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

Personal Finance for Canadians for Dummies, 4th edition, by Eric Tyson and Tony Martin

This comprehensive book covers all areas of personal finance. Among the numerous topics covered (and there are many) are the following: how to pay down debt; cut back on expenses; save for retirement; invest in such financial instruments as the stock market, bonds, mutual funds and GICs; advice on purchasing insurance, whether life, home, auto or disability; how to decide if you need a financial planner, and if you do need one, how to go about finding the right planner for you; how to save for education; and how to assess financial information that you come across in newspapers, TV, the radio, newsletters and the Internet. In fact, this book is so complete, it could serve as a textbook for an introduction to personal finance class.

If you are looking for a good text that provides an overview of personal finance, then this book is for you. By explaining essential financial concepts and providing practical advice, this work is quite impressive. That being said, this book is less suitable for experienced investors, or those who are already well versed in the subject of personal finance. On the other hand, one cannot expect a "For Dummies" book to be written for experts!

5 out of 5 stars

Is Your Mortgage Tax Deductible: The Smith Manoeuvre by Fraser Smith

Would you like to make the interest on your mortgage tax-deductible? This book can show you how (or more precisely, how to convert your mortgage into an investment loan). Using a very creative approach, Fraser Smith explains how a reversible mortgage can be used to reduce one's taxes. In a nutshell, a reversible mortgage is a financial instrument that is comprised of two parts: first, the mortgage on the house; and second, a line of credit that allows a homeowner to borrow from the equity in their house. The line of credit increases as the principal on the house is paid down. For example, if you pay off $600 of principal in a month, then you can borrow $600 from the line of credit.

The trick to this strategy is found in the tax rule that allows Canadians to deduct interest from investment loans. Using this rule, if a homeowner uses their line of credit to purchase investments (e.g. stocks, mutual funds, investment properties, bonds, etc.), then they can deduct their interest payments on this line of credit from their taxes. As such, the strategy does not allow a person to deduct the interest on their mortgage per se from their taxes, but rather to deduct the interest on their credit line that is based on the amount of principal that has been paid off.

In the first step of the Smith Manoeuvre, a homeowner will use all of their tax refunds to pay down their mortgage as quickly as possible, and then borrows an amount equal to the paid-off principal to buy more investments. Through this process a person can convert their mortgage from a "bad debt" (i.e. a loan in which interest cannot be deducted) to an investment credit line that is a "good debt" (i.e. a loan in which interest is tax deductible).

In the second step, once the mortgage is paid off, the homeowner can either use the tax refunds on their investment line of credit to buy more investments, or decide to use their now sizeable investment portfolio to pay off their line of credit.

I liked this book because it proposes a very creative approach to investing. As long as you are comfortable with having the same amount of debt, (this strategy doesn't reduce debt, but  rather converts it from a non-deductible mortgage to a deductible investment line of credit), you can use the Smith Manoeuvre to build up an investment portfolio much faster than you could have otherwise.

On the downside, I found this book to be very, very repetitive, with the same point being recycled numerous times. As well, the rates of return that are projected are highly unrealistic. In several parts of the book examples are given with a rate of return of 10 per cent. In this economic climate, it is highly unlikely -- if not delusional -- to expect an investment portfolio to grow by 10 per cent per year. It is also unfortunate that Fraser Smith does not acknowledge the risks in his strategy. For instance, in 2008, anybody using this strategy could have found themselves holding onto an investment portfolio that was worth less than the value of their house, while still having to pay interest on an investment line of credit. Most people in this scenario would not be calmed with the knowledge that interest paid on this line of credit is tax deductible. That being said, this is an interesting concept and the book does prevent food for thought.

3 out of 5 stars

Enough Bull: How to Retire Well Without the Stock Market, Mutual Funds, or Even an Investment Advisor by David Trahair

The 2008 financial crisis convinced David Trahair that the stock market is too risky for anyone saving for retirement. After watching the investment portfolios of too many people evaporate into thin air, he wrote this book to make the case that one can ignore the stock market altogether and still retire comfortably. With interesting arguments, Trahair counsels that one should first pay off all debt (and in particular mortgage-debt) before even considering to invest. Bucking conventional wisdom, he even advises people to stop making RRSP contributions until they are debt free.

