Goldman's Theorem by R.J. Stern

I have a suspicion that Ron Stern is a great guy to hang out with. A full-time mathematics professor at Concordia University in Montreal, Prof. Stern decided to write a novel a few years back. According to the 2009 press release from Concordia,  "Stern's goal was to write something satirical and over-the-top, but that still spoke truth about academia. The 'feel' of the story might be described as The Big Lebowsky meets Sideways in a campus novel."

My take? This is the work of an interesting academic who likes to push his personal boundaries, which explains why a mathematician is dabbling with fiction. As for the final product? Well, the novel leaves much to be desired, even if it is funny in parts.

Goldman's Theorem tells the story of Simon Goldman, a mathematics professor in the fictional University of Northern Vermont near the Canada - United States border. After years of apparent inactivity, Goldman announces that he has cracked the P versus NP Problem, which is one of the millennium problems. The news sparks a flurry of activity from the university's administrators who are eager to capitalize on this breakthrough. Yet amidst this joy from the university community, doubts begin to emerge on whether the proof is accurate.

This book left me with mixed feelings. When I first started reading it I thought it was terrible. It's true that Stern wanted to write a comedic book that poked fun at academic administrators, and that the slapstick humour was presented on purpose. This desire for high comedy, however, seemed to me like a veiled attempt to hide literary naivety. Stern is an accomplished mathematician, but an experienced fiction writer he is not, which comes across clearly in this book.

Nevertheless, things picked up about half-way through the story. Certain passages were quite funny and the writing significantly improved. My thoughts are that Stern got better as an author as he practiced writing fiction, which is why the second-half is much better than the first. As a result, by the end of the book, I become quite interested in the characters and the final outcome. That being said, if I had to do it again, I probably would not have picked up this book.

2 1/2 out of 5 stars

Body of Intuition by Claire Daniels

I read this novel by accident. While logging onto my online library account, I noticed that there was an interlibrary loan book on hold for me. Not recognizing the title, I called the library to make sure there hadn't been a mistake. I was told that there was no error and that I had reserved the book.

I then went to the library to pick up the book and immediately saw that someone else's name was on the interlibrary loan reservation sheet. Instead of returning the book, however, I decided to read the plot summary on the back cover. The story revolves around a character called Calypso Lazar ("call me Cally") who is a former lawyer turned new-age healer. After one of her clients describes how her husband died in an apparent suicide at an intimacy workshop, Cally decides to investigate and soon discovers that the death was the result of murder.

This oddball plot was so corny I had to give it a shot. I don't know what I was expecting, but I soon discovered that this is a terrible novel. The writing is atrocious, the characters one-dimensional, the dialogue so cheesy I could barely believe it, and the narrative pace very choppy. In fact, at times I felt that this was the work of a high school student rushing through an English assignment instead of the work of a professional author. The only positive thing I can say about this book is that the story idea is highly imaginative and the main character is a quirky, if implausible, creation.

1 out of 5 stars

Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea by Guy Delisle

Quebec City-born animator Guy Delisle spent two months in North Korea working for a French animation company. During his stay in Pyongyang, the capital of this isolated and remote country, he experienced first-hand its Stalinist-state.

In this excellent graphic novel, the reader is presented with a portrait of a country that lives in a completely different reality from the rest of humanity. In one particularly chilling section, Delisle is reading George Orwell's 1984 while staying in a creepy, run-down hotel built for foreigners. The juxtaposition between the fictitious dictatorship described by Orwell and the real-life horrors of North Korea (e.g. constant state control; prison camps; outrageous state propaganda that would be funny if not so tragic) was particularly disturbing.

This is a good work that provides a rare picture of this hermetic communist state. Overall, the animation is pretty good and the story captivating. If I had one criticism, however, it would be that Delisle's doesn't address the role that some Western countries have played in North Korea. For instance, on several occasions, the reader is told about how a French company worked on a certain project in the country. While critical of China's role in North Korea, the book does not comment about France's business relationship with Pyongyang. Given that this book is meant to be a personal memoir of his trip, perhaps this criticism is a bit unfair. Nevertheless, this thought did cross my mind after I finished the book which, overall, is quite good.

