In the Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neil White

First of all I want to apologize to my readers for such a late post. I have been busy with a new job and my significant other so reading was put in the back of the list of priorities. I still take pleasure of reading a book. And to be fair, I would still post reviews on every book I manage to read, but my postings will be a bit scarcer than before. Please be patient and have faith that I shall keep on writing. Without further ado, I bring to you a new book review.

In the Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neil White is another book about prisons. I know, why do I read about these things? To be completely honest, I didn't know what it was about, but the title intrigued me. This time the book has a twist: the prison is located within a leper colony. It is the first autobiographical novel of Neil White, who was sentenced to one year in a minimum security prison for kiting checks.

It is one of those stories that keep you interested, not by its action, but by its description of such an odd place. It is full of drama and strange stories. Imagine an old sugarcane farm in Carville Louisiana, turned into a leper colony and then bringing convicts to that place. Believe me, you cannot, until you read this book. If you are looking for blood and violence, this one has very little. On the other hand, if you are looking for a book where melancholy is the main mood, then go for it.

I would say this novel has an Autumn feel to it. Maybe it is because of the sentiments it transmits, or maybe I just read it during the transition from summer. I did like this one, not only for its strangeness but also for how it managed to keep me coming back to it, even though I had read it with limited time on my hands.  

Odd Jobs by Abigail R. Gehring

Odd Jobs; 101 ways to make an extra buck by Abigail R. Gehring is another one of those list books. I guess I am attracted by easy reads or lists, or both. This must be my engineer's spirit talking and demanding a bit of structure. Maybe I have a bit of O.C.D. Anyway, back to the book: I got this one because I am in a bit of a rut money-wise, so I figured I should find a solution to supplement my income. It does give you some good pointers, especially if you live in the U.S.A.

While reading this book I couldn't stop noticing that I had already tried some of those proposed jobs. So I am going to tell you about what worked and what didn't work for me. I wanted to try bike messenger, but my bike is too expensive to leave it tied to a pole or fence, I'd probably lose the wheels or the entire bike very fast. Rent out a room - I rented my entire apartment and live with my parents, this worked out but I still have to chip in and there is no privacy; but at least the mortgage gets paid.  Marketing affiliate - I am doing this on my blog with Amazon.com, nobody ever bought a book from this blog. I did take surveys and I get coupons with discounts for online shops (ivox.ro is what I use). Virtual assistant - I did use odesk.com but those people made me work for almost nothing and never paid. I do have my own virtual assistant website, but I never got any offers. I did enroll as a mystery shopper at helionresearch.com, but I never managed to have time for that; I do have a friend who did make some decent money once, even though their offers are a bit rare. I haven't tried substitute teaching, because we don't have that here, but I did make some money from tutoring kids. 

What I am trying to say is that, depending on your location and, respectively, your culture and customs, you might manage to make some money on the side if you have a paying job already. I honestly doubt that you can survive by doing any of the things the author tips you about. The only one that might be lucrative, but it would actually make you a whore is escort. Ms Gehring, what were you thinking? Oh and if you live in a block of flats in a big city, the farming ideas are not suitable. Sperm donor and egg donor are things that require some thought, because you will always think that out there someone is raising your kid. These aren't the same as donating blood, so this is my word of caution. 

All in all the book is good, especially during these crazy economic times. Come on, let's face it, 5 years ago things were great, but now this "economic crisis" kicked us hard where it hurts the most - in our wallet. Read the book and maybe you'll find a way to make ends meet. Good luck with that.

Haiku: An Anthology of Japanese Poems by Stephen Addiss

Haiku: An Anthology of Japanese Poems by Stephen Addiss seems more than a book of Japanese poems. I found it to be more of a window to an alternate universe. Most books do that in a way, but this time it brought me to an ancient time where nature was respected and cherished, and Japanese monks and samurai roamed Japan. The poems, though translated, still evoke a certain purity of nature in various stages. I must say that I was a bit disappointed that the translation didn't use the teikei haiku 5-7-5 pattern, but used the irregular jiyuritsu haiku style. Maybe the poems were like this, or maybe the translation would have been harder or even less polished. Since I am by no means an expert in haiku, I do take what I am given. 

This book, in a way is like its poems, seems cut somehow. It is polished, but still seems not a finished product. I dare to compare it with a piece of glass that was polished by the sea. Because the entire book appears strictly sectioned somehow. The introduction gives you some basic knowledge about the history of the haiku and how it became what it is today. Then, you get the 3 chapters of poems with beautiful Japanese drawings. 

