The Case for Faith, by Lee Strobel

and now for the book I've been reading all quarter...

Summary: Strobel investigates eight of the biggest obstacles to faith that people have by talking to experts on the various topics.

Comments: Very thought provoking. It seemed like on several occasions, something I read coincided with a discussion I had with someone a few days before/after. Do I believe that's a coincidence or that it was God's work? I only ask because towards the end of the book, he points out that in general people explain away evidence of God actually working in the world. I suppose it's possible that coincidences are God pushing things in a direction of his choosing. But it's also possible that things just happened that way or that we're making something of nothing.

Anyway, I think I've gotten off-topic. It's very much a thought provoking book, and ...I think it would be redundant to say it made me think. It expanded my thinking. Or maybe it propelled my thoughts in directions I might not have considered. I kinda want to go find the other books he's written and read those too. I seem to recall The Case for Christ being similarly thoght provoking.

101 Thinks You Need to Know ...and Some You Don't!, by Richard Horne and Tracey Turner

Summary: a collection of random facts on a wide variety of subjects.

Comments: I think this was aimed at a younger audience than I (hence each page of facts had a page of "consider similar things and/or try something at home"). But it was still an amusing collection of random facts (there were various amusing comments sprinkled throughout).

Nation, by Terry Pratchett

Summary: After a rather large wave destroys Mau's village and many others and leaves the ship Daphne is on stranded on the island where Mau lives, they, and soon other people as well, band together to learn to survive in the aftermath of the storm.

Reaction: Very thought provoking. Definitely raises issues about what is really "savage" and opposed to unfamiliar, and aren't people pretty much the same everywhere. I rather enjoyed it.

(And of course the bits in the romance direction made me consider certain parts of my own life)

(Note that the first book I post about in two months is one I read in two days. The one I've been reading for most of that time is still not done on account of my hardly having time to breathe, let alone read.)

Lives of the Planets, by Richard Corfield

Summary: This books describes what we know about the various planets and how we found out.

Comments: This book was a bit dense to read straight through (hence I didn't manage to do that), but it was written in a way that was easy to comprehend. Very informative, but I'd suggest reading it gradually.

The Time Paradox, by Eoin Colfer

Summary: Another of Artemis Fowl's many adventures. In this case, his mother is horribly sick and he's trying to saveher by going back in time to find an extinct lemur.

Comments: Incredibly conveluted. I'm not entirely sure I understand exactly how some of the time stuff worked out. Gripping tale of suspense and survival at the last minute (or maybe after the last minute).

Pay Dirt, by Rita Mae Brown

Summary: A biker intent on finding his girl turns up in Crozet. Meanwhile, news of a computer virus to be released on August 1 has everyone on edge. And of course this turns into a mystery that Harry just has to investigate (why else would it be something worth reading? For the love triangles?)

Comments: Do I really need to say anything? I'm pretty sure anything I might have to say could be copy/pasted from a post about one of Brown's other books. Aside from the fact that I really do enjoy the "continuing saga of Harry's love life" parts. Which have nothing to do with the actual story.

Nemesis, by Agatha Christie

Summary: Miss Marple finds herself beckoned to solve some crime about which she knows nothing, not even what it is.

Comments: A very intriguing plotline, trying to solve a crime that was incorrectly solved in the past when the person encouraging you to look into it won't tell you what the crime is. And of course I have to say "woot, mystery!", don't I?

Astronomy, by Dinah L. Moche

Comments: Very informative. Lots of interesting information. Maybe a bit more focused on "look what you can see" than I would've liked. Still interesting though. A bit dense at times. I could only read so much before I'd get tired of trying to absorb information.

Absent in the Spring, by Mary Westmacott, aka Agatha Christie

Summary: As Joan is travelling home from Baghdad, she is stranded in an out-of-the-way railroad station for several days with nothing to do. And in the process learns something about herself and her life.

Comments: First, this most definately is not a mystery, much as I migh has expected after seeing "Agatha Christie" written in big letters across the top. Second, Joan annoyed me a lot. But I guess she was meant to be annoying. But still, the book being a journey of self-discovery of a person I didn't much like, didn't interest me very much. But I guess it was a nice reminder that once in awhile one should take an unbiased look at one's self and one's life to see if it really is as one thinks.

Secrets of the Wee Free men and Discworld, by Carrie Pyykkonen and Linda Washington

Comments: I didn't think it was that great of a book, to tell you the truth. Sure there were some amusing comments, but I didn't care that much. I think it sounded more interesting than it actually was

2061: Odyssey Three, by Arthur C. Clarke

Summary: Another tale of adventure in a universe almost like our own in a semi-distant future. I'm not sure I can say anything more without giving away plot elements.

