And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

                                                                

I've only read a few of Agatha Christie's novels so I sometimes forget why she is the Queen of the mystery novel. I can't really say much about this book other than there is a group of people on an island and they die one by one and they know full well that one of them is the killer. And it's brilliant.

Murder on the Orient Express is also brilliant. I'm going to keep this short because you really need to experience these on your own. If you are a mystery fan then these two novels are almost required reading. The plotting is intricate and you won't see the end coming.

As always, drop me a line at jeffsemonis@yahoo.com or on twitter @jeffsbookcase.

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

                                                                      

This is a very interesting book about how habits affect individuals, organizations, and societal groups. There is a lot of information about how people form habits, how they are studied, and how they can be changed. This may seem like a dry topic but the author uses many case studies that show how habits relate to our everyday world.

The second section focuses mostly on habits in the business world. There is a fascinating section on how Target uses data that they collect on shopper's habits. It's both genius and profoundly creepy. The third part focuses on habits in the larger society. The section on how habits influenced  the Mongomery bus boycott shows how habits play their part in history.

Overall it's a great read and it really gets you thinking about your own habits. Changes in habits can create profits for businesses but can also cause individuals great suffering.

For more information you can find an NPR interview with the author here or check out his website.

As always feel free to drop me a line at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com or find me on twitter @jeffsbookcase.

The Dead Witness by Michael Sims

                                                                    

The Dead Witness is a collection of Victorian detective stories that could serve as a textbook on the origin of the genre. Sherlock Holmes is there, as is Poe's The Murders in the Rue Morgue, a story that I had long heard of but had never actually read. Sims also unearthed a detective story that predates Poe's and it is very interesting.

As the author mentioned in an NPR interview, he has also included many stories by and starring women that had been pushed to the side in earlier collections. I particularly enjoyed An Intangible Clue featuring Violet Strange.

There are many stories featuring detectives whose names are seldom heard today, such as November Joe, Uncle Abner, and James McGovan. McGovan was a pseudonym but the story, The Mysterious Human Leg was my favorite of the collection.

Dickens' On Duty with Inspector Field is a fascinating non-fiction piece that is included, along with  a reprint of part of one of the Jack the Ripper murder inquests.

If you have an interest in detective fiction then you owe it to yourself to read this book. The stories were well chosen and represent a great cross section of the genre. It has inspired me to seek out more stories about many of the detectives that were featured.

As always you can reach me at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com or on twitter @jeffsbookcase.

Books I Read as a Kid - The Mad Scientists Club

I think I had two books of short stories about The Mad Scientists Club. They were a group of friends who liked science and got into all sorts of adventures. I don't remember a lot of the stories but I did have an affinity for one that involved them acquiring a submarine. I do remember liking the books a great deal when I was in grade school though.

I learned while researching this post that there are two additional books in the series. The problem with writing about books that you read as a child is that you end up wanting to read them again. I may have to order the complete collection.

If you have young readers, give this a look. I think it would appeal to those that liked the Bruno and Boots Series that I profiled recently.

There is a great website at http://www.madscientistsclub.com/ that profiles the books and their author, Bertrand R. Brinley.

As always you can reach me at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com or on twitter @jeffsbookcase.

A Corpse in the Koryo by James Church

                                                                           

This novel is set in North Korea and has as it's protagonist a police inspector known simply as Inspector O. James Church is a pseudonym, the only information about him is what is on the book jacket: he is "a former Western intelligence officer with decades of experience in Asia."

This book take awhile to warm up but once you are sucked in you realize that Church knows his stuff and has some writing chops as well. The writing can be vague in places but the descriptions of the people and what it must be like to live in a place so foreign from our own shine through.

The main thrust of the story concerns O's efforts to solve a murder, the aforementioned corpse in the Koryo, but what it is really about are his struggles with the politics and infighting of his country. The scarcity of goods is emphasised and that really made me think about how lucky we are. Socio-economics aside, for the most part if we want something simple then we can usually just go to the store and buy it. The characters in Church's story don't have that luxury as almost everything is closely rationed and/or has to be smuggled in.

It also opens up a door into a word that most people know nothing about. Often we think of other countries as vague political entities but we forget that they are populated by regular people who are just trying to live their lives.

