| | | | | | | | | . | Fabulas de una abuela extraterrestre | | Daina Chaviano | 4 | (Science fiction or fantasy) Some interesting ideas but overall: premise over character. | 2 | 2008 | | . | Before We Were Free | | Julia Alvarez | 9 | (Young adult fiction) Looks at the end of the Dominican Republic's Trujillo dictatorship from the perspective of a 12-year-old girl. Excellently told. | 2 | 2008 | Julia Alvarez | . | A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier | 1 | Ishmael Beah | 8 | (Memoir) Compelling story of fleeing from war, time as a boy soldier, and rehabilitation. Well told. | 1 | 2008 | Dominic Hoffman | . | Purple Hibiscus | 1 | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | 7 | (Novel) Domestic abuse and a young girl comes of age against the backdrop of political unrest in Nigeria. Good, but not as good as Half of a Yellow Sun. | 1 | 2008 | Lisette Lecat | . | El hombre, la hembra, y el hambre | | Daina Chaviano | 8 | (Novel) Story of a woman's desperate quest for survival in modern Havana. Compelling account. Sounded like good prose, but I don't really know Spanish, so who knows? [Some sexual content.] | 12 | 2007 | Tatiana Vecino y Raul Duran | . | The Yiddish Policemen's Union | | Michael Chabon | 7.3 | Detective story that takes place a fictional Jewish homeland in Alaska. Excellent prose (the man knows his way around a metaphor like no one else). Plot gets a little crazy but still moves us along. [Significant profanity] | 12 | 2007 | Peter Riegert | . | Much Ado About Nothing (Arkangel recording) | | William Shakespeare | 9.3 | Shakespeare writes 400 years ago and still makes me laugh out loud. The play is a 10/10, but listening to an audio performance is sometimes confusing; I had to read the liner notes to know exactly what was happening. Still, marvelous. | 11 | 2007 | a complete cast | . | Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance | | Atul Gawande | 8.3 | fascinating exploration of past, present, and future improvements in medicine from behavioral innovation rather than scientific discovery. | 11 | 2007 | John Bedford Lloyd | . | Lengthen Your Stride: The Presidency of Spencer W. Kimball | | Edward L. Kimball | 7.3 | Follow-up to Ed Kimball's earlier book about his father has powerful, invaluable chapters on the priesthood revelation. Portrait of Spencer Kimball is very inspiring. Unfortunately, sometimes it devolves into travelogue. | 11 | 2007 | | . | Love, Stargirl | | Jerry Spinelli | 5.7 | Disappointing at first but picks up and has a nice ending. Stargirl always wins me over in the end. | 11 | 2007 | | . | So Long a Letter (African Writers Series) | 1 | Mariama Ba (translated from the French by Modupé Bodé-Thomas) | 8 | (Fiction, Senegal) A woman narrates the hardships experienced by women in a polygamous society. Required reading in Sierra Leone’s schools (and at least used to be in Gambian schools). | 10 | 2007 | | . | The Inheritance of Loss | | Kiran Desai | 8 | (Fiction) Multiple storylines centered on a household in India. Beautifully illustrates the complexities of class hierarchies and the tolls they take. Took a while to get into, but then it hooked me and was well worth it. Booker prize. | 10 | 2007 | Meera Simhan | . | A Thousand Splendid Suns | | Khaled Hosseini | 7.7 | (Fiction) The intersecting lives of two women in Afghanistan, spanning approximately the last 50 years. An incredibly fast read, emotionally engaging, insightful into the struggles of women. | 10 | 2007 | | . | The Undercover Economist: Exposing Why the Rich Are Rich, the Poor Are Poor, And... | | Tim Harford | 7 | (Non-fiction) Intro to economics with witty prose and clever, real-world examples. The writing isn't as fun as Freakonomics, but the book is probably more instructive. Mostly enjoyable with a few dry stretches. | 10 | 2007 | Robert Ian MacKenzie | . | 1 World Manga: Passages 1-6 | | Annette Roman | 6 | (Graphic novel) A teenager teams up with a spirit guide to fight global problems like poverty, HIV, child soldiers, and environmental degradation. Simplistic but educational & entertaining as a first exposure. For teens, not kids. | 10 | 2007 | | . | Special Topics in Calamity Physics | | Marisha Pessl | 9 | (Fiction) Coming-of-age mixed up with whodunnit. Wildly entertaining prose. _Great_ read. | 9 | 2007 | | . | What Is the What | 1 | Dave Eggers | 9 | (Fiction) Novelization of the story of one of the lost boys of Sudan, told to the author over several years. Powerful, informative, engaging, moving. | 9 | 2007 | Dion Graham | . | Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking | | Malcolm Gladwell | 7 | (Non-fiction) The advantages and pitfalls of intuitive, split-second decisions. Gladwell is entertaining and interesting as always but not as strong here as in The Tipping Point. | 9 | 2007 | | . | You Gotta See This: More Than 100 of Hollywood's Best Reveal and Discuss Their Favorite Films | | Cindy Pearlman | 6 | (Non-fiction) Two-paragraph interviews with Hollywood stars and directors about their favorite movies. Fun; good bathroom book. Rating 6/10. | 9 | 2007 | | . | The Horned Man | | James Lasdun | 8 | (Fiction) Professor gets stalked and sabotaged. Maybe. Intriguing suspense story, full of apparent non-sequitors. Something of a surprise ending, leaving you to put the pieces together. | 8 | 2007 | |
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| | | | | | | | | . | The Full Cupboard of Life | 1 | Alexander McCall Smith | 7 | (Mystery?) Everyone's favorite Botswanan detective works through the least mysterious so far: just one case! Still, her family developments are relaxing and enjoyable. She LOVES Botswana and makes it hard to keep from loving it too. | 8 | 2007 | Lisette Lecat | . | The Darling | 1 | Russell Banks | 5 | (Fiction) American leftist revolutionary gets tied up in Liberian civil war. And she loves orangutans. Interesting and even gripping in parts, but uneven. | 8 | 2007 | Mary Beth Hurt | . | The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It | 1 | Paul Collier | 9 | Collier draws on three decades of research to write a non-technical, nuanced treatise on the reason that the poorest countries are poor and the array of policies (not just aid) that could help. Very worthwhile. | 7 | 2007 | | . | A Passage to India | | E.M. Forster | 8 | Story of tragic misunderstandings in British colonial India. Might be tough to get thru the print version, but the audiobook was totally engaging. | 7 | 2007 | Sam Dastor | . | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows | | J.K. Rowling | 8 | A great ride, lots of fun. One mildly slow section, but overall a fitting finish. | 7 | 2007 | | . | Bridge to Terabithia | | Katherine Paterson | 7 | Boy discovers imagination & true friendship w/ a creative friend. I loved the book as a kid & probably would have loved it more if I hadn't just watched the movie (the story felt less fresh). Still, a great children's story. | 7 | 2007 | Tom Stechschulte | . | The Time Traveler's Wife | | Audrey Niffenegger | 7 | Epic love story in which the man has a genetic defect that causes him to involuntarily time travel. Clever; great characters; good story. Warning: lots of strong language, lots of sexual situations. | 7 | 2007 | William Hope & Laura Lefkow | . | The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes | | Neil Gaiman | 6 | Dark tale of a captured eternal being (Dream) who escapes and...what happens next. | 7 | 2007 | | . | Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 1: Power and Responsibility | | Brian Michael Bendis | 5 | Fun diversion, but not much distinct from the Tobey Maguire film. | 7 | 2007 | | . | Half of a Yellow Sun | 1 | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | 9 | Adichie follows the lives of two adult sisters during the Biafran war (Nigeria's civil war in the 1960s). Well-developed characters; gives a real spirit of the times. War is terrible. | 6 | 2007 | | . | Stargirl | | Jerry Spinelli | 9 | (YA fiction) A nonconformist girl shakes up an Arizona high school. I feared it would be re-hash of Bridge to Terabithia (which I loved), but it was great of itself. I enjoyed almost every moment. John Ritter's reading was wonderful. | 6 | 2007 | John Ritter | . | The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals | | Michael Pollan | 8 | Follows the history of four meals: industrial (McDonalds), industrial organic (what you'd buy at Whole Foods), organic organic (a little uber organic farm in Virginia), and hunter-gatherer (he scavenges for his own food). Great. | 6 | 2007 | Scott Brick | . | The Kalahari Typing School for Men | 1 | Alexander McCall Smith | 6 | Book 4 in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series (in Botswana). Not much detective work in this one, mostly development in the lives of the main characters. Pleasant but not special. Lecat is always a pleasure to listen to. | 6 | 2007 | Lisette Lecat | . | The Road | | Cormac McCarthy | 10 | Gripping, moving story of a father's love for his son, set in a post-apocalyptic landscape. Some disturbing imagery, but all in service of a wonderful story of paternal love. | 5 | 2007 | Tom Stechschulte | . | Petals of Blood | 1 | Ngugi wa Thiong'o | 8 | Very good Kenyan novel (1978) about poor Kenyans' disillusion with post-colonial inequality of economic opportunity. Thiong'o landed in a heap of hot water for this one; it's very worthwhile. Takes a while to get to the point. | 5 | 2007 | | . | The Book of Mormon | | Joseph Smith (translator) | 10 | (Scripture) Marvelous, powerful book. Changes me every day that I let it. | 4 | 2007 | | . | James and the Giant Peach | | Roald Dahl | 8 | Fun story, wonderful narration by Jeremy Irons. Little James Henry Trotter flies around with giant insects in an absurdly large peach. Awesome! | 4 | 2007 | Jeremy Irons | . | Cause Celeb | 1 | Helen Fielding | 7 | (Fiction) Before Bridget Jones's Diary, Fielding writes about a similar character, except that she works in a north African refugee camp and gets involved in celebrity charity work. Funny and deals with interesting issues in aid work. | 4 | 2007 | | . | The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things | | Barry Glassner | 4 | (Non-fiction) A primer for bad social science: Glassner debunks media-propagated fears (of air travel, of road rage), using non-transparent statistics and authoritative phrases lilke "studies show." A little good info, bad overall. | 4 | 2007 | | . | Jesus the Christ | | James Talmage | 8 | (Non-fiction) Talmage examines the Savior's role before birth, during mortal life, and afterwards. Lots of beautiful insights, clearly written by a man of great testimony. | 3 | 2007 | |
