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The Unbearable Lightness of Being   by Milan Kundera, 314 pages Steve Gadd   28 June 1995

Love in the Time of Cholera   by Gabriel García Márquez, 348 pages Steve Gadd   27 July 1995

The French Lieutenant's Woman   by John Fowles, 366 pages Steve Gadd   09 September 1995

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!   by Richard Feynman, 317 pages Steve Gadd   15 October 1995

Sphere   by Michael Chrichton, 371 pages Steve Gadd   21 December 1995

When Nietzsche Wept   by Irvin D. Yalom, 301 pages Steve Gadd   04 February 1996

From Eros to Gaia   by Freeman Dyson, 345 pages Steve Gadd   15 February 1996

The Information   by Martin Amis, 376 pages Steve Gadd   01 March 1996

The Handmaid's Tale   by Margaret Atwood, 395 pages Steve Gadd   21 April 1996

Therapy   by David Lodge, 321 pages Steve Gadd   27 July 1996

Memoirs of an Invisible Man   by H. F. Saint, 396 pages Steve Gadd   16 November 1996 Better than H. G. Wells

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!   by Richard Feynman, 317 pages Steve Gadd   26 January 1997

All the Pretty Horses   by Cormac McCarthy, 302 pages Steve Gadd   17 February 1997

A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters   by Julian Barnes, 307 pages Steve Gadd   31 May 1997

Adrift   by Steven Callahan, 344 pages Steve Gadd   27 June 1997

Microserfs   by Douglas Coupland, 371 pages Steve Gadd   27 July 1997

Cold Mountain   by Charles Frazier, 356 pages Steve Gadd   31 August 1997

The Joke   by Milan Kundera, 317 pages Steve Gadd   08 October 1997

U2: The Rolling Stone Files   by Rolling Stone editors, 323 pages Steve Gadd   09 May 1998

Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors   by Piers Paul Read, 318 pages Steve Gadd   10 May 1998 Unbelievable true story of a soccer team whose plane crashed in the Andes. Find out all the frightful details the movie left out.

Idoru   by William Gibson, 383 pages Steve Gadd   23 May 1998 The inventor of cyberpunk finally goes to Japan.

The Right Kind of War   by John McCormick, 333 pages Jeff Gadd   20 November 1998

MEG   by Steve Alten, 337 pages Jeff Gadd   02 December 1998

Modoc   by Ralph Helfer, 325 pages Jeff Gadd   16 December 1998

A Tale of Two Cities   by Charles Dickens, 304 pages Steve Gadd   22 December 1998 I was surprised to find that I didn't like this any better than when we read it in high school.

Virtual Light   by William Gibson, 352 pages Steve Gadd   06 January 1999 A favorite from the inventor of the cyber-thriller.

Phantoms   by Dean R. Koontz, 343 pages Jeff Gadd   08 January 1999

Portrait of Picasso as a Young Man   by Norman Mailer, 370 pages Steve Gadd   13 January 1999 Sometimes flattering, sometimes not, an engaging bio of the often profligate young artist.

Night Chills   by Dean R. Koontz, 364 pages Jeff Gadd   03 February 1999

The FunHouse   by Dean R. Koontz, 333 pages Jeff Gadd   09 March 1999

The Voice of the Night   by Dean R. Koontz, 336 pages Jeff Gadd   10 March 1999

Demon Seed   by Dean R. Koontz, 301 pages Jeff Gadd   10 March 1999

A Walk Across America   by Peter Jenkins, 320 pages Steve Gadd   14 March 1999 New York to New Orleans on foot. Pretty impressive.

Nightfall and Other Stories   by Isaac Asimov, 312 pages Steve Gadd   19 March 1999 Despite the author's insistence, 'Nightfall' is still the best, later expanded into a novel co-authored by Robert Silverberg.

The Wisdom of the Body   by Sherwin B. Nuland, 369 pages Steve Gadd   16 May 1999 Not quite as interesting as his How We Die (this book was retitled How We Live, appropriately), the general surgeon takes the reader on a tour of the amazing systems of the body.

The House of Thunder   by Dean R. Koontz, 357 pages Jeff Gadd   29 July 1999

Paris in the Fifties   by Stanley Karnow, 337 pages Steve Gadd   07 September 1999 An enjoyable collection of essays by a Time journalist.

Tropical Classical   by Pico Iyer, 314 pages Steve Gadd   20 September 1999 Travel essays, profiles, book reviews.

A Fez of the Heart   by Jeremy Seal, 334 pages Steve Gadd   22 November 1999 Inspired by an old fez found in an attic, the author travels through modern Turkey looking for the story behind the outlawed hat.

The Goal: A Process Of Ongoing Improvement   by Eliyahu M. Goldratt, 337 pages Erik Bauer   27 January 2000 I got this book when I took a production manager position thinking it would be a help to my new job but it actually changed the way I look at traffic jams and long lines at supermarkets and has probably increased my overall stress level.

The Perfect Storm   by Sebastian Junger, 301 pages Steve Gadd   04 April 2000 The reader follows the last days of a fishing boat doomed to vanish in the North Atlantic's "storm of the century."

Adrift   by Steven Callahan, 344 pages Steve Gadd   10 April 2000 The ever rereadable first person account of 76 days spent floating across the Pacific in a rubber life raft.

Green Hills Of Africa   by Ernest Hemingway, 304 pages Erik Bauer   25 May 2000 A well written, relaxing sunday afternoon read. I fully intend to make it to Africa to experience a fraction of what Hemingway was able to, before it completely goes down the toilet.

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!   by Richard Feynman, 317 pages Steve Gadd   16 June 2000 The great anecdotes, adventures, and experiments, always worth another read.

The Perfect Storm   by Sebastian Junger, 301 pages Jeff Gadd   24 June 2000

Cat And Mouse   by James Patterson, 396 pages Jeff Gadd   02 July 2000

All the Pretty Horses   by Cormac McCarthy, 302 pages Steve Gadd   09 August 2000 In the Hollywood spirit of finding a category to create a superlative, I would name this my favorite contemporary American realist novel.

Darkfall   by Dean Koontz, 371 pages Jeff Gadd   15 September 2000

UNDERTAKER'S WIDOW   by Philip Margolin, 321 pages Jeff Gadd   28 September 2000

A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters   by Julian Barnes, 307 pages Steve Gadd   03 October 2000 This is a wonderful book. It reads like a 'best-of' collection of short stories, but they are all more or less directly linked to a central recurring image. Sort of a Milan Kundera with a self-effacing British sense of humor.

CERTAIN PREY   by John Sandford, 368 pages Jeff Gadd   04 October 2000

The Mask   by Dean Koontz, 305 pages Jeff Gadd   29 November 2000

The Eyes of Darkness   by Dean Koontz, 366 pages Jeff Gadd   01 February 2001

Tender Is The Night   by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 320 pages Erik Bauer   02 March 2001 I liked this book a lot more than "The Great Gatsby." It is beautiful, sometimes a bit boring, but beautiful.

APOLLYON   by Tim LaHaye Jerry Jenkins, 399 pages Jeff Gadd   27 March 2001

Silent Prey   by John Sandford, 374 pages Jeff Gadd   14 April 2001

Secret Prey   by John Sandford, 384 pages Jeff Gadd   20 April 2001

The Eye of the Tiger   by Wilbur Smith, 390 pages Jeff Gadd   14 May 2001

Sudden Prey   by John Sandford, 390 pages Jeff Gadd   18 May 2001

Eyes of Prey   by John Sandford, 358 pages Jeff Gadd   30 May 2001

Winter Prey   by John Sandford, 343 pages Jeff Gadd   07 June 2001

Angel of Death   by Jack Higgins, 398 pages Jeff Gadd   11 July 2001

Point of Origin   by Patricia Cornwell, 397 pages Jeff Gadd   31 August 2001

On The Road   by Jack Kerouac, 307 pages Erik Bauer   17 October 2001 This book was a going away gift when I finished my job in LA. I moved to San Francisco for a 6 week TEFL course before driving back across the US to Ohio. It was the perfect book for the time. I quit my job, changed my life plans and drove across the country. I didn't have the kind of adventures in Denver and SF as Sal Paradise, but I was in both of those cities having my own adventures, what a time.

Night Prey   by John Sandford, 384 pages Jeff Gadd   17 November 2001

Horror   by David Drake, 342 pages Jeff Gadd   17 November 2001

TickTock   by Dean Koontz, 338 pages Jeff Gadd   06 December 2001

If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor   by Bruce Campbell, 302 pages Kristin Schrock   04 January 2002 The writing isn't great, but the stories of the beginnings of Evil Dead are very funny. Plus, pictures!

Blood Meridian   by Cormac McCarthy, 335 pages Steve Gadd   05 January 2002 Ornate, rich prose chronicles a violent southwestern saga. Could be titled Bloody Blood Meridian of Blood.

The Hill   by Leonard B. Scott, 341 pages Jeff Gadd   15 January 2002 a Vietnam book about two brothers in the war.

The Whole Truth   by Nancy Pickard, 339 pages Mike Gadd   18 January 2002

The Emperors of Chocolate   by Joël Glenn Brenner, 324 pages Steve Gadd   28 January 2002 The author takes full advantage of her unique invitation to see Planet Mars from the inside. A fascinating history of the chocolate business in America.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre   by B. Traven, 313 pages Jeff Gadd   04 February 2002 Great Story. Great movie too.

Running Blind   by Lee Child, 359 pages Jeff Gadd   06 February 2002 The Last Reacher book and it's just as good as the first.

Anil's Ghost   by Michael Ondaatje, 307 pages Mike Gadd   07 February 2002

Codebreakers   by F. H. Hinsley, Alan Stripp, eds., 310 pages Steve Gadd   07 February 2002 Accounts by the participants at Bletchley Park of their work cracking the Enigma code.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter   by Carson McCullers, 359 pages Kristin Schrock   11 February 2002 Lonely characters mill around a small, lonely southern town being all lonely. But in a good way.

The Brethren   by John Grisham, 366 pages Steven Krise   12 February 2002 A good enough book about politics, extortion, and government intrigue. Why do all of Grisham's books begin with an article, usually 'The'?

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.

The Silence of the Lambs   by Thomas Harris, 367 pages Jeff Gadd   20 February 2002 Hello! Clarice!

Small Gods   by Terry Pratchett, 344 pages Steven Krise   28 February 2002 Quirky tale about the origin and demise of gods as well as the power and danger of belief.

The Summons   by John Grisham, 341 pages Steve Gadd   02 March 2002 Another good story from John 'The' Grisham. For the record, the Also By page shows 13 titles, 10 of which begin with 'The.'

The Treatment   by Mo Hayder, 390 pages Mike Gadd   04 March 2002

The Long Winter   by Laura Ingalls Wilder, 334 pages Julie Gephart   05 March 2002 Pa's resume: Twisting hay into hard sticks for fuel, forecasting weather from muskrat dens

Pet Sematary   by Stephen King, 371 pages Jeff Gadd   07 March 2002 I am not going near any cemetary's for awhile.

Who is Wanda Fuca?   by G.M. Ford, 314 pages Mike Gadd   08 March 2002

Little Town on the Prairie   by Laura Ingalls Wilder, 309 pages Julie Gephart   10 March 2002 Pa's resume: "Spelling down" the entire town, getting hair chewed off by mice then putting up with Ma's warning not to be vain

Lara Croft Tomb Raider   by Dave Stern, 343 pages Jeff Gadd   12 March 2002 Interesting the illuminati. And the All-Seeing Eye!

Mortal Stakes   by Robert B. Parker, 328 pages Mike Gadd   14 March 2002

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People   by Stephen Covey, 358 pages Erik Bauer   14 March 2002 This book needs to be read again; I think I grasped some of the ideas, but I'm not sure. One habit should be "comprehension of complicated processes."

Immortality   by Milan Kundera, 345 pages Steve Gadd   21 March 2002 The author needlessly inserts himself as a character in the story, despite the fact that most of the book is taken up by his ponderous musings on life and love anyway. Some parts are memorable, but I was often wishing for a bit more of the 'dramatic tension' the fictional author disparages.

Forty Words for Sorrow   by Giles Blunt, 355 pages Mike Gadd   27 March 2002

In Search of Schrödinger's Cat   by John Gribbin, 302 pages Steven Krise   30 March 2002 Engaging survey of the history of the theory of quantum mechanics. Oddly, focused more on the double-slit experiment (which Feynman calls *the* fundamental mystery in physics) than Schrödinger's Cat paradox. Finishes up with a whole chapter devoted to the Aspect experiments that offer final empirical evidence that the Copenhagen Interpretation (as odd as it may seem) is correct.

Run   by Douglas E. Winter, 390 pages Jeff Gadd   01 April 2002 Interesting book about a gunrunner where everybody is after him.

Engineers of Dreams   by Henry Petroski, 397 pages Steve Gadd   04 April 2002 A history of bridge building in America. Petroski presents the personalities and politics behind these great engineering achievements, including embarrassments such as Tacoma Narrows. Interesting to learn that one of the most serious dangers facing early bridgebuilders was the bends, which was known as 'caisson disease,' after the large structures built midriver to support a bridge.

Lady of Sherwood   by Jennifer Roberson, 373 pages A Bennett   11 April 2002 The author's name is "Rober-son," as in she "robbed" me of both my time and my innocence in putting this book into my hands to read. If my own mother had written this dreckish, stand-still narrative of Robin Hood and the Crown in 1199 after the death of Richard Plantagenant, I'd have to hate her, too. Necessary vocabulary: tonsure, garderobe.

In a Sunburned Country   by Bill Bryson, 331 pages Mike Gadd   17 April 2002

The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing   by Charlie Papazian, 398 pages Steven Krise   20 April 2002 The definitive how-to guide for the beginning brewer. Worth the price just for the recipes.

Pastime   by Robert B. Parker, 330 pages Mike Gadd   22 April 2002

The Age of Innocence   by Edith Wharton, 364 pages James Donahue   06 May 2002

Night Train   by Thomas F. Monteleone, 337 pages Jeff Gadd   13 May 2002 Scary book I don't want to be down in a subway for awhile.

The Panda's Thumb   by Steven J Gould, 343 pages Steven Krise   15 May 2002 From the most often misquoted paleontologist comes this collection of essays loosely connected by the theme that it is nature's imperfections that clinch the case for evolution. Highlights: page 41's discussion of the proliferation of geometric perfection in the absence of intelligent guidance and chapter 10's revelation of Teilhard de Chardin's role in the Piltdown hoax. And, of course, there's puncuated equilibrium. They're all puncuated equilibrium, you see.

Company Commander   by Charles B. Macdonald, 370 pages Jeff Gadd   24 May 2002 The author of this book was a captain in WWII when he turn 20.

City of Bones   by Michael Connelly, 394 pages Mike Gadd   25 May 2002 Another in the series of Harry Bosch crime solvers. There must be at least 7 by now. This one falls in the middle of the pack. It's a 25 year old murder case that strikes close to Harry's childhood. It didn't have the suspense of a current case where he's out there chasing the bad guy. His personal life never catches a break either. Still worth reading and I look forward to the next one.

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.

A Caress of Twighlight   by Laurell K. Hamilton, 326 pages Julie Gephart   02 June 2002 Proof that political maneuvering can be just as tedious in a faerie court as it is in a human court. Only perhaps with more sex.

The Killing Kind   by John Connelly, 388 pages Mike Gadd   11 June 2002 Part 3 of the Charlie 'Bird' Parker detective series. He see's dead people. He shoots bad guys. He lost his family in episode 1 and has spent his time trying to ease the suffering of innocent people. The bad guy in this book uses spiders to do his dirty work. This one is good enough to continue with number 4.

Buffy Sons of Entropy   by Christopher Golden & Nancy Holder, 317 pages Jeff Gadd   12 June 2002

The Red Tent   by Anita Diamant, 321 pages Mike Gadd   17 June 2002 This is the fictional story of the real person Dinah from the Old Testament. She was the only sister of Joseph (with his colorful coat) and only gets a brief mention in Genesis. The story puts you in her shoes and you get an entirely different perspective of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Even though it's entirely fictionalized, it adds dimension to these people you grew up hearing stories about. This book came highly recommended and it held up to expectations.

Angel Redemption   by Mel Odom, 305 pages Jeff Gadd   18 June 2002

At Play in Fields of the Lord   by Peter Matthiessen, 373 pages Kristin Schrock   24 June 2002 Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! The missionary from the west meets the mercenary from the east in a battle to the death in the jungles of Africa. Another book to feature an egret.

Midwives   by Chris Bohjalian, 372 pages Mike Gadd   25 June 2002 This book came highly recommended from the person who gave me 'The Red Tent', otherwise I wouldn't have touched it. I don't do 'Oprah' books. This one is about a midwife who loses a mom while delivering the child. It reads like it's 900 pages long. There's some slight payoff at the end, but the cost to get there is too great. It really bugs me that I have to finish a book no matter how bad it gets. How many days of my life have I lost because of this? Where's my intervention? There must be a self-help book out there to cure me. But what if I don't like it?

Misery   by Stephen King, 335 pages Jeff Gadd   26 June 2002 Creepy story about a insane No 1 fan of a book writer.

Dalva   by Jim Harrison, 324 pages Kristin Schrock   13 July 2002 This guy is really good. An epic tale about coming home and unearthing bodies in the cellar--literally. Unfortunately, it's a dual p.o.v and the second isn't as compelling as it throws in some journal entries about the last of the Sioux, Crazy Horse, and the Ghost Dance movement. Also, an egret shows up on page 103 (the fourth book in a row if you're keeping track). Recommended vocabulary: tendentious, pule

Fine Frights Stories that Scared Me.   by Story's Selected by Ramsey Campbell, 306 pages Jeff Gadd   14 July 2002 Short Scary storys selected by him as his favorites.

Cujo   by Stephen King, 301 pages Jeff Gadd   16 July 2002 A scary book about a boys dog who gets infected with rabies.

The Hobbit   by J.R.R. Tolkien, 333 pages Mike Gadd   16 July 2002 What can I say about 'The Hobbit'? I'm probably one of the last to read it. Of the people I talk to about it it seems the ones who had to read it in school liked it less than those who chose to read it. It's not a bad story, all in all. I have a copy of 'The Lord of the Rings' at home but it's over 1000 pages and the type is half the size. I don't want to spend the next two months reading it- Jeff's too far ahead as it is. I'm hearing so many good things about the movie that just came out I may read it just to see how close it comes to the story.

Thirteen   by T. Pines, 330 pages Jeff Gadd   29 July 2002 Thirteen short horror stories this guy like from other author's .

Night Screams   by Ed Gorman& Martin H. Greenberg, 342 pages Jeff Gadd   29 July 2002 22 More scary story's from more author's.

STALAG LUFT III   by Arthur A. Durand, 392 pages Jeff Gadd   16 August 2002 If you like the Great Escape movie you will like this book.

The Rhymer and the Ravens   by Jodie Forrest, 333 pages Julie Gephart   17 August 2002 Novelization of the ancient Celtic legend of Tomas the Rhymer. This novel also adds some Norse mythology when Tomas is sent to steal Thought and Memory, twin ravens belonging to Odin.

Fast Food Nation   by Eric Schlosser, 356 pages Mike Gadd   21 August 2002 There are some serious and downright shocking problems in the food industry in this country. Too many issues to sum up here. Consider this though: Beef for school lunches is purchased on the basis of lowest price. This beef is the most likely to contain deadly pathogens, as well as pieces of spinal cord, bone, and gristle. Cattle that are diseased or already dead are also used. What''s wrong with this picture? Until 1997 livestock were fed rendered remains of cats and dogs, purchased from animal shelters. Now it''s just pigs, horses and chicken. Cows are not designed to eat meat. They are pumped up with growth hormones to compensate. Slaughterhouses are allowed to inspect their own facilities. Meat that is left hanging too long before being cleaned is sold to other companies to be used under another name. It goes on and on. Not everything I learned is gross, just the parts I''ll remember for a long time.

Kant and the Fate of Autonomy   by Karl Americks, 351 pages James Donahue   22 August 2002 Americks aptly relates the misreadings and outright disagreements that Kant's successors had with Kant himself. Focuses on Fichte, Reinhold, and Hegel. Dense but worth it.

Apollyon   by Tim LaHaye Jerry Jenkins, 399 pages Jeff Gadd   28 August 2002 The fifth in the Left Behind series which is very good to read and is interesting.

The Democratization of American Christianity   by Nathan Hatch, 304 pages James Donahue   28 August 2002 A classic text in its field. Explores how revolutionary politics changed American Protestantism into something quite unique on the world stage. Specific topics: how love for the common man spurred anti-intellectualism, anti-clericalism, and anti-denominationalism; how revivalism and the disestablishment of religion led to endless fracturing and cults of personality; the ties between Jeffersonian politics and Baptist policies. Shows that fundamentalism, charismaticism, and non-denominationalism are not new in America, but have centuries-old roots. I was surprised that many voices from the 18th century could have spoken in Cedarville last weekend.

