Tyler's Booklist

Gathering Blue

2012-02-05T12:02:00.000-07:00

Title: Gathering Blue

Author: Lois Lowry

Pages: 215

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Kira is a gifted weaver with a lame leg who lives with her mother. In the world that she lives in, the weak are typically cast aside and left for the beasts in the forest. When Kira's mother dies, she is left to fight for herself when she receives deliverance and a mentor from the Council of the Guardians.

My Review: While the book is marketed as a companion to "The Giver", one of my favorite books of all time, I think that distinction may hurt the book more than help it. In my opinion, the Giver is such a good book, that my expectations for this book were set higher than they would have been. I enjoyed this book and found the story and plot very thought-provoking. It was nice to have a short easy read.

The Pickwick Papers

2012-02-05T11:50:00.002-07:00

Title: The Pickwick Papers

Author: Charles Dickens

Pages: 24 discs (Read 10 1/2)

Genre: Classic

Grade: D

Synopsis: Mr. Samuel Pickwick is a retired businessman and bachelor that is ready to do a little traveling and have some adventures. He forms the Pickwick Club and he and is fellow Pickwickians form a corresponding society to report back about their journeys and travels.

My Review: Well, this may not be fair because I actually didn't finish the book. I don't remember the last time that I didn't finish a book, but this one was so long, it had been checked out from library for more than 2 months and I just didn't have it in me to keep trudging. Generally, this book is well-liked, but I found it quite dry (with a little bit of humor here and there) and I had a hard time following along. A few times I reviewed summaries of the chapters to get a better idea of the plot, but I was never sucked in to the stories. If I make it through my current 'to-read' list, and once I've read a few of Dickens' other works then I'm willing to give this one another shot.

Beach Music

2012-01-31T21:43:00.000-07:00

Title: Beach Music

Author: Pat Conroy

Pages: 628

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Jack McCall is an American writer living in Rome with his daughter Leah after his wife jumped from a bridge and then his in-laws sued for custody of his precious daughter. For years he had refused and contact from anybody back home in South Carolina, but within a few days some old friends track him down in Venice and his previous sister-in-law finds him through a private investigator in Rome. Between the two of them, they convince him to confront his past and return home.

My Review: I wish that I could recall where I got this book recommendation (It was probably six or seven years ago so if it was you, fess up...). Pat Conroy is known as a great storyteller and this book was more or less a collection of a ton of stories with the main plotline woven through. For example, a smattering of the stories covered the following: life in Rome, multiple suicides (one hanging and one bridge jumper), a monk in hiding who killed a couple while making love, a priest who killed an orphan-master that was raping his sister by setting him on fire. a Palestinian terrorist operation as the protagonist is trying to catch a flight, Jack's mother suffers from Leukemia and he and his brothers spend lots of time at the hospital as she struggles through chemotherapy, lovers killed when a bomb explodes the plane they were in, stories of Jewish torture in Auschwitz, Poland, and Kironittska Ukraine, a group of friends that get stranded on a small boat in the ocean when they try and harpoon a manta ray as big as a house, the nesting rituals of the endangered loggerhead turtles, a schizophrenic abducts his mother with leukemia and hides her in a cabin in the woods, a politician running for the governership of South Carolina, a movie producer trying to produce a film about growing up in Waterford, South Carolina, a secret lover killed by an ax into his back, the wife taking revenge on the drunk father by tying him to a bed a setting him on fire, the Nazis despicable crimes against Jews, protests against the Viet Nam War, and many more. I enjoyed the stories, but it took me a while to read because there was so much going on.

Disclaimer: There is language, death, and crimes that may make you shudder.

Inheritance

2012-01-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

Title: Inheritance

Author: Christopher Paolini

Pages: 860

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: A-

Synopsis: The time has come for Eragon Shadeslayer, the elf Arya Shadeslayer, the Varden, the Dwarfs, the Urgals and the Surdans to fight Galbatorix. While they know they only have the slimmest bit of hope for success, they must sacrifice for the sake of Alagaesia.

My Review: This was a very satisfying conclusion to the Inheritance Series. There were enough unexpected twists and turns that I never felt like I knew what was going to happen. The writing quality seemed better than any of the other books (as it should be since Paolini is quite a bit older than he was when Eragon was first published).

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

2012-01-08T21:38:00.000-07:00

Title: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Author: Rebecca Skloot

Pages: 377

Genre: Non-Fiction

Grade: A-

Synopsis: From the sub-text on the cover of the book that took the author ten years to research and write: "Doctors took her cells without asking. Those cells never died. They launched a medical revolution and a multimillion-dollar industry. More than twenty years later, her children found out. Their lives would never be the same."

My Review: This is a fascinating book about a topic that I knew nothing about. In 1951, Henrietta Lacks was suffering from a very-aggressive form of cervical cancer. Her doctors took a small biopsy and sent it to the labs where her cells became the first line of immortal cells. It is estimated that enough HeLa cells have been grown to weigh 50 million metric tons. Her cells have contributed to virtually all of the medical advancements in the last 5-6 decades including the polio vaccine, cancer treatments and the effect of the atom bomb on cells. My single complaint is that it often feels like the book is repeating itself.

From the Book: "I later learned that while Elsie was at Crownsville, scientists often conducted research on patients there without consent, including one study titled "Pneumoencephalographic and skull X-ray studies in 100 epileptics." Pneumoencephalography was a technique developed in 1919 for taking images of the brain, which floats in a sea of liquid. That fluid protects the brain from damage, but makes it very difficult to X-ray, since images taken through fluid are cloudy. Pneumoencephalography involved drilling holes into the skulls of research subjects, draining the fluid surrounding their brains, and pumping air or helium into the skull in place of the fluid to allow crisp X-rays of the brain through the skull. the side effects--crippling headaches, dizziness, seizures, vomiting--lasted until the body naturally refilled the skull with spinal fluid, which usually took two to three months. Because pneumoencephalography could cause permanent brain damage and paralysis, it was abandoned in the 1970s.

"There is no evidence that the scientists who did research on patients at Crownsville got consent from either the patients of their parents. Bases on the number of patients listed in the pneumoencephalography studyand the years it was conducted, Lurz told me later, it most likely involved every epileptic child in the hospital including Elsie. The same is likely true of at lest on other study called "The Use of Deep Temporal Leads in the Study of Psychomotor Epilepsy," which involved inserting metal probes into patients' brains."

The Help

2012-01-08T12:39:00.000-07:00

Title: The Help

Author: Kathryn Stockett

Pages: 451

Genre: Historical Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Skeeter returns to her home in Mississippi after graduating from Ole Miss in 1962. The black maid who raised her was no longer employed by her family and nobody will tell her what has happened to her. Skeeter gets a job with a local newspaper answering mailbag questions about cleaning and household chores and she develops a relationship with one of her friends' maids, Aibileen. In time, Skeeter begins to draft a book about what it is like for a black woman to work as hired help in Jackson, Mississippi in the height of the civil rights movement.

My Review: I don't think that I loved this book as much as many others have, but I certainly enjoyed the book, the writing style, and how the story was presented. I had a hard time putting my finger on the climax and once I did, I felt that it was a little too drawn out for my liking. I especially enjoy books like this because I find it very difficult to imagine just how bad racial tensions were in the South during this time period. The country has made great strides since that time.

but enough about me...

2012-01-08T12:37:00.000-07:00

Title: but enough about me... A Jersey Girl's Unlikely Adventures Among the Absurdly Famous

Author: Jancee Dunn

Pages: 274

Genre: Autobiography

Grade: B

Synopsis: Jancee Dunn was a pretty regular girl growing up in New Jersey who was given a chance to work at Rolling Stone, on Good Morning America, and as one of the first VJs for MTV2. Interspersed with her autobiographical stories are lessons that she learned and anecdotes from her numerous interviews with famous musicians and movie stars.

My Review: I enjoyed this book. It was light, generally interesting and quite humorous at times. There isn't anything terribly special about Jancee Dunn, but she is a good storyteller and has plenty of stories to share.

Disclaimer: There is a bit of language. As you can imagine, not all of the musicians and actors/actresses are known for their clean language.

Water for Elephants

2012-01-08T12:34:00.000-07:00

Title: Water for Elephants

Author: Sara Gruen

Pages: 350

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Fate leads Jacob Janikowski to the Benzini Brothers circus train where he is hired on as the vets Ivy League educated veterinarian. It is the very beginning of the Great Depression, probably the height of the train-car circus and as the depression deepens, many other circuses are having to throw in the towel. When the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on earth acquires an elephant for their beautiful star Marlena, things are looking up for the struggling act.

My Review: The circus has always been magical with its freaks and clowns, gymnasts and performers and exotic animals from all corners of the earth. This book builds a story around the traveling circus that I found to be very interesting and enjoyable. The plot is a little weak, but it was a fun book nonetheless.

Tess of the D'Urbervilles

2011-12-19T21:28:00.000-07:00

Title: Tess of the D'Urbervilles

Author: Thomas Hardy

Pages: 14 discs?

Genre: Classic, Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: This is the tragic story of Tess Durbeyfield, a young girl who was the virtuous victim of the rigid Victorian moral code from the time. Once Tess' family finds out that they are of a noble lineage, Tess Durbeyfield is sent to make a plea for help to a wealthy family in the area with the ancestral name of D'Urberville.

My Review: It took me a bit of time to get into this book and understand what was going on. I found myself checking SparkNotes to read a synopsis of the early chapters. Oddly enough, once I understood what was happening, I found that I enjoyed this book more than I had expected to. I found that the book helped me to examine my personal relationships and how I judge people.

The Rainmaker

2011-12-10T19:53:00.001-07:00

Title: The Rainmaker

Author: John Grisham

Pages: 14 discs

Genre: Legal Thriller

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Rudy Baylor is finishing up law school at Memphis State. He has a job lined up with a decent firm downtown, but three weeks before he is supposed to graduate and start work, his firm is swallowed up by the most prestigious firm in town. Rudy finds himself jobless and without any prospects, but with a potentially lucrative case against an insurance company that refuses to pay out a claim for a lifesaving bone marrow transplant.

My Review: I'm a sucker for John Grisham's books. I thought that I had read this one before, but I probably hadn't. This book, while a bit lengthy never seemed to overwhelm with legalities, and the main case selected was one that was very easy to understand.

Ceremony

2011-12-10T19:22:00.001-07:00

Title: Ceremony

Author: Leslie Marmon Silko

Pages: 8 discs?

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B-

Synopsis: Tayo is a half-white, half-Laguna Native American who fought in World War II and survived the Bataan death march. He struggles to assimilate back into traditional Native American society and struggles with mental instability. He turns to traditional Native American spirituality and ceremony as he tries to overcome his issues.

My Review: It was tough to get through the first portion of the book, before I finally understood what was going on. I even found myself having to reference Spark Notes to make sure that I was getting the gist of what was happening. By the second half of the book, the story became much more enjoyable.

Automatic Wealth for Grads

2011-12-10T18:12:00.001-07:00

Title: Automatic Wealth for Grads

Author: Michael Masterson

Pages: 6 discs?

Genre: Self-help, Personal Finance

Grade: F

Synopsis: Michael Masterson is a self-made millionaire who shares his secrets in this book on how new graduates can also become self-made millionaires by the time they are thirty. The secret is to have your income increase exponentially, start your own business and sell it for millions and buy and sell real estate until you are rich.

My Review: I like to think that I would have been a skeptical reader of this book in 2007/2008, but in today's economy and marketplace, the instructions and estimates in this book are laughable. As an example (These aren't direct quotes, but my interpretation): "we'll be conservative and assume that you will only profit 12% per year in the stock market, but really you should be able to make around 25%." Or another, "Real estate investing will allow you to profit between 25 and 50%, while the best option of all is to start your own business (not a restaurant) where you can profit 50%!" I found Masterson's tone annoying, his list after list of what you should be doing ridiculous and most of all, I felt that the entire book was based upon unsustainable tenets. All you millionaires by thirty out there will disagree with my review, but I haven't come across too many lately (ps. even if your starting salary is only $20,000 you should be making $150-$250,000 in a few years if you are diligent!).

The Looking Glass Wars

2011-12-03T16:02:00.001-07:00

Title: The Looking Glass Wars

Author: Frank Beddor

Pages: 9 discs?

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Alyss Hart is a princess in wonderland. After her aunt Redd attacks the queen and Alyss in the castle, Alyss finds herself in the world that we live in where she relays her tales to Lewis Carroll who publishes them in a book, "Alice in Wonderland." The Mad Hatter (who is actually an innovative bodyguard) is searching high and low for Princess Alyss in our world, to help her return and fight for Wonderland.

My Review: I struggled with the first couple discs of this book, because I had no idea what was going on. Once I got my mind wrapped around the story, I started to really enjoy it. The story is very clever and a believable twist on the original Alice in Wonderland tales. Apparently this book is the first in a trilogy that has since been completed.

