Saturday, December 29, 2012

This Week's Book: Stranger in a Strange Land

This finishes Book a Week 2012! It's been a fun ride. Watch for how things'll change a little around here in 2013.

December 23-29: Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

Science Fiction (1961 - 655 pp.) 

This is the original edition, packed with 60,000 more words than the already decently long first pressing. 

The premise of the book is incredibly interesting. If a human born and raised by a highly intelligent race of Martians came to Earth, how would he react to his surroundings? Valentine Michael Smith wakes up in Bethesda Hospital under military watch facing exactly this problem. His subsequent adventures are highly interesting in that Heinlein explores the world as a Martian might consider it, like the understandably insatiable attraction to water. The ability to levitate objects feels excessive but it adds enough sci-fi camp to be worthwhile. The libertarian, rational egoistic philosophy of the early part of the book plays off of the power-driven obsession various powerful parties have with possessing the Martian and his parents' sizable bank accounts. 

My chief qualms with Stranger in a Strange Land are its length and its overbearing armchair philosophy. Neither seem like necessary additions to what was a perfectly fine book. The last quarter or so felt unnecessary - I felt like the book had in all meaningful ways ended by then. Once the possibilities of how Michael could react to Earth were more or less exhausted, whether obvious (like not understanding money) or outlandish (whether he would be considered sovereign of Mars), there was nothing left to say. The creation of the Church of All Worlds feels more like a strangely inserted authorial fantasy than any short logical leap from a Martian landing on Earth. Stranger in a Strange Land is very successful at being science fiction. There it should stay. 

Ease of Reading: 9 
Educational Content: 3

Sunday, December 23, 2012

This Week's Book: Aesop's Fables

Another collection of things, which is working nicely. How many of us read these stories as children? Now, looking back, how many of us really knew what we were reading?

December 16-22: Aesop's Fables translated by George Fyler Townsend

Literature (1871) 

Aesop's fables were a staple of my childhood. I owned an illustrated copy of many of the fables, which my parents gave me so early into my young life I don't recall ever not owning it. Like then, the fox is my favourite animal to pop up in the stories. Unlike then, I've now read a copy with an introduction detailing what a fable is, a brief biography of what we know of Aesop, and a history of where and when the fables have popped up in European lore. In short, the craft of a fable is a cross between the storytelling of a tale and the didacticism of a parable. 

As with anything over 2000 years old yet so universal in the lessons it teaches, some of these fables are extremely applicable to the present day, others are utterly horrifying, and most lie somewhere on the vast continuum between. Still others have applications or ramifications Aesop could never have anticipated. In this last curious category, "The Ass and the Grasshopper" is a lesson in corporate strategy (i.e. that homegrown strategies can be more effective than benchmarking); "The Prophet" and "The Quack Frog" taken in a modern context appear to question the wisdom of social science professors (a famous example being a psychologist who is the expert in the psychology of money yet is not super-rich), "Jupiter, Neptune, Minerva and Momus" seems oddly pro-trailer park (the sin of the poor house being that it lacks wheels), and "The Widow and the Sheep" feels like an Econ 101 lesson in profit maximization. "The Fisherman and the Fish" and "The Lion and the Hare", applied today, are virulently anti-stock market. 

The best and worst messages range from heartwarming to horrifying respectively. "The Lioness"'s message of quality over quantity is well taken in almost any context, "The Fir-Tree and the Bramble" is a reminder that a wealthy life is not necessarily easier or more desirable, and "The Traveler and Fortune" scolds anyone who wants to blame, or credit, everything on luck. "The Fox and the Mask", one of my favourites since I was about two feet tall, is a reminder that style is useless without substance. "The Rose and the Amaranth", my other favourite, is a reminder that lasting beauty is often the best kind. Less happily, "The Man and His Sweethearts" supposes that a woman should feel ashamed of being courted by a younger man (but then how do we have Cougar Town?), "The Three Tradesmen" advocates a social isolationism mind-boggling to any modern person, and "The Mother and the Wolf" reproaches anyone foolish enough to listen to a woman. 

Other fables reflect the Victorian society George Fyler Townsend inhabited. "The Oxen and the Axle-Trees" is stoicism incarnate. "The Crab and the Fox" hearkens back to the old belief that every person had his or her place in the world and to defy that would be foolish. Those of us with ambition look back unkindly on that particular strain of Victorian thought. "The Astronomer", "The Wolf and the Lion" and "The Monkey and the Camel" send the horrible message of telling people not to think beyond one's immediate surroundings or to learn uncharacteristically new skills. The days of women learning to ride bicycles have since eroded this belief. 