4 out of 5 stars

The Indian Clerk by David Leavitt

I am not sure how to react to this novel. Although it is beautifully written, impeccably researched and filled with several fascinating details, (the world painted here is so rich it could be an epic movie), this book still made me feel, "blah".

This novel is based on the incredible true story of Srinivasa Ramanujan, a self-taught mathematical genius who worked as a clerk in India, before being invited to Cambridge University after writing a letter to the famous English mathematician G.H. Hardy. In the ensuing pages, a vivid portrayal of England just prior and during World War I is presented, while a cast of famous characters (such as the renowned philosophers Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein, as well as the British mathematician John Littlewood) are scattered throughout the book.

So why am I so blasé about this story? The main problem is that Ramanujan, who is supposed to be the central focus of this book, comes across as an afterthought, playing second fiddle to Hardy's life. In fact, on various occasions, I had the sense that I was reading a literary biography of Hardy, rather than a novel about Ramanujan. As a result, after reading 478 pages, I still had no clear sense of who this brilliant Indian mathematician was, and instead was left with the sensation of having been given a long, generic sketch that could have been gathered by reading a Wikipedia entry.

The second problem with the novel is that it comes across as wooden in many parts. To use an image, the book reminded me of those stodgy, British-dramas that one only sees on TVO or PBS, and which despite looking interesting you never watch, because you know deep down inside that they will bore you. Coming to this realization after completing this book really upset me for I was really looking forward to reading it.

3 out of 5 stars

Music, in a Foreign Language by Andrew Crumey

This novel is very impressive. In a previous review, I was fairly critical of Andrew Crumey’s work. This book, however, made me see why so many critics have raved about this British author.

The captivating story revolves around two friends, Charles King and Robert Waters, as they struggle to live in a fictional police state in England. After publishing an underground pamphlet called Flood as youth, the two grow up to be professionals, with King becoming a physicist and Waters a historian. However, when Waters is tapped by the government to write a book on the English revolution in this alternate Britain, their subversive past catches up with them, and both are put under immense pressure to betray each other.

Besides this intriguing story, what really blew me away was the multilayered narrative style. The book is anchored by a mysterious narrator who, we are told, wants to write a novel about two people named Duncan and Giovanna who meet on a train. As Giovanna enters the train car, Duncan is reading a book by a surreal Italian writer called Alfredo Galli (who does not exist in real life). In due course, we learn that Waters is the father of Duncan, and the role that King plays in Duncan’s life.

The ensuing story is a collection of multi-layered plots that is beautifully written. There is the mysterious narrator (whose true identity we discover at the end of the book), the story within Alfredo Galli’s fictional novel that Duncan reads while on the train, the thoughts of Duncan, who is seeking to find the truth about his father's death, and the relationship between King and Waters, who must grapple with defending their friendship from betrayal. Like a beautiful musical work with several layers, this rich story blends and weaves various plots together to tell a wonderful story.

5 out of 5 stars

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa (Translated from the Japanese by Stephen Snyder)

A housekeeper is hired to take care of an old mathematics professor with a head injury. Due to a car accident in 1975, the professor’s memories stop in that year and any new memories are limited to 80-minutes. Once this period of time has passed, the new memories are replaced with other experiences that are 80-minutes long, in a process that is repeated endlessly. This lack of short-term memory, however, is compensated by the professor’s ability to maintain his mathematical knowledge, which he puts to constant use in the various math puzzle contests that he enters.

The professor’s sister-in-law explains this strange situation to the housekeeper before she begins her job. The sister then retreats to her house where she is no longer seen, leaving the housekeeper to take care of the professor – who lives in a neighbouring cottage – all by herself.

