Based on the book blurb, I expected to read engaging stories about the obstacles Lansky faced, the people who helped him rescue the books, and those who donated their books. I wasn’t disappointed. Lansky is a wonderful storyteller—you’ll laugh, you’ll be humbled, you’ll feel uplifted, and you’ll want to weep.

I gained a greater appreciation for books as important historical objects that are sometimes the only surviving record of a culture. So many Yiddish books were destroyed during the Second World War that it’s amazing (some would say divine intervention) that any survived. Apparently four caches of Yiddish books were buried to hide them from the Nazis, but only three of those caches have been found.

As I read the stories and about how important the Yiddish books were to their owners—how they worried about what would happen to them after they died; how well-thumbed the books were; how sometimes they were the only surviving words of someone murdered by the Nazis, or the only surviving witnesses to atrocities committed during the war—I couldn’t help but think about eBooks and how intangible they are. Most of the eBooks around today probably won’t be readable in 10 years. Sure, they can be converted from format to format, but they’ll be so easy to wipe out, should any power ever decide to do that.

Amazon has already demonstrated its ability to remove books from Kindles, but that’s trivial when compared to the possibility that a movement like the Nazis could destroy an entire category of books because it’s offended by them. Wipe key servers and confiscate eReaders and you’re done–just like that. The books are gone forever. Can you bury a cache of eBooks that people can recover and read 50 years later? I can’t even read the floppy disks I have lying around. My computers haven’t had floppy disk drives for several years now.

My concern about eBooks may sound paranoid, but given human history, it really isn’t. I’m not knocking eBooks or suggesting that they’re inferior to print books. But if eBooks had been prominent during the Second World War, it’s likely that all those Yiddish books would have been lost forever, as if the communities and cultures had never existed, and the horrors some of the books describe had never happened.

If you appreciate literature and books in any way, shape, or form, Outwitting History is a great read.

Bonus for Canadians: Lansky was studying at McGill University when he answered “the call” to save Yiddish books, so some of his stories take place in Montreal.

The book is a hefty 445 pages (not counting the front and back matter) and covers Oprah’s life up to Obama’s election win. Kelley’s style made for a good read. My eyes didn’t glaze over once, which is quite amazing for such a long biography.

The media implied that Kelley would be hard on Oprah, and it’s not acceptable to criticize Oprah in some circles. Given the rather shrill advance press, I opened the book expecting all sorts of unsubstantiated gossip and mud-slinging, but Kelley’s book is well researched. She cites 50 pages of sources, including Oprah’s relatives; in fact, the book contains several photos of Kelley with Oprah’s father and aunt.

Most of her assertions are based on articles and TV appearances that anyone can obtain and view, so she’s not making stuff up. Rather than doing a hatchet job on Oprah, Kelley’s book came across as, “Here’s what Oprah has said and done. Draw your own conclusions.”

After reading the book, the worst conclusion I can draw about Oprah is that her fame and money has apparently led to a loss of perspective and a bit of a messiah complex. Otherwise she sounds like a human being filled with contradictions. Nothing remarkable there. She can be generous and selfish, kind and bitchy. If you’re in her good books, she’ll shower you with gifts, but one perceived snub and she’ll ruthlessly cut you out of her life.

Sadly, she seems incapable of trusting more than a few people, so she obsessively controls her image and demands that everyone sign overly-restrictive confidentiality agreements. But in this day and age, who can blame her? People are willing to say anything about anyone for their five minutes of fame, even when whatever they’re dishing reflects badly on them.

If you’re curious about how Oprah behaves when the cameras are turned off, you’ll find Kelley’s book an interesting read.

I never know what to expect with autobiographies (as opposed to biographies). Sometimes the subject dwells on details that were obviously important to him or her, but bore the stuffing out of everyone else. Branson doesn’t do that. The book is easy to get into and offers interesting details about how Branson became an entrepreneur; in fact, he’s never been anything else. While still in high school, he started a magazine called Student.

While working on the magazine and still a teenager, he noticed how much teenagers listen to music and recognized the demand for mail order records (we’re talking vinyl here, folks). He founded a mail order record company that he ran by the seat of his pants. From there, he opened record stores, and from there, built a recording studio. The rest, as they say, is history.