Lafayette in Two Worlds   by Lloyd Kramer, 352 pages James Donahue   31 August 2002 A biographical account of the adult Lafayette, with particular attention to his symbolic/political role in the two 18th-century revolutions.

A Rumor of War   by Philip Caputo, 328 pages Jeff Gadd   03 September 2002 A young lieutenant in the Vietnam war and his experience there.

White as Snow   by Tanith Lee, 319 pages Julie Gephart   07 September 2002 A 'dark retelling' of the Snow White story blended with the myth of Persephone. Also, boring. If your main characters spend the whole book in an insane stupor where they don't care about anything that happens to them, I certainly don't care either.

The Warslayer   by Rosemary Edghill, 312 pages Julie Gephart   08 September 2002 A delightful romp in the vein of Galaxy Quest meets Xena: Warrior Princess. A third-rate Aussie actress is spirited away to a world in desperate need of a hero.

Old English Literature, Twenty-two Analytical Essays   by Martin Stevens & Jerome Mandel (Eds.), 330 pages Steven Krise   08 September 2002 The title seems a bit overbearing but it's accurate for this in-depth and comprehensive set of essays. Detailed analysis of numerous Old English poems which probably gives a good overview of the consensus in the field at the time when the book was published (1968).

An Autobiography   by Lee Iacocca, 341 pages Steve Gadd   09 September 2002 The savior of Chrysler tells his side of the story at Ford, how he rose through the ranks with hard work and great success, only to be fired by a paranoid Henry Ford. Includes Iacocca's argument in favor of a government bailout for Chrysler, despite being a champion of the free-enterprise system, and a chapter against airbags, written before Chrysler's about-face on that topic.

Slave Religion: The 'Invisible Institution' in the Antebellum South   by Albert Raboteau, 373 pages James Donahue   11 September 2002

Call Each River Jordan   by Owen Parry, 321 pages Mike Gadd   11 September 2002 I love the way this guy writes. It's almost as good as Charles Frazier's 'Cold Mountain'. I could find pleasure in reading this guy's grocery list. This is the 3rd story in the series about Abel Jones. Abel is a soldier under the direct employment of President Lincoln. He's in charge of solving some of the more difficult mysteries the union army doesn't have time for. The story is secondary to the style. If you fall in the group that loved 'Cold Mountain' then this author is well worth a look. If you didn't, well, you have bigger problems than I can help you with.

The Killer Angels   by Michael Shaara, 360 pages Jeff Gadd   12 September 2002 A book about the famous Gettysburg fight and how both sides saw it at the end.

The Darker Side Generations of Horror   by John Pelan, 386 pages Jeff Gadd   16 September 2002

Paris to the Moon   by Adam Gopnik, 338 pages James Donahue   19 September 2002 A really delightful series of essays by an American writer who moves to Paris with wife and kid in order to live the un-American life. (At one point, he cites his strone desire to raise a child without Barney around.) Each sentence is a gem, written with an eye to the same detail that makes all the difference. The essays cover a span of about four years, and it wonderful to see his development into an emigree. Having spent some time in Paris, the best damn city on earth, I loved the way he focuses on the small epicurean delights of the city: the views, the food, the joie de vivre, the cheese, the small hidden agoras. Gopnik also does an excellent job of making the French seem rational to Americans; he explains the French love of strikes, hatred of sports, and history of culinary pursuits. A great book that at least Gareth must read. (Seeing as how he's only read 'two' books this year; what's up with that Garf-man?)

Tender Is the Night   by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 315 pages Kristin Schrock   19 September 2002 The story of the disintegrating marriage of Dr. Dick Diver and his crazy wife Nicole (read: Fitzgerald and his crazy wife Zelda). It captures the poignancy, but the novel lacks structure and meanders.

Heaven Below: Early Pentecostals and American Culture   by Grant Wacker, 357 pages James Donahue   25 September 2002 An excellent and comprehensive description of early Pentecostalism. The phenomenon really amazes. Absorbing read. Written by someone who grew up within the (anti)tradition.

A Farewell to Arms   by Ernest Hemingway, 314 pages Steve Gadd   30 September 2002 Classic tragedy, a bit flat on the romance.

Hearse of a Different Color   by Tim Cockey, 382 pages Mike Gadd   01 October 2002 Another go-round with the undertaker who fancies himself as a detective. Many local Baltimore references were the highlight.

The InDwelling   by Tim Lahaue J,B. Jenkins, 388 pages Jeff Gadd   07 October 2002 The seventh of the series of Left Behind and I still like them all.

Revive Us Again: The Reawakening of American Fundamentalism   by Joel Carpenter, 317 pages James Donahue   09 October 2002 The book is meant to the continuation of Marsden's "Fundamentalism and American Culture." Carpenter examines how fundamentalism went underground after the Scopes trial to create a viable subculture only to re-emerge in the 1950s and even more so in the 1980s under Jerry Falwell. The book is esquisite, written by an ex-fundamentalist who is now the provost at Calvin College. I really recommend this book to those interested in a historical sense to the Cedarville experience.

The Bird Yard   by Julia Wallis Martin, 340 pages Mike Gadd   09 October 2002 What a treat it is to get a book that's this good when you're not expecting much of anything. Rather creepy and extremely British. I almost needed an english/american dictionary to figure out what they were talking about.

A Brother's Blood   by Michael C. White, 323 pages Mike Gadd   16 October 2002 This has to be the slowest moving whodunit I've ever read. The subject matter seemed reasonable enough, it just went nowhere and took too long to get there. I did learn that there was a POW camp in Maine that held Germans during WWII. For the story, a prisoner escapes and drowns in a nearby lake. Jump to present day and the prisoner's brother is in town asking questions about what happened. Nobody's talking. Not a good way to move a book along. The story leaked out like it was being leached from a stone.

Bitter Blood   by Karen E. Taylor, 319 pages Jeff Gadd   17 October 2002 Next of Deirdre Griffin where she has to come back in New York,cause more vampires are killing people she knows.

Cameron's Closet   by Gary Brandner, 314 pages Jeff Gadd   22 October 2002 A kid's imaginary playmate comes to real but is not very friendly to people.

The Mark   by Tim Lahaue J,B. Jenkins, 325 pages Jeff Gadd   27 October 2002 The 8th of the series and the beast of the world want's to leave his mark literally.

Lolita   by Vladimir Nabokov, 309 pages Kristin Schrock   29 October 2002 This, as you can imagine, is a difficult book to read. Humbert is both repulsive and sympathetic which makes for an interesting, complex, unreliable narrator. On the cover, Vanity Fair proclaims that this is the most believable love story of the 20th century? That can't possibly be true, right? What does that say about the 20th century?

The Cave   by Anne McLean Matthews, 311 pages Jeff Gadd   01 November 2002 A woman terrifying experience with a diabolical killer,who waits in a cabin she rented and plays cat and mouse with her to the end.

Split: A Counterculture Childhood   by Lisa Michaels, 307 pages Julie Gephart   03 November 2002 The author recalls her childhood spent at political rallies, communes, and traveling the country in an old milk truck. Then she grows into a pretentious college student, and it the book takes a turn toward the tedious.

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 Haunt   by J.N.Williamson, 356 pages Jeff Gadd   05 November 2002 The Kidd's house seems normal,but something that does not live or is dead haunts the family in their house. The thing hates them and cause them misery alot.

The Book of Jerry Falwell: Fundamentalist Language and Politics   by Susan Harding, 312 pages James Donahue   06 November 2002

Papa Hemingway   by A. E. Hotchner, 335 pages Steve Gadd   06 November 2002 The last 15 years of Hemingway's life, as chronicled by one of his closest companions. Hemingway planned both his work and his leisure with military rigor, counting both as essential parts of a good life. The result is an impressive itinerary: spring in Paris at the racetrack, summer following bullfighters in Spain, fall hunting in Ketchum, and winter entertaining celebrities at the Cuban finca. "Hotch" freely admits his admiration for Papa, but is also quite frank in describing the sad descent into paranoia leading to the author's suicide in 1961.

Chasing the Dime   by Michael Connelly, 372 pages Mike Gadd   07 November 2002 I've read 11 Connelly books up to now and I've enjoyed them all. Some were better than others but they were all worth reading. Until now. What a dud. It's as if he lent his name out to some high school kid and let him right a story. This book introduced a new main character and I wish he had been killed off at the end. I hope we don't see any more with this guy. In April another book comes out with the previous character and we can get back on track.

Among the Thugs   by Bill Buford, 313 pages Tony Pisarenkov   10 November 2002 A fascinating, if stomach-churning, look at the phenomenon of English football hooligans

The Razor's Edge   by W. Somerset Maugham, 314 pages Kristin Schrock   19 November 2002 Part of my "It's Good to Read Good Books" Program. I'm not sure how good it is. This one involves a lot of speechifying about how to live a fulfilling life: being a part of society, marrying well, or dedicating your life to enlightenment. Remarkable for one paragraph in which the author says, "You can skip this next part if you want. It has nothing to with the plot, but is the reason I wrote the book." (or something like that). He was right. That part was very long and very dull.

Neither Right Nor Left   by Zeev Sternhill, 379 pages James Donahue   27 November 2002 Traces the French roots of fascism to demostrate the popular support for Vichy.

Night Shift   by Stephen King, 326 pages Jeff Gadd   28 November 2002 Some scary short story's from Stephen King.

Blindsighted   by Karin Slaughter, 393 pages Mike Gadd   04 December 2002 Not a bad rookie effort but it certainly won't have 'Patricia Cornwell glancing nervously in her rearview mirror' as the book jacket claims. Characters are too one-dimensional and the climax falls flat. How lame is it to have the bad guy drown because he can't swim? We're supposed to be satisfied by this? I think I'll likely pass on book 2.

From Liberalism to Fascism   by Robert Passmore, 314 pages James Donahue   05 December 2002 Another book on French fascism. Sense a term paper coming up?

Chocolat   by Joanne Harris, 320 pages Kristin Schrock   06 December 2002 I did not see the movie, but from the previews it seemed like "Juliette Binoche turns everyone into sex crazed chocolate fiends". Not that that's a bad thing. But the book isn't like that at all. In fact, hardly anyone gets some. Here's the gist: the Church is bad. Chocolate is good. Thus endeth the lesson.

Atom   by Lawrence Krauss, 305 pages Steven Krise   08 December 2002 A history of the universe as told through the "eyes" of an oxygen atom bound in a water molecule in the Super-Kamiokande neutrino detector in Japan. By glossing over hundreds of milions of years in a chapter, the author allows the reader to get a sense of the rhythms of cosmic evolution. Most interesting was the discussion of the origin of life on Earth.

Prey   by Michael Crichten, 367 pages Mike Gadd   09 December 2002 Very disappointing. I expected a much better effort. The subject matter seemed so promising too. It wasn't for a lack of research on his part, it just wasn't a very good story. 'Timeline' was so much better. Maybe next time.

Ops Center Line of Control   by Tom Clancy, 372 pages Jeff Gadd   10 December 2002 Terrorist from Pakistan bomb a building in India, but the terrorists are blamed for two other explosions they didn't do,by India. But countries want to go to war with each other. Striker compony is call in from USA to stop this war. Can they do it in time?

The New Faithful: Why Young Adults are Embracing Christian Orthodoxy   by Colleen Carroll, 320 pages James Donahue   26 December 2002 The book is a bit sloppy and meandering; some of her language-use is imprecise (especially about postmodernism) and some of the chapters repeat information previously said. All that being said, this is a wonderfully provocative book. I never have considered myself to be a member of a movement or of my generation, yet I clearly saw myself reflected in the people documented in this book. Carroll explores the recent phenomenon of people our age converting to more liturgical, more conservative, and more traditional faith, and by so doing rediscovering the classical themes and emotions of historical Christianity. I recommend this read to anyone interested in this phenomenon and to anyone who's always been intrigued by the possibility of converting to a more orthodox (by which I mean: traditional)faith.

Chocolat   by Joanne Harris, 306 pages Steve Gadd   26 December 2002 A small French town is transformed by the arrival of Vianne Rocher and her chocolate shop. Opposed by the local priest and his minions, she eventually prevails, armed with her tasty morsels. Now what's this about Juliette Binoche?

After Our Likeness: The Church as the Image of the Trinity   by Miroslav Volf, 306 pages James Donahue   31 December 2002 Volf contends for an ecclesiology modelled after trinitarian relationality, perichoretical personhood, and social constructionism. By doing so, Volf is able to affirm a Free-Church ecclesiastical reality with Catholic and Orthodox sensibilities. Throughout Volf is in excellent dialogue with Catholic, Orthodox, and Baptist theologians; one could read the book only for the comparative ecclesiologies of these traditions and be well satisfied. Definite influence of Barth and Moltmann on his theology.

Prey   by Michael Crichton, 363 pages Jeff Gadd   31 December 2002 Not one of my favorite M.C. books, but interesting enough. Of Course I don't Know what Nanotechnology is or what a Nanoparticles were or how they worked them. A book for technologics for sure.

Echo Burning   by Lee Child, 354 pages Mike Gadd   08 January 2003 This book about made me sweat. It takes place in the heart of Texas in the middle of summer. The vivid descriptions of the 115 degree heat made me forget it was winter outside. Good story too. Tough guy/drifter gets picked up by a desperate woman who claims her husband beats her and she's got nowhere to go. He goes home with her and takes care of business.

The Future of the Past   by Alexander Stille, 339 pages James Donahue   12 January 2003 In a truly fascinating book, Stille examines the future fate of things from the past. Chapters are grouped around one vestige and can be read separately; topics include spoken Latin, Chinese artifacts, the library of Alexandria (or at least its concept), the Vatican library, the forests of Madagascar, and the disintegrating Sphinx. Stille ends with a profound essay on the challenges posed to historicity in a postmodern and digital age.

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.

Philosophy of Right   by G.W.F. Hegel, 380 pages James Donahue   28 January 2003

Kisscut   by MS. Karin Slaughter, 359 pages Mike Gadd   06 February 2003 Everybody duck, this book is flying out the window. Ptooey, blech and ugh. What a pile of detritus. The first book by this author was tight, fast-paced, and a nice read. This book goes so far beyond the sophomore slump, it basically killed the series for me. Hopefully this will be the worst book I read this year.

Freud on Women   by ed. Elisabeth Young-Bruehl, 375 pages James Donahue   15 February 2003 A helpful compilation and assessment of Freud's writings on women.

Heart of the Matter   by Graham Greene, 306 pages Kristin Schrock   17 February 2003 It took me about 100 pages to figure out exactly what the heart of the matter was. Basically, Scobie, the most honest police officer in British run Africa, is slowly corrupted by his intense desire not to be the cause of unhappiness to those he loves. Something like that. Okay, I still don't know what it was about. But it had this wonderful sentence in it: "He watched her go out of the dark office like fifteen wasted years."

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.

Photographing Fairies   by Steve Szilagyi, 321 pages A Bennett   25 February 2003 Despite the title, this is not a fantasy novel. In death/spiritualism-obsessed Victorian London, a failed American painter (and now portrait photographer), Charles Castle’s life starts coming apart, just at about the time a strange country constable brings him photographic ‘evidence’ that fairies exist. A few visits with Arthur Conan Doyle later, and Castle is convinced that the photographs just *might* be real. Grasping at what he sees as his last possible moment to save himself from artistic and financial ruin, he hops a train to the country desperate to prove the phenomenon with his own photographs. Along the way he is robbed, beaten, seduced, enlightened, and never manages to photograph a single fairy. The book is “written,” or, as he later confesses, ‘thought’ on the last night of his life, hours before he is to hang from the gallows for a murder that he did not, in fact, commit. Did he find what he was looking for? The proof he sought? Possibly. Is he simply a madman trying to convince readers he was an innocent pawn caught in supernatural happenings far beyond his—or any mere mortal’s--control? Possibly. Based on a version of actual events. Necessary vocabulary: diaspora, concomitant, homunculi. Also, along the way, Castle shares helpful ‘tips’ for the up-and-coming Victorian-era photographer. No, seriously. I’m not making that up.

Andersen's Fairy Tales   by Hans Christian Andersen, 327 pages Jeff Gadd   27 February 2003 More Fairy tales and more plots! I still don't get them, but they make me know that I am too old for them now!!!

The Fermata   by Nicholson Baker, 303 pages Steve Gadd   13 March 2003 The dust jacket spells it out: "Arno Strine likes to stop time and take women's clothes off. He is hard at work on his autobiography." Perhaps you have wondered what you would do if you could stop time and move around the frozen world. Baker answers the question, assuming the time-stopper is a friendly, lonely man with raging hormones. The titillating conversation that worked in Vox just doesn't come off when the character is actually misbehaving and not just fantasizing about it. Baker seems to realize this and frames the explicit scenes in recordings, fictions within the fiction, and an entire chapter written with conditional verbs. Except for the overindulgence in puns, the writing is still good. It just reads too much like a test to see how much the author could get away with in a Random House book.

Saddam's Bombmaker   by Khidhir Hamza and Jeff Stein, 337 pages Tony Pisarenkov   18 March 2003 The story of Iraq's nuclear weapons program written by its chief scientist, who escaped after the bomb was perfected to the point that only its excessive size prevented it from being mounted on a missile. The story of the escape alone makes the book worth reading, but what it tells about how Saddam and his system operates makes it essential reading given today's (literally) situation.

Player Piano   by Kurt Vonnegut, 341 pages Kristin Schrock   24 March 2003 I love Kurt Vonnegut, but this one doesn't have the zip of his other works. He creates a dystopia in which the world is run by managers and engineers and machines replace the workforce (so, really, it's a sort of "work sucks" book). The dramatic oomph of the book rests with our hero who is continually faced with choices but through circumstances is never allowed to make them. Also, he may or may not hate his father (which may be buried in most of Vonnegut's books).

In A Place Dark and Secret   by Phillip Finch, 313 pages Jeff Gadd   25 March 2003 A man named Joseph Sherk loss of a daughter from a house fire, but after awhile he thinks his daughter is still alive, and goes looking for her.

In a Strange City   by MS. Laura Lippman, 376 pages Mike Gadd   25 March 2003 Decent enough story once you got into it. It tended to get a little too descriptive with details that had nothing to do with the story. The author must have been paid by the page.

Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil   by John Berendt, 386 pages Steven Krise   30 March 2003 The movie is much better.

The Final Detail   by Harlan Coben, 372 pages Mike Gadd   02 April 2003 Despite starting this series six books in I quite enjoyed this story. High levels of sarcasm and dry wit kept the story flowing nicely.

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.

Ghoul   by Michael Slade, 380 pages Jeff Gadd   15 April 2003 A very nasty killer who comes out of the sewers of London,and starts killing people in different ways to throw off the police.

Nietzsche: A Philosophical Biography   by Rudiger Safranski, 371 pages James Donahue   17 April 2003 An excellent biography that concentrates on his ideas and not on his moral worth, sexual issues, or creeping insanity. Safranski places Nietzsche within his historical and social world while explaining what made him unique. The final chapter, which assesses his influence on twentieth-century scholarship, is alone worth the read.

Dancing with the Virgins   by Stephen Booth, 379 pages Mike Gadd   18 April 2003 Another solid effort from the writer of 'Black Dog'. Plenty of characters to keep you guessing, but plausible enough to be satisfying.

Green River Rising   by Tim Willocks, 384 pages Mike Gadd   29 April 2003 Gritty, disturbing, and extremely well done story about a group of prisoners in a Texas state pen trying to survive a riot. Good pace and nice ending.

O Pioneers!   by Willa Cather, 309 pages Kristin Schrock   19 May 2003 My favorite book with an exclamation point in the title. What I learned: visionary people live lonely lives; and the combination of passionate love and youth=violent death.

Eastward to Tartary   by Robert Kaplan, 347 pages Tony Pisarenkov   20 May 2003 Covering a bit of the Balkans but primarily Turkey, the Middle East and formerly Soviet Caucusus and Central Asia, this is a worthy follow-up to Kaplan's now classic "Balkan Ghosts." A tad less incisive, perhaps, than the earlier volume, and, sadly, lacking the fascinating photography of "Ghosts," it is still a brilliant synthesis of ancient and recent history with a shrewd political, social and cultural analysis of the current situations in the places he covers, all written with great flair and ending with a note of caution about the West's mishandling of many of the unstable parts of the world -- a warning especially relevant today. Essential reading.

