Inspiring and life changing. Rarely can you say that a book is these things, but this book (and the associated lecture I already blogged about) could be considered both. Randy Pausch is a computer science professor at CMU who is terminally ill. This book accompanies the Last Lecture that has been an Internet phenomenon. I won't go into much detail here, instead telling you to watch the lecture that I have linked in a previous blog post, and if you find that inspirational, buy this book. 5 out of 5 donkeys!

HUGE! That's the first thing that comes to mind when you pick up the book Einstein: His Life and Universe. This 2+ pound monster has over 700 pages detailing the history and life of one of the greatest scientific minds in history. The book recounts the man from his youthful days as a German child through his death while residing in the United States. Einstein's adversity towards authority and the accepted norm lead him to imagine and create some of the most revolutionary physics theories of all time. From his personal life to his life philosophies, this portrait of Einstein gives insight into the details of a man that was so complex we can only hope to understand his basic models of thought.

I highly recommend this book for someone that has a month worth of free time to delve into the minute details of history. A high level understanding of physics is important but not mandatory to enjoying the text. "Einstein: His Life and Universe" receives 4/5 donkeys, only losing points due to the month plus it took me to digest it.

I just finished reading the book Ace On The River by Barry Greenstein. Barry is a very well known professional poker player who gives away 100% of his tournament winnings to charity. This has amounted to millions of dollars in charity money over the past few years donated to worthwhile causes giving Barry the nickname the "Robin Hood of Poker".

I had been under the mistaken assumption that Barry had been a big winner in the dot com games of the mid 1990s. He had worked for Symantec Inc. well before SYMC the stock was available on the NASDAQ. I also was under the assumption that Barry is wildly rich by this point and that his tournament winnings really don't matter to him any more. Barry directly addresses this questions and more in this book.

This book is not a normal instructional book. It doesn't outline appropriate starting hands, it doesn't detail the correct moves to make on the flop, turn, and river. It talks about bankroll management, the effects of poker on your personal life, the gambling mindset, ... ok ... it also talks a bit about how to play some advanced hands.

I really enjoyed this book and finished reading it in two days. It was a quick read and really brought a lot of things into the front of my conscious for future contemplation. I give "Ace On the River" 4 out of 5 donkeys.

I just finished reading "The Children of Hurin" by J.R.R Tolkien. If you are a big fan of the rest of Tolkien's works you will love this book. It is the back story of the kin of Hurin and the curse laid upon them by Morgoth.

The story begins with a brief introduction to Hurin, his kin, and his deeds that lead to his imprisonment and subsequent cursing. Following this, the book details, primarily, the life of Turin and his sister Nienor, the son and daughter of Hurin. From birth to their final glorious moment, both kin travel the lands bringing havock to any who house them. Finally, the book completes in a dramatic fashion worthy of traditional Shakespeareian conclusions.

The book is not impossible to read, and if you can get past the typical Tolkien 100+ names of locations and characters the narrative is fairly straightforward. It reminded me of a cross between Shakespeare and traditional Mythology. The writing is somewhat in old English, typical of Tolkien, and includes a large genealogy, appendix, and fold out map in the back of the book. Additionally there is a character list that gives a synopsis of each name used throughout the novel.

Overall, I enjoyed the read. It went fairly quickly and held my interest throughout. Learning some of the history that surrounds Middle-Earth adds to the enjoyment that the reader/viewer would get out of the more common novels and movies by Tolkien. I give "The Children of Hurin" 4 out of 5 donkeys.

NOTE: I find it VERY interesting that the spell checker that I use in vi to write these entries actually finds Tolkien as a real word and doesn't highlight it as a misspelling. I guess a fellow nerd created that particular dictionary.

Sorry I haven't posted much in the last week and a half. I took a week long Holiday to visit my family in New York. After a horrid return trip (F.U. USAirways) I finally made it home this past Thursday evening. On the trip I started and finished the book "Final Sins", by Michael Prescott. This book appears to be one of many books Prescott has authored using the same primary characters. I haven't read the previous book, Mortal Sins, or any of the other books my Prescott, yet, so keep that in mind.

