tokyo, Japan. The novel became popular with Japanese youth and propelled Murakami to new heights of fame. 298 pages Publisher: Vintage ISBN: 0375704027 My rating for Norwegian Wood – 4 Great price on this book in paper or elec­tronic for­mat through the Man of la Book Affil­i­ate Account Thoughts: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami is a memorable story, yet simple and unassuming. Patience seemed to be the main theme as it seems the narrator, Toru Watanabe, waits for a woman to return his love. Unlike Murakami other books, this one lacks the supernatural over a more practical themes such as choosing a realistic partner over a lost fantasy. Watanabe copes with loss throughout the book and the tale, told in flashbacks, is mostly how he copes with them. The characters are well defined and realistic while they battle tragedy tossed at them at every turn by Murakami. They have romantic inspirations and rejections, struggle with depression and flawed. There are many references to dead or dying characters for a short book such as this. While…

Article first published as Book Review: No One is Here Except All of Us by Ramona Ausubel on Blogcritics. About: No One is Here Except All of Us by Ramona Ausubel is a fictional book taking place during World War II. The book follows a small group of Jewish villagers who lives in a town on a river bank. The pub­lisher is giv­ing away one advanced readers copy (ARC) of this book— enter at the end of the post. 336 pages Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover ISBN: 1594487944 My rating for No one is Here Except All of Us – 4 Great price on this book in paper or elec­tronic for­mat through the Man of la Book Affil­i­ate Account Check out this & more World War II books on Man of la BookStore Thoughts: No One is Here Except All of Us by Ramona Ausubel (website) is a very lyrical and poetic book. The story flows, is unique and fascinating. Most of the time I read the book I felt as if I, or the protagonist, were dreaming, however, upon reading the author’s note it turned out that many of the events are based on what Ms.Ausubel’s great grandmother experienced during World War II. The premise of the book is interesting, something I haven’t read yet….

About: Eating Smoke: One Man’s Descent into Drug Psychosis in Hong Kong’s Triad Heartland by Chris Thrall is a memoir of the author’s time being a drug addict in Hong Kong. The book takes a good look at into the red light district of Hong Kong, the colorful Wan Chai district. My rating for Eating Smoke – 4 Great price on this book in paper or elec­tronic for­mat through the Man of la Book Affil­i­ate Account Thoughts: Eating Smoke: One Man’s Descent into Drug Psychosis in Hong Kong’s Triad Heartland by Chris Thrall (website | Facebook) chronicles the author, an ex-Royal Marine, downfall into the world of drugs in Hong Kong. There are several viewpoints one could read this book as: a funny memoir, a cautionary tale, a how-not-to-succeed-in business book, a how-not-to-choose-your-friends type of story, a smart-guy-doing-stupid-things anecdote, or as a foreigner in a foreign land story. Of course, all of the above would also apply. Besides the drug addict mindset which I cannot understand or comprehend, I found Mr. thrall’s stories about Chinese culture fascinating. The stories of the jobs he got simply on the base of his pale face are funny and somewhat disturbing. The condition wasn’t only a white face…

About: The Silent Oligarch by Chris Morgan Jones is a fictional book about those in the shadows which hold the strings of power. Article first published as Book Review: The Silent Oligarch by Chris Morgan Jones on Blogcritics. 336 pages Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The ISBN: 1594203199 My rating for The Silent Oligarch – 4 Great price on this book in paper or elec­tronic for­mat through the Man of la Book Affil­i­ate Account Thoughts: oligarchy 1: government by the few 2: a government in which a small group exercises control especially for corrupt and selfish purposes; also : a group exercising such control 3: an organization under oligarchic control The Silent Oligarch by Chris Morgan Jones is an interesting book filled with great detail about London, Moscow and Berlin as well as the lifestyle of rich Russians. The story is filled with interesting atmospheric nuances about the new Russia. The book is somewhat complex, reading it was like walking through a maze and the reader had to pay attention. Jones writes like an insider, not only in the complex details of shell companies but also into the mindset of those who control them and those who are being controlled. The reader can feel the boss’ is…