But what about compound interest? Won't a person miss out on the slow accumulation of wealth if they wait until their late-40s or 50s to make RRSPs contributions? Not so, says Trahair, who is a chartered accountant. Relying on straightforward calculations, he points out that a person who is debt-free in their early-50s can: a) save significant more amounts of money than someone in their 30s or 40s who is paying off a mortgage and / or raising children; and b) because they are reaching their top earning years their tax refunds will be much higher. These refunds, in turn, can be used to make more RRSP contributions.

When analysed this way, the "tax turbo-charged RRSP" strategy is much better than the "start early" approach. To paraphrase the book, one can save $200 a month in RRSPs during their 30s, 40 and 50s, (and in the process pay off their mortgage more slowly, resulting in higher interest charges), or alternatively, one can focus on paying off their mortgage during their 30s and 40s and then, once debt free in their early-50s, save $1,500 a month in RRSPs for 10 years. At the end of the day, the latter approach will result in greater savings. (Note: This example is not in the book, it simply paraphrases the argument).

What should someone invest in when they have paid off their debt? The book's answer is clear: Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GICs). After watching the stock market plunge in 2008, Trahair is adamant that stocks are too risky. Furthermore, he argues that the rate of return on GICs are not that much different from stocks.

It is at this point that the book's thesis starts to weaken. Given the financial meltdown in 2008 and the ensuing recession, it is understandable why some people would want to swear off the stock market. However, Trahair's analysis is overly pessimistic. In order to make his point, he repeatedly mentions how the TSX crashed in 2008, and how this crash destroyed the rate of return for stocks. Unfortunately, this analysis ignores the partial-recovery that has taken place since then. As well, his analysis of the returns of GICs versus stocks tends to ignore dividends, which skews his argument.

Trahair makes a solid argument when he states that Canadians should first pay off debt before investing. He also makes a plausible case that GICs are a much better investment than people think. Where he starts to go off the rails, however, is in his claim that the rate of return for GICs are comparable to those of stocks. This is simply not true. Yes, stocks are risky (you can lose all of your money) but the returns can also be much greater. If you want to protect your investment then it makes sense to consider the GIC, tax turbo-charged RRSP strategy. If you are looking for stock-like returns with GIC safety, however, then you won't find that in this book because such a scenario does not exist.

3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Debt Free for Life (Canadian Edition) by David Bach

Sometimes a good financial planner is also a cheeseball. In this best-selling book, David Bach provides some very good advice on how to become debt free. Unfortunately, this common sense approach is often undermined by a writing style that is (how can I put it) akin to a 16-year-old girl writing in her diary about the cute boys in class. Other parts of the book, meanwhile, sound like an informercial, as various sections contain "testimonials" from readers about how great Bach's lessons are. This reader feedback is then interspersed with semi-regular sales pitches on how you can buy some of his other books, such as his highly popular work The Automatic Millionaire.

To give you an example, Bach REALLY likes to write the occasional word in CAPITAL letters in order to make it clear that his point is really IMPORTANT. This "cute" technique -- it would be a bit cruel to call it "childish" -- often gets in the way of an otherwise sensible book. While not ground breaking, Bach provides a lot of useful tips on how to lower and eventually eliminate your debt, including: how to fix your credit score; how to negotiate with credit card companies about lowering your interest rate; how to pay off your mortgage quicker; and how to find a good debt counsellor that can help with any serious debt repayment problems. True, a lot of this advice is common knowledge and can be found elsewhere, but by putting all of these tips in a single book the reader can use it as a workbook to help them reduce their debt.

It is clear from reading this book that Bach has transformed himself into a product and that he can't help but market himself.  Make no mistake, this book is the literary equivalent of an infomercial that is selling debt-counselling advice. In fact, at certain points, one almost expects to see a 1-800 number at the bottom of the page accompanied by a two-for-one special that will give the reader a special gift (but only if the readers acts now by buying another of Bach's books). That being said, it is also true that this book contains a lot of common sense, and that it can be quite useful for anyone who is having problems getting their financial house in order. So before we make too much fun of this REALLY IMPORTANT book that will help you become DEBT FREE FOR LIFE we should also recognize that it does contain a lot of good advice.

3 out of 5 stars

The RESP Book by Mike Holman

Mike Holman has produced a very useful handbook that explains the intricacies of Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs). From how much money can be invested into an RESP, to how much grant money an account can receive from the Government of Canada, to excellent tax advice on how to withdraw money once the RESP beneficiary enrols in a post-secondary institution. What happens if the beneficiary decides not to have a post-secondary education? This book clearly explains the consequences of this scenario, while offering good advice on how to minimize your tax bill and any penalties.

