Saturday, October 19, 2013

Five books guaranteed to make you sound brilliant

Alina Simone is a singer and writer based in Brooklyn. Her new novel is Note to Self.

At The Barnes & Noble Book Blog Simone highlighted "five books just bursting with facts that can make you the toast of your next dinner party, or at least a bit more interesting in a crowded elevator," including:
The Bloody White Baron: The Extraordinary Story of the Russian Nobleman Who Became the Last Khan of Mongolia, by James Palmer

You’d think the eighteen-word title says everything you need to know, but the truly extraordinary thing about this book is the way it gives lie to the cliché that Buddhists are all kind, peace-loving people. Palmer’s Mongolia is teeming with orgies, murder, corruption, and mind-searing cruelty. Anecdotes from this book are particularly popular with people who hate yoga.
Read about the other books on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue