Holiday (Trust Me, I'm Lying), "media manipulator" and master of the dark art of marketing, returns with a collection of bite-sized, intensely written aphorisms and parables about learning how to see "through the negative, past its underside, and into its corollary: the positive." Starting with figures no less august than Marcus Aurelius and John D. Rockefeller, Holiday collects historical anecdotes from politics, commerce, sports, and history—as well as some light re-readings of classical philosophy—and loosely structures them around the three skills he sees as essential to succeeding in the face of adversity: perception, action, and will. These sections outline stories and limited strategies that will encourage readers to creatively redefine obstacles as opportunities, act with less fear of failure by better processing the emotion, and develop the "resilience" and "flexibility" necessary to soldier through difficult situations. Holiday's charismatic, if slightly Delphic, stories will be welcomed by readers of The 48 Laws of Power and similar works of advice, but frustrating to readers accustomed to more empirically sourced and pedagogically developed works on motivation and adversity. Still, Holiday's performance is commanding and optimistic, sure to inspire readers to take new perspective on their apparent obstacles. (May.)

Reviewed on 03/07/2014 | Details & Permalink

"We love sewing and believe in it," the introduction to this book declares, in a sort of manifesto for the British company, Merchant & Mills, which has put its stamp on this guidebook to all things sewing. The overview of the foundations of sewing – tools, fabric, techniques – is somewhat hampered by what some will find to be a rather deliberately twee aesthetic: black and white abounds, a chapter is titled "Haberdashery: A Panoply of Small Things," and there are no photos of either irons or sewing machines manufactured in this century. But the projects section offers enticingly simple and sturdy- looking items. The Maker's Apron is the kind of classic piece a man or woman would delight in, while the Tailored Shawl is timeless and appealing. Instructions are clear and well-illustrated, although sewists should acquaint themselves with the book's unusual cutting guides before beginning. Black and white and full-color photos and illustrations. Pattern packet. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 03/07/2014 | Details & Permalink

When Silber was appointed president of Boston University, it was a "streetcar college," parochial and overshadowed by other, more elite colleges that also sat upon the Charles River. That Silber transformed Boston University into the world-class research university it is today is only further testament to the steadfastness and vision on display in this collection of speeches spanning the years 1971 to 2012. Blessed with a rigorous mind and a strong sense of his place within history, Silber speaks on many of the formative issues and events of the latter half of the 20th century: the student movements, civil rights, Watergate, deconstructionism, liberalism, and educational reform. A Kantian philosopher before he turned to administrative work, Silber was, as Tom Wolfe describes him in his kinetic foreword, a "Stoic who would not assent to what was false and refused to flatter or bleach words." Making as many enemies as he did allies, Silber cut a bold path through his tenure at B.U. and beyond, returning time and again to a fundamental belief that education and traditional family values form the cornerstones of a healthy society. Though his thoughts seem outdated at times, Silber nevertheless comes across as a man of integrity and unwavering principle. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 03/07/2014 | Details & Permalink

Here comes the effervescent counterpart to 2012's Big New Yorker Book of Dogs, an anthology of short fiction, articles, photographs, and of course, cat cartoons—an unassailable gift for the cat-lover in your life. The non-fiction spans from the fanciful—a lovely little piece from the ‘80s about a cat therapist operating in Manhattan—to the bizarre—Ariel Levy's excellent 2013 piece about exotic cat fanciers—people who will pay "as much as thirty thousand dollars for the privilege of owning a hybrid that looks like it could prowl the wilderness"—like, for example, the "Savannah cat, a cross between a domestic and a serval, an African native that preys on gazelles and springbok." The book spans the entire New Yorker history, and it's interesting to see how profiles have evolved, from a whimsical piece about a chorus girl turned cat-catcher from 1938 to Susan Orlean's masterful 2002 profile "The Lady and the Tigers," about a woman who owned up to two dozen tigers in Jackson Township, New Jersey. Readers will also enjoy a short story from Haruki Murakami, "Town of Cats" as well as fiction from John Updike, and Jean Rhys. Here is the rare coffee table book that is also a pleasure to read. (Oct.)

Reviewed on 03/07/2014 | Details & Permalink

Laumann's story captivated Canadians and many others when she overcame a horrific injury and five operations on her right leg just weeks before a courageous bronze-medal performance in rowing, single sculls, at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. But her memoir goes far beyond that well-known chapter of her life with an examination of her upbringing in Mississauga, Ontario. In particular, she discusses her difficult mother: "it was surviving her wrath that made me hard enough to compete," she says. But readers also journey through her battles with anorexia and depression, her failed marriage and a second, current relationship, which includes an autistic child. At varying times brutally honest and inspirational, the book could have become mired in self-pity, but the story rises above. As she confesses her faults and sins, the book seems to have been cathartic, a way of coming clean and opening up as a means to better understand herself. If anything, the book lacks details on the Olympics and the rowing World Championships themselves, making it more of a spiritual journey than an athletic one. As Laumann puts it, "even after all this time, my story still feels like a miracle." Agent: Michael Levine, Westwood Creative Artists. (Jan.)

