Time for my annual "What did I read and what do I recommend" post. Its been another busy year with work, Sam, and another little one planned to come into our life, but I still found a little time to settle down with a book. This year I averaged a book a month, and I hope to at least keep that up next year. This year I didn't read any fiction. The books with a star by them are the ones I especially liked and recommend if you are looking for a great read. Here we go…
Religious/Religious History:
Parley P Pratt: The Aposle Paul of Mormonism
The book is a new scholarly biography on Parley P Prattt put out by Oxford Press. The book follows the LDS Apostle to Europe, South America, and throughout the US as he preached the gospel, tried to manage his family, and adapted to the turbulent events of Church leadership during 1830-1857. The book is fine, but doesn't seem to illuminate the subject as much as it could. He wrote an autobiography in the 1850's that is full of adventure, humor, and faith and I recommend starting there if you have interest in LDS history.
Return
*Is a book of spiritual teaching and advice by current LDS Apostle Robert D Hales. It's not rehashed conference talks and was really a great book. Cheyney and I would read a chapter a week for FHE this year. Elder Hales talks about his time as a fighter pilot, CEO of Gillet and other experiences to teach insights in living he has learned.
American Grace
A sociological study on contemporary religious identification and adherence in US. Per booklist "The authors complement their statistical analysis with colorful vignettes, humanizing their numbers with episodes from the lives of individual Protestants and Catholics, Jews and Mormons." Fun to look at what people of many faiths report they believe, how they practise, and what they think in general about other faiths, politics, and other issues.
The Mormon Menace
Is a history of Mormons in the South from 1850-1900. I had no idea the amount of persecution going on then in that area. Four Mormon Missionaries were killed, harassment and mobs were rampant, and Mormons were kicked out of many areas and states in the South including being completely removed from Georgia in the 1890's. Luckily college football and Chick-Fil-A were invented soon after that and the South became awesome.
US Politics/US/World History:
Capitalism and Freedom
Milton Friedman's book of libertarian economic philosophy written in the 1950's. A lot of his ideas were adopted and others seem way out in left field, but thought provoking. I don't agree with a lot about libertarianism, but there are some good ideas. This book is especially great if you are into Ron Paul.
Plain Honest Men
*A tic-toc history of the writing of the Constitution over a summer in Philadelphia. Contrary to some popular belief that making of the Constitution seemed messy and involved a lot of arm wringing and compromising between competing states. It seemed at times more of a truce than a defining political philosophy. The seeds of modern political disagreement were all there between differing factions as the document was created. Interesting tangential fact: In order to foster compromise no one involved in the convention from any of the states could talk about what was happening in the convention and they even went so far as to keep all the doors and windows closed all summer to maintain confidentiality. Hot hot hot!
Lords of Finance
*This book won a a Pulitzer in 2010 and is excellent. It's a look at the history of international finance leaders and their policies and interactions from the teens to the 1930's. I'm no economist and this did a great job of explaining complex ideas such as the gold standard, Keynesian economics, and ways of controlling a complex and variable economy. I felt smarter after reading this about so me issues that are in the news with current international finance concerns
The origins of political order
A big book of political philosophy by a a leading intellectual on the subject. I'd read "The End of History and the Last Man" while in grad school and was amazed by the insight and fortune telling of future history by that book. This book was more of a set up of history from the beginnings till 1750 and the follow up book is the one I am really looking forward to.
A paradise built in hell
A so-so history of how people react during mass traumatic events. The thesis-that altruism often trumps chaos is interesting, but the author uses mostly conjecture and focuses to much on self, injecting herself too often in to the subject. A little too breezy and magazine article like for my tastes.
Poisoning the Press
*This book is a lot of fun. Its a book about Richard Nixon and Jack Anderson an investigative reporter and how they battled in the 1950's and 1960's. I always heard Nixon was nuts, but man I had to skip some pages when Nixon was really being his vile self. I was born post Watergate and missed a lot of the History on this. Great read.