One chapter is about contemplation of nature from spring to winter.

"Highlighting the blossoms,

clouded by blossoms—

the moon" —CHORA

The second chapter has poems about people doing regular things but so wondrous from a detached point of view.

"Spring rains—

a child teaches the cat

a dance"—ISSA

The third part has more abstract poems, called "Resonance and reverberation".

"Sharing the same blood

but we’re not related—

the hateful mosquito!" —JŌSŌ

After the poems you get a chapter describing the Poets, one about the Artists,  and a final chapter with the name of each illustration in the book. If you were remotely interested in Japanese culture, I would say this book is a start and, apparently Stephen Addiss is an expert in Japanese culture. I did like reading it while in bed while listening to Japanese chill-out music. It was truly relaxing.

One year has passed

Today I am celebrating a year since my first post. If you have followed my reading in the past 12 months you might have noticed how strange and diverse my tastes are.  I would like to thank all of my friends for their support and patience with my constant chatter about blogging, books and page hits, and also for not putting me on ignore or d-friending me from Facebook for spamming them with links of my latest article. 

I am mixing things up a bit so this time you get chill-out music. Enjoy:

I am also giving away one of the books I have reviewed in the past year. So write your favorite quote along with the book you want, name and email. By the end of the week I shall decide who gets the book in their inbox. Don't worry, I shall not spam you, send you Viagra adds or penis enlargement tips. 

Happy reading!

 Update: since most of my friends asked me for books on other media, I have to conclude that this was very counterproductive. Maybe this year I will have more interesting books to share and more friends willing to cooperate.

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow is... today's version of Orwell's 1984. You have crazy government that tries to control and check on everybody, rebels, riots, secret prisons, prisoner torture and all kinds of plausible craziness. Technically Little Brother is about the citizen's battle against the oppressive government, it is a book about fighting to preserve the most basic of rights: freedom.

We live in a world where technology is at hand's reach and sometimes the lines between virtual and real become blurred. Who can decide that a group of hackers is good or bad? Are they just computer geeks or terrorists? A government might say they are terrorists for hacking sensitive servers and showing the world the skeletons from their closet. The little guy, just gets his eyes open and revolts to the injustice done by the people he had chosen as his leaders. Journalists are simply whores, puppets to the higher power, if not an actual operative branch for disinformation. Let's face it, Cory Doctorow got it right.

I found it cute, but also annoying that every chapter had a dedication. Luckily it was written in italics, so I could jump over it after the first few times. The book was too engaging to get a break from the action in order to read dedications. Come on... What were you thinking? It starts slow and it seems a bit like a drag at first, trust me: it gets better. Another thing I liked was how the author tried to explain each technology they involved. Since the book is a bit old, I can safely say that some things have evolved in both privacy and surveillance techniques. They did have Xboxes, so rest assured it isn't that old and it does mention the 9-11 incident.

This book is one of those rare gems that do not pull you into their world, but they do wake you up from complacency. This kind of book wakes up a dormant part of you that was anesthetized by crappy TV shows, manipulatory marketing and comfortable lifestyle. It stirs feelings of rebellion and discontent to abusive laws and regulations. Read this book and wake up your inner rebel, you won't be disappointed, maybe just by the world you live in.

World Book Day

Today is World Book Day , 23rd of April. It was first organized by UNESCO to promote reading and copyright (sure... we all love copyright especially for books, music and movies). Of course, the brits disregard this day and do their own thing on the first Thursday of March, just like driving on the other side of the road and other odd stuff like the Sex Pistols. Anyway, World Book Day was celebrated for the first time on the 23rd of April 1995 and the day was chosen to celebrate both Cervantes and Shakespeare, whom died on this very day. Shakespeare was also born today, talk about coincidence. There is a more intricate explanation on wikipedia, but basically that's the short story.

In order to celebrate this day, I am giving you some links to free e-books. Here goes:

Project Gutenberg - lots of classics

Free-ebooks.net- some are free especially in txt or pdf format

Openculture.com - 400 free eBooks

ManyBooks.net - add free eBooks

Barnes&Noble - free book section

KoboBooks.com - free book section

Simply get your hands on a book you are curious about and start reading.  Feel free to tell me below about any other website you know with free books, just remember to keep it legal. Thanks.

Banksy: The man behind the wall by Will Ellsworth-Jones

Banksy: The man behind the wall by Will Ellsworth-Jones is one of the newest books about Banksy, if not the newest biography of the street artist. If you search the internet for Banksy images, you'll realize that you already know his art. Though unofficial, this biography seems to be very thorough in regards of the artist's career. Since Pest Control, Banksy's P.R. firm, didn't accept to make the book official, we can all assume that it's based just on the author's research.

I have to admit that I was familiar with his work, but I had very little knowledge of how he became famous and how famous he really is. Since people cut out entire walls with his stencils in order to sell them for profit, we can imagine that he's pretty popular. This book is about  UK street art and how graffiti became the what it is today in Britain: a subculture of artists with strict rules, but who make art for art's sake. Most of them anyway... So the question is: a graffiti artist who sells his work is still a graffiti artist or just a sell-out? The opinions are mixed and Banksy appears to be the main catalyst of this dispute.

While reading the book I had to actually watch a couple of movies, that were mentioned there. One was about the feud between Banksy and King Robbo (another graffiti artist) - Graffiti wars  and Banksy's movie with Brainwash (pop-culture artist) - Exit Through the Gift Shop. Both movies were very interesting and both of them left me with a sour taste in my mouth, because I felt that the art world was both shallow and fake. Nothing is new, everything is simply modified and sold to gullible people who want to actually own a 100 pound poster of a rat (or 2 gay cops kissing - which is actually pretty cool).

I cannot deny the fact that the book was interesting and very enjoyable, especially combined with those two movies. Word of advice though: read the book and read the chapters about the movies, then watch them. I did it the other way around and it kind of ruined my reading experience. If you are interested in art, or wondering who is the asshole spray-painting your building's walls or simply curious about the rat on the cover, read the book. You'll find a new and wondrous universe you never knew it existed. 

The MANdates by Dave Singleton

The MANdates by Dave Singleton is one of those books that reminds me of the good old days when Dan Savage and others were writing dating articles for gay.com. Yes this book is about gay dating. More precisely, it is about men dating men, and it's a dog-eat-dog world out there. The book is trying to be a bit tongue-in-cheek, but I could not deny the truth behind every little joke about the stereotypes governing the gay community. Without further ado, I bring to you: The Mandates. 

Basically this is a step by step guide to gay male dating. It takes you from the online profile to the first date, to meeting the friends, family and eventually to marriage with the right man. Don't expect it to be a concise guide to getting the man you want, it is more like a book with pointers on how not to completely fuck things up. Some things might apply to you and some things might not. If you're in your early twenties, you might have no idea who Cher or Liza Minelli are, and you wouldn't care much either way. Apart from the archaic music references which  fit the bill since the book was released in 2004, the book is still quite actual and the dating rules haven't changed much.

I think the author was trying to fill more pages by adding a couple of quizzes, but then again  I think I can blame it on the times because back then dating quizzes were pretty popular. I had tried their validity with my best friend and apparently, we are a match made in heaven. Then again, we have known each other for more than 7 years, we know almost everything about the other and, even though we sometimes say mean stuff and fuck with the other's mind , we stick together. So I guess this is a true friendship after all and, in a different set of circumstances, maybe even (dare I say it?) marriage.

So the book is old, but actual. It tries to be funny, but I didn't see the funny side. It is informative, but if you're versed in the art of dating and relationships, this book doesn't bring anything new to the table. Basically it says: be a decent human being, know what you want, try to find the kind of guy that fits you best and, once you find him, try not to fuck things up. Is that a good plan? I'd say it is. 

50 things you can do today to manage stress by Wendy Green

50 things you can do today to manage stress by Wendy Green is one of those books you usually look at in a book shop, browse a bit, but in the end you do not buy. Inside you just find advice that you already knew. I am not saying that it is a bad book, but I am also saying that it is not very special either. A Google search would get you the same results as buying this one. On the other hand, if you'd rather skip the research and just find all the useful information in one place, Wendy Green's book offers you exactly that.

What I liked about this book is that it gives you comprehensive explanations on the ways to manage stress. It even gives you the good and the side effects of certain popular supplements you can take to manage anxiety. Recommending other books, seemed a bit like a marketing gimmick, even though the author's intentions were honorable.   The advice on managing stress at work, I do not find valid. I had tried it in the past and it didn't work: taking a break is not always viable to do, certain teas do help but not always, decluttering my desk didn't help because by the end of the day it was just like it was when I got to work, to-do lists don't work either because I am always under fire from my boss and she comes up with new and unexpected changes. I guess the book is not for someone who works in an uber-stressful workplace.

On the other hand, assertiveness, anger management and overcoming fear ideas were appealing to try. I mean it takes practice, but on the other hand I found them like fighting fire with fire. Overcoming fear by facing your fears, seems a bit more stressful than just avoiding the fear factors in the first place. I also do not deny the use of Asian medicine and meditation: T'ai Chi, Yoga and meditation might work, but are you really in the mood for that when you're already stressed and pumped up with adrenaline, or exhausted after a crazy day at work? I think not. She does make some valid points but, let's face it, who has time to write a journal about every day stressors?!

All in all this is a competent book to read as a start-up guide on how to clean your life from bullshit that drives you nuts. I am a bit conflicted whether or not to recommend it instead of a bit of internet research. But then again you do get a list of natural supplements and their side side effects, that it takes a bit of googling to find out. This time is your call. I am not going to stress about it.

Cop Out by KC Burn

Cop Out by KC Burn  is one of those gay mystery / romantic novels and truth be told, I quite enjoyed it. The cover almost made me not to start the book, but in the end I figured I should give it a try; given the fact that I needed an easy read. It's not like I had enough of intelligent literature, but since I am single again, I needed a bit of fantasy. Oh man, this book had lost some points due to its cover. But, as the saying goes: don't judge a book by it's cover. This time the saying is spot on.

The book starts when two cops do a drug bust that turns bad. One dies and his partner survives. The surviving cop, a decent guy, is trying to connect with his former partner's family, during this process he finds out that his partner was not the man he thought it was. Actually, he finds out things about himself that he never expected. This is as much as you get from me about the storyline. I assure you that is pretty entertaining. At least it was for me, in my actual state of mind. 

The character development is decent by today's standards. It's not as complex as any of the Crazy Russian Authors', but it is a whole lot better than other books. The dialogues are fast paced and seem genuine, not forced or written in haste. The inner workings of the main character are accurate and the sex scenes are hot. They were a lot hotter and more detailed than... 50 shades of Grey; and I am not saying that just because of the gay sex. 

For an erotic novel, I found it lacking that much eroticism. There are a few scenes here and there, but the story as a whole was much more interesting than the sex bits. I'd say it's more of a romance, than an erotic novel. So, if you're gay or bi, it is a good read. If you're straight, and a man, then the cover is a clear indicator that it's not for you. If you're a fag-hag, then MAYBE you'd enjoy it.

The Book On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are by Alan Watts

The Book On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are by Alan Watts is a bit hard to digest, especially if you have a certain view of yourself, your life, the universe and religion. Being a philosophical concept, it took me several reads of certain paragraphs in order to fully comprehend the ideas proposed here. If you are religious, this book might not be for you because it tends to destroy your already programmed vision of a deity, thus it might offend you or shift your beliefs. 

As hard as it may be, the author suggest that you're IT. Let's go with the generic term of GOD. So he says that you're GOD and you have absolute power of the universe by pure existence. The concept is simple, yet hard to swallow: you are part of this whole, thus you are not an individual. Your reality is based on your actions and observations and they change the world around you through your own perception. I liked the analogy with the rainbow: in a certain position, where air humidity is optimal and light pends at an optimal angle you see a rainbow, but others might not if they are not in that same place or not looking in that direction.

Through this book the author tries to say that we have been educated to live within a box a tiny box of consciousness that was imposed by society in order for us to become obedient by giving us double standards: you should be independent, but you cannot do this or that. We see ourselves as individuals through our material form, even though we are better defined through our actions and thoughts. He goes beyond this by trying to say that we define the universe with our existence, even though we are just mayflies in a larger scale. This theory is somewhat full of contradictions, but so fun to play with it and see it evolve.

I would say this is one of the most interesting books I have come across lately. As long as you manage to read it while leaving your beliefs at the door, you would probably enjoy it a lot. I was expecting a self-improvement book with dos and don'ts  but this came as a big surprise and a good workout for my intellect. Read it at your own risk.

Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely

Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely is a book that was recommended to me by a guy from a human resources firm after an interview. Even though I am still waiting for his answer about the job, I did manage to find an interesting book that gives me a glimpse on how behavioral economics and respectively marketing works. So whether or not I get the job, I did learn something new, hence I did get something good out of that.

