| ThunderHead by D.P. & Lincoln Child, 533 pages Jeff Gadd 04 July 2000 | Religion and Politics in Enlightenment Europe by Dale Van Kley, 389 pages James Donahue 14 August 2003 Its a commonplace in my profession to always put religion on the side of the counter-Revolution, on the side of reactionaries against the Enlightenment. This book represents a collective of scholars devoted to showing the complexities of the Enlightenment, its religious advocates, its religious origins, and its religious effects. |
Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo, 243 pages Steve Gadd 18 January 1999 The absolutely unforgettable horror story of a disfigured veteran. |
Angels & Demons by Dan Brown, 569 pages Mike Gadd 12 May 2003 Cool story about a scientist who discovers and collects antimatter in an attempt to prove that God and science are mutually supportive. He's murdered and the antimatter is stolen. It has the ability to vaporize 6 city blocks in every direction. It's hidden somewhere in the Vatican. The scientist's daughter and a religious specialist are sent to find it. One of the quicker reads of the year. |
Digital Fortress by Dan Brown, 374 pages Mike Gadd 09 January 2004 A little slow out of the gate this year. It's a little musty down here in the basement. You guys enjoying the view up there? A better book to read would have helped. This one had it's moments, but not many. When a 5th grader (conceivably) could figure out the big puzzle at the end before the NSA director character does it leaves a lot to be desired. |
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, 454 pages Mike Gadd 07 July 2004 There aren't many author's that I read that do as much research as Mr. Brown. It's hard to find the line where true history crosses over into the story he created. Not as good as 'Angels and Demons', but at least the ending didn't involve any serious eye-rolling. |
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, 454 pages Steve Gadd 08 July 2004 Umberto Eco on speed. The story is so gripping, you blow right past the clunkers of prose and unlikely plot devices. A novel of esoterica, mystery, and conspiracy for the MTV generation. |
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, 454 pages Jaqi Ross 11 October 2004 A murder in the silent after-hour halls of the Louvre museum reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected by a clandestine society since the days of Christ. I'm not into murder mysteries, but the research that went into this historically accurate (at times) book made it an entertaining and quick read. |
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, 454 pages Jonathan Misirian 31 January 2005 I admit it, I came to this book with great skepticism, and immediately was drawn into the simple linear plot. An intriguing read. |
Deception Point by Dan Brown, 558 pages Mike Gadd 09 July 2005 Along with Digital Fortress, this one can be left on the shelf. A moderately good concept is left begging for some real life characters. There are some ridiculous plot changes and the big 'reveal' at the end couldn't have been worse. |
Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, 569 pages Kristin Schrock 26 December 2005 This was recommended by a friend of mine. I loaned her Slaughterhouse Five and I got this one--not a fair trade. Clunky writing and an abundance of ellipses. Like this sentence: "The killer still remembered every word of that call..." which led directly to a flashback. Bleh. |
Transitioning by Dan Southerland, 240 pages Jonathan Misirian 29 March 2006 A decent read for those who have done no reading in the leadership field. Southerland lays out steps to help facilitate church growth |
The House on Dream Street: Memoir of an American Woman in Vietnam by Dana Sachs , 364 pages Jaqi Ross 28 June 2004 Part memoir and part travelogue, The House on Dream Street offers a compelling glimpse into Vietnam more than 20 years after the war. Author Dana Sachs foregoes the history lesson and instead takes us into the day-to-day lives of working-class people attempting to succeed in a fledgling capitalist economy. Captivated by the once-forbidden country during a visit in 1989, Sachs returned two years later, took a room with a young family, and set out to immerse herself in the culture. |
Family History: A Novel by Dani Shapiro, 269 pages Jaqi Ross 04 April 2004 Terrible read; avoid this book at all costs, despite the hype. |
Cleopatra's Nose: Essays on the Unexpected by Daniel Boorstin, 202 pages James Donahue 29 April 2002 |
The Image: A guide to pseudo-events in America (1992) by Daniel Boorstin, 335 pages Jonathan Misirian 30 June 2007 This reissued classic originally appeared in the late 60’s and is the definitive work on the rise of celebrity, the celebrity culture, and the reasons for the ‘image takes precedence over wisdom’ mentality that pervades all aspects of our current society. Boorstin’s eloquence drives this book, sadly his vision of the future is here, is entrenched and has spawned even more pseudo-events. |
Consciousness Explained by Daniel C Dennett, 511 pages Steven Krise 05 December 2004 Despite the pretentious title, the author did fairly well meeting his goal. "The phenomena of human consciousness have been explained in the preceding chapters in terms of the operations of a "virtual machine," a sort of evolved (and evolving) computer program that shapes the activities of the brain. There is no Cartesian Theater; there are just Multiple Drafts composed by processes of content fixation playing various semi-independent roles in the brain's larger economy of cntrolling a human body's journey through life. The astonishingly persistent conviction that there is a Cartesian Theater is the result of a variety of cognitive illusions that have now been exposed and explained. "Qualia" have been replaced by complex dispositional states of the brain, and the self (otherwise known as the Audience in the Cartesian Theater, the Central Meaner, or the Witness) turns out to be a valuable abstraction, a theorist's fiction rather than an internal observer or boss." |
The Mind of the Catholic Layman by Daniel Callahan, 208 pages Micaela Larkin 16 July 2006 |
A Journal of the Plague Year [audio] by Daniel Defoe, 0 pages Steve Gadd 16 December 1999 A firsthand account of the devistating Black Plague in London in 1665. |
Breaking the Spell by Daniel Dennett, 448 pages Steven Krise 21 July 2009 Dennett's book length argument for why religion should be treated and studied as a natural phenomenon. Moderately interesting when he stopped bending over backwards trying not to scare away any religious readers. |
