My reading list...
"Master and Commander", Patrick O'Brian
Read it in Fall of 2007. Fiction. Turn of the 19th century British Naval Commander, Jack Aubrey has just been given his first command in the fight against Napoleon. The Sophie, an aging, under-gunned ship with a crew of misfit sailors is Jack's tool for his first challenges at sea. I haven't seen the movie but I'm looking forward to seeing it now. The terminology was a bit hard to understand as I'm not a sailor. The book refers to different types of ships/boats, many different parts of ships and general naval language. I did struggle trying to understand the naval terminology and had no reference to go by except a picture of a boat in the front of the book with the sails labeled. The book got better as I read it and has a good ending. I give it a 6 out of 10.
"Taking the Quantum Leap", Dr. Alan Wolf
Summer 2007. Science. This book was over my head most of the time. I really liked Stephen W. Hawking's "A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes." I had been looking for another science book to read and Dr. Wolf's book was recommended to me. I did enjoy the examples he uses to explain theories but most of the stuff in between was hard to grasp. Quiffs and Pops? I just popped some quiffs. 2 out of 5 stars.
"Undaunted Courage", Stephen E. Ambrose
Summer 2007. Non-fiction history. I really enjoyed this book as it gave an awesome history of the Lewis and Clark expedition. I didn't realize how difficult that expedition really was. I also had no idea how "tight" Merriweather Lewis and Thomas Jefferson were. They were practically best friends. This book makes me feel bad about what has been taken from the American Indians. We basically made plans to take over their lands and justified it by saying that they were savages and needed to be tamed. The author doesn't hide the truth found in the journal entries of Lewis, Clark and others. Nor does he deny the capitalist/expansionist attitude of the United States in early 1800's. Highly recommended read. 8 out of 10 stars.
"Band of Brothers", Stephen E. Ambrose
Summer 2007. Non-fiction WWII history. A compilation of U.S. Marine Company E's diary entries from training in the states to partying in the Eagle's Nest. Another excellent account of WWII from the diaries and interviews of Easy company's men. I highly recommend this book. 9 out of 10 stars.
"Into The Wild", Jon Krakauer
Summer 2007. Non-fiction adventure. The story about a 26 year old man that graduated from college, had a lot going for him. Then decided to forsake society, travel across the country and live off the land. He decides to go to Alaska to hike far into the wilderness and learn to survive. This book/story is being made into a movie with Sean Penn directing. Found this book to be very mysterious due to the unknowns. Read it and you'll understand. 7 out of 10.
"Into Thin Air", Jon Krakauer
Summer 2006. Non-fiction adventure. My favorite subject, adventure. Krakauer's personal account of the 1996 Everest tragedy where 8 (I think) people died during a 2 day period while trying to summit the South East ridge of Mt Everest. Krakauer gets a little accusatory here but the book kept getting better and better. This book made me want to read anything I could get my hands on about Mt. Everest. 10 out of 10 stars.
"The Climb", by Anatoli Boukreev
Summer 2006. Non-fiction adventure. Another personal account of the 1996 Everest tragedy. Somewhat a counterpoint to Jon Krakauer's "Into Thin Air". Another very excellent book that I highly recommend for anyone. Especially for those who enjoy non-fiction adventure. Another 10 out 10 stars.
"Endurance", Alfred Lansing
Winter 2005. Non-fiction adventure. An exciting account of Sir Earnest Shackelton's voyage to Antarctica. Several photos from the actual voyage are included in the book. 7 out of 10 stars.
"Reading Lolita in Tehran", Azar Nafisi
Fall 2006. Non-fiction culture. Chronicles the meetings between several Iranian women who get together once a week to read classic literature. Contrasts their repressed existence with the free world. Got halfway through this one and hit a stopping point. I'm not getting the point. I do plan on finishing this book but it is on hold for now.
"A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes", Stephen W. Hawking
Several times over last 10 years. Science. Great science book for beginners. I still had trouble understanding some of the things he was talking about but the other parts of the book really made sense. Liked it... 6 out of 10.
