The English rock band 10cc famously wrote that life is a minestrone. This author would beg to differ ­- to him, it feels like magnetic tape. In The Magnetic Labyrinth, his second book, Baldan returns often to the past, as in his debut, The Going Places Club. But this time he turns his focus inward, to his personal history, and a lineup of subjects that have formed the basis of his thought since early youth - literature, mathematics, and music. The latter in particular has been a lifelong fascination, and provides a recurring motif in this book, in the form of mix tapes that he has made for friends for forty years. These lead to a number of self-realizations. Along the way, Baldan weaves a memoir studded with offbeat reminiscences - and lots of song lyrics.