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| | | | | | | | | . | White Noise | | Don DeLillo | 8 | (Fiction) The plot never drew me in, but I've never read a novel that had me underlining and commenting on more passages, that both resonated more and affected the way I interpreted my environment as I read it. Fascinating! | 3 | 2007 | | . | Stumbling on Happiness | | Daniel Gilbert | 9 | Harvard psychologist uses years of experimental evidence to show why we're really bad at predicting what will make us happy. Completely fascinating and witty, with a little denouement as to how to USE this info. Excellent! | 2 | 2007 | Daniel Gilbert | . | The Trouble with Africa | 1 | Robert Calderisi | 6 | Former World Bank spokesperson for Africa speaks from his experience. Some good ideas and fascinating stories mixed with not very good prose and some poor analysis. Still, interesting to get the Bank viewpoint on a number of issues. | 2 | 2007 | | . | En vez de maldecirte
| | Hortensia Moreno | 5 | Novela feminista, explorando varios aspectos de lo que es ser mujer en el mundo de hoy, contado desde un multitud de perspectivas. A veces interesante, pero a menudo dificil to seguir. | 2 | 2007 | Mariana Carreño King | . | The Namesake | | Jhumpa Lahiri | 8 | Indian couple moves to America, cultural alienation of their son and how they all adjust. Excellent prose, kept me engaged all along. Depressing but feels true. | 1 | 2007 | Sarita Choudhury | . | The Plot Against America | | Philip Roth | 7 | Alternative history: FDR loses 1940 election and we sign a treaty with the Nazis! Generally fascinating, occasionally Roth rambles a little, and I found myself a little disappointed at the abruptness of the ending. | 1 | 2007 | Ron Silver | . | The Mission Song | 1 | John le Carre | 6 | Top interpreter of African languages comes upon info about nefarious plans for the Congo. Sometimes interesting, but not great prose and sometimes boring. | 1 | 2007 | David Oyelowo | . | On the Road | | Jack Kerouac | 5 | Some great turns of phrase and some wonderful stories, but it's very uneven. Still, worth reading for being so influential. | 1 | 2007 | Alexander Adams | . | Beasts of No Nation | 1 | Uzodinma Iweala | 10 | (Fiction) Based on dozens of true accounts, this novel takes inside the life of a child soldier in West Africa. Brutally disturbing and not for the faint of heart, but feels real and important. | 12 | 2006 | | . | Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling | | Richard Lyman Bushman | 10 | (Biography) Bushman wonderfully contextualized Joseph and his life, drawing on thousands of historical sources. Engaging read, draws fairly clear line between documents and his interpretation. Great! | 12 | 2006 | | . | To Kill a Mockingbird | | Harper Lee | 10 | (Fiction) Excellent reading of a marvelous book about coming of age and integrity. Beautiful prose. | 12 | 2006 | Sissy Spacek | . | Why Do Men Have Nipples? Hundreds of Questions You'd Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Martini | | Mark Leyner | 5 | (Medical, humor) The authors answer lots of questions, from whether the amnesia in the movies really occurs to why poop is brown. Sometimes interesting, sometimes unsatisfying, okay bathroom reading (i.e., don't borrow our copy). | 12 | 2006 | | . | Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass | | Lewis Carroll | 9 | (Fiction) Alice falls down the rabbit hole and thenwalks through a mirror. The first book is wonderful; the second is drags a little but has great moments. Peters' reading is AWESOME. | 11 | 2006 | Donada Peters | . | Something Rotten | | Jasper Fforde | 7 | (Fiction) Thursday Next is back to literary detective work: keeping a visiting Hamlet busy, trying to bring down a fictional character masquerading as a politician in the real world, and much more. A bit plodding, but a great ending. | 11 | 2006 | Emily Gray | . | Morality for Beautiful Girls | 1 | Alexander McCall Smith | 6 | (Fiction) Third in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Generally enjoyable, a pleasant, different kind of mystery. Sometimes dissatisfying; nothing amazing. | 11 | 2006 | Lisette Lecat | . | My Life (abridged) | | William Jefferson Clinton | 6 | Rating 8/10 (for interest & enjoyment); 4/10 for candor. (Autobiography) Bill Clinton is wildly self-serving in this book. BUT he knows how to tell a good story and I enjoy his reading. He clearly exaggerates, but it's still a good time. | 11 | 2006 | William Jefferson Clinton | . | Aura | | Carlos Fuentes | 8 | (Fiction) In this novella, a young historian (you:the book is written in 2nd person) goes to work with an old woman and her beautiful niece, Aura. Strange twist at the end, but interesting and engaging. | 10 | 2006 | | . | Saint Maybe | | Anne Tyler | 8 | (Fiction) Pulitzer-prize winner Anne Tyler scores with this complex view of redemption and family that spans a quarter century. Very well done. | 10 | 2006 | | . | Talk Talk | | T.C. Boyle | 6 | (Fiction) A deaf English teacher has her identity stolen but doesn't take it sitting down. Reasonably exciting plot, very nuanced characters, and interestingly crafted narrative. Disappointing ending. | 10 | 2006 | T.C. Boyle | . | The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st Century [Updated & Expanded] | | Thomas L. Friedman | 6 | (Non-fiction) Way too long, but Friedman tells someinteresting stories and makes some interesting points along the way about how globalization is different now than it has been in the past. | 10 | 2006 | Oliver Wyman |
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| | | | | | | | | . | David O. McKay & the Rise of Modern Mormonism | | Gregory A Prince | 10 | (History) Eminently readable history of the LDS Church during McKay's leadership (the 40s, 50s, and early 60s); gives more insight into more aspects of the Church from a faithful but honest perspective than any book I've read. | 9 | 2006 | | . | La Sombra del Viento | | Carlos Ruiz Zafon | 9 | (Fiction) A marvelous tale that blends intrigue, love, and a passion for stories, written in gorgeous prose. I have also heard only good things about the English translation, The Shadow of the Wind. | 9 | 2006 | | . | Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise | | Ruth Reichl | 6 | (Memoir) Reichl recounts her adventures as chief restaurant critic at the NY Times, disguising herself so as to be treated like a normal person. Several fun stories, but most of the introspection disappointed me. | 9 | 2006 | Bernadette Dunne | . | Cold Sassy Tree | | Olive Ann Burns | 5 | (Fiction) An adolescent boy's tells the tale of howhis granddaddy married a new wife just three weeks after his grandma died. Scandal ensues. Largely boring with one laugh-out-loud scene and one emotionally manipulative scenes. | 9 | 2006 | Tom Parker | . | The Amber Spyglass | | Philip Pullman | 5 | (Fiction) Final book in His Dark Materials trilogy(The Golden Compass is first). Good audiobook performance, but the story is uneven & is the least compelling of the three books, and several elements of the climax were unsatisfying. | 9 | 2006 | Philip Pullman + a full cast | . | The Golden Compass | | Philip Pullman | 8 | A few years ago I read this and liked it okay, butthis audio production was excellent (on a par with the Harry Potter audiobooks). Creative, engaging fantasy. | 8 | 2006 | Philip Pullman + a full cast | . | The Subtle Knife | | Philip Pullman | 7 | (Fiction) This sequel to The Golden Compass is a little less compelling but still good, and the audiobook is Excellent. | 8 | 2006 | Philip Pullman + a full cast | . | The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good | 1 | William Easterly | 7 | Valuable critique of the Western aid establishmentwith some suggestions for improvement. Too long and sometimes shrill, but also incisive and witty. | 8 | 2006 | | . | The Historian (abridged) | | Elizabeth Kostova | 4 | I read the first hundred pages and was exceedinglybored, so I finished it with the abridged audiobook. Still slow sometimes. When not slow, the story was interesting (a modern-day quest to finish off Dracula), but lots of loose ends. | 8 | 2006 | six readers | . | The Armchair Economist: Economics and Everyday Experience | | Steven Landsburg | 7 | Not quite as fun as Freakonomics, but Landsburg uses witty writing and clever examples to teach how economic analysis applies to all kinds of experience. | 7 | 2006 | | . | Hunger: An Unnatural History | | Sharman Apt Russell | 10 | Fascinating, poetic book exploring the science andthe anthropology of hunger, fasting, hunger strikes, starvation, and much more. Russell brings this aching topic to life! Excellent! | 6 | 2006 | | . | A Tale of Two Cities | | Charles Dickens | 8 | A powerful tale of redemption and a troubling lookat the French Revolution. (What look at the French Revoluation isn't troubling?) I got a little bit confused at parts, but excellent overall. Dickens is a wonderful pleasure. | 6 | 2006 | Frank Muller | . | La Fiesta del Chivo | | Mario Vargas Llosa | 8 | Excellent novelized account of the last days of Trujillo (the Dominican Republic's dictator) and the people he affected. A few very disturbing parts. | 6 | 2006 | | . | Spencer W. Kimball: Twelfth President of the Church of JesusChrist of Latter-day Saints
