The River by Peter Heller

I’ve never read Heller before, although I read a New York Times book review of one of his previous bestselling novels: The Dog Stars. I remember thinking that the author had that Hemingway thing going on. It was with that expectation that I started reading The River– and I must say the book confirmed my suspicion. Hemingway as he might have been had he stayed in Idaho and become a teacher/novelist.

In any case, The River is a “guy” story – about two bookish but outdoorsy friends, Jack and Wynn, that take a canoe trip on the Maskwa River in northern Canada. What they hope will be an idyllic trip of eating blueberries and gazing at the stars turns into a race to save their lives.

The plot works. The other elements of fiction work too. It did feel a tad formulaic, but that might not bother you. I’d recommend it.

The latest issue of Independent Healing “The Autoimmune Epidemic”

Celiac and other autoimmune illnesses are now more prevalent than heart disease or cancer. Here’s why our bodies are attacking themselves and what we can do to stop it.

“The Hunt for the Great White Male” by Steve Saller

Are you white? Are you male? Then you are in! Or not. So says this NYT Book Review critic of Jared Diamond’s brilliant new book, Upheaval: Turning Points for Nations in Crisis, in Taki’s Magazine.

Bill Bonner on “How the Financialization Scam Works”

If you sometimes wonder how so many public companies that make no profits are still worth billions of dollars, this recent essay by Bill Bonner will help you understand.

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli

Of the 10 or 15 books I’ve read on modern physics, this little gem left me feeling like I had understood most of it. Writing in the simplest of English and with accessible analogies and examples, Rovelli covers all the big topics: Einstein’s general theory of relativity (“the most beautiful of theories”), quantum mechanics (“where the most baffling aspects of modern physics lurk”), the cosmos and its design, elementary particles and particle theory, loop quantum gravity, black holes and probability, and a final chapter on consciousness. Extra bonus: At 85 pages, I read it in two hours and am looking forward to reading it again.

James Altucher’s “Ultimate Guide to Going Broke”

James Altucher is not only a good interviewer (see today’s Journal), he’s a great writer. I’m trying to learn from him. You can tell that he writes his blog posts in less than half an hour. He uses a free form of logic… which helps. And he doesn’t “teach” as much as “tells” – i.e., a journalistic approach.

Mr. Money Mustache on “The Real Benefit of Being Rich”

This is a short essay by Mr. Money Mustache, who, some years ago, decided to quit his high-stress, highly paid corporate job and retire young on the savings he had acquired. He is now living a very rich life without being a millionaire.

James Altucher on “The BEST Thing About Self-Publishing”

The worldwide web has changed the world. In some ways for the worse. But in many ways for the better. It is, for example, better today for writers that have the tenacity to publish their own books.

The first half-dozen books about business and entrepreneurship that I wrote were published by a major publisher. They sold well. (All of them were Amazon bestsellers. One was a NYT and WSJ bestseller.) But I never made much money from them. I decided after that to publish my own books… and that was far more profitable.

James Altucher tells his own version of this.

The latest issue of AWAI’s The Barefoot Writer

Including:

* Online Pandemonium Sparks Billion-Dollar Needs; Only ONE Kind of Writer Can Sort It Out

* Is Kitchen Sink Syndrome Killing Your Productivity?

* The Antidote to Failure: 3 Words and a Foolproof Formula

* In a Writing Rut? Change Things Up!