This Side of Paradise

2011-12-03T15:42:00.001-07:00

Title: This Side of Paradise

Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Pages: 6 discs

Genre: Classic

Grade: B-

Synopsis: F. Scott Fitzgerald's first novel was also his most popular during his life. The book was published just a few years after the conclusion of World War I and quickly became a symbol of the excesses and restlessness of the young people during the Roaring Twenties. The novel follows the rich, young Princeton student, Amory Blaine. Amory is a self-absorbed egotist obsessed with his image and creating a name for himself.

My Review: I found this book to be quite boring and simply uninteresting. Not much happens and there didn't seem to be anything in the story that is meant to grab you and keep your interest.

Along Came a Spider

2011-09-27T07:30:00.000-06:00

Title: Along Came a Spider

Author: James Patterson

Pages: 12 discs?

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This is the first Patterson novel with Alex Cross (It's also the first Patterson book that I've read). Cross is an African-American detective working in the poor areas of DC. He is pulled into a case where the son of The Secretary of the Treasury and the daughter of an American movie star are kidnapped by a deadly psychopath teacher at their private school.

My Review: Sometimes you're just in the mood for a thriller and this story did not disappoint. It's not a book for the fainthearted as the kidnapper is a major psychopath and doesn't hold anything back.

Trouble in High Heels

2011-09-26T07:30:00.000-06:00

Title: Trouble in High Heels

Author: Christina Dodd

Pages: 7 discs?

Genre: Romance

Grade: B

Synopsis: Brandi Michaels is a young, sexy lawyer who just graduated from law school and is starting her first job at a big-name Chicago law firm. Just a couple of days after arriving in Chicago, she finds our that her fiance has snuck off to Las Vegas to marry his pregnant girlfriend. Brandi pawns her engagement ring and goes to a party to find somebody to help her forget about her ex-fiance. She finds the gorgeous Italian Count Roberto Bartolini and spends the weekend in his arms... When she arrives to her new law firm on Monday morning, she finds out that her first client is Count Bartolini who has been accused as an international jewel thief. To make matters worse (or steamier if you prefer), the alleged jewel thief is remanded into her custody 24/7.

My Review: This is one of those books that I stumble across at the library when I can't find anything else to read so I close my eyes and just grab something. The first part of the book was a little cheesy and superficial, but I found myself enjoying the latter half of the book as the plot thickened and I actually enjoyed it more than expected.

Disclaimer: There was some language and love-making and not something I'd recommend to my kids, but everything came across as quite tasteful

Breakfast of Champions

2011-09-25T16:48:00.000-06:00

Title: Breakfast of Champions

Author: Kurt Vonnegut

Pages: 5 discs

Genre: Fiction

Grade: C+

Synopsis: Kilgore Trout is an aging writer from some of Vonnegut's other books. Kilgore is intrigued (and slightly aghast) when he finds out that a car dealer from the Midwest believes everything that Kilgore writes is the literal truth. Throughout the book, Vonnegut makes light of America's attitude towards sex, politics, war, etc.

My Review: I finished this book a couple of months ago and the honest truth is that I can't remember all that much about it. This may be due to the fact that I had a hard time comprehending what was going on in the book as I was listening to it. I looked up a few summaries that helped me understand what was going on and that helped. The book is a satire of Vonnegut's view of the world, which he wrote as a present to himself for his 50th birthday.

Middlesex

2011-08-14T18:30:00.003-06:00

Title: Middlesex

Author: Jeffrey Eugenides

Pages: 18 discs

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: The story follows the family line of Cal Stephanides grandparents in Greece through her birth and re-birth into a young man once he discovers that he was a hermaphrodite. The story re-traces the path made by a single mutated gene that his grandparents carried with them across the ocean from Greece in the 1920's. When Cal (born Calliope) discovers the truth about his body, he runs away as he tries to figure out his place in the world.

My Review: This book was long enough and the stories (from Greece in the 1920's to the modern-day) were diverse enough that it felt like I was reading a couple of different books. However, I enjoyed really getting to know the Stephanides family from the grandparents and parents to Cal himself.

Disclaimer: As you can imagine, a book about a hermaphrodite discovering their sexuality requires some short graphic descriptions. However, I felt that everything was done in a tasteful way.

Lone Survivor

2011-06-18T21:58:00.003-06:00

Title: Lone Survivor - The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of Seal Team 10

Authors: Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson

Pages: 386

Genre: Non-fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This is the account of Operation Redwing, a counter-insurgent mission that took place in Afghanistan in 2005. 4 Navy SEALs were inserted high on a mountain with the intention of capturing or killing a Taliban leader. They are caught in a massive firefight which kills three of the SEALs. The rescue helicopter with additional SEALs is shot down by the Taliban killing an additional 16 members of the US Armed Forces.

My Review: This book is very powerful because half of the book isn't even focused on the failed mission, but on the training and boot camp that the Navy SEALs go through. This book details why the SEALs are the United States strongest fighting forces and why they are used most often in special missions where much is at stake (see the killing of Osama Bin Laden on May 2, 2011). The training regimen that the SEALs are put through is amazing. By the time one has trained to be a SEAL, there isn't anything that they can't do. The author of this book and the lone survivor, due to miraculous circumstances, places much of the blame for the bad decisions made by the SEALs on the mountain on the fear of retribution by the "liberal media" back in the States. This was an incredible look into the training and pressures that these heroes are faced with.

Disclaimer: As is typical with most books about military procedures, there is some foul language, but Luttrell makes an effort to limit the poor language to specific quotes or examples.

From the Book: "(p. 88) The SEALs place a premium on brute strength, but there's an even bigger premium on speed. That's speed through the water, speed over the ground, and speed of thought. There's no prizes for gleaming a set of well-oiled muscles in Coronado. Bulk just makes you slow, especially in soft sand, and that's what we had to tackle every day of our lives, mile after mile."

Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters

2011-06-18T20:42:00.005-06:00

Title: Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know

Author: Meg Meeker, M.D.

Pages: 288

Genre: Non-fiction

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Drawing upon decades of experience counseling girls, Dr. Meeker makes the case that the most important individual in a girl's life is her father, for better or worse. The book is well-structured and discusses why fathers need to be heroes, strong communicators and examples that their daughters can follow.

My Review: There were a lot of things that I really liked about this book and a few things that I didn't. This is the type of book where the real benefit is in taking the advice that is applicable to your situation and doing your best to apply it in your life. This book has earned a unique spot on my shelves as I would like to re-read it every five years or so in order to glean what is important for me and my girls during each stage of life. I enjoyed the applicability of this book as I have two daughters (turning 5 and 3 in July) and one on the way!

Ella Enchanted

2011-06-18T20:27:00.003-06:00

Title: Ella Enchanted

Author: Gail Carson Levine

Pages: 232

Genre: Fantasy, Fairy Tale

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This book is a new look at one of the world's oldest fairy tales. Young Ella is happy as a lark until her father ends up marrying a mean step-mother with two daughters after her mother's death.

My Review: First off, I didn't realize that this book was taken from one of the most popular fairy tales until after I had finished the book. The Newbery Honor book was a fun, quick read in just a couple of hours.

Keys to the Demon Prison

2011-06-18T20:12:00.006-06:00

Title: Fablehaven: Keys to the Demon Prison

Author: Brandon Mull

Pages: 593

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: A-

Synopsis: This is the fifth and final book of the Fablehaven series. The Sphinx is on the verge of obtaining all five of the magical artifacts necessary to open the demon prison Zzyzx, which houses most of the most dangerous servants of darkness and evil, including the demon king Gorgrog. It is once again up to Kendra, Seth and the Knights of the Dawn to unite all creatures of light in order to defeat those who want the demon prison opened.

My Review: I'll be honest, I really like the Fablehaven series. It was a little juvenile, but I thought the series was well-written and unique. Although this book was almost 600 pages, I felt that the author was rushing through much of the story in order to squeeze everything that he wanted into the single book.

Mockingjay

2011-06-18T19:57:00.003-06:00

Title: Mockingjay

Author: Suzanne Collins

Pages: 390

Genre: Thriller

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This is the third and final book of The Hunger Games trilogy. Young Katniss Everdeen remains the face of those who oppose the Capitol and the Capitol has declared an all-out war on the residents of District 12 and those throughout the remaining districts who are loyal to the opposition.

My Review: My personal favorite book of the trilogy was the first one. However, I thought this book took the most unexpected turns. Just like the others, it was a fun read and a satisfying conclusion to the series.

Catching Fire

2011-06-18T19:48:00.003-06:00

Title: Catching Fire

Author: Suzanne Collins

Pages: 391

Genre: Thriller

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This book is the second in The Hunger Games trilogy. Katniss and Peeta somehow made it through their first Hunger Games, but now they are the poster boy and girl for a rebellion that they never meant to lead.

My Review: Once again this is a book that is hard to put down. It's quick-paced and full of unexpected twists. The book does, unfortunately, feel a little bit like it's the filler between the first and third books, but it's not one that you'd want to skip.

The Hunger Games

2011-06-18T16:50:00.004-06:00

Title: The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins

Pages: 374

Genre: Thriller

Grade: A-

Synopsis: The Hunger Games take place in the nation of Panem, which is located on the North American continent, long after the United Stated and other nations in the area have fallen. Panem is ruled by a capitol with 12 outlying districts spanning the continent. As punishment for previous uprisings against the Capitol, each year, each district must send 1 boy and 1 girl to fight to the death in an arena for the Capitol's entertainment. Katniss Everdeen's younger sister is chosen as District 12's girl, and Katniss steps forward to take her place, realizing that it is a death sentence.

My Review: This is the book/series that everybody has been talking about. While the general premise of the book is disturbing (kids killing other kids and fighting to be the last one standing), the book is well written and certainly manages to keep you on the edge of your seat. After reading this book (the first of a trilogy) it was hard not to dive right into the second book.

The Likeability Factor

2011-06-18T16:33:00.003-06:00

Title: The Likeability Factor

Author: Tim Sanders

Pages: 5 discs

Genre: Non-fiction, Self-help

Grade: B

Synopsis: Being likeable is a critical component to having good relationships with you family, at work and in other areas of life. This book explores how anybody can increase their likeability factor by boosting their friendliness, relevance, empathy and realness with those around you.

My Review: I enjoyed listening to this book and learned a great deal. It was interesting to think about the factors discussed and how I could apply them in my life.

The ABC Murders

2011-06-17T22:42:00.003-06:00

Title: The ABC Murders

Author: Agatha Christie

Pages: 5 discs

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B

Synopsis: When Alice Ascher from Andover is murdered and an ABC railway guide is placed next to the body, nobody thinks that this would be the beginning of a string of murders.

My Review: I was in the mood for a short Agatha Christie mystery and this book did not fail to deliver. I enjoyed the story and was surprised by the ending (although that's nothing new. Whenever I hear that people knew who was the bad guy all along, I'm afraid to admit that I'm usually clueless up until the very end).

The Real Life of Eva Peron

2011-06-17T22:22:00.003-06:00

Title: The Real Life of Eva Peron

Authors: Nicholas Fraser & Marysa Navarro

Pages: 198

Genre: Biography

Grade: B

Synopsis: Eva Duarte is born out of wedlock to her mother and fights her way out of the poverty she was born into in the Argentine pampas. She makes her way to the capitol city by the time she is fifteen where eventually she is working as an actress voicing soap operas on the radio. She becomes romantically involved with Colonel Peron, before marrying him and becoming Argentina's first lady after he is elected president. Evita is loved, worshiped and adored by millions while simultaneously being hated, feared and despised by millions. After her death so young, her body is hidden for decades because the Argentine government feared the demonstrations and protests that would have inevitably taken place at her grave by the Peronists.

My Review: I added this book to my 'to read' list after Alison and I were able to watch Evita at Pioneer Theater in spring 2004. I finally got to it and enjoyed the book quite a bit. The biography is very academic and did not feel to be written as the type of book that would appeal to the masses. It was very apparent that the book took great pains to clarify the known facts from the unknown facts and assumptions. Evita was such an icon and loved and hated by so many that there are numerous conflicts in her life's story depending upon who's telling it.

The Swan Thieves

2011-06-17T21:52:00.004-06:00

Title: The Swan Thieves

Author: Elizabeth Kostova

Pages: 16 discs?

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B-

Synopsis: Andrew Marlowe is a single psychiatrist, satisfied with his life working at a full-time care center. He is devoted to painting and intrigued when the renowned painter Robert Oliver is entrusted into his care after he attacks a painting with a knife in the National Gallery. As Dr. Marlowe begins to try and unravel the mystery of Oliver's illness he crosses his own ethical boundaries in his search for more information about the obsessions of Robert Oliver.

My Review: As you may know, Elizabeth Kostova's debut novel, The Historian, is one of my favorite books. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with this book, her second novel. The Swan Thieves dives deep into painting, 100-year-old love letters and French Impressionism with Dr. Marlowe trying to unravel the mystery between them and it never really caught my fancy. I felt that the plot was fairly weak and the story slow as I found myself daydreaming quite often while I was listening to the book. That being said, from reading other reviews online, there are quite a number of people with whom the book really resonated.

