December Reads

Okay with the holidays I just got too busy to keep up with my blog...I did however find time to read and I am happy to report that I surpassed my goal of reading 100 books this year.

Instead of a separate entry for each book that I have read since my last entry I am going to give you the titles of the last of the books for 2008 and highlight the ones I really enjoyed.

Wesley the Owl by Stacy O'Brien - very entertaining and true story of a researcher who adopts and raises a baby owl to adulthood. Heartwarming and wonderful.

The Great American Attraction by Rich Smith.

No One Sees God by Michael Novack - very enlightening work by a religious writer that I respect.

What God has joined: A Christian Case for Gay Marriage - interesting point of view of how the authors and some theologians interpret Biblical text in support of marriage equality.

American Widow by Alicia Torres.

Idyll Banter by Chris Bohjalan. I love this author's fiction and I loved this compilation of his pieces that he wrote for his local paper.

02: Breathing New Life into Faith - I really enjoyed this book by local author and pastor, Richard Dahlstrom. Some of our really good friends attend his church. It is refreshing to read a work examining theology and his personal walk with Christ that does not condemn or offend.

Who the Hell is Pansy O'Hara: The Fascinating Stories Behind the World's Best Loved Books by Jeany Bond and Chris Sheedy. This book was right up my alley. I have read most of the works that they write about so that helped...it was very interesting to hear what the inspiration was and how some of these famous novels came to be written.

Searching For Schindler by Thomas Keneally. Keneally is the author of Schindler's List and acted as a consultant on the movie as well. This is his recount of the months traveling to Germany, Israel, Austria, the U.S. and Poland with Poldek to interview the survivors rescued by Schindler. Great memoir.

Mark Spitz by Richard Foster. This was an authorized biography of swimmer Mark Spitz. I picked this up at the library on a whim and ended up really liking it.

The Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer 8 Lee. An entertaining journey—through culinary, social and cultural history of the fortune cookie and Chinese food. Very easy to read and easy to enjoy.

The Bill McKibben Reader: Pieces from an Active Life

This is a collection of 44 essays by Bill McKibben. I have been meaning to read works by this author for some time now and have finally done so. I will be requesting more of Bill McKibben's works from the library. Some of the essays are personal in nature, others concern his environmental activism, all are excellent and thought provoking. His works have inspired environmental activists for years including Al Gore. I challenge anyone who cares about saving our planet to pick up something by him and read it.

Intern: A Doctor's Initiation

Although the author, Sandeep Jauhar, a cardiologist, did his internship over ten years ago the memories of this confusing, grueling period in his life remain clear. Mr. Jauhar enters medical school after already completing a PhD program in Physics. He is full of self doubt when he enters medical school and his memoir takes us through the arduous journey of a medical intern then resident. Wonderful read and Sandeep breaks down some of the more complex medical terminology so that laymen unfamiliar with the language of medicine can understand and appreciate his journey.

Riding Outside the Lines

Riding Outside the Lines: International Incidents and Other Misadventures With the Metal Cowboy is another rollicking bicycle adventure by Joe Kurmaskie. I like this guy. He writes well, doesn't take himself too seriously, and makes me laugh out loud. What more could you want from a book. An added bonus is that I learn a bit about the places he rides to,the people and their culture. I look forward to reading more from this author.

The Lives of Rocks

I have read several books by Rick Bass, the author of The Lives of Rocks. I thoroughly enjoy his writing and am always pleased when I pick up something that I have not yet read by him. He writes about nature and man's relationship to it. His writing reminds me of Wallace Stegner. The Lives of Rocks is a collection of 10 short stories all sharing the themes of nature, man's triumphs and losses and love. If you enjoy authors like Stegner or Ivan Doig then you will most likely enjoy Rick Bass.

A Natural Sense of Wonder

Yet another wonderful find at the library, A Natural Sense of Wonder: Connecting Kids with Nature through the Seasons by Rick Van Noy, was an absolute delight to read. Rick Van Noy writes from his own experiences of getting his kids off of the couch and out into the great outdoors. His prose is simple and the book is comprised of narrative essays exploring childhood and nurturing in your children the sense of wonder with the world that we seem to lose as adults. Definitely has inspired me to get my own kids out of the house more.

Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex

I love the author, Mary Roach. I have read her previous two books: Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers and Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife. She is a funny, articulate writer who is a pleasure to read. She writes about the fringes of scientific discovery and does it in an always informative and often humorous manner. Bonk is about the science of sex with all its wonders and weirdnesses. This book answers the what, why and how of sexual physiology and makes you laugh along the way. Highly recommend.