If you enjoy books about other cultures or would like to see North Korea form a different angle then check out this book. There are several others in the series as well. This debut was listed on many "best-of" lists and the featured in a panel by the Korea Society which you can find here. You can also hear Church discuss Kim Jong Un as successor to his father in an NPR interview.

As always, feel free to contact me at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com or on twitter @jeffsbookcase.

Prohibition by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick

                                                                 

This is a Ken Burns PBS documentary on Prohibition. I usually review books but I finished watching this over the weekend and it was great. I knew a little about Prohibition but learned a great deal from this documentary.

The pro-income tax people were in cahoots with the Prohibition supporters for one thing. That just goes to show that politics really does make strange bedfellows. This film also details the fascinating story of George Remus, among many others. Remus was a Chicago lawyer turned Ohio bootlegger who had it all figured out, until he didn't anymore. It worth watching just for that story but there is so much more information packed into it. Burns does a great job in telling the story of Prohibition from many perspectives, not just the cops and robbers that we always hear about, but also from the regular people down the street.

If you like this, check out Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition by Daniel Okrent. I don't know if the film was based on the book but Okrent is listed as Senior Creative Consultant in the credits on pbs.org.

Also at PBS.org there is a great section where people can share their own stories about Prohibition.

Also Burns has made many other fine documentaries. Most people know him from his The Civil War and Baseball. I can personally attest that his documentaries on Mark Twain and Jack Johnson are both very well done.

As always feel free to drop me a line at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com or on twitter @jeffsbookcase.

Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live by Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller

                                                                       

Live from New York is an oral history of SNL from it's beginning up to about 2002 as recounted by those who were there. In essence, the authors interviewed nearly everyone involved with the show, provided some narration to help with the flow, and then got the heck out of the way of the story. I wish more books were written this way as it was very refreshing to see the history of the show told almost exclusively in the words of the people who lived it.

As with any large group of people, there are differences in opinion as to how certain things happened and people with obvious axes to grind. It's all out in the open though so that you can judge for yourself.

I'm not a huge fan of the show although I do watch occasionally. I learned a lot of history from this book. I did learn that the show was an even bigger incubator for talent than I had previously realized. I knew the big names of the early cast as well as some of the newer people but I had no idea that Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Robert Downey Jr., and Anthony Michael Hall were cast members. Also Garrett Morris, who plays Earl on Two Broke Girls was an original cast member.  I've seen very little of the early stuff so I may have to check him out on DVD. The first five season are currently available on DVD.

Shales and Miller also wrote an oral history of ESPN, Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN. I haven't yet read that one but if it's half as informative as Live from New York then it will be great.

As always, feel free to drop me a line at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com or on twitter @jeffsbookcase.

Books I Read as a Kid - Gordon Korman's Bruno & Boots series

                                                                           


I had all of these as a kid, except for the last one, Something Fishy at MacDonald Hall, which came out when I was older. They told the story of Bruno and his boarding-school roommate "Boots" and their friends. Over the series hijinks ensue as they interact with teachers, other students, and their headmaster, Mr. Sturgeon, nicknamed "The Fish." 

They are funny books but they teach a lot about friendship and standing by your friends. My favorites were, as I recall, This Can't be Happening at MacDonald Hall and The Zucchini Warriors. The former is the first book in the series and was written as an English project when Korman was only twelve. It's shorter and would be perfect for a reluctant reader as it's very entertaining.

Besides this series, Korman has written many other series and quite a few stand alone books. I also had an autographed copy of his A Semester in the Life of a Garbage Bag that the school librarian got for me at a signing and I read it many times.

If you've got a young reader, introduce them to these books. As always you can reach me at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com and on twitter @jeffsbookcase.

The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey

                                                                     

The Daughter of Time is armchair history at it's best. Tey's series detective, Alan Grant, is laid up with a broken leg. Having plenty of downtime, he investigates the allegations of murder laid by history against Richard III.

Grant proceeds logically through the evidence, aided by an able-bodied researcher. This is a great novel that draws you into the mystery. This is the best kind of mystery because you can do further research and make up your own mind. Historians are still arguing about the guilt of Richard III.

If you like historical mysteries then you should check this book out. When you've finished it and want to know more, and you will, check out the Richard III Society, both the UK and American branches. They both have huge amounts of information available.

