The Adventurer’s Handbook by Mick Conefrey - Book Report #311

 From Surviving an Anaconda Attack

to Finding Your Way Out of the Desert

I loved this book.  The illustrations, the tips & tricks and the history of explorations were all neatly packaged in this small hardcover book.  It was a joy to read.

It is also a terrific guide into the subject of adventure, travel, discovery, endurance, glory and tragedy.  If you are curious about the past and how the world was discovered, mapped and understood, this is the book to reach for.

It is chock-full of brief descriptions of countless expeditions.  You will easily find subjects you are interested in and it will point you in the direction to discover more.  From mountain climbing, desert explorations, ocean sailings of discovery it's all there.  Names, dates, expedition titles all are jumping off points to discover more books or websites that will expand on what is presented by Conefrey.

While reading this book, I often put it down and went outside for some fresh air.

Highly recommended.

Mick Conefrey's website - https://www.mickconefrey.co.uk/

Mick Conefrey

Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw by Will Ferguson - Book Review #279

Travels in Search of Canada

Sometimes, especially around July (read Canada Day) I pick up, buy or borrow a book about Canada.

I've known of Will Ferguson for years and especially this book; the title has always stood out.  This time, I ran across an article that described him as Canada's Bill Bryson whom I adore.

Good enough for me.  I typed in his name on the EPL website and found Beauty Tips.

Part travel book, part memoir and part history it was a perfect read to inflate my pride in this underrated country.

There was plenty of humour that made me seek out my wife so I could read her passages.  This happened quite often, as it turns out.

In the ten chapters, he covers, almost every province, New Foundland and Labrador has two entries, Furguson explores the smaller, more interesting places tying the history of a place to his personal experience there.

I found myself keeping the book in sight at all times because I was always interested.  The writing is crisp, self-deprecating and always respectful.

It was a joy to read.

Recommended for every Canadain and anybody interested in understanding Canadians a bit more.

Will Ferguson's website - https://www.willferguson.ca/

Will Ferguson

Willful Child: Wrath of Betty by Steven Erikson - Book Review #165

16/15/2016

Oh, what fun!

Every once in a while it's good to take a step back and to have a bit of fun with a pillar of the science fiction genre.

I'm talking about Star Trek.  In this book we have a "Federation" and a rogue young captain who has no trouble breaking the rules to accomplish missions to his own satisfaction.

It took me a couple of chapters before I understood the author's voice in this story.  It was a crazy cacophony of geek-speak and twisted references.  Once the plot revealed itself I could sit back and enjoy what Erikson was doing.

Each chapter read like an episode from the series with an over-arching plot line to give it good continuity.

My favourite part of the book was when the crew went back in time old Earth circa 2015, to a comic convention.  This being a complete lift of the movie Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home where that crew went back in time to 1986.

I loved the banter and the observations of life as we know it today.

There is no way to talk about this book without referencing Douglas Adams and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  Yes.  It's a lot like that.  I really admire how Erikson was able to twist the Star Trek structures, add ridiculous characters and circumstances and have it make sense.

Like Adams he was also able to make a serious statement about how we live our lives and to deliver that while making me laugh.  We are dealing with a very smart author here.

This is the second book in a series.  I believe my struggles with the first couple of chapters had more to do with the author expecting the reader to have been there for the first book.  I respect that; when I am reading a series I find the effort writers make to help the first-time reader to be tedious.

I found myself stealing moments to read a page or two and bringing the book along just in case I had a few minutes to dive back in.  Most books I read do not captivate me like this one did.  I had the book with me as if it was my cell phone.

I want to thank Tor for giving me the opportunity to enjoy something so fresh and fun.

Steven Erikson -  http://www.steven-erikson.com/

Steven Erikson

Book Report #122 - The Ten, Make That Nine, Habits of Very Organized People. Make That Ten. by Steve Martin

Book 46 of 52
Page count - 103

What a wonderful little book.  Sometimes these little gems just make reading something special.

This is a collection of "Best Of" Steve Martin tweets.  It starts right from the beginning; when Martin discovered Twitter.  Some of his tweets are laugh-out-loud, it also takes a fun turn when Martin tweets Christmas carol sing-a-longs, getting his followers to finish the verses.

Once he caught the bug of crowd sourcing, the book moves on to tweets that have garnered some of his favourite responses.  The world can be a creative and funny place under the proper direction.

Steve Martin does it again; providing you with a fun and insightful distraction to your day.  Many smiles were prompted by reading this book.

Recommended.

Steve Martin

Book Report #67 - Bossypants by Tina Fey

You can count me as a fan of Tina Fey's.

She has managed to make, what can be a stodgy form, a lot of fun.  Fey is a very intelligent person who has a wonderful way to look at the small things in life.

I've only come to know her through her work on 30 Rock so it was great fun to read about her work on Saturday Night Live and her movies.

She treats the telling of her life much like you'd expect her to tell it at a party; by keeping it light and funny. 

My wife and two daughters loved the book and I could hear each one of them laugh out loud.

I liked it very much (although, being male, I may have missed some of it).