Reviewed on 03/07/2014 | Details & Permalink

How did we get to the era of Big Data? Karabell, president of River Twice Research, a political and economic analysis firm, mines little known tidbits in the history of economics to explain how individuals, companies, and countries came to rely on statistics like unemployment, inflation, and gross domestic product to describe the wealth of nations—and why these traditional concepts may no longer be up to the task. Statistics about working people during Industrial Revolution fueled the labor movement, while Great Depression put terms like "unemployment" into the everyday lexicon of Americans. Yet these one-size-fits-all indicators can't really handle the intricacies the 21st century global economy. A low national unemployment rate means little to jobless people in states where higher rates prevail, nor can it predict events like the reelection of a president. Karabell proposes crafting "bespoke indicators" that harness unique data sets that users can deploy to answer questions about economic life. This slim, entertaining volume also unpacks the contributions of a host of colorful, if obscure, individuals who contributed to the field. In Karabell's hands economics is no longer "the dismal science." More storyteller than analyst here, he succeeds in livening up how "the economy" came to be for the general reader, minus the complex jargon and blizzards of numbers that can mar such books. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 03/07/2014 | Details & Permalink

Chase (Winkie) has—deliberately or not—written a memoir for the Twitter age. Constructed of almost entirely of arch single sentences interspersed on rare occasions with some longer paragraphs, he reflects on his family, coming-of-age, sex and his sexual identity, and even someone else's lost luggage. The prose consists of "stray happy memories to counterbalance" difficult episodes from his life. His twee-dious style and content could generate a few knowing smiles from fans, but readers unfamiliar with Chase may find it hard to relate to. When he writes, "Even now, some combination of dread, embarrassment, and longing stops me after each sentence, and I have to take a breath," he is being nakedly honest. But his highly personal feelings, insights, and breakthroughs—particularly in regards to understanding his brother—reveal his insecurities, not universal truths, making it hard for the reader to connect with the memoirist. Likewise, when describing common issues such as aging/dying parents Chase mainly discusses playing "couples counselor" to his folks, and his [not] taking sides. When he focuses on one subject, rather than flits around multiple characters and events Chase shows the strengths of his gimmicky format. However, the few touching parts here are far greater than the whole. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 03/07/2014 | Details & Permalink

In this first book published on the controversial whistleblower, Guardian foreign correspondent Harding (Mafia State) chronicles Snowden's emergence, the complicated logistics of his revelations and their publication, and the global political ramifications. The telling is sympathetic towards Snowden, offering at the outset significant background on his upbringing and his personal life, before reporting the rest: Snowden's contact with Poitras and Greenwald, his hiding in Hong Kong, the process and difficulties of publication in the Guardian and then the New York Times, the global repercussions, and his current Russian asylum. The book reads sometimes as a political thriller and the prose itself aims to thrill, too, by building suspense and reminding the reader constantly of the stakes. Altogether it mainly retells what has already been told, drawing on previously published interviews, articles, and press releases. Often, too, the exact sources are unclear. And while the story sometimes lacks in insight from those directly involved and in the analysis that will be possible as we get more temporal distance from the events, Harding provides crucial context and history for the story. His compilation and synthesis of the records is useful for a reader in need of a primer. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 03/07/2014 | Details & Permalink

Lifestyle blogger Sharp begins her memoir by describing a time when she had what appears to be a fairytale existence: the caring husband, who held a prestigious job as VP at Business week, the Upper West Side apartment, the loving family, friends, and career paths that come with a certain kind of upwardly-mobile NYC lifestyle. Sharp elaborates on her beautifully blessed life with her husband Brett beginning with the couple's idyllic June 1993 wedding at the Woodbridge Country Club, where her 84 year-old grandma Casey, "proud as a Grande Dame," holds court and hosts the affair. Then, in 1998, just as the couple is settling into this perfect life, Brett is diagnosed with brain cancer. He dies on February 21, 2004, three years after the birth of twins conceived on a third try at in-vitro fertilization. These are the harrowing facts of Sharp's tale. The reader is given timelines and memories that highlight the process of love, loss and grief through vignettes both raw and somber, but they lose potency by jumping back and forth in time. And by speaking to her husband in third person "You were so sick and so tired that you almost welcomed the diagnosis," Sharp makes this a singular love letter to her lost life and love and while her story is heart-wrenching, she provides little room for us to be part of the process. (Feb.)

Reviewed on 03/07/2014 | Details & Permalink

An argument settler if ever there was one, Bob Leszczak's (Who Did It First: Great Rhythm and Blues Cover Songs and their Original Artists) meticulously detailed assessment will help music aficionados set the record straight when it comes to song authorship. Music lovers who have long associated classics like "Always on My Mind" with Willie Nelson (originally recorded by Brenda Lee) and "I Will Always Love You" with Whitney Houston (originally recorded and written by Dolly Parton) are in for a surprise when they peruse this encyclopedic collection of cover songs. They'll discover that standards such as "I Write the Songs," popularized by Barry Manilow, Kenny Rogers's iconic "The Gambler," and even Glen Campbell's hit "Rhinestone Cowboy" were all first recorded by others. Each entry is briefly detailed with a selection of factoids including chart position, sales numbers, and occasionally a list of additional artists who covered it. While entertaining, it's far from definitive: readers looking for Alien Ant Farm's popular cover of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" or a mention of Social Distortion's cover of "Ring of Fire" will find a great deal of omissions. Leszczak's sweet spot is pop music from the mid-‘50s through the mid-‘70s. Fans of those eras will likely find themselves humming many a long-forgotten tune such as "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" or "I Write the Songs" as they flip through the pages. (Mar.)

Reviewed on 03/07/2014 | Details & Permalink