Books I’ve read The Bookshelf

A spy novel set in Spain; the intrigue centers around the Basque separatist group ETA. Just interesting enough to keep me involved – not interesting enough to get me to read it very quickly.

Fidelity: Five Stories

by Wendell Berry · published 1993 · read 2008-11-28

Berry is a charming, simple writer. A joy to read.

The Faith of Barack Obama

by Stephen Mansfield · published 2008 · read 2008-11-27

by Kim Riddlebarger · published 2006 · read 2008-11-21

Extended review here.

Man of Sin

A companion book to his The Case for Amillenialism, which I read earlier this year, in this book Riddlebarger examines the different perspectives on the Antichrist and argues for a traditional Reformed Presbyterian view. Nothing earthshattering, but good stuff.

Fools’ Experiments

by Edward M. Lerner · published 2008 · read 2008-11-16

A Crichton-esque novel centering on the evolution of artificially intelligent computer software. The beginning is a bit muddled, but by the middle of the book he’s hit his stride and the second half is quite entertaining.

Capitol Conspiracy: A Novel of Suspense

by William Bernhardt · published 2008 · read 2008-11-14

This guy is cranking out stories at a pace that seems to mean each one is a little bit poorer than the one before. Oklahoma lawyer Ben Kincaid, having made his way up from little-guy lawyer to US senator, now finds himself at the heart of a Homeland Security plot to assassinate the First Lady, force through a Constitutional amendment to allow the suspension of the Bill of Rights, and, well, you get the idea. Entertaining, but vapid.

The Handmaid’s Tale

by Margaret Atwood · published 1998 · read 2008-11-11

A dystopian story of a future in which women have no rights. A bit dated, perhaps, but an interesting story none the less.

Cryptonomicon

by Neal Stephenson · published 2002 · read 2008-11-08

A long story weaving together WWII cryptography and modern-day gold. Interesting stuff.

The Remains of the Day

by Kazuo Ishiguro · published 1990 · read 2008-10-26

I was glad to finally read the book version of a movie that I enjoyed. Ishiguro captures the focused dedication of an English butler in entertaining fashion. I am impressed by how closely the movie stayed to the novel; and the role of Stevens will always be played, in my head, by Sir Anthony Hopkins.

A History of Iran: Empire of the Mind

by Michael Axworthy · published 2008 · read 2008-10-22

Axworthy was a long-time member of the British foreign service and writes a fairly accessible history of Iran. Fascinating stuff.

The Fourth Hand

by John Irving · published 2003 · read 2008-10-19

Irving says that the inspiration for this one came from his wife hearing a news story about a man who got a hand transplant and wondering “what would happen if the donor’s family wanted visitation rights?”. A charming little story in its own way, though Irving is far too sex-obsessed for my tastes.

How Would Jesus Vote?: A Christian Perspective on the Issues

by D. James Kennedy · published 2008 · read 2008-10-18

★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Full review here.

Pirate Sun

by Karl Schroeder · published 2008 · read 2008-10-13

The latest installment in the Virga series, which continues to fascinate me.

Little Brother

by Cory Doctorow · published 2008 · read 2008-10-09

An anti-government-surveillance/pro-liberty (depending on which side of the ledger you’re on, I guess) piece of propaganda, gussied up as an entertaining short novel aimed at the teenage set. Complete with terrorist attacks, jackbooted Homeland Security agents, and waterboarding! Over the top, but still kinda fun. Also: the first book I’ve read as an e-book, on my iPod Touch.

For Young Men Only: A Guy’s Guide to the Alien Gender

by Jeff Feldhahn · published 2008 · read 2008-10-06

Full blog review posted here.

Watership Down

by Richard Adams · published 2005 · read 2008-09-29

This is a hard novel to describe, not because it’s nondescript, but because short descriptions would leave out so much. It’s a story about rabbits. Let’s try this on for size: if Tolkien were to have written a story the length of one of the LotR books, and set it in modern day, and narrowed the scope from “save the world” to “find a new place to live” and written it about rabbits instead of hobbits, you might get something like Watership Down. I enjoyed it.