Crime and Punishment

2011-04-30T14:44:00.003-06:00

Title: Crime and Punishment

Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky

Pages: 542

Genre: Russian Classic

Grade: B

Synopsis: Originally published in 1866, the story is about the law-student Raskolnikov who devises a theory about how great men may sometimes be above the law as the benefits they provide to society far outweigh any of their misdeeds. Raskolnikov, who is very poor, murders an old pawnbroker and her kinder sister. The remainder of the book focuses on the penetrating psychological analysis that Raskolnikov undertakes to try and clear his conscience.

My Review: While not exactly a page-turner, the book turns out to be a fascinating look inside the head of the young criminal. The entire story is extremely believable as we follow Raskonikov as he interacts with his family, friends and the police investigators. Can we ever find redemption of our own missteps through personal suffering?

From the Book: "(p. 288) We always imagine eternity as something beyond our conception, something vast, vast! But why must it be vast? Instead of all that, what if it's one little room, like a bath house in the country, black and grimy and spiders in every corner. and that's all eternity is? I sometimes fancy it like that."

"(p. 327) "That is all about the raising of Lazarus," she whispered severely and abruptly, and turning away she stood motionless, not daring to raise her eyes to him. She still trembled feverishly. The candle-end was flickering out in the battered candle-stick, dimly lighting up the poverty-stricken room the murderer and the harlot who had so strangely been reading together the eternal book. Five minutes or more passed."

To the Rescue

2011-04-03T19:50:00.003-06:00

Title: To the Rescue - The Biography of Thomas S. Monson

Author: Heidi S. Swinton

Pages: 588

Genre: Biography

Grade: A-

Synopsis: President Monson is the President and Prophet of the 14 million members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He grew up in Salt Lake City and was called to serve as Bishop of the ward he grew up in his early 20s. Before he was called as an apostle at 36, he had served in a Stake Presidency and as a mission president in Toronto, Canada. For almost the last 50-years he has served as a Special Witness of Jesus Christ, traveling the world uplifting the Saints, dedicating lands and temples and extending callings. President Monson played a critical role in the Church gaining permission to build a temple in East Germany, behind the Iron Curtain, where the communist government still generally rejected all religion.

My Review: This biography was very well-written in a way that exemplified the life of President Monson. The book is a collection of stories, many of which focus on the individual in need and the ways that President Monson has spent his life in the service of each and every one of us. The book was spiritually uplifting, motivating and instilled a desire for me to be a better person. I have no doubt that President Monson was prepared to lead the Lord's Church in this day of age. As always, it was a special treat to hear President Monson speak at conference the last couple of days.

From the Book: "(p. 473) At the Veracruz Mexico Temple dedication six weeks later, he spoke of the temple helping the members there. "We all have certain talents, and the Lord knows what they are," he said. "We all have limitations and the Lord knows what they are. Whatever our limitations may be, the Lord said this: 'Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect,' [Matthew 5:48.] He would not give us commandments we could not fulfill. We can become perfect in our love of God. We can become perfect in our love of our fellow men. We can become perfect in the payment of our tithing. We can become perfect in living the Word of Wisdom. We can become perfect in our home teaching. In other words, all of those degrees of perfection are within our reach... We know what we must do."

Rachel & Leah

2011-04-03T19:25:00.002-06:00

Title: Rachel & Leah

Author: Orson Scott Card

Pages: 9 discs

Genre: Historical Fiction

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Rachel and her tender-eyed older sister Leah are the daughters of Lord Laban, brother of Rebecca (who married Isaac, the son of Abraham). Rachel dreams of meeting a man at a well as a young teenager. He kisses her and asks Laban if he may serve 7 years for her hand in marriage. The young man was Jacob, the brother of Esau. For those who recall the story from Genesis, Jacob becomes the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, but the situation surrounding his marriage makes a great story.

My Review: Orson Scott Card is an author that has churned out books at an amazing pace throughout his career. Everything from fantasy (Ender's Game), thrillers (The Abyss), to religious based (Sarah, Rachel & Leah). Amazingly, his books based on the Women of Genesis are just as good as his more well-known other books. As very-little information is given in the Bible about the specifics of the relationships between Rachel and Leah and their handmaidens Zilpah and Bilhah, Card must use his imagination to fill in the gaps. He weaves a story that is very believable and structured around the specifics given in the Bible. I was very disappointed that the story ended right at Jacob's wedding, but the author's epilogue indicated that the book would have to be completed in a trilogy and not one book as he had originally planned. Unfortunately, that was 5 years ago and he has not yet completed the next book and Card had a stroke a few months ago that may or may not inhibit his ability to complete the series at all.

A Clockwork Orange

2011-04-03T19:01:00.003-06:00

Title: A Clockwork Orange

Author: Anthony Burgess

Pages: 6 discs

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The book takes place sometime in the future when sadistic gangs of youth roam the streets raping, and beating people mercilessly. Alex is a 15-year-old teenager in one of these gangs who loves ultraviolence and Beethoven before becoming a special project of the state where they attempt to brainwash him against this violence.

My Review: The whole first cd of this book I had no clue what was going on. Half of the slovos (words) of the book are gibberish words that actually happen to be English-ized Russian words (which meant that I could understand them - if you could make it through the ridiculous declension and pronunciation). Once I was able to wrap my head around the strange text, I found that I really enjoyed the book. It was a strange, unexpected and uniquely written story that really got you thinking about the powers that the government holds - much like Orwell's 1984.

Disclaimer: While the language is generally clean, rape, beatings and even murder is explained using slang and gibberish words.

Don't Throw Rocks at His Window

2011-04-03T18:32:00.004-06:00

Title: Don't Throw Rocks at His Window: Real Advice to Mend a Broken Heart

Author: Julie C. Donaldson

Pages: 97

Genre: Young Adult, Religion

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Broken hearts are a crucial part of growing up. This book is chock-full of advice and stories to help teenagers deal with their broken hearts and to rely on the Savior for support and strength.

My Review: Full disclosure - This book was written by a friend in our ward and the cover design was done by a neighbor from when I was growing up. Obviously I'm not in the target audience for the book, but I found that I quite enjoyed the book. The personal experiences were relevant and funny and the advice (if followed) would certainly help mend a newly dumped (or broken-up) ex-girlfriend's heart. If I ever find myself having to comfort a young lady in this circumstance, this book would make a great gift.

The Lovely Bones

2011-03-30T11:33:00.001-06:00

Title: The Lovely Bones

Author: Alice Sebold

Pages: 11 discs?

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B-

Synopsis: Susie Salmon is the victim of a brutal murder in 1973 when she is a young teenager. The story continues to follow Susie as she continues to exist in her heaven. She watches down on her family and her killer from heaven and tempers her desire for vengeance against her killer with her desire for her family to heal from the tragedy.

My Review: I know that this book generally gets pretty good reviews but it never clicked with me. I always hoped that there was something exciting on the next page (or cd in my case), but the story just seemed to slowly trudge on. I won't say that the story was predictable, but it certainly wasn't unpredictable (does that even make sense?) which left me a little underwhelmed.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

2011-03-28T21:08:00.003-06:00

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Author: Jeff Kinney

Pages: 224

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Jr. High student Greg Heffley is forced to keep a diary (although he claims it is a journal) by his mother. He draws pictures and writes about his life as a junior high student.

My Review: While I don't exactly fit the target demographic for the book, it was a quick read and gave me a few laughs. The book delivered in that it reminded me of my glorious jr. high days... That being said, I doubt that I will be reading any of the other books in the series. I'll leave those to the young teens.

Life of Pi

2011-03-27T16:23:00.003-06:00

Title: Life of Pi

Author: Yann Martel

Pages: 11 discs

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Pi is a young Indian boy whose father owned or managed a zoo as he was growing up. At a young age Pi was very interested in religion, exploring Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. The zoo was sold and the family was in the process of emigrating to Canada when the ship that they were on sank. Pi found himself in a lifeboat with a zebra, hyena and orangutan.

My Review: I enjoyed the book, but it was tough to get into it. It starts slow, but gets very interesting after the shipwreck. Amazingly, even though the story involves Pi being stuck in a lifeboat with a Bengal Tiger, I found the story to be quite believable.

Disclaimer: The book gets a bit gory as the hyena tears the zebra apart and there are other animal functions on display.

The Battle of the Labyrinth

2011-02-13T19:46:00.003-07:00

Title: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - The Battle of the Labyrinth

Author: Rick Riordan

Pages: 361

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Camp Half-Blood is in a more precarious position than it was even the year before. The Titan Lord is growing stronger and his supporters are utilizing an underground labyrinth designed by the great architect and inventor Daedalus. Whoever is able to figure out how the maze works first will be in the best position to attack the camp or fight off the attackers in the case of the half-bloods.

My Review: I think that this was probably my favorite book of the series so far. There are still a number of corny, juvenile dialogues, but the story as a whole seemed more cohesive. As always, the book was tough to put down and easy to finish in a couple of days.

The Hunt for Red October

2011-02-13T19:26:00.003-07:00

Title: The Hunt for Red October

Author: Tom Clancy

Pages: 480

Genre: Thriller

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The Red October is a brand-new Soviet submarine with a new quiet propulsion system. The captain of the Red October has hatched a plan with his officers to defect to the United States, with the new submarine. When the Soviets realize what their captain is planning on doing, they send every available submarine, battleship and anything else that floats to try and track her. The Americans, including Jack Ryan, see the whole Soviet navy racing to their shore and are trying to piece together their intelligence on the matter to find out whether or not they are under attack.

My Review: I read this book back in high school, but I didn't remember a lick of it. It's a fast-paced thriller with lots of twists and turns and eye-opening to the life of a submariner. The premise is realistic (at least it was during the cold war) and the submarine chases and battles are intense and dramatic.

The Wednesday Letters

2011-02-13T18:35:00.004-07:00

Title: The Wednesday Letters

Author: Jason F. Wright

Pages: 5 discs

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B-

Synopsis: Jack and Laurel Cooper own and run a cozy bed and breakfast. After thirty-nine years, they die in each others arms in the master bedroom and their children all return home for the double-funeral. They children find out that every Wednesday since their marriage, their dad has written their mother a letter and she had kept them all. From reading the letters, they find out that their family is not what they thought it was.

My Review: The story is nice and all, but it never really clicked with me. I'm finding it tough to put a finger on what I didn't like in the book, but I just found it ever so slightly irritating. That being said, there were parts of the book that I quite enjoyed, but the story was a bit predictable.

Einstein: His Life and Universe

2011-02-13T18:08:00.003-07:00

Title: Einstein: His Life and Universe

Author: Walter Isaacson

Pages: 19 discs

Genre: Biography

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Albert Einstein was born in the German Empire (in 1879), educated in Switzerland and died as an American (1955). This recent biography is one of the first to be released after his personal letters and correspondences were released to the public. Every aspect of his life is examined from his early childhood (he never failed math), his time at the Zurich Poytechnic, his difficulty landing a job as a professor, his outspoken political ideologies and his time in America. 1905 is known as a miracle year in physics when Einstein, working as a patent clerk published four papers where he discovered the photoelectric effect, special relativity and the equivalence of mass and energy (e=mc^2) as well as a paper exploring Brownian motion. Over time, Einstein truly became a superstar in the realm of physics. Eventually, the Jewish oppression in Germany was too much and he emigrated to America in the early 1930's where he had a position at Princeton University and continued to search for a unified theory of the physical world.

My Review: I imagine that a biography on Einstein would be fairly difficult to write and keep interesting for the majority of readers, but Isaacson has done just that. There is enough explanation of Einstein's thought experiments and breakthroughs that the non-physics reader is able to have an idea of what is being discussed, not understand it though - if was often joked that only 3 people understood relativity in the world (at the time of Einstein) and nobody knew who the other two were. I'm not sure that we have a comparable scientist living today. Einstein lived during the golden-age of physics when many of the physicists and scientists were known the world over. His popularity was fairly easy to accomplish with the new York Times virtually covering his every move. I was very impressed with Einstein, but every genius seems to have a dark side, and while Einstein's is pretty tame, it is still there. One complaint with the book (which others may appreciate) is that each chapter seemed to be written as a free-standing work, which means there was some minor duplication of material that had already been covered. One of the better biographies that I have read.

The Titan's Curse

2011-02-13T17:50:00.004-07:00

Title: Percy Jackson & The Olympians - The Titan's Curse

Author: Rick Riordan

Pages: 312

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Percy Jackson is sent on a quest to find his friend Annabeth with Thalia, the daughter of Zeus, and two of Artemis' huntresses, Zoe Nightshade and Bianca Di Angelo. They're also trying to locate a dangerous monster that would be able to bring down Olympus before the Titans can find it.

My Review: Just like every other book in this series, some of the dialogue and character interaction in this book is cringeworthy, but the author does a masterful job of tying ancient Greek mythology into today's world. Another easy, enjoyable read.

The Bible Salesman

2011-01-15T18:23:00.002-07:00

Title: The Bible Salesman

Author: Clyde Edgerton

Pages: 5 discs

Genre: Fiction

Grade: C

Synopsis: Henry Dampier is a 20-year-old naive Bible salesman traveling around the south when he is picked up by Mr. Clearwater, who claims to work for the FBI in the post-WWII era. His is allegedly infiltrating a car theft ring and using Henry to help him transport the stolen cars.

