My Life

Title: My Life

Author: Bill Clinton

Pages: 42 discs

Genre: Autobiography

Grade: A

Synopsis: This book is the story of Bill Clinton's life. From his upbringing in Hope, Arkansas to the White House. It is the most detailed and honest (at least it seemed that way) account of a president's life that is out there.

My Review: Surprisingly, I loved this book.  I started this book way back in November/December.  I listened to the first 30 discs in the car as I commuted to work, but I had to return the discs before I was able to complete the book.  I borrowed the CDs from the library again and listened to the rest of the book while I worked on sanding, painting and finishing the toy room in our basement (details here).  Before I read this book, I would not have classified myself as a fan of President Clinton, but I was fascinated by by his stories and the honesty that was apparent in the book.  I enjoyed the details that were shared about the life of a President by a former President.

Barack Obama is Your New Bicycle

Title: Barack Obama is Your New Bicycle - 366 Ways He Really Cares

Author: Mathew Honan

Pages: 192

Genre: Humor

Grade: B

Synopsis: This is the book version of the classic website http://barackobamaisyournewbicycle.com/.  Back in Obama's campaign to be POTUS, many people were simply obsessed with Barack Obama, believing that he could do no wrong.  Honan's wife was working for the Obama campaign, obsessing about every detail.  Now the lesser-known accomplishments of Obama have been published in this easy to read book.

My Review: Luckily, I was able to score this book on amazon.com for less than $2 (strangely, my local library doesn't carry a copy...).  A few of the more inspiring things that Obama has done for me include the following:

• Barack Obama paused the Tivo when you went to the bathroom.
• Barack Obama left a comment on your blog.
• Barack Obama held your hand when you were frightened.
• Barack Obama waited on hold for a half hour with Apple tech support to get your Macbook fixed.
• Barack Obama caught your baby when she slipped through your arms.
• Barack Obama counted all your pennies and rolled them up in paper.

Our Search for Happiness

Title: Our Search for Happiness

Author: M. Russell Ballard

Pages: 128

Genre: Religion

Grade: A-

Synopsis: This book serves as an introduction to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, written by an apostle of that Church.  Elder Ballard discusses the beliefs that members of the Mormon Church have in regards to the apostasy, the restoration of the Gospel, the Book of Mormon, the plan of salvation, the Articles of Faith and missionary work. 

My Review:  This book is a near perfect introduction to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  It should be required reading for members and anybody in the media who is attempting to write an unbiased article about the Church. 

Silas Marner

Title: Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe

Author: George Eliot

Pages: 6 discs

Genre: Classic

Grade: B+

Synopsis: After being falsely accused of theft, the weaver Silas Marner moves to the town of Raveloe where he becomes known as a reclusive weaver.  He works hard and hordes his money, obsessing and counting his gold every evening.  As luck would have it his gold is stolen and not too long thereafter a young golden-haired toddler shows up in his cottage.  Silas believes the child is a replacement of his missing gold.

My Review:  The book starts a little slow and clumsily (I had to check sparknotes a couple of times to make sure that I was understanding the plot), but once the book enters the middle third, the story is very enjoyable and interesting.  I loved the insight into Marner's thoughts and feelings that Eliot gives in her narrative.  The book was more enjoyable than I expected for having been published 151 years ago.

Calling on Dragons

Title: Calling on Dragons - Book three of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles

Author: Patricia C. Wrede

Pages: 5 discs

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: B-

Synopsis: The wicked wizards are again trying to take over the enchanted forest.  This leads Cimorene and her friends on a quest to find the king's magic sword. 

My Review:  Great book for kids, but for me the dialog in this book was especially annoying.  The book ends with a big cliffhanger though, so I'll have to track down the 4th book of the series and find out how everything ends.

Mother had a Secret

Title: Mother had a Secret: Learning to Love My Mother and Her Multiple Personalities

Author: Tiffany Fletcher

Pages: 188

Genre: Memoir

Grade: B

Synopsis: Tiffany and her siblings grew up in an LDS home where their mother, Vickie, had multiple personality disorder, with 15 separate and unique personalities.  A few personalities were those of little children, while others were nurturers, cooks, lovers, protectors and one that could be very violent.  These personalities stemmed from brutal abuse that Vickie suffered at the hands of her father as a child. 

My Review:  It is difficult to write a review about a book that deals with a topic that is frankly quite maddening (abuse), sad (psychological disorder) and depressing (suffering).  I have a hard time separating my thoughts about the book from my feelings about the subject matter.  That being said, I found this book to be very enlightening.  This is a story that could be told about your neighbor, a friend or another acquaintance.  If it ever comes to it, I hope that I can recognize the warning signs of abuse and do whatever is required to make it stop.  As Tiffany grows older her struggles to learn how to love her mother were very heartening.