Churched: One Kid’s Journey Toward God Despite a Holy Mess

by Matthew Paul Turner · published 2008 · read 2008-09-22

My official blog review of this one won’t come for a few weeks yet, but this is a funny little memoir from a guy who grew up in an independent fundamental Baptist church. While I didn’t grow up in a church like that, I grew up close enough to that culture to have the book resonate with me. A quick, enjoyable read.

The Double Agents

by W.E.B. Griffin · published 2007 · read 2008-09-22

I have long been a fan of Griffin’s various wartime series; they are some seriously good writing and characters. This one was a weaker effort; it felt less like a story in its own right and more like a bunch of narrative and character development that needed to happen to connect the previous book to the presumably-upcoming book. Ah well, still enjoyable.

First Daughter

by Eric Van Lustbader · published 2008 · read 2008-09-20

Time for a cheap thriller to liven things up, and this one didn’t disappoint. A moderately interesting bad guy, a more-interesting protagonist. The story, focusing on the kidnapping of the president-elect’s daughter, is just almost implausible, but not quite. All in all, a decent story.

Spider Star

by Mike Brotherton · published 2008 · read 2008-09-17

A futuristic sci-fi about space travel and encountering other species. It took a long time to set up (too long, really), but the last 50 pages or so were a good payoff. Not awesome, not bad.

The First Commandment

by Brad Thor · published 2007 · read 2008-09-14

I’ve enjoyed this series; this one similarly does not disappoint. A fun read.

Fidelity

by Thomas Perry · published 2008 · read 2008-08-31

A rather basic sort of thriller in which a husband is killed and his wife is piecing together information about the secrets he was keeping… the ones that ultimately led to his killing. Nothing too exciting, but moderately entertaining.

Atonement

by Ian McEwan · published 2007 · read 2008-08-29

You know what? I just didn’t get this one. At all. The first half of the story had me set up for something… and the second half fell flat. Meh.

Wild Goose Chase: Reclaim the Adventure of Pursuing God

by Mark Batterson · published 2008 · read 2008-08-27

by Greg Bear · published 2008 · read 2008-08-22

Extended review here.

City at the End of Time

A sprawling fantasy epic about time- and reality-travelers nearing the end of the universe. Different, but enjoyable.

The Time Traveler’s Wife

by Audrey Niffenegger · published 2004 · read 2008-08-20

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I’d heard rumbles about this one, but had never picked it up until now. What a beautiful story, uniquely told. A great book.

The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible

by Scot McKnight · published 2008 · read 2008-08-18

by John Grisham · published 2008 · read 2008-08-17

Extended review here.

The Appeal

With his return to the legal genre and the two-word title, I had hopes that Grisham’s story would be a return to his stories of old, stories where the heroes battle difficult struggles but still prevail. No such luck. Grisham has continued to decide to be preachy rather than tell a good story. Disappointing.

Devil May Care

by Sebastian Faulks · published 2008 · read 2008-08-14

Faulks was chosen to write a new James Bond novel, and he does a passable job. I haven’t read any of Ian Fleming’s original 007 novels, so it’s hard to compare, but it was an enjoyable read.

The Great Gatsby

by F. Scott Fitzgerald · published 1925 · read 2008-08-11

Somehow I’d never read this one before. What a great book. A simple story, but as great authors do, Fitzgerald creates an atmosphere that lets you feel like a part of that world and that time. Excellent book.

Nothing to Lose

by Lee Child · published 2008 · read 2008-08-08

I am a big fan of Child’s Jack Reacher series. Reacher is a wandering former military policeman who owns nothing more than the clothes on his back and the stuff in his pockets. There seems to always be another crime to solve or injustice to set right. Fun reading.

The Pleasure of My Company

by Steve Martin · published 2004 · read 2008-08-06

Yes, that Steve Martin. But what a nice little story. Narrated in first person by a man with enough neuroses to, well, fill a book, it turns out to be a sweet little story with a nice ending. Light, pleasant reading.

Death and Honor

by W.E.B. Griffin · published 2008 · read 2008-08-02

Griffin remains a wonderful writer and he’s completely in his element with another book in his Honor Bound series, set in Argentina during WWII. An enjoyable read.

