not really that interesting and not of course up-to-date. won't read others in the series. ( )

The #1 2013 Hahn Bathroom Reader. One page a day. That's how devotionals work. I love this particular series so far and this volume was no exception. It basically starts in the late 1800's, at the beginning of the modernist era, and works its way to the 2000's. Each day of the week is a different theme: art, literature, sports, popular culture, politics, ect. I learned a lot of new trivial facts and got refreshed on a lot of subjects I am already familiar with. I recommend it for non-religious devotionals.

"The Intellectual Devotional: Modern Culture edition" is a 16 CD set comprised of brief yet interesting segments on various historical figures and other cultural phenomenae. The set, like the other installments in the "Intellectual Devotional" series are designed to be read (or in this case, listened to) in daily segments throughout the year. Each piece runs about 2-3 minutes and focuses on an interesting person or movement from history or culture.

The first figure profiled, interestingly enough, is Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis. Authors Kidder and Oppenheim provide a brief overview of Freud, his major career developments, books and discoveries, along with some interesting trivia tidbits and "factoids" at the end of the profile.

Literary classics and genres, as well as composers are also explored similarly, such as Dostoyevsky's ground-breaking novel "Crime and Punishment," composer Tchaikovsky, as well as cultural icons Marilyn Monroe and Andy Warhol.

Bottom line: Nice way to pass the time while driving to work, etc., or prep for your next Jeopardy or Trivial Pursuit tournament. However, if you are reasonably well-read, paid some attention part of the time in school, and pick up a decent newspaper a few times a month or so, there is nothing earth-shattering in this installment of The Intellectual Devotional. It is an interesting novelty, and the CDs are nice, but one can find the same sort of stuff on Wikipedia for free.

Well worth a listen, but I would wait for it to come down in price, check it out from the library, OR check out some of the excellent (and free) podcasts on history and trivia from iTunes. ( )