Manmade

Chris Salgardo writes a very helpful men's grooming and care guide, Manmade. In this short but informative book, you will find a wealth of information on taking care of yourself and looking your best. From choosing the right shampoo, to the best way to shave, Manmade expounds on all of these topics. In addition, what I liked about Salgardo's guide, is that it covers each and every lifestyle of the modern man. So whether you're a lumberjack or a weightlifter, you will surely benefit from this guide, boost your self-confidence, and woo the ladies.

I would highly recommend Manmade to any man who wants to look and perform his best.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

Super Genes

Deepak Chopra and Rudolph E. Tanzi, world-renowned scientists and authors of the best-selling book Super Brain return once again to write another equally important book Super Genes. In their book, the authors argue that our genes are changing based on our lifestyle. Whether it is diet, exercise, our emotions, or our environment, we ourselves determine what our genetic makeup will be. Super Genes is divided into three parts. The first part deals with the concept of epigenetics and how we can change our genes. Part two details specific lifestyle choices that we must all adopt in order for our genes to change for the better. Finally, in part three the authors present a new mechanism for evolution which is that we are the main drivers of evolution.

The authors pack a wealth of information into these three parts which span 317 pages. They take the latest scientific research and digest it so a layperson with little or no science background could understand the information and apply it for their personal change.

One thing I did not like however, is that the authors did not provide a bibliography of sources they used to back up their facts. Without them, it is hard to verify the accuracy of their information, Despite this shortcoming, the fact that the authors are world-renowned scientists and have publications in peer-reviewed journals lends a lot of credibility to their book.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

Five Days at Memorial

Sheri Fink writes a powerful story of the work at a New Orleans hospital in the immediate aftermath after Hurricane Katrina in the book entitled Five Days at Memorial. The book reads like a thriller novel. The author likewise presents controversial decisions made at Memorial Medical Center such as euthanasia and debates whether they were warranted. Ultimately, Fink leaves it up to the reader to decide the moral issues presented in her well-researched book.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

A Review of Hunters in the Dark by Lawrence Osborne

Hunters in the Dark is a dark and entertaining noir novel written by Lawrence Osborne. The premise of the book is 28-year old English schoolteacher Robert Grieve dissatisfied with his life who decides to go missing on a trip to Cambodia. What follows is a chain of events that transform him in a great way.

Hunters in the Dark has a deep and intricate plot, great character development, and is chock full of metaphors. The novel is a stark portrayal of true human nature and shows how we take life for granted and don't realize the perils of going down the spiral.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Lights Out: A Review

When one thinks of terrorism, one probably thinks of angry Muslim men bombing or shooting up crowded areas and high-profile targets in an effort to inflict as many infidel casualties as possible. However, while that threat is certainly very real and extremely effective, there is a much more sinister, but equally plausible menace: our nations's electrical grid and computer system. True, an attack on our nation's power infrastructure may not bring a large body count the way that "traditional" terrorism does with bombs and guns, but the true goal of any terror act is to bring panic and fear. In his book, Lights Out, investigative journalist Ted Koppel brings to us a doomsday scenario, the one in which both non-state actors such as ISIS or Al-Qaeda as well as hostile state actors such as China, Iran, North Korea, or Russia armed with advanced knowledge of cybersystems launch highly skilled hacking attacks on America's power grid. If successful, it would bring a black out that would last months or even years. Food supplies would run out, and as a result, there would be mass looting and unrest with innocent people being injured or killed. There are several ways to do this, with the most menacing being an Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP) attack in which a brief but extremely powerful burst from a satellite would render anything with a circuit board permanently useless. In his book, Ted Koppel describes how unprepared America is from such an attack, and how heavy government regulation of the power grid gets in the way of preventive solutions from being implemented.

Lights Out is a very informative book. The author writes in an accessible and engaging manner. Koppel hopes that his book will spur government leaders into taking the threat seriously and ultimately securing our power grid from hackers as well as putting preventive measures in place against EMP attacks.

Disclaimer; I received a free copy of the book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Performing Under Pressure

We all face pressure in our daily lives. Whether we're at a job or at home, pressure gets in the way of working efficiently and thinking rationally. Thankfully, a new book by a world-renowned psychologist and a business coach entitled Performing Under Pressure deals with this problem. In their book, the authors go into detail on what pressure is and ways to deal with it. They provide case studies that illustrate their examples to better reinforce the concepts. They write in a simple layperson-friendly language which is another plus of this book.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to anybody from high school students to experienced employees and managers of multinational corporations. 

Disclaimer: I received this book through Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

Near Enemy

Near Enemy is the second installment in the Spademan series written by Adam Sternbergh. In Sternbergh latest book, the main character Spademan, a contract killer is sent to kill a virtual reality avatar. While on his quest, Spademan gets into all sorts of trouble and mishaps.

Although the plot was rather interesting and suspenseful, and characters had quite good development, Sternbergh's writing style of short sentence fragments and dialogue without quotations is a definite turn-off. While some people may find this style acceptable, I don't think this novel will resonate with the wider public. Therefore, I don't recommend this book to the general reader.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an unbiased review.