Still other fables have either been grossly misinterpreted or were hazy to begin with. "The Swallow and the Crow"'s contribution of the phrase "fair weather friend" refers to friends who are unable, rather than unwilling, to help when times are difficult. The eponymous character of "The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" is attempting to find shelter, not to become a danger (although there are apparently alternate versions of this fable that state otherwise). "The Oaks and Jupiter" and "The Oak and the Woodcutters" are clear instances of victim-blaming. "The Huntsman and the Fisherman"'s moral does not at all match its story; the story describes the ability of the characters to engage in trade with each other, whereas the moral reads "Abstain and enjoy". The moral of this entry, were it to have one, would be that Aesop's Fables is a cultural construct, of Ancient Greece in its original form and also of Victorian England in this translation. Many of the lessons persist over time yet others are quaint relics of earlier days. 

NOTE: With these types of books, page count is an estimate at best. The particular copy I read is one for Kindle for my laptop. There are doubtless many others out there. The fables are all so short and so easily available that to refer to any of the ones I mention here, a few seconds' search should yield what you need. 

Ease of Reading: 9 
Educational Content: 5

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

This Christmas...

Today, at my favourite local coffee shop, I overheard a man say in a conversation that the upcoming alleged apocalypse of December 21st, 2012 "won't be the end of the world, just the end of time." I turned to the barista, whom I happen to know quite well, and said, "If that's the case, this Christmas will be timeless." He smiled.

Hope everyone has a wonderful final week of Advent en route to a timeless Christmas.

Last Week's Book: Chicken Soup for the Soul

A fitting accompaniment for law school exams... also my third last Book a Week. Hard to believe.

December 9-15: Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen

Non-Fiction (1993 - 193 pp.) 

Now apparently also the provenance of a TV show and a health food line, Chicken Soup for the Soul started as this solitary book. It is compiled by two motivational speakers, and consists of a collection of stories submitted by various people, mostly from the United States. Others are by Canfield and Hansen. Each details someone who did something extraordinary. The usual fare consists of people who ran after having their legs amputated, children who sold more cookies than the other children, that sort of thing. The overarching message - that people should be nice to each other and that we can all do something special in the world - is a good one, no matter how cynical the recent economy may have made people. 

A few of the stories surprised me, some in a good way, some not so much.  "The Animal School" shows a libertarian leaning that I was not expecting, not so much for being libertarian as such but because a book by motivational speakers doesn't strike me as political. "I Love You, Son" is probably the most touching story here, for the combined reasons of speaking to what it means to be a father as well as making me look back a little guiltily on my own experiences as a child. (It concerns whether children ever truly appreciate their fathers enough.) "Rest in Peace" is probably my favourite story, having to do with telling people to bury everything they think they can't do, and it resonates the most with my life. "Service with a Smile" is an adorable story that will resonate with every dog lover. "The Touch of the Master's Hand", aside from its uplifting message about the value we often miss in things, mentions potage, which I know better than most thanks to reading If Walls Could Talk this past August. 

"Big Ed" and "Just Say It!" discuss the difficulties people have telling each other they love each other, and not in that first time ever telling a significant other way but even within a family. That something so natural should be so difficult is something I find troubling. "I Know You, You're Just Like Me" may have seemed heartwarming such a short time after the collapse of the USSR but is, to make an understatement, less than heartwarming to Central Europeans. "Ask, Ask, Ask" and "Tommy's Bumper Sticker" feel overly reliant on the fact that their protagonists are children; relying on being a cute child to sell products should not be seen as the hallmark of salesmanship. "Rick's Little Quest", "John Corcoran", and "She Saved 219 Lives" send some likely unintentionally morose messages. The first validates a young man's decision to drop out of school, the second discusses the successes of a man who was admitted all the way through the education system despite being illiterate, and the third glosses over someone's premeditated forgery of birth certificates. None of those warm my heart in the least, no matter what good came at the end. 

Hypothetically, Chicken Soup for the Soul is an exercise in challenging everyone to be the best s/he can be, regardless of adverse circumstances. "Run, Patti, Run" is the story that embodies this message the best. At the end of a story about a woman who ran record-setting distances in face of epilepsy, in question form no less, it asks, "If Patti Wilson can do so much with so little, what can you do to outperform yourself in a state of total wellness?" Whether this is inspirational or guilt-inducing depends on who you are, I suppose. 

