Douglas W. Jones and Barbara Simons

Center for the Study of Language and Information

For many of US citizens, the presidential election of 2000 was a wake-up call. The controversy following the vote count led to demands for election reform. But the new voting systems that were subsequently introduced to the market have serious security flaws, and many are confusing and difficult to use. Moreover, legislation has not kept up with the constantly evolving voting technology, leaving little to no legal recourse when votes are improperly counted.

How did we come to acquire the complex technology we now depend on to count votes?  Douglas Jones and Barbara Simons probe this question, along with public policy and regulatory issues raised by our voting technologies.  Broken Ballots is a thorough and incisive analysis of the current voting climate that approaches American elections from technological, legal, and historical perspectives.  The authors examine the ways in which Americans vote today, gauging how inaccurate, unreliable, and insecure our voting systems are. An important book for election administrators, political scientists, and students of government and technology policy, Broken Ballots is also a vital tool for any voting American.

More …

Wilmot James , Jakes Gerwel , Jeanne Viall

Tafelberg

Pour nos lecteurs anglophones, un grand livre sur l’histoire du Vin en Afrique du Sud …

Provocative and quirky, Grape is the highly readable story of vineyards and wines in South Africa. It takes us from the earliest Dutch settlers’ struggle to plant vines under difficult conditions, through slavery, the forgotten black wine makers, land dispossession, a long history of making plonk (with a few exceptions) and the emergence of a world-class fine wine culture in the 1990s.

More …

Bob Van Laerhoven

Houtekiet Uigeverij

Nadat de succesrijke thrillerauteur Carl Visser een ophefmakende roman publiceerde die hem doodsbedreigingen opleverde van moslimfundamentalisten, raakt hij na een auto-ongeval in een coma. Een aanslag, een ongeluk of eenzelfmoordpoging? De bonte kennissenkring van Visser besluit om aan zijn ziekbed verhalen te vertellen om hem zo uit zijn coma te lokken.

More …

At Tate Britain (London)

Catalogue by TATE PUBLISHING

Visionary, eccentric, populist and epic, John Martin was a controversial but key figure in nineteenth century art. Like his canvases, this wildly dramatic artist with his visions of heaven and hell, was larger than life.

More …

de eerste roman van Guy Dierckx

Uitgeverij: Houtekiet

Hondsster is het verhaal van een wankele relatie tussen een moeder en haar zoon in de tweede helft van de vorige eeuw, maar ook een kroniek van een turbulent tijdperk waarin de grenzen van de artistieke en morele vrijheid worden afgetast.

More …

Bert De Vroey

Houtekiet Uitgeverij

Amerika verkleurt, veroudert en verspaanst. En de klassieke protestantse gemeenten krijgen het gezelschap van megakerken, moskeeën en tempels. Er lopen breuklijnen in de samenleving tussen superrijken en een verarmende middenklasse, tussen de grootstad en de voorstad, tussen oudere en aanstormende generaties, tussen de elite en de modale Amerikaan.

More …

Inside The Enduring Conflict Between America and Al-Qaeda

Peter L. Bergen

Free Press / 1St Edition

What makes “The Longest War,” a new book by Peter L. Bergen, CNN’s national security analyst, particularly useful is that it provides a succinct and compelling overview of these huge, complex subjects, drawing upon other journalists’ pioneering work as well as the author’s own expertise in terrorism and interviews with a broad spectrum of figures including leading counterterrorism officials, members of the Taliban, failed suicide bombers, family and friends of Osama bin Laden and top American military officers.

More …

Nelson Mandela

Macmillan

Nelson Mandela is widely considered to be one of the most inspiring and iconic figures of our age. Now, after a lifetime of taking pen to paper to record thoughts and events, hardships and victories, he has bestowed his entire extant personal papers, which offer an unprecedented insight into his remarkable life.

More …

Daniel Suarez

Dutton Adult

Freedom is a solid sequel to Deamon and together they form a compelling thriller. For those that like big ideas and technological innovations you are in for a treat. No longer are big ideas and fully realized stories mutually exclusive. This is Michael Crichton meets Michael Chabon meets Joseph Campbell - ideas meets characters meets mythology. You do have to read Daemon first, but together they are a fun, intellectually stimulating joy ride through the near future.

More …

Philippe Auclair

Macmillan; Édition

Lovereading view…

One of the worlds most famous and enigmatic footballers retired from football at the age of thirty when many thought he was at the peak of his game. Eric Cantona has never returned to football but instead become a successful actor working most recently with Ken Loach on the film ‘Looking for Eric’.

More …