My Review: This book is a folksy story where everyone came across as a little dim-witted. As one review from Goodreads reads: "A dim religious doofus is conned by a murderous car thief in the South of the early fifties. Brief but pointless. The backstory parts as especially inessential, but really, there's just nothing on offer here." I'm not sure that I could put it any better myself.

A Nice Little Town

2011-01-15T12:37:00.000-07:00

Title: A Nice Little Town

Author: Robert D. Christensen, M.D.

Pages: 159

Genre: Memoir

Synopsis: Dr. Robert Christensen writes about moving from Chicago to the small town of Layton, UT as a very small boy. In the 1940 census, Layton only had about 600 residents. The book feels like a collection of memoir-like essays about growing up in Layton, attending Layton and Whitesides Elementary Schools, Central Davis Jr. High and Davis High School. His father was the town Dentist at the old Tanner Clinic and many of the long-time city residents are featured in some of the stories.

My Review: I'll not give this book a grade as I'm going to treat is as a book of stories that a grandfather may like to leave for his posterity. There were a great many of unfortunate spelling errors that made the book feel less like a published work and more like a family collection. That being said, the stories were funny and enjoyable and I especially enjoyed learning about the city/town that I grew up in and I recognized many of the locations and people that were part of the book. Generally, I'm quite certain that native Laytonites will enjoy this book far more than non-Laytonites.

2010 Books in Review

2011-01-01T21:06:00.002-07:00

I've been meaning to do a wrap-up of the books I read at the end of each year, but this is the first time that I'm actually making it happen.

In 2010 I read 53 books (which I'm very pleased with, although in 2009 I read 64 books).

30 of these books were paper copies, while 23 books were 'read' while listening to them in my car during my short commute.

I read a total of 10,347 pages in the paper copies and listened to 246 cds (which translates into 9,940 pages) for a total of 20,287 pages. The average length of the books I read was 398 pages.

The average grade that I have given the books is approximately a B, while the most common grade given is a B+.

I read 27 fiction books (including science fiction, fantasy and mystery), 9 non-fiction books, 11 biographies/memoirs/autobiographies and 3 religious books.

2 books received an A grade - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (fantasy) and The Death of a President (non-fiction).

5 additional books received A- grades - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (fantasy), The Mormon Way of Doing Business (non-fiction), The Book Thief (fiction), The Return of the King (fantasy) and Bonk (non-fiction).

I am currently reading A Nice Little Town and The Bible Salesman, but I'm always looking for good recommendations!

And Then There Was One

2011-01-01T10:11:00.003-07:00

Title: And Then There Was One

Author: Patricia Gussin

Pages: 302

Genre: Mystery

Grade: B-

Synopsis: Katie and Scott Monroe are a bi-racial couple who have nine-ear-old identical triplet girls. Scott used to catch for the Yankees and Katie is a child psychologist, often testifying in child abuse cases. The family is torn apart when two of their daughters are kidnapped from a movie theater leaving one sister behind. The book follows the search for clues and the search for their daughters.

My Review: This book preys on a parent's fears. I enjoyed the book, but too much of it just feels fabricated. It feels like the author was trying to cram everything bad into the book that they could. Too many coincidences for my liking. In addition, the book was poorly edited with spelling errors throughout and questionable grammar in places as well.

Disclaimer: While there is no description of child abuse, there are allusions to it and some language that may be disturbing.

Voltaire's Calligrapher

2011-01-01T09:48:00.003-07:00

Title: Voltaire's Calligrapher

Author: Pablo de Santis

Pages: 149

Genre: Historical Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Dalessius is a 20-year-old calligrapher in France in around 1762. At the time, France is split between Enlightenment, which is championed by Voltaire and his writings, and the Church, peddling miracles that often turn sinister. Dalessius is trained in calligraphy at one of the best schools but is stuck taking shady jobs until he is sent to Ferney where he ends up as Voltaire's calligapher. Voltaire is getting quite old and sends Dalessius to be his eyes and ears on the ground and to try and infiltrate the Church. He befriends a retired executioner and is exposed to all sorts of creepy mechanical automatons as he attempts to expose the Church.

My Review: As I'm sure my synopsis shows, I had a hard time grasping this book and I found it a little bit confusing. I really enjoyed the style and the story and have added Pablo de Santis other novel, The Paris Enigma to my list.

Naked

2010-12-31T18:48:00.003-07:00

Title: Naked

Author: David Sedaris

Pages: 3 discs (abridged)

Genre: Autobiographical Essays

Grade: B

Synopsis: This book is a collection of autobiographical essays by comedian David Sedaris. He writes about his strange urges to lick things (light switches, mail boxes, etc.) growing up and when his teachers would stop by to discuss his quirks with his parents, his mother would serve drinks to the teachers as she empathized with their struggles. He also wrote about many other dysfunctions of his family ending with his self-deprecating visit to a nudist colony.

My Review: I didn't realize that this was a collection of essays until I sat down to write this review. Everything seemed to flow well together, but there didn't seem to be a climax or highlight of the book (which I now attribute to it being a collection of essays). The essays were funny without being dirty or mean, although the language is poor.

Disclaimer: As mentioned, swearing in the book is quite prevalent.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

2010-12-31T18:43:00.000-07:00

Title: A Thousand Splendid Suns

Author: Khaled Hosseini

Pages: 11 discs

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The book begins with the story of Mariam, who is an illegitimate child of a local businessman. After her mother commits suicide, she is married off to a 40-year-old man who continually abuses her, especially after she has a few miscarriages and fails to deliver the son that Rasheed so desperately wants. The story then shifts to 14-year-old Laila whose parents are killed by stray bombs. Rasheed ends up taking her in as a second wife. The complete story takes place over a 30-year timespan in Afghanistan, when the country was gripped by anti-Soviet jihad, civil war, Taliban cruelty and finally uncertainty after the US invasion in 2001.

My Review: The book is very depressing and violent as it seems that the main characters can never get a break. I love reading about places and countries that I know so little about (Afghanistan), and from what I've gathered, this book is generally true to history. My biggest complaint is that the first half of the book felt very disjointed with the story focusing on Mariam before switching to Laila with no apparent connection between them.

Disclaimer: There is some language, but quite a bit of violence and death that may be disturbing.

The Autobiography of Charles Darwin 1809-1882

2010-12-22T21:26:00.003-07:00

Title: The Autobiography of Charles Darwin 1809-1882

Author: Charles Darwin, edited by Nora Barlow

Pages: 243

Genre: Autobiography

Grade: D

Synopsis: Charles Darwin wrote his autobiography throughout the later years of his life. He intended it to be solely for his children, but his son first published the autobiography in 1887 (with most of the personal details omitted - which have now since been included). Darwin writes about his early life, school years and published works, spending very little on information about his family or other personal topics.

My Review: Very few books take me this long to read (4 weeks or so). Alison's had this book from some class at the U and I was interested in reading it but, there was nothing about this book that motivated me to pick it up and continue reading once I had started (and in fact, I skipped the 90+ pages of the appendix). For Darwin enthusiasts, this book is a gem. For the rest of us, I'm sure we can find something else...

On another note, The book is free to anybody who wants it (first come first served)...

Prey

2010-12-22T20:49:00.004-07:00

Title: Prey

Author: Michael Crichton

Pages: 11 discs

Genre: Science Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Jack Forman recently lost his job as a computer programmer. He is eventually hired on as a consultant to his wife's company, Xymos Technologies. They've recently invented a way for nano-particles to reproduce themselves using bacterial processes. Unfortunately, some of the particles have gotten loose into the atmosphere and they are now reproducing on their own outside of the lab environment.

My Review: The science behind the book is a little suspect and often unbelievable which is a little unfortunate because it's such a critical portion of the book. It was generally easy to understand what was going on though and the book had plenty of suspense and twists.

Disclaimer: There's a bit of language to watch out for.

Letters for Emily

2010-12-22T19:43:00.004-07:00

Title: Letters for Emily

Author: Camron Wright

Pages: 320

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Harry Whitney wasn't ever the best father, husband or even grandfather. He suffered from severe Alzheimer's but luckily had a few hours of sanity most days. During his lucid times, he composed a book of poems that he addressed to his granddaughter Emily. The poems each had hidden passwords in them that led the family to more of Harry's advice and brought them together.

My Review: I generally enjoyed this book. I liked the clues in the poems and the linguistic tricks that were often played. The love story underlying the story was a little hokey, but all-in-all not a terrible read.

The Sea of Monsters

2010-12-22T19:02:00.002-07:00

Title: The Sea of Monsters

Author: Rick Riordan

Pages: 304

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Percy Jackson learns that his good friend Tyson is a cyclops and also his half-brother. Percy also learns that camp Half-Blood has been compromised. Percy, Annabeth and Tyson sneak out on a quest to try and save the camp by obtaining the Golden Fleece by crossing the Sea of Monsters (aka the Bermuda Triangle).

My Review: These books are fairly simple, but I still enjoy how they help bring Greek mythology to modern times. An easy, quick read that wasn't too predictable.

The Time Traveler's Wife

2010-11-14T21:21:00.004-07:00

Title: The Time Traveler's Wife

Author: Audrey Niffenegger

Pages: 16 discs

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: The book is about Clare and Henry. Henry first met Clare when he was 36 and Clare was 6. They got married when Henry was 31 and Clare was 23. Henry spontaneously time-travels to other points in his life, his wife's life, his mother and father's lives or elsewhere. He can't control when or where he goes, but will always arrive at his new destination (and back home) naked and often hungry.

My Review: The premise behind this book is very interesting and intriguing. I can't put my finger on it, but I always felt that Niffenegger could have done a little bit more with the story. Nonetheless, I quite enjoyed the book, but did not enjoy the sex and language that was also quite prevalent.

2010-11-14T16:15:00.002-07:00

Title: Angela's Ashes

Author: Frank McCourt

Pages: 15 discs

Genre: Memoir

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Frank McCourt grew up in absolute poverty with his family both in Brooklyn and Ireland. Having many siblings die at a young age from sickness and an alcoholic father that couldn't hold down a job for more than a couple of weeks forced his mother, him and his brother to scrounge and beg for food wherever they could.

My Review: The book was extremely sad as Frank described the hardships, difficulties and prejudices that he and his family had to endure. It was an eye-opening expose on the way that alcohol controlled the life of Frankie's father and many of the other men in Limerick. At one point, Frankie's father left to England to work in a factory during the war (WWII), of course he promised to send money back home to the family, but week after week the family wouldn't see a shilling. Every pound the father earned was spent in the pubs. I especially loved listening to the author narrate the audio version of this book in his Limerick (Irish) accent.

Disclaimer: There is a bit of language, most of which is the taking of God's name in vain.

Bonk

2010-10-16T15:32:00.000-06:00

Title: Bonk - The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex

Author: Mary Roach

Pages: 319

Genre: Non-fiction

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Mary Roach has previously written the non-fiction books, "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers" and "Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife." Now Roach turns her mind towards the science of sex. The book explores the study of sexual physiology - what is happening, why it is happening and how can it happen better. Her research takes her to brothels, pig farms, sex-toy R&D labs, MRI centers and the labs of numerous sexologists. As the book jacket suggests, Roach tackles the questions such as: "Can a person think herself to orgasm? Can a dead man get an erection? Is vaginal orgasm a myth? Why doesn't Viagra help women or... pandas?

My Review: Sex is about as taboo a subject as an author can explore. What makes this book work is the honesty and openness that Roach exudes as she digs into this topic. I'll be honest, I'm probably fairly naive about sex in the world in general, and this book was eye-opening in many ways. The book is not dirty or vulgar, but it is often hilarious and sometimes disgusting and disturbing. Alison can attest, the book is often very funny and had me laughing more often than most.

Disclaimer: Obviously, this book is about sex - from a scientific angle. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it (as I've recommended Alison to read it), but you've probably got to have an open mind. As you can imagine, the language in the book fits the subject matter and may cause some discomfort...

From the Book: There are so many quotes that I could have included from this book, but I'm doing my best to keep this blog a family blog...

(p. 91) Anne Marie's beauty and style belie a down-and-dirty education in the particulars of practical AI (artificial insemination). She has miked a boar of his prodigious ejaculate--over two hundred milliliters (a cup), as compared to a man's three milliliters--and she has done it with her hand. For, unlike stallions and bulls, boars don't cotton to artificial vaginas. (in part, because their penis, like their tail, is corkscrewed.) AI techs must squeeze the organ in their hand--hard and without letup--for the entire duration of the ejaculation: from five to fifteen minutes. "You should see the size of their hands," she says, of the men and women who regular ejaculate boars."

The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King

2010-10-16T14:45:00.002-06:00

Title: The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King

Author: J.R.R. Tolkien

Pages: 16 discs

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Frodo and Sam continue on their trek into Mordor to try and destroy the ring at Mount Doom. At the same time, the remaining members of the fellowship are fighting battles for Rohan and Gondor. Gandalf the White hatches a plan to divert Sauron's eye to them so that he will not be aware of Frodo and the ring's presence in his own backyard.