Ease of Reading: 10 
Educational Content: 4

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Saving Money: 10 Things I Will Do, 5 Things I Won't

Maybe it's the terrible economy. Maybe it's the wider availability of technology, not least sites like this one. Maybe it's just that I'm an adult now. For whatever reason, it seems like for the past little while, money-saving columns are everywhere. As someone who develops some economics-based personal finance in my spare time, I figure that rather than bore you with the theoretical analysis that shapes my money decisions, I'll throw my hat into the "I do these things to be frugal" ring like everyone else.

A few articles I've picked up today are this one by a guy, this one by a girl, this other one by the same girl saying what she won't do to save money, and this one by a different girl who makes it gender-neutral. Most of the tips are good (like harvesting seeds from your garden), some aren't so much so. One that absolutely needs mention right here is the tip at the end of the last article: that you "shop" at lost and found bins. That is something I've never seen as a money-saving tip before. It's so beyond the pale I can't justify putting it on my list of things I won't do to save money, if only because it would never have occurred to me. It's not quite as bad as forging food stamps or stealing from the Salvation Army, but it feels like it's trending toward that end of the ethical spectrum.

Before I begin with my list of ways I do and refuse to spend money, I may as well begin by saying why it's important I noted the above links by gender. Something that I had probably known but had never really realized is that I save a significant amount of money just by being a man. I have never bought makeup or feminine hygiene products (that's what they're called now, right?) in my life. If tasked to do so, I'm sure I would appear very confused to the store's employees.

Another thing that's worth mentioning is that certain tips that are great for some people simply don't work for others. For example, the biggest single way I save money is by not having a car. No purchase or lease costs, no gas, no insurance... which turns around and becomes thousands in savings, vacations, and the peace of mind to know I can treat myself to a few extras without going broke in the process. However, I understand not having a car simply isn't an option for those who don't live in urban or other eminently walkable areas. I'm sure everyone has his/her own version of this: some people don't drink, others have family and friends all nearby so they have less need to buy plane tickets, and so on. I also don't smoke, which is helpful but is pretty normal for my generation.

Here are 10 Ways I Save Money and 5 Ways I Refuse to Save Money.

To save money, I...

1. Make use of the local library, as well as free promotional e-books.

Libraries, especially campus libraries, have amazing selections of books. Books that have passed into the public domain are often available as free e-books, and many newer indie authors are releasing their books for free. Thanks to the free e-book option, I've read books as far-flung as Bleak House and Machine of Death, both of which I'd recommend. Without these resources, Book a Week may not have been possible. Although I love my home library dearly, I simply don't need to own a hard copy of every book I ever read. Moving a lot helped this decision along too. I still buy books I feel like I'll want around in paper form but I spend a lot less on books than before.

2. Use coupons mercilessly.

I know this is on everyone's list, so it's not exactly the most original thing here. It's on everyone's list for a reason. It's also a great way to buy clothes, as opposed to the horror stories of patching up holes the size of a Buick. My favourite coupon-driven purchase: a pair of running shorts, from $36 down to $2. Remember, when combining coupons, take the percentage discount before the flat dollar discount.

3. Use hotel soaps and shampoos at home.

For those who travel even semi-frequently, this is a great way to save. I honestly have difficulty recalling the last time I bought shampoo. I understand each container won't last most people almost a month like it does for me, but even so... A fringe benefit is that you get to try a bunch of different kinds.

4. Make sure I do full loads of laundry.

I have way too much experience with commercial washers and dryers for someone of my tender years. As a result, watching a few articles of (usually white) clothing bounce around inside a washer or dryer is a frustrating use of a couple bucks. Waiting to wash darks or lights until I have a full load's worth, or close to it, saves money that is otherwise spent on absolutely nothing.

5. Think purchases through before making them.

This doesn't mean waiting weeks on end to see if you still want to buy something. That's a great way to lose out on sales. It just means having a logical reason for making every purchase, even if that purchase is a chocolate bar by the checkout counter. If you don't feel like you can defend a purchase to someone asking you why you made it, it's probably not a good idea. ("I'm worth it" isn't a defence.)

6. Don't throw out food.

This one seems simple, yet people throw out food all the time. Knowing what's in your fridge and freezer not only helps determine when you need to eat certain things but also prevents you from accidentally buying something you already have. Not letting food expire - or refusing to keep buying foods that often do, like a seldom-used salad dressing - is another way to stop spending money for nothing.