Commnets: First, let me say that the edition I was reading should've been proof-read a little better. Mostly just little spelling/grammer mistakes, but also there seemed to be a difference of opinion on Rose's last name, which made it confusing because I wasn't sure if they were meant to be the same person. That aside, I really enjoyed the book. As I said in my summary, a tale of adventure--exciting, thrilling, gripping, etc. And of course loose ends left to be (hopefully) tied up in book 4. Which I haven't managed to find so far.

The Professor and the Madman, by Simon Winchester

subtitle: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary

Summary: follows the the lives of the two men most involved in the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary, as well as the actual tale of the dictionary itself.

Comments: I really enjoyed this book. It's first and foremost a story, but it's also a work of non-fiction (ie it reads almost like a novel, but it's all true). Not only is it a captivating story, but it's also informative. Now I'm tempted to read some of WInchester's other books, just to see if they're as interesting.

rob&sara.com, by P.J. Petersen and Ivy Ruckman

Summary: After meeting randomly on a message board, Rob and Sara start exchanging e-mails. This is the story of their e-relationship.

2010: odyssey two, by Arthur C. Clarke

Summary: The sequel to 2001: a space odyssey, this story continues the saga of the mysterious black monoliths. In this case, the story focuses on the crew that was sent to retrieve the Discovery.

Comments: I feel like I've forgotten important details from the first book, but other than that, I enoyed the book immensely. Clarke weaves an excellent story full of complex yet believable characters, an exciting story that leaves one wanting to know what will happen to the aforementioned characters. And also leaves questions to be answered in the third and fourth books. But just large questions. The lives of the characters get neatly wrapped up. In some ways, this reminds me of the Time Odyssey trilogy, with its alien minds up to something that remained to be identified until late in the last book.

The Year of Living Biblically, by A.J. Jacobs

subtitled One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

Comments: It was an interesting read. Maybe a little slow in the middle, but interesting nonetheless. I liked how he exemplified the idea that behavior can change thoughts (ie if you act in a certain way, that becomes part of who you are or how you feel). And I feel like there were some profound thoughts lurking on the edge of my mind just waiting to be thought only I didn't give them a chance.

Preaching to the Corpse, by Roberta Isleib

Summary: After one of the members of her church community is murdered, Rebecca can't help trying to figure out who is responsible and why.

Comments: I'm not sure what I think of this book. I enjoyed the mystery-ness certainly, but I'm not sure how much I care about the protagonist. I'm curious what will happen in her life but she's not someone I'm particularly fond of. I don't know. Regardless, I'm kinda happy I've finally gotten around to reading it (it was a Christmas present. I might be a little ashamed to admit it's taken me this long to get to it. I'm thinking I won't bother to identify what the other such book is. Although it wouldn't surprise me if it's somewhat obvious.)

Space, by James A. Michener

Space is big. Really mindbogglingly big. You may think it's a long way down the street to the chemist's, but that's peanuts compared to space. 
--butchered quote from one of the Hitchhiker's Guide books

Summary: this book follows the lives of four men who were involved in the US space program (at least in the fictional universe in which they reside) as well as those parts of other people's lives relevant to the main four. It begins towards the end of World War II and follows the story through the retirement of three of them in the early 1980's. I'm not sure a real summary can be made other than "the lives of four men".

Comments: I now want to learn about the universe and about the current space missions. This book was very informative on little bits of the subject. Lots of scientific information. Very dense read, very long book. You'd better have lots of time available if you expect to get this book finished.

Nickel & Dime Pitches, published by the Society for American Baseball Research

Summary: a variety of articles on various baseball subjects, covering history, random statistics, mechanics, among other things.

Comments: all kinds of interesting stuff! It was interesting seeing what kinds of statistics they came up with and learning more about various aspects of baseball history (the advent of free agency, for example).

Archaeology, by David Hurst Thomas and Robert L. Kelly

This is my archaeology textbook for this quarter. And since I actually read the entire thing, I figured I should add it to my list of books read.

The book describes various archaeological techniques and also touches on some of the ethical issues facing archaeology. And throughout the book there's a variety of examples of the various techniques in practice.

I'd say this book is far more dry than most of the stuff I read (it's a textbook--what do you expect?), but it was interesting to learn about the subject, even if I could only stay focused on the reading for so long. I don't think there's any point in rating the book good/bad/eh considering I doubt anyone would consider reading it if they didn't have to for some class or other.