The Aquariums of Pyongyang
*When I was in grad school my friend Julian who worked at an international relations think tank used to get drunk and talk about North Korea and Cuba, and it was always pretty fascinating and got me interested in totalitarian states. Since then I've made an effort to watch Documentaries on North Korea, and picked up this book.This book is a memoir of a guy who was in a Korean Labor camp for about a decade. I kept on thinking as I read this, "I can't believe this has happened and is still happening." North Korea is fascinating, weird, and evil all at the same time. A great transporting book to learn about a place you can't go and are lucky you aren't a part of.
The Emperor of All Maladies
*A history of Cancer that won the Pulitzer recently. Fascinating stuff as the book takes you through history to see how treatments and medical knowledge develops and changes. It's very well written and engrossing for such a difficult topic.
Now it's your turn. What have you been reading, and what do you recommend?
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Yearly Book Recommendations
- Time for my annual "What did I read and what do I recommend" post. Its been a busy year with moving and Sam coming into our life, but we still found time to settle down with a book. Here is what I read. I wont finish a book I don't like, and finished everything on this list. The book links with three stars by them are the ones I especially liked, if you are looking for a great read. Here we go…
- US Politics/US/World History:
- ***Decision Points
- The Politician
- This book was a fun read. Cheyn read most of it to me. It is the memoir of John Edwards assistant, the one who claimed John Edwards love child was his own. John Edwards has to be the biggest political train wreck of the past 30 years and this was an insiders view of his downfall. It was fun living in the triangle and knowing where parts of the book took place. We even took a pilgrimage to John Edwards house earlier this year.
- Game Change
- This book was a inside view of the 2008 political campaigns. The reporters conducted tons of interviews after the fact to portray what was really going on during the presidential race. There were a lot of new insights and revelations. Sometimes the politicians potty mouths got to be a little much.
- ***Empire of Liberty
- This is the most recently published book in the Oxford History of America Series. This covered 1789-1815. I loved it. If you like an in depth look 800 page book on a part of American History, this is for you. I wanted to learn more about how the government worked and what the points of contention were like for the founders after Independence and the Constitution. I also got to learn more about Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and George Washington. A great book, almost as good as the next book in the series What Hath God Wrought, that I read last year.
- The Devil in the White City
- A history of the Worlds Fair in the late 1800's in Chicago revolving around the lives of the chief architect and a serial killer. Our friend Jessica Bean recommended this to me. I'm not really into true crime stuff, but this book was pretty engrossing as it alternated between the fair and the super evil serial killer.
- ***The Dead Hand
- This book won the Pulitzer last year. It is about the nuclear arms race and downfall of the USSR. I never knew there were so many nuclear weapons and how many brushes with near use of them there were during the cold war. the book also details the USSR's secret chemical weapons programs in the 1980's. There is a lot of scary stuff going on out there we don't know about at the time.
- Restless Giant
- Another book in the Oxford series. This covered 1974-2001. I was disappointed as it just read like a tic-toc of events and there wasn't a lot of historical insight. Maybe it was written too close to the time frame for the author to gain adequate perspective.
- ***Flags of Our Fathers
- This book follows the son of one of the flag raisers at Iowa Jima as he retraces the events of the battle and the men involved. It shows a broader perspective on peoples lives than just the battle and the cost of war on those who survived and those who did not.
- ***The Death of Sigmund Freud:The Legacy of His Last Days
Frued is a person of interest for me, due to his influence in counseling and therapy. This follows him through his last days escaping Nazi's in Vienna and battling cancer while being the leader of the psychoanalytic movement. It's not to dense and goes through his family life and philosophy in less than 300 pages.
- Religious/Religious History:
- The Loser Letters
- My Brother in Law Justin recommended this book to me. Its written in the style of the Screwtape Letters. The book is about a convert to atheism writing to prominent current atheist and reveals her reconversion to faith. It's short and has some fun banter.
- Jehovah and the World of the Old Testament
- Cheyn and I had a goal of reading the Old Testament this year and got this book to help us. This book was written by LDS academics to help the reader better understand the historical and cultural context of the Old Testament narratives. I learned a lot that I wouldn't have if I was just reading the Old Testament. The division of chapters in the book didn't always sync chronologically, so it wasn't a perfect companion.