7. Take more napkins than necessary from fast-food restaurants.

This was more of a thing from my undergrad days, considering how rarely I eat fast food now. (Saving there too.) I don't see napkins as something to buy from a store. They're used for a few seconds and then discarded. Hard to justify paying for something with that quality when the place where you last bought a sandwich on the way home from work/school will do it for you. It doesn't have to result in guests knowing where you went last week, either, if you keep cloth napkins around for company and use the ones you got for free when you're by yourself.

8. Keep plastic bags from the grocery store.

I use my canvas grocery bags all the time. I own about half a dozen of them, most of them given to me for free. During big trips, when those bags are full, I'll generally get plastic bags. They've carried my track shoes to the gym/track, they've sat inside small garbage cans, and they've also been great donations to my parents for when the cat's litter needs to be cleaned out. Throwing out plastic unnecessarily isn't just horrible for the environment, it's literally throwing away something you could be using.

9. Reuse freezer bags.

Whenever they're empty, I wash them with soap and water. Then they can hold more of whatever was in them before, usually meat. Like the plastic bags above, there's no reason to throw something out that is still just as good as when you got it. The difference with freezer bags is that you actually paid for them. (For those who pay 5 cents per plastic bag at the grocery store, this still applies to you.)

10. Don't put off purchases until the last minute.

If an item you're looking to replace isn't something you only ever need one of (like a pair of shoes), there's nothing wrong with owning more than one while the original's life is fading. If said item is something you only ever need one of (like a microwave), it may be worth trading a couple extra months of life for a huge discount on the successor. Desperation doesn't come out to getting the best deal. The more time you give yourself to replace something, the more chances you give yourself to come away with a great deal.

Hopefully all that applies to everyone as much as is possible with personal finance, as much as peoples' individual circumstances vary. I've also excluded ways to make the most of credit card reward points, as I view that as more of a way to make money than to save it. All that said:

To save money, I won't...

1. Do anything that takes more time than it's worth.

Whenever I undertake a task that results in a financial net gain, I view it as though I'm performing a job. For example, if I attend a one-hour focus group and am given $50 for my efforts, I view myself as, for that hour, a $50/hr focus group attendee. That same logic is applicable in the home. If I take half an hour to make a meal that cost $2 of ingredients, provides no leftovers, and doesn't involve any creativity on my part, rather than microwave a prepackaged $4 meal, I'm essentially working as a low-level chef for $4/hr. (The difference in costs, doubled because I used half an hour as my example.) Those little ways to save money around the home could actually be short-term sub-minimum wage jobs in disguise. There are better uses of my time.

2. Cut my own hair unless I actually want a buzz cut.

For whatever reason, this one comes up frequently on frugality lists, including the men's one above. If a buzz cut is your personal style and you feel reasonably capable of doing a good job, go for it. If not, just go to a barber and fork over the cash. It's one thing to be defined by your frugality in terms of the wisdom of doing things like, say, not wantonly dumping food in the trash. It's another thing entirely to be so defined by frugality that people can tell you're frugal by looking at you. Worse yet, imagine if everyone followed this advice, resulting in the only difference in men's haircuts being measurable in small numbers. A personal style is not something I'd give up for a few bucks.

3. Compromise my clothing choices, whether for fashion or for quality.

I haven't done any formal research on this but I'm willing to guess that the average person wears clothing every day. There are so many sales on clothing from various retailers you'd think there was a world oversupply so blatant they'll have to turn the unsold items into rags. Fashion-wise, the personal style comment above applies. Wear what you'll enjoy wearing, because if you buy any reasonably good clothes they'll last for a while. Quality-wise, better clothes last longer. If a clothing item costs twice the price of a lesser counterpart but lasts at least twice as long, you aren't really paying more for it at all. Much like with the fridge and freezer example above, knowing which clothes you own is helpful so you can make the best of your durable purchases.

4. Regift.

It may seem resourceful and frugal to regift - if you're the one doing the regifting. Now imagine you're the person who bought that gift in the first place, possibly spent hours picking out just the right one, and it gets regifted. Not exactly quite so cheery anymore, are you? If someone buys you a gift, that gift is for you. It's not a proxy that waives your need to buy someone else a gift. Regifting is also less generous, as it removes the time and effort that demonstrate your care for the recipient. The only real defence for regifting is that neither the person whose gift is being shipped off nor the person who's getting a gift you didn't put any time or money into will usually end up knowing. In all, you've shown no appreciation for the time someone took to pick out a gift for you, shown no effort in shopping for someone else in your life, and justified the whole exercise by keeping both of those people in the dark. If that's how far you're willing to go to save money, I'll start hesitating before buying gifts for you at all.

A notable exception is if you truly believe something you got is absolutely perfect for someone else and the original giver agrees with you. This tends to occur more in terms of things like gift card swaps than in the giving of actual items. In this case, though, you're regifting in order to make a good faith attempt at making multiple people in your life happier, not to save money.

5. Cut up the credit card.

In addition to the aforementioned reward points, a credit card represents flexibility. I never carry a balance and view a credit card expense as though I had paid cash. Certain purchases, especially online ones, require a credit card. (One curious quirk of living in Canada versus the States is that Canadians don't have Visa debit cards.) There's also no guarantee I'll have enough cash in my wallet to cover a purchase every time I leave home. An unexpected sale at the grocery store could be out of reach but for a card sitting on the night table at home.

On that note, feel free to buy something at the grocery store that isn't on your list... as long as it's reasonably priced and you'll eat it. Handcuffing yourself doesn't make you more responsible, only less able to pounce on  deals.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

This Week's Book: Haunted

So I finally read a book by the vaunted Chuck Palahniuk, perhaps best known for the film rendition of Fight Club. (Yes, I've at least seen that. I am, however, a unique and special snowflake.) Haunted was a fun read - I liked the pacing and the angle.

December 2-8: Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk

Horror (2005 - 411 pp.) 

The premise of Haunted is an interesting one: a whole ton of writers on a retreat that consists of being locked in a building for three months. They make the best of the time, if that's what you consider slowly killing each other and themselves. Most have names in some way related to their conditions, like the lip-free Baroness Frostbite or the psychic Countess Foresight. Each tells a sordid, twisted back story through a strategically placed vignette. These stories, interspersed with poems about the characters, sit between the twenty-four chapters. 

The book is at the same time hilarious, scary and disturbing. My favourite story is "The Nightmare Box", which on its own could have been the premise for an entire collection of stories. My least favourite is "Obsolete", which didn't present anything I found particularly gripping and was one of the longest to boot. The book's funniest quotation comes about halfway through: "You could put Mahatma Gandhi into a convent, cut off his nuts, shoot him full of Demerol, and he'd still take a shot at your face if you played him that 'Wind Beneath Your Wings' song." (186-187) (For those interested in reading this book, this is in no way spoiled. When you see it in context, you'll hopefully double over just like I did.) Most of the stories are entertaining, with helpful insights into how the characters got to be who they are. There is relatively little character development during the chapters, which Palahniuk uses to focus on the horrifying character of the writers' retreat. 

Amazingly, the characters know what awaits them. There's no element of kidnapping here. The book starts with the question: "If you were planning to be stranded on a desert island for three months, what would you bring along?" (6) In some ways still the kid who grew up reading choose your own adventure books, I naturally had to compile a list of my own. My suggestions appear to have been too practical for Haunted's deranged writers; not a single one had thought to bring astronaut ice cream or GORP (i.e. calorie-dense foods that won't spoil easily), a Brita filter in case the water isn't very good, lightweight synthetic outerwear to maximize the warmth-to-space ratio in the suitcase, and of course a whole ton of pens, pencils and paper. Each writer presumably took the last of those, although we curiously never see anyone writing during this retreat. It all consists of building a story. How each character builds stories is the story. 

Palahniuk started on the mishmash of short stories that would eventually morph into Haunted all the way back in 1991. This was no surprise to me, as throughout the book I kept feeling like I was reading something from the '90s. Maybe Haunted would have been a more effective release 5-10 years before it came out. The strings of one-word sentences detailing how bleak the world is just didn't feel edgy anymore in 2005, for example. Regardless, I enjoyed it, and the story behind "Guts" was especially amusing considering that was one of my favourite entries. 

Ease of Reading: 8 
Educational Content: 2

Tuesday, November 27, 2012


It's for a good cause and it's everywhere. Donate to help prostate cancer awareness! Compliments on the 'stache optional.

Monday, November 26, 2012

This Week's Book: Priceless

I met a couple interesting benchmarks this week. This is the first time I've started a book for Book a Week before the week in question began (I started this one on Saturday evening). I'd previously had a rule against that, but after seeing how late I could read books in the summer, why not allow this? The important thing is that fifty-second book will be read by the end of the year. The other accomplishment is that this is the earliest in the week I've completed a book. Before this, it was The Satanic Bible, finished on the Wednesday of its week.

I think I'm about done for anything behavioural this year. Interesting read.

November 25-December 1: Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value by William Poundstone

Non-Fiction (2010 - 288 pp.) 

Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value adds to the growing stash of general interest material in behavioural decision theory. Much of this work is by psychologists or economists, but Priceless is by a professional writer. The best comparison would be Malcolm Gladwell's Blink. This perspective is interesting in that William Poundstone is able to report of others' theories without advancing any of his own, so his fifty-seven snippets are anecdotes about a subject rather than forays into it. The format fits the book nicely. The question the book asks is: how are prices set, and why do we keep falling for them? 

The first part of the book is a recap of any book dealing with behavioural decision theory. Some of those books are referenced in this list (Thinking, Fast and SlowPredictably Irrational) and they all have largely the same messages about phenomena like anchoring, the endowment effect, and other classic staples of the discipline. Having read a few of the articles during my education, I would recommend skipping straight to those if you already know why people will pay less for tickets than they would want in return for them. 

The highlight of Priceless is the substantial material on psychophysics, a field with which I was unfamiliar prior to reading. The connection between sensory perception and physical sensation is far outside of any of the social sciences training I have received, yet it is among the most interesting psychology-related subdisciplines I could have imagined. How far does a floor need to move before someone standing on it notices? What if the person is concentrating on something else and has no idea what is about to occur? Questions like these surface in various parts ofPriceless. Their connections to marketers' pricing schemes vary. The quality of the anecdotes is universally high. 

My problems with the portrayal of the ultimatum game could take up an entire entry and more. In light of this, it is too bad so much of the book considers the ultimatum game. Regardless, the ultimatum game responses make plenty of sense in a game theoretic context, with a general veto being the equivalent of a fight response in a first-entry deterrence game. The veto is not an irrational, emotional response; it is a reasoned method of threatening the proposer with punishment. Aside from this and similar issues, the constant "economists are all wrong" diatribe is worn and was never true. Chapter 9's anecdote about Maurice Allais and Milton Friedman demonstrates this quite handily. Some of the studies inPriceless leave much to be desired, but Poundstone was in no position to conduct them. Most of the studies were very interesting, though. 

An enjoyable read for those interested in behavioural decision theory. Books like these make me suspect I have a streak of the dreaded homo economicus in me. 

Ease of Reading: 7 
Educational Content: 6

Saturday, November 24, 2012

This Week's Book: The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis

Probably a less engaging review this time, if only because I'm beat. This was funny.

November 18-24: The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis

Satire (2007 - 312 pp.) 

The Best Laid Plans is rightly organized into two parts. The first details a Liberal campaign trail in a Conservative stronghold, following an unwilling candidate with a budget of $157.23 and all of about half a dozen supporters. The second explores possibilities of what could happen if a Member of Parliament is more forthright than his peers, which is a massive understatement. The protagonist of the book is the aforementioned unlikely MP's executive assistant, who invariably becomes a pincushion of abuse. 

The first part is hilarious, and is exactly what I was hoping I'd be reading. The campaign angle lends itself to all kinds of mishaps, which drag the reader through a tragicomedy of stepping in excrement, woefully unorganized meetings, and being chased by dogs during canvassing. I would be remiss in saying the second part gets too political, as this is a political satire, but that's the feeling I get. The faux-heartwarming story of the firebrand MP isn't as compelling as the campaign story. That the Conservative enemy is being fought on the basis of tax cuts, instead of a more visceral potential Liberal fear like an anti-environment or anti-labour policy, feels empty. The romance subplot between our protagonist and the riding's former Liberal candidate's granddaughter doesn't add much. I really enjoyed this book - I just felt like the climax happened halfway through. 

Thanks to a non-RYM friend for the recommendation and for letting me borrow the book. 

Ease of Reading: 9 
Educational Content: 2

Sunday, November 18, 2012

This Week's Book: Kindred Spirits by Ashanti Luke

It feels nice to finally read and review a Smashwords book for Book a Week. Hope some of you get a chance to poke around that site a bit.

November 11-17: Kindred Spirits by Ashanti Luke

Science Fiction (2010 - 220 pp.) 

As a Smashwords author (, I wanted to make sure one of my books I read this year was published there. After some digging, I found one that I thought would be a good fit. If you're interested in reading this book, the author's made it available for free here: 

Kindred Spirits is a fast-paced sci-fi thriller about a man who goes back in time to save a woman and to get her to kill a deranged evangelist. He also possesses an anti-matter shotgun. There's tons of action, with the narration working well - I could really envision the characters struggling through each shootout. There are plenty, for those interested. The combination of science-fiction and urban/low fantasy works well, with the backdrop of Richmond, Virginia being an atypical setting that Luke makes work. My lone qualms are that the end feels drawn out, although I won't say why for spoiler concerns, and that the characters seem predictable at times. Luke knows the tropes and uses them well, which mitigates the second point. 

