Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s February.

Not only is it the month of love, but this is also the one month of the year when there are not one or two book fairs in the Oklahoma area, but THREE altogether. As I’ve done in the past, I’m going to list the finds (or “kills,” as I like to refer to them, as if I’m a Book Hunter) for your amusement and delight.

Yesterday I attended the first of the three, the Casady Book Fair in central Oklahoma City. It’s one of the smaller book fairs I go to, but always enjoyable. The strange part is when I arrive to wait in line for the preview night, I always see the same 70 people that I saw last year. And the year before. We’re an odd breed, dedicated to finding new books, some for personal enjoyment and others for resale value. I’d say the majority were there to find and resell their nuggets. Me? I’m pickin’ ‘em all for me, baby. (Except for any that I pick up with Kyler or Kim in mind…)

So, without further delay, here’s the list of Kevin’s Kills:

Skeleton Key – Anthony Horowitz

Point Blank – Anthony Horowitz

Stormbreaker – Anthony Horowitz

Picoverse – Robert A. Metzger

Creepers – David Morrell

Vertical Run – Joseph R. Garber (I already own several copies to hand out to friends needing an adrenaline boost. Or like staying up all night reading a book…)

Great Idea! Now What? – Bronson & Lange

Get Anyone to Do Anything – David J. Lieberman, Ph. D.

90 Minutes in Heaven – Don Piper

How To Read A Book – Mortimer J. Adler & Charles Van Doren

Thinking On Paper – V. A. Howard & J. H. Barton

Learning to Hear God’s Voice – Herman Riffel

Listening To God – Charles Stanley

7-Day Detox Miracle – Peter Bennett, N.D. & Stephen Barrie, N.D.

Freakonomics – Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner

Why Do Men Have Nipples? – Mark Leyner & Billy Goldberg

And that’s it. I’m attending two HUGE book fairs next weekend, so there’s more to come. Feel free to shoot me questions or comments if you’re bored.

Kevin

The Book: Can a Guy Get Pregnant?: Scientific Answers to Everyday (and Not-So-Everyday) Questions – Bill Sones, Rich Sones

The Hook: Intriguing & outlandish questions about little-known facts (or myths).

The Thoughts: I love trivia. I really do. And more than anything, I love learning about the cross-sections of society and culture that I wouldn’t normally run across. To be able to find an easy-to-digest collection of across-the-board, specialized questions and answers is nothing short of delightful to me. So when I heard about this book (don’t recall how….), I knew it was for me.

With questions like “Do blind people see in their dreams?” and “Why do so many couples get divorced?” (simple mathematics) and “What’s the strongest material made by an animal?” are all intriguing gems. Wow, am I lovin’ this book! Not only is it entertaining and educating, but it’s very well-designed as well. Each question and answer takes up one page and one page only, making this the ideal “pick-me-up” book for when you don’t want to waste time sitting in line. (Or, in my case, working out on the treadmill or stationary bike at the gym…)

Great book, highly recommended. I can’t wait for another like it!

Kevin

I’ve always been a huge proponent of water, so a few years ago I started looking for books to explain – in layman’s terms – just what it is that’s so whizz-bang, golly-gee good about drinking water. “Your Body’s Many Cries For Water,” written by F. Batmanghelidj, M.D., was quite effective in convincing me of the fact that water is more closely tied to our overall health and well-being than I ever imagined. Instead of writing up a huge review, however, I’m just going to type out some of the more interesting points that I highlighted in the book. Kind of a “Kevin’s Notes,” on it all, if you will.

Kevin
________

Since every function of the body is monitored and pegged to the flow of water, “water management” is the only way of making sure that adequate amounts of water and it’s transported nutrients first reach the more vital organs that will have to confront and deal with any new “stress.”

The brain is 1/50th of the total body weight, but it receives 18-20 percent of the body’s circulation.

The human body is composed of 24% solid matter (solute), and 75% water (the solvent). Brain tissue is said to consist of 85% water.

The regulating neurotransmitter systems become increasingly active during the regulation of water requirements of the body. Their actions should not be continuously blocked by the use of medication.

Water is a natural medication for a variety of health complications.

Morning sickness is a thirst signal for both the mother and the fetus.

Since the water we drink provides for cell function and its volume requirements, the decrease in our daily water intake affects the efficiency of cell activity.

Chronic pains of the body that cannot be easily explained as injury or infections should first and foremost be interpreted as signals of chronic water shortage in the area where pain is registered.

Dehydration plays a major role in the precipitation of migraine headaches.