- ***Great Basin Kingdom
- This is a great book of economic and LDS history that I had heard a lot about in other books, but finally got up the guts to read this year. The main focus is on the the economic experimentation of the Saints in Utah from 1847 to the late 1890's. Many of the economic programs are an exercise in futility in the turbulent backdrop of the early pioneers. The minute that the United Order or other cooperatives are about to work, on cue something always seems to go wrong.
- There is a great part that explains how the practice of fast offerings started in 1857. The crickets came back and the crops suffered, so that winter Brigham Young said the members should start a weekly fast offering: giving a part of their weekly food and going without that day. Brigham also directed anyone able should hire new arrivals to work and pay them in food, just to keep people eating and alive, and have them work to keep their dignity. Many of the same practices continue in some form at this time in the Church on a global scale.
- ***The Carthage Conspiracy
- This was written by Elder Oaks (then a law professor) and a historian about the trail of the Mob that killed Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith and injured others. It shows how the politicking leading up to the case between different Mormon and Anti-Mormon elements set the precedence for the trial. Contrary to some urban legends the men who got off had for the most part long and interesting lives. I especially enjoyed this book after reading it when we got to go to Carthage this fall.
- Army Related Reading:
- On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society
- The title pretty much sums it up. Reading it to better understand what the soldiers go through and hopefully be able to help.
- ***War
- This is a great book. A journalist embeds with a unit in a remote Afghanistan location and goes through what life is like for the soldiers. I like this book because it is vivid and lets you into a place and situation I will never be. A soldier may not want to or be able to express the day to day experience of their deployment the way the author was able to.
- Army Officers Guide
- My Boss Recommended this to me as a book to read to prepare for Army culture. I still don't get a lot, but this was a good primer for military culture.
- Fiction:
- ***The Power and The Glory
- I usually only read one or two fiction books a year and this was this years choice. I had head Graham Green was a great author, but never gotten around to him. This book is excellent. It's about a backsliding Catholic Priest trying to survive in Mexico during a time of high religious persecution by a secularist regime in the early 20th century. Its less than 300 pages and I recommend it to anyone looking for great lit.
- So now its your turn. What did you read this year that what you do you recommend?
Monday, December 7, 2009
Nine Book Recomendations From 09
This post is my favorite of the year, probably the longest, and lets be honest probably the least read or commented on. But it's mostly for me. I like to keep track on this blog of what I have read on the sidebar and I do a post at the end of the year recommending good books I've read.
I love to read. I usually read a few Mormon related books I order online, some History, and a lot of nonfiction . This year I read a lot of financial stuff to try to understand what is going on economically. I've grouped the genres of books I've read and put asterisks by the nine books I especially recommend (I put them in red as well).Here we go...
History/Biography:
19th Century
*********What Hath God Wrought*********
A wonderful history of America from 1814-1848 that won the Pulitzer a few years back. Conflict in government, the rise of political parties, wars, expansion, slavery, its all there and written in a fascinating way by a talented historian. It's thick and takes a while, but is well worth the effort. The author talks about how canals and telegraphs completely changed peoples way of life in this time period. Utopians and Mormons get a lot of pages in the book.
The Life of Andrew Jackson
A great biography by Remini that he also got a Pulitzer for. Good but only if your really into presidential history. Andrew Jackson is the only president under which their was no government debt (for a year.)
20th Century
*********Fordlandia*********
This book is a lot of fun. Henry Ford had a Utopian streak in him and decided to set up an ideal community based on his desire for work efficiency and hope to bring civilization to an area in the Amazon. It didn't go so well, but the story is fascinating
The Forgotten Man
A revisionist history of the great depression that tilts right, but not embarrassingly so. I think my favorite thing about this book is finding out who this Eccles guy was whose name is all over everything in Utah, and how his ideas still affect US financial policy.