This book sheds some light on how we are making day to day decisions based on our cultural and individual background. Depending on our situation we tend to conform to the majority or go against it, when purchasing goods. Depends on how we want to be perceived in society, even though what we had bought might or might not be what we had wanted. Do you want to conform or do you want to appear as an individual? Simple as that. The book is based mostly on behavioral experiments put together by the author in different locations and with different target groups. Most of these experiments were done on students from different high profile universities from the United States since the author is in fact a professor of social sciences.

Another thing I had learned is that everybody cheats, lies and steals even though the core values are good. As long as actual money is involved people tend to make more pragmatic decisions regarding theft than when goods are involved. For example you'd be more tempted to take a pen from work than to actually get some money from the communal jar of change in order to buy a pen. As long as there is something between your need or desire and the actual money, your perspective on being honest gets a little blurry. Another example that applies to me is when you buy something and you base your decision on extensive research especially if you have to choose between two similar things. All that wasted time on research in order to decide on a cellphone over the other can be translated onto missed opportunities of actually enjoying a cellphone (just an example).

This is a very interesting book on how our mind works, what makes us tick and how companies can take advantage on predicting our irrational behavior. I would say this is a must read for everyone, because our society is influenced by brands, labels, big companies and the overall majority. Why not take back this power and use it to our own advantage? One last thought: nothing is truly free, even free stuff comes with a price.

Aerial Mapping by Edgar Falkner and Dennis Morgan

This time I am reviewing a different kind of book from what you got used to see on my blog. Aerial Mapping by Edgar Falkner and Dennis Morgan is a technical  book about the tools and processes to take into consideration when you want to do aerial maps. If you have no clue what those are, think about Google Earth, Google Maps, Bing Maps etc.

This book is a bit old in regards with today's standards. It had been written about 10 years ago so you can guess that the technology has evolved exponentially since then. Even with its age, this book gives valuable information to the student or engineer who wants to learn more about the principles of how aerial maps are created. 

As I had said before, the information is old, but it still covers the 2002 emerging technologies suited for orthophotos and other aerial views. The archaic methods of photogrammetry are easier to comprehend today's intricacies hidden under the hood of a computer program. Should you think about this book as "too old for modern times"? Think about it as learning the basics. Is it an exhaustive explanation of the entire process? No, but it gives you an idea of how things work.

If you want to get into this field of work, it is a must read because it covers the basics. If you want detailed information about photogrammetry and how aerial mapping is done, you should look for another book.

50 Shades of Grey by E L James

I started  50 Shades of Grey because i wanted  see what the deal is and why is everybody making such a big deal of it. I had dropped it after the first 150 pages because it is agonizingly slow. Ok, I get now why this book was such a big hit: its main subject is somewhat taboo, for the regular folk but it is not that big of a deal really. BDSM is starting to become somewhat mainstream nowadays. But an erotic book about somewhat  kinky sex might appeal to some.

The characters  seem like they had been conceived by a nun or by a frustrated teenage girl. Seriously now: you get the filthy rich billionaire who is also very hot, the virginal student who isn't that hot (have you seen E L James' picture? I get that now), her  nosy roommate who is also a reporter and the best friend who is in love with the virgin but she doesn't love him. Sounds familiar? I am thinking sparkling vampires right about now. 

Why is this book bad? Because it is sloooooow. Watching paint dry on the walls is faster. I do not care about the main character's internal turmoils and the rich guy is very bland. The author is trying to cover that by making him mysterious, which he isn't really.  He's just a rich pervert who wants kinky sex. The whole "inner goddess" thing is just a way to appeal to women who actually need to feel special, since they lack character and have no sex-appeal. I simply cannot get over the fact that she is still a virgin  at 21. Girls nowadays start their sex life as early as 14 (hence the term "jail-bait"). She has graduated college and haven't had sex during that time? What school did she attend - nun seminary?  ...And another thing, even though the BDSM contract seems well thought out, the requirements are vanilla by BDSM  standards. Domination, lax rules and butt plugs are way too common nowadays. I give the benefit of the doubt for mentioning fisting, but I guess the exchange of fluids is a bit gross for the common housewife (urination, spitting etc.)

If you are a girl interested in erotic novels, this book might be for you. If you are a housewife, hide it from your husband because he might want to fuck you in the ass while you do the dishes and then give you a beating cause you missed a spot. If you are into BDSM and you need some pointers, save yourself the time and just look for some porn or hit a specialized  forum. If you are a masochistic submissive wife: read the entire series. Guys... just go for the porn, it is way more fun and educative, also less time consuming.