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Category: For Men

“500 Beers” by Zak Avery

[ 6 ] June 13, 2010

Reviewed by Jen K.

The author describes 500 Beers as “a user’s guide to the world of beer”. I thought that sounded pretty neat and maybe it could be exactly the sort of thing to teach me a bit more about beer. The author also states that this will be the only beer compendium you’ll ever need. In case you were wondering, a compendium is is a concise, yet comprehensive compilation of a body of knowledge. In this case, this is everything you need to know about beer.

The introduction includes a key page that explains how to use this book. There are four components to each listed beer: a flag icon that shows from where the beer hails, the suggested serving temperature, the percentage of alcohol per volume and two scales that show the beer’s color and intensity. The beers are grouped according to type, beginning with light and moving to dark. The contents page lists the ten categories and each chapter begins with a nice explanation on that type of beer.

[amazonify]1416207880[/amazonify]I was really hoping that each beer would have been assigned a rating. That way, you could pick up the book, read the ratings and race right out to buy the highest rated beers. I also would have enjoyed reading the praises and criticisms of each beer. Instead, the author’s descriptions center around the specific aromas and flavors present. That does seem like a more practical approach, but I would have appreciated more personal insights from the author.

Most of the beer descriptions were quite detailed and a little bit over my head. I think you would have to be a more of a beer connoisseur than I am to really understand and appreciate this book. Nevertheless, if you know of a serious beer drinker or someone who is fascinated by the subject, this may very well be the perfect gift!

Zak Avery’s website can be found at http://www.thebeerboy.co.uk/pith.html if you are looking to do more beer research.

Jen lives in Michigan with her husband and five year old son. She writes reviews of children’s book on her blog, FIRR-Kids. She enjoys trying new recipes and using her baking as an excuse to add more cookbooks to her collection.

This book was provided free of any obligation by Sellers Publishing. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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“The Passage” by Justin Cronin

[ 15 ] June 8, 2010

Reviewed by Claudia R.

“I know that science is your god, Paul, but would it be too much to ask for you to pray for us? All of us.” Jonas Abbot Lear, PhD (USA Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases)

The Military needs a Super Soldier. A human that is not only invincible but immortal. Intelligent. Strong. Healthy. Capable of anything. Invincible.

The Military needs ‘volunteers’, people willing to be injected with this new, untested ‘super virus’.

One problem.

There are none. And previous ‘testing’ attempts have returned less than desirable results.

Enter the Twelve.

Convicts on death row, only too happy to sign over their death sentence for the promise of a eternal life. Even with limited information, each willingly offer themselves ‘for the greater good’.

Only something goes horribly and inexplicably wrong, and civilization, as we know it, as anyone has ever known it, ceases to exist. Completely.

Fast forward to First year A.V. (after virus). Some semblance of life exists in pockets across the country, and it is there, that The Passage takes it’s readers on a fast paced, exquisitely detailed, heart pounding, palm sweating journey into the lives of the kin of survivors of B.V. (before virus).

It sounds like a tale that’s been spun before. Conspiracy theory makeover ad nauseam.

Except, it’s not. At all.

The Passage isn’t just another ‘good read’, it’s a commitment and a subsequent addiction. For a week there was never a moment when I was home that I didn’t have the book with me. Justin Cronin writes brilliantly and his words bring this futuristic doomsday story to life with painstaking detail and unrivaled passion. Every character jumps off the page, vivid and real. Cronin culls emotions from his readers like a snake charmer seduces his serpents. I was laughing, crying and screaming along with Michael, Sarah, Amy, Lish, Maus, Lacey, Auntie, Hollis, Theo & Peter as they battled the ‘jumpers’ in a fight for survival.

Every time I thought I knew where Justin was about to take the story I realized didn’t. Expertly, Justin pens an other-world tale of doom and gloom that is anything but at the same time as being completely, just that. Frightening. Realistic. Edge of your seat titillation. Perfection. One word of caution, clear all and any plans for at least 4 days if you intend to read The Passage, it’s like literary heroin. No exaggerating.

If you love Stephen King, Michael Crichton, Dean Koontz or Peter Straub you will absolutely adore, adore, adore Justin Cronin. It is with baited breath that I anticipate his next literary performance. The Passage is PURE genius and one of the FEW books I hope they DO make in to a movie. Maybe Tarantino needs a new project?

Visit the official website to learn more about Justin Cronin and The Passage.

Claudia lives on Cape Cod with her husband and two children. She entertains her passion for reading in between providing services to help empower and improve the lives of low-income residents.

This book was provided free of any obligation by  Ballantine Books. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: The Maxims of Manhood: 100 Rules Every Real Man Must Live By by Jeff Wilser

[ 0 ] August 10, 2009

Reviewed by Al H.

The Maxims of Manhood: 100 Rules Every Real Man Must Live By is a humor/reference book delving into the very minds of real men everywhere. A map of the male thought processes. And yes, to all the women reading this, men do have thought processes.

Jeff Wilser, the author of this handbook to all things masculine, has broken the male mystique into 100 simple rules. Each rule consists of an explanation, an example (Maxim In Action) and any possible exceptions (Maxim Exceptions) and can be read during a single trip to the bathroom. A definite bonus. Few men are willing to slog through anything more complicated. We’ll miss the game!

The maxims are not laugh-out-loud funny. Instead, they’re a great tongue-in-cheek chucklefest. Another bonus. A real man will rarely show his emotions, and it’s never a good idea to laugh if you’re reading in the bathroom.

Wilser did omit and subsequently violate one vital maxim. During a number of the chapters, he spends an exorbitant amount of time apologizing for the way men act. He violated the one maxim that many men hold dear – “Maxim #0: Don’t apologize, ever!” (This maxim does not appear in the book.) In violating this maxim, he pushed the book away from a pure humor work to one that slides every so slightly into the realm of self-help. No real man wants to read that.

Fortunately, it’s only a minor push. Most men won’t even notice. The Maxims of Manhood: 100 Rules Every Real Man Must Live By is a fun read and one that will cause men to nod in agreement while women will groan in recognition. But, it’s not for everyone. Just almost everyone.

A real man will find the book useful. What’s a real man? Quite simply, he already lives his life according to the 100 maxims. When he goes to a public restroom, he instinctively knows which urinal he should take. He thinks a window treatment is a drive through medical procedure. This book will be a quick read to fill in some of the blanks in the real man’s store of knowledge. He’d never admit to any blanks.

Women who happen to know a real man will also find this book indispensable. Especially if the real man that they know happens to be a husband or boyfriend. The book will explain why a real man will drive for hours without asking for directions. And, why the real man would rather have a tooth extracted rather than say “I love you” to his wife or girlfriend although he’ll blurt out “I love you, man” to his buddies whenever he gets plastered.

Sadly, some men are too far gone to truly appreciate these maxims. “Sensitive” men who make granny shots, go to Yoga classes and travel with more than two pairs of shoes. This book isn’t for them. If asked, these men will say that Lavender is a plant or a color or, horrors, both. Real men know that Lavender is the stripper at Sugar Dolls who works the weekend shift.

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