Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Born into poverty but with a gift for curiosity and engineering, Rudolf Diesel took full advantage of his unlikely opportunity for an education and used his gifts to invent, among other things, an engine that was a technological masterpiece, making him a millionaire. However, Diesel's rags-to-riches story ended with a mystery after he disappeared September 30, 1913. This non-fiction book tells his story, the story of those who were impactful in his life and the days following his disappearance. Review: I didn't have any books on hold the last time I was at the library so, after picking out one from an author I was familiar with and a second one that I later discovered I didn't like enough to even make it past the second chapter, I visited the non-fiction section. The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel stood out as I passed one of the shelves, so I figured I'd give it a try. It turned out to be an interesting read. To be honest, prior to reading this book, I d...

Synopsis: Thanks to books and movies, the word Viking generates certain images and ideas for most people. This non-fiction book explores the Viking legend and the history of the Scandinavian people it originates from.   Review: I'm not a big impulse shopper but that doesn't really apply whenever I'm in our local library and happen to see a book that I think would be interesting. That was the case when I checked out Embers of the Hands a couple weeks ago, while there to pick up a book I had on hold. After reading it, I would consider it a good impulse decision. The Viking Age is an intriguing part of human history because, while there is so much influenced by the sea-voyaging Scandinavians that fit that description, there is also very little actually known about them because, as this book notes, a lot of Viking history was written down by the people they conquered (and didn't have incentive to get the information right). The author of this book tries to correct that w...

Synopsis: This non-fiction book discusses 365 separate world events in history that took place on each day of the year, with a bit of profanity thrown in. Review: I'm always a bit hesitant when someone gives me a book to read as a present. I tend to be a bit picky in that regard and more often than not, find I lose interest in books I didn't pick out myself. I was worried that would be the case when my wife gave me this book for Christmas, but it ended up exceeding my expectations. The author has an intriguing way of discussing the world events. This includes not holding back when it comes to the profanity as he slips in his opinion (good or bad, usually bad) regarding things that happened and the people who were responsible for those events. I will admit, at first, this was something that made me doubt whether I'd enjoy the book. But as I progressed through it and became desensitized to some of the crudeness, I was able to admit it made reading the book more enjoyable, a...