As always, you can contact me at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com or on twitter @jeffsbookcase.

Books I Read as a Kid - The Great Brain Series

                                                                    


I loved these books as a kid. They told the stories of J.D. Fitzgerald, generally involving his precocious brother, Tom, the "Great Brain" of the title, his other brother Sweyn and their friends. The were set in the fictional town of Adenville around the turn of the century. It was a time when the West was still somewhat wild and the boys have many adventures, including rafting down a river and bringing the sport of basketball to their town.

Tom was generally scheming to make money and it generally got him into trouble. My favorite of the series is The Great Brain at the Academy in which Tom is sent away to boarding school. He gets into quite a bit of trouble there and runs a brisk trade in bootleg candy.

I would recommend these to anyone with young readers. They are great fun to read tell stories that will keep kids interested. For those looking to learn more there is a wonderful website called Finding Fitzgerald as well as a blog of the same name.

Feel free to drop me a line at jeffsemonis@yahoo.com or on twitter @jeffsbookcase.

Hotel Babylon by Anonymous & Imogen Edwards-Jones

                                                                     

Hotel Babylon is another of the sub-culture books that I love so much. It's a behind the scenes look at the luxury hotel industry, with the best stories of an industry veteran condensed into one 24-hour nightmare shift. I did learn a great deal about the hotel industry although I've never stayed in a hotel of that caliber.

The book is packed full of anecdotes about the outlandish things that people do when they stay in hotels. There are stories about many celebrities and the author isn't afraid to name names. It's set in London but I imagine that the mindset is the same  in hotels all over the world.

The author has several other "confidential" books; I haven't read any of the others but I am intrigued by Air Confidential.  There is also a Hotel Babylon series on the BBC network. Fans of Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential will enjoy this one as will anyone who is curious about the high end hotel industry.

As always, feel free to drop me a line at jeffsemonis@yahoo.com or find me on twitter @jeffsbookcase.

Interview with Robert Sullivan

Robert Sullivan graciously agreed to answer a few questions and you can find the interview below. If you've not had a chance to read his book, Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants, I strongly urge you to pick up a copy. It's fascinating, both for the facts and stories about rats but also for the history that you pick up along the way.

1. What was the most interesting thing that you learned while researching Rats?

Probably that Jesse Grey, a community organizer that I profile in the book, helped organize the largest rent strike in the history of the United States in the late sixties. It's not something that history books spent a lot of time on, renters right.

2. Have you been back to the alley in recent years?

I was there last week, during the day, and I saw that the Irish bar/ restaurant had closed. Also there is a new building there. It looks cleaner, though I sometimes hear from people that there are still rats.

3. Are there any topics from the book that you would like to update people on?
I can't think of any.

4. What are you working on right now?
 
A book about the American Revolution that has to do with landscape and history, especially in New York, which, I argue, was the first Middle American. I started thinking about New York during the Revolution when I wrote Rats, since rats came to American —the gray rat, anyway--at the same time that the Revolution began. It is called My American Revolution. http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9780374217457-0


5. Have the film rights to Rats been optioned?
I think someone is making a documentary of sorts.
 
 
That's all for this update. I hope the documentary comes to fruition as it would be a great film.  You can also listen to the author discussing the book in an NPR interview here.  As always, feel free to email me at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com, or find me on twitter @jeffsbookcase.

On Writing by Stephen King

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft is half-memoir and half-writing manual from the legendary author. He begins by telling about his childhood and the experiences that later informed and influenced his writing career. The latter portion focuses on writing, both the nuts and bolts as well as more inspirational stuff.

I've read many books on writing and this is by far the best. For one thing, it's written by someone that you've heard of and who has demonstrated success in the field. He worked hard and became one of the best selling authors ever. His telling of the events surrounding the sale of his first novel, Carrie, is particularly interesting.

If you're a fan of Stephen King's works then you should read this book. I learned many things about his life that I didn't previously know. He writes openly about his problems with drugs and alcohol as well as his near fatal encounter with a van while walking along the road.

If you want to write professionally then you should also read this book, regardless of whether you like Mr. King's work.  He writes with a great deal of skill and humor about the craft of writing.

I'm a big fan of Carrie as well as The Stand but he has many wonderful books. I can also personally recommend Heart-Shaped Box by his son, Joe, writing as Joe Hill. It is one of the scariest books that I've ever read.

