Paul's bookshelf: all en-US Sat, 12 Apr 2025 06:48:17 -0700 60 Paul's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The Stand 228202 1141 Stephen King 0451169530 Paul 4 4.32 1978 The Stand
author: Stephen King
name: Paul
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1978
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #2)]]> 969
A mind-bending code hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci. A desperate race through the cathedrals and castles of Europe. An astonishing truth concealed for centuries… unveiled at last.

While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call. The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, a baffling cipher found near the body. As Langdon and a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci–clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.

The stakes are raised when Langdon uncovers a startling link: the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—an actual secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci, among others. Langdon suspects they are on the hunt for a breathtaking historical secret, one that has proven through the centuries to be as enlightening as it is dangerous. In a frantic race through Paris, and beyond, Langdon and Neveu find themselves matching wits with a faceless powerbroker who appears to anticipate their every move. Unless they can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle, the Priory's secret—and an explosive ancient truth—will be lost forever.

Instantly catapulted to the top of the bestseller lists around the world, The Da Vinci Code is simultaneously lightning-paced, intelligent, and intricately layered with remarkable research and detail. From secrets embedded in the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, to the symbols of ancient Egypt, to the architecture of landmarks such as the Louvre, Westminster Abbey, Rosslyn Chapel, and more, this fully illustrated collector's edition delivers the complete reading experience of Dan Brown's riveting novel—from the opening pages to the unpredictable and stunning conclusion.]]> 467 Dan Brown 076792603X Paul 5 3.98 2003 The Da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #2)
author: Dan Brown
name: Paul
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/07/11
shelves:
review:

]]> The Firm - Biro Hukum 1678644
Ketika Mitch McDeere memutuskan bekerja pada biro hukum Bendini, Lambert dan Locke di Memphis, ia mengira jalan menuju kesuksesan telah terbuka bagi dirinya dan istrinya yang cantik, Abby. Biro itu membelikan BMW baginya, membayar pinjaman-pinjamannya, membantunya membeli rumah sekaligus mendekornya. Mitch McDeere seharusnya ingat kata-kata Ray, kakaknya yang sedang menjalani hukuman lima belas tahun penjara di Tennessee. Tak ada yang cuma-cuma di dunia ini. Tiba-tiba FBI tertarik untuk menyelidiki biro itu, dan mereka membutuhkan bantuan Mitch. Mitch pun terjepit di antara dua pilihan. Ia harus membuat keputusan kalau ingin tetap hidup.]]> 712 John Grisham 9795118404 Paul 4 3.71 1991 The Firm - Biro Hukum
author: John Grisham
name: Paul
average rating: 3.71
book published: 1991
rating: 4
read at: 1994/07/01
date added: 2024/04/26
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #4)]]> 8130423 In this fourth installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos's army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop the invasion, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth - a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn.]]> 361 Rick Riordan Paul 5 4.44 2008 The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #4)
author: Rick Riordan
name: Paul
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/10/16
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Adventures of Tom Bombadil]]> 1537134 80 J.R.R. Tolkien 0044407262 Paul 4 3.78 1962 The Adventures of Tom Bombadil
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Paul
average rating: 3.78
book published: 1962
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2023/08/10
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles, #1)]]> 34778
Louis and Claudia travel Europe, eventually coming to Paris and the ragingly successful Theatre des Vampires--a theatre of vampires pretending to be mortals pretending to be vampires. Here they meet the magnetic and ethereal Armand, who brings them into a whole society of vampires. But Louis and Claudia find that finding others like themselves provides no easy answers and in fact presents dangers they scarcely imagined.

Originally begun as a short story, the book took off as Anne wrote it, spinning the tragic and triumphant life experiences of a soul. As well as the struggles of its characters, Interview captures the political and social changes of two continents. The novel also introduces Lestat, Anne's most enduring character, a heady mixture of attraction and revulsion. The book, full of lush description, centers on the themes of immortality, change, loss, sexuality, and power.
source: annerice.com]]> 340 Anne Rice 0394498216 Paul 1
Then I read it. Notice the one star rating.

