Book #14

The Book of Strange New Things.

Every so often you come across a book that causes you to rethink how you think about things.  This is one of those books.  It is about faith, purpose and love and I cannot say enough good things about it. It is creative, different and downright enjoyable.  Great prose it is not but it sure is well crafted, thought provoking and interesting.  5 stars.  Best book of the year so far.

#13 Why Did the Chicken Cross the World

Book #13



This book was full of information I knew nothing about.  It is hard to believe that chickens play such a large part of our lives and yet are "under the radar" when it comes to research, regulation and general oversight of our culture.  Maybe it is because they are relative newcomers to our food chain.  But the book was just plain dull.  Sorry, Mr. Lawler, there had to be a lot of research and hard work putting this book together but I could barely finish it and I can read just about anything.  Having said that, I have been eating a lot of chicken lately.....

Book #12

The Golden Hour  #12



Adult Male Pablum.  I picked it up hoping it would be a compelling read but it was just too fantastical to believe.  The backdrop of Mali was interesting but c'mon, you don't know your wife is some sort of special ops officer event though she studied agriculture?  One Star.

Books #10 and #11

#10  The Mystery at Devils Paw



I was cleaning out some old boxes in the garage and found my childhood collection of Hardy Boys Series.  I remembered this one and sat down and read the thing from cover to cover on a rainy afternoon.  How times have changed!  The Hardy Boys knew what was up, but they went out into the Alaskan Wilderness wearing slacks and loafers.  They were fearless and intrepid, sympathetic to the native peoples and knew a bad guy when they saw one.  It was a fun read and I have to give it ***** 5 stars!

#11  Eleven Rings



Phil Jackson is a very interesting guy.  There is little doubt he would have succeeded in anything he worked at in life.  The child of two Midwestern Pentecostal preachers who became a hippie of sorts in NYC.  I don't know how enjoyable he would be as a friend but he certainly knows how to connect to his players.  Not so much with his bosses.  Funny how that works.  A nice read, but I would have liked to hear more how his Zen philosophy affected him rather than his players.    *** 3 stars

Books 7, 8 and 9

#7 - In Paradise



The author truly committed himself to writing this book.  He goes very deep into the concepts of personal and cultural guilt and our ability for self-deception regarding both.  Characters in the book really wrestle with the recognition and resolution of that guilt.  It is not a gripping novel but it is a very good read.

#8 - Astoria



This is a good read for all you history buffs.  I definitely recommend it as it deals with a saga that is generally not well known.  Not only is it very interesting but it provides a good platform to speculate on how history and nations turn on the personalities of the participants and the whimsy of nature.   The author does a fine job writing it.


#9 - Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension



Boy,  this is a tough read.  I like math, but this made my head swim.  If you are a math wonk,  it is for you.  If not, stay away from this book!  It is complicated and you must have a really good understanding and affinity for numbers.