A Prisoner of Birth

by Jeffrey Archer · published 2008 · read 2008-07-27

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Archer gives a modern retelling of Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo, and it’s fantastic. I love his characters, and I love the fact that it’s so black and white. In a day where most novels have characters that seem good and you want to trust, who end up being traitors and villains, this novel gives you noble characters that you can trust. I loved it. My favorite novel of the year so far.

1787

by Sean Michael Bailey · published 2008 · read 2008-07-23

★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Another airborne thriller with more holes in it than my fifteen-year-old shorts. Oh, and the villians: once again wacko “Christian fundamentalists”. Yawn.

Rules of Deception

by Christopher Reich · published 2008 · read 2008-07-20

I’ve been a fan of Reich’s since his very first book, and this one does not disappoint in pacing or twistiness. The one disappointment is Reich’s compulsion to make a wacko evangelical Christian the villain of the book. Still, I enjoyed the story.

James Van Allen: The First Eight Billion Miles

by Abigail Foerstner · published 2007 · read 2008-07-17

A really interesting biography of an Iowa native who played a big role in America’s early space exploration and discovered the earth’s radiation belts. A very good read.

The Redbreast

by Jo Nesbø · published 2007 · read 2008-07-10

This Norwegian author weaves a darn good detective story that ties in neo-Nazis with the Norwegian presence on both sides of the WWII battlefield. I really enjoyed this book – will be looking for others by Nesbo.

Phytosphere

by Scott Mackay · published 2007 · read 2008-07-07

A short sci-fi novel that reads like a script to a cheesy SciFi channel made-for-TV movie. The basics: aliens want to emigrate to Earth, but can’t come to an agreement with the UN on where they will be allowed to live. So, they generate a “phytosphere” (i.e. a green, growing shroud) around the earth to kill off everything. Much more time spent on the drama of crisis on earth than in the actual sci-fi stuff. Kinda lame, but still moderately entertaining.

A Case for Amillennialism: Understanding the End Times

by Kim Riddlebarger · published 2003 · read 2008-07-05

A spirited defense of amillennialism, with arguments for why the other common positions are incorrect. Quite readable, seemingly fair. Leaves me with much to ponder.

Golden Fox

by Wilbur Smith · published 1991 · read 2008-06-23

I’d never read anything by Mr. Smith before; just picked this one up from the library on a whim. It was actually a lot of fun and reminiscent of Ludlum’s classic Bourne stuff. Set back in the Cold War, a well-written and plotted story of politics, romance, intrigue, and blackmail. Entertaining.

Endgame, 1945: The Missing Final Chapter of World War II

by David A.T. Stafford · published 2007 · read 2008-06-20

An interesting read about WWII in the period when the war was basically but not totally over, the mop-up in Germany, the liberation of the death camps, and the like. A period not usually covered in detail.

Cauldron

by Jack McDevitt · published 2007 · read 2008-06-08

A fun futurist space novel a la Arthur C. Clarke. A few hundred years in the future, a new space engine technology is discovered that allows travel to the far reaches of the universe. No big plot twists or over-arching story arc here, just an exploration of the setting. Pretty good read.

Bastard Tongues: A Trailblazing Linguist Finds Clues to Our Common Humanity in the World’s Lowliest Languages

by Derek Bickerton · published 2008 · read 2008-06-01

These books on linguistics interest me for some reason. Rather dry reading in parts, it’s still an interesting story of this scholar’s investigation into the development of various Creole and Pidgin languages.

Majestic Descending

by Mitchell Graham · published 2007 · read 2008-05-27

OK, I really liked this book. As an adventure/mystery-type story, it managed to keep a nice even pace, keeping me interested without being over the top. Nice little twist at the end.

Dead Heat

by Joel C. Rosenberg · published 2008 · read 2008-05-22

OK, so I like stories where the authors actually go for the disaster scenario and then play out the results. Rosenberg’s first couple books in this series were pretty good; by this time, though, he’s getting far too preachy and dispensational. Ugh.

Stone Cold

by David Baldacci · published 2007 · read 2008-05-21

Dale Brown should be taking lessons from this guy. A fun, engaging adventure novel.