The Physics of Baseball, by Robert K. Adair

Summary: The book describes how natural laws affect various aspects of baseball: how a spinning ball follows a different path than a non-spinning ball, how the weight of the bat affects the distance a ball can be hit, etc.

Comments: It's a interesting topic, but kind of a dense book. I wouldn't recommend reading it unless you are actually interested in the subject.

Thud!, by Terry Pratchett

Summary: Once again, Sam Vimes is in the position of trying to figure out what mysterious going-on went on in Ankh-Morpork. This time, a rabble-rousing dwarf has been murdered. Of course, as usual, a simple crime turns out to be far more complex.

Comments: See my previous reviews of Pratchett books for the kinds of cliche comments that are running thru my head--amusing, incredibly complex, convenient, etc.

The Pilgrim's Regress, by C.S. Lewis

Summary: On one level, it is John's adventures as he tries to find the island in the west, and in the process learns something about himself. On another level, it is an allegory of the author's spiritual journey to Chrisitianity.

Comments: Faith and religion are tricky subjects. I feel like this book could've evoked some kind of change in me if only I had been paying enough attention to indentify it (that's the trouble with reading a book mostly in 5-10 minute chunks). Still, it was moving and thought-provoking. And I'm not sure what else to say, mostly because I can't find words for the ideas circling round in my head.

Pyramids, by Terry Pratchett

Summary: Teppic comes from a land where the kings are buried in pyramids (remind you of anywhere?), and he finds himself king after the death of his father. With the prompting of the high priest Dios, he has commissioned the biggest pyramid ever built. And that's when things start getting really interesting...

Comments: I find it rather amusing that the name of the country seems to be pronounced as "jelly baby". And of course there's some number of random amusing comments throughout the book. What can I say, it's Pratchett? (Although for once I did manage to come up with a plot synopsis.)

Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett

Summary: It's a Discworld book (translation: a reasonable length summary is not possible). It centers around the god Om and his one real believer, Brutha, and the head exquisitor, Vorbis.

Comments: Staying up until 4 am trying to finish a book after having gotten 2 hours of sleep the night (okay, and a 2 1/2 hour midday nap)before isn't conducive to caring about it. Just saying. I think in spite of that, it still wasn't as good as some of his other books. Not that it was bad or anything, just noticably less good. Ah well, it's not possible for everything to be perfect. And if that were the case, we likely wouldn't notice because we wouldn't know what it is for things to be not perfect.

Forever in Blue, by Ann Brashares

Summary: One more installment in the adventures of four friends muddling thru their lives together and apart.

Comments: I liked the happily ever after. I wasn't as interested in the romance at times. But I found myself caring about the characters and hoping things would turn out right for them somehow. Pure fluff, but enoyable fluff.

Sour Puss, by Rita Mae Brown

Summary: Mystery. Animals investigating. The usual for the series. Oh, and random comments about grape-growing.

Comments: Woo, I figured out whodunnit! I think I'm too busy wondering if I have time to post to bother thinking of anything to say. Altho I doubt I have much else to say. It seems I rarely do.

Interesting Times, by Terry Pratchett

Summary: The failed wizard Rincewind once again manages to save to world, or at least cause people to live happily every after, in his attempts to save his own skin.

Comments: Well, that was amusing. I don't know what else to say. Other than that it was awfully convenient how everything came together.

Men at Arms, by Terry Pratchett

Summary: A new weapon is on the loose in Ankh-Morpork and Vimes and Carrot want to stop it.

Comments: Woot, random amusing comments and plot twists, and the usual amusing characterizations/descriptions. And yet different from the other books he's written. Different from the books everyone else has written, for that matter. And very amusing in places. Did I mention that?

Firstborn, by Stephen Baxter and Arthur C. Clarke

Summary: The conclusion of the Time Odyssey. They discover a Q-Bomb (some kind of strange weapon capable of ... I'm not entirely sure what, but I think it involves more dimensions of the universe than we understand and it's capable of destroying life on Earth) headed towards the Earth and they have to find a way to prevent the dreadful impact.

Comments: The camera's and whoever's suitcase remind me so much of the Luggage from Discworld. Only difference is, the former are man-made and the latter magic.

They totally set it up for another story, but I'm not too sure where it would end up. Too bad this is billed as the conclusion of the story, so this hypotheical next book isn't likely to happen.

Overall, I enjoyed it. The technology involved is amazing, and to think that much of it is theoretically possible given enough time/knowledge. Amazing!