To be fair, I really liked her storytelling ability. She is a very passionate writer indeed. But overall--I just can't get into gay vampire books. ]]> 3.98 1976 Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles, #1)
author: Anne Rice
name: Paul
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1976
rating: 1
read at: 2007/05/01
date added: 2022/11/24
shelves:
review:
I had heard so many things about this book and I always knew that one day I would read it. I saw bits and pieces of the movie, but I was never able to watch the whole thing.

Then I read it. Notice the one star rating.

To be fair, I really liked her storytelling ability. She is a very passionate writer indeed. But overall--I just can't get into gay vampire books.
]]> The Complete Fairy Tales 46305
? "The Little Mermaid"

? "Thumbelina"

? "The Emperor's New Clothes"

? "The Snow Queen"

? "Ib and Little Christina"

? "The Princess and the Pea"]]> 816 Hans Christian Andersen 0517229242 Paul 2 4.30 1850 The Complete Fairy Tales
author: Hans Christian Andersen
name: Paul
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1850
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2022/02/26
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]]> Selected Stories 279856
Overseasoned --
The night before Easter --
At home --
Champagne --
The malefactor --
Murder will out --
The trousseau --
The decoration --
The man in a case --
Little Jack --
Dreams --
The death of an official --
Agatha --
The beggar --
Children --
The troublesome guest --
Not wanted --
The robbers --
Lean and fat --
On the way --
The head gardener's tale --
Hush! --
Without a title --
In the ravine.]]> 287 Anton Chekhov 0451512332 Paul 2 3.87 1898 Selected Stories
author: Anton Chekhov
name: Paul
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1898
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2021/01/10
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Best American Travel Writing 2000]]> 99781 This first collection of THE BEST AMERICAN TRAVEL WRITING reads like a good novel. Best-selling author Bill Bryson and series editor Jason Wilson have put together a book that will surprise knowledgeable travelers and entrance newcomers with the glories of new worlds. Articles by such well-loved writers as Bill Buford and Ryszard Kapuscinski are included, as are those by exciting new voices. Ranging across myriad landscapes, from Central Park in New York City to the Ouadane oasis in Saharan Mauritania, THE BEST AMERICAN TRAVEL WRITING 2000 showcases the diversity and creative power of travel writing today.]]> 320 Bill Bryson 0618074678 Paul 2 3.75 2000 The Best American Travel Writing 2000
author: Bill Bryson
name: Paul
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2000
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2016/03/06
shelves:
review:

]]> My Life with the Saints 2049736 —
Winner of a Christopher Award
—
Winner of a Catholic Press Association Book Award

Meet some surprising friends of God in this warm and wonderful memoir

James Martin has led an entirely modern life: from a lukewarm Catholic childhood, to an? education?at the Wharton School of Business, to the executive fast track at General Electric, to ministry as a Jesuit priest, to a busy media career in Manhattan. But at every step he has been accompanied by some surprising friends—the saints of the Catholic Church. For many, these holy men and women remain just historical figures. For Martin, they are intimate companions. “They pray for me, offer me comfort, give me examples of discipleship, and help me along the way,” he writes.
The author is both engaging and specific about the help and companionship he has received. When his pride proves trouble?some, he seeks help from Thomas Merton, the monk and writer who struggled with egotism. In sickness he turns to Thérèse of Lisieux, who knew about the boredom and self-pity that come with illness. Joan of Arc shores up his flagging courage. Aloysius Gonzaga deepens his compassion. Pope John XXIII helps him to laugh and not take life too seriously.
Martin’s inspiring, witty, and always fascinating memoir encompasses saints from the whole of Christian history— from St. Peter to Dorothy Day. His saintly friends include Francis of Assisi, Ignatius of Loyola, Mother Teresa, and other beloved figures. They accompany the author on a lifelong pilgrimage that includes stops in a sunlit square of a French town, a quiet retreat house on a New England beach, the gritty housing projects of inner-city Chicago, the sprawling slums of Nairobi, and a gorgeous Baroque church in Rome. This rich, vibrant, stirring narrative shows how the saints can help all of us find our way in the world.