Freedom Evolves by Daniel Dennett, 347 pages Steven Krise 12 November 2009 Dennett skirts most of the babble about free will and determinism by defining free will to be behavioral plasticity coupled to culture. As such, it has evolved over the entire course of life on Earth and seems to have culminated in modern humans who have the most plastic and culture. |
The Seekers by Daniel J. Boorstin, 259 pages Steve Gadd 18 November 1998 Much shorter than The Discoverers or The Creators, this reads more like a survey, but very informative nonetheless. |
The Americans: The National Experience [audio] by Daniel J. Boorstin, 0 pages Steve Gadd 16 April 1999 It took two months to get through, but this second part of the trilogy offered several fascinating side stories from the first century of United States history. |
Measuring the World (2006) by Daniel Kehlmann, 259 pages James Donahue 03 May 2008 Historical fiction that covers the Enlightenment projects of Alexander von Humboldt (world explorer and geographical legend) and Carl Friedrich Gauss (mathematician and astronomer). One spends his life bringing German science to bear on the world, the other explores the "inner world" without ever leaving Prussia and Hanover. The plot sounds gimmicky. Yet Kehlmann's prose makes it work. It breathes life into these difficult characters, these Wissenshaftsmenschen, while reflecting on modernity's semi-pathological compulsion to discover the mathematical precision of the world. (It occurs to me when reading back through this review that it will not entice anyone to read this book. Damn my writing! Read the book anyway!!!) |
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, 263 pages Julie Gephart 01 January 2003 One of those award-winner books that I never would have read had I not received it as a gift. A "novel of spiritual adventure" examining man's relationship to the rest of the natural world. |
The Political Culture of the American Whigs by Daniel Walker Howe, 381 pages James Donahue 12 February 2004 Do you really want to know? |
Ride With the Devil by Daniel Woodrell, 242 pages Kristin Schrock 23 January 2003 I enjoyed the movie so much (even with Jewel--I know!), that I had hoped that the novel would elaborate on some of the gaps. But, no, trust Ang Lee to be very faithful. The back of the book said this is a coming of age story--so the story ends when Jake learns some stuff, but I didn't read the back until I was finished with it, so I'm still left wanting. I'm not sure how much I would've enjoyed this book if I hadn't had Tobey McGuire narrating with a guest appearance by Simon Baker, but still an interesting perspective on the Civil War (not so much from the viewpoint of the South, but from the middle west states like Kansas and Missouri.) What Jake does learn is how far men will go for loyalty--even when losing sight of the Cause. This books get props for this sentence: "Oh, everything happens." |
Tomato Red by Daniel Woodrell, 225 pages Kristin Schrock 15 December 2004 From the author of Ride with the Devil--also it was $1-- the story of a family from the wrong side of town--they sort of adopt the unreliable narrator, Sammy, a petty thief and thug. It was an interesting read (I think), because I had no idea where the plot was going, but the end really seemed inevitable. Not an easy trick to pull off. |
The Flight of the Falcon (1965) by Daphne du Maurier, 311 pages A Bennett 16 July 2003 Twenty years after his brother is reported killed in WWII, the narrator sees him, back in his hometown. Thus begins a long, convoluted, ultimately unrewarding tale that culminates in murder, suicide, betrayal, and an historical pageant designed to kill as many villagers as did the original Renaissance occurrence it exists to celebrate. *Never a good sign, when half-way through a novel you want to finish just so you can read something else. Necessary vocabulary: Cinzano, Ruffanesi, vespa (which it took me about 1/4th of the way through to define and make sense of). |
The King's General (1946) by Daphne du Maurier, 371 pages A Bennett 10 March 2004 The events in Cornwall leading up to the year 1653. Puritans, Cromwell, the titular Sir Richard Grenvile, the failed Rising. It's difficult to discern if my feelings of dread and ambivalence toward this novel have more to do with its own merits or the fact that I began reading it the unhappy time before Christmas last year when I fell quite sick, and used it to get through the hours of illness during which I couldn't sleep, and therefore associate it with physical discomfort and mental frustration. I can say I am glad to be done with it. Beyond that, perhaps all it has taught me/solidified in my mind is that I do not care for first-person book-length narratives. |
My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier, 288 pages A Bennett 14 May 2004 Rachel sends one husband to his death in a duel, another she poisons. Second husband's cousin/heir (and our narrator) very nearly becomes her third victim. Readers are given no motive for her actions (at least none solid and verified by her) and little proof of her guilt. She miscarried at four months once, and herself was raised by profligate parents. She spent too much money and incurred debt and slept with whom she pleased. This, we are led to believe, was the result of the influence of her Italian mother's genetic material, taking over that of her (perceived) stauncher Cornish father's. I remain vaguely fascinated by du Maurier's ability to write, seemingly effortlessly, in the mid-20th century about the 18th. Necessary vocabulary: pother, tisana, pernickety (not persnickety). |
The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett, 201 pages A Bennett 09 May 2002 Misogyny abounds (though others have tried to dissuade me that it's really misanthropy) in this seminal 1930s noir. A lengthy cannibalism passage put me off my feed for days. I really cannot make a career of reading mysteries. I feel too compelled to keep CLUE-like notations somewhere in the book to try to crack the case before the final reveal. Necessary vocabulary: cuspidors, erysipelas, speak (as in speakeasy), drink, Asta. |
Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel, 368 pages Steve Gadd 08 February 2009 A very enjoyable, readable biography of the celebrated heliocentrist. |
Complete Guide to Guys by Dave Barry, 184 pages Steve Gadd 27 August 1995 |
Dave Barry Slept Here: A Sort of History of the United States by Dave Barry, 178 pages Julie Gephart 10 October 2002 If this isn't quite as hilarious as it was before, does that mean I've lost my sense of humor, or that I've developed a better one? Still a fun, short read. |
Big Trouble by Dave Barry, 372 pages Mike Gadd 17 January 2004 Daves first attempt at writing that wasn't limited by a word count. Not a bad little story, with a healthy sprinkle of his warped sense of humor. |
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers, 437 pages Mike Gadd 10 March 2005 I picked this off the shelf at Target because I liked the way it started. It begins with a Rules and Suggestions for Enjoyment of This Book. He lets the reader know that there is no overwhelming need to read the preface or the acknowledgements sections. You can also skip the table of contents, if you're short on time. You may possibly want to skip pages 239-251. These pages are primarily about twentysomethings whose lives are difficult to make interesting. In the preface there is a whole section of portions of the book that were omitted from the body of the text. He even lists how much money he was paid for writing the book and how the money was spent. The book itself was fine. A self-aware type of memoir. It seemed to run out of steam about 100 pages from the end. |
What Is the What (2006) by Dave Eggers, 475 pages Brad Snyder 04 July 2007 Fictionalized story of one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, based on the accounts of one of those boys. |
You Shall Know Our Velocity (2002) by Dave Eggers, 352 pages Brad Snyder 07 August 2007 Two friends on a trip to Senegal, Morocco, Estonia, and Latvia, grieving another friend and giving away money. |
How We Are Hungry: Stories (2004) by Dave Eggers, 224 pages Brad Snyder 23 September 2007 A collection of short stories mostly speaking to the selfish nature and shortsightedness of mankind. |
The Complete Handbook of Home Brewing by Dave Miller, 248 pages Steven Krise 07 January 2003 There's not really too much new to be covered in an introductory handbook of homebrewing that I haven't come across yet. Miller's anal, detail oriented focus, pathological hatred of hazy beer, and denigration of malt extract brewing and dry yeast is a sharp contrast to Papazian's happier-go-lucky "relax, don't worry, have a homebrew" attitude. Miller seemed to insist on making homebrewing more difficult than it need be. However, I think this is largely a product of the times the book was written (1988). The discussion of malting, fermentation and beer judging benefitted from his unique style. Not a bad read. Papazian is still the homebrew god, in my opinion, though. |
Dave Miller's Homebrewing Guide by Dave Miller, 358 pages Steven Krise 18 January 2003 The more in-depth and technical version of Miller's original opus. The detailed discussion of fermentation and its by-products was interesting. I still found his obsession with filtered beer and denigration of bottle-conditioning, malt extract brewing, and dried yeast unfounded. Whatever, I'm going to stop reading about it and go have a homebrew now. |
Brewing the World's Great Beers by Dave Miller, 150 pages Steven Krise 08 May 2005 I thought it was going to be a book of recipes for notable beers, but was just a rehash of the author's introduction to homebrewing book. In typical Dave Miller fashion a number of things are made harder than they really need to be. |
Lara Croft Tomb Raider by Dave Stern, 343 pages Jeff Gadd 12 March 2002 Interesting the illuminati. And the All-Seeing Eye! |
The Man Comes Around: The Spiritual Journey of Johnny Cash by Dave Urbanski, 240 pages Brad Snyder 03 February 2006 Not as good as Turner's biography of Cash, but it offers stories not covered there or in Cash's autobiography. His writing style is a bit clunky and he relies more on other people's observations rather than adding his own critical eye to the subject matter, but it's not a bad read overall. |
The Courtship of Princess Leia (1994) by Dave Wolverton, 403 pages James Donahue 30 October 2007 Did you know that Leia almost married Prince Isolder instead of Han Solo? (Read with Duncan during a long ride on the Empire Builder.) |
Welcome to the Terrordome: The pain, politics and promise of sports (2007) by Dave Zirin, 258 pages Jonathan Misirian 08 April 2008 Excellent book, documenting the intersection between sports and biting social commentary. Zirin shows the unique connection between these two realms and doesn’t hold back his criticism of our consumerist culture. Great read for all of those who love sports and who also keep their ears to the ground for sharp cultural analysis. |
SwitchBack by David Alexander, 247 pages Jeff Gadd 03 September 2002 A FBI agent's son kidnapped by a serial killer and it's cat and mouse to find the killer and son. |
Absolute Power by David Baldacci, 505 pages Jeff Gadd 19 November 1999 |
The Camel Club by David Baldacci, 593 pages Steve Gadd 29 April 2007 A serviceable spy thriller, in which loose ends were avoided with increasingly implausible plot turns. |
William Ewart Gladstone (1993) by David Bebbington, 221 pages James Donahue 14 September 2008 |
Marpingen: Apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 19th-century Germany by David Blackbourn, 470 pages James Donahue 03 October 2003 Blackbourn has written a fascinating book about a small town with child visionaries that gets caught up in the ecclesiastical and political struggles of the period. I highly recommend it. |
High Exposure by David Breashears, 309 pages Steve Gadd 23 August 2008 Another eyewitness account of the 1996 Everest disaster, by the director of the IMAX film. |
H. G. Wells: Desperately Mortal (1986) by David C. Smith, 485 pages James Donahue 14 April 2007 |
French Literary Fascism by David Campbell, 293 pages James Donahue 29 November 2002 Excellent analysis of the aesthetic commitments that were tied to fascism in the 1930s. Particularly good analysis of the recent de Man controversary. |
The Gospel According to America: a meditation on a God-blessed, Christ haunted idea by David Dark, 166 pages Jonathan Misirian 07 November 2005 Dark desired to look at the ways that America is viewed as Christian and point out the inconsistencies that he sees. An easy task, but one that is blunted by a writing style that impedes the job. |
Everyday Apocalypse: The Sacred Revealed in Radiohead, the Simpsons, and Other Pop Culture Icons by David Dark, 160 pages Brad Snyder 20 June 2006 Dark's writing is dense, but the thoughts are inspiring. The first and last chapters, along with the chapter on Flannery O'Connor made this book worthwhile. |
Life Everywhere: The Maverick Science of Astrobiology by David Darling, 206 pages Steven Krise 18 August 2009 A comprehensive and lucid introduction to the new science of astrobiology. |
Planets in Peril by David Downing, 168 pages James Donahue 12 December 2002 Didn't entirely understand The Space Trilogy. Hence, this book which helped answer some of my questions and reference the work against the background of Lewis' scholastic works. |
Horror by David Drake, 342 pages Jeff Gadd 17 November 2001 |