A couple disclaimers are in order. Firstly, like many self-published books, there are a few typographical and formatting errors. These are thankfully relatively minimal. The other is there is coarse language, violence and graphic sex. Compared to the blood and guts strewn all over White Fang(see my June entry on that very book), this is nothing. Goes to show societal attitudes toward violence versus sex, and toward classic versus modern literature, I suppose. That discussion could be hundreds of pages, though. 

Regardless, Kindred Spirits a quick read and a page-turner. For those of us accustomed to heavier reads, it's a nice break. 

Ease of Reading: 10 
Educational Content: 1

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Last Week's Book: On the Genealogy of Morals

Very opposed to some of the other writings I've read this year, which keeps things interesting.

November 4-10: On the Genealogy of Morals by Friedrich Nietzsche

Philosophy (1887 - 90 pp.) 

On the Genealogy of Morals consists of a prologue and then three essays: "Good and Evil, Good and Bad", "Guilt, Bad Conscience and Related Manners", and "What Do Ascetic Ideals Mean?" Within them, he develops a brand of scepticism and atheism that is visible to this day. The editorial style of his polemic means there are few citations, which has the dual effect of making the essay collection a quicker read while making his points feel easier to refute. A simple "that's not the way I understood Christianity..." pervaded my reading, although I found many of his arguments persuasive regardless. To others more inclined to agree with Nietzsche in broader ways, this may not be such an obstacle. 

Nietzsche brings up interesting points about the overly restrictive nature of the categorical imperative (with which I agree), the problem of people who claim to perceive events objectively (agree), the concept of the badge of suffering an ascetic wears as a form of desire (which I can concede partially), the opposition of priestly with knightly or aristocratic ideals (disagree), and the use of conscience as self-excoriation (strongly disagree). Other points, like the presence of religion among the oppressed signifying their weakness, are less compelling. In the prologue, he makes a statement that appears in some ways Christian: "For between chastity and sensuality there is no essential opposition. Every good marriage, every genuine affair of the heart transcends them both." This type of thinking has been found in Protestantism dating back to at least the Puritans of the sixteenth century, making it a curious claim of Nietzsche's. Generally, the claims he makes are ones the reader knows if he or she will agree or disagree with going in, although surprises like the one above add to the depth of the treatise. 

It is difficult to appraise how educational a work like On the Genealogy of Morals is. Much like A Tale of a Tub, it conveys a sense of learnedness and research without sharing all of those with the reader. A work like On the Genealogy of Morals forces the reader to consider important issues within morality with sporadic splashes of insight regarding the development of religious traditions over time. It will not act as an authoritative work of religious history or moral philosophy, yet such a work would be unable to properly present the perspective Nietzsche gets across, nor would it be readable within a week. 

Ease of Reading: 3 
Educational Content: 6

Sunday, November 4, 2012

This Week's Book: Moneyball

Another sports book. They're too much fun, really.

October 28-November 3: Moneyball by Michael Lewis

Non-Fiction (2003 - 208 pp.) 

Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game is a very fun, very quick read. For those who have missed out on it, it tracks Billy Beane's rise to stardom as general manager of the Oakland Athletics. In the late '90s and early '00s, he assembled a team capable of competing with any in the major leagues, usually beating them (they won 102 and 103 games in 2001 and 2002 respectively), with one of the lowest payrolls in the league. Doing this required new ways of thinking about baseball, from valuing draft picks more highly relative to veterans all the way to the use of sabermetrics. The statistics-based approach to baseball was understandably upsetting to old-style scouts, just as mercilessly flipping proven stars for compensation draft picks must have been to the fans. 

Two things struck me about Moneyball, aside from the great storytelling and interesting asides into individual players. (Recalling how fresh-from-injury Scott Hatteberg was made to play first base is up there in the latter category.) The first is how Beane's Athletics teams had not won a playoff series even when they had won 100+ games in a season. Since then, they have only won one playoff series (2006 ALDS), after which they were promptly smoked 4-0 in the ALCS. A little more explanation for their lack of success in the playoffs, and intermittent sub-.500 years between those appearances, would be interesting nine years later. Beane explains the playoffs away as luck in Moneyball - would he still do so now? The other one is how statistically driven baseball can be. Similar attempts have been made since the early days of SABR to turn basketball and football, the sports I know far better than baseball, into statistical test trials. That they've worked to only a limited extent in those sports despite their massive success in baseball speaks to baseball's uniquely stat-driven nature. 