“In a cross between Holden Caulfield and Thomas Merton, James Martin has written one of the best spiritual memoirs in years.”
—Robert Ellsberg, author of All Saints

“It isn’t often that a new and noteworthy book comes along in this genre, but we have reason to celebrate My Life with the Saints. It is earmarked for longevity. It will endure as an important and uncommon contribution to religious writing.”
—Doris Donnelly, America

“An account . . . that is as delightful as it is instructive.”
—First Things

“In delightful prose Martin recounts incidents, both perilous and funny, that have prompted him to turn to the saints, and in doing so shows us a new way of living out a devotion that is as old and universal as the Church.”
—Avery Cardinal Dulles, SJ, Fordham University

“An outstanding and often hilarious memoir.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Martin’s final word for us is as Jungian as it is Catholic: God does not want us to be like Mother Teresa or Dorothy Day. God wants us to be most fully ourselves.”
—The Washington Post Book World]]> 414 James Martin 0829426442 Paul 4 4.35 2006 My Life with the Saints
author: James Martin
name: Paul
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2015/09/01
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[We Hold These Truths: Catholic Reflections on the American Proposition (A Sheed & Ward Classic)]]> 952386
From the new Introduction by Peter Lawler:

The Jesuit John Courtney Murray (1904-67) was, in his time, probably the best known and most widely respected American Catholic writer on the relationship between Catholic philosophy and theology and his country's political life. The highpoint of his influence was the publication of We Hold These Truths in the same year as an election of our country's first Catholic president. Those two events were celebrated by a Time cover story (December 12, 1960) on Murray's work and influence. The story's author, Protestant Douglas Auchincloss, reported that it was "The most relentlessly intellectual cover story I've done." His amazingly wide ranging and dense―if not altogether accurate―account of Murray's thought was crowned with a smart and pointed conclusion: "If anyone can help U.S. Catholics and their non-Catholic countrymen toward the disagreement that precedes understanding―John Courtney Murray can."

. . . Murray's work, of course, is treated with great respect and has had considerable influence, but now it's time to begin to think of him as one of America's very few genuine political philosophers. His disarmingly lucid and accessible prose has caused his book to be widely cited and celebrated, but it still is not well understood. It is both praised and blamed for reconciling Catholic faith with the fundamental premises of American political life. It is praised by liberals for paving the way for Vatican II's embrace of the American idea of religious liberty, and it is]]> 320 John Courtney Murray 0742549011 Paul 3 3.92 1964 We Hold These Truths: Catholic Reflections on the American Proposition (A Sheed & Ward Classic)
author: John Courtney Murray
name: Paul
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1964
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2014/07/14
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Paul, Least of the Apostles: The Story of the Most Unlikely Witness to Christ]]> 59344 265 Alain Decaux 0819859583 Paul 5 4.00 2003 Paul, Least of the Apostles: The Story of the Most Unlikely Witness to Christ
author: Alain Decaux
name: Paul
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2014/05/31
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[World Without End (Kingsbridge, #2)]]> 2891804
World Without End takes place in the same town of Kingsbridge, two centuries after the townspeople finished building the exquisite Gothic cathedral that was at the heart of The Pillars of the Earth. The cathedral and the priory are again at the center of a web of love and hate, greed and pride, ambition and revenge, but this sequel stands on its own. This time the men and women of an extraordinary cast of characters find themselves at a crossroads of new ideas—about medicine, commerce, architecture, and justice. In a world where proponents of the old ways fiercely battle those with progressive minds, the intrigue and tension quickly reach a boiling point against the devastating backdrop of the greatest natural disaster ever to strike the human race—the Black Death.]]> 1014 Ken Follett Paul 5 4.25 2007 World Without End (Kingsbridge, #2)
author: Ken Follett
name: Paul
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2009/12/08
date added: 2014/04/29
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[All Quiet on the Western Front]]> 355697
In 1914 a room full of German schoolboys, fresh-faced and idealistic, are goaded by their schoolmaster to troop off to the ‘glorious war’. With the fire and patriotism of youth they sign up. What follows is the moving story of a young ‘unknown soldier’ experiencing the horror and disillusionment of life in the trenches.]]> 296 Erich Maria Remarque 0449213943 Paul 4
All military differences aside (at least this guy knew what his enemy looked like), the deep feelings when you lose one of your own are still dead on--even after all these years. Along with that agreement is the dread of integrating back into society. My parents will never understand what combat is like, let alone the friendly Applebee's waiter who is "so stressed" with having four tables seated at the same time. I understand his anger and frustration, alongside his desire to retreat to his men in arms.

