About Netsurfer Books

Netsurfer Books is a bi-monthly e-zine offering short reviews of books and related items. We include listings based on recommendations from our staff and reviews from other individuals. Are we bribed to include any of these items? No. Do we receive a commission if you purchase an item through one of the links included here? Yes. Are we waiting to hear from you about what you'd like to see reviewed? Definitely.

EDITOR'S CHOICE

The Man With the $100,000 Breasts

The Man With the $100,000 Breasts
Michael Kronik
Huntington Pr; ISBN: 0929712722

Admit it. The name grabbed your attention, right? Well, this book offers more than a titillating title. I'd wager that this clever collection of true tales of professional, debatably insane, and/or compellingly compulsive gamblers scores with readers. "...The book is a dazzling read, start to finish. Each of the stories is a well-conceived stand-alone piece of prose, just right for a short peek into a fascinating universe." - Independent Publisher

SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY

A Boy and His Tank

A Boy and His Tank
Leo Frankowski
Baen Books; ISBN: 0671577964

Here's a light-hearted sci fi tale. The hero elects to be an armed forces inductee -- and bonds with a female tank rather than go for other options (e.g. becoming fertilizer). It's "full of guns, girls, and galactic adventure, and Frankowski throws in a surprise ending that will make you either laugh or cry." - Amazon.com

Little Green Men

Little Green Men
Christopher Buckley
Random House; ISBN: 0679452931

Another comedy classic from the Buckmeister! This novel stars a rather pompous TV talk-show emcee and an extremely secretive government agency. Toss in some faked alien abductions, and you've got "a highly amusing and likable entertainment" - Kirkus Reviews

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Survival of the Prettiest

Survival of the Prettiest
Nancy Etcoff
Doubleday; ISBN: 0385478542

This Harvard scientist/psychologist takes on the beauty culture and creates an entertaining and educational read in her dissection of pretty girls (and men, too). It "is the first book to pull all of the science on beauty into one lively yet thoughtful package." - The New York Times Book Review

Real World Photoshop 5: Industrial Strength Production Techniques

Real World Photoshop 5: Industrial Strength Production Techniques
David Blatner, Bruce Fraser
Addison-Wesley Pub Co; ISBN: 020135375X

Even if you consider yourself a Photoshop pro, this polished book can give you a leg up (or perhaps a drawing hand up would be a more appropriate image) on the competition. The focus is on maximizing your production environment - and minimizing the pain. "Its raison d'etre is to answer the questions that people in production environments ask every single day (and not without some frustration)," say the authors.

Windows Networking Basics

Windows Networking Basics
Kenneth Gregg
IDG Books Worldwide; ISBN: 0764532146

This guide focuses on teaching you the basics of Windows networking, including the local and wide area networks, peer-to-peer computer networks, and dedicated servers. Also covered are network topologies and technologies; and different options for hardware, operating system, and Internet software. The author, a computer engineer/consultant who spent five years with Microsoft's Windows NT product group, also discusses Windows 98 issues, troubleshooting, and back-up plans.

NONFICTION

Pickup Trucks

Pickup Trucks
Justin Lukach
Black Dog & Leventhal Pub; ISBN: 1579120113

Not for truck lovers only. This gorgeous all-hail to the "history of the great American vehicle" is an "oversize, coffee-table-worthy tome loaded with hundreds of great pickupsThere's tons of detailed informationbut the photographs are the real attraction, capturing both pristinely restored contoured classics and abandoned beauties slowly rusting behind country barns." - Maxim Magazine

Encouraging the Heart: A Leader's Guide to Rewarding and Recognizing Others

Encouraging the Heart: A Leader's Guide to Rewarding and Recognizing Others
James M. Kouzes, Barry Z. Posner
Simon & Schuster; ISBN: 0787941840

Want to be a better boss, the kind who has loyal, productive staffers? Then check out the tips in this book, which "includes a test to determine your encouragement skills, as well as 150 tips." - Orlando Sentinel

Bootstrapper's Bible: How to Start and Build a Business With a Great Idea and (Almost) No Money

Bootstrapper's Bible: How to Start and Build a Business With a Great Idea and (Almost) No Money
Seth Godin
Upstart Pub Co; ISBN: 157410103X

