The Bookshelf
ChrisHubbs.com

The 58 books I read in 2012 year in books

Cover of Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President.

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President

by Candice Millard · published 2011 · read 2012-12-30
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking

by Susan Cain · published 2012 · read 2012-12-29
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover placeholder for Zero Day.

Zero Day

by David Baldacci · published 2011 · read 2012-12-28
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Cover placeholder for The Fault in Our Stars.

The Fault in Our Stars

by John Green · published 2012 · read 2012-12-23
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover of The Dog Stars.

The Dog Stars

by Peter Heller · published 2012 · read 2012-12-23
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of New Seeds of Contemplation.

New Seeds of Contemplation

by Thomas Merton · published 2008 · read 2012-12-02
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover placeholder for XO.

XO

by Jeffery Deaver · published 2012 · read 2012-11-25
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Cover of Kill Decision.

Kill Decision

by Daniel Suarez · published 2012 · read 2012-11-03
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Suarez is the modern heir to Michael Crichton, doing for computers what Crichton did for biology and genetics. While this book was based around a fascinating concept, there was no real surprise as to where it was going from nearly the first chapter. Compared to Suarez' earlier books, this one was fine but not nearly as engaging or tense.

Cover of Pure Eyes: A Man's Guide to Sexual Integrity.

Pure Eyes: A Man’s Guide to Sexual Integrity

by Craig Gross · published 2010 · read 2012-11-03
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of Cloud Atlas.

Cloud Atlas

by David Mitchell · published 2004 · read 2012-10-28
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of In the Shadow of the Sword: The Birth of Islam and the Rise of the Global Arab Empire.

In the Shadow of the Sword: The Birth of Islam and the Rise of the Global Arab Empire

by Tom Holland · published 2012 · read 2012-10-15
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of The Fiddler's Gun.

The Fiddler’s Gun

by A.S. Peterson · published 2014 · read 2012-10-07
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover of The War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle.

The War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle

by Steven Pressfield · published 2003 · read 2012-09-30
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover of Jesus, My Father, The CIA, and Me: A Memoir. . . of Sorts.

Jesus, My Father, The CIA, and Me: A Memoir… of Sorts

by Ian Morgan Cron · published 2011 · read 2012-09-29
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of The Seven Storey Mountain.

The Seven Storey Mountain

by Thomas Merton · published 1999 · read 2012-09-27
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of Exit Plan.

Exit Plan

by Larry Bond · published 2012 · read 2012-09-16
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of Steve Jobs.

Steve Jobs

by Walter Isaacson · published 2011 · read 2012-09-14
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of Redshirts.

Redshirts

by John Scalzi · published 2012 · read 2012-09-09
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover of The Death of Adam: Essays on Modern Thought.

The Death of Adam: Essays on Modern Thought

by Marilynne Robinson · published 2005 · read 2012-09-08
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Brilliant stuff from Marilynne Robinson. While less engaging when she uses the middle of the book to heap praise on John Calvin, the final essay, 'The Tyranny of Petty Coercion', is worth 5 stars all by itself.

Cover of The Fallen Angel.

The Fallen Angel

by Daniel Silva · published 2012 · read 2012-09-03
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of Passion for Peace: The Social Essays.

Passion for Peace: The Social Essays

by Thomas Merton · published 1995 · read 2012-08-22
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of When I Was a Child I Read Books.

When I Was a Child I Read Books

by Marilynne Robinson · published 2012 · read 2012-08-14
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover of Joker One: A Marine Platoon's Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood.

Joker One: A Marine Platoon’s Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood

by Donovan Campbell · published 2009 · read 2012-08-07
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Absolutely brutal account of a Marine officer's tour of duty in Ramadi, Iraq.

Cover of The Janus Affair.

The Janus Affair

by Pip Ballantine · published 2012 · read 2012-08-03
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of The Sins of the Father.

The Sins of the Father

by Jeffrey Archer · published 2012 · read 2012-07-24
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of Kill Shot.