So each morning, as she arrives for work, the housekeeper must reintroduce herself to the professor, whose suit is filled with notes that remind him of important things, many of them mathematical, but others about new realities such as the presence of the housekeeper. From this unusual dynamic a beautiful friendship is born. The relationship becomes even stronger when the housekeeper’s son (who the professor calls “Root” because his flat head reminds him of the square root sign, a fact that he writes down in a note that is clipped onto his suit with a binder clip), begins to come to the cottage. The ensuing interactions between the three awaken a love of math in the housekeeper and her son, as they both come to see the beauty in numbers, and also the kind heart and soft nature of the professor.

In this lovely and touching novel, Yoko Ogawa paints a beautiful portrait filled with tenderness, true friendship and the wonder of mathematics. This book also declares that even in a world where memory is short (in this case, only 80-minutes long) humanity can still flourish, and friendship nurtured by the magic and wonder of numbers.

5 out of 5 stars

Mobius Dick by Andrew Crumey

When this book was published in 2004 it was hailed as a brilliant novel. The British press in particular went gaga, as they gushed over the complicated tale based on quantum mechanics. My opinion is less sanguine. While conceding that it is very well written, this is not the ground-breaking work that so many reviewers described.

The story revolves around a physicist named John Ringer and the idea that parallel universes are possible. This idea is made plausible by a plot line involving a corporation that wants to use quantum computers to build a global communication network. When approached by a former student who is working to establish this network, Ringer replies that the quantum computers, if ever put into effect, could cause irreparable harm to the fabric of reality as they could unleash a wave of parallel worlds crashing into each other.

Within this context, the reader is faced with a whirlwind of characters that include, among others, the physicist Erwin Schrödinger, the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, the composer Robert Schuman and the writer Herman Melville. These scenes overlap with the story of John Ringer, as he visits a remote village in northern Scotland.

As a science fiction fan this book should be right up my alley. Furthermore, given that Crumey is an excellent writer (the narrative flow is quite good) this would seem like a certain home run. When I finished the novel, however, I couldn't help but shrug my shoulders.

To begin with, this book does not deal with a ground-breaking theme. The Schrödinger's Cat Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson, which was first published in the late 1970s, discussed parallel universes and the implications of quantum mechanics. The famous Schrödinger cat experiment, meanwhile, which plays a key role in Crumey’s book, has appeared in numerous other books. This doesn't mean that writers should shy away from quantum mechanics. In fact, as a sci-fi fan I would argue the opposite. However, we also can't pretend that this novel deals with previously unexplored themes.

On a more annoying note, Crumey occasionally descends into moments of banality. For instance, some of his sex scenes are pointless, while certain pieces of dialogue come across as blather. It’s as if Crumey, who has a PhD in theoretical physics, assumes that he can’t explain certain ideas to a regular reader (he could be right), so he throws in mindless dribble for amusement (which is annoying). To use an analogy, it’s like a cutting-edge comic who suddenly loses his intelligent creativity and in a moment of panic reverts to fart jokes.

This book is definitely ambitious and deals with a subject that is quite hard. (You try to write a novel based on quantum mechanics and parallel universes involving, inter alia, classical musicians, philosophers, physicists and members of the Nazi party). Credit must therefore be given where it's due as this book does aim to be intelligent. Just because a book is ambitious, however, does not make it good, and simply because a novel is well written does not mean it is a masterpiece.

3 out of 5 stars

Pythagoras’ Revenge: A Mathematical Mystery by Arturo Sangalli

This could have been a good novel. Unfortunately, weak writing and an inconsistent narrative flow undermine what is an otherwise interesting premise.

The story begins with a curious job interview between Jule Davidson, a mathematics professor at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, and a mysterious man who calls himself Mr. Smith. After passing a peculiar math test, Davidson is offered a strange job that is connected to the famous ancient Greek mathematician Pythagoras. In due course, the reader discovers that a manuscript from Pythagoras (who in real life left no written records) might exist.