Moneyball is an approach I know only somewhat well to a game I know only somewhat well. It may be a little difficult for those unfamiliar with baseball, but at least of the North Americans reading this, hopefully that won't be an issue. It's educational about baseball, and perhaps a little about statistics. 

Ease of Reading: 8 
Educational Content: 6

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Last Week's Book: Syntactic Structures


October 21-27: Syntactic Structures by Noam Chomsky

Linguistics (1957 - 117 pp.) 





Ease of Reading: 2 
Educational Content: 7

Saturday, October 20, 2012

This Week's Book: Jennifer Government


October 14-20: Jennifer Government by Max Barry

Science Fiction (2003 - 150 pp.) 





Ease of Reading: 10 
Educational Content: 1

Monday, October 15, 2012

Last Week's Book: What Is the West?



Politics (2006 - 121 pp.) 





Thanks to a professor for the recommendation. 

Ease of Reading: 6 
Educational Content: 6

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Ars Neptis Dei

Brand new poetry blog by a bright young mind I know:


Thursday, October 4, 2012

This Week's Book: Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe



Literature (2006 - 274 pp.) 





Ease of Reading: 9 
Educational Content: 3

Monday, October 1, 2012

Last Week's Book: First as Tragedy, Then as Farce



Politics (2009 - 157 pp.) 





Ease of Reading: 5 
Educational Content: 7

Friday, September 21, 2012

This Week's Book: The King in Yellow



Horror (1895 - 133 pp.) 





Ease of Reading: 4 
Educational Content: 4

Friday, September 14, 2012

This Week's Book: A Tale of a Tub



Literature (1704 - 140 pp.) 





Ease of Reading: 2 
Educational Content: 6

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

This Week's Book: The Satanic Bible


September 2-8: The Satanic Bible by Anton Szandor LaVey

Philosophy (1969 - 146 pp.) 






Ease of Reading: 7 
Educational Content: 4

Monday, September 3, 2012




Mythology (2009 - 371 pp.) 





Ease of Reading: 4 
Educational Content: 7

Thursday, August 23, 2012

This Week's Book: The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism

Feels good to be ahead on this one. May that trend continue. I can't cover nearly all the issues presented in this book in this medium so here's a teaser.

August 19-25: The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Max Weber

Politics (1904 - 183 pp.) 

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism marks an entry into the political science annals that is more interdisciplinary than anything. It showcases Max Weber's research into history, sociology and comparative religion*, as well as a qualitative theory that invites quantitative. I do not know of any such quantitative study being done, although it seems like such a massive undertaking that Weber's essay will have to suffice. As with An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, this tract has been covered quite well academically by people far more qualified than me, so my purpose here is to flesh out value to the more general reader. There is no rule that someone has to be an academic to appreciate topics like morality, society and religion, after all. 

The underlying question, of how to explain the correlation Weber sees between Protestantism's prominence in states and their adoption of capitalist and especially industrial economies, is one that must have felt very relevant in 1904. Even so, the schools of thought developed throughout are seen in different Western Christian sects today. Much of the book focuses on the translation of monastic asceticism into various Protestant values, and much of the rest focuses on different sects' attitudes toward the accumulation of wealth. The morality, immorality and/or amorality of acquiring wealth is notable in its sway within sects, such as in considering the difference in a Puritan's spending habits versus a Catholic's. Weber identifies key passages that explain root causes of differences like these, while never abandoning deference to the typical criticism that it is not religion that influences economics but the other way around. 

Weber is friendlier to the Protestant cause, which shows in his sometimes rough treatment of Catholic beliefs. The analogy of a Catholic priest to a magician is likely his most hostile assertion here. His treatment of the various Protestant sects is cooler, yet he is not shy to point out any perceived contradiction therein. His treatment of John Wesley raises the timeless problem of the virtues of industry and frugality coexisting with the sin of riches - a conundrum that it is worth noting does not exist within Catholicism. Notions of monasticism being sinful in light of a duty to a place in society are similarly cast. 

Where the value lies to the non-academic, and even to the non-specialist, is in seeing how passages from various historical figures have resonated in our world ever since. The issues Weber presents are too numerous to discuss in full detail here, so I have merely outlined a few that look particularly interesting at a quick glance. The intertwining of religion, society and economy never really started and will never really end. Although 1904 seems like a long time ago, and Weber's time period shows through in the language, the concepts he presents are his perspective on nearly universal moral problems. 

Ease of Reading: 2 
Educational Content: 10 

*Inasmuch as comparing Catholicism to various Protestant sects can be styled "comparative religion", of course.