"The Most Evil Dictators In History" By Shelley Klein

Title: The Most Evil Dictators In History
Author: Shelley Klein
Published Year: 2004
Pages: 191


Here's a little non-fiction for all of you non-fiction lovers. Told you I will read almost anything I can get my hands on as long as its interesting, yet I have been known to push myself through some books that I was not entirely impressed with. Anyways this book takes a look at well-known and some not as well-known dictators through history. It is not only about dictators in the past, but ones that are have been in power in recent years. Since it was published in 2004, there are some changes since then and some names you could say could be added, it just all depends on what you consider a dictator to actually be.

So what do I like about the book? Its short and gives enough knowledge that you can go and find out more information on the dictators mentioned if one of them gains your curiosity. The book does a good job of giving the basics of how they came to power and what they did when they were in power (or are still in power). I didn't recognize all of them, so I know I need to brush up on my history lessons. I am thinking some more non-fiction history is in store for my reading pleasures in the future.

Still not sure you want to read the book? Well here are the names of the dictators that are featured in the selection:

• Herod the Great
• Gengis Khan
• Shaka Zulu
• Josef Stalin
• Adolf Hitler
• Mao Tse-Tung
• Anastasio Garcia Somoza
• Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier
• Kim Il Sang
• Augusto Ugarte Pinochet
• Nicolae Ceausescu
• Pol Pot
• Ida Amin
• Saddam Hussein
• Robert Mugabe

And as always, Happy Reading!

"More Forbidden Knowledge" By Matt Forbeck

Title: More Forbidden Knowledge
Author: Matt Forbeck
Published Year: 2008
Pages: 255
Genre: Non-fiction, humor

I have not read the previous edition of Forbeck's "Forbidden Knowledge" but I am thinking with an educated guess based on the title of this one that there should be another one that comes before this one. So with that being said, this is the first of his "forbidden knowledge" books that I have read. I picked this selection up out of curiosity, one of those days when I was just wandering through a big box book store wanting to get something but not knowing quite what I wanted to buy to read, and this book sitting on one of the tables caught my eye and made it into my bag of purchases.

It did help that the book was on sale, those buy so many and get some free but the information on the cover of the book also enticed me to take a look at this book. One of the comments made on the cover is that the book contains 101 things that not every person should know how to do. After reading the first few pages and skimming through the book, I have to agree with this particular warning.

Each of the entries are a few pages long at the most and give the reader an idea of how to do certain things that most people would not even dream of doing. Luckily for the author he does have a disclaimer at the beginning of the book stating that the majority of the things told in the book are illegal in most areas and that no one should attempt any of them. There is not a set grouping of what these items are either as the first entry is "How to Kill a Vampire" and there's other entries that have to do with actual technology fraud. Depending on what you are curious about, there are tons of different entries, and just as the author states, most are illegal in some way shape or form. Of course he also includes sections on how to go missing or disappear if you really want to get away. Then there are the fun ones like how to play drinking games and do keg stands.

Personally I read the entire thing and laughed along the way. There is something for every curious person within the pages, it just depends on what information you are seeking. Just remember the book is just for fun, do not try any of the things within it that are illegal.

"Come Along With Me" By Shirley Jackson

Title: Come Along With Me
Author: Shirley Jackson
Published Year: 1948
Pages: 243

Shirley Jackson is most well known for her book The Haunting of Hill House, which has been turned into film in two different formats. When I was in high school I saw the remake of the original and instantly fell in love with the story. Of course being the curious person that I am, I wanted more information and found the original film that was based on her book. Then continuing my thirst for information on the now found book and I read the book and became interested in Jackson's work as well. I have read other works of hers and she is not one to disappoint.

This particular work is not just one story. It contains the book that she was working on at the time of her death and also includes several short stories and a few lectures that she wrote and performed. The times are a little different than present day and most of the works were written during the 1940s. One thing I absolutely love about Jackson is the fact that she is not afraid to go down any path. At a time when women authors were not known to go outside the romance genre, she was writing about small town America in a gothic sense. She is able to take normal everyday things and turn them into mysterious circumstances. Not all of her works do this, and that is why this particular collection is so intriguing. This collection showcases the different methods of writing she was capable of and how she can reach out to all kinds of readers.