The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography

by Sidney Poitier · published 2007 · read 2008-05-19

I picked this one up because I was curious what he would put in a “spiritual autobiograpy”. It ends up being a strong dose of moralism (“the measure of a man is how he provides for his family”) mixed with a lot of naturalistic theism (“there is a god that we see in nature”). Poitier may be “a good man”, but, sadly, seems quite muddled spiritually.

Shadow Command

by Dale Brown · published 2008 · read 2008-05-18

As much as the geek in me loves Dale Brown’s technology, the Patrick McLanahan story is getting very very old. Same story every time – McLanahan has his gadgets and goes off to save the world. The President and other Defense Department folks oppose him as a loose cannon. Blah blah blah.

Vurt

by Jeff Noon · published 1996 · read 2008-05-16

An early entry in the alt-history genre, and it’s an amazing story. What if the Germans and Japanese had won WWII?

The Man in the High Castle

by Philip K. Dick · published 1992 · read 2008-05-10

An early entry in the alt-history genre, and it’s an amazing story. What if the Germans and Japanese had won WWII?

Korea Strait

by David Poyer · published 2007 · read 2008-05-03

The blurb on the flyleaf drew me in – ever since Clancy’s Red Storm Rising I’ve been hooked on ideas of what upcoming non-nuclear wars might look like. Unfortunately the nearest this book got to Tom Clancy is when it ripped off The Hunt for Red October at the end of the story. Pretty bad.

Gas City

by Loren D. Estleman · published 2008 · read 2008-04-30

Supposedly this guy has written a lot of books, but this was my first encounter with him. I slogged through, but didn’t enjoy it all that much.

Betrayal

by John Lescroart · published 2008 · read 2008-04-22

I’ve enjoyed Lescroart’s books starring Dismas Hardy and Abe Glitzky for a while now, but this one was a bit of a disappointment. It’s a did-he-or-didn’t-he plot built around a soldier with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and his friend-turned-rival. A decent read, but not a very fulfilling ending.

The Demolished Man

by Alfred Bester · published 1953 · read 2008-04-19

Written in 1953, this book won the first-ever Hugo Award for sci-fi. I was impressed with how non-dated the story felt. While not having a very futurist slant toward technology, the remainder of the futurist part of the setting and plot was solid. Fun to get back to the early sci-fi.

Nearer, My God: An Autobiography of Faith

by William F. Buckley Jr. · published 1998 · read 2008-04-16

I think this one may have been a re-read for me – parts of it seemed vaguely familiar. Still, worth the read. The emphasis in this volume is far more on the faith than the autobiography; most of the chapters address how he, as a thinker and intellectual, addresses and comes to grips with his (Roman Catholic) beliefs. Well written, insightful, good stuff.

Cancel Your Own Goddam Subscription: Notes and Asides from National Review

by William F. Buckley Jr. · published 2007 · read 2008-04-14

I’m going on a bit of a Buckley kick here this past week (after trying again and failing to get into Neal Stephenson’s Quicksilver and this is one of only two non-fiction books of Buckley’s that the library carries. Guaranteed to stretch your vocabulary and make you chuckle at the wit. A fun read.

The 6 Sacred Stones

by Matthew Reilly · published 2008 · read 2008-04-02

Reilly’s genre is something I’ll call “non-stop action thriller”. His books read like a Jason Statham movie on speed. He uses more italics and exclamation points than even the Hardy Boys did. But his books are entertaining escapist reads, and this one didn’t disappoint. It did mislead a bit, though: they only dealt with the first three stones in this story, and leave you cliffhanging at the end of the book. Now I’ve gotta wait for him to publish the next one…

All Shall Be Well; And All Shall Be Well; And All Manner of Things Shall Be Well

by Tod Wodicka · published 2008 · read 2008-03-30

Not sure what prompted me to pick this one up. It’s an odd little story about a guy who is a medieval times reenactor, except that he’s so uncomfortable with modern life that he prefers to stay in character all the time. Of course, this wreaks havoc with his family. Overall a messed-up, depressing story. Very odd.

Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager

by Michael Lopp · published 2007 · read 2008-03-25

This book was recommended highly by Geof, and the author (who goes by his nom de cyber, Rands) is brilliant at Rands in Repose, so I finally bought it from Amazon and gave it a whirl. While Rands’ high-tech world of internet startups and quick-turn user applications is a long mile from my process-driven avionics development world, he still has good insights on management and nerds. A good read.

