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 Book Review:   “If you want to make the world better, this is the book to read.”        ( Bibek Debroy, chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister of India)                 Want to do some good, make a difference, save the world? If yes, then Bjorn Lomborg (president of the Copenhagen Consensus think tank and one of the world’s 100 most influential people according to Time Magazine) has some essential thoughts to share with you in his 2023 book “Best Things First” . Many of us with good hearts and the best of intentions spend our time, energy, and resources with frustratingly little result. Why? I’m convinced it is because we need more than good hearts – we need informed clear heads. “Best Things First” brings just such insight and clarity. “We’ve promised everything to everyone, but we’re failing. Based on peer-reviewed research, here are 12 most efficient solutions for the poorer half of the...

 Book Review: “The Silver Blonde” by Elizabeth Ross is a straight ahead who-dun-it set in post WWII Hollywood. The baffling murder of a beautiful stand-in actress on the grounds of a major motion picture company becomes a young German immigrant’s obsession. Eighteen-year-old Clara who works aa a “vault girl” at the studio is the one who finds the silver blonde’s remains, the one who knows the police are on the wrong track, and the one who hunts down the real murderer. Being an enthusiast of silver screen era films, this book had an immediate appeal for me. In my mind I pictured the story in glorious black and white, complete with the glamourous gowns, smart suits, and moody sets making the very most of film noirish light and shadow. References to many well-loved films from the time established a sense of context and pleasurable familiarity. The more I read, the more immersive the experience became. Character’s voices took on the timbre and attitude of film icons from the 40’s, s...

  Book Review: “Explosive revelations that expose our government’s complicity with the Chinese Communist Party in undermining Canada’s national security and democracy.” (Dr. Charles Burton) Sam Cooper’s best selling  book “Wilful Blindness” is amazing – and chilling! It reads like crime fiction, but the story of huge international drug cartels, outlandish illegal profits and money laundering, high level government corruption, and an ultimate attack on the west by the CCP is investigative journalism at its best. Meticulously researched and documented, this report has leapt to prominence amid the furor surrounding election interference we have witnessed in the past few months. Cooper follows the work of Vancouver investigators who put their careers and lives on the line to expose the inner workings of organized crime wave that has become know as the “Vancouver Model”. Unimaginable wealth juxtaposed with heart-wrenching suffering – a walk around Vancouver’s Hastings and Mai...

  Book Review:   “I’ve long been fascinated by the story of the Navajo code talkers and the role they played in World War Two. In that part of the conflict that was fought against Japan in the Pacific Ocean, Navajo Marines used their native language to create an unbreakable code. Because they were Marines, that part of the U.S. military that leads all others into the thick of battle, they also saw some of the heaviest fighting of the war. If any American servicemen deserve to be honored, it was these Navajo.” (Joseph Bruchac) “Code Talkers” is a good read, pitched at middle grade kids but enjoyable for older ones as well. It is a straightforward account of the Navajo code talkers valor and ingenuity during WWII told from the point of view of a 16-year-old recruit who lived to tell the tale. As a war story, it neither glamorizes combat nor moralizes over the atrocities of battle. Rather, it attempts to tell the tale as a teen boy may have experienced it, proud, scared, c...

  Book Review: Monsters vs humans is a popular theme in fantasy and sci-fi fiction which Victoria Schwab puts an interesting spin on in “This Savage Song”. Are people actually some of the most monstrous… are some monsters more humane… is something as beautiful as a song the most powerful weapon of all? This dystopian novel follows the stories of a badass teenage girl and a shadowy boy/monster and how their lives entwine as their worlds fall apart. The book is beautiful and bloody, with enough tension and plot twist to keep thrill-seeking readers fully engaged. It is refreshing to read a book that doesn’t drag anywhere in its 427 pages and still manages to evoke poignancy and a certain amount of depth. All in all, an excellent offering by Schwab. Recommendation: a delightful mixture of thoughtful thrills, heart pounding action, and gritty gore. If that sounds like your jam, check it out. I’ve got lots of copies on hand. Mr. Wedel   Author – Victoria Schwab Publish...

  Book Review A little gem of humor and keen insight, Cipolla’s “The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity” is a must read for anyone wanting to live wisely with their fellow man. At first glance one might think the book is just a good-natured jab at humanity, much like Gary Larson’s “The Far Side” comics, but it is actually a serious assessment of how people are with one another in this far from perfect world. Cipolla builds the book around four general observations: 1.       Always and inevitably, everyone underestimates the number of stupid individuals in circulation. 2.      The probability that a certain person is stupid is independent of any other characteristic of that person. 3.      A stupid person is a person who causes losses to another person or group of persons while himself deriving no gain and even possibly incurring losses. 4.     Non-stupid people always underestimate the damaging po...