"The Mythology of Supernatural" By Nathan Robert Brown

Title: The Mythology of Supernatural: The Signs and Symbols Behind the Popular TV Show
Author: Nathan Robert Brown
Published Year: 2011
Pages: 272

This book is not endorsed by anyone that works on the hit show "Supernatural" and instead is a well researched book by Mr. Brown. I just wished I had the time that he must of taken to work on a book that is this well though out and developed. No season of "Supernatural" is left behind, and the information within the book takes the reader all the way up through season 6. I have not watched season 6 yet since I just received the box set of dvds in the mail yesterday, but after reading this and reviewing what happened during season 5 I am excited to do so.

Brown takes all sort of mythological information and provides it in an easy to read and understand format. It is not just mythology that is looked at, but also there are characters from the show and objects that are used on the show that are better explained. Of course, he goes even one step further and distinguishes between fact and fiction as well. Some of the items that are used on the show are not completely accurate and Brown provides the reader with the information to show these things.

I love mythology and things paranormal (as you can probably tell from my blog postings, most of the books I read are in this genre), and this book hit on both of these notes. I am also a fan of the show, and even though Brown was focusing on information that is used in the make up of the show, it is also useful information that I would have probably read elsewhere in the type of books that I enjoy. In other words you do not have to be an absolute fan of the show to enjoy this book. It provides good relevant information that can be used for research purposes other than directly related to the show. Brown just has taken the items from the show and explained them to the reader.

One more thing I like about this book is the fact that he brings up things that fans have picked up on throughout the show and where those ideas have led people when it comes to guessing what is coming up on the show.

"The Rough Guide to Horror Movies" By Alan Jones

Title: The Rough Guide to Horror Movies
Author: Alan Jones
Published Year: 2005
Pages: 277

The title says it all, this is a very rough guide to horror movies. Just based on the amount of pages that are in the book, you can tell that there is definitely not enough room to go into detail every horror movie ever made. Instead the author focuses on a few key areas of the genre, so the book can be used as a stepping stone to other areas to look at or even as a generic point to start watching films.

Since films are not the start of where horror stories actually come from, the author first introduces us to the horror genre by providing the first chapter on horror literature. Horror stories have been an integral part of human history and continue to be so in the current day and age. The first chapter introduces the reader to some of these classic pieces of literature and how they have helped evolve the horror media industry.

From there the author takes us further along the journey of the present day horror movie and does a brief history of horror over the last 100 years (well at the time the book was published, so its a little over a hundred years for the present time). Having this brief history helps move the pace along to the next portion which introduces us to what the author considers the 50 horror classics. I say what the author states because everyone has their own idea of what they consider the horror classics to be. If you are new to the genre or just want a starting point, the list is fantastic with the descriptions as a starting point in the genre or just to get an idea of how we have gotten to the horror films of today.

Not to leave you hanging there, Jones continues to provide information on the genre by introducing key figures in the industry such as the actors who were made famous and the directors who brought the films to reality. Since the genre is not just an American phenomena, Jones also provides a section on the horror film industry from around the world including films that are done in each country and the background of some of these countries film industries.

The best part of the rough guide is that Jones points the reader in the direction to seek out more information. Not only on the Internet but in hard bound books as well.

"What I Thought I Knew" By Alice Eve Cohen

Title: What I Thought I Knew: A Memoir
Author: Alice Eve Cohen
Published Year: 2009
Pages: 194 pages

If you think your world is turned upside down and there is no way out, just pick this memoir up and see how life can change instantly and create an even more traumatic experience. Luckily Cohen has been a writer for years and knows how to get her story across in a way that makes you cry and laugh with her while she writes about a dark and at times upsetting topic.

At age 44, Cohen finds out she is 6 months pregnant after being told for years that she is infertile and can never have children. During the first 6 months of the pregnancy she has no idea she is pregnant and sees many doctors about the uncomfortable feelings she is having. Even with x-rays and CAT scans along with internal exams none of her doctors detect the small fetus inside of her until an emergency scan is done and the technicians discover that she is 6 months pregnant. To make the challenges of pregnancy even worse (her age is one mark against her according to all the professionals), she has also been exposed to harmful hormones when she was in her mother's womb, she has been taking hormones during the pregnancy that are bad for a fetus during the pregnancy, and she has a misshapen uterus just to name a few things. No care for her child has been done during the first 6 months and she is a high-risk pregnancy with sub-par insurance that does not cover many of the procedures that she needs and in addition she loses income when she is confined to bed rest.

