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The Zombie Survival Guide

The Zombie Survival Guide

by: Max Brooks

I'm a big fan of zombies. I think I've mentioned before that I'll watch most decent zombie movies that
Hollywood makes.
I realize I'm probably in the minority here, but that's alright; the minority is always more interesting than the majority.
Anyway, I saw this book on the NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LIST (of all places!), and was immediately
intrigued.
The first thing to note about this "guide" is that it is listed under HUMOUR.
Keep that in mind if you decide to read it.
The contents of the book are exactly as the title describes - surviving a zombie attack.
BROOKS goes into great detail describing myths about zombies, proper weaponry to fight zombies, escaping and destroying zombies, securing a safe haven, and "factual" zombie encounters throughout history
(including a couple from Japan!).
I couldn't put the book down!
I couldn't stop smiling and laughing.
And I couldn't stop telling all my friends about it.
I really enjoyed reading it (it took me just a few days to finish it) and am looking forward to the next story
that BROOKS has written.
I'm sure I'll read the "Zombie Guide" again, but now all of my friends want to borrow it, so it may take some time.
BEWARE OF THE UNDEAD!!!!

Martin Chuzzlewit

I generally read a work by CHARLES DICKENS every couple of months.
In fact, I've now read almost everything that was written by him, which takes some time considering the
length of some of his novels and the fact that he was such a prolific writer.
I've long since read my favourites (A TALE OF TWO CITIES is tops), so I don't read as quickly as I did
before.
MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT comes in at around 800 pages, so it took me quite a while to finish it.
Like all his novels, it's set in London and revolves around the various classes of society.
What's interesting about it is that part of takes place in the United States.
On the whole, I have to say that I was somewhat disappointed with the novel and couldn't wait to finish it.
Simply, it wasn't all that interesting.
Oh well, not everything can be exciting and interesting.
I couldn't wait to finish it, and was happy when I did.

Guns, Germs and Steel

GUNS, GERMS and STEEL
by JARED DIAMOND

JARED DIAMOND was a Professor of Physiology at UCLA Medical Center and then later changed his career to become a Professor of Geography and Environmental Health Science, also at UCLA.
His knowledge is clearly wide-ranging, and is writing is also top-rate; he has won several awards for his
works.
This book won the 1998 award for best scientific book.

The crux of the book is a simple question - Why did Europe become the conquerer and not Africa or
South America?
Afterall, Africa is the cradle of civilization, so they had thousands of years to develop before Europe ever
existed.
The same with South America.
The same with the aborigines in Australia.
He uses a lot of examples, many of which will already be known to the reader, but he also cites his personal experiences in Papua New Guinea to highlight his theories.
It really makes you think and I feel more knowledgeable, or at least more well-rounded because of the book.
The reviews for it are fantastic, including one from the science journal NATURE, the foremost science
journal in the world today.
If you want to read something that will make you think and cosider the world around you, read this book.
Even better, you will find yourself asking "Why" and "How."
History, biology, ecology and linguistics are all covered here, so there's something for everyone.
Happy reading!

The Devil in the White City

THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY

Author: ERIK LARSON

This novel reached No. 1 on the NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER list, so it was very successful, both
commercially and critically.
It's a work of nonfiction, with some speculation melded in.

The story is about the WORLD'S FAIR in CHICAGO in 1893.
This was when a World's Fair really was a big deal, unlike today when nobody cares anymore.
The Chicago Fair had to follow the Paris Fair, which had been considered the most successful Fair to
that time.
Afterall, it was at the PARIS WORLD'S FAIR that the EIFFEL TOWER was unveiled.
Thus, the organizers of the Chicago Fair had their work cut out for them as they tried to top the Paris Fair.
In addition to the weight of following the Paris Fair, Chicago had to prove that is worthy of holding an event of such magnitude. Afterall, New York, Boston, or San Francisco all seemed like more logical locations.
This story follows the planning, construction, and opening of the World's Fair.
That alone, would probably be enough, but LARSON managed to interweave another story that happened at
the same time - that of a mass-murderer who was preying on the unsuspecting who were arriving in Chicago
for the Fair.
Dr. H.H.Holmes was the name of the murder, and it's unknown how many victims he was the cause of, but it's possible that it reached the hundreds! He is the greatest mass-murderer in U.S. history.
So, while the organizers of the Fair were busy making sure everything was just right, so too was Dr. Holmes making sure that he could lure and kill his victims without anyone noticing.
Both the organizers and Dr. Holmes were successful in their quests...for a while.

I really enjoyed this novel and finished it in less than a week.
I wouldn't go so far as to call it a page-turner, but it is very interesting.
A lot of research clearly went into this project, and the connecting of the stories was masterful.
I strongly recommend this book.

The Joy of Reading

I'm a pretty voracious reader (I love that word!), so I enjoy taking trains and subways in Tokyo.
The problem with reading so much is the cost of English books in Japan; they're expensive!
Anyway, I limit my reading to trains/subways so that I don't go through too many books in a year.
I don't like used books, so I'm not much of a library person.
As I continue to get my Laos photographs prepared, I'll also try and list some books that I've recently read.
I'm interested in most genres, so I think you'll find quite a variety.