Tag Archives: book review

PARADISE FOUND

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A BOOK REVIEW

If you have ever been to Hawaii, then like me, you discovered paradise and it has become one of your favorite places on earth. The first time we went, we did a cruise and saw Oahu, Kauai, Maui and the Big Island, five stops in all with an additional sail down to Kiribati, a few miles north of the equator. We fell in love with the place, of course, and decided to return to both Maui and Kauai – paradise indeed. Like most, we toyed with finding some way to spend much more time there. You can never spend enough time in paradise. On our first visit, I read James Michener’s, HAWAII, a great read if you haven’t done so.

I have always loved books full of adventure, action and strong characters set in exotic locales. I remember the first series of books I borrowed at the Kitchener library as a young lad that told about the exploits of a bush pilot set in Northern Ontario (my definition of exotic locales has changed over the years). I’ve been hooked ever since.

Fast forward to a series set in Hawaii, a strong female lead character, various sinister ne’er-do-wells, lots of action and danger, and naturally the unparalleled beauty of the islands themselves. Lei is an intelligent, but flawed detective, who gets herself into some tight spots both personally and professionally.  With the help of a strong supporting cast, she manages to solve the crimes but at great personal cost. One of the reasons I like her character is that she is highly unconventional which creates issues with her superiors. She always seems to be on the edge of being fired or killed or both.

Since the series of books are set in Hawaii, we might assume that this would be a good “beach read.” We would be right and we might wonder why I am reviewing the first book in the Lei Crime Series, “Blood Orchids,” by Toby Neal at this time of the year. First of all, it was a series of books I could not put down and every time of year is a good one when Hawaii is the background setting. The book gets a 4 1/2 star rating, out of 5, from the over 2,000 reviews on Amazon, so that’s a pretty good indication of its popularity.

Our heroine, Lei, discovers the bodies of two teenage girls, one of whom she had busted recently. The teenagers lifestyles bring back many memories of Lei’s own youth and as she continues to investigate the murders, she can’t shake the feeling of being stalked herself. The book reveals a dark side to paradise but the reader will find it easy to ride along with Lei to hunt the killer who seems to take great pleasure in knowing more about her than he should. Is he playing with her? And, why do we always assume the murderer is a “he?”

You can access the boxed set of the first books in the series here.

By the way, got a Kindle or the Kindle app, you are gonna love the price!

A WORLD OF TRUTH

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In my last post, I wrote a book review for FACTFULNESS, 10 reasons we’re wrong about the world – and why things are better than you think. It is one of the most powerful books I have ever read and the key to realizing its power is a 13 point quiz that the author, Hans Rosling poses at the beginning of the book.

People have asked – “So what are the 13 questions Hans Rosling asks in the quiz section of his book” FACTFULNESS? OK, bowing to popular demand, I have reprinted them here. It will take you a few minutes to answer the questions and I suggest you actually write down and calculate the results. Now, don’t worry about me, I can wait. I’ll take some time to listen to music while you take the quiz – go ahead.

 

  1. In all low-income countries across the world today, how many girls finish primary school?

A. 20 percent

B. 40 percent

C. 60 percent

 

2. Where does the majority of the world population live?

A. Low income countries

B. Middle income countries

C. High income countries

 

3. In the last 20 years, the proportion of the world population living in extreme poverty has…

A. almost doubled

B. remained more or less the same

C. almost halved

 

4. What is the life expectancy of the world today?

A. 50 years

B. 60 years

C. 70 years

 

5. There are 2 billion children in the world today, aged 0 to 15 years old. how many children will there be in the year 2100, according to the United Nations?

A. 4 billion

B. 3 billion

C. 2 billion

 

6. The UN predicts that by 2100 the world population will have increased by another 4 billion people. What is the main reason?

A. There will be more children (age below 15)

B. there will be more adults (age 15 to 74)

C. There will be more very old people (75 and older) the use of the word “very” is that of the author and some of us might take exception to it – ahem.

 

7.  How did the number of deaths per year from natural disasters change over the last hundred years?

A. More than doubled

B. Remained about the same

C. Decreased to less than half

 

8. There are roughly 7 billion people in the world today. Which map ( in his book) shows best where they live?

here’s approximately what his maps show:

A. 1 billion in North and South America combined, 1 billion in Europe, 1 billion in Africa and 4 billion in Asia

B. 1 billion in North and South America, 1 billion in Europe, 2 billion in Africa and 3 billion in Asia

C. 2 billion in North and South America, 1 billion in Europe, 1 billion in Africa and 3 billion in Asia

 

9. How many of the world’s 1 year old children today have been vaccinated against some disease?

A. 20 percent

B. 50 percent

C. 80 percent

 

10. Worldwide, 30 year old men have spent 10 years in school, on average. How many years have women of the same age spent in school?

