Richard Nixon: Speeches, Writings, Documents
by Richard Nixon



350+ pages of Nixon in Nixon's own words. You know you want to. Even the people who made the book call him "America's most controversial president". And it includes "schoolboy letters". I can't imagine "Nixon" and "schoolboy" together without laughing and thinking of a cartoon character. Reminds me of the time I was at Richie's house and his mom told him to make dinner, and he just turned around and said, "Mom, I am not a cook". Dix was like that. Wild that way.

Zimbabwe's Guerrilla War: Peasant Voices
by Norma J. Kriger



A real peasant should be seen but not heard. That's what my grandfather always said. He owned an African diamond company and was butchered in his sleep by two of his slaves. Until he died, though, he was a wise man.

Literature and Dictatorship in Africa and Latin America, 1958-1987
by Josaphat Bekunuru Kubayanda



Words to free and repress by. This is a cool topic, though, seriously. I can't be snappy about it. But I can be snappy about the author's name: Josaphat Bekunuru Kubayanda. Here, say it again: Josaphat Bekunuru Kubayanda. Imagine that guy driving the lane and dunking on Lebron James. That's what I thought. Rezpek da Josaphat! Rezpek!

Narrative Of A Voyage To The Northwest Coast Of America: In The Years 1811, 1812, 1813, and 1814
by Gabriel Franchere



Nothing beats paying new-book prices for something written 200 years ago. But, dammit, old travel narratives are awesome. Nowadays, people just use Google Earth.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
by Haruki Murakami



What I Talk About When I Talk About Murakami: a strange Japanese novelist who's now written a memoir about propulsing the ground with greater-than-normal conviction by quickly moving his legs. Uh oh! My spell checker suddenly tells me that "propulsing" is not a word. I'm pretty sure it is, and I probably used it wrong, but, even if it's not, it should be. Roundabout: I want to read this book.

Brilliant Orange
by David Winner



Brilliant Orange, my ass. Losing in the quarter-finals to Russia. B'ah! If you want to read about Dutch footy, read about Dutch footy in the 1970s. Mmm, Cruyff...

My Life with Che: The Making of a Revolutionary
by Hilda Gadea



Like he did at most things he ever tried, Che failed at marriage, too. That's why some dude named Ilan Stavans can write that "Che Guevara is our Jesus Christ". I'm assuming that means he's an idiot, so when, a few sentences later, he writes that in the book we "come across a Che that is, at once, small and larger-than-life", his humorous pun is an accident. Incidentally, a good title for a Che book: The Red Star of Courage.

Violence: Big Ideas/Small Books
by Slavoj Zizek



In the words of Steven Poole of The Guardian: "[Slavoj Zizek] stares out, disheveled, from the page and dares the reader to disagree." Well, I disagree. Brush your hair, you bum, and stop staring; it's not polite! Oh, wait, I forgot: a normal-haired, polite Zizek wouldn't be interesting anymore. Well, then, whatever it takes to market yourself, Slavoj. It's hard out there for a philosopher.

Inside Defense: Understanding the U.S. Military in the 21st Century
by editors



Essays on the American military: perpetual Miss Understood or alluring, deceitful femme fatale? I'm sure this book will tell me. I'm kind of interested to know what the miltary does, too. Baked goods? Is it baked goods? I bet it's baked goods. I hear McArthur made a mean peanut butter cookie.

Libya since 1969: Qadhafi's Revolution Revisited
by Dirk Vandewalle



I'll be honest: even though I've read the name Qadhafi over and over again and I know where Libya is, I don't know a g'damn thing about it. That's why I'm interested in reading this book. According to the description, if I do I will learn about two things: "the rise of the military in Libya, the impact of its self-styled revolution on Libyan society and economy." I guess Libya's been pretty dead since 1969.

Hell's Cartel: IG Farben and the Making of Hitler's War Machine
by Diarmuid Jeffreys



They'll tell you they were just following shipping orders. The cover is cute, though, with its rhyming title and 'lil Hitler. But I don't think the author's even a historian. Oh, well, Hell's Cartel, Nazi books will always sell.

The Chemical Muse: Drug Use and the Roots of Western Civilization
by D. C.A. Hillman



And then—and then Plato says, he says to me, dude, we're in Atlantis, dude. And I was like, no way, man. And he was like, yeah, yeah, cause, he says, Atlantis is inside you. Inside me? And he laughed and then I just tripped out. It was awesome. It was like my retinas were these pools of dark water and anyone could go in for a swim and if you drowned you were in Atlantis. God, I'm hungry.