Avalon High, by Meg Cabot

Summary: What starts out as a high school soap opera takes a turn for the fantastic. King Arthur, anyone?

Comments: I'm not sure creepy is quite the word I'm looking for, altho given that ending... I'm not sure what to think. It's complicated. On another subject, romance in books seems to bear no relation to how things happen in real life. Does that kind of thing really happen? Ignoring all fantastical elements, I mean. The book was well written and suspenseful and I was amazed how things came together in the end. On a completely random note, this book made me think of Perelanda, or maybe one of the other books in that trilogy, whichever is the third book, and now I really want to read it again. Not that I didn't before on account of having been discussing it with a friend and not remembering anything, but now I want to be reminded of the details.

5 People Who Died During Sex, and 100 Other Terribly Tasteless Lists, by Karl Shaw

I think the second half of the title sums it up pretty well. I'm pretty sure no book I've ever read uses the word 'anal' as much as this one does. Lots of "Not sure I actually wanted to know that". On the other hand, they are rather amusing lists. And random stuff unlikely to be found in the usual kinds of sources.

The Tuesday Club Murders, by Agatha Christie

Summary: A series of short mysteries in which Miss Marple manages to guess whodunnit.

Comments: Yay mysteries! I'm not sure what else to say other than the stories were well written and it tended to be hard to guess who the culprit really was.

Through a Glass, Darkly, by Jostein Gaarder

Summary: When Cecilia is sick, she meets the angel Ariel who gives her an idea what it is to be human and what it's like in heaven.

Thoughts: I think this is a book to be savoured and carefully considered. Unfortunately, I didn't bother to do either. Still, there are things to consider.

Breakfast at Tiffany's: A short novel and three Stories, by Truman Capote

I'm not sure what to say. Short stories are a far different medium than full novels, and it's weird reading a book when I already know what happens thanks to the movie. Reading Breakfast At Tiffany's, I kept imagining the scenes in the movie. And I'm not sure the story made any more sense than the moive did. I'd say all the stories are basically fluff that distracts one from life for a brief moment. They're glimpses into the life of someone else who has a far different life than you've ever known.

Vita Brevis, by Jostein Gaarder

Summary: A letter to Saint Augustine from the woman he lived with for years prior to his conversion to Christianity.

Comments: I don't know what to think. On one level, it's an intriguing narrative, his words contrasted with her responses. Reflections on the value of abstinence versus the value of enjoying God's creation, which of these paths is more pleasing to God. On another level, is this a real letter or not? It appers to be based on real events, but given that it's Gaarder's book, it wouldn't surprise me if it isn't (after Maya, I'm not sure I can trust anything he says with regards to whether or not something actually happened). Regardless, this book once again brought to the forefront my musings on God and what is expected of us as human beings.

Sunstorm, by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter

Summary: An immense pulse of solar energy is going to be directed at the earth, enough energy to destroy all life on the planet and render it uninhabitable. Can various characters manage to save life on Earth?

Response: A gripping story of humankind's attempt to overcome a challenge of immense proportions. And they still don't answer half the questions I had left over from the last book! (They just distracted me from them.) The technology involved in this book is amazing. I don't know how they could possibly have thought up some of the stuff involved. It'll be interesting to see if any of it becomes a reality. Who knows how 2037-2042 as imagined from ~25 years before will compare to 2037-2042 as they really happen.

Comment: It's rather strange to take a break from reading a book and find out that one of the authors of said book just died.

Wish You Were Here, by Nick Webb

biography of Douglas Adams... enlightening, but I found it hard to get interested in reading it at times. Maybe if I'd been able to spread it out over awhile instead of going "omg i have to finish it before it's due (ie today)". Regardless, it was a pretty good book.

Time's Eye, by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter

Summary: Something happens to the world, and Bisesa, Kolya, Josh, and their respective companions find themselves on/near an unfamiliar Earth made up of slices of the Earth from throughout history.

Comments: Okay, seriously, what the hell happened? If I didn't know this was the first book in a series, I'd be pissed that they didn't bother explaining why everything went wierd and what the Eyes are there for and so on.

Other than that, it was a great book and I really enjoyed it. High adventure in the "what if" style. But still, there's loose ends left for the next books (although the book does have a defined ending with tying up of simpler points).

The Te of Piglet, by Benjamin Hoff

More discussion of Taoist principles using Winnie-the-Pooh characters. And again, I found it interesting and once again my reading habits seemed to be at odds with how the book "should" be read. But I rather enjoyed it.