Slicky Boys   by Martin Limon, 387 pages Mike Gadd   27 May 2003 A soldier is murdered in post-war Korea and the investigator thinks the perp is a 'slicky boy'. Slicky boys are the kids who sneak into the army supply buildings and steal only 4% of the inventory. That's the limit of what's is written off as loss and replaced without question. I almost learned some Korean reading this.

The French Lieutenant's Woman   by John Fowles, 366 pages Steven Krise   29 May 2003 I don't think the author really flipped a coin.

The Flying Inn   by G.K. Chesterton, 320 pages James Donahue   02 June 2003 In a novel antithetical to Rushdie's novels of identity-melange, Chesterton protests against the encrouchment of Islamic ideas and culture on Christendom. The plot revolves around an act of Prohibition passed by Parliament that first confiscates tavern signs and then makes it illegal to serve drink without such a sign. Our two heroes steal a sign and travel through the countryside serving rum and cheese, singing songs and satirizing aristocrats; hence "the flying inn." Part of the humor of the book, for me, stems from the denunciation of temperate Evangelicalism as "Chrislam." And the book certainly is relevant once again in the current, to copy a buzzphrase, "clash of cultures." Yet the book left me wondering: am I too PC to truly enjoy such goodhearted and boistrous defence of Western culture?

See No Evil   by Robert Baer, 320 pages Erik Bauer   02 June 2003 Book written by former CIA middle east agent. Wonderful insight into workings of CIA within a very interesting context of the Middle East in the 80s and 90s. The book definitely gave me a different view of mideast and islamic problems, but as a full blown government employee, I already figured the CIA was screwed up like the rest of the federal bureaucracy.

The Rites of Spring   by Modris Eksteins, 362 pages James Donahue   03 June 2003 Simply the best general history of WWI that I've read. Eksteins examines the cultural and intellectual impact of the mass, mechanized devastation of the Great War, seamlessly weaving together pre- and post-war events such as the Russian Ballet, Lindburgh, the Nazi phenomenon, and the Charleston craze.

Lost Light   by Michael Connelly, 360 pages Mike Gadd   04 June 2003 Harry Bosch is back. Thank goodness. The last Connelly book was so incredibly awful I'm choosing to forget that he wrote it. This book had a wonderful ending that had nothing to do with the main story.

The Edible Woman   by Margaret Atwood, 312 pages Kristin Schrock   09 June 2003 All the Atwoodisms are here: intelligent woman, satirical socio-economic observations, profound metaphors. The problem? It's incredibly, incredibly boring. I kept thinking, Mags, what's the haps? I was relieved to discover that this was her first novel. So she got better. Maybe I'll bring it up when I SEE her in Canada: So, Mags, your first book, not so hot. What happened?

Utopia   by Lincoln Child, 385 pages Mike Gadd   18 June 2003 Like Michael Crichten's "Prey", this one gets lost in all the special effects and techno-speak. It takes place in a futuristic amusement park where someone is trying to steal the technology and tear the place down. Are we supposed to care about robots as characters?

Without Fail   by Lee Child, 374 pages Mike Gadd   25 June 2003 This is book number 5 and they just keep getting better. Jack Reacher's motto is 'hit them hard, hit them fast, hit them a lot'. He's hired by the Secret Service to see if he can get through their defenses and get to the Vice President only to find out that there's someone out there trying to do just that.

Why Girls are Weird   by Pamela Ribon, 312 pages Julie Gephart   27 June 2003 One of my favorite internet writers goes offline to write this loosely autobiographical novel about a humor writer whose personal life is decidedly less than humorous. There was a little less fun and a little more father-dying angst than I was prepared for.

Honor's Kingdom   by Owen Parry, 328 pages Mike Gadd   06 July 2003 To put it simply, this guy has my number. I cherish reading his stories. The lead character is just what I like. The writing style is gorgeous. I must include a CostCo free sample: "The inspector's eyebrows stood to attention, thick as a rank of bayonets on parade. Outposts of his whiskers, they were, detailed to guard his forehead." You get that on page 5. It only gets better. Was there a story here? I think so. I don't know that it mattered. Not to me anyhow.

Till We Have Faces   by C.S. Lewis, 313 pages Erik Bauer   07 July 2003 Lewis reshapes the tale of Cupid and Psyche and manages to dig some deep allegory.

Spectacular Happiness   by Peter D. Kramer, 313 pages Tony Pisarenkov   10 July 2003 A novel about an aging sixties' radical turned latter-day terrorist who blows up Cape Cod mansions as a sign of protest against private propery and excesses of wealth. A few secondary themes resonate quite well, and there are a few compelling characters, but the story turns more than faintly ridiculous at the end, and there is an obvious sense of the author's own Marxism oozing out of his characters' actions. I got a distinct impression that he really wanted his readers to agree that the way of renouncing material wealth for social good was morally superior, but the actual statement the book made, to me at least, was "damed if you do, damned if you don't."

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).

Tell No One   by Harlen Coben, 370 pages Mike Gadd   16 July 2003 A story about a doctor whose wife was murdered 8 years ago trying to get on with his life. He gets a strange email that links him to a web cam where he sees his wife face the camera and say "I'm sorry". Strange things happen and he ends up falsely accused and on the run. The story pretzeled up a little too much by the time it ended.

Oryx & Crake   by Margaret Atwood, 374 pages Kristin Schrock   21 July 2003 This is Atwood in sci-fi mode. It's the end of the world, as we know it (and I feel fine). Snowman (our main character) thinks he's the last human on earth. Oryx and Crake (the love of his life and his best friend, respectively) are dead. He's the caretaker of Crake's newly created humanoid beings. He spends a lot of time lost in the past before and after things went terribly, terribly wrong. This one may go to the top of the list of books with frustrating (dare I say, infuriating) endings. What am I supposed to make of the last line: "Zero hour. Time to go." Go where? Do what? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? Is this hopeful? Is Snowman about to talk a walk out into the ocean? I have no idea. So, although the writing is quite good (Mags never lets me down, there), I can't really recommend this one.

Sniper's Moon   by Carsten Stroud, 370 pages Mike Gadd   22 July 2003 I was halfway done with this one and I left it at home when we went on vacation. I picked it up 5 days later and continued where I left off. I'm sure I lost some of the effect as a result. Having another 'falsely accused and on the run" didn't help.

Motherless Brooklyn   by Jonathan Lethem, 311 pages Kristin Schrock   29 July 2003 From the title, I was expecting a very heartfelt, deeply pretentious book. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was a sort of noir detective story. With a twist. The main character has Tourrette's. A compelling story that only fell apart towards the end when we sort of lose touch with the main character and the story is chiefly driven by tying up loose ends. Maybe that's the problem with detective stories in general. But here's a line I dug: "Guilt never tires, learns nothing."

Lizardskin   by Carsten Stroud, 374 pages Mike Gadd   07 August 2003 Another decent book in search of a better title. Not nearly as good as 'Black Water Transit'.

Thus Spoke Zarathustra   by Friedrich Nietszche, 343 pages Steven Krise   11 August 2003 F so obviously left it wide open for a sequel by ending his opus at the dawn before the Great Noontide. I hear Arnold Schwarzenegger is thinking about starring in the movie version of the second book, "Also Sprach Zarathustra - Ich komme wieder".

Christianity and Revolutionary Europe (1750-1830)   by Nigel Aston, 348 pages James Donahue   12 August 2003 This volume is one of a series entitled "New Approaches to European History." I'm not sure why an approach which takes the overwhelming influence of Christian thought, practice, and conviction seriously is "new." Yet the book does just that for the French Revolutionary period. An excellent study, even if a bit dry and text-bookish.

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.

The Dream Drugstore   by J Allan Hobson, 333 pages Steven Krise   18 August 2003 "In this extraordinary volume, Hobson links the mental changes that are common to dreaming, psychosis, and the actions of psychedelic drugs..." using his 3-dimensional AIM model. A truly interesting book in that Hobson actually addresses how changes in brain state link to changes in the *experience* of consciousness. Highly recommended to any interested in mind-brain studies.

CSI: Double Dealer   by Max Allan Collins, 310 pages Steven Krise   27 August 2003 Man, it's been slow here lately. Barely half a dozen books in two weeks. This was a fun, quick, easy crime drama read based on the CBS series. Noteworthy item, the author also wrote "Road to Perdition".

Deal Breaker   by Harlan Coben, 343 pages Mike Gadd   11 September 2003 Another go with the sports agent crime fighter. Enough sarcastic banter for even me.

Reaper Man   by Terry Pratchett, 374 pages Steven Krise   19 September 2003 Commentary on the evils of suburbanization and Wal-Mart culture, I think? Another witty, off-the-wall story by Pratchett complete with the Zombie ringleader of the Undead Rights movement, a shy bogeyman who comes "out of the closet" and a wereman.

The Eyre Affair   by Jasper Fforde, 376 pages Kristin Schrock   19 September 2003 A criminal mastermind is kidnapping characters from novels and holding them for ransom--and now he's after Jane Eyre! The middle and ending aren't as groovy as the beginning, but there's a scene wherein Richard III is performed like Rocky Horror Picture show. It would probably only appeal to lit geeks, but fun enough that I might check out the second in the series.

Army Blue   by Lucian K. Truscott IV, 381 pages Jeff Gadd   25 September 2003 Lt. Matthew Blue IV is being court-martialed for deserting from the enemy in Vietnam, but the trial has a lot of twists to it. Is he innocent or guilty? A great book.

Bluebeard   by Kurt Vonnegut, 318 pages Kristin Schrock   25 September 2003 I loved Breakfast of Champions and Slaughterhouse 5, so everytime I crack open another Vonnegut book I keep hoping to experience the same joy. Alas, this was not it. A pleasant enough read about Abstract Painting, World War 2, and, because this is Kurt Vonnegut, disappointed fathers.

Studies in the Intellectual History of Japan   by Maseo Maruyama, 376 pages James Donahue   30 September 2003 In contrast to Bellah, MM provides a nuanced account of the thought of late medieval Japan. Thesis: that as medieval society dissolved, thinkers became aware that society was not natural, rather that it was something to invent, manipulate, and ground in personal authority. Written against the background of WWII, it serves as a lament for the inherently religio-authoritarian aspects of Japanese society. Readable by those with no background in Japanese philosophy (although knowledge of German helps).

The Death of Vishnu   by Manil Suri, 304 pages Jaqi Ross   01 October 2003 Started as a short story in 1995. Inspired by the death of an actual man named Vishnu who had lived (and died) on the steps of the Bombay apartment building in Suri grew up.

Memoirs of an Invisible Man   by H F Saint, 396 pages Steven Krise   04 October 2003 Thrilling story of the adventures of an invisible securities analyst. It is amazing the extent to which Saint thought about the psychology of being invisible. It goes without saying that the book is about 8000 times better than the Chevy Chase / Daryl Hannah movie version.

Burn Factor   by Kyle Mills, 353 pages Steven Krise   23 October 2003 "If you haven't read Kyle Mills yet, you should--I do." It's funny that Tom Clancy, a) uses a run-on sentence and b) thinks I care what he reads. The lame cover quotes aside, the book was pretty good. Go ahead, be like Tom and me. Read the damned book.

Tropic of Capricorn   by Henry Miller, 346 pages Tony Pisarenkov   25 October 2003 Advertised as a sequel of sorts to "Tropic of Cancer," and sometimes described as Miller's take on his life in New York the same way the earlier novel related his life in Paris, "Tropic of Capricorn" is in fact nothing of the sort. Expansively auto-biographical, it is written in an even more stream-of-consciousness fashion than the earlier work, so much so sometimes that I could not help concluding that Miller was on some fairly heavy drugs when writing certain passages. Still, his extreme nihilism and misanthropy come through readily, frequently in amounts that could be too much for some, and that is what makes the book powerful in the end. You have to admire his ability to deliver such an amazing lack of anything even remotely positive.

Germans Jews in Germany   by Uriel Tal , 321 pages James Donahue   30 October 2003 Tal provdes an excellent backdrop to the Holocaust by examining German-Jewish relations in the Second Reich. Tal's unique strength in this all-too-commonly-poorly-done field is to treat ideas and people simultaneously instead of relying upon such bodiless abstractions as "Judaism," "anti-Semitism," or "Christian."

The Dark Bride: A Novel   by Laura Restrepo, 368 pages Jaqi Ross   01 November 2003 Using a series of subtly textured interviews, Restrepo’s journalist protagonist mines a rich trove of characters—fortune hunters, guerrilla chiefs, refinery workers, and prostitutes—who, together with the narrator, attempt to decipher the impulsive and mysterious life of the young Sayonara, the unlikely heroine of The Dark Bride.

A Nervous Splendor: Vienna 1888-1889   by Frederic Morton, 317 pages Tony Pisarenkov   05 November 2003 Loosely centered around the controversy-ridden life and suicide of Crown Prince Rudolph, "A Nervous Splendor" cronicles, without deep analysis but with great narrative flair, cultural, political and scientific events in Vienna during a single year, summer of 1888 through summer of 1889, with the implicit conclusion that these events were instrumental in shaping the history of the twentieth century in Europe. Principal personalities, in addition to Rudolph, include Freud, Brahms, Klimt, Bruckner, Schnitzler, Mahler, Herzl and Kaiser Wilhelm, among others. Not for the dedicated historian, but immensely informative in a journalistic sort of way, and a real page-turner. Highly recommended.

Life of Pi   by Yann Martel, 326 pages Mike Gadd   14 November 2003 Top 10 all time. What a wonderful story. My only complaint was that it was too short. Even better when you don't read the back jacket beforehand.

Learned Pigs & Fireproof Women   by Ricky Jay, 313 pages Steve Gadd   23 November 2003 Ricky Jay, an accomplished sleight-of-hand artist and card thrower, describes in fascinating detail a variety of sideshow attractions and show business oddities. Arthur Lloyd carried thousands of cards and documents in his pockets and could present any document an audience member requested instantly. Performers with every variety of missing limbs entertained with their musical and acrobatic skills. Others ate stones and poisons, baked themselves in ovens, or dove from great heights into shallow pools. The book ends with the story of Joseph Pujol, a fartiste known as Le Pétomane whose act consisted of breaking wind with the sound of animals or musical numbers.

Cold Mountain   by Charles Frazier, 356 pages Mike Gadd   26 November 2003 Still the best book ever. Frazier is the master of quality metaphors and similes. There's at least 2 on each page. I wanted to read it one more time before the movie come out later this month.

VB COM   by Who Cares?, 344 pages Steven Krise   09 December 2003 I can't believe I haven't discovered Property Set() before this. Btw, howda you like a book that has all acronyms in its title?

The Laughing Corpse   by Laurell K. Hamilton, 320 pages Julie Gephart   14 December 2003 “She was gazing at him with a look I had seen in other women. Adoration, love. I’d even experienced it myself for a brief time in college. You get over it.” Second in the Anita Blake series. Still good. I love the fact that even though Anita collects powerful friends, she still gets out of every situation on her own, bullet wounds and all.

Kate Remembered   by A. Scott Berg, 384 pages Julie Gephart   19 December 2003 Katharine Hepburn is what you’d have to call “a character,” mostly because it sounds a lot better than “a mean old lady.” Once I adjusted to her style, there were plenty of lines that made me laugh out loud, and the story of when Michael Jackson came to her house for dinner was priceless.

The Power Of Babel   by John McWhorther, 327 pages Steven Krise   22 December 2003 A treatise on language evolution exploring the myriad ways languages morph and change over time. Spent an inordinate amount of time beating the "dialects are all there is" dead horse. Interestingly, in the epilogue McWhorther addresses the improbability of Ruhlen's proto-World ursprache and echoes Bickerton's sentiment about creoles being the most accurate picture we'll ever get of what "Adam and Eve" spoke. It's weird to have your books converse with one another.

Twisted   by Jeffery Deaver, 383 pages Steven Krise   04 January 2004 It's the collected short stories of Jeffery Deaver, all featuring his distinctive plot/character twists. With them all collected in one tome, the gimmick began to wear thin after a while, but still a number of good stories. Sorry, still no female authors, but this one had a number of female "protagonists".

American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon   by Stephen Prothero, 337 pages James Donahue   07 January 2004 Prothero outlines how Jesus slipped the bonds of theology to become everybody's best friend in America. The book is divided into two parts: the first one is Protestantism going from solus fide to solus Jesus; the second, on how outsiders have utilized Jesus to their own purposes. Focus is paid to Jesus Freaks, CCM, megachurches, liberalism, Thomas Jefferson, pop culture, Reformed Jews, and DL Moody, among other. Very informative but written with a great sense of humor.

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.

Shadow in the North (1986)   by Philip Pullman, 331 pages A Bennett   14 January 2004 Yet another dissolute father sells his daughter (it's like some sort of epidemic)--into marriage this time--in order to reclaim his reputation both financially and socially. Never mind that she's already married. READER BEWARE WARNING: Pet death on page 225, bringing an unexpected tear to the eye of this hardened heart. Necessary vocabulary: variety of archaic Cockney swear words, handfasting, various photographic chemical processes in use during the 1870s, a knowledge of arms and the mechanics of steam engines is also helpful.

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.

Circus of the Damned   by Laurell K. Hamilton, 336 pages Julie Gephart   18 January 2004 “He looked hurt. I guess most people aren’t used to being suspected of wrongdoing before they’ve actually done anything wrong. ‘All right, you drive.’ He looked very pleased. Heartwarming. Besides, I was carrying two knives, three crosses, and a gun.” Ah Anita, you haven’t let me down yet. Third in series and still going strong.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings   by Maya Angelou, 304 pages Julie Gephart   21 January 2004 Hard autobiography of a hard childhood. Here's your trivia: her real name is Marguerite, and her beloved brother gave her the nickname "Maya" for "mine."

Sunshine (2003)   by Robin McKinley & possibly an incubus, 389 pages A Bennett   22 January 2004 What a grave task: to read an entire novel to find that it has been written in the entirely wrong point of view. This first person narrative is repetetive, rambling and fails to conform to any sort of narrative arc, making the experience a bit TOO much like being flooded with a befuddling stream-of-consciousness narrative from a very messy mind. It doesn't get any easier when the narrator starts tripping the light fantastic on the astral plane and trying to communicate such abstractions to readers--with even more abstractions. A great disappointment from an author better than her work on this manuscript. The first novel I've bought as a new hardcover since--well, since her last book, I guess. Make that a big "O" Oops. Had two endorsements by Neil Gaiman on the dustcover.

Babbitt   by Sinclair Lewis, 319 pages Tony Pisarenkov   26 January 2004 This now classic paean to self-destructive straight-lacedness is a good book that did not age well, although the last handful of chapters ends up being engaging and satisfying in its own strange way.

Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper, Case Closed   by MS. Patricia Cornwell, 367 pages Mike Gadd   26 January 2004 Whether or not you think she's right Ms. Cornwell put in a fair amount of time trying to prove her point. You get a detailed write-up of each crime scene as well as witness statements and autopsy descriptions. Modern day forensics wouldn't have had too much trouble catching this guy, but back then there wasn't much done. Some of her arguments seem pretty strong, while others are terribly weak. Several times she makes the case that since she can't prove that somebody was not in a particular place then he must have been there. The 'perp' happens to be a famous British painter and I've read that Ms. Cornwell bought quite a few of his original paintings. She even sliced one up hoping to find some evidence underneath the paint. Quite the dedicated one she is.

Water and Sky   by Alan S. Kesselheim, 374 pages Lee W. Randall   27 January 2004 I had trouble putting down this first person account of a two year canoe trip taken by Kesselheim and his wife, Marypat. It reads like a good novel. My fascination with the North country drew me to the book, and it left me no less fascinated. P.S. Steve, call me ASAP I've lost your phone numbers and email--LEE

Fade Away   by Harlan Coben, 324 pages Mike Gadd   05 February 2004 Another well done story about the sports agent turned crime solver.

Kokoro and other essays   by Natsume Soseki, 322 pages James Donahue   06 February 2004 A very impressive and impressionistic story about the relationship between a student without focus and his "sensai" without hope. Couldn't put it down.

The Whole Gospel for the Whole World   by Rick Nutt, 351 pages James Donahue   08 February 2004 Sherwood Eddy (this is his biography) was a YMCA head and Asian missionary from the 1890s to the 1950s. Fascinating travel and life that became increasingly radical and disillusioned with "American fascism" (his word to describe the racism and McCarthyism of 1950s America) as he got older. The book is defensive about Eddy's religious liberalism and attempts to defend him from charges from fundamentalists. Hence the grandiose title. Nutt is only partially sucessful here. Eddy was one of the most radical, but he was also one of the most successful missionaries of all time and deserves a larger place in the religious consciousness of America, even if as a conundrum.

The Vanished Man   by Jeffery Deaver, 399 pages Steven Krise   08 February 2004 Rhyme and Sachs are tracking down a maniacally devious illusionist turned mercenary/murderer. Little is what it seems to be.