| | Edward Kimall & Andrew Kimball | 8 | Solid, readable, inspiring biography thru 1977. Never read about a harder working man. | 6 | 2006 | | . | Freakonomics | | Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner | 7 | Enjoyably written demonstration of how clear thinking and good data can overturn conventional wisdom. | 6 | 2006 | Stephen Dubner | . | Nothing is Impossible: Reflections on a New Life | | Christopher Reeve | 7 | Reeve reflects on hope and tells some fascinatingstories. | 5 | 2006 | Christophe Reeve | . | The Well of Lost Plots | | Jasper Fforde | 7 | (Fiction) The 3rd book in the Thursday Next quartet. Di and I read this aloud several months ago but forgot to add it. Wildly creative, very funny, but imperfectly paced. | 5 | 2006 | | . | Moses, Citizen and Me | 1 | Delia Jarrett MacAuley | 5 | Novel about former child soldiers in Sierra Leone.Lots of dream sequences, I didn't really get into it, but it occasionally effectively portrayed this harrowing situation. | 5 | 2006 | | . | True Believer | | Nicholas Sparks | 3 | A love story built out of tired cliches and bad dialog. | 5 | 2006 | David Aaron Baker | . | Los 7 Habitos de Las Personas Altamente Eficases (abridged) | | Stephen Covey | 7 | Covey packs some great principles into a couple ofCDs. (I picked this up because it was the only audio CD the library had in Spanish.) | 4.5 | 2006 | ? |
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| | | | | | | | | . | A Christmas Carol | | Charles Dickens | 8 | Dickens's wonderful prose and thoughtful insightsmake this relevant all year. Jim Dale's reading, as always, is superb. | 4 | 2006 | Jim Dale | . | Family Matters | | Rohinton Mistry | 8 | (Novel) Mistry's portrait of life among a troubled Parsi family in Bombay is engaging and moving. A brilliant writer, but read A Fine Balance first! | 4 | 2006 | | . | The Bluest Eye | | Toni Morrison | 9 | (Fiction) A tragic story of racial hatred, written in brilliantprose. | 3 | 2006 | Lynne Thigpen | . | Charlotte's Web | | E.B. White | 7 | (Children's fiction) Nice tale of friendship, love, and growing up. | 3 | 2006 | | . | Neuromancer | | William Gibson | 6 | Science fiction classic about high-tech thieves. Uses language in the same challenging way as Clockwork Orange (but less extreme). It didn't completely engage me. | 3 | 2006 | | . | So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading | | Sara Nelson | 6 | (Memoir) Nelson keeps a journal of reading a book each week fora year. Light, interesting, but acts much deeper than it is. | 3 | 2006 | | . | Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince | | J.K. Rowling | 8 | Dale's readings are always wonderful. Great comfort reading. | 2 | 2006 | Jim Dale | . | Night | | Elie Wiesel | 8 | (Memoir) Powerful, concise Holocaust memoir. | 2 | 2006 | | . | I Didn't Do It for You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation | 1 | Michela Wrong | 7 | (History) A journalist's history of Eritrea. Readable, insightful, but sometimes a little too journalistic. | 2 | 2006 | | . | The Hunchback of Notre Dame (tr. by Lowell Bair) | | Victor Hugo | 7 | (Fiction) Some really boring passages, but on net, a tragic, powerful love and anti-love story. [Read the Bantam Classics version, tr. by Lowell Bair.] | 2 | 2006 | George Guidall | . | The Mystery of Capital | | Hernando de Soto | 5 | (Non-fiction) Poor property rights explain world poverty! A couple of good points but repetitive and oversells. | 2 | 2006 | | . | The End of Poverty: How We Can Make It Happen in Our Lifetime | 1 | Jeffrey Sachs | 8 | (Non-fiction) Part economic history, part memoir, part plan to end poverty. Much to offer (even if you don't believe the plan). | 1 | 2006 | | . | Bridget Jones's Diary | | Helen Fielding | 7 | (Fiction) Very funny account of life for a single woman who justwants to be loved (and achieve inner poise). | 1 | 2006 | Barbara Rosenblat | . | Rereadings | | Anne Fadiman (ed.) | 7 | (Essays) 18 authors revisit books that affected them. Fadiman'sforeward is great, and the the essays are varied. | 1 | 2006 | | . | Going Down River Road (1976) | 1 | Meja Mwangi | -99 | (Fiction) Kenyan novel about this guy who lives in one of Nairobi’s seediest areas and his life there. I think it was really well done, and it rings true with the limited experience I have with this area of Kenya. But I wasn’t up to another hundred pages of wandering in a drunken haze from bar to bar and from harlot to harlot. | Put down | 2005 | | . | Lucky Man: A Memoir | | Michael J. Fox | 8 | (Memoir) Fox recounts his childhood, his life on the screen, his experience with Parksinson's Disease, and other significant experiences. Apparently honest and very thoughtful. | 12 | 2005 | ? | . | Life and Times of Michael K | 1 | J.M. Coetzee | 7 | (Fiction) Dense & intense, Coetzee makes you feel the title character's solitude. Tough, but good. | 12 | 2005 | | . | A Time to Kill | | John Grisham | 6 | (Fiction) A black man avenges the rape of his daughter and his white lawyer tries to get him off. Occasionally rambles, not all loose ends get tied, but it's a super page-turner. | 12 | 2005 | | . | Angels & Demons | | Dan Brown | 6 | (Thriller) A prototype of the Da Vinci Code, with the same heroworking with the young female relative of a murdered man to solve a mystery. Fun, implausible, escapist. | 12 | 2005 | | . | Coincidences, Chaos, and All That Math Jazz | | Edward Burger & Michael Starbird | 10 | (Math) A math book that's interesting and funny! This was delightful and accessible while dealing with topology, cryptography, infinity, and the fourth dimension. | 11 | 2005 | |
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| | | | | | | | | . | Lost in a Good Book
| | Jasper Fforde | 8 | (Fiction) Sequel to The Eyre Affair. The plot is less tight thanthe first, but it's funnier and more creative. A worthy trade-off. | 11 | 2005 | | . | The Moviegoer's Companion | | Rhiannon Guy (ed.) | 7 | (Non-fiction) Collection of trivia, memoirs of actors, directors, and moviegoers, and much more. Lots of fun! | 11 | 2005 | | . | The Mystery of Economic Growth
| | Elhanan Helpman | 6 | (Economics) Overview of the economic theory and empirical work on why some countries grow and some don't. Decent overview but requires advanced background. | 11 | 2005 | | . | The Shipping News | | E. Annie Proulx | 5 | (Fiction) A man's cheating wife dies and he migrates with his children to New-foundland to cobble together a new life. Redeeming ending, but a slow and sometimes excruciating journey. | 11 | 2005 | ? | . | Blue Clay People: Seasons on Africa's Fragile Edge | 1 | William Powers | 8 | (Memoir) Young aid worker recounts his attempt to reconcile poverty alleviation and environmental conservation in Liberia in '99-'00. Honest and thoughtful. | 10 | 2005 | | . | the curious incident of the dog in the night-time | | Mark Haddon | 8 | (Novel) Autistic adolescent narrates his investigation into thedeath of a neighborhood dog. Wonderfully written! | 10 | 2005 | | . | A Long Way Down | | Nick Hornby | 7 | (Novel) Four people meet when they plan to jump from the same tall building, then keep each other alive. Laugh-out-loud funny with occasional insight. | 10 | 2005 | ? | . | The Name of the Rose | | Umberto Eco | 7 | (Novel) Murders in the abbey! A theological, philosophical murder mystery. Much deeper and better than the Da Vinci Code but not as snappy. | 10 | 2005 | ? | . | Machete Season: The Killers in Rwanda Speak | 1 | Jean Hatzfield | 6 | (Non-fiction) Hatzfield gives interviews with a series of Hutu farmers who killed in the Rwandan genocide. The men are guarded but their words yield some understanding. | 10 | 2005 | | . | A Beautiful Mind | | Sylvia Nasar | 7 | (Biography) Nasar tells in intricate detail the life of mathematician John Nash. The story is tragic but not without hope. Seems exhaustively researched; very good. | 9 | 2005 | Anna Fields | . | Field Notes on the Compassionate Life: A Search for the Soulof Kindness | | Marc Ian Barasch | 7 | (Nonfiction) Barasch explores compassion and kindness, spendingtime sleeping on the streets, at a camp to reconcile Israelis and Palestinians, in heart research labs, and elsewhere. Thoughtful, idealistic exploration of this important topic. | 9 | 2005 | | . | Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