If you build it (and can fund it), they will come...Well, maybe you don't need the big bucks. "This aptly titled book is all about...where to find capital and mentors, how to make the most of what you do have, and how to succeed, not just survive." - Orange County Register

The Orchid Thief

The Orchid Thief
Susan Orlean
Random House; ISBN: 0679447393

This much-acclaimed book examines the obsessions and quirks of orchid growers, collectors, and, most notably, thieves. The author, "an intrepid sociologist among the orchid fanatics, is also a poetic observer...But the most compelling sections of this fascinating book are those that deal with the orchids themselves." The Wall Street Journal

Bird by Bird : Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Bird by Bird : Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Anne Lamott
Anchor; ISBN: 0385480016

Fantasizing about becoming a writer? Then you need this book. "Lamott gently explodes the fantasy that writing will solve all of a fledgling author's problems--an ailing bank account, low self-esteem--and at the same time argues that writing ``does turn out to be its own reward.'' Offering time-tested tips, Lamott intersperses stories and prose from her own experience that delight with insight and descriptive acumen." - Kirkus Associates

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff at Work

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff at Work
Richard Carlson
Simon & Schuster (Audio); ISBN: 0671582798

Slip this audio tape into your car's cassette player, click the On button, and learn how to ease the inevitable "speed bumps" of your professional life. Carlson reads his book in a relaxed, gentle tone that can make even that jerk in the next cubicle seem less like "big stuff." So why sweat it?

For the Time Being

For the Time Being
Annie Dillard
Knopf; ISBN: 0375403809

The talented Dillard stirs up another thought-provoking brew with this intriguing collection of "Ecclesiastes-like series of examinations. One of those very rare works that will bear rereading and rereading again, each time revealing something new of itself."

FICTION

The Last Goodbye

The Last Goodbye
Malcolm Bell
St Martins Pr (Trade); ISBN: 0312193106

Bye, bye, Mr. American Pie. This spy story by a former government employee features "a globetrotting ex-CIA agent, a passionate dental assistant, and high-tech gadgets galore "Hokey, frivolous fun for fans of sadistic bad guys and deathless James Bond heroics." - Kirkus Associates

Single & Single

Single & Single
John Le Carre
Scribner; ISBN: 0684859262

Another gripping tale from this clever chronicler of crime, spies, and other adrenalin-loving folks. For his 17th novel, Le Carre scrutinizes the greedy going-ons of the financial world and "provides a fascinating journey through the new landscape of corruption." - Time Magazine

Birds of America

Birds of America
Lorrie Moore
Knopf; ISBN: 0679445978

This beautifully written collection of stories by one of the most talented contemporary writers will entertain, amaze, and bedazzle you. "Birds of America, especially its three final stories, will stand by itself as one of our funniest, most telling anatomies of human love and vulnerability." - The New York Times Book Review

Charming Billy

Charming Billy
Alice McDermott
Delta; ISBN: 038533334X

McDermott's unusual novel examines the tales we tell in the pursuit of good intentions. She writes with grace, in an almost poetic style. The multi-dimensional layers of family beliefs and histories are delicately probed in this book, which is "immensely accomplished and pleasurable." - The New Yorker

The Marching Season : A Novel

The Marching Season : A Novel
Daniel Silva
Random House; ISBN: 0375500898

This fictional thriller features Northern Ireland, the CIA, and a page-turning cast of characters. It's a "rousing.. tale...with...some movie-tense action sequences, a hero worth rooting for and a few lucky members of the supporting cast." - Kirkus

BIOGRAPHY

All Too Human: A Political Education

All Too Human: A Political Education
George Stephanopoulos
Little Brown & Company; ISBN: 0316929190

George, Porgie, Pudding and Pie, Kissed the Girls…oops, no, that was his boss, Billy C. This tell-all tattles on the political and personal soap opera that formed Clinton's first term in the White House. And when you have one of Clinton's closest staff members writing the story, the White House seems more like a goldfish bowl. Fascinating.

Scars of Sweet Paradise

Scars of Sweet Paradise
Alice Echols
Metropolitan Books; ISBN: 0805053875

Can you say "psychedelic rock singer rocks" three times fast? Well, the often inebriated Janice Joplin could have sung it, sister. As Echols shows in this book, Joplin's sadly short life was packed with the most jagged of highs and lows. In documenting Joplin's life, Echols has created "the definitive Janis Joplin biography." - Salon Magazine