Playing for Pizza

Title: Playing for Pizza

Author: John Grisham

Pages: 308

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis:  Rick Dockery wakes up in a Cleveland hospital, but can't remember how he got there.  As the fog lifts from his mind, and as he watches ESPN SportsCenter, he remembers the playoff game that he was playing in for the Cleveland Browns.  The Browns were up by 17 late in the 4th quarter and Dockery, the 3rd string quarterback for the Browns proceeded to throw 3 straight interceptions, leading to the Browns loss in the last game before the Super Bowl.  Dockery has quickly become one of the most hated individuals in Cleveland and he decides to lay low for a while.  His agent finds him a job in the Italian Football (real American Football) League with a small salary.  Dockery reluctantly agrees and finds that playing in Italy holds a few surprises.

My Review:  I bought this book at a garage sale a while back and I was surprised that this book had nothing to do with lawyers, courtrooms, judges, etc.  I didn't know John Grisham was capable of writing anything but legal thrillers.  There wasn't anything too special about this book, but I enjoyed having an easy read and being able to escape into Italian football. 

The Year of Living Biblically

Title: The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

Author: A.J. Jacobs

Pages: 12 discs

Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir

Grade: B

Synopsis: A.J. Jacobs (known for reading the Encyclopaedia Britannica), embarks on another quest, this one to live the Bible as literally as possible.  While A.J. is mostly agnostic, he is Jewish by birth and has family who still adhere to religious principals.  For A.J. and his family though, this is a huge change.  A.J. grows a long beard, begins to only wear white robes, tries to be thankful and forgiving and embarks on a quest to live and understand the Bible's more well-known teachings as well as the more esoteric teachings.

My Review:  While I was a little afraid that I would find the book to sacrilegious, that wasn't the case at all.  While it was often irreverent, it was also very enjoyable and I found myself laughing at his experiences trying to stone the adulterers, performing sacrifices, avoiding mixed threads in his clothing and informing his wife of how unclean the Old Testament considers menstruating ladies.  I was often surprised by the requirements found in the Old Testament.  I'm not nearly as familiar with them as I am with those found in the New Testament. 

A Short History of Nearly Everything

Title: A Short History of Nearly Everything

Author: Bill Bryson

Pages: 544

Genre: Non-Fiction

Grade: A

Synopsis: As the title suggests, this book is a short history of nearly everything.  In the nearly 500 pages, topics ranging from the big bang and the formation of the universe and solar system to what we understand about atoms, other subatomic particles and living cells.  This book is not just a history book either.  It is full of stories and controversies about what we know or don't know about everything and introduces the reader to experts on many of the topics discussed.

My Review:  In the middle of March I was in Portland, Oregon for the NCAA tournament.  We made a visit to the iconic Powell's bookstore in downtown.  I couldn't leave empty-handed so I had to think of a book from my 'to-read' list that I would actually like to own.  We buy very few books, so this was a huge step for me (although I did buy a used copy).  I couldn't be happier with this book.  I think that I learned something new on every page and thoroughly enjoyed Bryson's writing style and the way that the book moved from one topic to the next.  This is a book that I will read again.

Searching for Dragons

Title: Searching for Dragons - Book Two of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles

Author: Patricia C. Wrede

Pages: 4 discs

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: B

Synopsis: Mendanbar is the king of the Enchanted Forest.  He finds an area of his forest that has been burned to ashes and the only clues of what has happened are 5 enchanted dragon scales.  Mendanbar embarks with the Princess Cimorene (who's official title is chief cook and librarian to the dragon king) on a quest to locate the lost dragon king.

My Review: Just like the first book of the series, I enjoyed listening to this book in my car.  The audio cd is read by a full cast of characters and is a great production.  I'm still thinking that Ada would love listening to this series in a year or two.

Voluntary Simplicity

Title: Voluntary Simplicity

Author: Duane Elgin

Pages: 240

Genre: Non-Fiction

Grade: C

Synopsis: Originally published in 1981 and updated in the 1990's, this book is considered by many to be the simple/sustainable living bible.  The book covers the tenets of Voluntary Simplicity, which include frugal consumption, ecological awareness and personal growth.  The book concludes with a vision of the global issues that will arise if more people do not choose a path of voluntary simplicity.