As always, you can reach me at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com or on twitter @jeffsbookcase.

Interview with Jason Kersten

Jason Kersten was kind enough to answer a few questions about his book The Art of Making Money. There are very minor SPOILERS to be aware of but nothing that would affect your enjoyment of the book.



What was the most astonishing thing you learned while researching the book?

When I interviewed Art Williams for the Rolling Stone article, he held back a great deal, partly because he knew there wouldn’t be space, but mostly because telling his whole story involved passing through an emotional minefield. The most dramatic revelations that came with the book concerned his family. I had no idea that his mom was schizophrenic, that his sister had tried to kill herself twice in one day, or that his father had abused his sister. Art had never told anyone these things, and he had very specific, traumatic memories that are in the book. On one level, the most astonishing thing is that Art turned out relatively functional. I emphasize relative, because many of the people surrounding him are far more damaged.

As far as counterfeiting goes, one the most extraordinary discoveries I learned had to do with the color-shifting ink used by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing on our bills. To replicate it, Art used an automotive spray paint. When I researched the paint more, I discovered that it utilized the same patented technology that the BEP did. In other words, the company that invented the security ink for our currency went ahead and sold a watered-down version the same technology to the mass market. So he accessed through a back door that was left wide open. I don’t know why that should surprise me so much, given that a lot of technology used by our government has a civilian correlative sold by the same contractor, but it did.

Are there any updates on the story since the book came out that you would like to share?

I could have added at least another chapter with what has happened since the book was published. Art’s son got arrested and convicted for counterfeiting himself and is now also in prison. In an incredible twist that no one would believe if I had made it up, they are actually now cell mates. (It’s really tragic the way criminality perpetuates itself within families. Our prisons are filled with people who come from multiple generations of convicts). They’re trying to look at it positively—a chance to improve their relationship. It’s horrible to say it, but they now have plenty of time for each other.

How do things stand with the film adaptation right now?

There was a lot of hype when Paramount first bought the project. It made the cover of Variety and there was talk about fast-tracking it. Chris Pine was signed to play Art, which I think was a good casting move. Of course, that’s Hollywood. They talk a lot, then they get caught up making Transformers 22 and you’re lucky if you’re a grandfather by the time anyone remembers that you have an original story worth making. My book got fantastic reviews, but it was never a national best seller. If it had been, it would have been made already.

More important to me than when it’s made is how well they make it, how true to the story they remain. With any story, especially a crime story, there’s always the risk that Hollywood will turn it into a C or D crime movie where people are whipping out guns and chasing each other in cars in other every other scene. Hollywood dreads originality and a lot of career screenwriters are encouraged to pump up the clichés and violence. Art came from a violent past, but he wasn’t a gunslinger. He hated guns. The world he came from, which I tried my best to capture in the book, was filled with inimitable events and characters better than anything Hollywood could ever make up. And they don’t have to, it’s all right there in the book. They just have to commit to a nuanced portrayal. If they do, I will be pleasantly surprised.

What are you currently working on?

Looking for my next book and writing magazine articles, my usual hustle. I wish I was more prolific when it came to books, and that stories as good as Art’s fell into my lap all the time. I’m very picky when it comes to writing books. With true crime, it’s tricky because so many stories get overexposed by the Internet. And of course the crimes I like to write about are a bit boutique—they’re not about serial killers or rich people murdering each other or dead or missing white women. (Not that I wouldn’t write a book about one of those things if somebody offered me a pile of money). But I like crime stories that, for lack of a better term, aren’t just about the sensationalism of the crime. I like stories that offer an entry point into ourselves or an aspect of society, into fascinating worlds. My first book was about a murder, but it was really an exploration of moral ambiguity and friendship. The Art of Making Money is about a gifted counterfeiter, but it’s also about how he and the people around him change when they realize he’s basically this walking mint. When I encounter a rich, untold story that works on multiple levels like that, I know I have a book.


Thats all for this update. You can read the original Rolling Stone article on the author's website here.
Please feel free to comemnt below, email me at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com or reach me on twitter @jeffsbookcase.