The Political Culture of the American Whigs   by Daniel Walker Howe, 381 pages James Donahue   12 February 2004 Do you really want to know?

Song of the Lioness IV: Lioness Rampant (1988)   by Tamora Pierce, 308 pages A Bennett   19 February 2004

Darkest Fear   by Harlan Coben, 319 pages Mike Gadd   24 February 2004 Another adventure for Myron Bolitor- Sports Agent/Detective.

Neanderthal   by John Darnton, 368 pages Steven Krise   25 February 2004 Col Kurtz with modern day Neanderthals, except not good.

Russia: Experiment with a People   by Robert Service, 351 pages James Donahue   26 February 2004 Excellent history of Russia from 1991 onwards. Could be read by someone with no background. Only problem: too optimistic. (And he's not even all that optimistic).

Speaking In Tongues   by Jeffery Deaver, 354 pages Steven Krise   29 February 2004 Two silver tongued devils (one a psychiatrist, the other a lawyer) battle over the life of a 17 yr old girl.

The Secret Life of Bees   by MS. Sue Monk Kidd, 316 pages Mike Gadd   29 February 2004 Not the magical story I had been told. Touching story about an teenage girl who runs away from an abusive dad in the deep south during the 60's. Not for those looking for a pick-me-up.

The Thaw Generation   by Ludmilla Alexeyeva, 321 pages James Donahue   08 March 2004 An engaging memoir of one of the primary dissidents in 1960s-1970s Soviet Union. Reading this memoir gives me a good sense of both the strengths and real weaknesses in a freedom movement that bizarrely fell one of the greatest empires in history. (But now what?)

Catherine Beecher: A Study in American Domesticity   by Kathryn Sklar, 330 pages James Donahue   09 March 2004 A biography of Harriet' sister. Keeping it within the family. Beecher was America's first Martha Stewart as well as the one who singlehandedly made teaching and nursing womens' first occupations. Good scholarship here, but more concerned with Catherine's womanhood than her personality.

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.

Down to the Bonny Glen   by Melissa Wiley, 321 pages Julie Gephart   14 March 2004 In this volume, I learned the proper method for harvesting flax, as well as how to permanently set dye using the two-week-old contents of a chamber pot.

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.

Christianity Made In Japan   by Mark Mullins, 323 pages James Donahue   06 April 2004 A survey of indigeneous church movements in Japan that have deliberately cast themselves off from the West. Covers from Uchimura on. Mullins, a sociologist by training, writes and thinks wonderfully well. Some bizarre and intriguing melanges out there.

Things My Girlfriend and I Argue About   by Mil Millington, 373 pages Kristin Schrock   24 April 2004 A groovy title that, unfortunately, did not make for a groovy novel. In fact, the arguing is secondary with the plot mostly concerned with an absurd (in sort of a good way) "work sucks" mystery.

Japan's Modern Myths: Ideology in Meiji Japan   by Carol Gluck, 387 pages James Donahue   25 April 2004

Rebellion and Democracy in Meiji Japan   by Roger Bowen, 313 pages James Donahue   27 April 2004

Silent Joe   by T. Jefferson Parker, 388 pages Mike Gadd   07 May 2004 Well done story of an adopted son out for vengence of his murdered father.

Samuel Johnson is Indignant: Stories   by Lydia Davis, 301 pages Kristin Schrock   11 May 2004 Lydia Davis is this generation's Gertrude Stein. And I mean that in a good way. So, what you get are stories that are one sentence long, and other bizarre stories that examine language and storytelling in that groovy post-modern way. Also, another egret appears.

War Without Mercy: Race Power in the Pacific War   by John Dower, 365 pages James Donahue   13 May 2004 A compelling read of the intense racial hatred in the 'clash of civilizations' during WWII. Dower has the unusual ability to discuss the Japanese and the American cases equally well. Chilling reading given our current international situation.

Small Gods   by Terry Pratchett, 344 pages Steven Krise   24 May 2004 Seems less iconclastic upon the second reading.

The Wages of Guilt: Memories of War in Japan and Germany   by Ian Buruma, 309 pages James Donahue   27 May 2004

Time's Eye   by Arthur C. Clarke & Stephen Baxter, 337 pages Julie Gephart   31 May 2004 The authors took an interesting premise, about the earth being suddenly shattered into different times from human history, and spent far too much of the book playing a self-indulgent fantasy game of Risk with the armies of Alexander and Genghis Khan. Then it just ended abruptly in a way I didn’t understand. I don’t know if that was intentional because this is the first book in a series, in which case I hate them, or if it was supposed to be so deeply meaningful as to purposely elude readers, in which case I hate them.

The Protestant Evangelical Awakening   by W.R. Ward, 355 pages James Donahue   09 June 2004

Philipp Jakob Spener: Pietist Patriarch   by K James Stein, 334 pages James Donahue   11 June 2004 Very good biography of the populizer of the Pietist movement (the movement that put the evangelical in the German Evangelical Church). As a sidenote, church history may be the only remaining field that uses the word "patriarch" in titles in a non-condemnatory way

Sunshine   by Robin McKinley, 389 pages Julie Gephart   12 June 2004 Vampire book on loan from A Bennett. Contrary to what the song would have you believe, they did not, in fact, sing in the sunshine, nor did they laugh every day.

Witnesses From the Grave   by Christopher Joyce & Eric Stover, 333 pages Steven Krise   14 June 2004 It was either a history of forensic anthropology or a biography of anthropologist Clyde Snow. Maybe it was supposed to be one layered on top of the other. Anyway, it covers the numerous prominent investigations Snow has been involved in (confirming Mengele's remains in Brazil, searching for desparacidos in Argentina and doing all-important studies on the proportions of stewardesses for the FAA).

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.

Eccentric Neighborhoods   by Rosario Ferre, 352 pages Jaqi Ross   28 June 2004 Not recommended!

Just One Look   by Harlan Coben, 352 pages Mike Gadd   01 July 2004 This writer's stand alone mysteries tend to lose some of their enjoyment because of the 30 pages necessary at the end to sort out the complicated mess.

Brideshead Revisited   by Evelyn Waugh, 351 pages Tony Pisarenkov   09 July 2004 A fascinating and deeply moving story of a young artist's entanglement with an eccentric family of English aristocrats, struggling to understand the world, each other and, above all, the place that religion occupies in their lives. The best novel I've read in a long, long time.

History of Polish Christianity   by Jerzy Kloczowski, 344 pages James Donahue   10 July 2004

A Map of the World   by MS. Jane Hamilton, 390 pages Mike Gadd   20 July 2004 Probably the first book I've ever read just because of the title. The 'Oprah' endorsement should have been a warning. Apparently, she likes depressing stories. In this one, a farmer's wife (the local school nurse), has a neighbor's child drown in her pond as she is supposed to be babysitting her. Then she's accused of molesting half the schoolchildren and she's thrown in jail. The husband has to sell the family farm to bail her out and then they leave town after she's aquitted to try to start a new life. There. I just saved you the trouble.

Blade Dancer   by S. L. Viehl, 314 pages Julie Gephart   24 July 2004 I love a good sword-fighting book.

Sense of Evil   by Kay Hooper, 357 pages Kristin Schrock   31 July 2004 A serial killer is after the women of a quaint little town. It'll take a psychic FBI agent to catch the killer. This is a sub-par thriller. The twists were obvious and it was heavy in exposition. But the cover was bright yellow, which is why I picked it up off the shelf.

Death and the Afterlife in Modern France   by Thomas Kselman, 302 pages James Donahue   02 August 2004

Eleventh Hour   by Catherine Coulter, 337 pages Kristin Schrock   03 August 2004 The second in my series of books bought at the grocery store. This one featured a sunset picture of the Golden Gate Bridge on the cover. This sub-par thriller featured a serial killer who begins the book by killing a priest. Then he's after a "homeless" woman who has her own dark secrets. I didn't guess the twists, but they weren't terribly interesting either. If I could just get through the "real" book I'm reading, I could quit torturing myself with books like this.

Loving in Flow: How the Happiest Couples Get and Stay That Way   by Susan K. Perry, 329 pages Tony Pisarenkov   04 August 2004 Mostly very insightful and informative, although some issues are covered in much greater detail than others. Recommended not only to couples who are reevaluating their relationship, but also to those who feel that things are going well for them. Unfortunately, the topic that was of particular interest to this reader gets short thrift, but that does not detract from the book's general usefulness.

Hush   by MS. Anne Frasier, 378 pages Mike Gadd   08 August 2004

The Tattooed Girl   by Joyce Carol Oates, 307 pages Jaqi Ross   16 August 2004 A disappointing read by one of my favorite authors. "Alma," the main character, is evasive and unsympathetic, while her Jewish/non-Jewish employer is equally unlikeable. Not a recommended read, despite my love of Oates.

The search for the perfect language   by Umberto Eco, 385 pages Steven Krise   17 August 2004 Here he is cranking away at the Lullian wheels, seemingly unaware of the difference between the real omnipotence of God and the potential omnipotence of a human combinatory language.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers   by Mary Roach, 304 pages Jaqi Ross   20 August 2004 Visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries—from the anatomy labs and human-sourced pharmacies of medieval and nineteenth-century Europe to a human decay research facility in Tennessee, to a plastic surgery practice lab, to a Scandinavian funeral directors' conference on human composting. Quick, amusing read - plus it gets you funny looks on the Metro.

The Love of a Good Woman   by Alice Munro, 340 pages Jaqi Ross   25 August 2004 In eight new stories, a master of the form extends and magnifies her great themes--the vagaries of love, the passion that leads down unexpected paths, the chaos hovering just under the surface of things, and the strange, often comical desires of the human heart. Munro is always amazing.

The Face of a Stranger   by Anne Perry, 345 pages Steven Krise   28 August 2004 The "surprise twist" was clearly telegraphed in Chapter 2 but the reader gets the oppurtunity to muddle through an additional 10 chapters with the amnesiac detective until he stumbles onto it himself. Of course, the good Mr Monk regains his memory on page 323 just in time for a tidy ending devoid of any tragedy for the protagonist.

Mistress of Justice   by Jeffery Deaver, 357 pages Steven Krise   01 September 2004 Tale of corporate espionage, coke-snorting lawyers, and high pressure corporate mergers...and don't forget the blood. They're all blood, you see.

That Old Ace in the Hole   by Annie Proulx, 359 pages Kristin Schrock   06 September 2004 Annie Proulx, for me, ranks right up there with Maggie Atwood. But, I suppose to write beautifully you have to write a clunker every once in awhile. This one was it. Only through sheer force of will did I finish this one. Recommended Vocabulary: pabulum, strabismus, porsiflage, tapirs, rachitic, niobium, adit, caliche (which was used nearly every chapter), blinko.

Why Things Are   by Joel Achenbach, 345 pages Steven Krise   06 September 2004 Why?

Politics, Society, and Christianity in Vichy France   by W.D. Halls, 391 pages James Donahue   08 September 2004 Only interesting if you're already interested.

Blindness   by Jose Saramago, 326 pages Jaqi Ross   10 September 2004 A city is hit by an epidemic of "white blindness" which spares no one. Authorities confine the blind to an empty mental hospital, but there the criminal element holds everyone captive, stealing food rations and raping women. There is one eyewitness to this nightmare who guides seven strangers-among them a boy with no mother, a girl with dark glasses, a dog of tears-through the barren streets, and the procession becomes as uncanny as the surroundings are harrowing. A magnificent parable of loss and disorientation and a vivid evocation of the horrors of the twentieth century, Blindness has swept the reading public with its powerful portrayal of man's worst appetites and weaknesses-and man's ultimately exhilarating spirit. The stunningly powerful novel of man's will to survive against all odds, by the winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize for Literature.

The Geography of Nowhere   by James H. Kunstler, 303 pages Tony Pisarenkov   17 September 2004 Having become a minor classic since its publication roughly a decade and a half ago, this book cronicles the demise of our society's attention to the public realm and the quality of places we build for ourselves to live and work in all its chilling reality. Fascinating to see some of the phenomena the author predicted already beginning to take place. Certainly the worthiest successor to Jane Jacobs' "Death and Life of Great American Cities" available today.

Adrift   by Steven Callahan, 344 pages Steve Gadd   22 September 2004 I read this book every few years and get a new appreciation for such things as fresh water, food, and a warm bed. This survivor's resourcefulness and determination are always impressive, and his precise drawings are a nice touch.

Jennifer Government   by Max Barry, 320 pages Kristin Schrock   01 October 2004 In a not too distant future, the world is composed of corporation nations--even the Government is a corporation. And one enterprising executive decides to wage war (literally) against his competitors. A breezy satire that hit the spot.

Memoirs of an Invisible Man   by H. F. Saint, 396 pages Steve Gadd   07 October 2004 The author really seems to have experienced invisibility to create such a convincing story. Once again, do not try to take a shortcut and watch the movie.

The Manchurian Candidate   by Richard Condon, 358 pages Kristin Schrock   24 October 2004 The distant narrator--presented like a history--elevate the suspense and creepiness of this 1960's thriller. An enjoyable read that often led to scary dreams--which is a good, I think. Recommended vocabulary: caparisoned, luctic, lyssophobia, lanugo.

Stalin   by Robert Conquest, 312 pages James Donahue   03 November 2004 Decent biography heavy on the (just) condemnation.

The Rule of Four   by Ian Caldwell, 384 pages Mike Gadd   11 November 2004

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.

Handbook of Norse mythology   by John Lindow, 365 pages Steven Krise   28 November 2004 Insightful introduction outlining the author's theory of "mythic time" in the Norse mythos followed by an A-Z listing of gods, giants, and events based on the existing corpus of Norse mythology (i.e., skaldic and eddic poetry). Quite thorough with each entry extensively referenced.

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.

Apollo 13   by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger, 382 pages Steve Gadd   05 December 2004 The book gives some background on the Apollo program and a detailed account of the unlucky mission. It was interesting to see that after the oxygen tank explosion, the oxygen supply problem was fairly minor. The ordeal was more a marathon of mundane challenges: keeping the ship oriented and warm, saving power, and modifying the ship's trajectory to actually return to Earth instead of becoming a permanent tomb orbiting the sun for centuries.

Felix Holt, the Radical   by George Eliot, 398 pages James Donahue   07 December 2004 Oh, those tricky radicals. Not only do they stand up for justice and suffer the pangs of this world gladly and manly, but they also woo the woman away from those damned aristocrats. The final book in my George Eliot fascination.

The Gorbachev Factor   by Archie Brown, 318 pages James Donahue   20 December 2004 Not a spinoff of the O'Reilly Factor. Rather the first historical work on Gorby's central role in the collapse of the USSR. Very sympathetic and thorough treatment.

The Life of Pi   by Yann Martel, 326 pages James Donahue   22 December 2004 Just when you thought every plot had been done, along comes a book about a shipwrecked religious wunderkind and his pet tiger. An amazing read; literally could not put the book down, but am very unsure of its meaning. Suggestions?

Reading Lolita in Tehran   by Azar Nafisi, 343 pages James Donahue   23 December 2004 This book is one of the few memoirs worthy of being read. Nafisi taught English in Iran as a woman from before the Revolution through 1997. What brings the book together -- through revolution, Islamism, brutality, donning the veil, suffering armed bands, losing the Iraqi war, fleeing the country -- is her ability to show us the regime through the eyes of her students, mostly women, as they read novels and reflect on their lives. Sections of the book are devoted to her students' devotion to James, Fitzgerald, Austin, and Nabakov. Nafisi writes with such precision and emotion that it is impossible not to get swept up into her world. One finds oneself absorbing knowledge about Iran without even being aware of it. Highly recommended.

Krakatoa   by Simon Winchester, 390 pages Steve Gadd   29 December 2004 The eruption/explosion of this volcanic island is well known as the loudest sound in recorded history, heard thousands of miles away. Winchester tells the interesting tale of colonization in the Dutch East Indies, throws in a lesson in plate tectonics, and then gives an account of the 1883 disaster that became the first international news story carried by undersea telegraph cable. Published last year, the book ominously predicted that Krakatoa would "play it tricks on the world once again, and before very much longer."

Oryx and Crake   by Margaret Atwood, 349 pages James Donahue   30 December 2004 When I was a kid I always fantasized about being the last man on earth. Leave it to Atwood to turn those dreams into nightmares. Here the ever-outspoken Atwood opines her way through a Mad Max landscape of genetic horror, pollution, and class wars gone horribly awry.

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Slippery Slope: Book the Tenth (2003)   by Lemony Snicket, 337 pages A Bennett   31 December 2004

Guilty Pleasures - Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Vol. I (1993)   by Laurell K. Hamilton, 355 pages A Bennett   31 December 2004

Jennifer Government (2003)   by Max Barry, 321 pages A Bennett   31 December 2004

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Grim Grotto: Book the Eleventh (2004)   by Lemony Snicket, 323 pages A Bennett   31 December 2004

House of Sand and Fog   by Andre Dubus III, 365 pages Mike Gadd   05 January 2005 A good read but not for the easily depressed. As you move through the story you try to put together an ending where everything works out. It gets harder and harder as the book goes on. Nothing prepares you for how it finally finishes.

Cold Mountain   by Charles Frazier, 356 pages Kristin Schrock   16 January 2005 It took awhile to get in the groove of the language which seemed old fashioned in its imagery and pace. And then I had to get over my annoyance at the character of Inman--he's a bit flat. His part in the novel is to journey back to Cold Mountain. But he does not change as a character, or really learn anything that he doesn't know at the start of the book. Ada's storyline interested me, as she must learn to live off the land. It didn't even bother me that Nicole Kidman played her in the movie.

Reading Lolita in Tehran   by Azar Nafisi, 358 pages Jonathan Misirian   28 January 2005 Fascinating account of life in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Nafisi weaves great literature in between discussion of the oppression that she endured.

Killing Bono   by Neil McCormick, 358 pages Jonathan Misirian   28 January 2005 McCormick and Bono were friends in the same high school. McCormick's goal was to be in a band that changed the world. This book is an account of the failure of his dream, and the success of his friends, U2.

House of Sand and Fog   by Andre Dubus, III, 365 pages Kristin Schrock   10 February 2005 Mike Gadd's review prepared me, so I was able to enjoy how the tragedy unfolds--and if you're a literature geek, like me, you get excited about such things. The characters had clear choices--but the ending had a sense of inevitability about it--which is masterful. Good stuff. Bonus points for a shout-out to Law & Order and the ending which was an homage to Othello. Excellent read.

Runaway   by Alice Munro, 335 pages Jonathan Misirian   23 February 2005 Listed as one of the NYTimes Top 10 books of '04. Munro lets us know that the Canadians are as messed up as Americans.

Reinventing Mona   by Jennifer Coburn, 314 pages Kristin Schrock   23 February 2005 Light trash. A nice diversion from the tragedy of The House of Sand and Fog.

The King's Indian   by John Gardner, 354 pages Steven Krise   25 February 2005 Three collections of short stories arranged into 3 "books". Author injects himself into the final story 8 pages from the end, apparently, to confirm that the book is mostly filled with nonsense.

The Plot Against America   by Philip Roth, 391 pages Jonathan Misirian   01 March 2005 I suspect that this book was praised, not because of its content, but because of the potential similarity to today's political situation. A 'what if' historical account of Lindbergh ascending to the presidency in 1940, and the fear his anti-semitism brought to America.

The Legacy of Heorot   by Larry Niven and two other dudes, 367 pages Steven Krise   05 March 2005 A tale (loosely modeled on Beowulf) of 200 interstellar human colonists upsetting the ecosystem on another planet. The story was mostly lame, but that seems to be par for the course with most sci-fi literature.

God's Politics   by Jim Wallis, 374 pages Jonathan Misirian   25 March 2005 Wallis shoots both the Left -for excluding spirituality out of the public square and at the same time takes on the Right -for representing a very narrow band of moral issues. Currently on the NYTimes Best Seller List and with good reason. Our current outlets for religiously infused politics have left both sides weakened.

Reaper Man   by Terry Pratchett, 353 pages Steven Krise   02 April 2005

Plan B: further thoughts on faith   by Anne Lamott, 320 pages Jonathan Misirian   06 April 2005 Lamott writes from the fringes of Christianity. Lucid writing and revealing prose mark her work. Lamott expertly summarizes her faith in a way that is accessible to so many who feel disenfranchised by organized religion

Live Bait   by Ms. PJ Tracy, 394 pages Mike Gadd   25 April 2005 Enjoyable sequel to Monkeewrench. Not as fast-paced but at least you know you enjoy the characters.