My Review: The Lord of the Rings is truly an epic story. As you read this series, there are so many stories that could have been told about everything in middle earth, which allows your imagination to fill in the blanks. My only complaint is that the climax of the story happens just over halfway through the book, but the benefit of this is that the completion of the story is very satisfying as most loose ends have been wrapped up.

The Kiss

2010-10-16T14:33:00.002-06:00

Title: The Kiss

Author: Kathryn Harrison

Pages: 207

Genre: Memoir

Grade: B

Synopsis: Kathryn Harrison is 6 months old when her father leaves her mother. She only sees her father a couple of times before he comes to visit her and her mother when she is 20. As Kathryn drops her father off at the airport, he gives her a sensual kiss that is the start to an obsessive love affair between father and daughter.

My Review: This book is a shockingly honest memoir from Kathryn Harrison. The power that her father (who is a pastor) is able to gain over her is amazing and disturbing. Her life unravels as they both become obsessed with each other before she is finally able to sever the tie.

Charlotte's Web

2010-10-16T14:15:00.004-06:00

Title: Charlotte's Web

Author: E.B. White

Pages: 184

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Fern cares for the runt of the litter and helps the little piglet grow until Fern's father decides that it is time to sell the pig. He sells Wilbur to Fern's uncle and she makes sure to visit often. Wilbur makes friend with a little gray spider Charlotte, who makes it her life's goal to save Wilbur from the slaughter.

My Review: I read 4-5 pages of this book with Ada each night before putting her to bed. She enjoyed the story, but often found it hard to focus as the vocabulary in the book is quite above her level. But, she understood the story and I loved when should would ask, "Daddy, what does ___ mean?" Now we're looking for another book appropriate to read with a 4-year old. Any suggestions?

The Book Thief

2010-10-03T16:23:00.000-06:00

Title: The Book Thief

Author: Markus Zusak

Pages: 552

Genre: Historical Fiction

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Liesel Meminger and her younger brother are being taken by their mother to live with Hans and Rosa Hubermann who live on Himmel Street in Molching, Germany. On the way there, Liesel's younger brother dies and is buried in a small town cemetery. Leaving the cemetery, Liesel notices a book in the snow, The Grave Digger's Handbook. At the time, Liesel can't read, but the book is the start of her love/hate relationship with words and books.

My Review: This is one of the more unique books that I have ever read. I enjoyed it immensely, but for some reason, I found it difficult to really get into it. I loved the viewpoint of the story, from that of a small non-Jewish family living in Hitler's Germany and their view of the oppression of Nazi Germany. I'd really like to read the book again, and will probably enjoy it more if I'm able to focus on it more.

Disclaimer: This book is full of swearing (mainly in German) and the taking of the Lord's name in vain, which was disappointing.

My Sister's Keeper

2010-10-03T16:08:00.001-06:00

Title: My Sister's Keeper

Author: Jodi Picoult

Pages: 12 discs

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Anna sues her parents for medical emancipation when she is 13 years old. Her older sister, Kate, has been sick with leukemia since she was two years old. The only reason Anna was even born, was to be a donor of genetically matched cord blood for Kate's benefit. Since that time, Anna has had to donate many parts of her body to her sister and now she is being forced to donate a kidney to her sister without ever giving her consent.

My Review: I found this book to be very interesting and thought-provoking. It was extremely difficult to take sides because it was difficult to determine who was right and who was wrong. The book is a serious portrayal of an issue of medical ethics. What made the book a little hokey (in my opinion), were the connections each character had to each other or to one thing or another that would cloud their view of these issues. Regardless, the book has surprises at almost every turn.

Disclaimer: There is a bit of language in the book to be prepared for.

The Winds of War

2010-10-03T14:01:00.000-06:00

Title: The Winds of War

Author: Herman Wouk

Pages: 885

Genre: Historical Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Victor "Pug" Henry is a middle-aged naval officer recently assigned to be the Naval Attache for the US Embassy in Berlin just a few months before Germany attacked Poland at the start of World War II. The Henry's have one son in the Navy, one son that will soon join the Navy and a daughter back in the states who is looking into starting college in New York City. Throughout the course of the book, Pug has the chance to meet Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Churchill and becomes a respected confidant of Roosevelt. This volume ends shortly after the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor. For a more complete synopsis, refer to this article from Wikipedia.

My Review: This is truly an epic account of World War II from a military family's perspective. I didn't realize until I had completed the book that there is actually a second volume in the series which is more than 1,000 pages long itself. I have always had a hard time piecing the chronology of World War II together in my mind, and this book helped that immensely. From everything that I have read, this book is known as one of the most correct historical fiction accounts of the Great War. When I finished the book, I wasn't quite sure if the book was fictional or not. In my opinion, that is the highest compliment that can be given to a work of historical fiction.

Disclaimer: As is often the case with 'true-to-life' military books, there is a bit of language in the book.

The Wednesday Wars

2010-09-11T22:45:00.003-06:00

Title: The Wednesday Wars

Author: Gary D. Schmidt

Pages: 264

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Holling Hoodhood is a seventh grader at Camillo Junior High School. On Wednesdays, all of the students except Holling have religious instruction. Holling stays back at the school with Mrs. Baker. Holling is certain that Mrs. Baker hates him, else why would she require him to read Shakespeare during their Wednesday classes?

My Review: This was a fun, young adult fiction book. The author does a great job of capturing the thoughts, emotions and actions of a seventh grader. The book brought back a lot of memories of being that age myself, although I don't recall having to read Shakespeare.

Marley & Me

2010-09-11T11:34:00.003-06:00

Title: Marley & Me

Author: John Grogan

Pages: 6 discs

Genre: Memoir

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Marley is arguably the world's worst dog. He is an excitable yellow lab with some crazy tendencies like destroying things, jumping on people and eating anything he can get his jaws on. The book is full of stories about Marley's antics and how his owner's family grows to love him, flaws and all.

My Review: I've never had a dog and I'll probably never have a dog so I found this book to be eye-opening into the lives of dog owners. The book does a very nice job of portraying how a family can fall in love with a pet that destroys rooms during thunderstorms, eats jewelry and embarrasses them whenever they have him out in public. I listened to this book on cd in my car and especially enjoyed the author reading the book. I found myself feeling much more compassionate to owner's of crazy dogs, but you still better clean up after your dog when they crap on my lawn ;).

The Judas Strain

2010-09-11T09:44:00.003-06:00

Title: The Judas Strain

Author: James Rollins

Pages: 12 discs

Genre: Thriller

Grade: B

Synopsis: The United States' special ops Sigma Force is battling a mysterious plague in the East Indian Ocean. The antidote to the plague appears to come from some ancient writings of Marco Polo. One team is following the historical trail while another is tracking the scientific trail of the disease.

My Review: The book was an enjoyable read, but it seemed to be somewhat of a cookie-cutter type thriller. I enjoyed the historical references to Marco Polo and others and the geographical descriptions of the different locations where the story takes place although portions of the story (as is typical) were somewhat unbelievable.

The Mormon Way of Doing Business

2010-08-14T16:07:00.003-06:00

Title: The Mormon Way of Doing Business

Author: Jeff Benedict

Pages: 221

Genre: Non-fiction

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Jeff Benedict explores how eight men who grew up in the Western US were able to rise to the top of their professions while paying 10 percent tithing, keeping the Sabbath day holy, serving as Bishops, Stake Presidents and Young Men's Presidents and still finding time to spend with their families. The book specifically profiles JetBlue founder and former CEO David Neeleman, former Madison Square Garden CEO Dave Checketts, Former Harvard Business School dean Kim Clark, CEO of Dell Kevin Rollins and four others. Persistence, expecting a miracle, daily prayer and scripture study, Sabbath day service and putting first things first are all skills and commitments that have blessed their lives.

My Review: I'll be honest. I really enjoyed this book. I found it inspiring and uplifting and loved reading about how these men are able to balance work, family life, demanding church callings and personal time. The book is especially enjoyable because each principle is presented and then substantiated with life experiences from a few of these men. Stories of Checkett's hard-nosed negotiations with Patrick Ewing and Pat Riley, Jim Quigley's and Gary Crittenden's stories of leadership at ground zero on 9/11 and David Neeleman working as a flight attendant or baggage handler on busy days. Each of these leaders has qualities to emulate and skills that have allowed them to rise to the top. This is a book that I'll read again.

A Star Curiously Singing

2010-08-14T15:38:00.004-06:00

Title: A Star Curiously Singing

Author: Kerry Nietz

Pages: 301

Genre: Science Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Sandfly is a level-12 debugger. He has a chip implanted in his head that allows him to obtain virtually any piece of information very easily. Each debugger is owned and controlled by a master that can cause the chip in his head to painfully reprimand the debugger when not explicitly following directions. Sandfly is sent up into earth's orbit to repair a robot that has torn itself apart after a journey into deep space. Sandfly begins uncovering a mystery that the new world leaders have been hiding for generations.

My Review: For those of you that are members of goodreads.com, did you know that they have tons of giveaways of books all the time? This particular giveaway was hosted by the author, Kerry Nietz, and out of more than 700 people, I was selected to win a pre-release signed copy. I'm not usually a fan of this type of science fiction, but as I got deeper and deeper into the story I started to enjoy it more. The first 50 pages or so were a blur to me as I was trying to piece together the science fictional world where the story takes place. By the end of the story I was engrossed and I plan on reading the sequels that will follow in this series.

PS - Thanks to Kerry Nietz for sharing his book!

Innocent Traitor

2010-08-08T14:13:00.006-06:00

Title: Innocent Traitor

Author: Alison Weir

Pages: 416

Genre: Historical Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Lady Jane Grey was queen of England for a mere 9 days, the pawn of her scheming father and ruthless mother. Lady Jane was just 15 when she seceded to the throne after the early death of King Edward VI (who had seceded his father King Henry VIII). England was in a state of turmoil between the Protestant religion and Catholicism and anybody who did not subscribe to the religion of their rulers was put to death for heresy.

My Review: The book is written from many different points of view, but it was often difficult to determine who was writing as the tone and style of each person was so similar. I didn't really like the middle part of the book, but by the time I was 3/4 of the way through, I really started to enjoy the story. I've always felt that medieval Europe was somewhat of a black hole for me. I know very little of what went on during these times. I love reading books such as these that attempt to bring these time-periods to life while sticking generally to the facts.

The Devil in the White City

2010-08-07T15:17:00.002-06:00

Title: The Devil in the White City

Author: Erik Larson

Pages: 10 discs? (I don't remember)

Genre: History

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The World's Columbian Exposition (i.e. World's Fair) of 1893 was held in Chicago to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus' arrival in America. This book intertwines the story of the architect Daniel Burnham's struggles to get the fair off the ground in such a compressed time frame and Henry H. Holmes and his World's Fair Hotel just west of the Jackson Park Fairgrounds. Architecturally and from a design standpoint, the buildings and grounds of the fair are simply amazing. More or less in 18 months, the swampy Jackson Park was transformed into a beautiful white city lighted entirely with electric lights (the first place for this to be done). Huge buildings were built to house the different booths with the crown jewel being the first Ferris Wheel. On the other hand, H.H. Holmes' hotel was originally built as a torture palace with dissection tables, gas chambers and a crematorium. All through the fair (and before and after) he would lure young women into his confidence before killing and dissecting them.

My Review: As a design engineer, I especially enjoyed the chapters where the design and construction of the Ferris Wheel was discussed. The Paris Exposition of 1889 had been a huge success with the Eiffel Tower and Chicago needed something great to follow it up. The original Ferris Wheel was huge. It stood 264 feet tall and had 36 compartments capable of carrying 60 people. Nobody had ever seen such a structure, yet the Ferris Wheel turned out to arguably be the strongest structure in the park. H.H. Holmes was one of the first serial killers in the US and almost went undetected had he not made a couple crucial errors. His story, while disturbing, was also very interesting. I also enjoyed random little historical nuggets that are scattered throughout the book from the Pledge of Allegiance being written for the fair's dedication day to descriptions of Walt Disney's father working on the fairgrounds and telling stories to his son about the White City (possibly helping Disney to create his vision of Disneyland).

Disclaimer: This book obviously gets pretty gruesome as it goes into as much detail as is known of the many murders Holmes' committed.

Rome 1960

2010-08-05T20:41:00.003-06:00

Title: Rome 1960 - The Olympics that Changed the World

Author: David Maraniss

Pages: 496

Genre: Non-fiction, History

Grade: B

Synopsis: The Rome Olympics of 1960 were held when the world was in a transitory state. The Cold War was at its height, it was the first time that many of the Olympic competitions allowed women to compete and the United States (and much of the world) was in the midst of a racial revolution. While many of the athletes representing the United States were African Americans who were celebrated when they won, there were many restaurants and other places where they were prohibited due to the color of their skin. In addition, the 1960 Olympics were the first Olympics that were really televised and broadcast throughout the world. Clips had been shown during previous Olympics, but this was the first time that prime-time viewers were able to watch much of the competitions. These were the Olympics of sprinter Wilma Rudolph, decathlete Rafer Johnson and boxer Cassius Clay.