She takes you on her journey of when she discovers her pregnancy to when her baby is born and after. Along the way the reader joins her in her struggles of deciding if it is better to do a late-term abortion, put the child up for adoption, or keep the child. All the decisions create an emotional roller coaster that is well worth the ride. Cohen also brings in the conversations she has with the people in her life when making these decisions like her fiance, her adopted daughter, new friends and sisters. Each one has their opinion and each one influences her decisions along the way.

In the end the story is heartwarming and and eye opening to just what someone can be put through and still come out okay at the end. I read this in one day and did not want to put it down. I could not help but want to finish her story, and in reality her story really isn't over. In her darkest hours, Cohen shares with us her strengths and triumpths over a situation that would have many other people just giving up.

"Holy Ghosts" By Gary Jansen

Title: Holy Ghosts: Or How a (Not So) Good Catholic Boy Became a Believer in Things That Go Bump in the Night
Author: Gary Jansen
Published Year: 2010
Pages: 210


Unlike other ghost story books I have read, this one does not focus on multiple locations but one location that is a predominant part of the author's life. The author is raised a catholic and so many of his teachings do not include things of the ghostly realm.

This book is his own account of coming to terms with the beings that may or not be in the house that he is living in with his wife and small children. It is no ordinary house, it is the one that he grew up in and eventually bought from his mother. When weird things happen in his home, he thinks back to incidents in the home when he was a child and relates these tales to the reader and how they tie into what is going on in his home at this time.

Since he grew up with no information on ghosts or similar entities, this book also shares his search for information on these items and how they relate back to his own religion. He is diligent in this manner using research methods from books, to the Internet and people who also specialize in the field. What he learns through his research is used to come up with the outcome he decides upon. I'll leave it up to you to read the book to find out what happens with the haunting of his home, I don't want to spoil all the fun.

I loved this book and whipped right through the entire thing in one day. Personal experiences related in a first hand manner make the story that much more real, and Jansen brought a whole new perspective into my life. I had never thought about people who didn't grow up with the idea of ghosts or ghost stories and it was something that was never discussed in their lives growing up. I grew up in a household where asking questions no matter what they were was encouraged and my parents helped me seek out additional sources if they could not answer the question (I think this is where my curiosity of the unknown comes from). Jansen relates the story in a way that is easy to associate with and comprehend what he is saying. However I will say at times when he does back flashes to his childhood, the information can become muddled and hard to put back together. My advice is to just keep with it and keep going.

"Extraordinary Encounters: An Encyclopedia of Extraterrestrials and Otherworldly Beings" By Jerome Clark

Title: Extraordinary Encounters: An Encyclopedia of Extraterrestrials and Otherworldly Beings
Author: Jerome Clark
Published Year: 2000
Pages: 290
Genre: Metaphysical/Non-Fiction/UFO Encounters

Jerome Clark is a well known name when it comes to the UFO phenomena subject. He has written other books on the subject and is known to many as an authoritative source on UFOs whether it be actual encounters, contactee information or the beings themselves. In this book he takes his wealth of knowledge and puts it in an easy to use format so the reader is able to access the information that they find pertinent and want.

He not only discusses actual UFO encounters, but the people that witnessed them or believed that they were contactees or abductees as well. In addition to these short biographies of these people he also has information on channelers (people who say they channel extraterrestrials), researchers and other people that are well known on the UFO circuit.

UFOs are not the only thing that is brought up in this book as the title suggests. Clark also introduces ideas that such things like Sasquatch, Satan and Angels all have UFO connections. He does not say that you should believe any of the information and instead provides it in a manner that the reader can decide what they wish to believe and where to look for other sources on the material.

For most of the entries in the book, there are links to other entries that may be helpful with understanding or for further information on the current entry as well as a short bibliography of where the sources for that entry came from. Back up data is high on my priority list, so having these readily available for each entry is fantastic.

One thing that you may want to understand before picking this book up is that due to when it is published, there are not any current UFO encounter cases revealed in the book. Most of the information is from before the 80's. I now am on the lookout for a good source of updated contactee cases on UFOs. So if you have a suggestion, please let me know.