The Devil of Nanking   by Mo Hayder, 363 pages Mike Gadd   06 May 2005 The author of some of the most disturbing material I have ever read takes on a subject matter that doesn't need embellishing to make it horrible. We get a two-sided story here with both present day Japan and historical China represented. The writer weaves a couple of characters through her rendition of this tragic event.

Sahara Unveiled: A Journey Across the Desert   by William Langewiesche, 310 pages Jonathan Misirian   19 May 2005 Langewiesche is an Atlantic correspondent, and the author of Unbuilding the World Trade Center. This account, traces the author’s trek across the desert. Always adept with his observations, Langewiesche provides a moving narrative of life and death in the Sahara.

New Complete Joy of Homebrewing   by Charlie Papazian, 398 pages Steven Krise   20 May 2005 This mad Armenians enthusiasm for beer and brewing is boundless and contagious. A worthwhile read everytime.

Grand Deception   by Alexander Klein, 382 pages Jonathan Misirian   21 May 2005 Tepid overview of hoaxes, spies, fake statues, and gullible people.

Red Tape and the Gospel: A Biography of William Paton   by Eleanor Jackson, 346 pages James Donahue   01 June 2005 Paton was a major British church figure during the two world wars. Background for my dissertation research.

Lost in a Good Book   by Jasper Fforde, 399 pages Kristin Schrock   05 June 2005 The second in the Tuesday Next, literary detective series. Quick and entertaining, but a little too pleased with itself in places. But I'm too much of a literary geek to resist the literature in-jokes, so I'll probably read the next one, too.

The Devil in the White City   by Erik Larson, 390 pages James Donahue   08 June 2005 Read this gem while on vacation in the Smokies. Larson tells two stories: one about the gleaming success of the Columbian Exposition of 1893, and another about a mass murderer who lived on its borders and preyed on newly-deracinated girls in the big city. I preferred the former, but Jen preferred the latter. Worthwhile read.

City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi   by William Dalrymple, 339 pages Tony Pisarenkov   12 June 2005 An account of the author's year-long residence in Delhi, this is a fascinating and occasionally disturbing travelogue and cultural survey richly layered with Indian history from the Mughals to the Partition. An all-around great read.

The 12th Card   by Jeffery Deaver, 395 pages Steven Krise   21 June 2005 bad guys, obligatory plot twist, Lincoln Rhyme, Amelia Sachs, good guys win.

Hell's Angels   by Hunter S Thompson, 348 pages Steven Krise   04 July 2005 For nearly a year I had lived in a world that seemed, at first, like something original. It was obvious from the beginning that the menace bore little resemblance to its publicized image, but there was a certain pleasure in sharing the Angels' amusement at the stir they'd created....I realized that the roots of this act were not in any time-honored American myth but right beneath my feet in a new kind of society that is only beginning to take shape. To see the Hell's Angels as caretakers of the old 'individualist' tradition 'that made this country great' is only a painless way to get around seeing them for what they really are -- not some romantic leftover, but the first wave of a future that nothing in our history has prepared us to cope with. The Angels are prototypes. Their lack of education has not only rendered them completely useless in a highly technical economy, but it has also given them the leisure to cultivate a powerul resentment...and to translate it into a destructive cult which the mass media insists on portraying as a sort of isolated oddity, a temporary phenomenon that will shortly become extinct now that it's been called to the attention of the police. This is a reassuring viewpoint and it would be even more so if the police shared it. Unfortunately, they don't.

Krakatoa   by Simon Winchester, 393 pages Jonathan Misirian   04 July 2005 Winchester's account of the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa extends far beyond the volcanic ash and tsunamis. He chronicles every aspect of life in Indonesia, and employing the same skill that brought his, The Professor and the Madman, such success; writes a beautifully written piece of bio-investigative journalism.

The Kite Runner   by Khaled Hosseini, 371 pages Steve Gadd   05 July 2005 Reading this story, you get a bit of a feel for what Afghanistan has been through over the last thirty years. Mostly the author pulls out all the stops trying to break your heart with an overly tragic story.

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 Panda's Thumb   by S J Gould, 343 pages Steven Krise   01 August 2005 Natura non facit saltum.

Aloft   by Chang-rae Lee, 376 pages Jonathan Misirian   02 August 2005 Aloft, reminds the reader that serious fiction exists. Written with a depth of prose rarely seen, Lee's narrative invites the reader to savor each line of text. Written in a similar vein as The Corrections, Aloft makes a great summer read.

The French Lieutenant's Woman   by John Fowles, 366 pages Steven Krise   17 August 2005 I still don't think he flipped a coin. And I still can't decide if the means by which the author inserted himself into the narrative (both as a character and as the overly self-aware narrator) is clever or not. Is this the first time we see the device of winding back a watch as the means to introducing the second of multiple "possible" endings?

A Generous Orthodoxy   by Brian McLaren, 304 pages Brad Snyder   25 August 2005 The subtitle of this book is, "Why I Am a Missional, Evangelical, Post/Protestant, Liberal/Conservative, Mystical/Poetic, Biblical, Charismatic/Contemplative, Fundamentalist/Calvinist, Anabaptist/Anglican, Methodist, Catholic, Green, Incarnational, Depressed-yet-Hopeful, Emergent, Unfinished Christian". As you can probably surmise from the extremely long subtitle, McLaren has written a book where he draws some of the good from about every single Christian, political, and social philosophy. In so doing, however, he comes off sounding as if he believes, well...nothing. Great if you're a nihilist; bad if you're the pastor of a church...like McLaren. I give this book one whole thumb down, instead of the usual two I would give a book I hate, first because there were at least three paragraphs that I liked, and second because I'm being "generous".

Bold Sons of Erin   by Owen Parry, 399 pages Mike Gadd   29 August 2005 It's been awhile since I picked up one of Mr. Parry's. This one got a little wordy even for me. More time needs to be spent pushing the story along and less on the opinionated soliloquy.

Atonement   by Ian McEwan, 351 pages James Donahue   06 September 2005 While at colonial Williamsburg for four days, and obeying the advertisements to discover the "colonial me" (who turned out to be quite a slaveholding bastard, forced to remain sober in the presence of his in-laws), I kept my nose intermittantly buried in a book that hooked. Even though this forum seems to bear an a priori antipathy to multiple-persective books, especially self-aware ones, I very much recommend this book. Its style and theme -- narrative as sympathy/atonement -- can overcome its trendiness.

Ghost Soldiers   by Hampton Sides, 380 pages Micaela Larkin   08 September 2005

The Secret Life of Laszlo Almasy: The Real English Patient : The Real English Patient (Hardcover)   by John Bierman, 304 pages Micaela Larkin   08 September 2005 The author surveys the truth and myth surrounding Laszlo Almasy, the subject of the novel The English Patient. Bierman proves that life is stranger than fiction in this decent account of a doomed desert lover.

Bloody Mary   by J.A. Konrath, 315 pages Micaela Larkin   08 September 2005 Mystery! This is another freebie from my good friend who edits mystery novels!

The Edge of Sadness   by Edwin O'Connor, 328 pages Micaela Larkin   08 September 2005

The Reckoning: A Thriller   by Jeff Long, 384 pages Micaela Larkin   08 September 2005 This engaging thriller is part historical mystery, part Michael Chrichton, and part magical realism.

Going After Cacciato   by Tim O'Brien, 301 pages Kristin Schrock   18 September 2005 Second National Book Award winner in a row. This one takes it cue from Catch-22 and Slaughterhouse Five--emphasizing the absurdity of war. Here, a Vietnam soldier tries to make sense of war when his company takes off after an AWOL soldier. O'Brien touches on a familiar theme for him--trying to tell a true war story. One of my favorite sentences: "Why, out of all that might have happened, did it lead to a beheading in Tehran? Why not pretty things? Why not a smooth, orderly arc from war to peace?" Why not pretty things, indeed.

God's Secretaries   by Adam Nicolson, 304 pages Jonathan Misirian   19 September 2005 English Historian Nicolson, provides a thorough understanding of the cultural trends that were in play, which helped to shape what has become known as the King James Bible. An interesting irony from the book: The King James Bible was written -in part-to dispel the Puritan cause in England and yet it was adopted by these same Puritans as their text when they came to America.

Stuffed   by Brian Wiprud, 354 pages Mike Gadd   21 September 2005 This was a weak attempt at being amusing. A taxidermist runs around chasing an albino crow. He's being chased by penguin boy and a mob of pygmies. Oh dear.

Interesting Times   by Terry Pratchett, 368 pages Steven Krise   25 September 2005 Rincewind winced. He had always been aware that Someone Up There was doing something on him. He'd never considered it was smiling.

The Map That Changed The World   by Simon Winchester, 320 pages Jonathan Misirian   27 September 2005 The content didn't live up to the title. Winchester, author of the sublime, The Professor and the Madman, unearthed the story of William Smith, an 19th century geologist, who’s work on sedimentary stratification helped to initiate a non-theistic world view of the creation of the world.

The Halo Effect   by M.J. Rose, 371 pages Mike Gadd   03 October 2005 Lousy story; horrible writing. One of the coworkers who I screen books for said her daughter highly recommended this book to her. I had to read it first to see if it's worthy. It took about 5 pages to determine that it wasn't. High school level quality at best.

Actually Useful Internet Security Techniques   by Larry J Hughes Jr, 378 pages Steven Krise   17 October 2005 Probably more useful in an actual sense 10 years ago when it was written. Interesting (and mostly still relevant) discussion of protocol security and Unix architecture.

The Reckoning   by Jeff Long, 384 pages Mike Gadd   18 October 2005 The Descent is Jeff Long's best work and in my top 10. This one doesn’t reach near that level, but was still entertaining. He's one of the best descriptive writers I'm familiar with. This story has several quality scenes in it, but the ending was empty. I just didn't get it. That doesn't settle well with my need for closure.

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."

Pollyanna Grows Up (1915)   by Eleanor H. Porter, 308 pages A Bennett   25 October 2005 Not the erotica the title might suggest to some. Pollyanna does indeed grow up--a shocking ten or so years between pages (not even broken by a division in the book). Wholesome, but not boring. I wish all books still had fancy frontispieces. With that classy sheet of rice paper to keep them protected from the title page.

The Perfectionist: Life and Death in Haute Cuisine   by Rudolph Chelminski, 344 pages Tony Pisarenkov   26 October 2005 A thoroughly engaging biography of Bernard Loiseau, a three-star French chef who committed suicde while at the height of his success in 2003. On the surface, this is a subject that might not warrant an entire book, but Chelminski not only paints an extremely compelling portrait of this loveable, generous but deeply flawed man, but also gives us a fascinating look into the history and inner workings of French gastronomy. Highly recommended.

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Penultimate Peril: Book the Twelfth (2005)   by Lemony Snicket, 368 pages A Bennett   30 October 2005 Take a lesson, JK! The next-to-last book in a series can be more than just a page-heavy stalling tactic. The Baudelaires spend this excellently-named tome pondering the nature of villainy, and moral cost of attempting to live nobly in a corrupt world.

One Hundred Years of Solitude   by Gabriel García Márquez, 383 pages Steve Gadd   31 October 2005 I remembered this as one of my favorite novels, but this time through it seemed like a century since I started reading early this summer. The tone is that of a grandfather relating the story of a family, going back in forth in time and adding some fanciful touches. I still love the opening chapters, as the patriarch recapitulates the history of scientific progress with tools provided by a band of roving gypsies.

Cash: The Autobiography   by Johnny Cash, 320 pages Brad Snyder   07 November 2005 Cash is one of the most fascinating figures in modern music. He's a man that fought many demons, winning some battles and confessing his inability to win others. He battled drugs several times, only to face them again. His memories of his home life growing up, anecdotes about fellow musicians and movie stars, politicians, and Billy Graham are lucid and reveal much about Cash and those featured in the stories. Truly a complex man, and a great read.

We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda   by Philip Gourevitch, 356 pages Brad Snyder   08 November 2005 Gourevitch has presented a study of the genocide in Rwanda from a historical, political, and cultural point of view. This book is not gratuitous, although, considering the subject matter, it well could have been. Long story short, the US government refused to use the the word "genocide" because it would obligate them (by law) to get involved, the French supplied weapons to the Hutus, and the UN treated the perpetrators as the victims. 800,000 dead in three months while the world sat on its hands. And why? I'll let the book speak for itself... "(A Rwandan Minister of Commerce) explained the lack of foreign help as a consequence of Rwanda's lack of investment opportunities. 'You cannot count on the international community unless you're rich, and we are not,' he said. 'We don't have oil, so it doesn't matter that we have blood, or that we are human beings.'"

Lady Oracle   by Margaret Atwood, 346 pages Kristin Schrock   08 November 2005 An early novel from one of my favorite authors. A woman tries to start a new life but she can't quite escape the ghosts of her past--isn't that always the way. Atwood revisits similar themes in Cat's Eye with greater success. But it's Margaret Atwood, so it's still pretty good. Also, the Mounties show up and characters sit on chesterfields.

Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas   by Michka Assayas, 323 pages Brad Snyder   11 November 2005 This is the group of interviews that Bono had with Michka Assayas from 2002 to 2004. Assayas, as an interviewer, is excellent: he pulls things out of Bono that Bono admits he would never write himself in a memoir. Bono is a lot deeper and decent than his public persona as a rock star and activist. This book offers glimpses of his home life: his tender affection for his children, his admiration of his wife, his complicated relationship with his late father, and his deep faith in his Heavenly Father.

Pyramids   by Terry Pratchett, 380 pages Steven Krise   20 November 2005 When the hatch closed above him, Autocue sidled over to one of the [Trojan] hores's massive legs and put it to a use for which it wasn't originally intended. And it was while he was staring vaguely ahead, lost in that Zen-like contemplation which occurs at moments like this that there was a faint pop in the air and an entire river valley opened up in front of him. It's not the sort of thing that ought to happen to a thoughtful lad. Especially one who has to wash his own uniform.

Soul Music   by Terry Pratchett, 373 pages Steven Krise   20 November 2005 A story about Sex, Drugs, and Music with Rocks In. The main character, Imp y Celyn (which is Llamedos-ish for Small Bud of the Holly), brings an unintended musical revolution to Ankh-Morpork. Oh, and death is off gallivanting about the Disc again trying to sort out the meaning of it all, anyways.

A Farewell to Arms   by Ernest Hemingway, 314 pages Tony Pisarenkov   20 November 2005 I used to think that I liked Hemingway. I am not so sure anymore.

Atonement   by Ian McEwan, 351 pages Kristin Schrock   02 December 2005 Jim was right. The novel is told in multi-p.o.v. and shockingly I didn't mind because I liked all the characters except one, and that was the shortest part. I thought the ending particularly enjoyable as it rivals The French Lieutenant's Woman for cool commentary on storytelling. Chesterfields abound, but McEwan pretty much had me at the Northanger Abbey epigraph. Amazon.com Stats: 7.8 grade level with 9% of the words being complex.

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.

The Man Called Cash : The Life, Love, and Faith of an American Legend   by Steve Turner, 320 pages Brad Snyder   10 December 2005 Turner was supposed to have written this with Cash himself. This is a nice companion to Cash's own autobiography, based largely on interviews with people that knew the man throughout his life: childhood friends, Air Force buddies, fellow musicians, producers, and family members. His faith is a consistent theme, but not the entire focus of the book. Recommended for any music fan.

Diana Mosley: Mitford Beauty, British Fascist, Hitler's Angel   by Anne De Courcy, 353 pages James Donahue   15 December 2005 At age 23, Diana divorced the heir to the Guiness empire to marry the young, dashing, older leader of the British Fascist Party. Her path led her through public revilement, imprisonment, and eventual exile. Although she never regretted it. Its an odd choice for a bio, as she is most interesting because of those whom she knew and whom she entertained - Churchill, Lord Halifax, Hitler et al, Mosley, her novelist sister Nancy Mitford - not for herself. (Compare with Mme de Stael or Rachel Varnhagen, other hostesses who also managed to be personalities.) This seems to be a biography of a mirror, enlightening only via reflection.

Gorky Park   by Martin Cruz Smith, 365 pages Jonathan Misirian   19 December 2005 The setting is the late 1970’s. A grisly crime occurs in Moscow. The KGB, an American executive, and a Russian detective play the main characters in this tepid novel. The author reveals the protagonist’s –Arkady- thoughts. Here’s a gem: ‘A stripped gun always struck Arkady as a cripple undressed.’

The Plot Against America   by Philip Roth, 391 pages James Donahue   26 December 2005 Of course I'm really into this subject - international fascism - and was quite excited to read Roth's counterfactual story that has the fascists Lindburgh and Henry Ford winning the 1940 election over FDR. Yet I ended up being nothing but disappointed with this book, which does seem - as Misirian suggests - more about Bush than 1940s America. Given the prevalence of anti-Semitism, isolationism, and socialistic-conservatism in reality (e.g., Burton Wheeler from my home state is a much more complicated Progressive figure than displayed here), why make up things that don't make sense (especially in the final sections that wrap everything up in a manner that would seem incredible even in a Tom Clancy novel?) Roth's fantasies speak more to his paranoia about "brutal American Christian conservatives" (actual phrase!) than to any prewar reality!! Let's keep in mind that back then American Christian conservatives - such as John Foster Dulles and Cordell Hull - spearheaded the bipartisan American push for a United Nations beginning in 1938; and that American church leaders such as Carl Henry, Samuel McCrea Cavert, Harry Emerson Fosdick, and the Rockefeller family led the charge against the persecution of the Jews, and the Christian Right hav ever since championed Jewish rights, as seen most visibly when Reagan and Bush I unilaterally pushed the Soviet Union to cease their anti-Semitic campaigns in the 1980s. True, Jews in 1940s America didn't get to join the country clubs and had to watch out for drunken bands of Italian and Irish youths, but its hard to picture concentration camps for Jewish-Americans. True racist brutality in this country, which did indeed peak in the 1930s, has not been directed towards Jewish-Americans, but instead to Native Americans, African-Americans, and Japanese-Americans -- none of whom, strikingly, make a single appearance in Roth's narrative.

In Cold Blood   by Truman Capote, 343 pages Tony Pisarenkov   30 December 2005 I fully admit that I picked up the book after seeing the film "Capote," but I am glad I did. Very well written, reads much more like a novel than I expected, and, most amazingly, betrays none of Capote's over the top personality.

Freeing God's Children: The Unlikely Alliance for Global Human Rights   by Allen Hertzke, 347 pages James Donahue   31 December 2005 Hertzke traces the recent surge within American evangelicalism and Judaism to support human rights, focusing on the recent Religious Rights Bill, the lobbying of the (ever-reluctant) Bush administration to negotiate a ceasefire in the Sudanese genocide, and the efforts to curb human traffic. Hertzke is not only a political scientist, but a committed activist, lobbying evangelicals toward greater participation in the movement. Fascinating reading that shows the difficult relationship between a religious community just coming into political adolescence and a Republican party focused on politics.

The Last Days of Disco, with Cocktails at Petrossian Afterwards   by Whit Stillman, 339 pages Micaela Larkin   01 January 2006 Brilliant movie-man Whit Stillman novelizes his own last days of disco, and succeeds. Perfect for any UHB (Urban Haute Bourgeoisie) or Austen lover.

Voltaire in Exile: The Last Years, 1753-78 (2004)   by Ian Davidson, 308 pages James Donahue   02 January 2006 In 1753, Voltaire learned during his return from hobnobbing with Frederick the Great that he was exiled from Paris. So he used his fortune (gained not from selling books, but from winning the lottery) to buy an estate just outside Geneva, settling down to a life as factory-owner, agriculturalist replete with peasants, critic of the Church, earthquakes, and Genevan-native Rousseau and, above all else, tourist attraction. In Geneva I lived a few blocks from Voltaire's house (now a museum containing his archives), no longer an estate and swallowed up by apartment buildings.

The Good Earth   by Pearl Buck, 340 pages Jonathan Misirian   09 January 2006 Buck became the first American woman to win a Nobel prize and a Pulitzer prize for literature. The Good Earth is the tale of the rise of a rural peasant family. Set in pre-revolutinary China, The Good Earth contains it all, love, loss, scandal and redemption.

Going Postal   by Terry Pratchett, 377 pages Steven Krise   12 January 2006 A story of hope set against the backdrop of the competition between two companies in the message delivery industry. Includes a group of phreakers called the Smoking GNU.

The Outlaw Years: The History of the Land Pirates of the Natchez Trace   by Robert M. Coates, 308 pages Brad Snyder   24 January 2006 My father gave me this book a few years ago. I'm not sure where he got it, but this copy was published in 1930, which added to the charm. The book has that flair of language and tone common to most good stories of the West from that bygone era. The book centers on the Natchez Trace wilderness trail that started in what is now Natchez, Mississippi and wrapped on through to Nashville, Tennessee. It even mentions points north--even Yellow Springs, Ohio gets a paragraph's-worth of mention! But, the real strength of the book is the story. It isn't written like most books of history, and the author spared no detail, which kept me thoroughly intrigued. And, it's about pirates to boot! Well, they're technically highwaymen, but who's gonna quibble with that?