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by David Eggers, 478 pages James Donahue 12 June 2002 A twentysomething combines Catholic guilt, the dual death of his parents, and anchorless postmodern wit to bleed himself onto too many pages. Advertized to me as an anti-memoir, I found it anything but. Eco once commented that sarcasm is the only way of expressing ourselves in a postmodern society inundated with narrative. We sih to say to the girl "I love you," but cannot because we've seen too many romantic movies; so we say "I love you" with sarcasm, to show our emotion and our contimitant knowledge that this emotion is hackneyed. We express, but without sacrificing our critical selves. This observation by Eco sums up Eggers: he hides behind sarcasm and postmodern self-awareness to defend to himself (and the reader) his obsessive need to talk of himself and write a memoir, to be known and analyzed by strangers. Lest one think I'm kidding, just read the second-to-last chapter of the book. He says it himself. Still to me, this is not an excuse for having written, or having read, this book. |
Gladiator--A Hero Will Rise by David Franzoni, 229 pages Jeff Gadd 12 February 2002 The Romans are interesting to read about, but scary in their inventions of games they played. |
The Machinery of Freedom by David Friedman, 235 pages Steve Gadd 13 August 2002 A primer on libertarianism. In fact, the author describes his ideal system as anarcho-capitalism, but it is a far cry from the Mad Max lawlessness I was expecting. Friedman advocates the privatization of every institution now provided by government. He admits that providing for national defense without a national government is difficult, and the private money systems he proposed seemed untenable. But otherwise, he does a fine job of arguing the practical possibilities of market-based services such as security, courts, transportation, and education. Thanks Ray for the loan. |
Americanism: The Fourth Great Western Religion (2007) by David Gelernter, 230 pages Jonathan Misirian 25 October 2007 This book was recommended to me as a 21st Century Swiftian- A Modest Proposal. The conceit: showing the hypocrisy of America –the idea- by comparing it to Jewish Zionism. Either Gelernter is rabidly on the far right, or he is brilliantly on the left. At times I didn’t know whether to chuckle or shake my head in disgust. Read for yourself and see if the author is mad or a genius. |
Dinner with a perfect stranger by David Gregory, 100 pages Jonathan Misirian 29 November 2005 Gregory presents a simple apologetic for faith in Christ, through a dinner conversation between a seeker and Jesus. |
Champlain's Dream: The European Founding of North America (2008) by David Hackett Fischer, 531 pages James Donahue 28 December 2008 Fischer ties together many things I had often wondered about: the comparative Native American policies of Spain, Britain and France; the connection between the French Wars of Religion and French settlements in the New World; and, finally, why the French appeared so lackadaisical about the New World. Fischer's writing is a good combination of scholarly and popular history, with good attention paid to archeology as well as the written sources. Only warning: Fischer is perhaps a bit too enamored with his subject. Did Champlain really represent a more moral road-not-taken for the European population of North America? |
The United States of Arugula: How We Became a Gourmet Nation by David Kamp, 392 pages Tony Pisarenkov 16 September 2007 An informative synthesis of events and personalities responsible for the foodie subculture in the US, but compared to the stalwarts of the genre like Bourdain and Steingarten, the quality of the writing is mediocre. |
Mouse Under Glass by David Koenig, 270 pages Mike Gadd 18 September 2002 This book isn't the one I thought it would be. There's one out there that talks about the dark underbelly of Disney and it's parks. It talks about stuff like the work crew who jumps to action when there is an accident on one of the rides. They wisk the injured party into a private meeting room, treat the injured, hose off the ride, and arrive at a settlement. The people still in line see nothing more than a 5 minute delay in getting on the ride. That's the book I wanted. This book just goes through the Disney movies talking about the story that inspired it, how many revisions it went through, plot holes and bloopers. It talks a little about the hidden images people have claimed to see and basically says that they are there. Sometimes the animators get bored or feel like goofing off and they slip stuff into the film to see who catches it. Some stuff didn't get caught. Most of it is innocent enough, although there have been recalls after someone found something. |
Death by Suburb: How to Keep the Suburbs from Killing your Soul by David L. Goetz, 204 pages Micaela Larkin 14 April 2006 This memoir-cultural critique-advice book is a winner. The author dissects the spiritual malaise of the evangelical suburbanite, and offers timeless solutions. Of course, he finds most of his inspiration in early modern French Catholicism. :) |
A Cold Mind by David L. Lindsey, 311 pages Mike Gadd 21 February 2003 This book was written in 1983 and was rather contemporary in it's own way. I'm used to reading books that were written within the last couple of years. I had to get used to hearing about the Bee Gees, women being called 'foxy', lp records playing in the background... stuff like that. It took a while to get through it too, with all the snow shoveling and sledding to do. I liked the story well enough, I guess. It helped that the title was fitting. |
Event 1000 by David Lavallee, 258 pages Jeff Gadd 22 December 2001 Interesting book about sailors trapped in a sinking submarine. |
Therapy by David Lodge, 321 pages Steve Gadd 27 July 1996 |
Brewing the World's Great Beers by David Miller, 150 pages Steven Krise 02 July 2007 Miller's a twat. He forgets that "crystal clear" beer is, for the most part, a creation of industrialized corporate brewers that has been marketed to the consumer as an improvement, when in fact a yeasty haze is integral to the character of many styles. He acknowledges on p 118-119 that filtering harms the quality of homebrew and yet still advocates it. What a wanker. |
Lenin's Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire by David Remnick, 542 pages James Donahue 24 March 2004 This wonderful account is written from the first-hand experience and incredible access of the Post reporter in Moscow from 1988-1992. Remnick, who is now editor of the New Yorker and was once the flirtatous boy in my advisor's college class, writes with an enviable touch for flair and poetic significance. Highly enjoyable |