| | Frank Miller et al. | 6 | (Graphic novel) An old Batman comes out of retirement to fight crime, battle Superman, and bring out moral questions of vigilante justice. | 9 | 2005 | | . | Dictionary Days: a defining passion
| | Ilan Stavans | 6 | (Essays) In this very loose collection, Stavans explores his love of words and the books that define them. Thought-provoking, fun, but very uneven. | 9 | 2005 | | . | Momo | | Michael Ende | 6 | (Young adult fiction) Momo, a young girl whose family consists only of her good friends, must save the world from time-thieves who cause people to rush through life. Starts SLOW, but gets exciting. Thoughtful moral. | 9 | 2005 | | . | Morrie: In His Own Words | | Morrie Schwartz | 6 | (Self-help) Morrie, the protagonist of Tuesdays with Morrie, offers advice on living for the dying. Not so relevant to me, but occasionally so. | 9 | 2005 | ? | . | The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher | | Lewis Thomas | 5 | (Biology essays) In this collection of previously published essays, Thomas combines wonderful prose with some research and some speculation on biological topics. Some was fascinating, a lot was over my head as a non-biologist | 9 | 2005 | ? | . | Joseph Smith & the Beginnings of Mormonism
| | Richard Bushman | 8 | (History) Faithful but fairly unsanitized history of Joseph Smith through the founding of the LDS Church. Starts slow but fascinating overall. | 8 | 2005 | | . | The Eyre Affair | | Jasper Fforde | 8 | (Fiction) An evil dude is slipping into books and kidnapping keycharacters, and special operative Thursday Next must save the day. LOADS of fun. | 8 | 2005 | | . | The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
| | Malcolm Gladwell | 8 | (Pop non-fiction) Gladwell explains social phenomena as epidemics, describing all kinds of fascinating psychology experiments along the way. Dinner party science! | 8 | 2005 | | . | Haroun & the Sea of Stories | | Salman Rushdie | 7 | (Fiction) Haroun’s father, a professional storyteller, loses histalent, and they must travel to a wacky far-off land to get it back. Lots of fun, an ode to stories. | 8 | 2005 | |
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| | | | | | | | | . | The Comedians | | Graham Greene | 6 | (Fiction) In Haiti during the Duvalier regime, Smith, Jones, and Brown get involved in intrigue. Funny, sometimes exciting, usually thoughtful. | 8 | 2005 | | . | Yearning for the Living God: Reflections from the Life of F.Enzio Busche
| | Tracie A. Lamb (ed.) | 9 | (Spiritual memoir) F. Enzio Busche recounts the spiritual experiences that led him to the LDS Church, as well as many experiences since then. His humble and powerful example truly inspires rededication to God. | 7 | 2005 | | . | Economical Writing | | Dierdre McCloskey | 8 | (Writing) Fun little book on writing with good advice for anyonein non-fiction, especially the social sciences. | 7 | 2005 | | . | Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince | | J.K. Rowling | 8 | (Fiction) This was great! Better than 5, maybe not as good as 3& 4, but a great ride. | 7 | 2005 | | . | Infections & Inequalities
| | Paul Farmer | 8 | (Public health) Farmer, a physician-anthropologist and activist,examines how poverty, inequality, and disease interact. Great analysis, great ethnography of disease in Haiti, great points. | 7 | 2005 | | . | Hoot | | Carl Hiaasen | 7 | (Young Adult Fiction) Story of a kid who gets involved in environmental activism. Good pacing, lots of fun. | 7 | 2005 | | . | The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography
| | Sidney Poitier | 7 | (Memoir) Poitier recounts his humble beginnings in the Bahamas and then tells us stories about coming to the USA, making it into Hollywood, his experience with racism, and much more. It’s a little uneven, but overall I really enjoyed it. | 7 | 2005 | Sidney Poitier | . | Charlie & the Great Glass Elevator
| | Roald Dahl | 5 | (Youth fiction) Inferior sequel to the Chocolate Factory. Thoughthe story is largely plotless, Dahl still gets points for creativity and for showing adults at their worst. I loved it as a kid and enjoyed it now. | 7 | 2005 | | . | An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 | | Jim Murphy | 8 | (Young adult non-fiction) Murphy tells a vivid story of this plague that took place in Philadelphia. Excellent book on an important disease. | 6 | 2005 | ? | . | Millions Saved: Proven Successes in Global Health | 1 | Ruth Levine et al. | 7 | (Non-fiction) This book provides a diverse set of 17 major public health successes. It reads like a textbook and could have used a little more editing, but it’s a great overview. | 6 | 2005 | | . | The Bookseller of Kabul | | Asne Seierstad | 7 | (Non-fiction) A journalist lives with an Afghan bookseller and his family for two years after 9/11 and writes about the family and the culture within which it lives. Gives pictures from the perspective of each household member. | 6 | 2005 | | . | The Girl Who Married a Lion and Other Tales from Africa | 1 | Alexander McCall Smith | 7 | (Folk tales) This collection of folktales from Zimbabwe and Botswana is lots of fun. It would be good to read with children, but I found the stories of interest myself. | 6 | 2005 | ? | . | The Little Guide to Your Well-Read Life: How to get more books in your life and more life from your books | | Steve Leveen | 7 | (Self-help) Leveen gives tips on how to be a better reader. Included are some great ideas, but you have to put up with language that is very characteristic of self-help books. | 6 | 2005 | | . | The Alchemist | | Paulo Coelho | 6 | (Fiction) Coelho tells the story of the shepherd Santiago, who goes in search of treasure to fulfill his life’s purpose or “Personal Legend.” If you can get past the existential babble, it’s a decent story and – I admit – it made me reflect. | 6 | 2005 | | . | The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures (1997) | | Anne Fadiman | 10 | (Cultural studies / medicine) A brilliantly researched and written case study of a Hmong family that emigrates to the United States and has a daughter with epilepsy. The book details the cultural misunderstandings between the Lee family and the Western medical establishment that lead to suboptimal care for their daughter. Along the way, we learn the history of the Hmong fighting for the US in Laos and much more. Very well done. Even if you get tired in some of the Hmong history, make sure you don’t miss the last three chapters.* | 5 | 2005 | | . | How Reading Changed My Life (1998) | | Anna Quindlen | 8 | (Essay) Quindlen writes about her experiences with being a bibliophile, ranging from discussing why fiction is worthwhile to what makes banned books so interesting to a critique of the snobbery of the literary critics. I loved and identified with her descriptions of growing up obsessed with reading. Not as good as Anne Fadiman’s Ex Libris (on the same topic), but thoughtful and quick.* | 5 | 2005 | | . | Prey (2003) | | Michael Crichton | 8 | (Thriller) Michael Crichton weaves an exciting thriller in which scientists invent a nanotechnology (i.e. using really small particles) creation that ... starts evolving on its own! Mayhem ensues. It’s a page turner. In the audio version, Michael Crichton opens with this moralistic prologue about the dangers of messing with nanotechnology. He may be right, but it feels pretty heavy handed (just like his warning against the Japanese at the end of Rising Sun).* | 5 | 2005 | George Wilson | . | The Kite Runner (2003) | | Khaled Hosseini | 7 | (Drama) A boy grows up in Afghanistan and emigrates to the United States. As a youth he has some disturbing experiences and spends his life seeking redemption. This book kept me completely engaged and I enjoyed the exploration of redemption from guilt. But at the same time, I didn’t love a couple of lines of the ending, and there were a few too many neatly wrapped up coincidences for me. It does give a nice sketch history of Afghanistan since the 70s.* | 5 | 2005 | | . | Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (2004) | | John Perkins | 6 | (Non-fiction) John Perkins gives a first-hand account of a world in which US corporations wildly overpredict the growth that will follow big infrastructure projects in the developing world, convincing aid organizations to give big loans for these projects, resulting in big projects for American firms and crippling debt for poor nations. He also gives an insightful modern history of insidious US involvement abroad. But he’s constantly telling us how bad he felt about what he did; it gets a little tired. He does give specific action recommendations, which is nice.* | 5 | 2005 | | . | Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World (2003) | | Tracy Kidder | 7 | (Non-fiction) Kidder tells the story of Paul Farmer, the doctor who founded Partners In Health and – with his team – made major changes in the world’s treatment of tuberculosis and other diseases. And this was just in the last ten to fifteen years. Farmer’s work is very inspiring, and the book does best when it’s telling his story. It gets a bit long, going through all the ins and outs of PIH’s growth. But still very good and well worth reading. | 4 | 2005 | Paul Michael |
