Join Me by Danny Wallace

This review would have been of The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells, but after that damn essay, literature was not something I wanted to read, and so, after some thought, I picked up an easy book. That easy book was another Danny Wallace experiment. In the past I've read 'Yes Man' and 'Awkward Situations for Men' so I knew and expected something good. However, I didn't expect something this good and funny. 'Join Me' is the tale of a 25 year old Danny Wallace who, bored one day decides to put an ad in a local paper saying the simple words 'Join me'. What for, he didn't know, but soon after posting the ad, people of all ages were joining him. Wanting to be like his recently-deceased great uncle, Danny soon decided to try and collect ('not a cult, a collective') 1000 Joinees as it was something his great uncle had attempted but failed to achieve. Soon, Danny was travelling over Europe to meet and collect joinees, and it was good. That is all I can really say without giving too much away, but what I can say is that this was another excellent read from Danny Wallace. It was funny, fast-paced and hard to put down, managed in 2 days, if that. It was also easy and a good head-clearer after all the work I've had recently (when people tell you 2nd year is a pisstake, believe them). Will I become a joinee myself? I don't know, probably not, but only time can tell. In the meantime, it probably can't hurt to try and be a bit like the joinees and perform some random acts of kindness, can it? Overall a good read, but a bit 'holiday-read'-like. Overall rating: 4/5

Sex and the British by Paul Ferris

The title pretty much gives away what the book is about but it is still in need of a review. Ferris' book gives the reader a history of sex from the late 1890s to 1993, it's published year. It gives info on how sex was frowned upon by almost anyone except soldiers fighting overseas in WWI. How the feminists would bash any man who mentioned that he'd recently had sex, the fact that self-pleasure would result in a prison sentence and that anyone found owning pornographic "propaganda" would be arrested and the propaganda being burnt.

Surprisingly, even the London Rubber Company were embarrassed to produce condoms which were highly frowned upon until the late '80s.

Many of the rules of sex 60 years ago will make anyone aged 20 wonder what the hell they were thinking back then when even a badly-drawn cartoon of a half-naked woman would be pulled off the shelves instantly.

For a book that could be classed as British history (a subject I don't take a huge interest in) it is one which anyone would find interesting (even those 22 year olds who can't or refuse to read). When I started reading the book I didn't know what to expect - possibly the fact that it might turn out to just be another of those generic textbook-types. However, over the years Ferris has undertaken a lot of research and interviews to produce a book that will entertain, shock and humour.

Like they say, sex sells and this book shows proff that this statement is very much true.

Overall rating: 3.75/5

Emergency - Neil Strauss

After reading reviews of this book on Amazon (after having finished it) I've noticed that many people seem to have thought this book was a survival manual. However, nowhere does it claim to be such a thing. It is quite simply the story of a man's journey of learning how to survive economic meltdown. Now that that's cleared up, lets get to the main bit.

"Emergency" (2009) is the newest book from Neil Strauss, best-selling author of The Game (which I have previously read twice) and "How to Make Love Like A Pornstar" with Jenna Jameson. It is a story of a man who seems to be worried that America is coming to an end, and in a way he is close to being right, what with the recession and many banks going bankrupt etc. This worry inspires him first to try and get a citizenship in another country so he has somewhere to escape to WTSHTF (When the shit hits the fan). Whilst waiting for his citizenship, Strauss spends three years learning how to look after himself in a rural or natural environment as well as shooting guns, wielding knives and slaughtering deers (the latter story isn't really for the faint-of-heart).

Having already read The Game, I already believed that Strauss wasn't exactly with it but then when I finished Emergency, my thoughts were proven to be true. Reading through the book I was thinking he must be a bit crazy to spend thousands of dollars on learning how to shoot a gun in 1.5 seconds or how to slaughter, skin and cook a goat as well as how to build a tent/cover out of twigs and leaves, but he did it and his experience makes a very interesting read.

Emergency definately wasn't as good as The Game but, had I the time, I probably still would have shot through it (damn studying and essay writing). It was interesting, deep, funny and slightly inspiring (although I wouldn't spend 2000 dollars on learning to throw a knife). If you've read The Game in the past I'd recommend this to you. If not then I'd say The Game is the book which should be read first, then move onto Emergency.

Overall: 3.5/5. Not the best book I've read and slightly slow to begin with but when the story got going I spent 5 hours sat on my bed until 2am when I finished the book.