Lenin's Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire by David Remnick, 588 pages Tony Pisarenkov 26 February 2009 An excellent account of the glasnost era and the eventual dissolution of the Soviet Union, including, crucially, a very good analysis of the history of the regime and the political and social forces that formed (and failed to form) modern Russia. Highly recommended. Thank you, Steve, for the present. More comments here |
Programming Microsoft ADO.NET 2.0 by David Sceppa, 835 pages Steven Krise 10 November 2007 Get a practical introduction to the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 libraries (ADO.NET 2.0) that communicate, access, sort, and interact with data from .NET-connected applications. Includes coverage of XML data and Microsoft SQL Server 2005. |
Programming ADO by David Sceppa, 363 pages Steven Krise 02 May 2009 God, I wish I had known about this book 5 years ago. A wonderfully comprehensive discussion of Microsoft's (now defunct) universal data access technology, ADO. Worth the price of the book for the chapter on the ADO Cursor Engine alone. |
Naked by David Sedaris, 291 pages Kristin Schrock 24 April 2003 I thought this was going to be a LAFF RIOT, something I could breeze through as I make my way up the booklist. A million years later, I'm finally done. Maybe it's because these are essays instead of stories. Or maybe they just didn't grab me. I'm just glad to put this one back on the shelf. |
Holidays on Ice (1997) by David Sedaris, 134 pages Brad Snyder 01 February 2007 Christmas tales, all intended to be funny. One hits the mark. One gets close. One utilizes the ironic to demonstrate human greed. The others could be burned. |
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, 272 pages Steve Gadd 04 March 2009 A tolerable collection of amusing stories, perhaps a bit above the level of Dave Barry, and with regular F-bombs and social criticism to remind you that you're reading hipster counterculture and not mainstream drivel. In case those two are mutually exclusive. |
Me Talk Pretty One Day (2000) by David Sedaris, 272 pages Brad Snyder 01 April 2009 I saw that Steve read this and I remembered that it was on my mental reading list. Hilarious. |
The Fugitive by David Twohy, 259 pages Jeff Gadd 12 February 2002 Great book, Great movie. |
Runaway America by David Waldstreicher, 134 pages James Donahue 30 January 2004 Waldstreicher examines slavery and (un)free labor in the colonies through Benjamin Franklin's unique life, which in turn involved being bound as an apprentice to his elder brother, a time as a refugee from his family, a trader and owner of African slaves, and eventual, though begruding, elderly abolitionist. Fascinating detail. |
On Basilisk Station by David Weber, 432 pages Julie Gephart 08 June 2002 I'm not a big fan of futuristic sci-fi novels set in space, but this one turned out pretty well after I slogged through the first seven or so chapters. |
The Honor of the Queen by David Weber, 422 pages Julie Gephart 20 July 2002 Does the author really believe that I, average Joe Reader, will be spellbound by his descriptions of the pretend physics he has invented to propel pretend spaceships? No! NO! Shut up! Go away with your stupid impeller wedges and Warshawski sails, and let's get on with the story. (Second book in the Honor Harrington series) |
Honor Among Enemies by David Weber, 538 pages Jeff Gadd 30 September 2003 About Lt. Honor Harrington. using a ship that looked like a merchant ship, that was turned into a battleship, but looked like a merchant ship still. She had to user her ship against pirates in a war in space. |
The Thrill of the Chaste: Keeping Your Clothes On... by Dawn Eden, 224 pages Micaela Larkin 09 January 2007 Argument for chastity from a rock journalist turned semi-chaset evangelist turned thrilled Catholic |
Watchers by Dean Koontz, 480 pages Jeff Gadd 15 June 2000 |
Darkfall by Dean Koontz, 371 pages Jeff Gadd 15 September 2000 |
Shattered by Dean Koontz, 212 pages Jeff Gadd 19 September 2000 |
Seize the Night by Dean Koontz, 440 pages Jeff Gadd 30 September 2000 |
The Mask by Dean Koontz, 305 pages Jeff Gadd 29 November 2000 |
Fear Nothing by Dean Koontz, 429 pages Jeff Gadd 01 January 2001 |
The Eyes of Darkness by Dean Koontz, 366 pages Jeff Gadd 01 February 2001 |
Whispers by Dean Koontz, 499 pages Jeff Gadd 30 November 2001 |
TickTock by Dean Koontz, 338 pages Jeff Gadd 06 December 2001 |
False Memory by Dean Koontz, 751 pages Jeff Gadd 05 January 2002 About a woman who fears herself |
Twilight Eyes by Dean R. Koontz, 449 pages Jeff Gadd 05 November 1998 |
Phantoms by Dean R. Koontz, 343 pages Jeff Gadd 08 January 1999 |
Lightning, Face of Fear, the Vision by Dean R. Koontz, 683 pages Jeff Gadd 16 January 1999 |
Night Chills by Dean R. Koontz, 364 pages Jeff Gadd 03 February 1999 |
The Servants of Twilight by Dean R. Koontz, 415 pages Jeff Gadd 19 February 1999 |
The FunHouse by Dean R. Koontz, 333 pages Jeff Gadd 09 March 1999 |
Demon Seed by Dean R. Koontz, 301 pages Jeff Gadd 10 March 1999 |
The Voice of the Night by Dean R. Koontz, 336 pages Jeff Gadd 10 March 1999 |
Strange Highways by Dean R. Koontz, 614 pages Jeff Gadd 15 April 1999 |
The Bad Place by Dean R. Koontz, 417 pages Jeff Gadd 30 April 1999 |
Sole Survivor by Dean R. Koontz, 400 pages Jeff Gadd 11 May 1999 |
The Key to Midnight by Dean R. Koontz, 416 pages Jeff Gadd 31 May 1999 |
Fear Nothing by Dean R. Koontz, 429 pages Jeff Gadd 07 June 1999 |
The House of Thunder by Dean R. Koontz, 357 pages Jeff Gadd 29 July 1999 |
The Door to December by Dean R. Koontz, 498 pages Jeff Gadd 30 December 1999 |
Entangled Minds: Extrasensory Experiences in a Quantum Reality by Dean Radin, 298 pages Micaela Larkin 02 May 2007 Psychics & Quantum Physics |
The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher by Debby Applegate, 544 pages Micaela Larkin 12 December 2006 I enjoyed this biography of the most famous Beecher brother.... |
Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson, 160 pages Kristin Schrock 08 March 2003 A series of non-sequitir stories. But in a groovy kind of way. Parts actually made me laugh out loud. Like this one: "Are you hearing unusual sounds or voices?" the doctor asked. "Help us, oh God, it hurts," the boxes of cotton screamed. "Not exactly," I said. |
What Now, Little Man? by Denis Showalter, 286 pages James Donahue 01 March 2003 A good thematic history of Der Sturmer during the Weimar years. |
The Eye Of The Hunter by Dennis L McKiernan, 601 pages Steven Krise 01 January 2004 Shannon says this is a cheap Tolkein rip-off. I wouldn't know anything about that, but it is an overwrought pile of mokk. I've tried to read this book at least half a dozen times (usually around Christmas) in the past 10 years and have just now succeeded (thanks to this book list). |
