I think it was the cool title and an article on Wired that sparked my curiosity for this book.
Absinthe & Flamethrowers: Projects and Ruminations on the Art of Living Dangerously is by William Gurstelle. This book can be divided into two sections. The first part described how certain people are thrill or experience seeking. The author goes further by explaining how embracing more risky activities is an excellent method for learning and building self confidence. There is even a quiz you can take with questions about caving, mountain climbing and parachute jumping.
The second part was mostly a bunch of projects that one could do that have an element of risk. Like building a flamethrower, making explosives or playing with lighters. If you are comfortable with tools and want to play MythBusters at home, I think you’ll like this book.
For me I enjoyed the first part more than the second. I have no desire to order chemicals and saw things in order to see some explosion. I think I’d rather try parachute jumping, mountain climbing or some of the other cool activities the author mentioned in the quiz he designed.