Book Review – Hugo's Posts

My Book Review: I Am Legend

I Am Legend and Other Stories by Richard Matheson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Once upon a time I knew “I am Legend” as a zombie story (made into a film)and after the outstanding fun of World War Z I decided to give the written version a try.

It should go without saying then that I was truly surprised and jarred some when the story’s antagonist spoke, interacted and shared the dark gift of the vampire.

This unexpected turned at first seemed off putting but as the protagonist mental and physical decay started to unfold I really began to care about his particular lot and the story became involving.

The ending was surprising. Different from the film, it took a tragic turn that Hollywood is too chicken to take. That as well impressed me.

The stories that accompany this tale did not grab me and so as a whole I feel the lower rating is needed. I am Legend on its own is sad, creepy and a page turner. I recommend it over the flick.

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A Book Review – John Muir: Magnificent Tramp by Rod Miller

John Muir: Magnificent Tramp by Rod Miller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It is apropos that I finished the audio-book experience on this work on Earth Day and that I had the opportunity to incorporate it into my Toastmasters Speech today on Water Conservation.

John Muir is a named that I have heard ever since I became aware that the more beautiful places on earth (and there are many) must be protected from those among us who believe progress trumps nature. Even then, in adolescence, I knew that there once was a man who fought with zeal for the majestic and the small and his legacy adorned the marquees of local high-schools, some local peaks and the cool Sierra Club stickers that adorned my old Jeep.

What I learned from this book is that Mr. Muir was an international wanderer and whose travels were beyond what I could have ever imagined. This was a man who pursued his love for the unseen path ahead and in his quest to wander gained fame and influence that is still revered and emulated by many.

Our global community is at a crossroads and though many will not read many of Muir’s original writings, a biography like this provides insights into a time and a man when mankind became aware that our combined actions affect so much more than we could have imagined.

Muir’s story is simple, harrowing, uncompromising and tinged with bitter-sweetness. After all, humankind fights the very earth that houses it and it takes reverence for our home-earth to fight our kind and maintain it.

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Sex on the Brain | 12 Lessons to Enhance Your Love Life – A Book Review

Sex on the Brain: 12 Lessons to Enhance Your Love Life by Daniel G. Amen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A healthy brain is a sexy brain. That is the main take away I pulled from Sex on the Brain from Daniel Amen.

That is not a bad thing as the book does a terrific job of delineating the importance of a healthy noggin’ in sex and life in general.

I enjoyed reading the many interesting anecdotes and stories of people who are afflicted by a variety of imbalances and I found a new understanding of how fetishes and compulsions may function. It certainly gives some insight and it makes the argument that in order to enjoy a more complete sex life it is important to shy away from drugs/alcohol and also to seek help from professionals when a perceived issue arises.

The book is heavy on lists and at time this becomes tedious.

Overall, a good reminder that a loving sexual relationship doesn’t happen by change. It takes lots of work and care.

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The Conviction of Richard Nixon – Book Review

The Conviction of Richard Nixon: The Untold Story of the Frost/Nixon Interviews by James Reston Jr.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jon Stewart has made the argument in the past that he shares a legacy of satirist who over the years have had the unique position to ask the question that others can’t.

This is the thought that continued to creep up time and time again while I read this marvelous tale of an event that I knew hardly about but that meant so much to the American people in a time when answers were scarce from their former Commander and Chief.

James Reston Jr.’s recollection of the months prior to this interview of disgraced former President Richard Nixon is ripe with intrigue, drama and a retelling of the perils of underestimating an opponent.

Time and again I wished that today’s best satirist (like Stewart)would take on the challenge that current members of the journalistic community seem unable to take. To ask the hard hitting questions, to draw out truths with wit and seek candor from political figures who make a career from obscuring it.

I marvel at the height from with President Nixon fell but understand that he is not alone in sharing disgrace. The better story is how Frost and his team helped the President realize truths that perhaps he had never seen before.

A terrific read for our time.

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