The original plot revolves around various elements. There is a modern-day, neo-Pythagorean sect that is searching for the reincarnation of Pythagoras. Parallel to this religious search, Elmer Galway, a professor of classical history at Oxford University, discovers an Arabic scroll that hints at a written manuscript by the ancient Greek master. Then there is the world renowned mathematical genius Norton Thorp who proves than the vast majority of math problems are unsolvable. How all of these pieces fit together is the point of the book.

That is why it is disappointing that the storytelling is so jarring and jumpy. Characters are introduced and then discarded quickly, only to re-emerge later in a clunky way. Narrative pieces that should weave together nicely instead come across as awkward. Then there is the ending that seems rushed (one gets the impression that the author just wanted to finish the novel), which is too bad, as the idea behind the finale is quite interesting.

This book would have been a lot better if it had undergone a more thorough editing process. Some of the ideas are intriguing, such as the “proof” by Thorp that a majority of mathematical problems are unsolvable, and then the implication elsewhere in the book that this is a false proof that has been presented for malevolent reasons. Instead of fleshing out this and other excellent ideas, however, the novel is undermined by a poor narrative, ho-hum writing and fairly wooden characters.

2 1/2 out of 5 stars

A Certain Ambiguity: A Mathematical Novel by Gaurav Suri and Hartosh Singh Bal

Awesome, absolutely awesome. This brilliant novel was a delight to read and I cannot recommend it enough. In the last month-and-a-half, I have been fortunate to come across several excellent books that have captivated my imagination. This fantastic story, however, is by far the best work of fiction that I have read in a long, long time.

This masterful tale revolves around Ravi Kapoor, a Stanford University student who by chance enrols in a course on infinity. Despite leaning towards a career in investment banking, Ravi befriends Nico, a jazz-loving math professor who encourages him to study mathematics and eschew the world of finance.

During the ensuing semester, Ravi discovers that his late grandfather Vijay Sahni, who was a mathematician, had been arrested in a small New Jersey town in 1919 for blasphemy. Surprised by this discovery, he begins to investigate the case which, to the surprise of him and his friends, shares common themes with Nico’s lecture on the infinite.

This book accomplishes so many things it is difficult to know where to start. First, the book explains complex math in a language that is accessible to everyone. Whether it’s the discussion on infinite levels of infinity, or the section dealing with non-Euclidean geometry, this book manages to describe high-level mathematics in an everyday tongue.

Second, this book touches on a myriad of powerful themes, such as the need by some people to find absolute truth in life; the role of faith in both science and religion; the power of friendship; the boundaries of human knowledge; and even hints of love. Page after page is filled with so many captivating ideas and thought provoking vignettes that it is sometimes difficult to keep up.

Finally, the philosophical and mathematical discussions are wrapped up in a wonderful story that is pure literature. The writing is exquisite, the pace of the story spot on and the characters are so alive they appear to be right in front of you. At times, the story was so engrossing I felt that I was beside Ravi and Nico as they discussed infinity, the meaning of life, the role of faith and the case of Ravi’s grandfather.

If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would. Easily the best book I have come across in years.

5 out of 5 stars

Pythagorean Crimes by Tefcros Michaelides (Translated from the Greek by Lena Cavanagh)

Michael Igerinos is shocked to hear that his best friend of 30 years, Stefanos Kantartzis, has been murdered. While interviewed by the police, Michael begins to recall his long-friendship with Stefanos, which begin in 1900, when both met as young men at the Second International Congress of Mathematics in Paris.

In the ensuing decades, both men share a myriad of adventures that see them drink in Montmartre with the then undiscovered Pablo Picasso, cross-paths with the famous Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec at the Moulin Rouge, share romances, fight in war, clash with a criminal gang involved in prostitution, and all the while discussing the latest advancements in mathematics.