Kill Shot

by Vince Flynn · published 2012 · read 2012-07-22

Cover of The Technologists.

The Technologists

by Matthew Pearl · published 2012 · read 2012-07-12
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Cover of Gideon's Corpse.

Gideon’s Corpse

by Douglas Preston · published 2012 · read 2012-07-04
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Cover placeholder for Robopocalypse.

Robopocalypse

by Daniel H. Wilson · published 2011 · read 2012-06-21
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover placeholder for Genesis for Normal People: A Guide to the Most Controversial, Misunderstood, and Abused Book of the Bible.

Genesis for Normal People: A Guide to the Most Controversial, Misunderstood, and Abused Book of the Bible

by Peter Enns · published 2012 · read 2012-06-10
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of Ancestor.

Ancestor

by Scott Sigler · published 2010 · read 2012-05-31
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
A fast-paced horror thriller. No surprises to be had here - this is straight-up predictable creature horror, and not as horrific as it could've been.

Cover placeholder for Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit.

Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit

by Francis Chan · published 2009 · read 2012-05-29
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover placeholder for Replica.

Replica

by Lexi Revellian · read 2012-05-28
★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Cover of The Orphan Master's Son.

The Orphan Master’s Son

by Adam Johnson · published 2012 · read 2012-05-26
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of The Road Trip that Changed the World: The Unlikely Theory that will Change How You View Culture, the Church, and, Most Importantly, Yourself.

The Road Trip that Changed the World: The Unlikely Theory that will Change How You View Culture, the Church, and, Most Importantly, Yourself

by Mark Sayers · published 2012 · read 2012-05-24
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Australian pastor and author Mark Sayers put out a request for reviews of his new book, The Road Trip that Changed the World a few weeks ago, and I’m happy today to take him up on it. I had previously read his book Vertical Self and enjoyed it quite a bit, so I was looking forward to his newest offering.

The Road Trip that Changed the World draws its title and chief topic from the classic American novel On The Road by Jack Kerouac. Sayers examines how Kerouac’s novel incited a generation to leave the ideals of home, family, and place and instead to chase the dream of the road, the hope of whatever lays just beyond the horizon.

He spends a good chapter discussing our search for the transcendent, and notes how when we fail to notice and embrace the transcendence in the material here and now, we end up constantly looking for the next “woosh” – a fleeting moment of awe that makes us feel alive but quickly leaves us searching for the next hit.

The first two-thirds of the book is devoted to this examination of the shift in American culture brought on by Kerouac; the last third brings things around to the gospel. Sayers discusses Abraham as “the first counter-cultural rebel”, and traces a path through the Old and New Testaments, ultimately concluding that we need to reject the endless search for the “woosh” over the horizon, instead finding joy and meaning and transcendence in the here and now, as we experience true community and relationship with God.

I’ll say this – Sayers has the spirit of the times nailed. If anything, I didn’t respond to it more because it already seemed so familiar. His diagnosis of cynicism, distance, and the search for transcendence in “woosh” moments is right on. His prescription of embracing community and finding transcendence in experiencing God is a call appropriate for the time. If my cynical generation is willing to hear it, The Road Trip that Changed the World is a great call back to what really matters.

Note: I was provided a free copy of the book in return for reading and posting a fair review.

Cover placeholder for Gathering String.

Gathering String

by Mimi Johnson · published 2012 · read 2012-05-05
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Now this is a great yarn. Gathering String follows the intertwined lives of three journalists and an ambitious politician on a stage that grows from small town to national. Johnson has an ear for dialogue and an eye for authentic detail. She writes characters that you feel like you know, and puts them in a story that will keep you turning pages until you reach the end. I only wish it would've lasted longer. A great read.

Cover placeholder for Towards Yesterday.

Towards Yesterday

by Paul Antony Jones · published 2011 · read 2012-04-28
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Cover of The Inquisitor.

The Inquisitor

by Mark Allen Smith · published 2012 · read 2012-04-22
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of Locked On.