*********Truman*********
I'll have to say this was my favorite read of the year. It's super thick but the author is so great. This book is over a thousand pages but doesn't feel like it. I came away with a lot of respect for the President who wasn't appreciated in his own day but is considered by many to be one of the better US Presidents. Truman's simple life and unlikely presidency is worth the time to explore. This author wrote the famous John Adams biography that was so popular a few years back.
*********Eisenhower Soldier and President*********
I had to read about Truman's successor. Ike was a great man in the tradition of George Washington. He led the efforts that saved Western Civilization, and that happened even before he became president. As a president he steered the middle ground between progressive and conservative.
Flannery
A biography of the great short story writer. Great for a devotee like myself but not as good as could be in showing the general reader how fantastic my favorite author really is.
Contemporary History/Politics
*********How Rome Fell*********
Great book that goes through history, talks about Gibbons work. I loved it after being in Greece and Turkey for a little last year. The author tries not to draw many comparisons to contemporary society and mostly questions those who have. I came away from it so glad I don't live during Roman times.
Unbowed
This is the book by the Nobel tree planting lady. She does great works but is a narcissist and it grated on me so I threw it down before I finished.
*********A Long Time Coming*********
A bunch of reporters from Newsweek recount the presidential election in Narrative form. Fascinating even for a news junkey. Palin, Mccain, Romney, Hillary. That was a heck of a battle. My Mom recommended this to me.
Liberty and Tyranny
A conservative Doctor I worked with dared me to read this and still be a Democrat. Interesting polemics. Liberty and Tyranny is an interesting if inaccurate way to frame American Government.
Economics/Finance:
Nudge
The idea of libertarian paternalism and how it can be utilized in public policy and finance.
The Ascent of Money
A history of financial expansion and downturns from the Renaissance onward
*********Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk*********
This is a great book that talks about how risk management lead to the modernization of the world and economy as we now know it. A great writer who makes a difficult subject fascinating to the layman.
While America Aged
About how demographics will negatively affect the economy, how social security will run out, and other depressing things.
Religion/Mormonism:
The Gathering of Zion:The Story of the Mormon Trail
My father-in-law gave me this. The story of the heroic Mormon pioneers as they journeyed to Utah. I especially enjoyed descriptions of being on the trail.
Joseph Smith, Jr.: Reappraisals After Two Centuries
A book of essays on Joseph Smith by academics. A few great articles but most of them seemed like people writing articles to help them get tenure and increase their CV.
On the Road with Joseph Smith
The author of Rough Stone Rolling talks about his Joseph Smith biography.
*********The Cost of Discipleship*********
This is just a classic. The author has a personal story of active faith that leads him to his death in Nazi Germany. In this theological work he preaches against "Cheap Grace," and lauds, active determined Discipleship to Christ and his Gospel. This was a reread but is still vibrant and great.
The Screwtape Letters
Reread this for a family book group. I enjoyed talking to the family about it.
Other Non Fiction:
Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History
The author won a Pulitzer a few decades back writing about a 17 th century midwife. here she writes essays on feminism and also about her famous quote. I have interests in feminist writing and theory so I enjoyed it.
Complications
A New Yorker writer who also happens to be a Surgeon on healthcare issues, hospitals, doctors and patients.
Outliers
A fun quick read that explores nature vs. nurture. Another New Yorker author. Fun to read this with family.
Ripped
A book by one of the Sound Opinions guys on NPR on the music industry and bands in this past decade. Great chapters on Radiohead and Arcade Fire.
Fiction:
Brave New World
I read this because it was a critique on Fordism and felt like so many people talk about it. I got about halfway through it. The author wrote this before Acid was invented, which could have fooled me.
*********The Lost Symbol*********
Pure bubble gum, formulaic, preachy at the end, but just a fun brainless quick read. If you like his other stuff you'll like this. I wont give away the surprise plot twist at the end, but I loved it and it caught me by surprise.
So you made it through my run down. Now lets hear your comments about what books you recommend that you have read this year.
I love to read. I usually read a few Mormon related books I order online, some History, and a lot of nonfiction . This year I read a lot of financial stuff to try to understand what is going on economically. I've grouped the genres of books I've read and put asterisks by the nine books I especially recommend (I put them in red as well).Here we go...