The Magician’s Nephew

by C.S. Lewis · published 1994 · read 2008-03-23

I decided to re-read the Chronicles of Narnia – it’s been years. I had forgotten much of this story, but it was a joy to find so much of it so familiar as I read.

Cutthroat

by Steve Brewer · published 2007 · read 2008-03-17

Nothing fancy here – just a straightforward crime adventure thriller. A good read, though – a likable hero, reasonable plot, good characters. I’d read this guy again.

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness

by Andrew Peterson · published 2008 · read 2008-03-14

See my extended review here.

The Sleeping Doll

by Jeffery Deaver · published 2007 · read 2008-03-07

Sometimes you just need a good escapist thriller. This one stars a woman who is a gifted interrogator and is on the hunt for a scary cult leader. Fun stuff.

Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church

by N.T. Wright · published 2008 · read 2008-03-06

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Brilliant stuff. The first post of a review series is here.

Blasphemy

by Douglas Preston · published 2008 · read 2008-03-05

I do so enjoy Preston’s stuff. In this story, the crew running a new superconducting supercollider appear to be getting a message from God when they run the collider. But it is really God? Maybe not… Good stuff.

Navigator

by Stephen Baxter · published 2008 · read 2008-03-03

The continuation of Baxter’s alternate history series. Good stuff.

Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography

by David Michaelis · published 2007 · read 2008-02-26

A very good but ultimately very sad biography of Charles M. Schulz, whose life seemed to bear out the aphorism that great art comes from troubled psyches. I didn’t realize how much Peanuts represented Schulz’s life… interesting. Sad that a man who had so much to contribute spent his whole life feeling like no one loved him.

The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism

by Timothy J. Keller · published 2008 · read 2008-02-22

I was pretty excited to get my hands on this one. I have very much enjoyed Keller’s teaching, especially as it relates to urban ministry and reaching postmoderns with the gospel. Maybe I was expecting too much from this book, but it left me unimpressed. I wanted something new, insightful; Keller rehashed the stuff we’ve all read already, quoting extensively from C. S. Lewis, Alvin Plantinga, and a few others. This might be a good book to give to your thinking friend who is wrestling with the ideas of Christianity, but for me, it was only OK.

The Gum Thief

by Douglas Coupland · published 2007 · read 2008-02-17

This is the first Coupland novel I’ve had the patience with/interest in to make it all the way through. A moderately interesting postmodern tale of shiftless people wrestling with meaningless lives.

The Driver: My Dangerous Pursuit of Speed and Truth in the Outlaw Racing World

by Alexander Roy · published 2007 · read 2008-02-12

This guy drove/raced in a bunch of fairly illegal road rallies, and eventually set a record by driving from New York to San Francisco in 31 hours, 4 minutes. Yowza.

Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK

by Gerald Posner · published 2003 · read 2008-02-10

This book is probably 15 years old now, but new to me as it was on clearance for $2 at the used bookstore. I’m not up on all the Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories, but it seems to me like Posner did a pretty good job of documenting a case for Oswald as the single, independent assassin.

Strip Search

by William Bernhardt · published 2007 · read 2008-02-09

How does this guy crank out so many books so fast? This other series focuses on a police psychologist and her sidekick, an autistic young man who is a mathematical savant. A quick, easy, fun read.

The Electric Church

by Jeff Somers · published 2007 · read 2008-02-04

A dystopian near-future sci-fi-ish novel (almost cyberpunk, but not quite enough cyber) about a “church” that converts you by taking your brain and plugging it into a cyborg. Darn good story.

Capitol Threat: A Novel of Suspense

by William Bernhardt · published 2007 · read 2008-01-31

I enjoy the Ben Kincaid series, though I’m a bit concerned that Bernhardt is following a similar path with Kincaid that Tom Clancy did with Jack Ryan – a series of job promotions that ultimately dead-ends because you can’t go any higher. Still, a fun read.

Crashing Through: A True Story of Risk, Adventure, and the Man Who Dared to See

by Robert Kurson · published 2007 · read 2008-01-12