Why Things Bite Back   by Edward Tenner, 354 pages Steve Gadd   27 January 2006 This could be an interesting study in the unintended consequences of new technologies, but there are too few examples and too much analysis. Football helmets lead to "spearing" and neck injury, antibiotics breed superbugs, computers create paperwork, prevention of major health hazards leads to chronic conditions. The general trend is that advancing technology solves big problems, leaving us with many small problems that require more vigilance.

No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam   by Reza Aslan, 310 pages Jonathan Misirian   06 February 2006 Aslan details the history of Islam and provides the reader with a great overview of this religion. After reading this book, you are able to see the success and failure of Islam as it continues to develop. Aslan's approach counters Huntington's Clash of Civilization's view of Islam, and in my opinion greatly enhances the debate.

The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason   by Sam Harris, 320 pages Jonathan Misirian   13 February 2006 The End of Faith: Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason Harris’ premise is that all religion is destructive and that people of any faith are at fault. Ask Pol Pot or Edie Amin how this approached worked for them.

Exclusion and Embrace   by Miroslav Volf, 310 pages Jonathan Misirian   15 February 2006 Volf, professor at Yale Divinity School, presents the Prodigal Son narrative in Luke 15, as a model of national ethnic reconciliation. Volf writes from the perspective of Croatian caught in the midst of the Bosnian conflict.

Spook   by Mary Roach, 300 pages Jonathan Misirian   21 February 2006 The unfortunately named author pens a witty overview of her search for scientific proof of the afterlife. Roach delves into history as well as modern science and concludes her search with doubt and skepticism.

Make Love! the Bruce Campbell Way (a novel)   by Bruce Campbell, 306 pages Kristin Schrock   27 February 2006 Bruce Campbell goes on a series of adventures after being cast in a "A" list movie. He amusingly references his "B" movie filmography throughout--including Tornado! (which was totally awesome) and Terminal Invasion (Classic Bad Book of TiVO movie).

Radical Brewing   by Randy Mosher, 350 pages Steven Krise   27 February 2006 With this survey of history's forgotten and fringe brews (and the processes to create them), Mosher seeks to ignite the reader with his same passionate zeal for homebrewing. In the process, he elevates the hobby from quaint craft to an act of protest against bland corporate homogenization and a mystical means of communing with long dead brewing ancestors.

Winner of the National Book Award: A Novel of Fame, Honor, and Really Bad Weather   by Jincy Willett, 323 pages Kristin Schrock   09 March 2006 I was trapped on an airplane (at the gate) for 6 hours. So I was very thankful that I always overpack my carry-on with books. This one was a very good read--Dorcas tells what really happened to her twin sister, Abigail.

Newjack   by Ted Conover, 319 pages Jonathan Misirian   31 March 2006 When the NY State Corrections refused journalist Conover access to write about the inside, Conover became a Corrections Officer. Stationed at the infamous Sing Sing for nearly a year, Newjack richly chronicles life within the prison walls.

The Osterman Weekend   by Robert Ludlum, 336 pages Steve Gadd   05 April 2006 A weak early effort by the author of the Bourne trilogy.

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.

Louisa: A Novel   by Simone Zelitch, 377 pages Micaela Larkin   10 April 2006 Decent read. Hungarian Jewish survivor accompanied by her German daughter in law move to Palestine in 1949. Flows back and forth across space and time...

Blood Done Sign My Name : A True Story   by Timothy B. Tyson, 368 pages Brad Snyder   12 April 2006 This story recounts the civil rights movement as it unfolded in and around Oxford, NC after the sickening murder of a black man at the hands of three whites--a murder for which no one was punished and ultimately led to a small revolution. Tyson is more than a passive historian viewing past events from a safe distance in the present, but was actually a resident of Oxford at the time. His father was the pastor of the United Methodist church and was known and hated by some for being sympathetic toward the plight of African-Americans. This murder is the pivot on which Tyson has related his journey through life, forced him to explore his world view, his own attitudes, and the history of his beloved North Carolina. If you are at all interested in race relations, read this book.

The Razor's Edge (1944)   by W. Somerset Maugham, 331 pages James Donahue   16 April 2006 Maugham, the missing link between Balzac and Hemingway, writes in this, his last novel, of an American obsessed with finding wisdom in mysticism after the Great War. He leaves his friends in Chicago, busy making money and babies in the roaring twenties, to travel and experience life. The book is good overall, but not for Maugham. There is too much distance between the writer and the Americans, yet Maugham's own opinions, viewpoints, and experiences are the Americans', not the narrator. Which makes the strongest characters the most detached.

Size 12 Is Not Fat: A Heather Wells Mystery   by Meg Cabot, 368 pages Micaela Larkin   21 April 2006 The author of the Princess Diaries dynasty takes on mystery. What happens if an ex-teen pop princess has to solve the mysterious deaths of NYU students in the dorm elevators? This cozy is comfortable, smart, and a good mystery.

Suburbanistas   by Pamela Satran, 352 pages Micaela Larkin   22 April 2006 Run far away! I'm a bit embarrased to admit that I checked this out of the library. It did have a cool cover. That said, this tale of movie star returning home to stop the gentrification of her old commuter New England town falls under the category of pretty lame and one should only read it if execptionally bored and too cheap to pay 9 dollars to attend an afternoon movie.

A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan (2006)   by Michael Kazan, 306 pages James Donahue   05 May 2006 Good terse biography that purports to put Bryan's faith at the center of the story. Yet, to me, Kazan seems religiously tone-deaf, unable to do much with Bryan's faith other than repeatedly point to it. I get the feeling that Kazan is not nostalgic for a time when religion still mattered in presidential debates so much as nostalgic for a time when heartland evangelicals still voted Democratic. Very readable, informative, engaging, but still a bit disappointing to me.

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

Wilhelm II: Prince and Emperor, 1859-1900 (1989)   by Lamar Cecil, 339 pages James Donahue   10 May 2006 Thorough, very thorough

Wilhelm II: Emperor and Exile, 1900-1941 (1996)   by Lamar Cecil, 356 pages James Donahue   13 May 2006 In bed for four days with a fever, I read and read and then experience odd dreams about myself, the Kaiser, and a labrythine house in downtown Columbus.

American Vertigo: Travelling America in the Footsteps of Tocqueville   by Bernard-Henri Levy, 308 pages Jonathan Misirian   15 May 2006 The Atlantic sponsored a French philosopher to retrace Tocqueville’s travels across America. Levy’s insights are at times relevant and profound; but more often then not are reflective of his French weltanschauung.

Bull from the Sea   by Mary Renault, 352 pages Micaela Larkin   16 May 2006 I'm taking on classic mid century paperback fiction books this month. This book might be of interest to you if you like Greek mythology, drifting conversations, and a slow pace. Not my cupt of tea!

The Group   by Mary McCarthy, 397 pages Micaela Larkin   18 May 2006 This 1963 book follows the lives of Vassar graduates through the 1930s-1940s. While the characters humanity in the text is inconstant, the well describe characters illuminate the intellectual and social milieu of the day. I think the best part of the book is the inner monologue of one character on why she can't share her visit to be fitted for a birth control device with her mother (who had ardently fought for such devices in a previous era as a clubwoman), and a later scene when she reveals her loss of virginity to her mother. http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/11/23/home/mccarthy-group.html

The Master Butchers Singing Club (2003)   by Louise Erdrich, 389 pages James Donahue   10 June 2006 Erdrich captures the lonely but interdependent world of North Dakota between the wars by focusing on the German and Native American families living side by side (and sometimes in the same bed.) A good read, but languidly written. Example: "It was a song he'd sung with Johannes, drunk, in forgetfulness which he could not now forget, as the wheels turned them forward and forward, far from Germany, onto the wideness of plains of America where the wars were not between the same old enemies he was used to, but were over before he'd got there, the great dying finished, and the blood already soaked into the ground."

The Way of All Women   by M. Esther Harding, 301 pages Micaela Larkin   21 June 2006

Little Green Men   by Christopher Buckley, 300 pages Jonathan Misirian   29 June 2006 Buckley, the satirical political novelist, and author of the critically acclaimed -though box office dud- Thank You For Smoking, uses his sharp wit to skewer Washington. Premise: a top-secret government agency behind cattle mutilations and ‘alien abductions’ is uncovered by a Tim Russert foil.

The Panda's Thumb   by S J Gould, 343 pages Steven Krise   29 June 2006 He said radial sesamoid...huhuh.

Sir Edward Grey (1971)   by Keith Robbins, 372 pages James Donahue   07 July 2006 Grey was Foreign Secretary of Great Britain from 1905 to 1916, and the author of several fly-fishing books that were "too bookish for the fisher and too fisherly for the bookish."

In the Time of Butterflies   by Julia Alvarez, 352 pages Micaela Larkin   10 July 2006 Dorm group-read, this is a lively book that fades in the last one hundred pages.

Sunday Money: Speed! Lust! Madness! Death! A Hot Lap Around America With Nascar.   by Jeff MacGregor, 370 pages Jonathan Misirian   15 July 2006 Writing in the manner of Hunter S. Thompson, MacGregor and his wife motor-home their way across the US visiting every stop in the 2002 Nascar season. Emerging from their travels, is a book satisfies the curious and the committed Nascar fan.

Here Comes the Sun: The Spiritual and Musical Journey of George Harrison   by Joshua M. Greene, 320 pages Brad Snyder   17 July 2006 I saw this and checked it out of the library because the author of the Beatles book I read earlier this year said that George had embraced more traditional Christianity in his later years. I had never heard that, and quickly learned that I apparently knew more than that particuluar biographer about the subject. This book had more gurus and long Indian names than you can shake a stick at. Interesting in that this book illumined so much of what made this Beatle tick, and some of the stories about the music and musicians he ran with were fun to read, but over all, kind of "eh".

The Soul of a Bishop (1917)   by H. G. Wells, 341 pages James Donahue   17 July 2006 You've heard of sci-fi. This is reli-fi. Wells takes time out from the war to describe a bishop's mystical transcending of stuffy church-religion to embrace the spiritual Kingdom-of-God-of-the-future.

Love and Responsibility   by Karol W, 319 pages Micaela Larkin   28 July 2006 In my newest holy roller phase, I decided to take on Pope JPII's first foray into Catholic marriage, and in some ways it provides a practical foray (psych/bio/philo) look into his later developed theology of the body. Good reading! It also is useful for assessing one's own descent into utilitarianism in one's personal life. Or the hefty book can be thrown at people who need to wake up!

The Cold Moon   by Jeffery Deaver, 370 pages Steven Krise   01 August 2006 I think the old boy has gone daffy trying to fit in the twists.

The Convert   by Margaret Culkin Banning, 313 pages Micaela Larkin   08 August 2006 catholic fiction of the fifties-- I'm not sure it would convert me to the one holy true Church as Colbert would say!

American Gospel: God, The Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation.   by Jon Meacham, 399 pages Jonathan Misirian   14 August 2006 American Gospel is a gift to the polarizing debate regarding the historicity of religion’s role within America. Meacham deftly shows the failure of both the Right and the Left’s view of America’s religious roots. While both sides of the debate view the past through their skewed lenses, Meacham proposed a compelling argument for the role of religion w/n American politics. Expertly written, well documented, and truly fascinating!

An Inconvenient Truth   by Al Gore, 328 pages Jonathan Misirian   28 August 2006 Is this a Gore-reinvention or a Gore-redemption? The author presents a detailed and honest appraisal of the global climate crisis.. the facts are indisputable as well as the photographic evidence. What isn’t answered is: ‘Is our current situation part of a consistent downward trend or is it part of a larger cyclical movement of changing climate patterns.’

The Kite Runner   by Khaled Hosseini, 371 pages Brad Snyder   31 August 2006 Every Afghan I have ever known is incredibly charming, funny, and hospitable, not at all like the pictures of the country of their origin we are so accustomed to seeing on the nightly news. I think of Dorr, proprietor of the Bamyan Restaurant in Herndon, VA. What great food and what a wonderful human being. It's hard to believe his home country was once so lovely, as it is in this story: for a while anyway. But even as the author paints a picture of beauty and plenty, he crafts characters that remind us all that even in a lush and beautiful place, the reality of the Fall effects us all. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop. This is a story of friendship, betrayal, and redemption, with a new twist of sadness in every chapter.

After All (1951)   by Norman Angell, 355 pages James Donahue   05 September 2006 Angell was an original and combative thinker about international relations and peace between the wars. Quite a life, written with a colorful eye: cowboying in California as a youth, running the largest English-language paper in Paris, advocacy for the League of Nations, buying a farm/island in the English Channel. But the tone of the book ruins much of it -- it is too much of a temptation for an idiosyncratic liberal who has never held power to spend too much time flaunting an "I told you so."

The Vanishing Point   by Mary Sharratt, 364 pages Micaela Larkin   13 September 2006

The Constant Princess   by Phillipa Gregory, 390 pages Micaela Larkin   14 September 2006

A Century of Recorded Music: Listening to Musical History   by Timothy Day, 306 pages Tony Pisarenkov   18 September 2006 A potentially interesting topic (how sound recording affected the performance and consumption of classical music) covered in an inadequate, disjoint, excessively England-centric and effete fashion. If I see the word demisemiquaver one more time, I will strangle someone.

Terrorist   by John Updike, 320 pages Jonathan Misirian   28 September 2006 Updike revels in the different shades of grey that exist in our post 9/11 morally relevant society. His novel unites the lives and themes of radical Islamic cleric’s and their followers, the department of Homeland Security, a struggling painter, and an ethically bankrupt school guidance counselor… all of which leaves the reader to wonder if Updike’s didactic purpose goes too far.

Memoirs (1935)   by Count Bernstorff, 365 pages James Donahue   28 September 2006 Bernstorff was the German ambassador to DC before WWI; ambassador to the League of Nations after WWI. Here would be a refreshing change: a German politician willing to put some of the blame on himself.

In Tasmania   by Nicholas Shakespeare, 370 pages Jonathan Misirian   29 September 2006 English author Shakespeare moves to Tasmania and discovers that his ancestors were of the first to bring Western culture to this remote island. Shakespeare finds that the history of his ancestors and of the country are linked together, in ways both stunning and shocking. In Tasmania, is a beautiful portrait of the country known as ‘Van Diemen’s Land.’

Absolute Destruction: Military Culture and the Practices of War in Imperial Germany (2006)   by Isabell Hull, 333 pages James Donahue   05 November 2006 Hull is simply one of the best historians still writing today. In this book she questions why and how the German army committed wartime atrocities in Africa (1907-8) and in Belgium (1914-18). Her thesis is that atrocities were not the result of barbarism or of top-down orders, but rather were the product of overwhelmed troops on the ground, underfunded and underprepared, yet expected to secure absolute order and cooperation from a (naturally) hostile civilian population.

Blood Meridian   by Cormac McCarthey, 337 pages Steven Krise   06 November 2006 The judge said he would never die.

Knitting under the influence   by Claire Lazebnik, 397 pages Micaela Larkin   08 November 2006 Stupid chic-lit; wouldn't recommend

Something Borrowed   by Emily Giffin, 336 pages Micaela Larkin   08 November 2006 kind of weird book, but not a bad read... what happens if you slept with your best friend from grade school's fiancee on your birthday six months before the wedding?

Something Blue   by Emily Giffin, 368 pages Micaela Larkin   08 November 2006 What if you were the scorned best friend from previous book who went to England to stay with other childhood friend?

Heretics (1905)   by G. K. Chesterton, 305 pages James Donahue   16 November 2006 My usual reaction to Chesterton: I cannot agree with his populist-pandering, meanspirited, paradox-loving substance, but I cannot dislike his style of pugnacious satire.

Thief of Time   by Terry Pratchett, 378 pages Steven Krise   21 November 2006 Perfect clock traps time and kaos ensues.

Duchess: A Novel of Sarah Churchill   by Susan Galloway Scott, 379 pages Micaela Larkin   26 November 2006 Excellent historical fiction... it makes you want to read more about the subject!

Becoming Americana   by Lara Rios, 307 pages Micaela Larkin   27 November 2006 Chicana chic lit... sophomore slump!

Playing with Boys   by Alisa Valdes Rodriguez, 368 pages Micaela Larkin   27 November 2006 Awful sophomore chic lit

A Return to Modesty   by Wendy Shallit, 304 pages Micaela Larkin   27 November 2006 Shallit offers an intelligent discussion of modern dating.

The Tiger of France: Conversations with Clemenceau (1949)   by Wythe Williams, 303 pages James Donahue   04 December 2006 Williams was the Times journalist in Paris from 1911-1935. This is part-biography, part-love-affair with Clemenceau, aka the Tiger, the dodgy and fiery premier of France during WWI. Colorful; but accurate??

Thy Kingdom Come: An Evangelical's Lament (2006)   by Randall Balmer, 300 pages Jennifer Dear   04 December 2006 An outrageous look at the Religious Right and what makes them tick. While I'm apt to believe him, he seemed to mischaracterize George Marsden, for one, and this makes me a little skeptical. I recommend this to anyone who wonders why the current administration continues to enjoy the seemingly unquestioning support of many Evangelicals.

Real Life, Real Love   by Father Albert Cutie, 357 pages Micaela Larkin   05 December 2006 Yes, his name is Cutie. :)

Feet of Clay   by Terry Pratchett, 357 pages Steven Krise   10 December 2006 Pratchett's take on the murder mystery.

Red Star Rogue   by Kenneth Sewell, 305 pages Tony Pisarenkov   25 December 2006 An account of a Soviet submarine, evidently commandeered by a rogue KGB faction, that sank while attempting to launch a nuclear missle on Hawaii in 1968, its salavaging by the CIA in the mid-1970s and the subsequent coverup that continues to this day. While a gold mine for both submarine geeks and Cold War wonks, it's surprisingly readable by someone who is neither, but given that the real story has not been declassified by either government, and isn't likely to be, the ultimate satisfaction of having learned something historically factual is absent.

Transgressions   by Jeffery Deaver, 339 pages Steven Krise   02 January 2007 Deaver and another author each wrote a novella. The other guy seemed to get the knack of it better.

The Mandalorian Armor (1998)   by K. W. Jeter, 387 pages James Donahue   08 January 2007 Did you know Boba Fett survived the Sarlaac Pit?

Slave Ship (1998)   by K. W. Jeter, 324 pages James Donahue   10 January 2007 Oh, silly Bossk, when will you learn that you cannot compete with Boba Fett?

Dostoevsky: The Seeds of Revolt, 1821-1849 (1976)   by Joseph Frank, 392 pages James Donahue   10 January 2007 After a decade of reading Dostoevsky, it occurred to me that I know little to nothing of his life. Frank’s series of biographies are said to be the best, and there’s nothing here to prove ‘them’ wrong. Frank is reacting against tendencies of critics to read Dostoevsky as a prophet, as an anti-bolshevik, or as a existentialist. In other words, Frank presents F-Dos as a 19th-century figure, not a 20th-century anachronism. This is a great history which situates Dostoevsky in the middle of the Russian liberals and literati up until his arrest and mock execution in 1849. (Read at John's apartment in Providence)

Hannibal Rising   by Thomas Harris, 323 pages Steven Krise   14 January 2007 Meet Hannibal Lecter for the first time...again.

Dostoevsky: The Years of Ordeal, 1850-1859 (1983)   by Joseph Frank, 304 pages James Donahue   15 January 2007 After his faked execution, Dostoevsky spent four years in the Siberian gulag and five years as a conscript. During this time Tolstoi, Goncharov, and Turgenev rose to the to of Russian culture while Dostoevsky traded in his romanticized view of the people for real-life, gritty experience with the Russian lower classes. F-Dos refers to this time as the "regeneration of my convictions." He emerged from his exile convinced of the importance of moral personality, the redeeming role for Russian culture in the future of the West, and the centrality of Christ for both of the above. In other words, he became the ‘Johnny Cash’ of the the Russian intelligentsia: cool, experienced, rebellious, and yet oddly old-fashioned. Special kudos to Frank who takes F-Dos' conversion and convictions seriously (no Freud or leftist conspiracy theories here), even though he does not share his subject's sensibilities.

Hard Merchandise (1998)   by K. W. Jeter, 338 pages James Donahue   17 January 2007 Who knew that Boba Fett was such a kick-ass?

Emily Ever After   by Ann Dayton and May Vanderbilt, 307 pages Micaela Larkin   22 January 2007 The story of an evangelical girl taking on NYC and the Sex in the City publishing world. Okay read for Evangelicachick lit, but at the end of the day it is still evangelicachick lit...