Maya, by Jostein Gaarder

Summary: The book focuses on the adventures of a biologist who recently lost his daughter and split up with his wife. A Spanish couple who often spout random aphorisms also features prominantly. I think the philosophy is more important than the story in this book.

Comments: Wow, I'm not sure what's fact and what's fiction in the universe of the story. And the book prompted some ...interesting reflections on the universe and humankind who-knows-what-all. Still, I enjoyed it when I wasn't going "wait, what" or being unable to think at all. And it definately reminds me of the other Gaarder books I've read.

The Tao of Pooh, by Benjamin Hoff

A discourse on Taoism as found in the Winnie the Pooh books. I probably would've gotten more out of this book if I'd been reading it some time other than when I was about to fall asleep. heh. Still, it's a good book, interesting, and a logical world view. I'm not sure what else to say.

Tao Te Ching, translation by Ch'u Ta-kao

Description: A collection of sayings of Lao Tzu. Often puzzling and apprently contradictory.

Comments: I think if I was to read it again, I'd choose a version that has commentary, ie explains what things the various puzzling statements actually mean. Because, oftentimes, the meaning of what he said eluded me.

Claws and Effect, by Rita Mae Brown

Summary: A guy is killed in the basement of a hospital, and Harry and her animals are determined to figure out whodunnit.

Response: Woot, mystery! Yay! Not much to say other than that it's as good as the other books in the series.

Jesus: What He Really Said and Did, by Stephen Mitchell

I think the title of this book pretty much summarizes it. It's a really quick read. And I found it interesting to find a description of Jesus not colored by the usual propoganda sources of New Testament times.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Pirsig

Summary: While on a motorcycle trip across the country with his son, the narrator reflects on the philosohpical musings of his previous self.

Reaction: I can't help but think of that line from a song, "Nobody knows the trouble I've seen." Maybe trouble isn't relevant to my life at the moment, but it does seem to be the case that nobody knows what my experience is. This book is written on a far deeper level than people tend to experience on a day-to-day basis. And that's why it took me so long to read it: I needed to find the time to actually absorb it, to understand what it just said and how that fit with what it said previously so I'd have a foundation for the rest of the book. And I think that's what must be done with this book: one must take the time to reflect on what it says whether this has any applications in ones own life. This isn't a book that one reads simply for the sake of reading it. Overall, I really enjoyed this book but I wish I'd been able to finish it over a shorter period of time.

Why I read this book: We read an excerpt of it in philosophy class ~4 years ago now, and it intrigued me and I was interested in reading the rest of the book and then for whatever reason I didn't (didn't have time, forgot about it, etc.), and then last summer one of my friends happened to mention it and I was like "Oh yeah, I was planning to read that, wasn't I?" and then I didn't (did I ever mention how bloody many other books I collected to read last summer?) and then a conversation finals week with the same friend about a different book reminded me and after that I finally found a copy (mostly because I went to the library within about an hour of recalling an interest in reading this book)

Pawing through the Past, by Rita Mae Brown

Summary: Harry is helping to plan her thirtieth high school reunion when several of her classmates get murdered.

Comments: Yay mystery! I'm not sure I had any hope of predicting the ending. I think that's all I have to say. Besides the following

Disclaimer: No, this book didn't take me what, three weeks to finish. Well okay, it did take two weeks, but that was only because I've been trying to read another book and it actually requires large chunks of time and not getting distracted and actually having time to read, so ...yeah.

Princess on the Brink, by Meg Cabot

Summary: Mia's boyfriend is about to leave for Japan for a year. I'm not sure it's quite accurate to say chaos ensues, but that somehow seems fitting.

Reaction: Wait, what? It's amazing how complicated the various inter-personal relationships end up in this series! The first half of the book I was wondering why I'm continuing to read the series and by the end, well that may be true, but I still want to know what happens next because it's a total cliff-hanger type situation. Not that I didn't see the gist of it coming, but still.

Misquoting Jesus, by Bart D. Ehrman

This book, as its subtitle says is about "who changed the Bible and why". I focuses on a few examples of signifiant changes as well as describing how people come to identify these and other changes and outlining the reasons behind the largest groups of changes. The first ~2/3 I found very interesting. The last part, which was mostly examples of changes and the process of finding the "real" version of the text, kinda got on my nerves. I think that was mostly because I couldn't be bothered to take the time to convince myself that the author had the right interpretation, and I wasn't willing to just accept that he did. And either that part of the book had more reiteration of previous points, or I was just more inclined to get annoyed with them. In other words, if I was writing this last night, I would probably be gushing about how informative this book is on a subject I know little about.