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.