Joshua Foer
Journalist Joshua Foer had no idea he’d being going down the rabbit hole himself when he first covered the U.S. Memory Championships. The contest, not one to draw large headlines or ecstatic crowds, is still an intense competition. Participants must memorize the order of a random decks of …
Claire Hoffman
As far as cults go, the Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation (TM) community was, and still is, pretty benign. In fact, author Hoffman goes to great pains to avoid calling the group a true cult. There are plenty of the hallmarks though – separating members from the larger community, a …
Thomas Thwaites
Who hasn’t looked at their pet and thought “Damn pal, you have it good. Food, toys, naps and not a care in the world.” Inspired by similar ruminations while dog-sitting Noggin the dog, eater of horrid things, Thwaites decided to write an arts grant application to give being …
Marie Kondo
This is by far the most useful decluttering book I have ever read. “Decluttering” may not be quite the right term. I think “divesting” would be better. Rather than buying a new set of plastic bins, adding shelves, or finding clever ways to nest one item in another, …
After years of reading other authors, I finally decided to take the plunge and write my own book. The Devil’s Advocate’s Guide to Planning Your Business Website is now available from Amazon.com in print and kindle.
Save yourself time, money and aggravation!
Do you need to build a business …
Ross Petras and Kathryn Petras
The Petras siblings have done it again. Wretched Writing is a neatly categorized compendium of the most cringe and laugh-inducing writing. The vulgarians aren’t just beating down the gates. They’re inside, comfortably ensconced and pounding out one atrocity after another. No wretched writer escapes the …
Mary Roberts Rinehart
The average writer, especially if he is experienced, is a humble creature, ready to wag his tail at a kind word. It is usually the dilettante who has the superiority complex.
A contemporary of Agatha Christie, Rinehart was as prolific and well-known in her day as “the …
Michael Galinsky
Had I been shown this photo collection at the time of its taking I would have scoffed, even though I’d barely have been in my teens. Compositionally, these are some pretty lousy photos – blurry, too dark and often oddly cropped. But the content is pure 80s …
Kent Kiehl, Ph.D.
Kiehl’s strikes an excellent balance in his book on psychopath research. Packed with stories of his encounters with the psychopaths he studied in prisons and hospitals, he also explains the science and reasoning in his research. His findings are incredible. Kiehl is clearly fascinated and dedicated …
Candacy A. Taylor
Taylor became fascinated with waitresses and diner culture when waiting tables to pay for her graduate school education. Her thesis, this book, focused on the “lifer” waitress – women who have waited tables for decades. With a combination of research and interviews, Taylor soon dispels the notion …
Zac Bissonnette
Selected wisdom from murderers, stock swindlers, and Lance Armstrong
Here are some of the sounds you will likely make while reading this book: Pppft! WHA? Unnnggh! Ha! ….ohhhhhhh. Bissonnette has hand-picked some of the most delightfully un-selfaware bits of advice for some really lousy people. Bernie Madoff’s investment …
Scott Andrew Selby
Greg Campbell
There is something to strangely romantic about large thefts. From Colonel Blood to the Ocean’s movies, we just can’t help but say “Oh, good show.” Perhaps it is the immense amount of planning and sheer brains needed to pull off some of these major heists. …
John Timpson
Any of my fellow Anglophiles will love this collection of country churches, collected by former BBC news reporter John Timpson. Each church is featured with a short description of the most unique features and a photo or two. The tidbits of fascinating history Timpson ferreted out are not …
Gretchen Rubin
Though not as profound as her wonderful book The Happiness Project, Rubin still manages to mine some excellent life truths. Narrowing her focus from general life happiness to happiness at home and with family, Rubin looks at our attitudes toward our stuff, house-mates and local environs. In …
Adrienne Salinger
Despite one in seven Americans living alone, being single is still viewed with a combination of suspicion and pity. Yet many people love and choose to live along. Salinger’s subjects run the gamut from those forced into singlehood by the death of family or a spouse to those …
Ben Mezrich
I’m tempted to add a new category for books called “what the hell were you thinking?” Mezrich, author of The Accidental Billionaires (later made into the movie The Social Network) never seems to come close to answering this question. Sex on the Moon chronicles the brief rise and …
