How about new book suggestions for 2008?

I would recommend Sin in the Second City by Karen Abbott. The non-fiction book is about two sisters who started the world famous brothel the Everleigh Club in Chicago, IL.

The other book I can recommend is The Sushi Economy by Sasha Issenberg a culinary biography on the makings of a modern delicacy and its global impact/reach. A really fascinating book, where you learn a quite a bit of information, from how Tuna is sold at the famous Tsukiji Market in Japan, to the origins of how Nobu got his start and became the world renowned, etc.

Good Luck!
R

If you’re geo-politically inclined I’d suggest The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein. I’m nearly done this book and I’m left speechless. Klein puts pretty much every academic I’ve ever read to shame – her research is air-tight and best of all her writing is very accessible.

On the lighter side (but still with a point) is an older book by one of my favourite authors: Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams. I think its the only non-fiction Adams ever wrote but its seething with his wit and intelligence. Basically, he and a man named Mark Carwardine travel the globe documenting species on the brink of extinction. He very skilfully instils a sense of urgency and amazement all the while being ridiculously funny.

And finally, for those of us who ever worked in the dot com bubble or at a video game company, I would highly suggest jPod by Douglas Coupland. The book is a crazy story of a few cubicle workers at a Vancouver game company. Its also full of what I guess you could call typographical art. Sometimes entire pages are devoted to one word or a million iterative numbers in sequence. They’re all over the book and always relevant to the story.

In Defense of Food , by Michael Pollan.

@occ: Is Michael Pollan still eating food?

The Spirit Molecule by Rick Strassman

I am a huge fan of the fantasy/ science-fiction category, and in that sense i would recommend anything by Neil Gaiman, specifically Good Omens, Anansi Boys, or Neverwhere.

the Bible is surprisingly entertaining as a fun read.