My Review: This book wasn't really what I had expected.  The first third of the book is just rehashing results from a magazine survey about people who have chosen to live a life of voluntary simplicity.  The second third of the book was the part that I found most interesting.  This part gave a little bit of an idea into what living with voluntary simplicity is all about.  The last third of the book was an expose about how the whole world needs to embrace voluntary simplicity and how the unfair it is that the rich nations have more than the poor nations.  The author advocates for the United Nations to have power to enforce all of the rules and regulations needed for the world to enjoy voluntary simplicity.  I was hoping for more ideas about living simply, but there were too many political undertones in the discussion. 

The Legend of Colton H. Bryant

Title: The Legend of Colton H. Bryant

Author: Alexandra Fuller

Pages: 5 discs

Genre: Non-Fiction Biographical Novel

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Colton H. Bryant is a Wyoming cowboy, born and raised in Evanston, Wyoming.  He struggled through his school years and was often made fun of while growing up.  His favorite mantra then became "'mind over matter,'  if I don't mind, then it don't matter."  Colton seemed to know that he would die young, so he lived life to its very fullest, traveling the rodeo circuit with a friend, hunting jackrabbits or other animals every chance he could and camping with his horse and friends.  He knew that one day he would work on the oil rigs, just as his father and grandfather had.

My Review:  What really sets this book apart, is that this is a sort of biographical novel about a regular guy with a big heart. It hit close to home, because I'm quite familiar with Evanston and Wyoming and there are a lot of LDS undertones throughout the book.  While the book wasn't a thriller I found that I simply enjoyed the story and I would look forward to the next time that I'd be able to listen to the book. 

The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Title: The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Author: Muriel Barbery

Pages: 325

Genre: Modern French Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The story is narrated from the viewpoints of two different people.  The first is a concierge of an upscale building in Paris.  She is in her mid-50s, slightly cantankerous and lives alone with her cat.  Unbeknownst to the tenants in the building, she also adores reading Tolstoy, critiquing classical music and admires Japanese culture.  The second protagonist is the twelve-year-old genius, Paloma.  She's the daughter of a French politician and can hardly stand her family.  In fact, she is planning her own suicide on her 13th birthday.  Until then though, she's trying very hard to act like a normal 12-year-old so as to not give anything away.

My Review:  For most of the book, I didn't love it, but the last 50-100 pages really helped me to enjoy it more.  There were a few parts of the book that got me laughing and other parts that got me thinking.  From browsing other reviews, it seems that people tend to really love this book or absolutely hate it. 

Dealing with Dragons

Title: Dealing with Dragons

Author: Patricia C. Wrede

Pages: 4 discs

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: B

Synopsis: Cimorene is a unique princess.  She is smart, headstrong and interested in boy things.  Every time that she tries to learn a new skill, shooting, magic, etc. her parents forbid her because "it's not what princesses do."  Her boredom gets that best of her and she takes matters into her own hands and runs away to live as a princess to a dragon.

My Review: I found out that I had to drive to Cedar City when the CD player in my car had been recently stolen, but I was able to throw this book onto my MP3 player and listen to it on the drive.  It was a fun story, one that I'll have Ada listen to in a year or two.

To a Mountain in Tibet

Title: To a Mountain in Tibet

Author: Colin Thubron

Pages: 227

Genre: Non-fiction, Travel Memoir

Grade: B

Synopsis: In memory of his mother's death, the author makes a trip to the sacred mountain of Kailas of southern Tibet which is the source of four of Asia's greatest rivers (Indus, Sutlej, Brahmaputra, Karnali (tributary to the Ganges)).  His trek starts in Nepal before crossing over the border into Tibet (occupied by China) and onto the beautiful Mount Kailas.  The 21,778 foot tall Mount Kailas has never been climbed and is sacred to 1/5 of the world's population (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Bon).  Believers of these religions find it sacred to make a pilgrimage to the mountain where they walk around the mountain in a clockwise direction (except Bon) culminating in the Drolma Pass at 18,600 feet. 

My Review: I really enjoyed the travelogue portion of the book, but I didn't find the discussions of the religious significance of the mountain and pilgrims nearly as engaging.  While the book wasn't about Tibet, it was enlightening nonetheless and helped me to understand the conflict between the Tibetans and Chinese a little better. I would love to make this trek in person one day.

From the Book: "As the track bends north-east, the ethereal sandstone disappears. The slopes turn black with granite, and the mountain's lower ridges break into unstable spikes and revetments. Their ribs are slashed in chiaroscuro, and their last outcrops pour towards the valley in the fluid, anthropomorphic shapes that pilgrims love. The spine and haunches of a massive stone beast, gazing at Kailas, are hailed as the Nandi bull, holy to Shiva; another rock has become the votive cake of Padmasambhava."