Word Freak by Stefan Fatsis

Word Freak is the story of Stefan Fatsis' ascent into the world of competitive Scrabble. I love subculture books and this is a great one. Fatsis ends up reporting on the subject from the inside out as he becomes a tournament player and fights to increase his ranking.

The subject offers a myriad of eccentric characters competing at the highest level. Everyone has played Scrabble but few have played it like this, with seven letter bingos flying onto the board. It isn't an instructional book per se but if you want to compete at Scrabble you would be advised to read this book.

Whether you're a living room player or a tournament competitor you should read this book. If you could care less about Scrabble but like psychology or memoirs then you should read this book. It's a subculture book of the highest order and I can't recommend it more highly.

There are many instructional books on Scrabble. I personally like Everything Scrabble by Joe Edley but that is only my opinion and there are many others out there.

As always, fell free to comment, drop me a line at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com or on twitter @jeffsbookcase.

Interview with Steve Hamilton

I'd like to thank Steve Hamilton for agreeing to answer a few questions about The Lock Artist:

1. What kind of research did you do for The Lock Artist and what was the most interesting thing that you learned?


I worked with a really good expert for the lockpicking and combination lock stuff – he’s somebody I had known from corresponding over earlier books. For the safecracking, though, that’s a whole world of its own and I tried to seek out a real safecracker. I ended up finding Dave McOmie, one of the best in the world. He’s not a criminal, mind you. He’s a legitimate safe technician who flies all over the world opening up problematic safes. The most interesting thing I learned was that there really are no great criminal safecrackers right now. The main reason? It’s too hard to practice. Dave gets to open a different safe every day, but a would-be criminal just can’t get that experience!


2. Have you ever picked a lock yourself and what did you think of the experience?

I have tried it, and in fact, when I was working on the book, I had a practice lock sitting right by the computer and I’d play around with it whenever I was just sitting there. It’s a good way to keep the front of your mind busy while the back of your mind is coming up with what happens next in the story. It really is an amazing feeling, when you finally get those pins just right and the whole thing turns at once. It made me start to appreciate what that feeling would mean to young Michael.

3.How did you decide to do this book as a stand alone novel?

Well, I had done seven books in the Alex McKnight series, and then one standalone about a probation officer (Night Work). That first standalone did okay, not great, so any normal sane person would have gone back to the series. But I just had this crazy idea about a young safecracker in my head, and I couldn’t get rid of it. So I decided to just follow the thread and see where it went. I had no idea it would take so long to get there. At times, I honestly thought it was a huge mistake, and I ended up turning in the book like a year and a half late. I can look back at it now and realize it was all worth it, I guess, but it was a tough trip.

4. How are things looking with the movie adaptation?

Announcement coming any day now. Until then, I’m sworn to secrecy! (But in the meantime, thing about how challenging that script is going to be. Thirty years ago, you’d have a lot of voice over – you know, close up on Michael’s face, then we hear his thoughts in his head. Right now, that would probably feel like a cheat. But are you actually going to go two hours straight without ever hearing his voice? It’s gonna be interesting…)

5. What are you currently working on?

Die A Stranger, the next McKnight book, comes out in July 2012. Actually, that’s already done, so right now I’m working on one more McKnight book, and then after that, I’ll definitely do something different! (Possibly a sequel to The Lock Artist? Maybe. It depends a little on the status of the movie thing…)


Thanks again to Steve Hamilton for the interview. Be sure to check out The Lock Artist as well as his Alex McKnight series if you haven't already. I really hope there is a movie because this book would make a great one. I vote for Rosario Dawson and Lizzy Caplan as two of the female leads. What do you think?

As always feel free to comment, drop me a line at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com, or find me on twitter @jeffsbookcase

The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain

                                                                   

The Nasty Bits is a collection of Bourdain's shorter works, centered on food but taking in other topics as well. Most, if not all, were previously published, although several are from foreign markets.

Many of the essays focus on Bourdain eating, often in foreign locales surrounded by locals. In many he writes about experiences encountered while filming his tv shows as well as a little behind the scenes info. While the food essays are great, the best ones are those that leave food behind and let him talk about other things, such as his love for New York City. My favorite is "A Life of Crime", in which he discusses his obsession with crime, criminals, and crime writing.

As you can see from the header picture I'm a huge fan. If you have not read Kitchen Confidential then you need to stop reading this blog and go acquire a copy. You can listen to an NPR interview of him promoting the book here. Heat by Bill Buford is another great food memoir.