Sacred by Dennis Lahane, 400 pages Mike Gadd 16 December 2004 More Lahane. Each one seems to improve the series. |
Mystic River by Dennis Lehane, 448 pages Mike Gadd 14 November 2004 Extremely well done story with lifelike characters and strong emotion. |
A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane, 286 pages Mike Gadd 20 November 2004 I thought I'd give some of Mr. Lehane's early work a spin. This certainly had more humor than Mystic River did. |
Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane, 371 pages Mike Gadd 30 November 2004 Pushing through Mr. Lahane's early work. I'm still enjoying the dynamic duo private eye team that drive this series. |
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane, 369 pages Mike Gadd 27 July 2005 Once again, done in by the blurb on the back cover. You get three quarters of the way in and you figure it is safe to read the free sample on the back. It actually gave away the ending. Very disappointing. The story itself was supposed to play out in a 'Sixth Sense' sort of way, but it had no punch. |
The Death of Sybil Bolton by Dennis McAuliffe, Jr., 307 pages Micaela Larkin 05 April 2006 Washington post writer with a penchant for alcohol explores the murder of his Osage Indian grandmother in 1925. The memoir part is a little much, but the author does a nice job exposing the rise and fall of the Osage Nation in the early twentieth century and the systematic killing of oil "rich" Indians. |
Language and Species by Derek Bickerton, 297 pages Steven Krise 02 July 2002 An intriguing thesis that language originally evolved as a representational system by modeling the primary representational system (i.e., the sensorium) and was then exapted for communicative use. It's hypothesized there exists 2 distinct linguistic modes in humans, protolanguage (pidgins and speech of children under 2) and language (normal adult speech). Protolanguage evolved early in the hominid line (around the time of H. erectus, 1.5 mya) and that the transition from protolanguage to language occurred 'suddenly' with the emergence of H sapiens. Goes on to show how syntax (language's main distinction from protolanguage) is the currency of thought (by providing linguistic 'tokens' to manipulate) and provides the underpinning to our unique sense of consciousness. It's the kind of thesis that is probably wrong in many details but invaluable for the questions it poses. 'The question is, are there things that exist *only* in the secondary representational system, you see.' |
Handbook of Knots by Des Pawson, 176 pages Steven Krise 28 September 2009 DK always publishes excellent books, and this handbook is no exception. It uses photographs for the various diagrams, which I find easier to decipher and use as a guide than illustrations. |
The Edifice Complex: How the rich and powerful shape the world by Deyan Sudjic, 384 pages Jonathan Misirian 06 May 2006 Sudjic, an European architectural writer, displays his skills in this inviting and intriguing overview of the role that architecture plays in our culture and society. A mixture of architectural biography as well as a behind the scenes look at famous design competitions, Sudjic’s acerbic wit is evident in this engaging book |
Buffy Obsidian Fate by Diana G. Gallagher, 294 pages Jeff Gadd 05 June 2002 |
An Alchemy of Mind by Diane Ackerman, 300 pages Steven Krise 30 January 2008 Reads like a book-length introduction to the topic of mind/brain. Uses a lot of interesting imagery, but makes references to all the usual places (Gazzaniga, Libet). Includes a chapter long diversion on how great Shakespeare is? |
So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duane, 226 pages Julie Gephart 17 July 2004 “Classic” from 1983, which doesn’t make me feel old at all. Two nerdy kids discover this peculiar volume in a series of career advice books. |
Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 122 pages James Donahue 14 November 2002 Third time through the book, and each time it gets even more life-changing. How few books there are which can distill the gospel so clearly. |
Nicholas II: Twilight of the Empire by Dominic Lieven, 269 pages James Donahue 22 September 2004 |
Representing the Holocaust: History, Theory, Trauma by Dominick LaCapra, 230 pages James Donahue 10 August 2002 With a heavy emphasis on critical theory and deconstruction, LaCapra promotes a self-reflexive Holocaust historiography that goes beyond political polemic and posturing. |
Underworld by Don DeLillo, 827 pages Erik Bauer 13 November 1999 An epoch story intertwining american culture and the affects of the cold war and modernity, mixing fictional story with a factual background, an incredible book. |
White Noise by Don DeLillo, 326 pages Tony Pisarenkov 02 April 2003 Jack Gladney, a death-obsessed professor of Hitler studies at a small liberal arts college and his family are fighting the postmodern condition of pervasive commercial and media messages, and losing the fight. Engaging enough and frequently quite funny, on balance the novel remains shallow and overwrought, and most of the issues it touches upon lack the timelessness of those covered by the great works of fiction. It might have been provocative and even controversial when first published in 1985, but by now we've seen and heard it all before. |
White Noise by Don DeLillo, 326 pages Kristin Schrock 20 October 2005 The third National Book Award Winner in a row, and I must say I haven't been all that impressed. This one was recommended by a co-worker. We're not speaking anymore. It's sort of like a contemporary Plague--without, you know, being good. Props for using the word "Ufologist". I did like this sentence: "In situations like this, you want to stick close to people in right-wing fringe groups." |
Salon.com's Wanderlust by Don George, Ed., 338 pages Steve Gadd 26 May 2002 Great collection of travel stories, including "Absinthe Makes the Heart Grow," "On Japanese Trains," and Simon Winchester's great "Romance in Romania." Also a great forward on "Why We Travel" by Pico Iyer. |
How Can You Tell If a Spider Is Dead?: And More Moments of Science by Don Glass, 192 pages Jaqi Ross 28 June 2004 Entertaining nuggets of scientific fact, as featured on the National Public Radio show A Moment of Science. |
A Cool Breeze on the Underground by Don Winslow, 324 pages Mike Gadd 04 November 2002 Another British mystery, another decent book. It's tough, though, finding a good read, and then learning that it was a rookie effort. I have to wait for the next one to come out. |
The Death and Life of Bobby Z by Don Winslow, 308 pages Mike Gadd 03 April 2004 Slow start, decent finish. Not one of his better stories. |