American Puppet Modernism: Essays on the Material World in Performance
by John Bell



I know this is about puppets; but, as one reviewer says, "we belittle puppets at our peril." Or, in the words of another: "The essays in American Puppet Modernism are a welcome addition to puppet research and writing." Though I'm sure this is a fine book, and puppetry is actually a fine art that deserves to have books written about it, let's be honest: puppets aren't things we generally take seriously. Doing so is funny. They're puppets.

The Forsaken: An American Tragedy in Stalin's Russia
by Tim Tzouliadis



A book about rebellious Americans who decided they hated America and went to live with Uncle Joe in the USSR instead. Except Uncle Joe turned out to be a paranoid rapist and murderer, so they were basically pwned.

Modernism in China: Architectural Visions and Revolutions
by Edward Denison and Guang Yu Ren



I hate the Chinese, but I'm oddly attracted to their modernism. It's so modern. With its modern moderns and their modernist modern things. Incidentally, was James Joyce Chinese, because all his books are incomprehensible to me?

World War I: The African Front: An Imperial War on the Dark Continent
by Edward Paice



The title of this book has not one but two colons in it. That means not only is it twice as good as any one-colon book, but it gets to have a doctor stick his finger up its ass twice as often as usual. Yes, that was obvious and dumb. Also obvious and dumb: that we only think of France when we think of WWI.

Religion and the Culture of Print in Modern America
by editors



The medium is the message of God. Too bad it only focuses on print media, because print is boring. I want God with laser shows and rock music and that guy from Creed shouting at me. And a big-ass subwoofer attached to a car that bounces up and down whenever there's a black guy in it. Religion, fool: get it.

Race, War, and Remembrance in the Appalachian South
by John C. Inscoe



A look at how what we remember may not be what was and the ways in which the differences, whether intentionally created or not, affect the present and the future. Historical memory is an interesting field and this book looks interesting. So put down that Oprah Book Club selection (I know you buy them religiously) and read a real book for once. You know: one you have to concentrate on somewhat and will probably not enjoy reading on the can.

The Revolution Continues: New Art From China
by The Saatchi Gallery



Books about China sure are popular in these pre-Olympic, post-Chinese ascendancy days. Here's one about Chinese art that has a funny cover. That man, he so red. He so red, he hurt my head. Go China. Go China.

Heirloom: Notes from an Accidental Tomato Farmer
by Tim Stark



I wonder if books like these are popular because people still want to believe it's possible to toss away their own 9-5 jobs in the city and settle down successfully performing a romanticized version of work that's "close to the earth". Either that, or it's the eco-trend. Either way, this guy's life seems like it was written by a Hollywood producer in between meetings on a paper napkin in red crayon.

The Man on Mao's Right: From Harvard Yard to Tiananmen Square, My Life Inside China's Foreign Ministry
by Ji Chaozhu



I don't trust politicians, but sometimes they inadvertently tell the truth. Whether that happens in this memoir by a Chinese guy who held posts in both the Chinese government and the UN is hard to say (actually, it's not: the answer is no). But even if you don't learn anything true, at least your heart will be warmed, for this book "recounts the heartfelt struggle of a man who loved two powerful nations that were at odds with each other." How romantic. I wonder which country gets the girl and if they all learn to get along.

Maryland's Motion Picture Theaters
by Robert K. Headley



Another book from the series I don't like yet whose books sometimes catch my attention with their covers. This time, it's also the subject matter: old movie theatres are awesome. I wouldn't want to be in one, with its dirty, sticky floor, annoying babies, and loud enthnic minorities, but, boy, looking at one in a book sure brings back memories I wish I had had.

New Protective State: Government, Intelligence and Terrorism
by Peter Hennessy



I don't have a real clue what this is about. But the title sounds provocative, yet educational and balanced; and the cover has that rare blend of blue, green, and purple against a black background that has my aesthetic senses tingling.

Newton as Philosopher
by Andrew Janiak



Did you know that every time you learn something about Newton, Newton learns something equal but opposite about you? It's one of the basic laws of learning. I think the other one is that the bigger the book, the less people will want to read it. Like gravity, but not.

The Liberal Hour: Washington and the Politics of Change in the 1960s
by G. Calvin Mackenzie and Robert Weisbrot



I hate hippies, and this book really puts them in their place (a Northern California commune where they live in European minivans that stand on concrete slabs and sing protest songs to each other while soaking up the sun and developing skin cancer). The authors argue that despite all their peace, love, and flower-power, it was really the American government that was responsible for liberal change in the 60s. The government just didn't dress in colours, smoke pot, or make a huge fuss around itself; so, naturally, we never suspected.