Locked On

by Tom Clancy · published 2011 · read 2012-04-21
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
As a long-time Clancy fan, I have a real affection for some of the characters that continue to inhabit his stories. John Clark and Ding Chavez play primary roles in Locked On, and it's hard to do anything but root for them. However, Clancy's writing has gone significantly downhill, and this book is just the latest example of that slide.

Clancy lovers have come to expect long, thick novels, and picking this one up off the shelf leads you to believe that it is another of similar size to classics like Red Storm Rising or Clear and Present Danger. However, opening the 900-page book you find that the publisher has reverted to tricks a lazy student uses with a college paper - wide margins, large line spacing, big fonts. There is probably only 60% of the content that used to be in a 900-page Clancy novel.

The book is also sloppily edited. For example, at one point it is noted that Chavez and Clark have been partners "for over 20 years". Further on, though, Chavez says that Clark "is more than twice my age - what, 63, 64?" It doesn't take a math whiz to figure out those numbers are screwed up.

Back in the glory days of this genre, Clancy was cranking out great stuff, WEB Griffin was top-notch, and Larry Bond was putting out some good stuff in the genre when he wasn't co-writing with Clancy. Today, though, I haven't found a younger author to fill that void; everybody seems to be focused on writing 300-page quickies rather than Clancy-length epics. Sad.

Cover of The Explicit Gospel.

The Explicit Gospel

by Matt Chandler · published 2012 · read 2012-04-21
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover of Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God.

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

by Francis Chan · published 2008 · read 2012-04-19
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover of A Clash of Kings.

A Clash of Kings

by George R.R. Martin · published 2002 · read 2012-04-14
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of The Mirage.

The Mirage

by Matt Ruff · published 2012 · read 2012-03-31
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of Coup d'Etat.

Coup d’Etat

by Ben Coes · published 2011 · read 2012-03-10
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Cover of Real Sex: The Naked Truth about Chastity.

Real Sex: The Naked Truth about Chastity

by Lauren F. Winner · published 2006 · read 2012-03-04
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover placeholder for The Forever War.

The Forever War

by Joe Haldeman · published 2003 · read 2012-03-03
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of Covert Warriors.

Covert Warriors

by W.E.B. Griffin · published 2011 · read 2012-02-24
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Cover of The Book of the Dun Cow.

The Book of the Dun Cow

by Walter Wangerin Jr. · published 2003 · read 2012-02-22
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover of Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters.

Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters

by N.T. Wright · published 2011 · read 2012-02-19
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover of Paths of Glory.

Paths of Glory

by Jeffrey Archer · published 2009 · read 2012-02-16
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything.

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything

by Steven D. Levitt · published 2006 · read 2012-02-12
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Cover placeholder for Junia Is Not Alone.

Junia Is Not Alone

by Scot McKnight · published 2011 · read 2012-02-08

Cover placeholder for Starship Troopers.

Starship Troopers

by Robert A. Heinlein · published 1987 · read 2012-02-08
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover of Evolution of Adam: What the Bible Does and Doesn't Say about Human Origins.

Evolution of Adam: What the Bible Does and Doesn’t Say about Human Origins

by Peter Enns · published 2012 · read 2012-01-26
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover of The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited.

The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited

by Scot McKnight · published 2011 · read 2012-01-18
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Cover placeholder for The Immortalists.

The Immortalists

by Kyle Mills · published 2011 · read 2012-01-15
★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆

Cover of An Ethic for Christians and Other Aliens in a Strange Land.

An Ethic for Christians and Other Aliens in a Strange Land

by William Stringfellow · published 2004 · read 2012-01-11
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Cover of Red Seas Under Red Skies.

Red Seas Under Red Skies

by Scott Lynch · published 2007 · read 2012-01-08
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
An entertaining con game story, but not as compelling as the first book in the series ("The Lies of Locke Lamora"). A lot of plot layers to keep track of, and while the pirate angles are entertaining, it doesn't quite live up to the original. Still, a fun read.