From Lucy To Language by Donald Johanson & Blake Edgar, 272 pages Steven Krise 05 February 2004 More like 2 "books" in one. The first section tells the story of human evolution from Lucy to the flowering of modern human culture in the Upper Paleolithic period. The second half of the book is comprised of in-depth coverage of the most important fossils of the species discussed in the first part. The book finishes up with about a 10 page discussion of the various stages of human lithic culture. |
Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality by Donald Miller, 242 pages Jonathan Misirian 27 June 2005 Miller's an excellent writer, who lives outside of the mainstream. He writes with an authenticity that is rare and refreshing. As he explores Christian Spirituality, he gently guides the reader into his life and heart. |
Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality by Donald Miller, 256 pages Brad Snyder 20 August 2005 The "Mere Christianity" for this generation. Miller's writing style is conversational, humorous, and approachable. A must read. |
Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller, 242 pages Steve Gadd 18 October 2005 Not a theology book by any stretch, but a sort of autobiographical apology for the author's faith, written with a sense of humor and honesty. Thanks Jonathan for the gift. |
Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller, 256 pages Brad Snyder 17 January 2007 While different than his magnum opus "Blue Like Jazz", Miller is no less insightful in this theological statement. |
Through Painted Deserts: Light, God, and Beauty on the Open Road by Donald Miller, 256 pages Brad Snyder 15 March 2007 Miller tells the story of the road trip from Houston, TX to Portland, OR he took in a rickety '71 Volkswagon Van with a buddy and not much money. It is not his normal socio-theological fare, but is still classic Miller: witty and entertaining. |
Searching for God Knows What (2004) by Donald Miller, 256 pages Jonathan Misirian 03 May 2008 Miller, the celebrated author of Blue Like Jazz, follows up with more ruminations on what it means to follow Christ. His strength is his relaxed writing style –you feel like you are having a conversation with a friend. His adept insights provide the reader with plenty to ponder, underline and internalize… excellent read. |
The Big Bad Wolf Tells All by Donna Kauffman, 329 pages Kristin Schrock 25 November 2004 I thought this was going to be a fun re-telling of Little Red Riding Hood. Instead, fluffy and predictable. Bleh. |
Passport Israel by Donna Rosenthal, 96 pages Brad Snyder 14 December 2005 Working for an Israeli-owned company, I thought it would be prudent to brush up on Israeli culture, business, customs, and etiquette. I hope it works... |
The Long Loneliness: An Autobiography (1952) by Dorothy Day, 284 pages Jonathan Misirian 20 August 2007 Day founded the Catholic Worker Movement which was an attempt to bring physical healing -to labor conditions which ensnared many, and to bring spiritual healing –to those laboring without hope. Day’s unpretentious prose alerts us to a heroine who’s conversion transformed her very soul. |
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, 159 pages Steve Gadd 06 January 1998 The classic. Look for the book-on-tape version, recorded by the author. It is pure delight. |
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams, 250 pages Steve Gadd 13 January 1998 Part Two of the so-called trilogy. My attempt to read through all my books in order was foiled when I accidently returned my copy of Life, the Universe, and Everything to the library. |
Last Chance To See by Douglas Adams, 218 pages Steve Gadd 30 March 2000 Yes, that Douglas Adams, travelling with a zoologist to exotic corners of the world looking for the most endangered species. Highly entertaining and not too preachy. |
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, 215 pages Kristin Schrock 19 May 2005 A refresher read in preparation for the movie. It was not as enjoyable the second time around--probably because I'm older now. But the charactars are still enjoyable, even in my crotchety old age. |
The Long, Dark Tea Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams, 307 pages Steven Krise 06 December 2005 Thor gets pissed and accidentally saves the day. |
Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams, 219 pages Steven Krise 23 December 2005 A sort of "many worlds interpretation"-y action adventure thingy that cleverly concludes the 5-part HH trilogy right where it started. |
The Salmon of Doubt by Douglas Adams, 298 pages Steven Krise 04 November 2007 Worth the price of admission just for the essay entitled "Artificial God". The additional essays, bits and pieces of prose, and skeletal form of the 3rd Dirk Gently novel are just bonuses. |
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams, 306 pages Steven Krise 06 December 2007 "Mis Pearce!" he called out, "kindly send out a revised bill, would you, to our dear Mrs Sauskind. The new bill reads 'To: saving human race from total extinction--no charge.'" He put on his hat and left for the day. |
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (audio) by Douglas Adams, 0 pages Steve Gadd 10 April 2008 This has got to be one of the best "read by the author" readings, but it is still not quite as great as the BBC version. |
Generation X by Douglas Coupland, 183 pages Steve Gadd 04 January 1997 |
Microserfs by Douglas Coupland, 371 pages Steve Gadd 27 July 1997 |
Microserfs by Douglas Coupland, 371 pages Kristin Schrock 18 February 2002 The journals of a Microsoft coding geek. Part of the "work sucks" genre that I'm particularly fond of. Some parts very funny, some parts way too existential. |
Generation X by Douglas Coupland, 183 pages Kristin Schrock 09 June 2002 Acts as sort of a primer for Generation X with the definition of terms such as, "ultra short term nostalgia", "terminal wanderlust", and chapter titles such as "Why I am So Poor". But the narrative lacked bite and in the end nothing really happens. Maybe that's the point. |
Hey, Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland, 244 pages Kristin Schrock 06 November 2004 Clearly inspired by the Columbine shootings and the martyrdom of the one student--I can't remember her name, but her parents wrote a book called, "She Said Yes"--, Coupland tells the story of the aftermath of a school shootings. It's told by the point of view of the girl who is killed, her high school boyfriend, the woman he falls in love years later, and his father. Not the stinging bite that I'd come to expect from Coupland, but interesting enough. Plus, bonus points for putting an exclamation point in the title. |
