A book or two a week

December Reads

2009-01-21T12:45:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-21T13:42:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-18T10:08:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-18T10:03:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-18T09:57:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-07T14:06:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-07T13:59:00.000-08:00

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.

Greasy Rider

2008-11-05T15:39:00.000-08:00

Another library book and a good one, Greasy Rider: Two Dudes, One Fry-Oil-Powered Car, and a Cross-Country Search for a Greener Future is basically about two guys who travel from Vermont to California making stops at green alternative places like Al Gore's mansion (which is really not all that green when you take into account it's massive size), Fort Knox's geothermally-powered complex, Google, Dartmouth, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a wind-turbine farm, and the world's first green Wal-Mart. They raid restaurant used vegetable oil barrels along the way and make the trip entirely on this alternative fuel. Very funny, very informative and a great read. Made me crave french fries though.

Young Irelanders

2008-11-05T15:32:00.000-08:00

I recently checked out this collection of short stories by Gerard Donovan from the public library. Mr. Donovan is an Irish writer living in New York City. Most of the stories in this collection were readable and somewhat enjoyable with a couple of really good one and a couple of duds. Overall I liked it but would not rush out to read anything else by him.

We Bought A Zoo

2008-10-29T16:39:00.000-07:00

The complete title reads: We Bought a Zoo: The Amazing True Story of a Young Family, a Broken Down Zoo, and the 200 Wild Animals That Change Their Lives Forever

This was a wonderful memoir. I enjoyed it from start to finish and did not want it to end. Author Benjamin Mee and his family including his dying wife, mother, siblings and children purchase a dilapidated zoo in England and go about the exhausting and worrisome job of saving it. I just loved this book and now I wish I could buy a zoo. Go out and read this.

Where the Mountain Casts Its Shadow: The Dark Side of Extreme Adventure

2008-10-29T16:34:00.000-07:00

Author Maria Coffey who lost the man she loved on Mount Everest examines the bonds between extreme climbers and their families. She talks about the personal costs that these climbers and their families suffer. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read although sad. I read a lot about mountain climbers but this was one of the first times I really thought about the people they leave behind when they go and risk their lives on these peaks.

Diving Into Darkness

2008-10-24T15:08:00.001-07:00

This true story by Phillip French concerns the life and death of Dave Shaw, an extreme diver, who perished while diving more than 900 feet down in Bushman's Hole, a underwater cave in South Africa. Shaw and his diving buddy, Don Shirley, were trying to recover the body of a young man who had died while diving in the cave several years earlier. Very interesting read and I found it very educating as I know nothing about deep diving. I just happened to see this book at the library and checked it out.

What You Have Left

2008-10-22T15:37:00.000-07:00

This is the debut novel by Will Allison. He is an author to watch and I would not be surprised to see Oprah recommend this novel at some point. This was a very quick read at only 210 pages but finely crafted with great character development. I just loved it and cannot wait to see what he writes next. Highly recommend to all my friends who love good fiction.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

2008-10-22T15:33:00.000-07:00

A memoir of sorts by one of my favorite authors, Haruki Murakami. Murakami shares his thoughts and insights on one of his favorite pasttimes, long distance running and along the way we learn a little about his life. I would only recommend this to people who are either long distance runners or whom like Murakami. I found it engaging and a very quick read.

Mister Pip

2008-10-21T15:21:00.000-07:00

Finally some fiction and not about mountain climbing. Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones was yet another stellar recommendation by my friend Amy Eby. Thanks Amy. I enjoyed this novel but was fully unprepared for the way it finished up. I can always appreciate an author who can bring his reader along and then give them a little kick in the head or in this case the heart. It is a wonderful coming of age novel set on an unnamed island. Definitely good enough to recommend to others.

Everest (The Mountaineers Anthology Series)

2008-10-20T09:51:00.000-07:00

Last one I promise on this topic. This was published to honor the fifty years that has passed after the first successful (known) ascent of Mt. Everest. The Tibetans call this mountain, Chomolungma and the Sherpas of Nepal call it Sagarmatha. In both cultures it is known as "mother goddess." The book is twelve essays that are classic stories about climbing Mt. Everest. Many of the stories I have read before but the ones that I had not were very interesting, especially the one about the expedition to find Mallory and Irvine's remains.

In the Shadow of Denali: Life and Death on Alaska's Mt. McKinley

2008-10-20T09:44:00.000-07:00

In the Shadow of Denali: Life and Death on Alaska's Mt. McKinley by Jonathan Waterman is a collection of essay's about Denali/Mt. McKinley. It was a pleasure to read and was not only about climbing Denali but explored the Alaskan wilderness as well. I think I have just about had my fill on reading about mountain climbing. Maybe just one more and then I will take a break and move onto some of the other books that have been patiently waiting for me to pick them up.

Left for Dead: My Journey Home From Everest

2008-10-15T16:28:00.001-07:00

Left for Dead: My Journey Home From Everest by Beck Weathers

If you have read anything about Mount Everest then you may recognize the name of Beck Weathers. Beck was part of the terrible accident on Mt. Everest in 1996 that left 9 climbers dead. Mr. Weathers was left for dead by the other climbers as it appeared certain that he would die on the mountain. Miraculously he did not and after spending more than 18 hours on the mountain he actually climbed down to camp. The book is actually more about what motivated him to start climbing mountains and about his estranged relationship with his wife. As adventure stories go it was okay. I quess I was expecting more about the actual climb on Everest and less about his life before that. Not a bad book just not a great one.