"Good To Great", Jim Collins
2004. Business. To this date (Sept. 23, 2007), the best book I've read with regards to business and how to succeed. This was required reading for my brother who is a manager with Xerox. It was also required for managers in my company to read. With good reason. Read the book and get everyone in the right seats on the bus. 9 out of 10.
"7 Habits of Highly Effective People", Steven R. Covey
1997. Self-help time management. This book got me interested in time management and in trying to see things in the world from a different perspective than my own. I don't really live by the 7 Habits but the book did have an effect on me in a positive way. If you need some structured planning and help managing your life, I would recommend this book. Even if you don't use the 7 Habits it is worth reading. 8 out of 10.
"A Civil Action", Jonathan Harr
Summer 2007. Non-fiction environmental/law. A cluster of leukemia was found in the small town of Woburn, Mass. A trial lawyer's epic battle against corporate giants W.R. Grace and Beatrice Foods over contaminated drinking water in the small Massachusets town. Jan Schlitzmann took the case against the corporate giants. 8 out of 10.
"The Bielski Brothers", Peter Duffy
Winter 2007. Non-fiction WWII. "The true story of three men who defied the Nazis, saved 1,200 Jews, and built a village in the forest." Very interesting account of Polish peasants who fought the Germans and avoided the Russians. 7 out of 10.
"Lone Survivor", Marcus Luttrell
Fall 2007. Non-fiction Afganistan war. Another war story about a Navy SEAL who got stuck in a bad spot in Afganistan. I really liked this book. After I got over the language and the "high and mighty" SEAL mentality, I couldn't put this one down. Maybe a little more about the story and less about the SEAL training would have made the book even better. 9 out of 10.
"1421: The year China discovered America", Gavin Menzies
Fall 2007. Non-fiction history. Started this one but it's on hold for now. Very interesting subject matter given all the hype regarding Columbus lately. Why don't we celebrate Columbus day like we used to?
"The Tipping Point", Malcom Gladwell
Fall 2007. Non-fiction research. How seemingly insignificant events or actions cause big changes, even global changes. I found this book particulaily interesting due to it's theory that man is influenced more by his environment than he is by his family. Sometimes the obvious answer to people's behavior isn't the answer at all (i.e. Bernard Goetz incedent). I think it is very insightfull and I take a second look at people, events and situations than I did before I read this book. 7 out of 10.
"The Spy Who Came In From The Cold", John Le Carre'
Fall 2007. Fiction suspense. Published in 1963, this "spy during the cold war" novel kept me wanting to read every chance I got. It also made me want to read more spy novels. 8 out of 10.
"Terror In Black September", David Raab
Fall 2007. Non-fiction. My wife, Laurie, grabbed this one from the "New" section in the library and handed it to me. It looked interesting so I checked it out. This book is the true story behind the 1970 hijackings of 3 (almost 4) planes. The author, David Raab, was a 17 year old hostage who's journal entries during the crisis are inserted throuought the book. 6 out of 10, so far.
"Silent Night: The Story of the WWI Christmas Truce", Stanley Weintraub
Christmas 2008. Non-fiction. This is a compilation of memoirs of several participants in the WWI "Christmas Truce" of 1914. This book made me realize that there are two sides to every war. The Germans were just as interested in the truce as the British and French. 8 out of 10.
"The Bureau and the Mole", David E. Vise
Winter 2008. Non-fiction. Story of the most damaging spy in US history, Robert Phillip Hansen. Also covers the story of former FBI boss Louis Freeh, his career path from NYC mob buster and how he busted Hansen. Hansen was a pretty weird guy and was messed up by his dissaproving father most of his life. 6.
"The Fabric of the Cosmos", Brian Greene. Winter 2008. Physics. A physics book for the armchair physicist. I've been reading this book very slowly. Greene has a way of writing that helps me understand very complex material in a comical way. Still working on this one.
I would love to hear from you. What books do you like, sort of liked or didn't like at all.
Brent