Shampoo Planet by Douglas Coupland, 299 pages Kristin Schrock 15 May 2005 The guy at the bookstore was very excited that I was buying this book. After reading it, I'm not sure why. It had moments where I thought--this guy is really good--but overall the book was unsatisfying. |
Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture by Douglas Coupland, 183 pages Brad Snyder 02 July 2006 This book coined the term "Generation X". It's Friends meets the Canterbury Tales: Friends in that the characters are three twenty-something friends that are struggling to understand the meaning of life and live in some bungalows on the cheap side of Palm Springs, having thrown off the trappings of their once aspiring middle-class, corporate slave lives. It reminds me of Canterbury Tales in that you learn more about the characters through the stories they tell throughout. An interesting and entertaining read. |
JPod (2006) by Douglas Coupland, 448 pages Brad Snyder 31 January 2007 Amoral 20-something video game programmers and the lives they lead. I can't figure out whether Coupland writing himself into the book as a character is a brilliant act of self-effacing humor, or a stupid stunt that irritates the snot out of me. Oh, I think I finally got the memo...this entry marks my first with the publication year after the title. Bonus. |
Run by Douglas E. Winter, 390 pages Jeff Gadd 01 April 2002 Interesting book about a gunrunner where everybody is after him. |
King Henry (2007) by Douglas Galbraith, 409 pages James Donahue 25 May 2009 A fictional reenactment of an event too crazy to have really happened. In 1915 Henry Ford decided he could stop the war, hooked up with a zealous Hungarian suffragette, hired a cruise ship, packed it full of wide-eyed students and cynical journalists, and sailed off to Europe to stop the war on Christmas day. Oh, the things that wealth can and cannot buy. |
The Mind's I by Douglas Hofstadter and Daniel Dennett (Eds.), 501 pages Steven Krise 07 January 2005 Collection of excerpts, essays, and philosophical circlejerks relating to the topics of the mind-brain interface, consciousness, subjectivity, AI, and personal identity. Highlights were the "Reflections" by DRH and DCD at the end of each selection and the stories by Stanislaw Lem and Robert Smullyan. |
The Cabinet of Curiosities by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, 466 pages Mike Gadd 04 January 2003 Contrary to brother Steve’s opinion these guys know how to write a great book. They’ve done three of my all-time favorites. This one took a little longer to develop but by the time it reached the big finish I was fully engaged. No predictable plot twists or lame story lines, just strong characters and a thrilling finish. |
The Cabinet of Curiosities by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, 626 pages Jeff Gadd 19 August 2003 A very great plot with the most part the same characters in the book Relic. A very creepy killer with a strange way to prolong his life, by using something from his victim's body,while their still alive. Made my skin crawl. |
Still Life with Crows by Douglas Preston / Lincoln Child, 565 pages Mike Gadd 28 July 2004 Somewhat of a sequel to 'Cabinet of Curiosities'. This one didn't have the story or the suspense of their previous books. The payoff wasn't even very good. A rare disappointment from these guys. |
Brimstone by Douglas Preston / Lincoln Child, 752 pages Mike Gadd 12 June 2005 Good to see my favorite writers back on track after Still Life with Crows. A good story this time with a main character that gets more fascinating the more you learn. |
The Mind's I by Douglas R. Hofstadter, 482 pages Steve Gadd 28 July 1995 |
Le Ton beau de Marot by Douglas R. Hofstadter, 598 pages Steve Gadd 21 May 1998 Another giant, sprawling masterpiece by the author of Gödel, Escher, Bach, this one focusing on the subtlties of translation. |
An Unquiet Mind by Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison, 225 pages Jonathan Misirian 26 August 2005 An Unquiet Mind traces the path of manic-depressive illness in the author's life. Currently a professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins, this personal account provides rich and lucid insights into the course of this illness. Dr. Jamison writes with tremendous clarity and grace. |
Rethinking Life and Death: the collapse of our traditional ethics by Dr. Peter Singer, 219 pages Jonathan Misirian 25 October 2005 Singer adeptly shows how modern technology forces societies to come to grips with the grey areas of life and death. Singer wrestles with challenging questions such as: When does life begin? Why is human life of greater worth then animal life? Singer’s most radical claim, that human life should only have a right to life, somewhere after the 28th day –after birth-, is one that draws the most criticism, and is also the one theme that he inadequately supports. |
Dirty Jokes and Beer by Drew Carey, 277 pages Steven Krise 03 May 2003 Um, yeah, the title says it all. The chapter with 101 big dick jokes was hilarious, but the final third, "Stories of the Unrefined" (aka Drew tries his hand at writing short stories) can be safely skipped. |
It’s Not News, It’s Fark: how mass media tries to pass off crap as news (2007) by Drew Curtis, 268 pages Jonathan Misirian 18 July 2007 Curtis founded Fark.com as a hub where users can post junk news and then comment on it. This book is a combination of first-class media humor (jammed, with real life examples ), and slashing insight into how mediocre ‘news’ is force fed to us. For those who are sick of the slick. |
Intercultural Marriage - Promises and Pitfalls by Dugan Romano, 226 pages Erik Bauer 19 September 2004 A "reality check" for anyone already in or contemplating an intercultural marriage. I had to read this for a class, otherwise I would have never picked it up. It basically spells out typical pitfalls in intercultural marriages, which, as it turns out, are very similar pitfalls to intracultural marriages. The saving grace of the book is the countless real world examples of some 30 different couples of interesting combinations (i.e. French-Kuwaiti, Iranian-Cuban, and Israeli-Brazilian) |
Bishop Stephen Neill: From Edinburgh to South India (2007) by Dyron B. Daughrity, 287 pages James Donahue 01 May 2008 Neill was the Anglican bishop in southern India in the 1930s and 1940s, the declining years of the Raj. Daughrity's academic biography unveils this "life in the middle," uncovering some salacious details along the way, but without really questioning the inherent "middle" position of all Western missionaries. |
Horrors 365 Scary Stories by Dziemianowicz, Weinberg, & Greenberg, 726 pages Jeff Gadd 10 May 2003 Short little scary stories pick by these three as their favorites, from variors authors. |