My Review: I loved reading the stories of the competitions. There always seemed to be an underlying political theme during every event. The Americans vs. the Soviets, the West Germans and the East Germans competing on a unified German team. The South Africans swearing that no racism was involved in selecting their team yet not a single black was good enough to compete. The inspiring stories of the decathlon, the track events and many others were also very enjoyable. The book did get a little wordy, but all in all was quite an interesting read.

Blink

2010-08-03T20:35:00.003-06:00

Title: Blink

Author: Malcolm Gladwell

Pages: 288

Genre: Non-fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This book analyzes the psychology of first impressions and the snap-judgment (or think-slicing). In many cases, the judgments made by somebody in the first second or two of exposure go against everything that the experts say but are nonetheless often correct.

My Review: I found this book to be very interesting and thought-provoking. I enjoyed how the material was presented with stories and examples backed up with research and studies. I do think that the information in this type of book needs to be taken with a grain of salt because there are two sides to every story and research can often be found to support contradicting claims. That being said, there are ways that we can prepare ourselves to make better snap-judgments.

Crazy for the Storm

2010-07-30T08:54:00.003-06:00

Title: Crazy for the Storm

Author: Norman Ollestad

Pages: 6 discs

Genre: Memoir

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Norman Ollestad is 11-years old when he is in a plane crash high in California's San Gabriel mountains. His father and the pilot are killed immediately and Norman has to make it down the mountain on his own. The story of the plane crash is intertwined with a memoir of memories of young Norman skiing in races on difficult terrain and surfing throughout Southern California and Mexico. The pressure Norman's father puts on him to perform at these sports ultimately helps Norman save his own life when the plan crashes.

My Review: I listened to this book being read by the author and found the story to be quite enjoyable and amazing. When this book was recommended to me, it was recommended as one of the best books on parenting. While I don't concur with that opinion, I did find myself contemplating my own parenting style and the type of father that I would like to be.

Disclaimer: The language in the book is vulgar at times.

The Hummingbird's Daughter

2010-07-20T22:02:00.005-06:00

Title: The Hummingbird's Daughter

Author: Luis Alberto Urrea

Pages: 528

Genre: Historical Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Teresita was born in 1873 on a prosperous ranch near the Mexic0-Arizona border. She was raised in dire poverty by her aunt but showed promise while growing up. She ended up becoming an apprentice to the ranch's medicine woman and is eventually invited to live in the rancher's (Don Tomas Urrea's) own home. At age 16, Teresita is raped and lapses into a deep coma before appearing to pass away. At her wake she sits up in her coffin rejuvenated and not ready to face death. She now has the power to heal and blesses pilgrim's from all over Mexico who visit to see her.

My Review: This book is often compared to "One Hundred Years of Solitude" as they are both Latin American classics, but I enjoyed this book much more. The author is the grand-nephew of the real Teresita (who is also remembered as the Saint of Cabora). While many of the stories are obviously apocryphal, the book was an enjoyable read and enlightening into 19th century Mexico.

Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway

2010-07-19T22:06:00.004-06:00

Title: Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway

Author: Dave Barry

Pages: 208

Genre: Humor

Grade: B

Synopsis: The humor columnist for the Miami Herald writes about the history of politics and the United States government.

My Review: While you never know if Dave Barry is speaking the truth or not, this book was certainly an entertaining read. Barry pokes fun at everything he can fit into his 208 pages. In many ways, I found the book to actually be quite eye-opening to the excesses and poor practices of our government. Imagine if the government actually worked the way the founding fathers meant it to...

Tomb of the Golden Bird

2010-06-26T14:38:00.003-06:00

Title: Tomb of the Golden Bird

Author: Elizabeth Peters

Pages: 9 discs?

Genre: Mystery

Grade: D

Synopsis: The book is part of the acclaimed Amelia Peabody series. Emerson and his wife Amelia are back in Luxor, Egypt excavating. Emerson has an idea of where a tomb may be located, but it is in the rights area of Howard Carter who eventually locates and excavates King Tut's tomb. Meanwhile, Amelia's family is being hounded by a mysterious group of people looking for somebody.

My Review: This book has generally received good reviews, but I found it to be dreadful. That may possibly be because I've never read any of the other books in the Amelia Peabody series, but this was a difficult one to finish for me. The only redeeming part of the book was in regards to King Tut's tomb, which was mildly interesting.

The Death of a President

2010-06-26T13:43:00.005-06:00

Title: The Death of a President - November 1963

Author: William Manchester

Pages: 710 Pages

Genre: History

Grade: A

Synopsis: Essentially this book spans from November 20, 1963 to November 25, 2963, with the 2-3 hours surrounding the death of President Kennedy taking up around 300 pages. About 6 months after JFK was assassinated, Jackie Kennedy asked William Manchester to write a definitive account of the assassination. Manchester was given exclusive access to President Johnson, Jackie Kennedy, the secret service and others who were tied to the tragedy.

My Review: This was one of the most fascinating books that I've ever read. The depth of analysis that this book goes into is incredible. It was no surprise to many people that the President was killed in Dallas. People all over the country were warning the presidential party to avoid Dallas. Amazingly, the morning of the assassination the President and his wife were talking in their hotel room in Fort Worth and JFK mentioned that last night would have been a great night for an assassin to strike.

One thing that stood out to me in this book and in other biographies/historical accounts that I've read about US Presidents is the personality traits and qualities that set them apart from regular people. For example, the morning of the assassination Jackie Kennedy pointed out the beautiful artwork and flowers in their hotel room in Fort Worth. JFK had two minutes to spare and suggested that they give the lady that set them up a call. His final phone call was to thank a lady for the beautiful flowers and artwork.

Although JFK was elected in a country that was divided ideologically (much like today), most of the country was shocked and terribly saddened by his assassination. People throughout the world felt the impact of his death and leaders from countries across the globe made it a point to attend the funeral. What was most impressive of all was the poise and control that Jackie Kennedy showed throughout the ordeal, thanking visitors, receiving foreign dignitaries and planning the events. It was even her idea to place an eternal flame at his grave. I hope the country never has to suffer through a similar tragedy.

The Two Towers

2010-06-26T13:22:00.004-06:00

Title: The Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers

Author: J.R.R. Tolkien

Pages: 17 discs

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The fellowship has broken up with Frodo and Sam sneaking off on their own to try and destroy the Ring in Mordor at Mount Doom. Pippin and Meriadoc have been abducted by Orcs who are taking them to Saruman at Isengard. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli are carefully tracking their trail in an attempt to save them.

My Review: Once again I enjoyed being immersed in Middle Earth as I followed along Frodo and the others adventures. There were a couple of parts of the book that got a bit long-winded, but the story is still engrossing and enjoyable. I'm looking forward to the conclusion.

A Beautiful Mind

2010-06-09T22:35:00.003-06:00

Title: A Beautiful Mind

Author: Sylvia Nasar

Pages: 5 discs

Genre: Biography

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Professor John Nash was awarded the 1994 Nobel Prize in economics for his work on game theory 45 years previously. As a young man, Nash was a mathematical genius who never hesitated to tackle the big problems. By the time Nash was 30 years old he was suffering from schizophrenia and would continue to do so for the better part of 30+ years. Amazingly, in the early 1990's, Nash's schizophrenia began to go into recession and Nash was again able to produce useful work.

My Review: This is one of the only audiobooks that I own, so I've listened to it a few times when I have forgotten to grab some new cds from the library. I find the book to be both an inspiring story of patience and determination among incredibly difficult circumstances as well as a depressing account of the familial difficulties suffered by Nash due to his sickness. There is no doubt in my mind that Nash was deserving of the Nobel Prize or that he was an incredible genius.

The Lightning Thief

2010-06-09T22:19:00.003-06:00

Title: The Lightning Thief

Author: Rick Riordan

Pages: 375

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Percy Jackson is a troubled teen that has been kicked out of every boarding school he attends. He begins to notice strange things happening in his life, many of which seem to be strait from his class on Greek mythology. It turns out that Zeus' lightning bolt has been stolen and Percy is Zeus' prime suspect. Percy needs to locate the bolt and return it before Zeus loses his temper.

My Review: I enjoyed how the book helped to bring Greek mythology to life. I don't remember much about Greek mythology and I learned (or re-learned) quite a bit. The story is fairly juvenile and too often unbelievable, but it was an easy, enjoyable read.

Mere Christianity

2010-05-11T21:50:00.005-06:00

Title: Mere Christianity

Author: C. S. Lewis

Pages: 5 discs

Genre: Religion

Grade: B

Synopsis: C.S. Lewis talks about what it means to be a Christian and the principles that all of Christianity are founded upon. The original lectures were given as radio broadcasts during World War II in Great Britain.

My Review: I found Lewis' insights to be interesting and refreshing, but the lectures themselves could be a bit boring. The lectures definitely gave some food for thought.

Wicked

2010-05-11T21:36:00.003-06:00

Title: Wicked - The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

Author: Gregory Maguire

Pages: 416

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B-

Synopsis: We are all familiar with the story of Dorothy Gale and the Wizard of Oz, but we've only heard her side of the story. This book tells the story from the perspective of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. Elphaba is born a green hermaphrodite and struggles her whole life with her identity. She goes to school at the University in Shiz where she rooms with Galinda (who would become the good witch of the North). Elphaba champions the rights of Animals (those who can think and talk) and fights against the tyranny of the Wizard.

My Review: I enjoyed the book and the story overall, but found parts of the book to be a little boring and felt that they dragged on longer than was needed. It's been so long since I've watched The Wizard of Oz, that I need to go back and watch the movie to appreciate the book more. Alison and I saw Wicked the musical in Chicago a couple of years ago and quite enjoyed it. In fact, I'll take the musical over the book.

The Persian Pickle Club

2010-05-11T21:24:00.004-06:00

Title: The Persian Pickle Club

Author: Sandra Dallas

Pages: 196

Genre: Historical Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Queenie Bean is a young farmwife living in Harveyville, Kansas during the Great Depression. All of Kansas is a dust bowl and crops aren't growing and many people are out of work. Many of the wives in the town are members of the Persian Pickle Club, which is a group of gossiping ladies willing to do anything for each other that creates quilts for themselves and for good causes. A husband of one of the club members is murdered and a new member of the club tries to uncover the mystery behind the murder.

My Review: I enjoyed the book, it was an easy read but also thought-provoking and eye-opening. While the book is set during the great depression, I'm glad that the book didn't focus on all the depressing things going on at the time, but on how the ladies in the club always help each other out.

The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring

2010-05-11T21:07:00.004-06:00

Title: The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring

Author: J.R.R. Tolkien

Pages: 18 discs

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Bilbo Baggins is preparing to celebrate his eleventy-first birthday in the Shire. All of the Hobbits are excited for the eccentric Hobbit's birthday celebration. At the end of the party, Bilbo mysteriously disappears by putting on a ring that he found in his journeys long before. He gives the ring to his heir Frodo Baggins and the wizard Gandalf tells Frodo that the ring is the ring of power that was created long ago by Sauron for evil purposes. Frodo and three other Hobbits end up traveling to Rivendell to council with the elves and on the way they are pursued by the evil black riders. In Rivendell a fellowship of an elf, two men, a wizard, a dwarf, and the four Hobbits head out on a journey to destroy the ring.

My Review: I've read these books once before and I thought that the time was ripe to read them again (this time by listening to them...). I really like the series and I've especially enjoyed listening to them because the reader has actually been singing all of the songs and poems that can be so long and boring when reading the book. The depth of the world that Tolkien has created amazes me.

Faith of My Fathers

2010-04-25T16:59:00.004-06:00

Title: Faith of My Fathers - A Family Memoir

Author: John McCain with Mark Salter

Pages: 368

Genre: Biography

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The first half of this book is the story of McCain's naval forbears. His grandfather commanded an aircraft carrier in the Second World War and his father presided over all naval forces in the Pacific arena during the Vietnam War. McCain then moves into the story of his own life at the Naval Academy and early naval career. McCain was on his second tour of Vietnam when he was shot down over Hanoi and imprisoned in cruel prison camp where many prisoners were tortured to death. The book ends with his release, finishing before his political career begins.

My Review: I enjoyed this book far more than I expected to. I thought the book was brutally honest, and would have been an extraordinary risk for many with political aspirations, had the book not ended with his imprisonment as a POW. John McCain's time at the Naval Academy was plagued with poor grades and bad behavior. The stories that McCain shares of his imprisonment were very interesting and inspiring for the courage that many of the POWs showed. What I most enjoyed about the book was the theme of the title, Faith of My Fathers where McCain shows a common thread between his grandfather's and father's beliefs and passions and his own.

From the Book: "(p. 254) In prison, I fell in love with my country. I had loved her before then, but like most young people, my affection was little more than a simple appreciation for the comforts and privileges most Americans enjoyed and took for granted. It wasn't until I had lost America for a time that I realized how much I loved her.
"I loved what I missed most from my life at home: my family and friends; the sights and sounds of my own country; the hustle and purposefulness of Americans; their fervid independence; sports; music; information--all the attractive qualities of American life. But though I longed for the things at home I cherished the most, I still shared the ideals of America. And since those ideals were all that I possessed of my country, they became all the more important to me."