A. 9 years

B. 6 years

C. 3 years

 

11. In 1996, tigers, giant pandas and black rhinos were all listed as endangered. How many of these three species are more critically endangered today?

A. Two of them

B. One of them

C. None of them

 

12. How many people in the world have some access to electricity?

A. 20 percent

B. 50 percent

C. 80 percent

 

13. Global climate experts believe that, over the next 100 years, the average temperature will…

A. get warmer

B. remain the same

C. get colder

 

That’s it. Did you find the questions interesting? Oh, the answers? Well there are 2 ways to find the answers and see how you scored on the test. First, you can do your research and investigate, as the author did, to discover the truths about the world today. Remember, this questionnaire and its answers are current as of 2017/18 so don’t rely on old information on the internet – or more importantly, in your mind. Check sources like the UN and various government statistical sites.

Of course, there is an easier way. Buy FACTFULNESS  on Amazon here.

10 REASONS WE’RE WRONG ABOUT THE WORLD

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my book review about

FACTFULNESS

Ten reasons we’re wrong about the world and why things are better than you think.

by Hans Rosling  (27 July 1948 – 7 February 2017) and Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling Ronnlund

CAUTION: Read on only if you have an open mind and are not afraid to change your point of view. Whew! Got rid of “those” people quickly, didn’t we?

If you decide to read this book, I want to advise you of something very important: the author presents a 13 item question and answer quiz very early in the book. When I see these things, I often skip them with the intention of going back and doing it later – DON”T. Take a piece of paper and write the numbers 1 to 13 down the left hand side and then enter the best answer from the multiple choices given beside it. This short little exercise is what gives this book so much impact and power.

FACTFULNESS is the best and most important book I have read this year and easily fits into the top 10 best non-fiction books I have ever read. We live in an interesting time. The wild west of information is upon us complete with fake news (a term that is of itself full of fakeness and conflict), special interest groups with narrow, self-serving opinions intent on preventing any opposing discourse, mainstream media that now prefers to fill our days and nights with their opinions rather than any sort of objective reporting (remember those days of fierce independence and reliance on objectivity), and, of course, an internet full of just plain bs, wild conspiracy theories, racists and assorted other kooks.

So, how does this book fit into that morass of disinformation? Mr. Rosling, according to Wikipedia, was a Swedish physician, academic, statistician, and public speaker. He was the Professor of International Health at Karolinska Institute[4] and was the co-founder and chairman of the Gapminder Foundation, which developed the Trendalyzer software system. He held presentations around the world, including several TED Talks[5] in which he promoted the use of data to explore development issues. In short, the author of this book has assembled and utilized REAL facts and proven statistics to create an unbiased but accurate view of the world as it actually is today. Removed from our personal beliefs and opinions, it allows us to make decisions, form ideas and actions based on truth.

How and why is this important? Each of us makes decisions every day that are related to how “the rest of the world” is doing. We express opinions, donate money, make travel plans, assign assets and resources, manage corporate and/or government processes, and simply express thoughts at social gatherings based on how we think the planet is doing in terms of health, wealth, education and so much more. What if our actions are fueled by wrong assumptions? A lot of mine were until I read this book. And, based on the extensive polling Mr. Rosling has conducted at some very high level meetings, so are the big decision makers of the world – both senior business and government people – making decisions without accurate information.

We watch TV news or read snippets online about world events and accept the overly dramatic views of these sources who will move on to the “next big thing” tomorrow. The author gives us a practical way to find facts based on reality, rather than selling advertising space, that challenges our viewpoint while pointing us toward making the right decision. This book should be read by anyone with an interest in world events who is willing to let go of old information we have been carrying around in our heads since childhood.  Simply put, this book won’t change the world, the world has already changed.

And finally, a quote from the cover of the book,

“One of the most important books I’ve ever read—an indispensable guide to thinking clearly about the world.” – Bill Gates

  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Flatiron Books (April 3 2018)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1250107814
  • ISBN-13: 978-1250107817