Freud's Drive: Psychoanalysis, Literature and Film
by Teresa De Lauretis



According to the description, the author makes "a bold and orginal argument for the renewed relevance of the Freudian theory of drives, through close readings of texts ranging from cinema and literature to psychoanalysis and cultural theory". Maybe we all need a resurrection of Freudian analysis, because even when it's way off, it's still way entertaining. But only maybe. It's also possible Freud is just burnt out these days.

Queering Bunuel: Sexual Dissidence and Psychoanalysis in his Mexican and Spanish Cinema
by Julian Daniel Gutierrez-Albilla



Even if it's awful, pretentious, and unreadable, at least you might watch a Bunuel film as a result. And that, my friends, is a win for humanity (and Bunuel, posthumously). Plus, there hasn't been a good Bunuel book out in a while, has there?

Empires, Wars, and Battles: The Middle East from Antiquity to the Rise of the New World
by T. C. F. Hopkins



I highly doubt this 256-page "history" of "the Middle East" is "worth" even the "$10" they're "asking" for it. But I've been known to be wrong before (once, in third grade: my favourite colour was orange, though I didn't know it at the time) so anything is possible. I'm sure it's better than reading nothing and knowing nothing.

The Monuments of Afghanistan: History, Archaeology and Architecture
by Warwick Ball



Says a review: "Afghanistan is not just an Asian state that has suddenly hit the news". Maybe not, but that's the reason books about it are being published. Bunch of bloodsuckers. Doesn't mean the books are all bad, though. Just most of them.

American Ascendance and British Retreat in the Persian Gulf Region
by W. Taylor Fain



Post-WWII dealings in the trouble area between the two English-speaking powers. I'd skip this book, because it has nothing to do with what's going on in the world today. Go read a Tom Clancy novel, instead; and learn about how much Tom loves big, black guns. Mmm: so big, so black.

Why You Should Read Kafka Before You Waste Your Life
by James Hawes



If you can't read Kafka, you might as well read about Kafka. And you might as well read that "Franz Kafka was a popular and well-connected millionaire’s son who enjoyed good-time girls, brothels, and expensive porn, who landed a highly desirable state job that pulled in at least $90,000 a year in today’s dollars for a six-hour day, who remained a loyal member of Prague’s German-speaking Imperial elite right to the end, and whose work was backed by a powerful literary clique". I think this is fiction but I'm not sure.

Les Misérables
by Victor Hugo



New translation of the big-ass French classic by Hugo. If you start reading it now, you may finish by December; at which time you can pretend not to have read it and can give it to someone for Christmas (or whatever the hell you celebrate).

Gender, Violence and Security: Discourse as Practice
by Laura J. Sheperd



It's a "poststructural feminist critique" that "maps the discursive terrains of institutions [...] which formulate and implement resolutions and guides of practice that affect gender issues in the context of international policy practices." Oh, and don't forget the "domestic-international dichotomy"! If that all sounds confusing, don't worry: the author "develops a compelling discourse-theoretical analysis" to make you understand.

The Semi-Invisible Man: A Life of Norman Lewis
by Julian Evans



Norman Lewis was a travel writer. I never heard of him and neither did you. Why? Because no one cares about travel writers, that's why. According to the book, though, he was a damn fine travel writer and "the best 'not famous' writer of his generation." To be fair, it was a weak generation; but I suppose we'll all be hearing about him now that this book is out. Narf.

Heavy Metal Islam: Rock, Resistance, and the Struggle for the Soul of Islam
by Mark Levine



Yes, the cover sucks balls and the book is cheap; but the author has also written a fairly-respected book on music theory so this one might be better than it seems. Indeed, even I want to read this one, and most of what I post on this site is crap on which I'd never waste my time. Rock on, Muslims. Rock on.

Jonathan Swift and Popular Culture: Myth, Media, and the Man
by Ann Cline Kelly



Jonathan Swift was awesome. If you didn't know that, you do now. I don't know if this book, about his life and its impact on everything after, is awesome; but I do know a little-known fact about how it was written: in the blood of Irish babies!

Subversion and Subsidy: Contemporary Art and Aesthetics
by Rainer Rochlitz



This German(?) dude argues that we need to start evaluating art again, instead of simply accepting all of it. In other words, good art is good art for reasons that can be explained and understood. Just because you like it, doesn't make it good. Unless I like; then you know it's good.

My Ears Are Bent
by Joseph Mitchell



Collection of pieces written by a New York World-Telegram columnist in the 1903s. I enjoy these kinds of books because when I read them I imagine myself lounging in a smoky office while wearing a black hat and playing with my revolver. And then the dame walks in. Imagine that: out of all the smoky offices and detective joints in the world, she walks into mine.

