Nobody, and I mean nobody, captured the essence of the sixties on paper as well as Joan Didion.  And it's not just the topic material that makes the book worthwhile.  Didion is, in my opinion, THE best American essayist to come along since she started publishing.

For the most part, this book was written while Didion lived in California (she currently resides in NYC).  The subjects of the essays -- from domestic crime in San Bernardino, CA to the not-of-this-earth San Francisco scene of the late sixties -- are interesting in and of themselves.  Taken as a whole, the book opens windows looking out on the character of the times and the peculiar, unreal characteristics of California in general.  In other words it goes a long way towards explaining why I, and many other Los Angelenos, think the place is just plain weird.

Highest possible recommendation.  If you get bored reading these essays, medical attention is your only hope. 

Alain De Botton's commonsense explanations of the ideas of Socrates, Nietzsche and other heavy-hitting philosophers is a great introduction to philosophy.  He explains the ideas, the men behind them, and their wider impacts in a down-to-earth fashion accessible to all kinds of readers.   He also does a great job of giving them context and explaining why, though they were born perhaps thousands of years ago, these ideas are still vitally important in the modern world.

Nothing beats the original source material, for sure, but everybody needs a little help cracking the covers from time to time.  De Botton's book is not "Philosophy for Dummies" -- it's just an enjoyable way to get a textured introduction to the subject. 

Conspiracy theorists still passing around stories about the 2000 presidential election will love this book.  Roy Morris walks readers through the out and out (much more black and white than the 2000 election) theft of the 1876 election by Rutherford B. Hayes.  Samuel Tilden, not just the better choice for the office, but the surefire popular vote winner, lost the election to Hayes as money passed under the tables of smoky back room offices of electoral commissions from Oregon to Louisiana -- and, no joke, Florida.

Although Andrew Jackson charged John Quincy Adams with all kinds of electoral hijinx and shenanigans, the 1876 election is the first, solidly documented theft of the oval office.  And it's one of those stories that wasn't funny 130 years ago, but it's pretty funny now.

It's a solid, fun read that puts electoral politics into historical perspective and gives readers a great introduction to the little-known cogs and wheels (constitutionally mandated, of course) behind presidential elections.

Highest possible recommendation. 

Mark Bowden's Black Hawk Down is the most gripping story of modern warfare out there.

The book drops you into a crowded marketplace in the heart of Mogadishu, Somalia with the U.S. Special Forces -- and puts you in the middle of the most intense firefight American soldiers have fought in the modern era.

This mission, conducted in 1993 wasn't just a disaster for the Clinton administration.  It was a disaster for the 18 soldiers killed and the dozens wounded.  Against all odds and with little help from their leaders back at base, the soldiers in this operation showed honor on the battlefield and the character and fortitude that makes me proud of the sacrifices our soldiers make on our behalf.

Bowden's blow-by-blow description of the operation and its spiral into disaster hurts to read at some times, but ultimately venerates the sacrifices made by each and every one of the soldiers on the ground that day.

For those that like stories that fit into DVD players, Ridley Scott's adaptation of the book is superb.  And he doesn't pull any punches when he puts those soldiers' hell on screen.

Both book and film highly recommended, especially for those unfamiliar with the efforts our soldiers go to in order to defend our freedoms and liberties.