"(p. 335) What packages we were allowed to receive from our families often contained handkerchiefs, scarves, and other clothing items. For some time, Mike had been taking little scraps of red and white cloth, and with a needle he had fashioned from a piece of bamboo he laboriously sewed an American flag onto the inside of his blue prisoner's shirt. Every afternoon, before we ate our soup, we would hang Mike's flag on the wall of our cell and together recite the Pledge of Allegiance. No other event of the day had as much meaning to us.
"The guards discovered Mike's flag one afternoon during a routine inspection and confiscated it. They returned that evening and took Mike outside. For our benefit as much as Mike's they beat him severely, just outside our cell, puncturing his eardrum and breaking several of his ribs. When they had finished, they dragged him bleeding and nearly senseless back into our cell, and we helped him crawl to his place on the sleeping platform. After things quieted down, we all lay down to go to sleep. Before drifting off, I happened to look toward a corner of the room, where one of the four naked lightbulbs that were always illuminated in our cell cast a dim light on Mike Christian. He had crawled there quietly when he thought the rest of us were sleeping. With his eyes nearly swollen shut from the beating, he had quietly picked up his needle and begun sewing a new flag."

Lectures on Faith

2010-04-04T15:47:00.005-06:00

Title: Lectures on Faith

Author: Joseph Smith, Jr., Sidney Rigdon

Pages: 4 discs

Genre: Religious

Grade: B

Synopsis: Joseph Smith, Jr. and Sidney Rigdon prepared seven "Lectures on Faith" that were included in the Doctrine and Covenants for many years before being removed. The lectures focus on the doctrine and theology of faith and how it applies to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

My Review: I found that many of the lectures were a little dry and that they often dwelt far too long on minor points. For example, the lifespans of the righteous men living between Adam and Noah in the Old Testament are gone over again and again to prove the point on the origin of faith here on the earth. There were a few lectures and quotes that I found simply fascinating, but there were fewer than I expected.

The Bible

2010-04-04T10:41:00.000-06:00

Title: The Bible

Author: Karen Armstrong

Pages: 5 discs

Genre: Non-fiction

Grade: D

Synopsis: This book is a biography of the Bible. It discusses how the Bible began, how the books in the Bible were chosen for inclusion and controversies surrounding these decisions.

My Review: I was really looking forward to this book, but it did not meet any of my expectations. While the basic history of the Bible was interesting, I had no idea what the book was talking about for most of the time. The book seems to be written more as an academic type biography than one that is accessible and interesting to the average person (and I imagined that I already knew more about the Bible than most people considering that I've actually read it...). I think that if I was willing to read the book once or twice more I would start to understand the history of the book and the Jews, but it was a little over my head right now. The book takes the stance that we take the Bible far too literally these days. There is no proof that Jesus was actually born of a virgin or that any of the miracles in the Old Testament actually took place. In fact, in the author's opinion, the only reason that Matthew and Luke allude to a virgin birth, is because Isaiah and other Old Testament prophets foretold of it. I would have enjoyed this book more had it been written by more of a believer than the author appears to be.

The Twenty-One Balloons

2010-03-21T16:19:00.003-06:00

Title: The Twenty-One Balloons

Author: William Pene du Bois

Pages: 180

Genre: Children's Fiction, Newbery Award

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Professor William Waterman Sherman turns up in the Atlantic Ocean 21 days after leaving San Francisco in a hot air balloon. He had planned on spending a relaxing year floating over the Pacific Ocean, removed from civilization and enjoying the solitude. Instead, the world clamored to hear how he had traveled across the globe in such a short time. He refused to divulge the secrets of his journeys to anybody but the Western American Explorer's Club in San Francisco.

My Review: I loved this book when I was younger and I enjoyed reading it again. It is easy to read and enjoy and definitely a children's book. Much of the book is hardly believable, but it is the type of story that is easy to daydream along to.

Onion John

2010-03-21T16:00:00.005-06:00

Title: Onion John

Author: Joseph Krumgold

Pages: 248

Genre: Children's Fiction, Newbery Award

Grade: B

Synopsis: Andy Rusch is a boy happily growing up in the small town of Serenity, New Jersey. While playing in a championship baseball game, he strikes up a conversation with Onion John as he looks for things to salvage in the town's landfill. Andy and Onion John become friends as Andy becomes the only one who can understand Onion John. After Andy introduces Onion John to his father, his father takes it upon himself to have the Rotary Club build Onion John a new house, because the one the Onion John currently lives in is lacking many of the modern conveniences.

My Review: I expected more from this book than it provided. The story took a while to get into and seemed to move along pretty slowly for most of the book. One of the main theme's of the book is that the father was trying to live vicariously through his son Andy and was making decisions for him (and Onion John) based on what he wanted and not what they wanted. I have a goal to eventually read all Newbery Medal books. By my count, I have read 19 of the 87 Newbery Winners.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

2010-03-21T15:43:00.003-06:00

Title: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Author: J. K. Rowling

Pages: 23 discs

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Harry Potter had a horrible summer after watching Cedric Diggory die at the end of last year and seeing Voldemort's return. He soon realizes that nobody believes him or Dumbledore that Voldemort has returned, and that The Daily Prophet has been slandering his name and making him look like an attention-starved crazy person. Once Harry gets to Hogwarts, things don't get any better as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is Delores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Ministry of Magic and she takes a particular dislike to Harry, banning him from quidditch and forcing him to suffer through painful detention sessions. Harry must find out a way to prove to people that Voldemort has indeed returned.

My Review: I really do enjoy listening to these books as I drive to and from work each day. The reader (Jim Dale) does a fantastic job and although this book was quite long, it was still very enjoyable. My biggest complaint though is that the climax of the book happens long before the book has ended as there are numerous loose ends to tie up before the book is complete. This is the darkest of the Harry Potter books to this point and Harry shows flashes of intense anger that are almost frightening.

The Rescue Artist

2010-03-13T13:45:00.004-07:00

Title: The Rescue Artist

Author: Edward Dolnick

Pages: 270

Genre: Non-fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: This is the true story of the theft of Edvard Munch's famous painting The Scream from the National Museum in Norway on the same morning that the Winter Olympics were starting in Lillehammer in 1994. The theft was pulled off with disturbing ease as the painting had recently been moved from a room deep within the museum to a position next to an easily accessible second floor window. While the police had no good leads, Scotland Yard offered the use of their art recovery team - most especially the expertise of undercover detective Charley Hill, who's ingenuity and daring had recovered many previously stolen paintings.

My Review: I found this book to be an interesting look at the art underworld. While the main focus of the book is on the theft and recovery of The Scream, different chapters are dedicated to different art thefts throughout recent history. The story is interesting and the writing is good, but I didn't ever feel the book grab me and draw me in.

The Purpose Driven Life

2010-02-22T21:52:00.004-07:00

Title: The Purpose Driven Life - What on Earth am I Here For?

Author: Rick Warren

Pages: 334

Genre: Religion

Grade: B

Synopsis: Pastor Warren lays out the five purposes of life and breaks them into a 40-day spiritual journey. Using more than 1,000 verses from the Bible and 24 different translations, the book helps the reader to discover the answers to life's most important questions.

My Review: I found the book to be a little more preachy than I was looking for. At the same time, I feel that I have been reminded of some of the things that I need to do to be a better Christian. Most of the book was just okay, but every once in a while there would be a passage that would really get me thinking. I agree with the doctrine contained in about 80% of the book and I am grateful for modern-day prophets, including a living prophet today who has provided us with revelations explaining many of the confusing passages in the Bible. My testimony was strengthened.

From the Book: "(p. 86) Then Jesus changed the situation. When he paid for our sins on the cross, the veil in the temple that symbolized our separation from God was split from top to bottom, indicating that direct access to God was once again available."

"(p. 127) Time is your most precious gift because you only have a set amount of it. You can make more money, but you can't make more time. When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you'll never get back. Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time.
It is not enough to just say relationships are important; we must prove it by investing time in them. Words alone are worthless. "My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action." Relationships take time and effort, and the best way to spell love is "T-I-M-E.""

"(p. 148) Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less. Humility is thinking more of others. Humble people are so focused on serving others, they don't think of themselves."

"(p. 151) If you are a member of a small group or class, I urge you to make a group covenant that includes the nine characteristics of biblical fellowship: We will share our true feelings (authenticity), forgive each other (mercy), speak the truth in love (honesty), admit our weaknesses (humility), respect our differences (courtesy), not gossip (confidentiality), and make group a priority (frequency)."

Running with Scissors

2010-02-22T21:13:00.003-07:00

Title: Running with Scissors

Author: Augusten Burroughs

Pages: 7 discs

Genre: Memoir

Grade: B

Synopsis: Augusten's parents go through a messy divorce when he is around 10-years-old. He remains with his mother, but is eventually pawned off onto his mother's psychiatrist, Dr. Finch. Augusten moves in with the Finches and is given every freedom that a teenager could want. Dr. Finch believes that a child reaches full maturity at 13 and that from that point on, no adult can tell him or her what to do. As such, Augusten quits going to school and just spends all his time with Natalie Finch or with his 31-year-old boyfriend. Dr. Finch is an eccentric who believes that God can talk to him through his excrement and nobody in the household feels any responsibility of cleaning up.

My Review: I enjoyed this memoir. I felt that it was very honest and heartfelt, and if I had grown up under similar circumstances, then I would have probably written a memoir as well. Augusten makes the very interesting point, that although they had every freedom and could essentially do whatever they wanted, they felt trapped and boxed in.

Disclaimer: The language in the book is slightly foul and there are a couple instances in which gay sex acts are described in more detail than may be comfortable.

The Nanny Diaries

2010-02-22T20:58:00.005-07:00

Title: The Nanny Diaries

Author: Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

Pages: 9 discs

Genre: Fiction

Grade: C+

Synopsis: The book is a satire of upper-class Manhattan families. Nan is the primary caregiver young Grayer X. His father is having a secret affair and his mother shows little interest or patience with him. The book illustrates how Mrs. X and the other high-class Manhattan mothers take advantage of their nannies.

My Review: I didn't particularly enjoy most of the book, but it did somewhat redeem itself towards the end. While I knew going into this book that I was not the target audience, I had hoped to enjoy it more than I did. I found the stories and interactions to be forced and a bit annoying.

Obsessive Genius

2010-01-31T15:07:00.003-07:00

Title: Obsessive Genius - The Inner World of Marie Curie

Author: Barbara Goldsmith

Pages: 257

Genre: Biography

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This book is a biography of the famous scientist/physicist Marie Sklowdski Curie. Against all odds the poor Polish girl, Marie, finds a way to gain an education under Russian suppression of the Polish and women. Eventually she moves to Paris to study physics at the Sorbonne Institute. She becomes on of the very first women to obtain a degree from the institute. While in Paris, Marie meets Pierre and together they embark upon their obsessive research. Marie discovers radioactivity and uses it to discover the new elements of plutonium and radium. The Curies and Henri Becquerel share one of the first Nobel Prizes and later in life Marie becomes the first woman to win one outright.

My Review: This was a fantastic biography that was very easy to read and enjoy. The difficulties that Marie Curie faced as a woman in science are incredible. Nobody took her serious and very few people even believed that she made her own discoveries due to the fact that she was a woman. I enjoy books like this that bring famous historical figures to life that I studied in school (I took two Nuclear Engineering courses that were greatly shaped by the discoveries of Marie Curie). The number of famous physicists in Europe in the early 20th century is incredible - the Curies, Henri Becquerel, Albert Einstein, Neils Bohr, Ernest Rutherford, Max Planck, H. A. Lorentz and Henri Poincare among others. Also amazing is how long Marie Curie was able to live and work, working as closely as she was with highly radioactive substances without any protection. In many ways, her and her husband literally sacrificed themselves for knowledge that greatly benefitted all future generations.

A Million Little Pieces

2010-01-24T15:52:00.004-07:00

Title: A Million Little Pieces

Author: James Frey

Pages: 9 discs

Genre: Fictional Memoir

Grade: B

Synopsis: James Frey awakes on a plane with major facial injuries not knowing what happened or where he is going. He is picked up at the airport by his parents who then check him into a drug and alcohol rehabilitation clinic. This is the story of his battle with his demons as he tries to get clean.

My Review: The book was the center of a controversy between Oprah and the author a few years ago. Oprah had picked the book as her book club book and espoused its greatness. Before too long, thesmokinggun.com uncovered that the book that was billed as a memoir actually contained quite a bit of fiction (see the original piece on thesmokinggun.com, A Million Little Lies) I'm glad I went into the book knowing of it's questionable history or I would have felt as duped as Oprah did. The book gives amazing insight into the battles that a drug addict faces and was very eye-opening for me. The book was very powerful and motivational, but was docked a few points in my grading due to its foul language (see below).

Disclaimer: I will never recommend this book to anyone due to its foul language. In fact, the language in this book is far worse than any other book that I have ever read and possibly worse than all previous books that I have read combined together.