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| | | | | | | | | . | Rising Sun (1992) | | Michael Crichton | 6 | (Thriller) At a Japanese-owned building in Los Angeles, a woman is found dead. Two detectives must pass through a whole series of cultural barriers to solve this mystery. Lots of twists and turns, but I didn’t find it so amazing. Generally entertaining, but the language was too much for me. | 4 | 2005 | | . | The Street Lawyer (1998) | | John Grisham | 5 | (Legal “thriller”) A lawyer is taken hostage by a homeless guy and is inspired to start working with the homeless. He discovers dirt behind the hostage situation. Not the most thrilling thriller. Fine but pretty straightforward. Seems to be trying to teach people about homelessness. | 4 | 2005 | | . | Lords of Poverty: The freewheeling lifestyles, power, prestige and corruption of the multibillion dollar aid business (1989) | 1 | Graham Hancock | 4 | (Non-fiction) Hancock shows all that is wrong with the aid industry, including multilaterals from the World Bank to UNICEF and bilaterals including USAID and its Canadian and British counterparts. He makes some very good points, but his rhetoric is over the top, his arguments are a bit schizophrenic, and his only proposed solution is to eliminate the entire aid industry. The book is long on anecdotes and short on analysis. But there are enough anecdotes to make us think that the aid industry definitely has its problems.* | 4 | 2005 | | . | A Fine Balance (1995) | | Rohinton Mistry | 10 | (Fiction) This tells the story of the interwoven lives of four people in 1970s India. So many tragic events occur, but it all feels real. Mistry is also able to make you feel compassion for almost every character, even those end up hurting and harming others. The book is woven together marvelously well and is compelling. It reminds me strikingly of the possible plight of the poor. This is an important novel. | 3 | 2005 | | . | The Elements of Style (fourth edition – 2000) | | William Strunk and E.B. White | 9 | (Style manual) I understand why Howard Zinsser recommends that everyone read this book once a year. Instructive and witty, it’s a quick read and an excellent guide to clearer writing. | 3 | 2005 | | . | On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000) | | Stephen King | 8 | (Memoir / instruction) King gives a memoir of how he became a writer and a great deal of instruction on how to become a better writer yourself, especially focused on fiction but – I think – capable of being generalized. It was wonderful to hear his process. I read many of his books when I was younger and enjoyed them; it was great to hear the foundations of some, as well as King’s tips on writing. | 3 | 2005 | Stephen King | . | Outbreak (1987) | | Robin Cook | 6 | (Biological thriller) Ebola outbreaks start happening all over the USA, and Marisa Blumenthal of the CDC tries to get to the bottom of it, to her peril! This was very gripping, but the very smart protagonist missed a very obvious point over and over again, which was frustrating. And the last paragraph was cheesy. But it was a pretty good ride. | 3 | 2005 | Donada Peters | . | The Boggart (1994) | | Susan Cooper | 4 | (Juvenile fantasy) A mischievous spirit inhabits an old castle in Scotland and accidentally gets transported to technologically modern Toronto. Mayhem ensues. How can he get home? This was mildly entertaining, but plenty of apparently smart adults who do surprisingly unsmart things. [Sigh.] I hate that kind of thing. | 3 | 2005 | David Rintoul | . | Four Corners: One Woman’s Solo Journey Into the Heart of Papua New Guinea (2001) | | Kira Salak | 9 | (Memoir) Salak decides to travel across Papula New Guinea solo and has some amazing and some frightening adventures. She gives some good insights into Papua New Guinea, and she also has some exciting internal discoveries that I found moving and insightful. She’s a great storyteller: a little too much navel-gazing but a great and thought-provoking read. | 2 | 2005 | | . | Behind the Scenes at the Museum (1995) | | Kate Atkinson | 8 | (Fiction) Ruby Lennox describes the complexly woven strands of her family tapestry, beginning with her conception and onward, with flashbacks across generations. Fascinating! I struggled a bit in the first half, but I felt like it picked up. A powerful demonstration of the complex legacy of family, with the illustrative case being Ruby’s particularly dysfunctional family. | 2 | 2005 | | . | Do They Hear You When You Cry (1998) ABRIDGED | 1 | Fauziya Kassindja and Layli Miller Bashir | 7 | (Memoir) Fauziya describes her experience fleeing female circumcision and marriage to a man with three wives in Togo, then her trials in various U.S. prisons as she sought political asylum. She has a powerful story that illustrates both something of Togo and the harsh realities of how the US treats asylum seekers. Also, the audio version, albeit abridged, has an intro spoken by Fauziya herself, so the listener gets to hear what she sounds like. | 2 | 2005 | Sheryl Lee Ralph | . | Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela (1994) | 1 | Nelson Mandela | 10 | (Autobiography) Since Mandela was so integral to South Africa’s freedom struggle, this is a story of that struggle as much as it is a story of his life. This is a fascinating account of an amazing struggle. Mandela effectively captures the paradoxes of leadership: means versus ends, ideology versus tactics. Mandela is a remarkable man, not because he is flawless (for he shows that he is not), but because he was not afraid to fight with all his might for something he believed in. | 1 | 2005 | Morgan Duncan | . | Airframe (1996) | | Michael Crichton | 8 | (Thriller) An airplane has gone wild, 3 people were killed, and Ms. Casey only has a few days to figure out what happened! This was my first Crichton novel and not the best book to read on a plane. But he’s a great storyteller and keeps you turning the page while surprisingly giving lots of info on how airplanes work. | 1 | 2005 | | . | Tropical Gangsters (1990) | 1 | Robert Klitgaard | 8 | (Memoir) Account of author’s work as leader of a World Bank project in Equatorial Guinea in 1987. Klitgaard provides a nice mix of stories about day-to-day life anecdotes and how the World Bank interacts with ministers of government. He’s also a very “groovy” guy, jamming on the guitar with local pop stars and continually searching for good waves. | 1 | 2005 | | . | A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning (Book 1 – 1999) | | Lemony Snicket | 7 | (Young people’s thriller) The three Baudelaire children lose their parents in a fire and are sent to stay with their nefarious relative who wants to steal their fortune. This was very fun, and Tim Curry did a good reading. (The audio CD has an interview with the author at the end.) | 1 | 2005 | Tim Curry | . | Seventh Son (1987) | | Orson Scott Card | 7 | (Fantasy) Card has created a version of the frontier USA in the early 19th century with lots of folk magic and one special little boy with special powers. As always, Card is insightful and I enjoy his thoughts on the human condition. But his allusions to LDS stories are a little blatant for me. And this story doesn’t stand alone at all. It’s definitely written as the first in a series. | 1 | 2005 | | . | Ella Enchanted (1997) | | Gail Carson Levine | 5 | (Juvenile fairy tale) Ella of Frell was cursed at birth with obedience: she has to follow any direct order given to her by anyone. The book details her mishaps, as well as her quest to break the curse and find true love. This was way too girly for me. Very much a Cinderella story (complete with wicked step-relatives and a pumpkin coach) with a new twist, kind-of-amusing twist. A young girl might thoroughly enjoy this. Maybe? | 1 | 2005 | Eden Riegel | . | Empire Falls (2002) | | Richard Russo | 9 | (Drama) Pulitzer Prize 2002. The life of a man who runs a grill in Maine and the family around him. Wonderful, powerful family drama. Excellent character development, intriguing plot, fast pace. | 11 | 2004 | Ron McLarty | . | Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader (1998) | | Anne Fadiman | 8.5 | (Personal essays) Fadiman writes all about aspects of the love of reading and of books. A delightful read! This was lots of fun and I could relate (to a degree) to Fadiman’s book-loving ways. Lots of great thoughts on reading aloud and reading in general. | 11 | 2004 | | . | Tears of the Giraffe (2000) | 1 | Alexander McCall Smith | 7 | (Mystery) Botswana’s only lady detective strikes again in this, the sequel to The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. I think I enjoyed this more than the first. The descriptions of African interactions are enjoyable. The mysteries are interesting enough to make me want to see them resolved. | 11 | 2004 | Lisette Lecat |