As always, feel free to comment below, email me at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com, or on twitter at @jeffsbookcase.

Books I Read as a Kid - The Encyclopedia Brown Series

I had a lot of these as a kid. Encyclopedia Brown was the son of the local police chief and often helped his father solve crimes. The books were made up of short stories that gave the readers all the clues to solve the mystery.

I almost never got the solutions right but they were great fun to read. They were probably my first exposure to the concept of deduction from the information given to you, at least as it pertains to solving a mystery. They would make a great gift for kids that are interested in mysteries but not yet old enough for the Sherlock Holmes canon.

There were quite a few of them out when I was younger and apparently a lot more have been released since then. There was also a tv show that I don't think I ever saw but now I kind of want to watch just to see if it was any good.

As awlays feel free to contact me at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com or on twitter @jeffsbookcase.

The Art of Making Money: The Story of a Master Counterfeiter by Jason Kersten

                                                                  


True crime books run the gamut from sensational murder cases to in-depth journalism about fascinating criminal subjects. The Art of Making Money is a great example of the latter.

It tells the story of counterfeiter Arthur Williams Jr., beginning with his hard childhood and  mentoring by an old-school counterfeiter and ending with his time in prison once his deeds finally caught up with him. The meat of the story is everything that came in between, when Art took on the new(at that time) hundred dollar bill and spent fake ones all over the country.

I've read a lot of true crime and this book is one of the best when it comes to getting inside both the process of committing the crime, in this case how Art actually printed the fake bills, as well as  the head of the criminal. I know next to nothing about printing but the details on how Art overcame some of the anti-counterfeiting measures were fascinating. This book belongs in the library of anyone who likes true crime books as well as those who've always wondered how counterfeiters ply their trade.

Author Jason Kersten has a wonderfully detailed web site that has a great deal of additional information on the story as well as on events that occurred after the publication of the book. His previous book Journal of the Dead looks interesting as well but I have not yet had a chance to read it.

For those who like this book I also recommend Catch Me if You Can  by Frank Abagnale. The movie was entertaining but the book is much better.

As always please feel free to email me at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com or leave a comment. I'm also on twitter @jeffsbookcase.

Books I Read as a Kid - From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

                                                                 


I thought this book was awesome when I was a kid. Twenty or so years later I just read part of it and I still thinks it's awesome. It's the story of two siblings, Claudia & Jamie, who run away from home and live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

There is a mystery of sorts involved but I don't really remember what the solution to that was. What I do remember from reading this as a kid was the sense of adventure. Good books, childrens and otherwise, are supposed to take you to another place without you noticing that it has happened. This book did that for me every time.

I also remember there being mention of a restaurant called Chock Full O'Nuts and this confused me greatly as a kid; I wondered why anyone would call a restaurant that. I just checked online and learned about the chain. It's apparently been brought back so I might check it out next time I get to go to New York.

It also won a Newberry Medal but that's not why you should read it. You should read it because it's good. If you don't believe me, or the Newberry people, you can read a sample online at the publishers web site.

As always you can reach me at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com or in the comments below. I'm also on Twitter @Jeffsbookcase.

Rats by Robert Sullivan

                                                           

When I tell people they need to read this great book about rats they usually give me a look of revulsion. The ones that I can get to suspend their initial reaction have all been pleasantly surprised. Folks, this is one heck of a book. It is about rats but it's about so much more than that.

I learned a lot about the behavior of rats but I also learned how rat problems affected the civil rights movement and  about a Revolutionary War Son of Liberty that seems to have been forgotten by mainstream history. Sullivan covers the plague, both the outbreak that everyone knows about and the one in San Francisco that you've never heard of.

The author observed rats, mostly in one location in New York City, but in other places as well. He talked to exterminators, researchers, and regular people about their experiences with rats. If you have an interest in rats or in New York City history then you can't go wrong with this book.

I also just finished Sullivan's The Meadowlands: Wilderness Adventures on the Edge of a City and it was very informative as well. I look forward to checking out more of his books. He writes in kind of an offbeat fashion that gives you the facts that finds as well as the stories of the people that he learned them from.

Let me know what you think at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com, in comments, or on Twitter @jeffsbookcase.