American Wife

2010-01-24T15:20:00.004-07:00

Title: American Wife

Author: Curtis Sittenfeld

Pages: 558

Genre: Hypothetical Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The book is loosely based upon the life of the former first lady, Laura Bush. In this book, the protagonist is the smart and clever girl of Alice Lindgren from the small town of Riley, Wisconsin. Alice is not without trials and difficulties growing up, many of which end up shaping her opinions and political leanings later in life (which are often quite a bit different from those of her husband, the fictional Charlie Blackwell, based loosely upon a Wisconsinite George Bush). When Alice meets Charlie Blackwell, she is a successful and passionate librarian at an elementary while Charlie works for his father's meat-packaging business. Once they are married, she plays important roles in her husband's life as he buys the Brewers, serves for 8 years as governor of Wisconsin and finally is elected president.

My Review: The beginning and middle of this book is fantastic. The end (which takes place while the Blackwells are living in the White House) is somewhat anti-climatic and almost becomes a political statement. I especially enjoyed that the writing style of the book made the stories very believable and made the president and first lady come to life as real people. I give an A- to the first 75% of the book and a B- to the last 25%.

Disclaimer: The language in the book can get slightly shady.

From the Book: "(p. 114) Dena seemed about to respond, but instead, she belched again, a smaller belch that seemed unequal as a harbinger to the monstrous chunky gush that erupted from inside her. I held her hair back and looked away as she finished retching. Working with children had made me less squeamish--they were constantly presenting their grubby hands to your, having accidents--but at some point, disgusting was still disgusting, Especially with an adult woman."

"(p. 540) "See, I always forget this about you," he says, and even now, long after we first lost our privacy, I can't help wondering who's overhearing him. "Every decade, you like to pin me to the ground, pull open my mouth, and take a sh** right into it.""

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

2010-01-17T16:45:00.003-07:00

Title: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Author: J. K. Rowling

Pages: 17 discs

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: A

Synopsis: Harry Potter is back at Hogwarts where the Triwizard Tournament is taking place for the first time in over 100 years. Oddly, the Goblet of Fire spits out Harry Potter's name as a fourth champion from the three wizarding schools competing in the tournament. The champions have to compete in three tasks over the course of the school-year in order to be crowned champion. All the while, Harry Potter's scar continues to hurt as Voldemort continues to gain power.

My Review: My only beef with this book is its length. I appreciate J.K. wrapping up all the loose ends before the close of the book, but it often means that after the story's climax there are still two or three discs to listen to. I always love losing myself in Britain's wizarding world as I drive to and from work.

A Brief History of Time

2010-01-17T15:54:00.003-07:00

Title: A Brief History of Time (Illustrated Version)

Author: Stephen Hawking

Pages: 248

Genre: Science

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This book covers complex topics that are typically discussed in college courses on Modern Physics (such as the course I took at the University of Utah). The famous physicist Stephen Hawking, who suffers from ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), has a knack for explaining difficult topics in a way that the general population can understand (or at least grasp an idea of the concept). Topics covered in the book include Galileo and gravity, Newtonian physics, Maxwell's equations (which govern the study of electromagnetics), the Doppler effect, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, Einstein's theories of relativity, black holes, wormholes, time travel and lengthy discussions of the origin and fate of the universe.

My Review: While I've taken various classes that have covered many of these topics, I found Hawking's explanations and the diagrams to be very helpful in understanding everything. I don't think that I would have enjoyed the non-illustrated version of the book as much as I enjoyed the illustrated version. The book can get a little boring at times, but for the most part it held my attention fairly well.

From the Book: "(p. 2) A well-known scientist (some say it was Bertrand Russell) once gave a public lecture on astronomy. He described how the earth orbits around the sun and how the sun, in turn, orbits around the center of a vast collection of stars called our galaxy. At teh end of the lecture, a little old lady at the back of the room got up and said: "What you have told us is rubbish. The world is really a flat plate supported on the back of a giant tortoise." The scientist gave a superior smile before replying, "What is the tortoise standing on?" "You're very clever, young man, very clever, " said the old lady. "But it turtles all the way down!"

"(p. 48) In this way, Edwin Hubble worked out the distances to nine different galaxies. We now know that our galaxy is only one of some hundred thousand million that can be seen using modern telescopes, each galaxy itself containing some hundred thousand million stars."

"(p. 62) Many people do not like the idea that time has a beginning, probably because it smacks of divine intervention. (The Catholic Church, on the other hand, seized on the big bang model and in 1951 officially pronounced it to be in accordance with the Bible."

The Big Necessity

2009-12-31T18:45:00.000-07:00

Title: The Big Necessity - The Unmentionable World of Human Waste - And Why It Matters

Author: Rose George

Pages: 304

Genre: Non-Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Rose George explores human excrement and everything relating to it. She explores how human waste is discarded in the United States, Japan, India, China, South Africa, Tanzania, and other places. Incredibly, 2.6 billion people do not have access to sanitation and those who do usually take it for granted. The book explores everything from high-end bidets in Japan, flush toilets in the United States and various types of latrines in much of the rest of the world. It's something that we all do, but it's a topic that is taboo in much of the world.

My Review: This was a fascinating book. It gets a little long in the middle, but on the whole is quite an enjoyable read. I always thought that I knew quite a bit about the world, but I found this book to be eye-opening, disgusting, and interesting throughout. Once again, I am left to ponder why I have been so blessed to live in one of the most sanitary societies in all of history, thus extending life expectancies by 20 years or so.

From the Book: "(p. 2) This is why the Liberian waiter laughed at me. He thought that I thought a toilet was my right, when he knew it was a privilege.
"It must be, when 2.6 billion people don't have sanitation. I don't mean that they have no toilet in their house and must use a public one with queues and fees. Or that they have an outhouse, or a ricety shack that empties into a filthy drain or pigsty. All that counts as sanitation, though not a safe variety. The people who have those are the fortunate ones. Four in ten people have no access to any latrine, toilet, bucket, or box. Nothing. Instead, they defecate by train tracks and in forests. They do it in plastic bags and fling them through the air in narrow slum alleyways. If they are women, they get up at 4 A.M. to be able to do their business under cover of darkness for reasons of modesty, risking rape and snakebites. Four in ten people live in situations where they are surrounded by human excrement because it is in the bushes outside the village or in their city yards, left by children outside the backdoor. It is tramped back in on their feet, carried on fingers onto clothes, food and drinking water.
"The disease toll of this is stunning. A gram of feces can contain 10 million viruses, 1 million bacteria, 1,000 parasite cysts, and 100 worm eggs..."

"(p. 8) If the cultural standing of excrement doesn't convince them, I say that the material itself is as rich as oil and probably more useful. It contains nitrogen and phosphates that can make plants grow and also suck the life from water because its nutrients absorb available oxygen. It can be both food and poison. It can contaminate and cultivate. Millions of people cook with gas made by fermenting it. I tell them that I don't like to call it "waste," when it can be turned into bricks, when it can make roads or jewelry, and when in a dried powdered form known as poudrette it was sniffed like snuff by the grandest ladies of the eighteenth-century French court. Medical men of not too long ago thought stool examination a vital diagnostic tool (London's Wellcome Library holds a 150-year0old engraving of a doctor examining a bedpan and a sarcastic maid asking him if he'd like a fork). They were also fond of prescribing it: excrement could be eaten, drunk, or liberally applied to the skin. Martin Luther was convinced: he reportedly ate a spoonful of his own excrement daily and wrote that he couldn't understand the generosity of a God who freely gave such important and useful remedies."

"(p. 89) It drips on her head most days, says Champaben, but in the monsoon season it's worse. In rain, worms multiply. Every day, nonetheless, she gets up and walks to her owners' house, and there she picks up their excrement with her bare hands or a piece of tin, scrapes it into a basket, puts the basket on her head or shoulders, and carries it to the nearest waste dump. She has no mask, no gloves, and no protection. She is paid a pittance if she gets paid at all. She regularly gets dysentary, giardia, brain fever. She does this because a 3,000-year-old social hierarchy says she has to."

"(p. 109) Mr. Wang had found my interest in fen, the Mandarin word for excrement, peculiar. Nonetheless, he tried to be helpful. He would point out when he spotted a truck full of fen looming behind, though its odor preceded it by far. He would alert me when he saw a tiny figure in a roadside field bearing a tank and hose, spraying--by the smell of it--the contents of his toilets on his cabbages. This practice would horrify any public health professional, given the disease-load of feces, but it's what happens to 90 percent of China's excrement, and has been done forever. There are reasons not to eat salads in China, and why the sizzling woks are so sizzling."

"(p. 226) Asking how astronauts go to the bathroom is one of the most common questions put during NASA or space museum outreach sessions. To cope with the curiosity, for a while the agency posted a video that featured a fully-clothed volunteer showing exactly how it was done: with a mirror, sometimes. Young is often asked about it. "Interest from the public is strange. Women don't care. They think, they worked it out and that's that. Men have an almost unhealthy interest. Children are interested in th poop factor." What everybody should actually be interested in is the drinking pee factor."

The Five Thousand Year Leap

2009-12-31T18:30:00.000-07:00

Title: The Five Thousand Year Leap

Author: W. Cleon Skousen

Pages: 356

Genre: Non-fiction, Law

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Oringinaly published more than 30 years ago, this book lays out 28 principles that the Constitution was built upon. Included in the book was the text of the Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, Thomas Paine's pamphlet, Common Sense, and 100 questions to ask your elected politicians to gauge their stance on the Constitution. Skousen takes a literal interpretation of the Constitution and argues that if the founders did not expressly give the federal government a duty, then it is one that should be left up to state and/or local governments. A sampling of the 28 principles (ok, I couldn't decide which ones to leave out, so I left them all in):

1. The only reliable basis for sound government and just human relations is natural Law.
2. A free people cannot survive under a republican constitution unless they remain virtuous and morally strong.
3. The most promising method of securing a virtuous and morally stable people is to elect virtuous leaders.
4. Without religion the government of a free people cannot be maintained.
5. All things were created by God, therefore upon Him all mankind are equally dependent and to him and to Him they are equally responsible.
6. All men are created equal.
7. The proper role of government is to protect equal rights, not provide equal things.
8. Men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.
9. To protect man's rights, God has revealed certain principles of divine law.
10. The God-given right to govern is vested in the sovereign autority of the whole people.
11. The majority of the people may alter or abolish a government which has become tyrannical.
12. The United States of America shall be a Republic.
13. A constitution should be structured to permanently protect the people from the human frailties of their rulers.
14. Life and liberty are secure only so long as the right to property is secure.
15. The highest level of prosperity occurs when there is a free-market economy and a minimum of government regulations.
16. The government should be separated into three branches: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial.
17. A system of checks and balances should be adopted to prevent the abuse of power.
18. The unalienable rights of the people are most likely to be preserved if the principles of government are set forth in a written constitution.
19. Only limited and carefully defined powers should be delegated to government, all others being retained in the people.
20. Efficiency and dispatch require government to operate according to the will of the majority, but constitutional provisions must be made to protect the rights of the minority.
21. Strong local self-government is the keystone to preserving human freedom.
22. A free people should be governed by law and not by the whims of men.
23. A free society cannot survive as a republic without a broad program of general education.
24. A free people will not survive unless they stay strong.
25. "Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations -- entangling alliances with none."
26. The core unit which determines the strength of any society is the family; therefore, the government should foster and protect its integrity.
27. The burden of debt is as destructive to freedom as subjugation by conquest.
28. The United States has a manifest destiny to be an example and a blessing to the entire human race.

My Review: If this book had a title more fitting of the material in the book, then it would be more popular than it is. Nothing in the title indicates that it is a book about the Constitution. The book is a fascinating look at the writings and vision that the founder's had as they framed the Constitution. I've never considered myself a Constitutionalist, but that was because I didn't understand them. Now, my support for every politician and bill will be determined by how it fits in with the Constitution. I don't consider myself a strict Constitutionalist, but I would love to see our country move back to the way the founder's intended things. My biggest complaint with the book is that everything is framed as being one-sided, when even the founders interpreted the Constitution slightly different from each other (i.e. Jefferson, vs. Adams). This book makes me proud to be an American, but is also a little depressing when you realize how far we've fallen.

From the Book: "(P. 61) Here is my creed: I believe in one God, the Creator of the universe. That he governs it by his providence. That he ought to be worshipped. That the most acceptable service we render to him is in doing good to his other children. That the soul of man is immortal, and will be treated with justice in another life respecting its conduct in this. These I take to be the fundamental points in all sound religion." (Benjamin Franklin - 4th Principle)

"(p. 66) I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there; in her fiertile fields and boundless prairies, and it was not there; in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there. Not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great." (Alexis de Tocqueville - 4th Principle)

"(p. 91) 5. Strictly enforce the scale of "fixed responsibility." The first and foremost level of responsibility if with the individual himself; the second level is the family; then the church; next the community finally the county, and, in a disaster or emergency, the state. Under no circumstances is the federal government to become involved in public welfare. The Founders felt it would corrupt the government and also the poor. No Constitutional authority exists for the federal government to participate in charity or welfare."(Principle 7)