Lurking in the shadows of this novel is the mysterious story of Hippasus of Mesapontum, the ancient Greek philosopher who legend has it was killed by the Pythagorean sect after he discovered that the square root of two, and hence the Pythagorean Theorem, was irrational. Does Hippasus’ death contain any clues on the murder of Stefanos? Or was his death simply the result of an act of revenge by an embittered criminal? This fascinating story filled with mathematicians, painters, poets, pimps, prostitutes, soldiers and rich upper class snobs provides a captivating answer. Michaelides's has produced a wonderful work that manages to combine complex mathematics with brilliant literature. A true triumph.

5 out of 5 stars

The Parrot’s Theorem by Denis Guedj (Translated from the French by Frank Wynne)

Max Liard was in a Paris flea market when he noticed two men trying to catch a parrot. Disturbed by the fight between men and bird, the young Max, who is deaf, decides on the spot to save the colourful wing creature. This interesting scene is the opening act in a highly original novel that manages to recite the history of mathematics, while simultaneously doubling as a mystery book.

The story revolves around the Parisian bookstore of Mr. Ruche, an elderly wheelchair-bound man who lives with a woman named Perrette and her three children, one of which is Max. One day Mr. Ruche receives a letter from Elgar Grosrouvre, an old friend who he hasn’t seen in decades and who lives in Brazil. In his note, Elgar tells his former wartime comrade (both fought together during World War Two) that he was sending him a vast library of mathematical books, comprised of volumes that were published over a span of hundreds of years.

Surprised by the arrival of this gem of a collection, Mr. Ruches soon finds out that his old friend Elgar was working on ground-breaking mathematical proofs, but for reasons that are unclear died in a fire in his home in Manaus. Was it murder? Suicide? An accident? And what does the parrot have to do with all of the strange events in Brazil and the two men in the Paris flea market? While this mystery forms the backbone of the story, the real meat of the book lies with Mr. Ruche’s “presentations” on the history of mathematics to Perrette and her children that are based on Elgar’s library.

This book, which was originally written in French, is reminiscent of Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder, which outlined the history of philosophy through a highly imaginative novel. The Parrot’s Theorem echoes Gaarder’s classic work by showing how math evolved from the ancient Greeks to the 20th century. For the reader, this brilliant story turns the history of mathematics into a piece of literature that is full of romance, obsessions, tragedy and genius. If I had one critique, however, it is the somewhat weak ending. While the original plot and history of mathematics makes this a must read, the weak finale takes away from what is otherwise a brilliant book. 

4 out of 5 stars

The Sand-Reckoner by Gillian Bradshaw

The great Archimedes, arguably the most brilliant mathematician of Ancient Greece, is thriving in the intellectual hotbed of Alexandria when he hears the tragic news: His beloved father has fallen gravely ill and he must return to his native Syracuse. To make matters worse, his hometown is now at war with the Roman Empire, casting a menacing cloud over his family, friends and neighbours.

This intelligent and intriguing novel is set in 264 BC during the First Punic War. Archimedes and his slave Marcus (note: large parts of this story are fictionalized) arrive in Syracuse after spending three years in Ptolemy’s Museum in Alexandria. Eager to help in the defense of his home city, the young Greek quickly impresses with his engineering genius. His catapults are so powerful they are considered to be the strongest in the world, a view that is quickly confirmed when they crush invading Roman troops. His knowledge of mechanics, meanwhile, allows him to stun his fellow citizens of Syracuse by moving a ship with a lever. In the midst of battle, family sorrow and displays of technical brilliance, Archimedes learns about love, true friendship, loyalty and the horror of war.

Gillian Bradshaw is a wonderful writer who has a delightful eye for detail. In this excellent novel, she brings Ancient Greece to life and is able to take the reader into the heart of Archimedes’ home. Although the ending was a tad too soap operaish for my taste, I was still drawn in by this book and really enjoyed reading it.

4 out of 5 stars

Wonder by Robert J. Sawyer

Robert J. Sawyer is a wonderful novelist and one of my favourite science fiction writers. When I open up one of his books I expect to read an intriguing story chock-full of brilliant ideas. This high standard explains why I was disappointed with this novel.