This easy-to-read book should be studied by anyone who wants to open up a RESP for a child, young relative or family friend. Its practical advice (which can easily be digested in an afternoon) provides great tips that can be used for the entire life of an RESP account.

4 out of 5 stars

Financial First Aid for Canadian Investors by Michael Graham, Bryan Snelson and Cindy David

Imagine that you are at a dinner party and a guest starts talking in a slightly annoying voice. Given that you are interested in the subject matter -- i.e. how to improve your investment portfolio -- you ignore the awkward speech and concentrate on what is being said. After about 10 minutes, you must admit that the speaker knows what he is talking about, and that some of his advice is quite useful. As the evening progresses, however, you can't overlook the occasional cliché, nor hide the fact that your fellow guest sometimes sounds like a professor reading a dictionary. At the conclusion of the evening, while driving home, you recall some of the insights that you heard, and agree that the speaker made several excellent points. But then you remember the annoying voice, his sometimes rambling babble, and those weird moments when he would refer to himself in the third person.

Reading this book is a little like listening to such a dinner guest. On the plus side, Financial First Aid offers many great tips on how to improve as an investor. From what questions to ask when picking a financial advisor, to a good summary of the different strategies that an investor should engage in when buying stocks, bonds, insurance and other financial products, there are many useful parts to this book. I also appreciated the chapters that outline the common errors that investors make, the strong tips on how to research a company, and the practical summary on what fees investors have to pay when investing, and how to minimize these fees.

This good advice, however, is undermined by an occasionally annoying writing style. In too many parts, the text reads like a newsletter rather than a book, which is made worse by a weird tendency of the authors to refer to themselves in the third person. I understand that the use of the third person is sometimes necessary when a book is written by multiple authors, but when overdone (as in this case), the result is a tone that comes across as part-cocky and part-schizoid.

If you want to read a useful book that contains practical advice for the Canadian investor then this is a good choice. But if you do read this book, be prepared to be annoyed by the occasional boilerplate statement, some chapters that read more like a power point presentation than a book, and the overuse of the third person.

3 out of 5 stars

Stop Working, Here's How You Can by Derek Foster

Want to retire at 34? Investor Derek Foster found a way to do so by investing in solid, dividend-paying stocks. The story of how he managed to quit working at an age when some people are only starting their careers is a fun read. It also helps that the book is written in an informal, easy to read style that contains several good investment tips.

Among the book's many attributes are the following: good advice on how to research companies before investing in them; strong suggestions for which companies to invest in; a clear explanation of why it is so important to have dividend paying stocks in your portfolio; and interesting insights into how taxes work. (In a nutshell, the book explains how income from dividends or capital gains attracts a much lower tax rate than employment or tax income. The book therefore argues that one should rely as much as possible on investment income in order to pay less tax).

After reading this book I was left with a high opinion of this author. Some further research, however, led me to discover some things that were quite ironic. For instance, this book, which was published in 2005, strongly argues for the buy-and-hold approach to stock investing, i.e. one should NEVER sell their stocks once purchased. Nevertheless, in February 2009, Derek Foster broke his own rule by selling all of his stocks in order to move to cash. As well, his original philosophy of buying dividend stocks and then holding them forever was a little misleading, as he also owned Income Trusts which are a different beast than large-cap companies that pay dividends.

As the warning at the beginning of this book makes clear, one should not take the advice in this book literally. On further reflection, one can find problems with the investing advice that is being espoused. That being said, as a purveyor of strong general concepts of how to invest, this is a good book that provides a lot of valuable suggestions, and for that reason it is worth the read.

4 out of 5 stars

What Color is your Parachute? (For Retirement) by Richard N. Bolles and John E. Nelson

Saving for retirement is often presented as a strictly financial question. In this interesting book, the authors make the point that a happy retirement contains multiple elements, (e.g. where you plan to live; how to have strong friendships; what hobbies / activities will you continue to do once you retire) that should also be taken into account along with financial concerns.

Notwithstanding the strong thesis of the authors, as I am only 36 and nowhere near retirement, I skimmed through the more "holistic" parts of the book and concentrated on the sections that deal with financial advice, in particular the first six chapters. In a very convincing discussion, the book begins by pointing out that the traditional pillars of retirement -- i.e. social security, employer pension plans and personal savings -- are becoming increasingly wobbly. The metaphor that is used is of a formerly solid three-legged stool whose legs are consistently being cut-out from underneath. Though this book is from the United States, this analysis will ring true for many Canadians.