"Final Sins" is a typical suspense, thriller, type fiction book. The story centers around a half a dozen characters ranging from the vigilante justice keeper, good FBI agents, corrupt FBI agents, a serial killer, and a stalker. As the plot develops we learn more background about the different characters in a well written story that managed to keep my interest. The character development is deep enough to really feel for the losses that the plot throws in, however it isn't deep enough to make me jump for joy.

The plot was also mediocre at best. There wasn't a single plot turn that I hadn't thought of well in advance of the author presenting the twist. The plot was transparent and largely predictable. With the exception of one particular piece of data (Faust's get away location at the end of the story), I saw it all coming a mile away.

If you are looking for a gripping story with twists that will keep you guessing, this book isn't for you. If you want a story that has deep and rich character development, again, look elsewhere. If you want an easy read that will simply pass the time for you on a long flight, this one will barely make the cut. I give "Final Sins", by Michael Prescott, 3/5 donkeys. Better luck next time Michael!

I purchased and read "Thr3e" by Ted Dekker last weekend. The book is a psychological thriller in which a young seminary student, Kevin Parsons, is hunted by a serial killer. It all starts when Kevin is driving home from his university one evening and his cell phone rings. He is presented with a clue in the form of a riddle and is told he has 60 seconds to call the newspaper and confess his sins or his car will be blown up. He escapes the explosion of his car, but the next few days turn out to be the most difficult of his life. Being chased by a person who goes by the name of Slater makes the ensuing riddles and explosions an alluring read.

I couldn't manage to put this book down. Once I got far enough into the plot, it kept getting more and more intense. The author does a great job of keeping your interest throughout the narrative, however he could have done a little better job in wrapping up and linking in the riddles to the resolution. Overall, the twist at the end made me look like a complete clown in front of everyone else at the baggage claim in RDU airport when I actually said the words "NO WAY!" out loud. After looking up the reviews on Amazon and doing a bit of reading on the book, it turns out this is billed as "Christian fiction". I wouldn't have purchased the book had I known that in advance, however there really wasn't that big of a religious overtone that made me lose interest. One can safely ignore this misnomer if it would normally turn them off. Also of interest is the movie that was made out of this novel. It appears to have gotten horrid reviews, but we all now how accurate movie representations can be of good texts.

My advice to you? Ignore the bad movie reviews, forget the "Christian" label, and READ THIS BOOK! I believe this was one of the easiest to read, most interesting paperbacks I've read in a LOOONG time.

5 out of 5 DONKEYS!!

I read a lot. And I mean A LOT. So as a service to those who enjoy a good book, both fiction and nonfiction, I will do a periodic book review as I complete my latest tome.

The latest book I finished is called "Rat Bastards: The Life and Times of South Boston's Most Honorable Irish Mobster". The basic plot of the story is about one of South Boston's most notorious mobsters, John "Red" Shea, and his mentor, the undisputed king of the South Boston Irish Mafia, Whitey Bulger.

The story chronicles the life of Red Shae as he rises in the group to be the second in command to Whitey, all the while not being aware that the entire time he was listening to the advice of his mentor, Whitey, Whitey was an informant for the FBI. When everything hit the fan, there is only one thing a guy can hang on to and that's being a stand up man. One of the laws of the mafia is not ratting on your fellow man. Red Shea did just that, he wouldn't rat no matter how much time he would have to spend in federal prison.

I can't help but draw the parallels to the movie "The Departed". There are far to many similarities to be a fluke. What is also interesting is that Mark Whalberg, who starts in "The Departed", wrote the forward for the novel and also reportedly has purchased the rights to the film. Overall I thought the book was only mediocre. There is only so much you can say about being a standup guy, and with the lack of interesting plot line after Red is put into jail, I was quickly bored by the prose. There are a few interesting anecdotes, but the second half of the book is a snoozer. I do applaud Red for standing up for what he believed in, but get someone better to help you put it into writing, your editor stunk.

All in all this book gets a 3/5 donkey rating. Read it if you don't have anything better lying on your bookshelf.