Heat   by Bill Buford, 318 pages Tony Pisarenkov   23 January 2007 The majority of the book -- an account of the author's apprenticeship at Mario Batali's legendary restaurant Babbo -- is enjoyable enough, though this will be familiar, and thus not very informative, territory for fans of Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential. The rest, however -- Buford's adventures in Italy as an apprentice butcher and amateur food historian -- is priceless.

When Nietzsche Wept (1992)   by Irvin Yalom, 306 pages Jonathan Misirian   24 January 2007 For those passionate about the era that gave birth to psychoanalysis... When Nietzsche Wept weaves together a fictional account of Lou Salome, Josef Breuer, a young Sigmund Freud and Friedrich Nietzsche. This historical novel inter-twines these characters so that Yalom can give us his take on love, lust, marriage, life and meaning.

Dostoevsky: The Stir of Liberation, 1860-1865 (1986)   by Joseph Frank, 375 pages James Donahue   26 January 2007 During these years Dostoevsky reestablished in Russian letters as an editor and critic of one of the premier journals of his time. He also lost his wife (after travelling to Europe to pursue a mistress who had run off with a Spaniard) and his brother (after travelling to Europe to gamble and write leaving his brother with the sole burden of running the journal.) Most of his works from this time are satires against the other literary journals that espoused the antihumanist socialism that he came to despise. Frank's reading of his most famous work from this time -- Notes of an Underground Man -- as a satire of his socialist rivals (rather than as the birth of existentialism or modernist interiority) brings out aspects of the book I had never considered before.

Life of Pi   by Yann Martel, 336 pages Steve Gadd   29 January 2007 I had the rare pleasure of diving into this book without knowing anything about it, without even glancing at the back cover, though the front cover art was a bit of a spoiler. While survivor stories are among my favorites, the fact that this one was fictional made it less compelling, the magical bits coming off more as implausible than dreamily fantastic.

The Truce At Bakura (1994)   by Kathy Tyers, 311 pages James Donahue   29 January 2007 After the destruction of the Death Star, the Alliance and Empire team to battle invading aliens. Not the best book I've ever read.

And Only to Deceive   by Tasha Alexander, 320 pages Micaela Larkin   01 February 2007 This book rocks. I picked it up because I liked the cover at Target. When I flipped it over I realized Ralph McInerny liked it. Opened up the flap to read that author went to ND and her dad taught there, I immediately bought it. It was a great mystery! Luckily, the sequel comes out in a few months!

The Tipping Point   by Malcom Gladwell, 304 pages Micaela Larkin   01 February 2007

Expelled From Eden   by William T. Vollmann, 383 pages Steve Gadd   06 February 2007 This "reader" includes selections from Vollmann's epic works of fiction as well as reportage from the urban underworld and various down-and-out places around the world. Thanks to Raully for suggesting this author.

Radical Brewing   by Randy Mosher, 350 pages Steven Krise   13 February 2007 I need to get out to the library more often.

The Meaning of Sports: Why Americans watch Baseball, Football and Basketball, and what they see when they do (2004)   by Michael Mandelbaum, 332 pages Jonathan Misirian   01 March 2007 Professor of American foreign policy at John Hopkins University, and an avid sports enthusiast, Michael Mandelbaum follows Toffler’s overview of the three waves of civilization and identifies how our American sports leagues lines up with the agrarian, industrial, and now informational paradigms of society. A great report of the intersection of society and sports.

The Gilded Chamber (2004)   by Rebecca Kohn, 353 pages Jennifer Dear   10 March 2007 Book jacket says: "A must-read for fans of the Red Tent"; Jen says: "I got nothing to say."

Wilson: Confusions and Crises, 1915 - 1916 (1964)   by Arthur Link, 362 pages James Donahue   23 March 2007

Love Stories of World War II   by Larry King, 325 pages Micaela Larkin   24 March 2007

The Rossetti Letter   by Christi Phillips, 383 pages Micaela Larkin   25 March 2007 Ph.D student visits Venice to attend conference solve historical mystery about seventeenth-century Venitian courtesan.

X-Wing: Rogue Squadron   by Michael Stackpole, 388 pages James Donahue   26 March 2007

The Irresistible Revolution (2006)   by Shane Claiborne, 367 pages Jonathan Misirian   27 March 2007 Claiborne is hard to pin down. He is unapologetically Christian and rejects most of the cultural trappings of the American church. His commitment to follow Jesus means that he makes his own clothes and shoes, lives in community with the homeless, and practices non-violence where-ever possible. Fascinating life: from living with Mother Theresa to doing an internship at Willow Creek, to traveling to Iraq. Excellent read for those dissatisfied with cultural Christianity.

Chuck Klosterman IV: a decade of curious people and dangerous ideas (2006)   by Chuck Klosterman, 374 pages Jonathan Misirian   04 April 2007 Klosterman, a free-lance writer for Spin and Esquire packs a 1-2 punch better then most of today’s contemporary pop-culture writers. There’s only a few authors that I’d consider buying after reading, one being Maryilynne Robinson’s Gilead, and the other, this collection of essays and stories that Klosterman penned over the past few years. His writing lacks pretension, and is packed with razor sharp insights about humanity and our entertainment culture. For those who enjoy reading about pop-culture… Klosterman IV is a must-read.

Maskerade   by Terry Pratchett, 358 pages Steven Krise   05 April 2007 Pratchett's take on "The Phantom of the Opera".

The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth from 9/11 to Katrina   by Frank Rich, 335 pages Jonathan Misirian   09 April 2007 Rich, a columnist for the NYTimes, describes the innumerable missteps of the Bush Administration, clearly making the point that the Administration’s drive to create their own reality surpassed their need for honesty. The bungling of the reasons for entering the Iraq War has been well documented in other books… For far too long Bush has chosen to be the national cheerleader, urging America forward in the fight against Terrorism, w/o bothering to ask questions like, ‘Is this the right fight?’ and, ‘How do we know when we’ve won?’ Sadly the cost of this mismanagement of the Iraq War is the lives of over 3100 American troops, and over 50,000 Iraqi civilians.

X-Wing: Wedge's Gamble (1996)   by Michael Stackpole, 357 pages James Donahue   09 April 2007 Did you know that when the Rebel Alliance retook Coruscant, the Empire released a virus into the planet as they left town? Those dastardly bastards!

The Jazz Tradition   by Martin Williams, 301 pages Tony Pisarenkov   09 April 2007 Advertised as an attempt at a synthesis of history and criticism, this book is much heavier on the latter. Occasionally insightful, though Williams spends most of his time ignoring Duke Ellington prinicple that "if it sounds good, it is good." Thank you, Steve, for the present.

X-Wing: The Krytos Trap (1996)   by Michael Stackpole, 355 pages James Donahue   15 April 2007 Did you know that Emperor Palpatine kept trophies from Jedi Knights that fell into Rebel hands when they liberated Coruscant?

The Deception of the Emerald Ring (2006)   by Lauren Willig, 386 pages Jennifer Dear   16 April 2007

Lauren Willig   by The Deception of the Emerald Ring, 386 pages Micaela Larkin   16 April 2007

Adrift   by Steven Callahan, 344 pages Steve Gadd   18 April 2007 Day 14: I sit a thousand miles away from any companionship, money, or luxury, yet I have a feeling of wealth. Fifteen pounds of raw fish dangle from clotheslines that I've rigged in one half of the raft. I call it the butcher shop. The solar sill is beginning to glisten with condensation, coins tossed to this beggar by the aristocratic sun. It is not much, but the implications of my meager cache are great. Slowly I am evolving a home out of this rubber, string, and steel.

X-Wing: The Bacta War (1997)   by Michael Stackpole, 349 pages James Donahue   27 April 2007 If it is possible for a sci-fi paperback series to jump the shark, this is it. This book is horrid, abominable. Life oozes out of the reader when he submits to this book. Its like the third season of Alias. I had such low expectations - just a diverting rag to ease my mind after dissertating all day - and yet still. . . My only consolation is that another writer was hired to continue the series on.

Houses of Stone   by Barbara Michaels, 385 pages Micaela Larkin   04 May 2007 academic cozy literary mystery with funny commentary about lady academics

Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas (2006)   by Chuck Klosterman, 374 pages Brad Snyder   20 May 2007 If you told me a few years ago that there was a book that begins with Britney Spears and includes thoughts about stealing Hitler's wallet before closing with a story of a woman falling from the sky, I would have said that it must be good. This book proves the fact.

The Lord of the Rings, Part 2: The Two Towers   by J.R.R. Tolkien, 398 pages Brad Snyder   27 May 2007 I'm still doing the voices and still enjoying the time with my son. However, at the risk of causing a whole lot of people to question my sanity and taste, I really don't understand why everyone thinks this book is so great. It contains at least 100 pages of the most boring prose written since "The Scarlet Letter" as he describes the (lame) journey of Frodo and Sam. The movie is better.

Peyton Place   by Grace Metalious, 372 pages Micaela Larkin   28 May 2007 mid-century melodrama

Love Among the Ruins (Novel)   by Robert Clarkin, 333 pages Micaela Larkin   28 May 2007

A Poisoned Seasons (2007)   by Tasha Alexander, 320 pages Micaela Larkin   28 May 2007

The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis (2005)   by Alan Jacobs, 314 pages James Donahue   29 May 2007 Jacobs - who is the best evangelical critic out there right now - takes on the evangelical Maestro. His book is a rare combination of a critic who is religiously literate but still not prone to the obsequious hagiography that follows Lewis around, the Christian equivalent to groupie-ism. Jacobs is much more interested in the religious possibilities of story and myth than in Lewis (who was after all a distastefully stuffy don with a taste for sadism before his conversion and a Christian jack-of-all-trades after his birth, churning out books faster than Irish 'virgins' can churn our children). And that is just I would prefer: the stories matter more than the man.

Observing America (2007)   by Robert Frankel, 324 pages James Donahue   07 June 2007 A history of books by Brits on the U.S. from 1900 to 1945. Frankel focuses on four very different writers: H. G. Wells, W. T. Stead (one of the more prominent Moody allies in Chicago), Harold Laski, and G. K. Chesterton (who spent a few semesters teaching at Notre Dame). Very good, though what intrigues is more the comment of the Brits than Frankel's analysis. (Read in Calgary and Banff on family vacation)

Lord of the World (1906)   by Robert Hugh Benson, 338 pages Micaela Larkin   21 June 2007 Catholic apocalyptic fiction at its best (according to Fulton Sheen). You judge: "He had talked to him of inner life again and again, in which verities are seen to be true, and acts of faith are ratified; he had urgent prayer and humility till he was almost weary of the naes; and had been met by the retort that this was to advise sheer self-hyptonism; and he ahd despaired of making clear to one who did not see it for himself that while love and Faith may be called self-hypnotism from one angle, yet from another they are as much realities as, for example, artistic faculties, and need similar cultivation; that they produce a conviction that they are convictions, that they handle and taste things which when handled and tasted are overwhelmingly more real and objective than the things of sense. Evidences seemed to mean nothing to this man.

Hensley Henson (1983)   by Owen Chadwick, 331 pages James Donahue   25 June 2007 Henson was a turn-of-the-century bishop who somehow combined the role of church crank, heretical modernist, and Victorian hangover for over forty years. The biography is a bit watery, I never got a feel for Henson as a person. But I did enjoy Chadwick, who was the leading historian of secularization, revealing his own thoughts (which favor modernization and sees the evangelical reargard as an embarassment for Britain) in this biography.

Summer Friends   by Judy Blume, 399 pages Micaela Larkin   26 June 2007 Dumbest book ever. I should not have picked it up!!

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.

Kofi Annan (2007)   by Stanley Meisler, 319 pages James Donahue   01 July 2007 Meisler's biography of the U.N. sec-gen is partly a defense of Annan against his American neo-con critics and the general, uninformed public view of the UN over the past few years. But book is best when it rests on Meisler's personal anecdotes as a reporter at the UN over the past decade.

Come Rack! Come Rope!   by Robert Hugh Benson, 377 pages Micaela Larkin   02 July 2007 DJ: "Edmund Campion's defiant cry, "Come Rack! Come Rope!" was taken up as the rallying cry of the hunted priests in Elizabethean England. The story of these priests and of the people who surrounded and helped them has never been told more graphically..."

An Untold Story: The Roosevelts of Hyde Park   by Eliot Roosevelt, 305 pages Micaela Larkin   03 July 2007 FDR's son psychoanalyzes his parents.

Jawbreaker: The attack on Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda- A personal account by the CIA’s key field commander   by Gary Berntsen, 325 pages Jonathan Misirian   07 July 2007 Berntsen was the CIA’s lead in-country commander who oversaw the fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Hailed by military historians as an unparalleled military success, Berntsen provides a first hand account of the execution of the war in Afghanistan. A rugged country marked by warlords, numerous tribal factions, and impossible terrain, Afghanistan proved successful for the CIA and Special Forces, for the way they waged this unconventional war. Three themes stand out as to the cause of this military campaign: decentralizing key military decisions by field agents, a tremendous amount of cash (used to buy allegiances), and in the field advances in key acquisition and communication technology.

The Innocent Man: murder and injustice in a small town (2006)   by John Grisham, 368 pages Jonathan Misirian   10 July 2007 John ‘The’ Grisham’s first work of non-fiction, examines what happens in small town America, when the police, DA, and the local judge all collude to conceal evidence, intimidate witnesses, and rush to make a conviction. The result, two innocent men find themselves locked up on death row. Grisham examines the entire story, painting a picture of corruption, hopelessness, and innocence behind bars. After spending over a decade behind bars, the men are freed primarily through the work of the Innocence Project. Gripping and sickening all at the same time, The Innocent Man reveals the injustices of our judicial system in a very compelling manner.

Ernst Troeltsch: His Life and Work (1993)   by Hans-Georg Drescher, 311 pages James Donahue   10 July 2007

The Panda's Thumb   by Stephen Jay Gould, 343 pages Steven Krise   15 July 2007 More reflections in natural history.

Boomsday   by Christopher Buckley, 318 pages Jonathan Misirian   16 July 2007 Buckley’s genius lays in his acerbic wit, and familial ability to use language to create the exact image that he wants. A master political-comedic novelist who continually makes me laugh out loud: e.g., a few years ago I was reading a short story of his about a director who was making a movie on the Royal Navy, the working title ‘Rum, Waves and Sodomy.’ Boomsday is a great summer read!

Maid Marian (2004)   by Elsa Watson, 307 pages Jennifer Dear   17 July 2007 Dust jacket says, "An irresistible reimagining of the Robin Hood legend." Jen says, "It makes me want to watch' Robin Hood' again."

Vile Bodies (1930)   by Evelyn Waugh, 321 pages James Donahue   22 July 2007 "Adam and Nina were suffering from being sophisticated about sex before they were at all widely experienced."

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (1997)   by J. K. Rowling, 309 pages Jennifer Dear   24 July 2007 Jen says, "Great fun. I'm hooked." Raully says, "Can it really be that no one on this booklist has yet read Rowling? Are we that pretentious?"

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone   by J. K. Rowling, 309 pages Steve Gadd   24 July 2007 Not bad I suppose for a kid's book but I expected more after hearing about 300 million copies sold. There was a bit of leading by the nose (at the halfway point: "Had Hagrid collected that package just in time? Where was it now? And did Hagrid know something about Snape that he didn't want to tell Harry?") and a classic villain speech at the end. You're never too young for a literary cliché.

X-Wing: Iron Fist (1998)   by Aaron Allston, 310 pages James Donahue   02 August 2007 The series gets back on track. . . .but is it too late???

Moving Pictures   by Terry Pratchett, 337 pages Steven Krise   03 August 2007 ?

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998)   by J. K. Rowling, 341 pages Jennifer Dear   03 August 2007 Very addictive.

X-Wing: Solo Command (1999)   by Aaron Allston, 341 pages James Donahue   06 August 2007 Another solid (though not spectacular) installment to this series, which seems to have righted itself after jettisoning its first author.

A Handful of Dust (1934)   by Evelyn Waugh, 308 pages James Donahue   07 August 2007 Waugh's first non-satirical book is enough to make me despair of modern civilization. There is depressing, and then there is Waugh. Here Brenda Last leaves her traditional husband for no conceivable reason (boredom? silliness? callousness?), beginning a process that leads a country squire family into extinction.

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.

Defending the Damned: Inside Chicago’s Cook County Public Defender’s Office (2007)   by Kevin Davis, 308 pages Jonathan Misirian   08 August 2007 Davis follows a specific case, in which the defendant was charged with killing a Chicago police officer. Through the process, he receives unparalleled access to the Public Defenders strategy sessions, court hearings, and unfettered access to the family of slain officer. Davis humanizes a profession that many scorn, while shinning light on an at-times corrupt legal system.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (1997)   by J. K. Rowling, 309 pages James Donahue   16 August 2007 Does anyone else detect a nostalgia for the aristocratic age of Edwardian England? Harry Potter discovers he is no petit bourgouis flunky, but instead a wizard, a secret class that can combat the Continental aristocracies, secretly influence world power, and thrive amongst their own inner jokes. Immediately Harry discovers hidden shopping avenues in London ("Can we find these things in London?" asks Harry. Answer: "Only if you know where to look."), is sent to a boarding school complete with all the rituals and (in)dignities the Victorian 'public school' life (now dismantled in democratic England), and discovers his true athletic gifts in aristocratic sport (Quidditch, which is compared often to soccer in the book, but sounds much more to me like polo.) Surely English kids read this and wonder if they too can ever mount a charge into the wizard class, just as kids used to dream about discovering they were the lost children of a prince or duchess, just as Jane Eyre could come to terms with the responsibilities and privileges of her blood calling.

Brideshead Revisited (1945)   by Evelyn Waugh, 351 pages James Donahue   26 August 2007 Waugh's new tone and newfound seriousness create this amazing read! This book was published on the eve of WWI (my own first edition was bought by a Lt. Col in the U.S. Army from nearby Goshen) and tells the story of a WWII officer struggling with the memories of the lost prewar Britain: pastoral, aristocratic, slightly superfluous, lamented. Waugh laments a Victorian world that "were the aborgines, vermin by right of law, to be shot off at leisure so that things might be safe for the travelling salesman, with his polygonal pince-nez, his fat wet hand-shake, his grinning dentures." Here Waugh also deals with his own Catholicism for the first time, though not head on like his contmporaries Greene or Chesterton, but as part of that lost world that Britain turned its back on. Waugh's Catholicism is alien, foreign, unmodern, something that Waugh seems compelled towards but not necessarily in favour of. (Read mostly in one long day waiting for the birth of Calvin Thomas Donahue.)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998)   by J. K. Rowling, 341 pages James Donahue   28 August 2007 (Read during sleepless nights with a new baby and flu-ridden kids)

In a Sunburned Country   by Bill Bryson, 304 pages Steve Gadd   28 August 2007 Quite a charming travel book about Australia, with much attention given to the ways you can die or be maimed there. Little-known fact: Australian prime minister Harold Holt died in power when he went for a swim in the sea and was carried off by a rip current, never to be seen again.

Conversations with Tom Petty (2006)   by Paul Zollo, 330 pages Brad Snyder   09 September 2007 The first part of this interview-styled biography is great, reading Petty's stories of starting out in rock 'n' roll, recording, touring, and goofing off with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, and others. As a casual listener of Tom Petty's music, I found this to be interesting and fun. But the second part of this book, consisting of a way too technical album by album, song by song analysis, is for Tom Petty aficionados only (obviously Zollo is). Consider some actual questions and answers, and you pretty much get the gist: Zollo: “That’s in E major—do you think that’s the best guitar key?” Petty: “Oh, there are many of them.” or Zollo: “’Waiting for Tonight’ is in F# minor, and has such a good feel.” Petty: “Yeah. I learned that from listening to Buddy Holly.”

The People’s Act of Love (2007)   by James Meek, 390 pages Jonathan Misirian   14 September 2007 The People’s Act of Love is set in Siberia during the waning days of WWI. An escaped convict, a religious sect of castrates, a rouge Czech military unit, and a Communist battle group all form the central characters of this compelling novel. Reviewers scrambled over themselves to compare this work with Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky.

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.

A History of the World in Six Glasses   by Tom Standage, 311 pages Tony Pisarenkov   29 September 2007 An enjoyable and surprisingly well-written, albeit brief, examination of the impact six beverages -- beer, wine, distilled spirits, coffee, tea and Coca-Cola -- had on the political and economic history of mankind. Recommended.

Chuck Klosterman IV   by Chuck Klosterman, 356 pages Steve Gadd   04 October 2007 Interviews with celebrities, ruminations on robots, basketball, and music videos, and a bit of forgettable fiction make for a respectable and entertaining collection of pop culture analysis.