Dali & I: The Surreal Story
by Stan Lauryssens



Salvador Dali's art is a trip so I assume he must have led a tripped-out life. This isn't Dali's biography, however, but the biography of the art dealer who sold Dali's paintings and made money off him. Which would make him a drug dealer. Drug dealers are bad, but look cool on TV. Maybe they're cool in print, too.

Who Killed the Constitution: The Fate of American Liberty from World War I to George W. Bush
by Thomas E. Woods Jr. and Kevin R. C. Gutzman



It's ironic this book has a paper shredder on the cover. But, wait: WHO KILLED IRONY? Joking aside, the answer to the book's question is undoubtedly O.J. Simpson in James Madison's room with a crooked spoon.

Pipelines: Flowing Oil and Crude Politics
by Rafael Kandiyoti



The power of oil lies not only in its possession but also in its transportation, says the author.Or: he who controls the pipelines, controls the oil; and he who controls the oil, controls Dune! Science fiction references aside, this book actually appears quite interesting. I may read it, and so should you may read it.

Horseshoe Curve
by David W. Seidel



I don't like this series of books because there's a ton of them and because I suspect the images are in the public domain. I also don't know a goddamn thing about railroads or railroad engineering. Yet, for some magnetic reason, I am pulled towards this title. The photo on the cover makes me nostalgic, and after I get past the nostalgia I want to watch an old Western.

The Politics of Space Security: Strategic Restraint and the Pursuit of National Interests
by James Moltz 



If that fancy European particle-collider fails to rip open a horrific tear in the fabric of space-time that cannibalizes the Earth, the militarization and control of space will become an important issue in the years to come. Unless you want the Chinese to win, I suggest you educate yourselves now, while there's still time. But remember: when you're reading wear tinfoil, so those Asiatic satellites can't scan your brain and extract your intelligence.

Standardized Childhood: The Political and Cultural Struggle over Early Education
by Bruce Fuller 



The Great American Preschool Debate. Is preschool good, should we have it, should the state require it, blah, blah, blah? I'll tell you what preschool does: it keeps children away from us; children are small and irritating; therefore, preschool is good and should be both fully standardized and forcefully implemented with tanks.

The New Case Against Immigration: Both Legal and Illegal
by Mark Krikorian 



When a book's own description calls it "controversial" you can be pretty sure it's a sensationalist piece of crap meant to $tir emotions. But who am I to prevent those emotions from being stirred? Inevitably, people will buy this book, read it, and then argue over it. I guess debate is good. You know what else is good: that the publisher, editors, and author of The New Case Against Immigration will probably hold a release party staffed by Mexicans. The case against immigration.

Art in America: A Novel
by Ron McLarty 



It amuses me how often publishers append novel titles with the words "A Novel". Are people really so scared of reading about reality that if they were to pick up a book called Art in America and it was actually about art in America they'd spontaneously self-combust? Most novels suck; Realize it, move on. God. Not that I have anything against Ron McLarty. I'm sure his novel is wonderful.

Iroquois Diplomacy on the Early American Frontier
by Timothy J. Shannon 



My own personal horizon is so expansive that it forms its own continent larger than Eurasia. But you would do well to expand your own. You can start by reading about something you wouldn't normally read about. Like the Iroquois. Indian diplomacy always ends the same way, though, which makes it a little bit boring at the end: they get shafted.

Drink: A Cultural History of Alcohol
by Iain Gately 



Lots of people thinking drinking is cool. Especially people who don't drink. People who do drink, can't read books while they're drunk, whereas people who don't drink won't want to read about drinking. Or will they? They probably will, which is why this will be a popular book. What a cheap way of selling yourself, though: writing on a popular topic. So fuck off, Iain Gately; and go write about something obscure and interesting. Incidentally, I think his last book was about tobacco. Let me guess what's next: masturbation.

Raiders and Rebels: A History of the Golden Age of Piracy
by Frank Sherry 



Ahoy, matey! Seriously, is there anyone who doesn't like pirates? In fact, if you're reading this and you don't like pirates: please stop existing. For the rest of us, this appears to be an entertaining look at the history of a high-time for sea-faring pirates. Read this book or walk the plank.

The Condition: A Novel
by Jennifer Haigh 



This book probably sucks because it's a novel and it's written by a woman. But I thought I should add some fiction to the blog, so I did. The author also comes recommended from a friend a mine (a woman; figures) who says it'll be good. Me? I remain manly and unconvinced.