With dehydration, the level of energy generation in the brain is decreased. This “depressive state” causes dehydration, and can to chronic fatigue syndrome. Consequently, dehydration causes stress, and stress will cause further dehydration.

Everytime a cell gives rise to a daughter cell, 75% or more of its volume has to be filled with water. In short, growth depends on the availability of water.

The natural stimulants in coffee and tea are larger quanities of caffeine, and, hence a strong central nervous stimulant. At the same time, they are dehydrating agents because of their strong diuretic action on the kidneys.

The effect of caffeine may at times be considered desireable, but constant substituting of caffeine-containing drinks for water will deprive the body of it’s full capacity for the formation of hydroelectric energy.

Excessive caffeine intake will eventually exhaust the heart muscle because of its over-stimulation.

It has been shown that caffeine inhibits a most important enzyme system – PDE (phoso-di-esterase) that are involved in the process of learning and memory development.

Dehydration is the number one stressor of the human body – or ANY living matter.

Brain cells are said to be made up of 85% water. 20% of our blood circulation is allocated and made available to the brain. When food is eaten, only about 20% of it reaches the brain. The rest will gradually become stored if muscle activity does not use up it’s allocated portion. With water as a source of energy, this storage does not happen. Excess water is passed out in the form of urine.

The mistake assumption that all fluids are equivalent to water for the water needs of the human body is a main cause of many of the ills of the human body, and is frequently associated with the initial and excessive gain in weight.

Caffeine, one of the main components of most sodas, is a drug. It has addictive properties because of its direct action on the brain. Caffeine has diuretic properties. Physiologically, it is a dehydrating agent.

Hence, caffeinated diet sodas in sedentary persons must cause weight gain; they indirectly stimulate more food intake because of the brains forced use of its energy reserves.

Reduce orange juice intake to one or at most two glasses a day. Orange juice has a high potassium content, and high loads of potassium in the body can promote more than usual histamine productions.

Salt is a natural anti-histamine. People with allergies should begin to increase their salt intake to prevent excessive histamine production.

In order of their importance, oxygen, water, salt and potassium rank as the primary elements for the survival of the human body.
___________

Bottom Line? Whatever ails you, try drinking two 8 oz. glasses of water to see if your problem stems from a lack of hydration. Be sure to visit his website at www.watercure.com for more information and interesting anecdotes.

A lot of people have asked me over the past few days what books I bought at the book fair in St. Louis, so I thought I’d go ahead and divulge the results of the hunt.

And the trophies (in no certain order) are:

Oxygen: Nature’s Most Important Dietary Supplement – Stephen R. Krauss

The Book of Affirmations – Lance Porter

Complete Guide to Acupuncture and Acupressure – Masaru Toguchi & Frank Z. Warren, M.D.

Descriptionary - A Thematic Dictionary – Marc McCutcheon

Your Miracle Brain – Jean Carper

The Power of Positive Thinking – Norman Vincent Peale

Power Thoughts – Achieve Your True Potential Through Power Thinking – Robert Schuller

Your Body’s Many Cries for Water – F. Batmanghelidj, M.D. (Excellent book)

Aha! 10 Ways to Free Your Creative Spirit and Find Your Great Ideas – Jordan Ayan

Bottom Line’s Mind Boosting Secrets – Natural Supplements that Enhance Your Mind, Memory and Mood – Ray Sahelian, MD

And the fiction winners are:

Border Land – S. K. Epperson

Crota – Owl Goingback (I already own this one, but it was so good that it’s one of the rare “keepers” on my bookshelf. when it comes to high-impact, spine-tingling creature stories, this one left a crater in my mind…)

Darker Than Night – Owl Goingback (Considering how good Crota was, I figured I’d if his other stuff is decent…)

Frankenstein – The Monster Wakes – Edited by Martin H. Greenberg

Impossible Places – Alan Dean Foster

Issac Asimov’s Werewolves (Sci-Fi and werewolves? Intriguing…)

Neanderthal – John Darnton (Decent read, bought to send to a friend of mine…)

Pharaoh Fantastic – Edited by Martin H. Greenberg

Sleeper – Steven Harriman (An okay read, but had a pivotal point in the middle of the novel that was absolutely jaw-dropping. And considering the amount of novels I’ve read, it takes a LOT to take me off guard and surprise me. Harriman did it…)

The Further Adventures of Batman, Volume 3; Featuring Catwoman – Edited by Martin Greenberg (I sold a copy on eBay a few years ago for a hefty price… figured I’d try it again…)

So there’s the lot. Unfortunately, there aren’t many more book fairs to attend this summer, so I’m gonna have to make do with what I’ve got for another… say… five months…

Kevin

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