On the Importance of Short Stories

    Short stories are important. Some of the best known authors ever got their start writing short stories. Stephen King did, as did Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. 

    I personally learned a great deal from reading short stories, both in and out of school. O. Henry's "Hearts and Hands" is proably responsible for my love of the twist ending. Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game", Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" and later, "Placebo" by Andrew Vachss, taught me that short stories don't have to be uplifting. Darkness can make your point just as well as light.

   Short stories aren't as big a part of popular culture as they used to be but that doesn't mean that they still can't entertain and educate. Go to the library and check out a collection or read some of the older ones online. There's a story out there for everyone.

Thats all for now, check back on Friday for my review of Rats by Robert Sullivan.

   

The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton

                                                                     

The Lock Artist is the story of a boy who grows up to be a safecracker, or boxman, as they prefer to be called. That's a gross oversimplification of this book which jumps back and forth through Michael's life, as he tells you his story in his own words. I love first person crime writing because it puts you inside the mind of the narrator. There are all kinds of books that can tell you the what happened of crime, the very best tell you the how and the why.

Hamilton won an Edgar for this book and it is richly deserved. We learn what Michael endured as a child and how he came to learn the skills that would make him very valuable to the wrong kind of people. It's a story told very rawly and with a surprising amount of humor. It's a terrific read, easily among the top five crime novels that I've ever read and I encourage you to pick up a copy. It looks like it will be coming to the big screen and I can't wait. In the right hands it will make a terrific movie.

I've also read A Cold Day in Paradise, which is the Edgar winning debut of Hamiton's Alex McKnight series and highly recommend that as well. I look forward to reading more in that series.

As always fee free to comment or drop me a line at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com.

Interview with Allan Kronzek

A big thank you to Allan Kronzek for agreeing to answer a few questions for the blog. Check out his 52 Ways to Cheat at Poker as well as the other books mentioned for more information on card cheating techniques.

1. How did you first become interested in gambling sleights?

My interest in gambling sleights comes entirely from my interest in sleight-of-hand card magic. Many of the advanced techniques with cards come directly from card sharps. The great sleight-of-hand artist Dai Vernon was mainly responsible for bringing this to the attention of the magic community.

2. What was the most interesting thing that you learned while researching the book?

I’d say it’s a tie between card-marking systems (most of which are not detailed in the book because of space), and the historical background of various moves and strategies, such as punchwork and collusion.

3. What is the most important piece of advice that you would give to someone who thinks they're being cheated?

Stop playing with those people and find a honest game.

4. Do you have an opinion as to the true identity of S.W. Erdnase?

A VERY convincing case was recently put forward that Erdnase was W.E. (Wilbur Edgerton), Sanders, son of a US senator from Montana! I urge you to check out the fascinating article by Marty Demarest in the September, 2011 issue of Genii, The Conjurors’ Magazine. I believe back issues are available from the publisher. I have also seen advertising for a forthcoming book called Artifice, Ruse & Erdnase: The Search for One Who May Not Want to be Found, by Hurt McDermott, to be published by lybrary.com. I know nothing more about it.

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Thats all for today, I hope you enjoyed it! Check back Friday for my review of The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton. If you have any question or comments please let me know, either in the comments below or at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com.

52 Ways to Cheat at Poker by Allan Kronzek

                                                                  

This is a very information packed book. It gives a brief overview of the aforementioned 52 ways to cheat at poker and also teaches you how to protect yourself against them. The author also does a good job of explaining how likely you are to come up against a particular maneuver.

Kronzek also goes through the history of card cheating, both in general and technique specific, as well as citing many other works on crooked gambling. I've read many books on this subject and I think this one is the most broad. I would use it as an introduction and then branch out to others for additional information on techniques that interest you.

I recommend The Expert at the Card Table by S.W. Erdnase if you are interested in how these moves are actually done. It is the grandfather of books on card cheating although it can take some time to absorb. It also carries with it the ongoing mystery of the identity of it's author. Erdnase is a pseudonym and there are many theories as to who it may really be. For a more in-depth general overview Gambling Scams by Darwin Ortiz would be a good choice.

If you've ever wondered how Worm worked his crooked magic in Rounders or suspect you've been cheated at the card table then pick this book up. You'll learn a lot.

As always, feel free to sound off in the comments or email me at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com.

Interview with Paul Collins

Paul Collins was gracious enough to answer a few questions and you can find my interview with him below. Seriously folks, check out The Book of William as well as his other books.

1. Is there a particular piece of writing that influenced you to write the kind of books that you do?


When I wrote my first book, Banvard's Folly, I was influenced by 1920s and 1930s writers like Van Wyck Brooks and Edmund Pearson, who delighted in obscure literature while always remaining inviting to the reader. I was also very fond of Nicholson Baker and John McPhee's ways of drawing extraordinary stories of out overlooked subjects. In my next book (Sixpence House), I had to develop a first person narrator, and probably my closest model there was Jerome K. Jerome, who always struck me as a good company. Ever since then I've basically been winging it, and inventing a narrative style as I go along.


2. Are there any Folio facts/stories etc. that have come to light since you wrote the book that you would like to share?

Probably the biggest was the recovery of the stolen Durham folio, and the conviction of Raymond Scott for its theft. It was perhaps the first time that the unique nature of each copy -- that no two copies are exactly alike in their textual variants and physical condition -- suddenly had a criminal conviction turning on it.


3. What is the most interesting thing that you learned while researching The Book of William?

That would have to be hearing Anthony West describe his plan to come up with a database tracking textual variants, condition, watermarks, etc in every page of every copy of the Folio -- literally millions of pieces of information. It's astonishingly ambitious, a project that will take decades to complete -- Anthony's in his seventies! -- and something that's never been done for any other book.


4. If you are able to share, what are you working on right now?

I'm writing "Duel With The Devil: How Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr Teamed Up To Take On a Murder Mystery," which Crown will have out in the summer of 2013. Unlikely as it sounds, it's another history -- this really happened! It's about the Levi Weeks trial of 1800, and I've been immersed in reading Manhattan newspapers from back then -- which, for someone like me, is basically catnip.


Thats all for this update and thanks again to Paul Collins. Check back Friday for a review of 52 Ways to Cheat at Poker by Allan Kronzek. Please let me know if you have any comments, either below or at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com.

The Book of William by Paul Collins

                                                                          

This is rapidly becoming one of my favorite books. I've read it three or four times in the year or so since I bought it. It tells the story of Shakespeare's First Folio, the first time Shakespeare's works were collected. Without this book a great many of these plays would never have been heard from again.

Collins travels the world from London to Washington D.C. to Tokyo seeking out information on the Folio. He talks to collectors, curators, and other researchers. Collins also shows how many of the specific copies of the Folio have been traced across hundreds of years. I find this concept fascinating since it combines books, history, and genealogy which are three of my favorite topics.

I cannot say it enough, if you like books, book collecting, Shakespeare, or the history of the theatre then buy this book! You'll learn things about each of those topics, along with many others. I love this book and I'm not really into Shakespeare's plays. The only time that I've read them is when required to do so.

If you like this topic then you should check out  The Shakespeare Thefts by Eric Rasmussen, it focuses on First Folios that have been stolen and the stories behind the thefts.

Collins also has a wonderful website and is on Twitter @thelitdetective. He was also just nominated for an Edgar award for The Murder of the Century, The Gilded Age Crime That Scandalized a City & Sparked the Tabloid Wars which I can't wait to read, along with his book Sixpence House. The latter is about his time spent living in Hay-onWye, which is basically a town of bookstores. Sounds like a great place to live to me.

As always, let me know if you liked the book, either in the comments below or at jeffsemonis at yahoo.com. I'm also on twitter @jeffsbookcase.

Elmore Leonard just released a new book.

I read an excerpt of Raylan and it looks like it will be pretty good. I love Justified on FX and liked the other Leonard book that I read that featured Raylan. The author was on NPR recently, discussing the show and writing in general. You can read/download the interview here.

They also discuss Elmore Leonard's famous 10 Rules for writing. They are everywhere on the web but I found a good version at the NY Times website here. I encourage any aspiring writers to check it out.

I'll post tomorrow with a review of The Book of William by Paul Collins.

I haven't blogged in quite awhile but I've decided to start up again. I've read a lot of good books lately and can't wait to tell you all about them. I'll try to review a book every Friday and post something else mid-week, such as interviews and news on upcoming books.