The most surprising thing I learned from the book was how Branson mainly winged his way to success (and before Virgin airlines!). There was never a master plan. Branson seized opportunities whenever they came along, sometimes pulling financing together at the final hour. On several occasions in its early life, Virgin was on the brink of collapse, but Branson’s gift for pulling people together and navigating his way out of tight spots always saved the day. Sometimes the book read like a suspense novel as Branson negotiated his way out of yet another potential catastrophe.

I also agree with his assertion that what he does can’t be taught. It’s one of those things that you can either do, or you can’t. Virgin wouldn’t exist without Richard Branson. He made it happen. He keeps it going. And like him or not, he’s an astute businessman who built an empire through sheer persistence and an absolute belief in himself. He also knows how to surround himself with good people. You could argue that he might not have been as successful without them, but he was astute enough to choose them.

I have a confession to make. I skimmed the last ~150 pages, starting around the time Branson sold Virgin Music. After that point, the book sort of deteriorated into a laundry list of accomplishments, business initiatives, and humanitarian efforts. I also came away wishing that Branson had offered more of a glimpse of Branson, the man, to balance Branson, the businessman. But on reflection, it might be hard to separate the two.

You can’t help but admire the man’s confidence and zest for life. If you enjoy autobiographies, or want to read about someone who really does seize the day, pick up the book.

A few months later, I was shopping at Amazon and wanted one more book to round out my order so I could get free shipping. I stumbled across Just a Geek: Unflinchingly honest tales of the search for life, love, and fulfillment beyond the Starship Enterprise and decided to buy it.

Since it’s a collection of personal ramblings and anecdotes, many of which first appeared on Wheaton’s blog and are still there, I can’t discuss the book in depth without getting personal, something I don’t want to do. What I can say is that it’s a breezy read that starts out well but quickly becomes repetitive. Much of it focuses on Wheaton’s regret over leaving ST:TNG before the series ended.

I found it difficult to sympathize with Wheaton’s struggles, so I didn’t relate well to most of the book. But I enjoyed the anecdotes about the ST:TNG cast, and some of the convention stories were also a good read.

The way I see it, you have to be a Wil Wheaton or ST:TNG fan to enjoy the book. If you’re neither, you probably won’t get much out of it.

Many regular employees always work from home, or only go into the office on specific days of the week. They still have a boss; they still collect a paycheque. But they can do their jobs remotely from a home office. I’ll call these folks telecommuters.

Others work for themselves. They take on as much or as little work as they desire. They can work on a single contract for months, accept only short-term gigs, or juggle several contracts or revenue streams at once. I’ll call these folks freelancers.

I recently read two great work at home books. Both books are by the same authors, Christine Durst and Michael Haaren, who are quite well known in work at home circles. Their Rat Race Rebellion website, while not pretty to look at, is packed with useful information, including daily, screened work at home opportunities.

Work at Home Now: The No-nonsense Guide to Finding Your Perfect Home-based Job, Avoiding Scams, and Making a Great Living
is their newest book and is a great resource for telecommuters and freelancers. It contains a quiz to help you determine if working at home is good fit for your personality and skills, lists tons of real work at home opportunities in a range of fields (including adult phone worker!), and provides tips on how to avoid scams. It also describes how to best search for work at home opportunities using search engines and on job sites like Monster. They provide concrete information about most of the opportunities they discuss, meaning you can hop online and apply if you’re so inclined.

If you’re a regular employee who prefers to work within the rat race, but you would like to work from home part of the week, you might like the chapter on how to convince your boss that allowing you to work from home is a good idea.

My only niggle with the book is that if you’re not American, some of the information won’t apply to you—not enough to pass on the book, but enough to irritate. If you’re American, this book is as good as it gets.

The 2-Second Commute: Join the Exploding Ranks of Freelance Virtual Assistants is aimed at those who are considering freelancing. The cheeky cover illustration has a map with a dotted line going from the bedroom to the home office. Yeah, that’s the commute. This book is particularly helpful if you’re wondering whether freelancing is a good fit for you, or if you’ve already decided that you want to freelance but don’t know how to start or what services to offer. Topics include self-assessments, setting up your freelance business, marketing, and tips on how to balance freelancing with home life.

I read a lot of non-fiction. Because getting a non-fiction book out there is so much easier now, I’m coming across more and more books that don’t offer much beyond what you could find by surfing the net. Durst and Haaren’s books are old-school. Both books are well worth their cover prices and will save you a lot of time and headaches. If “work from home” is on your radar, check them out.