God is not great: how religion poisons everything (2007)   by Christopher Hitchens, 307 pages Jonathan Misirian   15 November 2007 …except the ability to write against it. Hitchens’ work is part of the modern trinity of works scortching religion, joining Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins on the best seller lists.

Blackwater: The rise of the world’s most powerful mercenary army (2007)   by Jeremy Scahill, 382 pages Jonathan Misirian   17 November 2007

Memoirs 1950-1963   by George Kennan, 372 pages Tony Pisarenkov   02 December 2007 Necessarily selective, but a fascinating peek into the life of a career diplomat and the inevitable, eternal, and, to me as it is to Kennan, deeply depressing conflict between foreign and domestic policy, and the subservience of the former to the latter.

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.

What's So Amazing About Grace? (1997)   by Philip Yancey, 304 pages Brad Snyder   24 December 2007 Yancey has the ability to take a topic and look at it from every conceivable angle. In this book, he uses his vast experiences and wealth of knowledge to explore the concept of grace. Wow.

Growing Up Hockey   by Brian Kennedy, 384 pages Steve Gadd   01 January 2008 This book easily doubled my knowledge of hockey.

Bonds of Imperfection: Christian Politics Past and Present (2004)   by Oliver and Joan Lockwood O'Donovan, 320 pages James Donahue   10 January 2008 A group of essays, some better than others, on all sorts of digressions. On the whole however they are not as interesting to me as their monographs. Perhaps they would interest a specialist more.

Stiff - The Curious Lives of Cadavers   by Mary Roach, 303 pages Steven Krise   20 January 2008 After watching another five patients shed similar weight as they died, Macdougbhall moved on to dogs. Fifteen dogs breathed their last without registering a significant drop in weight, which Macdougall took as corroborating evidence, for he assumed, in keeping with his religious doctrine, that animals have no souls. While Macdougall's human subjects were patients of his, there is no explanation of how he came to be in the possession of fifteen dying dogs in so short a span of time. Barring a local outbreak of distemper, one is forced to conjecture that the good doctor calmly poisoned fifteen healthy canines for his little exercise in biological theology.

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?

God is Not Great: How Religions Poisons Everything   by Christopher Hitchens, 307 pages Tony Pisarenkov   03 February 2008 Hitchens is preaching to the choir here, and I am the choir. I agree with everything he has to say in the book 100% (or close to it, anyhow), and as a result the book was not useful. At best, it filled in a few minor details.

Kingdom of Fear: Loathsome secrets of a star-crossed child in the final days of the American Century   by Hunter S Thompson, 351 pages Steven Krise   04 February 2008 "Brilliant, provocative, outrageous, and brazen, Hunter S. Thompson's infamous rule breaking -- in his journalism, in his life, and under the law -- changed the shape of American letters, and the face of American icons...."

God Is Not Great - How Religion Poisons Everything   by Christopher Hitchens, 307 pages Steven Krise   08 February 2008 There still remain four irreducible objections to religious faith: that it wholly misrepresents the origins of man and the cosmos, that because of this original error it manages to combine the maximum of servility with the maximum of solipsism, that it is both the result and the cause of dangerous sexual repression, and that it is ultimately grounded in wish-thinking.

The Last Command (1999)   by Timothy Zahn, 340 pages James Donahue   15 February 2008 Did you know that Leia has credence on some worlds because she is "spawn of Vader"?

Chosen Peoples: Sacred Sources of National Identity (2004)   by Anthony D. Smith, 325 pages James Donahue   20 February 2008

The Geography of Bliss (2008)   by Eric Weiner, 352 pages James Donahue   10 March 2008 After surveying the current state of the science of happiness (blissology, if you must know), Weiner (sounds like Whiner) sets off on a tour of the world's happiest nations: Switz, Iceland, Thailand, Ashville NC, Bhutan (which measures its Gross Domestic Happiness, not its GDP). With some oddballs thrown in: India (to study with a guru), Qatar (does sudden wealth create happiness), and Moldova (one of the unhappiest places on earth). Entertaining, thought-provoking: travel-lit meets critical treatment of self-help world. Now why wasn't South Bend, Indiana on that list? Oh yeah - we suck!

The New Machiavelli (1911)   by H. G. Wells, 378 pages James Donahue   10 March 2008 An autobiographical novel, the Bildungsroman as self-defense. Wells defends his politics - rational world state run by a new elite capable of steering human evolution towards happiness - and his new mistress - stupid old Victorians left us no sexual education capable of preparing us for real life. My offhand comment: Its nice to see the roots of fascism in our own culture.

The Great Awakening (2008)   by Jim Wallis, 320 pages Jonathan Misirian   08 April 2008 Seemed like a rehash of Walli’s God’s Politics. Little new ground broken in this mostly disappointing book.

Lucia: A Venetian Life in the Age of Napoleon (2008)   by Andrea di Robilant, 341 pages James Donahue   24 April 2008

Russia and the West under Lenin and Stalin   by George Kennan, 372 pages Tony Pisarenkov   04 May 2008 Kennan's classic lectures compiled into a book are an excellent analysis of the political and diplomatic history of Russia vis-a-vis Western (and some Eastern) powers between 1917 and 1945, enhanced with some excellent insight into the Communist doctrine, Stalin's personality, and some timeless observations about the behavior of nations and governments that are still applicable today. Highly recommended to every thinking adult. More extensive comments here

Shopping for God: how Christianity went from in your heart to in your face (2007)   by James Twitchell, 324 pages Jonathan Misirian   07 May 2008 Twitchell, a self-described ‘apathiest’ writes from his position as a professor of advertising at the U. of Florida. His keen eye for explaining marketing trends made this book a great resource for understanding many of the advertising trends found in Evangelical Christianity. His assessment is sober, his insights are sharp, and his writing his excellent.

The Art of Living and Other Stories   by John Gardner, 310 pages Steven Krise   13 May 2008 Gardner somehow always manages to get me to care about his characters.

Victoria's Daughters   by Jerrold M. Packard, 340 pages James Donahue   23 May 2008 Moral of the book: Queen Victoria had too many children for anyone to keep clear.

The Blue Religion: New stories about cops, criminals and the chase (2008)   by Edited by Michael Connelly, 374 pages Jonathan Misirian   23 May 2008 Last time I read a short story, probably high school. This collection of police short stories is a great introduction to the genre. 16 different authors assist the anthology in provide the reader with sharp writing, witty dialogue, and serviceable plots.

The Singing Neanderthals: The Origins Of Music, Language, Mind, And Body   by Steven Mithen, 374 pages Steven Krise   27 May 2008 "With equal parts scientific rigor and charm, [Mithen] marshals current evidence about social organization, tool and weapon technologies, hunting and scavenging strategies, habits and brain capacity of all our hominid ancestors from australopithecines to Homo erectus, Homo heidelbergensis, and Neanderthals to Homo sapiens--and comes up with a scenario for a shared musical and linguistic heritage. Along the way he weaves a tapestry of cognitive and expressive worlds--alive with vocalized sound, communal mimicry, sexual display, and rhythmic movement--of various species. The result is a fascinating work--and a succinct riposte to those, like Steven Pinker, who have dismissed music as a functionless evolutionary byproduct."

Hans-Georg Gadamer: A Biography (2003)   by Jean Grondin, 338 pages James Donahue   11 June 2008

The First Human - the race to discover our earliest ancestors   by Ann Gibbons, 306 pages Steven Krise   19 June 2008 "This book is not a comprehensive history. It is my perception of the quest for the earliest ancestors during th past fifteen years, as I covered the science of human origins for /Science/. I have focused on the leaders of four teams that found the earliest known members of the human family....I found it impossible, however, to separate the human story of the quest from the scientific results; science is a social endeavor and the personal politics influence not only who gets access to data,...but even how researchers interpret the fossils and formulate hypotheses."

The Gentleman From Indiana (1899)   by Booth Tarkington, 384 pages James Donahue   20 June 2008 I picked up a Tarkington novel because of my sojourn here in Indiana. I began with his first publication - from 1899. I can only assume he got better before his Pulitzers. This book is cheesy, with little depth of character, overly-florid pastoral descriptions (of Indiana, no less!!), and an insipid resolution in which the good peasantry adore their gentlemanly protector. This is Progressivism at its worst: elitist, idealistic, and looking to the völkische Hinterland for political and moral regeneration.

The Kingdom is Always but Coming: A Life of Walter Rauschenbusch (2008)   by Christopher H. Evans, 347 pages James Donahue   20 June 2008

In Stalin's Secret Service: Memoirs of the First Soviet Master Spy to Defect   by Walter G. Krivitsky, 306 pages Tony Pisarenkov   29 June 2008 Shocking and unbelievable as it may be in spots, this is a priceless historical document. Detailed comments here

John Gardner: Literary Outlaw   by Barry Silesky, 358 pages Steven Krise   06 July 2008 I need to stop reading authors' biographies because it seems they all seem to turn out to be loons, but I do have a better understanding of who Gardner is and what his fiction was about.

No Country For Old Men   by Cormac McCarthy, 309 pages Steven Krise   19 July 2008 Almost hamletesque in the ruthless efficiency with which all the main and several minor characters are dispatched. Bravo.

Rant - An Oral Biography of Buster Casey   by Chuck Palahniuk, 320 pages Steven Krise   22 July 2008 From the Field Notes of Green Taylor Simms: Of greatest interest is the idea that an average person easily reaches this mystical meditation state, "theta" brain waves, the state most sought by monks and pilgrims, simply by driving an automobile. Any long drive, anytime you've passed time and covered distance with no memory of the process, you've been submerged in deep theta-level meditation. Open to visions. Open to your subconscious. Creativity, intuition, and spiritual enlightenment.

The First Word - The Search for the Origins of Language   by Christine Kenneally, 357 pages Steven Krise   01 August 2008 A survey of the burgeoning field of language evolution. One of the goals of the book is to show that a lot of the confusion about how language evolved was caused by the faulty assumption that it is a monolithic thing that is unique to humans rather than an accreted grab bag of features, most of which have homologs and precursors in other animals.

Fragile Glory: A Portrait of France and the French   by Richard Bernstein, 349 pages Tony Pisarenkov   03 August 2008 A now outdated, and occasionally short-sighted, but largely perceptive and nuanced evaluation of the French national character by a long-time Paris correspondent for the New York Times. Enjoyable. More comments here

The Seven Daughters of Eve   by Bryan Sykes, 306 pages Steven Krise   07 August 2008 A Discovery Channel-esque narrative of the author's work on mitochondrial DNA, culminating in his identification of the 7 "clans" of Europe - implying 7 mothers of these clans. Closes with a brief chapter for each mother iterating a possible life story for her.

TR: Preacher of Righteousness (2008)   by Joshua David Hadley, 320 pages James Donahue   22 August 2008 Hawley's justification for writing yet another biography of TR is that he intends to look behind his celebrity-style persona and his rough rider image and examine the intellectual foundations of his life. He treats TR more as a political philosopher (sometimes exposing rather painful conceptions and placing them in the context of Edwardian America) than as a political actor. When Hawley does do this, his biography is second to none. When he laspes instead into TR's political slugfests and the socio-economic characteristics of the Gilded Age, the biography loses its zip and becomes a bit more rote. Still, I think it is the most useful biography of TR for the scholar, or for anyone interested in religious ideas translated into political action, but at times it may not be the most interesting one.

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.

Lolita   by Vladimir Nabokov, 335 pages Tony Pisarenkov   28 August 2008 I can't believe it took me so many years to get around to reading this book.

Lolita   by Vladimir Nabokov, 335 pages Steven Krise   11 September 2008 From the Afterword, by VN: "Certain techniques in the beginning of 'Lolita' (Humbert's Journal, for example) misled some of my first readers into assuming that this was going to be a lewd book. They expected the rising succession of erotic scenes; when these stopped, the readers stopped, too, and felt bored and let down. This, I suspect, is one of the reasons why not all the four firms read the typescript to the end. Whether they found it pornographic or not did not interest me. Their refusal to buy the book was based not on my treatment of the theme but on the theme itself, for there are at least three themes which are utterly taboo as far as most American publishers are concerned. The two others are: a Negro-White marriage which is a complete and glorious success resulting in lots of children and grandchildren; and the total atheist who lives a happy and useful life, and dies in his sleep at the age of 106."

Waiter's Rant   by The Waiter, 302 pages Tony Pisarenkov   25 September 2008 Mostly entertaining, but not without its faults. More comments here

La vuelta al mundo en ochenta días   by Jules Verne, 326 pages Steve Gadd   01 October 2008 Cuando dije que apuesto- respondió Stuart : es en formalidad. Aceptado -dijo Fogg: y luego, volviéndose hacia sus compañeros, añadió : Tengo veinte mil libras depositadas en casa de Baring hermanos. De buena gana las arriesgaría. ¡Veinte mil libras!- Exclamó John Suilivan-. ¡Veinte mil libras, que cualquier tardanza imprevista os puede hacer perder! No existe lo imprevisto- respondió sencillamente Phileas Fogg. ¡Pero, Míster Fogg, ese transcurso de ochenta días sólo está calculado como mínimo! Un mínimo bien empleado basta para todo. ¡Pero a fin de- aprovecharlo, es necesario saltar matemáticamente de los ferrocarriles a los vapores y de los vapores a los ferrocarriles! Saltaré matemáticamente.

Dexter in the Dark   by Jeffry Lindsay, 303 pages Steven Krise   02 November 2008 Sort of like Dexter's "Superman 3".

Tender is the Night   by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 349 pages Tony Pisarenkov   09 November 2008 Not entirely sure what to make of it. Reads like a book that has been written in chunks over a period of many years. A few passages hit close to home. Others, however, made no sense at all.

The Human Factor   by Graham Greene, 302 pages Steven Krise   20 November 2008 "Probably the best espionage novel ever written." - Well, certainly better than 'Red Rabbit' not that that is hard to do.

Experiments Against Reality: The Fate of Culture in the Postmodern Age   by Roger Kimball, 359 pages Tony Pisarenkov   30 November 2008 Thought-provoking, controversial, occasionally infuriating, usually engaging. Not recommended to cultural liberals unprepared to question their assumptions. More on the blog in a few days.

I Am Legend   by Richard Matheson, 312 pages Steven Krise   19 January 2009 A collection of various stories by Matheson with the eponymous story being the first in the collection (and really the only one worth reading). In the subsequent stories, the author tries to create a surreal atmosphere like the later PK Dick novels or the Twilight Zone, but executes the narrative with such a heavy hand that he fails.

Word Freak   by Stefan Fatsis, 372 pages Tony Pisarenkov   28 January 2009 A fascinating look into a world most of us are not even aware exists -- professional Scrabble. Could have benefited from slightly more aggressive editing, but on balance, fantastic. And you've got to admire the author's dedication -- he actually became a full-time Scrabble player for several years.

Nickel Mountain   by John Gardner, 309 pages Steven Krise   07 February 2009

Galileo's Daughter   by Dava Sobel, 368 pages Steve Gadd   08 February 2009 A very enjoyable, readable biography of the celebrated heliocentrist.

The Silver Linings Playbook: A Novel (2008)   by Matthew Quick, 304 pages Brad Snyder   28 February 2009 A man begins to recover from his mental illness with the help of friends, family, and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Musicophilia   by Oliver Sacks, 385 pages Steve Gadd   28 February 2009 Dr. Sacks is easy on the reader: entertaining, compassionate, and wise. This collection of case studies and reflections on music at first had the frustrations of a cookbook -- reading about something that doesn't convey well on the page. But I was soon caught up in his enthusiasm for music, and the peculiar ways in which people respond to it. Thanks, Tony, for the gift.

The Afghan Campaign: A Novel (2006)   by Steven Pressfield, 368 pages Brad Snyder   15 March 2009 Matthias is a soldier of Alexander's army. He and his brothers in arms are stationed in Afghanistan, facing a resourceful and brutal enemy. Clunky storytelling and weak plot lines.

Jazz Cleopatra: Josephine Baker in Her Time   by Phyllis Rose, 321 pages Tony Pisarenkov   24 March 2009 A lot about her time, which is interesting, but less than one might expect about Baker herself. Informative, but didn't really draw me in.

Left Bank   by Herbert Lottman, 319 pages Tony Pisarenkov   07 April 2009 An enjoyable history of a fairly narrow subject: political involvement and allegiances on the part of intellectuals, particularly writers, in France between 1930 and 1950. Recommended if you care about that sort of thing, and want to get an impression of how pervasive Communism was in France before De Gaulle.

Cradle of Life   by J William Schopf, 367 pages Steven Krise   17 April 2009 A survey of Precambrian paleontology and its search for fossil microbes and evidence for how life began told from the perspective of the author over the 30 or so years he's been involved in the field. A thoroughly fascinating read.

Death by Black Hole   by Neil DeGrasse Tyson, 384 pages Steven Krise   02 May 2009 A series of essays from a self-proclaimed Stephen J Gould fan. Not as good as SJG, but interesting for the most part. Finishes up with a series of essays on the interplay of religion and science: "So the universe wants to kill us all. But as we have before, let's ignore that complication for the moment. Many, perhaps countless, questions hover at the front lines of science. In some cases, answer have eluded the best minds of our species for decades or even centuries. And in contemporary America, the notion that a higher intelligence is the single answer to all enigmas has been enjoying a resurgence. This present-day version of God of the gasp goes by a fresh name: "intelligent design". The term suggests that some entity, endowed with a mental capacity far greater than the human mind can muster, created or enabled all the things in the physical world that we cannot explain through scientific methods. An interesting hypothesis. But why confine ourselves to things to wondrous or intricate for us to understand, whose existence and attributes we then credit to a superintelligence? Instead, why not tally all those things whose design is so clunky, goofy, impractical, or unworkable that they reflect the absence of intelligence?"

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.

Genesis: The Scientific Quest for Life's Origins   by Robert Hazen, 339 pages Steven Krise   06 May 2009 A comprehensive review of the people and science of origins of life. Fascinating.

Ragtime (1974)   by E. L. Doctorow, 334 pages James Donahue   14 May 2009

The Darwin Awards 4: Intelligent Design (2006)   by Wendy Northcutt, 336 pages Brad Snyder   16 May 2009 After years of getting "Darwin Awards" spam in my inbox, this book didn't make me so much as giggle.

The Everything Family Tree Book   by Kimberly Powell, 305 pages Steven Krise   24 May 2009 A complete introduction and overview to the process and sources of genealogical research.

The Everything Learning German Book   by Edward Swick, 305 pages Steven Krise   05 June 2009 A thorough but not overwhelming overview of German syntax and grammar.

Life: A Natural History of the First Four Billion Years of Life on Earth   by Richard Fortey, 344 pages Steven Krise   23 June 2009 A biography of sorts of life on earth, starting with biogenesis and finishing up (predictably) with Homo sapiens. The greatest amount of detail was given to the 3 billion years from biogenesis to the Cambrian "explosion".

Play Poker Like the Pros   by Phil Hellmuth, 394 pages Steven Krise   09 July 2009 Phil gives us his advice on reading players (with his famous "4 animals" categorization) and then in-depth strategy on all the most popular poker games - Hold 'Em, Omaha 8 or Better, Stud, Razz, and Stud 8 or better. Includes the obligatory last chapter on internet gaming.

Lunar Park   by Bret Easton Ellis, 308 pages Steven Krise   13 July 2009 Fictional characters from Bret's previous works come to life as an all to real "metaphor" of Bret's need to come to terms with his past, including his father's death and the son he never wanted...until now.

In the Land of Invented Languages   by Arika Okrent, 342 pages Tony Pisarenkov   27 July 2009 An absolutely fascinating and very well-written account of artificial languages throughout history, their inventors' frequently outsized personalities, and the motivation behind their quixotic undertakings. Heartily recommended.

The Man who Loved China   by Simon Winchester, 352 pages Steve Gadd   13 August 2009 [audio]

Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution   by Neil DeGrasse Tyson, 345 pages Steven Krise   23 August 2009 If you regularly read Scientific American there's probably not much new here (I don't so there was). Regardless, though, NDT is good at telling the story of science: in this instance the story of the origin of the universe and its evolution, culminating in the origin of life on Earth.

Brideshead Revisited (audio)   by Evelyn Waugh, 351 pages Steve Gadd   11 September 2009 Though it was a set of ten CDs and the book read aloud by Jeremy Irons, I am counting the pages I would have clocked with the paperback.

The Conformist   by Alberto Moravia, 376 pages Tony Pisarenkov   01 November 2009 Though I've seen the movie twice, reading the book reminded me how much I didn't remember about it. I initially had some misgivings about Moravia's style, but in the end it worked.

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.

Fool   by Christopher Moore, 311 pages Steven Krise   19 November 2009 Sort of a bawdy Pratchett-esque take on King Lear, maybe?