This book offers good advice on how to better prepare for retirement in the future. This includes suggestions on how to become a more efficient saver, to tips on how to avoid many of the marketing tricks that are used in the retirement "industry".

4 out of 5 stars

Smoke and Mirrors by David Trahair

This is an excellent book that should be read by all Canadians who are interested in saving for retirement. Offering practical and straightforward advice, David Trahair tackles several myths that are put forward by the financial industry. Among the most important is the ubiquitous mantra that you should: a) start making RRSP contributions as young as possible; and b) maximize your contributions throughout your life. However, as convincingly argued out in the book, this strategy has important financial consequences that could actually cost you money by the time you retire. That is why instead of maximizing your RRSPs, the author advocates a strategy of optimization, i.e. calculate the right amount of money that you should put away in RRSPs, and then use the rest to pay down such things as consumer debt.

Another good section of the book explains why tax shelters can often cause more harm than good, and why trying to escape the tax man can sometimes be counter-productive. Then there is the discussion on why you may not need as much money as you think to retire, as well as an excellent chapter on why paying down your mortgage quicker is something that all homeowners should do. Some people, the author notes, think that by cutting down on restaurants, lattes or indulgences they can add to their bottom line. In reality, paying down your mortgage faster is not only a better move economically, but it could also allow you to continue enjoying the little things in life.

With practical exercises and honest advice this book is a must read. I throuroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

5 out of 5 stars

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris

This book could have been brilliant. Similar to the classic Aesop's Fables, this collection of short stories contains a series of tales involving animals. Written with wonderful humour and at times brilliant insight, this book -- like the famous stories of Aesop -- is a study of human nature told through the form of animals. One story that particularly stands out is "Squirrel seeks chipmunk," which not only serves as the title of the book, but also offers a delightful analysis on relationships, and how the reality of past romances can turn into myth in our own heads with the passage of time.

Unfortunately, the brilliance contained in this book starts to fade by the end. For instance, in "The Grieving Owl," the second last story in the book, the narration devolves into sheer stupidity. Instead of insight, we are left with juvenile scatological humour -- and not even funny scatological jokes at that -- that undermine the first few wonderful stories. This lamentable progression soured me on this collection and left me shaking my head in disappointment. This could have been a delightful book, which is why the final portion was so upsetting.

3 out of 5 stars

Gifts by Ursula K. Le Guin

Among the impoverished clans of the Uplands are people with wondrous gifts. Some have the power to twist a limb, others to destroy living things, and then there are those who can call animals on a whim. These magical clans, however, live in desolate farms, while being under constant fear that their neighbours may use their gifts again them.

In this bleak world, two young people who have been friends since childhood decide not to use their gifts. The first is a boy, who decides to wear a blindfold in order to prevent his eyes, which can kill with a mere look, to see the light of day. The other, a girl, refuses to use her power to call on animals as she doesn’t want to participate in her village’s hunt. In this wonderful story by a master of science fiction, we learn how it’s possible to forego power, while being reminded of the difficulty of growing up.

4 out of 5 stars

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Three members of a family of four are murdered by a man named Jack. Before he can kill the final member (who is a young toddler), the little boy escapes from the house and toddles up a hill to a graveyard. The spirits who live in the graveyard are surprised to see a child in their midst, but sensing that something is wrong decide to take action. Following a flurry of discussion, a childish ghost couple adopt the boy and call him Nobody. Thus begins the story of Nobody Owens, a little boy who is raised in a graveyard while hiding from the man who has set out to kill him.

Nobody, or Bod for short, lives a strange existence among ghosts, supernatural creatures and other peculiar characters. As he grows up in this surreal environment, he begins to build friendships with the dead, living and those who are neither. In time, he not only learns how to read and write, but also how to fade away so he can't be seen, as well as how to haunt the living. Amidst this strange upbringing, he begins to track the man who tried to murder him, and in the process discover the secret of why he was almost killed.

This highly original novel by the creator of the Sandman comic book series, won the 2009 Hugo Award for Best Novel and the Locus Award for Best Young Adult novel, among other prizes. It is exquisitely written and a joy to read. That being said, if I had one complaint it's that I felt that the story ending was a tad forced. This relatively small bump, however, can be overlooked from what is in general an excellent work of fiction.

4 out of 5 stars