Momentum is Your Friend: The Metal Cowboy and His Pint-Sized Posse Take on America

2008-10-15T16:19:00.000-07:00

Momentum is Your Friend: The Metal Cowboy and His Pint-Sized Posse Take on America by Joe Kurmaskie

I finished this fine book yesterday and have not had a chance to post. I loved it. I was sad when I came to the end. I wanted them to ride forever. Joe Kurmaskie is a writer and a bicycling fanatic. This book is an account of his epic journey from West Coast to East Coast on his bike trailing a tandem bike for one son and a trailer for the other. The adventures that he and his two boys share are wonderful and I am sure his kids will remember the journey for the rest of their lives. He writes well and has a wicked sense of humor. I plan on picking up more of his works.

Surviving the Extremes

2008-10-14T13:27:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I finished the book - Surviving the Extremes: What Happens to the Body and Mind at the Limits of Human Endurance by Kenneth Kamler. Okay after reading one memoir to break up the routine I am back to survival adventure stories. I promise to not follow this one up with more of the same for a least a little while. I enjoyed this book. The author is a doctor (hand surgeon) and an adrenaline junkie who has climbed Everest and ventured deep into the Amazon. He goes into great detail about the physiology and biochemical processes that occur to a human in different extreme survival situations. If you like this sort of thing (I certainly do) it should be right up your alley.

I also finished up a couple of books I started a while ago and have forgotten about. They were okay but not worthy of a lengthy description on my blog beyond their titles.

The Ultimate Book of Useless Information: A Few Thousand More Things You Might Need to Know ( But Probably Don't) - the title says it all.

The Everything Irish History & Heritage Book: From Brian Boru and St. Patrick to Sinn Fein and the Troubles, All You Need to Know About the Emerald Isle - again the title explains the content of the book.

I will have a new post tomorrow as I will finish my next book during my lunch break.

Man Killed by Pheasant: And Other Kinships

2008-10-10T10:02:00.000-07:00

Just finished "Man Killed by Pheasant: And Other Kinships" by John Price. This memoir by John Price was okay. I liked it but I did not love it. The author writes about growing up in Iowa, his family, and the abundant nature of the plains. I read a lot of memoirs and can always find some redeeming qualities in them. This was no exception. I recommend it but only for those who really like memoirs.

Dead Lucky: Life After Death on Mount Everest

2008-10-08T07:56:00.000-07:00

Okay you may have noticed that the book that I read previous to this one also had to do with mountain climbing. Sometimes when I read something it sparks my interest and then I read several books along that theme. So if you are not into adventure stories then you may want to skip reading my blog for a bit.

Dead Lucky: Life After Death on Mount Everest by Lincoln Hall was great. It is the author's personal story of how he was left for dead on Everest by his fellow climbers. He had appeared to have died from altitude sickness but was found the next morning to be very much alive. This is Lincoln Hall's amazing story of his survival and recovery. I loved it.

Forever on the Mountain: The Truth Behind One of Mountaineering's Most Controversial and Mysterious Disasters

2008-10-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

On Friday I started and finished a great new work of non fiction that my lovely wife picked out for me titled - "Forever on the Mountain" by James Tabor. It is a critical and unbiased retelling of the factors and events that befell a group of 12 climbers on Mt. McKinley (Denali) in 1967. Only 5 of the 12 climbers lived. There have been two other accounts of this tragedy each written by a survivor. This is the only one that takes an outsiders view and is able to give us an unbiased view of the events that lead to this disaster. It is a very detailed and fast paced story and is very hard to put down. I love true adventure works and this is one of the better ones that I have had read. If you like Jon Krakauer's - "Into Thin Air" you will like this.

Case Histories and The Shadow Catcher

2008-10-01T15:32:00.001-07:00

I just finished a couple of great fiction novels this week. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson and The Shadow Catcher by Marianne Wiggins. They were both great. I am actually surprised that I like Case Histories since it is actually a mystery and not something I would usually pick up to read but I actually found it to be a fast paced and hard to put down novel. If you are a fan of mysteries or just like a good story then I definitely recommend it.

The Shadow Catcher was simply wonderful. It is definitely one of the best fiction novels I have read this year. Thank Amy for recommending it. It is about the American West, Native Americans, photography and the real life figure of Edward S. Curtis. I loved it and am now going to try and track down a good biography of Edward S. Curtis. The National Book Critics Circle named The Shadow Catcher as the best book of the year.

Why this blog?

2008-10-01T14:35:00.000-07:00

Okay as you can deduce from my profile and the name of my blog, I love reading. I love it more than just about anything else. I love my family, friends and pets a bit more but reading is definitely my favorite pastime. Of course I love camping especially when I can sit in my camp chair somewhere in the sun and read.

I read every chance I get. On the bus to and from work, on my breaks, when I am doing my business in the bathroom, when I cannot sleep and anytime I am somewhere where I have to sit and wait (i.e. doctor's offices and such).

So now you fully understand that I love to read but why devote a blog to it. Good question. I guess because people are always asking me what I have read recently and/or could I suggest a good book for them to read. So here is my attempt to share the great and not so great books that I have read.

You will notice that I have a tendency to read a lot of non fiction. That does not mean I do not enjoy reading fiction, it is just a preference on my part. Feel free to make suggestions, I like recommendations and love discovering new authors.

Enjoy

The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it. ~James Bryce