History/Biography:
19th Century
*********What Hath God Wrought*********
A wonderful history of America from 1814-1848 that won the Pulitzer a few years back. Conflict in government, the rise of political parties, wars, expansion, slavery, its all there and written in a fascinating way by a talented historian. It's thick and takes a while, but is well worth the effort. The author talks about how canals and telegraphs completely changed peoples way of life in this time period. Utopians and Mormons get a lot of pages in the book.
The Life of Andrew Jackson
A great biography by Remini that he also got a Pulitzer for. Good but only if your really into presidential history. Andrew Jackson is the only president under which their was no government debt (for a year.)
20th Century
*********Fordlandia*********
This book is a lot of fun. Henry Ford had a Utopian streak in him and decided to set up an ideal community based on his desire for work efficiency and hope to bring civilization to an area in the Amazon. It didn't go so well, but the story is fascinating
The Forgotten Man
A revisionist history of the great depression that tilts right, but not embarrassingly so. I think my favorite thing about this book is finding out who this Eccles guy was whose name is all over everything in Utah, and how his ideas still affect US financial policy.
*********Truman*********
I'll have to say this was my favorite read of the year. It's super thick but the author is so great. This book is over a thousand pages but doesn't feel like it. I came away with a lot of respect for the President who wasn't appreciated in his own day but is considered by many to be one of the better US Presidents. Truman's simple life and unlikely presidency is worth the time to explore. This author wrote the famous John Adams biography that was so popular a few years back.
*********Eisenhower Soldier and President*********
I had to read about Truman's successor. Ike was a great man in the tradition of George Washington. He led the efforts that saved Western Civilization, and that happened even before he became president. As a president he steered the middle ground between progressive and conservative.
Flannery
A biography of the great short story writer. Great for a devotee like myself but not as good as could be in showing the general reader how fantastic my favorite author really is.
Contemporary History/Politics
*********How Rome Fell*********
Great book that goes through history, talks about Gibbons work. I loved it after being in Greece and Turkey for a little last year. The author tries not to draw many comparisons to contemporary society and mostly questions those who have. I came away from it so glad I don't live during Roman times.
Unbowed
This is the book by the Nobel tree planting lady. She does great works but is a narcissist and it grated on me so I threw it down before I finished.
*********A Long Time Coming*********
A bunch of reporters from Newsweek recount the presidential election in Narrative form. Fascinating even for a news junkey. Palin, Mccain, Romney, Hillary. That was a heck of a battle. My Mom recommended this to me.
Liberty and Tyranny
A conservative Doctor I worked with dared me to read this and still be a Democrat. Interesting polemics. Liberty and Tyranny is an interesting if inaccurate way to frame American Government.
Economics/Finance:
Nudge
The idea of libertarian paternalism and how it can be utilized in public policy and finance.
The Ascent of Money
A history of financial expansion and downturns from the Renaissance onward
*********Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk*********
This is a great book that talks about how risk management lead to the modernization of the world and economy as we now know it. A great writer who makes a difficult subject fascinating to the layman.
While America Aged
About how demographics will negatively affect the economy, how social security will run out, and other depressing things.
Religion/Mormonism:
The Gathering of Zion:The Story of the Mormon Trail
My father-in-law gave me this. The story of the heroic Mormon pioneers as they journeyed to Utah. I especially enjoyed descriptions of being on the trail.
Joseph Smith, Jr.: Reappraisals After Two Centuries
A book of essays on Joseph Smith by academics. A few great articles but most of them seemed like people writing articles to help them get tenure and increase their CV.
On the Road with Joseph Smith
The author of Rough Stone Rolling talks about his Joseph Smith biography.
*********The Cost of Discipleship*********
This is just a classic. The author has a personal story of active faith that leads him to his death in Nazi Germany. In this theological work he preaches against "Cheap Grace," and lauds, active determined Discipleship to Christ and his Gospel. This was a reread but is still vibrant and great.
