Leviathan

Author: Thomas Hobbes

Written in the early 1600's.

I couldn't get through this book at all. It might have had something to do with it being the book I read right after The Prince by Nicolo Machiavelli.

This book is written to explain the structure of government and society. It begins by attempting to explain man. It then works its way into commonwealth, and next christian commonwealth, then finally the kingdom of darkness.

I was told that this book is a basis for understanding government.

It is not an easy read. I did not even get more than a couple paragraphs intot he story before I started fliping through t see if it was leading anywhere interesting. I couldn't even finish the review and conclusion at the end of the book.

It definately did not interest me in the slightest. this type of book is more for the student in political science. I feel bad for people that are forced to read this book.

Not recommended.

The Prince

Author: Nicolo Machiavelli





I could not read this book. I tried to start it 3 or 4 times and could not get past the first two chapters.





The book was written in the 1500's by an Italian government official. It has been translated. The language used is not the easiest to understand. From what i can gather Machiavelli writes this book to explain to people how to strive and perhaps obtian the graces of a prince. It basically lays the rules out about how to be regarded as upper class.





There is alot of history in this book. More than I can bear. I think it would be interesting to someone who was interested in becomming a politician, or perhaps giving the apperance of someone who is important or upper class. But hey, I'm not one of those people.

I am sure that there are gems in this book for every man to tuck away for certain moments in life. some of the chapters are titled:

1. The way in which princes should keep faith
2. That one should avoid being despised and hated
3. How a prince should conduct himself
4. How flaterers should be avoided
5. How fortunes can affect man, and how to avoid her

I don't recommend this book. It is more something that would be recommended by a political science professor.

Casca The eternal Mercenary

Auhor : Barry Sadler

I read this book in 4 days. It was an easy read.

The story is about a man named Casca who is condemned by Jesus to walk to earth until Jesus' return. Casca was the roman guard that pierced Jesus' side when Jesus was crucified.

The story is a violent tale about a man who struggles to discover the purpose of his exsistence. The interesting part of the story is that he feels pain and can be hurt. But like Wolverine of the X-men, he can heal; and quicker than the normal man. Casca struggles with keeping his immortality a secret, but at the same time trying to understand the reason he was condemned to walk the earth until Jesus' return. Let alone even understanding who Jesus was.

It was an interesting story. I don't think it should be read by minors. The story is written for a mature audience. Barry Sadler was a soldier in Vietnam, so you can imagine the language and imagery that is put into the story. There are several sexual encounters in the book, and the violence is descriptive and disturbing.

The plot is original and interesting. I enjoyed the action in this story. The research that was done in explaining the history and locations was abit much, but I guess there are people that enjoy the accuracy of their stories.

If you liked the Galdiator movie with Russel Crow, or the X-men and Wolverine movies, this story would appeal to you.

Into the Wild

I had heard about this movie before the book.

It took me about 4 days to read this.

Quotes that really stood out to me are the following:

"McCandless did not misrepresent the facts; telling the truth was a credo that he took seriously" Jon Krakauer

"For Children are innocent and love justice, while most of us are wicked and naturally prefer mercy" G.K. Chesterton

This was a tragic story of a man who had insufficient respect for the wilderness; but a desire just the same. It was more an account of the facts revolving the discovery of Chris McCandless body in a bus in the arctic north. It was a touching book. I am looking forward to seeing the movie.

There is a part of me that envies McCandless and wishes that I could do some of the things he did. Inside me there is a passion for living outdoors, being self-sufficient. The beautiful things he must have seen, the people he met. This story will appeal to any person who feels the call of the great outdoors.

Some of the stories in the book are absolutely amazing. There are parts ofthe book that look at other explorers and enthusiasts who almost fell to the same fate as McCandless, but lived to tell their tales.

I reccomend this book.

The Accidental Time Machine

I read this book in about a week.

I really enjoy time travel stories. This story was not a dissapointment. It is always very interesting to see different perspectives on time travel. This perspective is unique, as in I have not heard anything similar to theories that have been created in this book.

I found the future a bit far fetched and not what I would expect, so it was an unexpected surprise. The action in the story was sparce, and kind of predictable. But about halfway through the story a character is introduced and the story takes more of a romantic/scientific/anticreationist view to the world we live in. I don't agree with what the author was saying with this story, but it was fun to read. I needed to find out what happened in the end.

The author Joe Haldeman is a science fiction writer. The book was published in 2007. the book is written in plain english, with refernce to math and physics on occasion (its not necessary to understand to enjoy the story).

I did a search on time travel books that were recommended on amazon.ca and this was one of the top picks that caught my eye.

The story had some swearing in it, not unreasonable for the situations that the characters were placed in. The message of the story dispelled religion and any such belief in creationism. The laws of physics and math were what made the most sense for the characters in this book to believe in. There is a short and innocent exploration of sex at a point in the story that was descriptive but not crude.

I reccomend this story to the sci-fi time traveler enthusiast. But make note that the story should be intended for more of a mature reader.

Treasure Island

I read this book in a week.
The funny thing about this story is that I have always wanted to read it. I've tried on several occasions. It has been recommended to me from family and friends. But I didn't care much to get through it until recently. I stumbled upon a list of 100 books that every man should have in their library.

It was a good story. I remember seeing the Walt Disney version about 20 years ago. It helped me follow the characters and understand the language better.

The book was written by Robert Louis Stevenson and was first published in 1883. The language reflects the time, but after a couple chapters it gets easier to understand.

the best part of the story is that of Jim Hawkins the protagonist. In the beginning of the story he is young and full of fear, living under the protection of his mother. As the story develops Jim becomes a man and faces his fears head on. He matures as the story is told and you can see it in his deductions and reasoning.

This is a great story for middle aged children that are on the presipice of discovering who they are. But at the same time this story is a great read for anyone who needs a reminder about growing up and doing the right thing. The morals in the book are a great reminder of days when men respected each other in battle. It was eye opening and refreshing.

There are no referencs to sexual activity or immorality in any sexual manner. The language is clean, alot of "shiver me timbers" and such. The violence is reasonable, no gore or unnecessary descriptions in the death of characters.

I reccomend this book. It was nice to read. Not life changing.