Like much of his previous work, this tale tackles a fascinating concept and – at least at the beginning – is a page-turner. Describing the story of Webmind, a vast consciousness that emerges from the complex network of the World Wide Web, Sawyer presents an intriguing plot line that is half-AI speculative fiction, half-action novel. For amidst the birth of this new sentient being is a top Pentagon military official by the name of Colonel Hume who becomes convinced that Webmind is a threat to the world. To counter this danger, he begins to search through the hacker underground for computer experts that can shut down this new intelligence. Meanwhile, a blind 16-year-old teenage girl named Caitlin Decter who first discovers Webmind aims to protect her "friend" from the forces that want to destroy it.

So far so good. Then, about a third of the way into the book, the story starts to break down. Instead of advancing the plot with his usual skill, Sawyer begins to use his characters as mere excuses to present his ideas on artificial intelligence. As the book progresses, the story and characters become less and less important, until the reader is left wondering what the purpose of the novel is, i.e. to tell a story or to express ideas.

Science fiction writing cannot forget its dual parts. The "science" (which this book does very well) is meant to capture the readers’ attention with far-reaching and thought provoking concepts. The "fiction" element is meant to present these ideas in an interesting literary form. This book (to my surprise) sacrificed the story at the altar of the scientific idea. The result is that characters that were initially interesting devolved into plot robots with little personality of their own.

1 1/2 out of 5 stars

The Wild Numbers by Philibert Schogt

Feeling that he has failed as a mathematician, Isaac Swift retreats to his apartment to wallow in his sorrow. Alone in his study, he begins to work on Beauregard’s Wild Number Problem, a puzzle that has stumped mathematicians for centuries. As he slowly searches for a solution, his intellectual quest drives him to the brink of madness until (to his complete shock) he writes a proof.

After overcoming his initial disbelief of what he has done, Isaac approaches his university colleague, and world renowned math genius, Dimitri to review his work. With painstaking detail, Dimitri reviews the proof step-by-step, until concluding that his fellow professor has found the secret to one of the world’s most important problems. Lost amid the joy of this discovery, however, are the deranged fantasies of a mature student named Mr. Vale, who accuses Isaac of plagiarizing his solution to the Wild Number Problem. Quick to maintain his innocence, Isaac must deal with Mr. Vale’s erratic threats, while also maintaining in check his own descent into lunacy.

This book is a captivating read that highlights the fine line between genius and madness, success and failure. Though heavily focused on mathematics, the story is accessible to all readers, and can capture the imagination of a wide audience. As well, while the writing does sound wooden at times, the story has an excellent pace that captivates to the end. It also handles a difficult subject matter in an entertaining an accessible way, and also leaves the reader thinking about whether poor Isaac has truly gone mad.

3 1/2 out of 5 stars

An Invisible Sign Of My Own by Aimee Bender

Mona Gray is a 20-year-old, Grade 2 math teacher with curious habits: a compulsive need to knock on things, whether trees, walls or desks; a desire to quit everything that she is good at (except for math); and a knack of noticing strange things, like the unusual practice of Mr. Jones (her former school math teacher and now owner of the town hardware store), who wears wax necklaces of individual numbers that switch daily to indicate his changing moods.

In the background to this offbeat life, is the shadow of Mona’s father who has been sick for years with an unspecified illness. He hovers over Mona’s thoughts and feelings, and is omnipresent when she interacts with her seven-year-old students and other teachers, especially Mr. Smith, the new science teacher who is bound to be fired in no time.

This book is spectacular. Despite being only her second novel, the writing comes across as the work of a master. The literary flow in this book is so good that you sometimes forget that you are reading a story and start to imagine that you are peeking into the mind of a peculiar woman, who comes across as both brilliant and simple, insightful and hopefully naïve. Without a doubt this is a gem and a delight to read. An excellent work that is in a class of its own.