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| | | | | | | | | . | Tuesdays with Morrie (1997) | | Mitch Albom | 6.5 | (Memoir) Albom talks about visiting his old college professor regularly as the latter is dying, and the lessons learned in those visits. Nice little book. Several nice reminders about the value of listening closely to others and never being afraid to change. | 11 | 2004 | | . | Travels with Charley: In Search of America (1961) | | John Steinbeck | 7.5 | (Memoir) Steinbeck spends 3 months driving around the country anonymously to discover what Americans are about. Enjoyable, insightful. It was interesting to hear both his observations and his process. Not mind-blowing but solidly good. | 10 | 2004 | Ron McLarty | . | Timequake (1997) | | Kurt Vonnegut | 6.5 | (Memoir / fiction / ???) Vonnegut reminisces, shares bits of the book he didn’t write, and philosophizes through his alter-ego, science-fiction writer Killgore Trout.As Killgore Trout uses three sisters on another planet to draw an analogy to the murder of literature by television, Vonnegut lauds the value of extended family, proposes several constitutional amendments, and tells stories that might be true about his life and family. | 10 | 2004 | Norman Dietz | . | Scribbling the Cat: Travels with an African Soldier (2004) | 1 | Alexandra Fuller | 6 | (Memoir) Fuller travels through Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique with a white former soldier for Rhodesia. They meet and hear the stories of various other soldiers. Difficult to hear. The ratio of “descriptions of Africa” (which Fuller does very well) to war stories is too high. But it definitely shows how war destroys people and how it changes people. It also gives a flavor for just how terrible some of the things people do in war are. Read this before joining the army. | 10 | 2004 | Lisette Lecat | . | The Five People You Meet in Heaven (2003) | | Mitch Albom | 5.5 | (Afterlife Fiction) An old man dies trying to save a little girl’s life. 5 people then meet him to explain his life to him. Too sweet and sentimental and full of little bits of “wisdom”: “anger is like a double-edged sword that really hurts the person holding on to it.” Also, the audio book had violin music at all the “right” times, which made it even worse. Story wasn’t bad to listen to. | 10 | 2004 | Erik Singer | . | A Man of the People: A Novel of Political Unrest in a New Nation (1966) | 1 | Chinua Achebe | 8 | (Fiction) Nigerian novel about a young man who learns about corrupt Nigerian politics firsthand. An accurate and enjoyable portrait of, as I understand it, politics in many African nations. The protagonist is sympathetic, the plot is compelling, and the action is engaging. Good book. | 9 | 2004 | | . | Da Vinci Code, The (2003) | | Dan Brown | 7.5 | (Fiction) Robert Langdon, Harvard symbologist, gets involved in a murder mystery including secret societies, the Catholic Church, and so much more. Very much a page turner. I was appropriately surprised at all the right spots. Lots of interesting info about the history of religion. | 9 | 2004 | | . | White Teeth (1989 – 1st published in 1953 as Lak Tar) | 1 | Okot p’Bitek | 7 | (Fiction) Ugandan novel, originally written in Acholi language, about a boy who goes to the big city to seek money to marry and gets disillusioned. Very depressing. But the language was often poetic. Good book. | 9 | 2004 | | . | The Economist’s Tale: A Consultant Encounters Hunger and the World Bank (2003) | 1 | Peter Griffiths | 8 | (Non-fiction) Consultant tells of his time working on food policy in Sierra Leone in 1986, when the World Bank imposed an agreement that could cause a famine. Captivating. Very insightful as to ex-pat life and working in developing country governments. The author has some axes to grind, though, and some of the dialogue isn’t greatly written. But overall, a very worthy read! | 8 | 2004 | | . | Bee Season (2000) | | Myla Goldberg | 7.5 | (Fiction) A Jewish family is thrust into turmoil as the daughter shows exceptional competitive spelling ability. I really enjoyed the book. Very engaging. Lots of interesting info about Jewish Mysticism. The only reason I rated low is that I found the end very unsatisfying, or at least opaque. | 8 | 2004 | | . | The Other Side of Heaven: the memoirs of John H. Groberg (1993) | | John Groberg | 7.5 | (Memoir) John Groberg tells about his mission to Tonga in the 1950s. Wonderful stories. Inspirational. Spiritually and emotionally insightful. A bit too much editorializing; some of the stories may have been better left to speak for themselves, but very good. | 8 | 2004 | | . | Fantastic Mr. Fox | | Roald Dahl | 6 | (Children’s fiction) Fun old Roald Dahl! Not his finest, though. | 8 | 2004 | | . | Don’t Let’s Go To the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood (2001) | 1 | Alexandra Fuller | 9 | (Memoir) Author recounts her life growing up in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). This is a great book: it’s partly about Africa, but it’s mostly about a family: an engaging, insightful account of this family, full of humor and tragedy and adventure. | 7 | 2004 | Lisette Lecat | . | Having Faith: An Ecologist’s Journey to Motherhood (2001) | | Sandra Steingraber | 9 | (Popular science / childbirth memoir) Interweaves the author’s experience with childbirth with information on embryology and environmental issues. Excellent writing. Wonderful descriptions of how babies are formed and how they grow. Great summaries of current research on all kinds of issues related to childbearing. And excellent descriptions of environmental threats. | 7 | 2004 | | . | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964) | | Roald Dahl | 8 | (Children’s fantasy) Charlie Bucket & 4 nasty kids take a tour of a chocolate factory. Mayhem ensues. So clever and inventive and unpredictable and fun! Great book! | 6 | 2004 | | . | Eat That Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time (2001) | | Brian Tracy | 7.5 | (Self-help) Tracy goes through a number (21) of ways to stop procrastinating and use time better. In the midst of the cheesy motivational music and the alliterative mottos, there are some very good ideas. Well worth the 2 hours. | 6 | 2004 | Brian Tracy | . | The Last Battle (195?) | | C.S. Lewis | 7.5 | (Fantasy) Narnia has its final fight and the key characters move to the world beyond. I got all choked up at the great ending! I didn’t enjoy the rest of the book as much as some of the others, but still good. | 6 | 2004 | | . | The Africans (1987) | 1 | David Lamb | 7 | (Politics/history) LA Times correspondent writes about modern history and future of the continent. Written during the Cold War, it’s sometimes heavy handedly pro-capitalist. (I’m pro-capitalist, but still…) Lots of great stories from modern African history. Good background. | 6 | 2004 | ? | . | Mystic River (2001) | | Dennis Lehane | 9.5 | (Fiction) 3 boys shared an experience in which one was abducted; years later, their lives re-intersect around the murder of one’s daughter. Complex characters, very real-feeling dialogue, suspense kept up until the end, takes you on a ride through the very challenging lives of several people. Wow. | 5 | 2004 | | . | The Hot Zone (1994) | | Richard Preston | 8.5 | (Non-fiction) Story of Ebola virus discovery and how it appeared in Reston, VA, in late 1989. Reads like a novel but with lots of great info both about the disease and about how people deal with disease. Ebola’s coming back, he warns. Duh-duh-duh! | 5 | 2004 | Richard M. Davidson |
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| | | | | | | | | . | The Magician's Nephew (1955) | | C.S. Lewis | 8 | (Fantasy) Digory and Polly discover other worlds and Narnia is created. A great story. | 5 | 2004 | | . | Striving for the Wind (1990) | 1 | Meja Mwangi | 7.5 | (Fiction) Kenyan novel about family and community dynamics in a post-independence rural village. My favorite African novel so far. It had a very broad range of the attitudes one finds in Kenya: the educated but disillusioned young man, the wealthy man who thinks his money will buy anything, and much more. Well done. | 5 | 2004 | | . | When you ride ALONE, you ride with bin Laden (2002?) | | Bill Maher | 7.5 | (Current affairs) Author talks about real sacrifices Americans can make to fight terror: cut down on gas and diamonds, criticize administration whether in war or not, don’t sacrifice common sense to political correctness. Sometimes Maher is obnoxious (probably on purpose), but I immensely valued his point that buying a flag to put in your car isn’t a real sacrifice (and that changing your car to a fuel efficient one, which reduces US dependency on Middle-Eastern oil, is a real sacrifice). | 5 | 2004 | Bill Maher | . | Pure Drivel (1998) | | Steve Martin | 6.5 | (Humor) A collection of humorous essays, some of which appeared in the New Yorker. A couple of the pieces made me laugh out loud. Several more made me chuckle. Some made me smile to myself. And some, I just didn’t get. | 5 | 2004 | Steve Martin | . | Out of Africa (1937) | 1 | Isak Dinesen (pseudonym for Karen Blixen) | 4 | (Autobiography) Blixen recounts her time running a coffee farm in Kenya. Some of the language was beautiful, but it was hard for me to get past the dated, racist views of indigenous Kenyans. And I didn’t learn enough about the author herself and where she had come from, making it less interesting, somehow. | 5 | 2004 | Wanda McCaddon | . | We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families (1998) | 1 | Philip Gourevitch | 9.5 | (Non-fiction) Tells the story of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, the build-up and the aftermath. Excellent! Gourevitch uses lots of survivor interviews and other first-hand sources to tell a powerful, moving, and disturbing story. | 4 | 2004 | | . | King Leopold’s Ghost (1998) | 1 | Adam Hochschild | 8.5 | (History) The story of King Leopold II (of Belgium) obtaining the Congo a colony and others’ fight for human rights therein. Very well researched and well written. An important point is that – for the most part – this book is about Europeans, not Africans. It’s still good; the Europeans were clearly key players. | 4 | 2004 | Geoffrey Howard | . | The Man in the High Castle (1962) | | Philip K. Dick | 7.5 | (Science fiction) The year is 1962, the Nazis and Japanese won World War II and the world is a very different place. A little bit slow, but brings up important and thought-provoking issues of history and has a great if completely enigmatic ending. | 4 | 2004 | | . | Equal Rites (1987) | | Terry Pratchett | 6.5 | (Fantasy) A girl wants to become the first female wizard; mayhem ensues. Fun, light, I laughed out loud several times. Some nice satires of our world. | 4 | 2004 | | . | Things Fall Apart (1959) | 1 | Chinua Achebe | 6.5 | (Fiction) Nigerian novel about life in an Ibo clan and the coming of the white influence. The main character was totally unsympathetic, and the book had no compelling plot. Yet the ending was excellent and the book gave insight into traditional Ibo life. | 4 | 2004 | Peter Francis James | . | Heber J. Grant: Man of Steel, Prophet of God (1979) | | Francis M. Gibbons | 3.5 | (Biography) Tells the life story of Heber J. Grant, president of the LDS Church from 1918-1945. Hagiography. And – this got progressively worse – lots of empty prose, flowery sentences with unclear historical content. It did have some wonderful anecdotes. | 4 | 2004 | | . | Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) | | Zora Neale Hurston | 9 | (Fiction) The life story of Janie Crawford, a black woman in South. Powerful. Paints a picture of what love isn’t and of what love is, and of a strong woman. | 3 | 2004 | Michele-Denise Woods | . | Heart of Darkness (1990 – 1st published 1902) | 1 | Joseph Conrad | 8 | (Fiction) Marlow narrates his journey up the Congo River to meet an enigmatic, disappeared trader named Kurtz. Beautiful language. Historically quite accurate, as Adam Hochschild points out in King Leopold’s Ghost. Gives insight into people’s deep and shallow passions. | 3 | 2004 | | . | Mort (1987) | | Terry Pratchett | 6.5 | (Fantasy) Death hires an apprentice, Mort. The best of the 3 Discworld books I’ve read. Fun, creative. | 3 | 2004 | | . | Reaper Man (1991) | | Terry Pratchett | 6 | (Fantasy) Sequel to Mort. Death gets fired and mayhem ensues. Fun, engaging, some clever ideas, but not amazing. | 3 | 2004 | | . | The Horse and His Boy (1954) | | C.S. Lewis | 4.5 | (Fantasy) 5th book published in Narnia series. A boy and a talking horse seek to escape to Narnia and end up on a marvelous mission. Not terribly compelling. Definitely the weakest of the Narnia books. | 3 | 2004 | | . | My Brother (1997) | | Jamaica Kincaid | 8 | (Memoir) Author writes about her brother’s sickness and death from AIDS-related causes. Well-written memoir dealing with the shame of AIDS in Antiguan society, tough family relationships, bereavement, and being a writer. | 2 | 2004 | Jamaica Kincaid | . | Operating Instructions (1993) | | Anne Lamott | 8 | (Diary/memoir) This author keeps a diary of her son’s first year of life. Clever, often laugh-out-loud funny, often touching. | 2 | 2004 | | . | The Silver Chair (1953) | | C.S. Lewis | 8 | (Fantasy) 4th book published in Narnia series. Eustace returns to Narnia to rescue a prince. Very engaging, lots of fun. | 2 | 2004 | | . | The Elusive Quest for Growth: Economists’ Adventures and Misadventures in the Tropics (2001) | 1 | William Easterly | 7 | (Nonfiction) Goes through trends in economic development strategies and why each has failed. Offers some potential solutions. Very good intro to the modern history of economic development. But it goes on too long and I felt the empirical work was very sketchy: loads and loads of correlations and lots of assumed causality. | 2 | 2004 | |
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| | | | | | | | | . | The Light Fantastic (1986) | | Terry Pratchett | 6.5 | (Fantasy) Sequel to The Color of Magic. Rincewind might have to save the world. Again, very creative. Not amazing, but a good time, quite a few laughs, some fun satire of society. | 2 | 2004 | | . | Rabbit-proof Fence (1996) | | Doris Pilkington (originally published in 1996 as Follow the Rabbit-proof Fence) | 6 | (Biography) Doris recounts the story of her mother, a half-aborigine who was abducted by the government and walked 9 weeks to get home. Insightful, had some intro about aboriginal-european relations. The story of the adventure itself was also inspiring. The writing was not that great. The movie tells a better story but takes some license. | 2 | 2004 | | . | Expecting Adam: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth, and Everyday Magic (1999) | | Martha Beck | 9 | (Memoir) Martha Beck describes her experience expecting a baby with Down syndrome. Extremely well done. Funny, insightful, spiritual. My regret is that I can’t remember all I learned and will have to read it again. | 1 | 2004 | | . | The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952) | | C.S. Lewis | 9 | (Fantasy) 3rd book published in Narnia series. Lucy and Edmund return to Narnia. The most fun of the Narnia books. Many adventures as the Pevensies and Caspian sail to various islands as part of a bigger journey. | 1 | 2004 | | . | Prince Caspian (1951) | | C.S. Lewis | 8 | (Fantasy) Sequel to The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. The Pevensie kids return to Narnia to help Caspian get his rightful throne. Fun, interesting. | 1 | 2004 | | . | Xenocide (1991) | | Orson Scott Card | 7 | (Science fiction) Third book in the Ender’s Game quartet. Ender and the whole gang work like crazy to save Lusitania. One thing that really impresses me is the ongoing creativity. Each of the three books has had completely different, creative, scientifically fantastic material. (That’s fantasy fantastic, not strictly awesome fantastic.) Writing was good, not great. | 1 | 2004 | | . | Big Fish (1998) | | Daniel Wallace | 6.5 | (Fiction) Boy reminisces about the extraordinary life of his father. I think I liked the movie better. The book is less narrative, more vignette style. I found it a little less engaging. But it seems like the kind of book where multiple reads might yield benefit. | 1 | 2004 | | . | Children of the Mind (1996) | | Orson Scott Card | 6.5 | (Science fiction) Fourth book in Ender’s Game quartet. Still creative and enjoyable. Less independent (it was originally intended to be part of the 3rd book). Many good human insights. | 1 | 2004 | | . | The Color of Magic (1983) | | Terry Pratchett | 6 | (Fantasy) First book in Discworld series. Inept wizard tries to survive incredible hardships. Very creative. Not as good as I’d hoped, but reasonably entertaining. Fun allusions to and jabs at all kinds of things. | 1 | 2004 | | . | The Poisonwood Bible (1998) | 1 | Barbara Kingsolver | 8 | (Fiction) Missionary family goes to Congo and each character is affected. Insightful story. It wasn’t perfect, and I felt like the penultimate 50 pages were gratuitous, but the last 50 recaptured me. Real page turner, and it was intriguing how the Congolese culture affected each character so distinctly. | 12 | 2003 | | . | The River Between (1965) | 1 | Ngugi wa Thiong’o | 8 | (Fiction) Kenyan novel, set in the Kikuyu tribe’s area of Kenya, a young man struggles between opposing factions, one embracing the old ways of the hills and one embracing the white man. The narrative style is different from that of Western writing which made it sometimes more difficult to read. But it was very insightful of Kikuyu culture, very insightful into the struggles within non-Western people faced by the intrusion of Western culture. And quite compelling. | 12 | 2003 | | . | The Ladies' No. 1 Detective Agency (1998) | 1 | Alexander McCall Smith | 7 | (Fiction/mystery) Precious Ramotswe solves mysteries and tries to better lives in Botswana. I didn’t feel like the book had enough momentum. But the descriptions of the people and land of Botswana were very interesting and insightful. The author taught law at the University of Botswana. | 12 | 2003 | | . | Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America (2001) | | Barbara Ehrenreich | 6.5 | (Non-fiction narrative) Upper middle-class writer lives as a low-wage worker for several months and tells of her experience. The experiment was insightful. The book gave lots of interesting peeks into the lives of low-wage workers; worth reading. But the author drove me crazy. She projected all of her discomfort (as a person who was middle-class until recently) onto her colleagues. She whined. She thought she knew better than colleagues about life, even though she was willing to admit they flip burgers better. | 12 | 2003 | | . | Carcase for Hounds | 1 | Meja Mwangi | 5.5 | (Historical or period fiction) Kenyan novel, describes a fictional band during