The Screwtape Letters
Reread this for a family book group. I enjoyed talking to the family about it.
Other Non Fiction:
Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History
The author won a Pulitzer a few decades back writing about a 17 th century midwife. here she writes essays on feminism and also about her famous quote. I have interests in feminist writing and theory so I enjoyed it.
Complications
A New Yorker writer who also happens to be a Surgeon on healthcare issues, hospitals, doctors and patients.
Outliers
A fun quick read that explores nature vs. nurture. Another New Yorker author. Fun to read this with family.
Ripped
A book by one of the Sound Opinions guys on NPR on the music industry and bands in this past decade. Great chapters on Radiohead and Arcade Fire.
Fiction:
Brave New World
I read this because it was a critique on Fordism and felt like so many people talk about it. I got about halfway through it. The author wrote this before Acid was invented, which could have fooled me.
*********The Lost Symbol*********
Pure bubble gum, formulaic, preachy at the end, but just a fun brainless quick read. If you like his other stuff you'll like this. I wont give away the surprise plot twist at the end, but I loved it and it caught me by surprise.
So you made it through my run down. Now lets hear your comments about what books you recommend that you have read this year.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Eight Books From '08
Well another year of reading down and now this is my second annual book recommendation post. I love reading a good book and recommendations of a good book. So if you have one to recommend leave it in the comments. Here are my favorites from the year:8.Massacre at Mountain Meadows
In 1857 a group of 120 men women and children were massacred by Mormon settlers and to a lesser extent a Native American tribe in Southern Utah. Many books have been written on this subject recently, mostly with a polemical bent of one kind or another. This three hundred page book deals only with the events leading up to the Massacre, and not the aftermath. It is not apologetic and is a somber and sad account. I spent every page hoping the tragedy would not happen, that those trying to prevent it and those in authority in Cedar City would stop the events from escalating. I was fascinated with the ingredients that combined and the lessons can be drawn from this event. Three Mormon historians wrote this account after combing the LDS archives and included information that has not been published before. This book is not for everyone. If you like Western or American history or are intrigued by this event, this is a concise account that offers the most up to date account of what happened.
When I went to Monticello with my brother-in-law, Branagan, last year, we went on a slavery focused tour of Jefferson's former residence. The park service had recreated the sheds his slaves lived in and showed us broken bits of plates, tools, and trinkets they had found from an archaeological dig. We were told about Jefferson's mistress, her brother whom he took to Paris to learn cooking, and other slaves and what their lives were like. The tour was fascinating and so I wanted to read more. This book recounts the history of the Hemings family and their relation to Jefferson and spends a great amount of time postulating about Jefferson's relationship and children with Sally. The author is at a great disadvantage because the lives and feelings of most of his slaves passed away without being recorded. A lot of these pages are speculative and I feel like the book could be condensed, but a good read. I think you need to couple this book with a founding fathers or laudatory Jefferson type biography so you can learn more about the strengths and positive contributions of Jefferson in addition to his shortcomings.
6.The Bin Ladens
6.The Bin Ladens
My father-in-law gave this to me as a gift and it is a quick and informative read. It tells the story of how the Bin Ladens came to be one of the wealthiest families in Saudi Arabia and how their son turned to the dark side. A great book to understand current events and get a peek into a Middle Eastern culture and the interface between our world and theirs.
5.The Dark Side
In response to September 11th, the White House and Congress began to rethink many of its policies in regards to war and terror. As the pursuit of terrorist was ratcheted up, policies and laws that were in place were disregarded and questioned in the pursuit of Al Qaeda. What is torture, extreme rendition, the rights of those accused and those not accused? Does torture work and when is it allowed? What gives America the moral high ground? This book is well documented and explores these vital questions with specific examples. Though it does have a left leaning tint, its well written, researched, and documented and is not just another anti-Bush book.
4.Frankenstein
I try every once in a while to read a book of fiction that I should have read already but haven't yet. Last year it was Moby Dick. This year it was Frankenstein. This is a book you can read in one sitting and it is actually a pretty good read. The passionate chase between creator and monster and the memorable quotes by the monster such as "You are my creator, but I am your master;-Obey." and "I am malicious because I am miserable" make this book live up to its fiendish reputation.