5 out of 5 stars            

Coyote Moon by John A. Miller

After watching his brilliant and close friend Arthur Hodges die, (a world renowned thinker who held an endowed chair of mathematics at MIT), quantum physicist Benny Rhodes has an epiphany: He must quit his job as a university professor and divorce his wife. In what seems like a flash instant, he leaves Boston and travels across the country where he meets a woman who is more than 30 years younger in the parking lot of a drugstore in Oklahoma after their cars collide. The new couple soon find themselves in a trailer park in the Mojave desert, where they meet a strange German couple who believe (or at least the husband does) that they have all come together for a special, perhaps even mystical, reason.

Meanwhile, in Scottsdale, Arizona, a mysterious young man just out of the army, and who has never played formal organized baseball in his life, shows up at the training camp of the Oakland A’s. First dismissed as a nonentity, the player is told flat out that he has no chance of making the team. But when his playing ability reveals him to be a bona fide superstar (some are so shocked by his skill that they wonder if he made a pack with the devil) he is quickly offered a professional contract. Even weirder than his raw talent, however, is his bizarre mathematical ability, and his knowledge of advanced physics. When the player finds himself in the trailer park in the Mojave desert, a debate ensues about whether he is the reincarnation of a scientific genius.

This wonderfully original book was a pure joy to read. With amazing literary skill and a wonderful imagination, John Miller has written a book that is worthy of extensive praise. If this novel were a symphony, it would receive a standing ovation for several minutes from an adoring audience.

5 out of 5 stars

The Fractal Murders by Mark Cohen

Three math professors in three different U.S. states are found dead. At first glance, none of the cases appear related, except for the odd fact that all three were experts of fractal geometry. Convinced that this link is not a mere coincidence, math professor Jayne Smyers from Boulder, Colorado, hires private detective (and former Marine JAG) Pepper Keane to investigate.

In the ensuing search, Pepper finds himself travelling to several states, taking a road trip with his best friend, and unravelling a mathematical secret that was designed to beat the stock market. As he gets closer to the truth about the three dead professors, he finds himself falling in love with the affable Prof. Smyers, all the while working through the fascinating (but poorly written!) philosophical classic Being and Time from the German philosopher Martin Heidegger.

This fast-paced novel is a fun read that will appeal to mystery fans and lovers of math / philosophy alike. A good, fun book that is worth picking up.

3 out of 5 stars

Why Swim With the Sharks: An Unconventional Guide to Early Retirement by Diana Salomaa and Henry Dembicki

Every once in a while you read a book that makes you think differently about about life. This is one of those books. In this easy to read work, some of the most common myths about retirement are debunked. Among the so-called "truths" that are shown to be false are the following: a) You need at least 70 per cent of your pre-retirement income to retire; b) You need a million dollars (or more) nest egg to retire; and c) Don't count on public pensions to meet the bulk of your retirement.

As made clear in this book, these "truths" are in reality myths that are perpetuated by financial institutions who have a vested interest in selling their products to the public. Consequently, instead of getting unbiased advice on how to save for retirement, Canadian's are constantly being bombarded by incorrect information.

For example, the 70 per cent rule quoted above is a common rule of thumb. Yet the problem with this rule is that it assumes that a retired person will have the same level of expenses when they stop working as during their wage-earning years. In reality, the daily cost of living for a retired person is much lower. To demonstrate this point ask yourself the following question: How much money do I currently live on once I subtract the mortgage, car payments and contributions to RRSPs, RESPs, CPP and EI? Now, what would my life be like if I didn't have any debt nor had to save? If you can pay off your house and car before you retire, then it's completely realistic to think that you can retire on less than 70 per cent of your pre-retirement income. This is even more true when we recall that a retired person can avoid spending money of CPP, EI, RRSPs and other savings.