the Mau Mau rebellion a major precursor to Kenyan independence. Very slow. Spent lots of time on the mindset of the Freedom Fighters. Very insightful into the frustration and despair of these revolutionaries. | 12 | 2003 | | . | An Abundant Life: The Memoirs of Hugh B. Brown | | Edwin Firmage (editor) | 10 | (LDS Narrative) Hugh B. Brown tells about his life in his own words. A marvelous man telling of a wonderful life. He gave real insight into the inner workings of the Church and still strengthened testimony in the process. | 11 | 2003 | | . | Maus, A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History | | Art Spiegelman | 8.5 | (Graphic novel) The story of the artist’s father, a concentration camp survivor, in comic book form – from before the war until the camps. Incredibly quick read, and it gives a real, personal insight on the experience of the Jews during the war. | 11 | 2003 | | . | Go Forward With Faith: The Biography of Gordon B. Hinckley | | Sherri Dew | 8 | (Biography) Biography of President Gordon B. Hinckley, from birth to 1996. Very insightful and inspirational. It seemed a little bit travel-logue-esque at times, but I gave me a much greater appreciation of the prophet. | 11 | 2003 | | . | Maus II, A Survivor’s Tale: And Here My Troubles Began (From Mauschwitz to the Catskills and Beyond), Volume 2 | | Art Spiegelman | 8 | (Graphic novel) The story of the artist’s father, a concentration camp survivor, in comic book form – from the camps until after the war. Also very good. A bit more on the adult relationship between Art Spiegelman and his father. | 11 | 2003 | | . | Speaker for the Dead | | Orson Scott Card | 8 | (Science fiction) Sequel to Ender’s Game. Ender goes to another planet to help people solve their problems. Quite well written. Definite page turner. Dealt with interesting issues, including xenophobia and cultural contamination. Some nice closure on issues from the previous book. | 11 | 2003 | | . | The Interpreters | 1 | Wole Soyinka | 7.5 | (Fiction) Nigerian novel: young Nigerian intellectuals trying to make their way in an oppressive and suffocating society. Frustrating, confusing, odd. But I think it was good. There was a lot of emotion that I felt. The characters were complicated (good). | 11 | 2003 | |
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| | | | | | | | | . | Children of AIDS | 1 | Emma Guest | 7 | (Non-fiction) Anecdotal look at AIDS orphans around Africa. Lots of interesting, different looks at AIDS orphans, families caring for them, NGOs working with them, and street kids. As she admits, the book is “unashamedly anecdotal.” The conclusions at the end don’t seem to be based on the research preceding, per se, but I thought the book was insightful, and it would be more so to someone who hadn’t already read a load about AIDS orphans. | 11 | 2003 | | . | The Barefoot Saint (1929) | | Stephen Vincent Benet (author of The Devil and Daniel Webster) | 6.5 | (Religious) The story of how one little girl became a saint and how – as a saint – she made herself useful.Very short (30-45 minutes to read?). I came across this book by accident in Widener library, just below the Saul Bellow collection. It’s an intriguing little story about a saint who overcomes an evil Persian magician and even saves him in the process. | 11 | 2003 | | . | I Do. I Did. Now What?! Life After the Wedding Dress | | Jenny Lee | 5 | (Humorous non-fiction) Woman writes about her experience of being a new wife. I didn’t “scream” or “smile” like Laurie Notaro, on the back cover. It was amusing and some of the stories, I related to. There were some insights. But it was so incredibly fluffy that it wore me out at times. | 11 | 2003 | | . | Jane Eyre | | Charlotte Brontë | 9 | (Fiction) Feisty orphan has adventures. Wonderful storytelling, a great treatise on the passion of youth tempered by adherence to true principles. A little long & descriptive for my taste in places, but a great piece of work. | 10 | 2003 | | . | Ender’s Game | | Orson Scott Card | 8 | (Science fiction) Genius kid goes to military school to learn to save the world. Great storytelling, again. Clever setting, and yet the events seem so relevant to the warlike nature of our own world that it mightn’t be science fiction at all. Yada yada. | 10 | 2003 | | . | Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? | | Philip K. Dick | 7.5 | (Science fiction) Future. Bounty hunter “kills” illegal androids. Engaging. Deals with what it means to have empathy for all life, and what exactly is life. I got lost in some of the religio stuff. | 9 | 2003 | | . | Lectures on Faith | | Joseph Smith (attributed) | 7.5 | (LDS) 7 lectures on what true faith has to be based on and the like. I have a feeling there’s a lot to it that I didn’t totally get. But he spends time talking about the character of God which I enjoy, and that famous quote about a religion having to require the sacrifice of all things is in there. | 9 | 2003 | | . | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | | J.K. Rowling | 7 | (Fantasy) Harry’s latest round of adventures. This was a little longer than it needed to be; from time to time I got impatient. It was also more depressing than other Potter books; but it was still a page-turner and I got misty-eyed on the last couple of pages. | 9 | 2003 | | . | The Black Man’s Burden: Africa and the Curse of the Nation-state | 1 | Basil Davidson | 6.5 | (Political non-fiction) Treatise on how the political systems imposed by colonial and ex-colonial governments have really hurt Africa, by someone who’s spent a career thinking about the continent. It seemed longer than it needed to be, but he did a good job of explaining precisely how the current woes of many African states directly stem from colonial influences (as opposed to vague anti-imperial rhetoric). | 9 | 2003 | | . | Why I Live at the P.O. and other stories | | Eudora Welty | 6 | (Short stories) 4 short stories from Penguin 60s Classics, about life in the rural South. Interesting but not amazing. | 9 | 2003 | | . | The Last of the Mohicans | | James Fennimore Cooper | 9 | (Fiction) A scout and two Native American friends endeavor to reunite two daughters with their father in the context of the North American frontier. Excellent characterization, compelling plot, beautiful language, thoughtful life insights. A great book. | 8 | 2003 | | . | The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe | | C.S. Lewis | 8 | (Fantasy) Children discover a magical world inside a wardrobe and have adventures there. A simple but, forgive the word, delightful story. Still engaging after all these years. | 8 | 2003 | | . | The Wind in the Willows | | Kenneth Grahame | 7 | (Fiction) Adventures of Mole, the Water Rat, and Toad. The headstrong Toad had to learn some sense! Slow in a few parts, but generally sweet and enjoyable. | 8 | 2003 | | . | Oliver Twist | | Charles Dickens | 8 | (Fiction) Orphan faces problem after problem. Dickens is funny, insightful, thoughtful. Almost the only thing I didn’t like is that, Well, the good people (e.g. Oliver, Rose) are just too good. | 7 | 2003 | | . | How to Be Good | | Nick Hornby | 6.5 | (Fiction) Woman has an affair, her husband has a spiritual awakening and starts giving all their stuff away. They try to cope. I was really gripped, but maybe for the wrong reason. Or maybe not. I was depressed by the book, in the end. There was insight, but it never resolved the issues I wanted it to. Maybe that’s fair. It is a thinker. Not as fun a read as About a boy, but maybe more thought-provoking. | 7 | 2003 | | . | Amsterdam | | Ian McEwan | 5 | (Fiction) Story of two friends making tough choices in the wake of a former lover’s death…better not to give too much away. Okay. But not so engaging, and the ending felt almost gimmicky to me. I didn’t get much out of it. | 5 | 2003 | | . | Humboldt’s Gift | | Saul Bellow | 7 | (Fiction) Story of guy obsessed with dead friends. Challenging, odd, indulgent (to the author) but engaging. | 4 | 2003 | | . | The Divine Center | | Stephen R. Covey | 7 | (LDS) Self-help book: how to center your life on the divine and why this is a good thing. Mixed bag. At the end of it all, I’m very glad I read it. Lots of good ideas. Some dry sections, though. | 3 | 2003 | | . | Conflict and Growth in Africa. Vol 2: Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda | 1 | Jeni Klugman, Bilin Neyapti, & Frances Steward (OECD Development Centre) | 4 | (Historical / political / economic non-fiction) Brief politico-economic history of Tanzania, Uganda, & Kenya. Tries to discern link between ec performance & political conflict.Poor economy seems to follow instability more than vice-versa. Yet, people also revolt when they have less to lose. Not well written. Largely a summary of statistical results. But nice, brief political history of each country. | 3 | 2003 | | . | The Hours | | Michael Cunningham | 7 | (Fiction) 3 women: Virginia Woolf, someone reading Virginia Woolf, someone living Virginia Woolf. Quick read, but good thinker. | 2 | 2003 | |
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| | | | | | | | | . | About a boy | | Nick Hornby | 6 | (Fiction) Selfish man is transformed, interacting with odd boy. Cute read. Movie (with Hugh Grant) was also good. | 1 | 2003 | |
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