"The 13th" By John Everson

Title: The 13th
Author: John Everson
Published Year: 2009
Pages: 323


Ever read one of those books and you wonder what people would think of you if they knew you read it, well this is one of those books for me. I don't know if it is because I am getting older, or just more sensitive, but the book had that feel towards me. I love my gruesome books, and this one has it all from dead bloody bodies to orgies, so be warned it's not for the faint of heart. Of course there is the added psychological twist during the entire book as well.

The 13th takes place in a sleepy little town with a morbid past history involving an old hotel high up in the hills of this town. No one has used the hotel in about 25 years and a doctor comes to town to use it as a psych patient ward, at least that's what he says its for. As the book unwinds through the pages, more and more about the history of the hotel and what the doctor is trying to do come to light, including a cult following. Why is the doctor only using pregnant women as his patients and what is up with the increase of missing women in the local areas? These are the questions that the book poses the most.

At times the book is a little bit slow and the dots are not connected well. Based on what I like to read and what I was expecting I would give this book 3 out of 5 stars for its average performance. Some loose ends needed to be tied up and there are too many unanswered questions for my own liking. It is also extremely morbid, so be cautious in that attribute.

"The Key to Midnight" By Dean Koontz

Title: The Key to Midnight
Author: Dean Koontz
Published Year: 1979
Pages: 419 pages

Like many authors, Koontz wrote some of his earlier works under a pseudonym and this is one of his works that he wrote under the pseudonym Leigh Nichols. Even with a different name, you can still see Koontz's genius behind the words that are written between the pages of this book. One word of advice with this book is to read the afterward, some people do not like to, but this one is worth it and gives some insight to what Koontz was thinking and wanted from writing this book.

This selection Koontz takes us on a journey to Kyoto, Japan where two seemingly strangers meet and the adventure begins. Unlike some of his other books, this book focuses on espionage and adventure. Of course there are strange encounters along the way but nothing paranormal, (well, at least nothing that I would consider paranormal). As one of his earlier works there is the subject of mind-control once again just like his other works The Door to December and False Memory. Koontz doesn't stop his adventurous thriller in Japan, but takes you on a whirlwind tour of England and Switzerland with mentions of the United States, Brazil and Jamaica.

How do these two strangers find each other and intertwine their lives is the mystery and as the story progresses, I found myself wondering if there was a deeper connection that neither one knew about and was their meeting really just a coincidence.

Since I am a Koontz fan, I of course have to recommend this one as his other books. I personally wanted to finish this book in one sitting and once really got into it could not help but page through it faster and faster. Books that grab my attention like that are awesome and I hope some of you will feel the same way about it as I do.

"False Memory" By Dean Koontz

Title: False Memory
Author: Dean Koontz
Published Year: 1999
Pages: 751

Here is the Dean Koontz that I first feel in love with, well in love with his writings of course. The first book of his that I ever read is The Door to December and once I read that book, I was hooked. That of course was during my freshman year of high school in 1999 which is the same year that this book is published in. Koontz has a lot of talent and does not always write about the same things, however all of the works of his that I have read are suspenseful and addicting. I have yet to come across one that I do not like.

Now to get back to the book that is the focus of this entry. False Memory is not just your ordinary suspenseful novel, it is a well written psychology thriller that kept me turning page after page. I did not want to put the book down and I wanted to continually know what was going on and what was going to happen next.

Strange events start taking place in the lives of the main characters, a housepainter, a video game designer, and the housepainter's delinquent brother along with countless other characters that come and go throughout the book. These strange events mainly deal with things affecting the memory function of their brains like missing time, strange occurrences and new phobias that appear out of no where. As you get deeper into the book, you will find out the reasoning behind this and then will follow the main characters' pursuit to find a solution to the problem and who is behind this terror that has inflicted their lives. Who to trust and why they have been singled out becomes a focus in their lives and the book takes you along the path of suspense and action as they are trying to find these answers. No one is safe and no one can be trusted. As paranoid as this sounds, Koontz makes it all sound realistic.

Remember The Manchurian Candidate? If you do, take a trip down a similar journey.If you do not, experience something new and then look into that work as well.