Based on well-thought out arguments and practical advice, this book is a must-read for anyone who does not want to buy into the rat race. It also makes the indispensable point that money is only one component of retirement. Other factors, such as having strong relations with your family and friends, as well as having interests outside of the office, are critical to a happy retirement.

That said, I don't agree with everything in this book. For example, the suggestion to write down everything that you spend (even right down to the penny) seems excessive. I tried this technique and I found that it produces a lot of work for little return. Personally speaking, I find that a budget achieves the same ends without causing me to be overly anal. Overall, however, I found this book to be an excellent resource and recommend it.

4 out of 5 stars

The Lazy Investor by Derek Foster

I don't want to be snide, but this book could have been called, The Lazy Author: How to write a sequel without making a new point.

For those who don't know, Derek Foster shot to fame when he published his first book, Stop Working: Here's How you Can!, in 2005. The book chronicled how Foster was able to retire at age 34 by investing in strong, dividend-paying stocks. The book was intriguing and containing several excellent investment tips.

The Lazy Investor is Foster's follow-up book and contains an explanation on how to enroll in SPPs (stock purchase plans) and DRIPs (dividend reinvestment plans). It also has a section on how to teach children about money. The section of SPPs and DRIPs is interesting, but by no means groundbreaking. The discussion on children, meanwhile, is highly questionable. For instance, Foster is not a proponent of registered education savings plans (RESPs) which is fair enough. His "analysis" of why his hold this position, however, is very weak, as his "calculations" of future education costs come across as blue-sky chit-chat rather than firm financial analysis. As a case in point: Foster predicts that it will be easier for young people to find part-time work in the future because of the impending retirements of the baby boomers. Consequently, his children should be able to partly-fund their education in the future, which reduces the need to invest in RESPs. This may or may not be true, but this "logic" is not conclusive proof of anything. This is something you would say while having a beer with friends, but not a rigorous financial analysis when making an investment decision.

The rest of the book contains a lot of information that can be useful, e.g. only investing in Canada, concentrating on dividend paying stocks, living frugally and only buying stocks for recession resistant companies. However, all of this information was already in his first book, so this discussion does not add anything new. Furthermore, I found the writing style to be grating at times. To use an analogy, reading this book is like reading the blog of a bright but self-centered high school student, i.e. while containing some interesting points, the tone is very casual, the simplistic explanations try to come across as expert advice, and the context is always self-referential. In fact, I got the sense that Foster wrote this book so he could tell the world how great he is, and how lucky we are hear his great investing tips.

Now, to be fair, I did enjoy Foster's first book, and as such am interesting in reading his other works. That being said, I would not recommend The Lazy Investor as it is, well, a lazy book.

1 1/2 out of 5 stars

How to Pay Less and Keep More for Yourself by Rob Carrick

As the personal finance columnist for the Globe and Mail, Rob Carrick has been writing about about financial issues for almost two decades. The author of four separate books, including two on E-trading and investing, he is a renowned expert in his field.

In this book, Carrick provides practical advice on how Canadians can lower the fees that they pay on a wide rage of financial products, from chequing accounts, mutual funds and stock commissions, to interest rates on consumer debt and mortgages. By finding ways to lower these fees, the book shows how investors can increase their real rate of return, and in the process also find the best financial instruments for them.

Overall this book is very helpful and accessible to all types of investors. Whether you are a young, internet savvy stock trader, or an older, more conservative investor who prefers face-to-face meetings instead of online banking, you will find something useful in this book. As a person who does almost all of his banking online, I really liked the explanation on why TD's e-series mutual funds are an excellent investment option.

If I had one critic, however, it is that the book sometimes loses its focus by providing investing advice on how to allocate assets. While Carrick's recommendations are interesting, (e.g. there is a section on how investors can build a personal pension fund with exchange-traded funds), this side-discussion does not really advance the main point of the book, which is to educate investors on how to stop paying so much money in bank charges, commissions and other fees. That being said, this minor critique does not take away from the fact that this is an excellent book.

4 out of 5 stars