Review – It’s so easy and other lies
Being a huge fan of Guns N' Roses back in the day, I was of course saddened when the band decided to pull the plug. So now that the former band members are all starting to sober up and write books, I've been rabidly devouring each book that comes out by former band members. Therefore it should come as no surprise that I picked up Duff McKagan's book when I saw it at the library.
I liked this book. It was very easy to read and the whole book came across much like a conversation with an old buddy than a book from this guy who was, at one point in his life, a member of the world's most famous rock and roll band.
Short and sweet. If you're a GnR fan, then give this book a read. You might not learn anything you didn't already know, but it will be time well spent!
Review – Ghost in the Wires
I have to confess my feelings about this book are kin of mixed. As someone who really enjoys computer hacking stories and who has many books written about (and by) hackers, I was looking forward to this book. I mean come on, it was written by Kevin Mitnick. This guy is like THE most famous computer hacker out there. So, it was with great excitement that I picked his book up and dove head first in to Kevin's world...
And Kevin's world it was. This book was more or less a collection of Kevin's memories about the hacks he perpetrated. In reading the book I felt more like I was sitting with Kevin, having a beer, and he was telling me about "how this one time, at band camp..." only in his case it would be more like "this one time, at hacker camp...". There was no real story.
Sure, there was a bit of a hacker chronology, but as for any kind of unifying thread that would tie the story together, there was nothing - aside from Kevin's undying love of social engineering and hacking.
Give this book a read if you're interested in Kevin's life and times. And more importantly how he was shafted by the US justice department.
Now reading – Reamde
So Neal Stephenson has to be one of my favourite authors. While it is true that I have strayed away from the whole SciFi genre as I've grown older, there are still some SciFi authors that I do read. And Stephenson is one of them.
I have to confess that I'm only 200 pages in to this 1,200 page tome, but so far so good. The premise? Well without getting in to too much it deals with computer hackers, encrypted information/data, and a virtual world. It kind of reminds me of Snow Crash only updated for 2012.
I'm looking forward to this book, that's for sure.
Book review – Rock Seen
Wow. Just wow. This book is for anyone who is a) interested in the history of rock and roll, and b) likes to see photography from the time period of the 60's up to the 90's.
Unknown to me, but evidently very well known in the world of rock photography, Bob Gruen brakes out some of his rare archival photographs and brings them all together in this fabulous book. I was surprised at how many pictures I recognized, never realizing that Gruen was the photographer. That picture of KISS all done up in make-up and wearing suits? He took it. The picture of The Clash on a rooftop in New York City? He took it.
The list just goes on and on and on. This is a very impressive (and heavy) book. Again. If you like rock music, and in particular rock music photography, pick this book up.
Book review – Dark Market
I could not put this book down. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has an interest in:
- Computer hacking
- Network privacy
- International crime
- Privacy
- Credit card crime
In short, this book is about several internet websites that sprung up in the mid 2000's and the people who ran them. Author Misha Glenny does a great job of building the cat and mouse game between the hackers and law enforcement, which is what I think added to the book's allure. Plus the cast of characters/hackers are all unique in their own right, right again makes for great reading.
I finished this book in four days. That was how much I enjoyed it. The only thing missing? Well some pictures of the hackers or some kind of network map of how the hacks took place all over the world would have been nice. But the book stands up on its own without it. A good read indeed.
New reviews coming soon
Hi there,
I have tons of reviews to post. Tons. There has been a lot of reading going on of late. From Duff Mckagan's autobiography to The Swerve to Kingpin to The Dark Net. Trouble is I've been reading so much that I haven't had time to get out any book reviews. Nevertheless I will endeavour to get some reviews up here.
Thanks for your patience.
Book Review – Stiff
Readers of this blog will know will know that I enjoy books that deal with forensic science. As part of my travels to find more books that relate to forensic science, I came across this book - Stiff by Mary Roach.
This book was awesome. And scary. In short Roach investigates that happens when people donate their bodies to science. And in page after page, Roach takes you on a journey from plastic surgeons learning new techniques on the heads of corpses to automobile manufacturers looking at the impacts of car crashes, to the devastating effects of ammunition.
For anyone who has any interest in what happens to our physical bodies after we pass from this earth, this book is a must read. And for anyone who is considering donating their bodies to science when they die, I highly recommend giving this book read too. Trust me. You won't be disappointed.
Book Review – A Visit from the Squad
I picked this book up based on a recommendation from a friend of mine. And I'm happy to report that my friend was bang on. This was a great book. Whether it was the constant references to great musical acts, the writing style, or the great background to the characters, I really enjoyed this novel.
Be warned though. This book doesn't follow the standard novel formula. And all I mean by that is the chapters are each written from a different characters perspective. String them all together and author Jennifer Egan has managed to write great little book.
As I normally say in situations like this, pick the book up. You won't be disappointed.
Book Review – Last Man in Tower
After reading the past two books by Aravind Adiga when his most recent novel came out I knew I had to pick it up. And so, after finishing this novel I must say I quite enjoyed it. In fact what I like about Adiga's books are that that a) they are all set in India and b ) when I read them I seem to learn a bit more about the country.
The short premise of this book. A very rich developer offers a whole bucket load of cash to a series of people living in a building, hoping to buy them out so he (the developer) and build a swanky new tower. And of course, there is one person who is on the fence on whether or not to jump ship. Hence the name of the book - Last Man in Tower.
This was a good book. I enjoyed it and could hardly put it down. Give it read.
So many books…
There are many, many more book reviews to come. Yes, I have been busy reading. What I have not been as busy doing though is writing reviews....
Soon though. Soon.