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.