3.Unaccustomed Earth
In response to September 11th, the White House and Congress began to rethink many of its policies in regards to war and terror. As the pursuit of terrorist was ratcheted up, policies and laws that were in place were disregarded and questioned in the pursuit of Al Qaeda. What is torture, extreme rendition, the rights of those accused and those not accused? Does torture work and when is it allowed? What gives America the moral high ground? This book is well documented and explores these vital questions with specific examples. Though it does have a left leaning tint, its well written, researched, and documented and is not just another anti-Bush book.
4.Frankenstein
I try every once in a while to read a book of fiction that I should have read already but haven't yet. Last year it was Moby Dick. This year it was Frankenstein. This is a book you can read in one sitting and it is actually a pretty good read. The passionate chase between creator and monster and the memorable quotes by the monster such as "You are my creator, but I am your master;-Obey." and "I am malicious because I am miserable" make this book live up to its fiendish reputation.
3.Unaccustomed Earth
A collection of short stories, often morose of Indian transplants and their descendants trying to adjust to life in the western world. This author wrote the Namesake, which was made into a slow but great film. I read very little current fiction and am very picky in this department, but enjoyed this book. I admire the authors prose and ability to document life in a literary way. My favorite story is about Rahul, the alcoholic brother who comes back into his sisters life and the Sisters ambivalence about the part she played and will play as he returns. Her short stories that are pretty gripping and great for someone with a low fiction tolerance, like me.
This is a fun book. Around the turn of the century, before the study of the paranormal was pushed to the fringe, mainstream scientist were trying to settle the questions of the soul and afterlife through the scientific method. The author narrates spooky events. Prominent scientists going to seances, documenting deceased people appearing and peoples ability to sense that a love one has passed away that is away. One scientist tries to figure out why someone weighs less the moment after they die. Though ultimately scientists moved on to other fields of study after this, it's fun to learn about academia and general spiritual beliefs in the late eighteen hundreds.
1.The Nine (By Jeffrey Toobin)
I love books where I can learn about a subject I don't know much about and wouldn't be able to tolerate in another form. I guess what I'm saying is I love an author who can explain and introduce a world that was before foreign or difficult for me. I'm no lawyer. I get bored reading about the law even though I know its important. This book translates the highest court's personalities and desicions to non-lawyer types such as myself. How should the law be interpreted and how do the characters of all the justices interact and affect the law? What direction is the court headed and where is it going? For a guy like me (and perhaps Governor Palin) who can't name many court cases, this is an excellent and remarkably breezy introduction to the recent history of the supreme court. The profiles of the justices are fascinating. The book really is written to inform more than a pulpit for the author to say who is right or wrong or what should happen. This book is great and I recommend it to all.
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1.Note On rereading:
I try to re-read some Flannery O Connor each year, so that doesn't count as a new book this year. I recommend her fiction to all. She's my favorite fiction writer. I reread Wise Blood and it was funny and intelligent and on message as I remember it. Also we podcasted Jesus The Christ which is great to listen to when driving. I reread Rough Stone Rolling which is a great read if you are in to LDS Church History and studying the life of Joseph Smith.
2. Here is a list of 2008 books I got through and took my favorites from:
- The Hemingses of Monticello
- Click
- Change We Can Believe In
- The Dark Side
- White Noise
- Frankenstein
- Massacre at Mountain Meadows
- All God's Children
- The Last Lecture
- Jesus The Christ
- Wise Blood
- Mormon Scientist
- The Argumentative Indian
- People of Paradox
- Blood Done Sign My Name
- Unaccustomed Earth
- The Bin Ladens
- Rough Stone Rolling
- The Audacity of Hope
- The Nine
- Economic Facts and Fallacies
- American Creation
- Bridging the Divide
- Ghost Hunters: William James and the Search for Scientific Proof of Life After Death
- From Dawn to Decadence
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