Books we have recently read.

 

The Anatomy of Hope              Jerome Groopman

        Showing with fascinating anecdotes the power of emotions on one's health.  

 

Blind Man's Bluff                                  Sherry Sontag & Christopher Drew

            The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage

     Interesting for a submariner.

 

The Coldest Winter                              David Halberstam

            America and the Korean War

     This will likely be the best book I will read in 1908.

 

Locked Rooms                         Laurie R. King

    Laurie King is good but this is not her best.

 

Einstein                         Walter Isaacson

     A view of the 20th century history that is intellectually satisfying.

 

The Big Con                                         Jonathan Chait

     The world of voodoo economics which Republicans still believe.

 

Rome and Jerusalem                             Martin Goodman

     A marvelous study of Roman and Jewish history. I learned much.

 

Tracks Across Alaska                          Alastair Scott

     An amateur attempts part of the Iditarod trek. Recommended

 

Playing for Pizza                                   John Grisham

     I always like John Grisham

 

The Indian Clerk                                   David Leavitt

    A heavy novel that I wish I hadn't started. 

 

The Nine                                              Jeffrey Toobin

            Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court

    A good book in every way: interesting, informative, well-written.

 

Shadow of the Silk Road                      Colin Tubron

    A delightful travelogue. Recommended

 

The Myth of the Rational Voter

    Does it matter how we vote? This survey tells more than you want to know.

 

Rumpole Misbehaves                                        John Mortimer

    I think I like Rumpole better on TV than in the novel

 

 A Land to Call Home                                       Lauraine Snelling

    An ultra-sweet novel from a series.

 

The Book of Air and Shadows              Michael Gruber

        I remember I liked the novel, but I cannot remember the topic.

 

What's So Funny?                                            Donald Westlake

    Another Dortmunder mystery by a favorite author

 

Footprints in the Olympics                                Chris Morgenroth

            an autobiography                      Catherine Morgenroth Flaherty, editor

        He did it all: settled in the wilderness, worked for forest service, established national park, and more.

 

Two Wheels North: Cycling the West Coast in 1909                 Evelyn McDaniel Gibb

      From Santa Rosa to Seattle before there was a highway link.

 

1491                            Charles C. Mann

            The Americas before Columbus

      Get rid of your simplistic view of a simple civilization. 

 

Summer at Tiffany                                 Marjorie Hart

      A delightful story of 2 coeds in 1945.

 

If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name                      Heather Lende

      Small town Alaska, revealed.

 

Web of Deceit                          Barry M. Lando

            The History of Western Complicity in Iraq

      Another ugly book about an ugly war.

 

Marley & Me                           John Grogan

            Life and love with the world’s worst dog

      A great book for dog lovers.

 

Three Cups of Tea                                Greg Mortenson

            One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace, One School at a Time

      Feel good about the world and what one person can do.

 

The Backwash Squeeze & other improbable feats                     Edward McPherson

            A Newcomers Journey into the World of Bridge

      Perceptive observations of addiction to playing the game of Bridge

 

The Black Echo                        Michael Connelly

 

Restless                                    William Boyd

 

What’s Theology Got to Do with It?                 Anthony B. Robinson

      An examination of Christian churches by an astute and sympathetic observer.

 

POSTWAR:                                         Tony Judt

            A History of Europe since 1945

    A massive book, filled with data that enlightened me and corrected my memories

 

Soldier, the Life of Colin Powell                        Karen DeYoung

    A satisfying read about a fine man

 

The Purpose Driven Life                       Rick Warren

            What on Earth Am I Here For?

     A best-seller and deservedly so.

 

Long Time Gone                       J.A.Jance

    We must read all the J.P. Beaumont books

 

Plainsong                                  Kent Haruf

    A story from the high plains. Some irksome people; some very good people.

 

The Grace that Keeps this World                      Tom Bailey

     A novel about north country New York. Not pleasant.

 

The One Percent Doctrine                                Ron Suskind

            Deep Inside America’s Pursuit of Its Enemies since 9/11

    One of several recent tell-all books about the Bush administration.

 

The Survivor                             John F. Harris

            President Clinton and His Times

   Bill Clinton with his warts and his genius

 

 

 

For other books from past reading, see Book list Archives