The crude speech and behavior of the protagonist and his comrades forces a smile to purse across my lips. I know that my behavior here in the combat zone is COMPLETELY unacceptable back in the States, but out here it is the vernacular. I haven;t given a mission briefing to this day without colorful expletives or seemingly racist slurs (to an outsider of course) of my enemy's race/color/religion/affiliation.

What man can truly understand war unless he has been through it himself? AQOTWF (my sweet brevity code for this book--we're known for that around here) is both a colorful description of warfare that no longer exists and a poignant look into the sufferings of the individuals by whom wars are fought. It is not an anti-war book, but sadly only those who have been there can understand that. ]]> 4.04 1928 All Quiet on the Western Front
author: Erich Maria Remarque
name: Paul
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1928
rating: 4
read at: 2006/11/01
date added: 2014/01/08
shelves:
review:
This book is short, but a must-have read for those understanding the humanity of war. While I cannot even imagine fighting deep in the trenches of WWI, braving shell shock and constant, brazen assaults on my front lines, I can sincerely identify with his feelings as a two-tour veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

All military differences aside (at least this guy knew what his enemy looked like), the deep feelings when you lose one of your own are still dead on--even after all these years. Along with that agreement is the dread of integrating back into society. My parents will never understand what combat is like, let alone the friendly Applebee's waiter who is "so stressed" with having four tables seated at the same time. I understand his anger and frustration, alongside his desire to retreat to his men in arms.

The crude speech and behavior of the protagonist and his comrades forces a smile to purse across my lips. I know that my behavior here in the combat zone is COMPLETELY unacceptable back in the States, but out here it is the vernacular. I haven;t given a mission briefing to this day without colorful expletives or seemingly racist slurs (to an outsider of course) of my enemy's race/color/religion/affiliation.

What man can truly understand war unless he has been through it himself? AQOTWF (my sweet brevity code for this book--we're known for that around here) is both a colorful description of warfare that no longer exists and a poignant look into the sufferings of the individuals by whom wars are fought. It is not an anti-war book, but sadly only those who have been there can understand that.
]]> The Far Side? Gallery 5 232578 160 Gary Larson 0836204255 Paul 4 4.53 1995 The Far Side? Gallery 5
author: Gary Larson
name: Paul
average rating: 4.53
book published: 1995
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2012/09/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter Collection (Harry Potter, #1-6)]]> 10 Follow Harry from his first days at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, through his many adventures with Hermione and Ron, to his confrontations with rival Draco Malfoy and the dreaded Professor Snape. From the thrilling search for the Sorcerer's Stone to the Triwizard Tournament to the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, each adventure is more riveting and exhilarating than its predecessor, and now all six books are available together for the first time in an elegant hardcover boxed set.]]> 3342 J.K. Rowling 0439827604 Paul 5 4.72 2005 Harry Potter Collection (Harry Potter, #1-6)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Paul
average rating: 4.72
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2012/07/18
shelves:
review:

]]> The New American Bible 115929 Special versions of the official Catholic translation with features for students and gift giving.
Concise, authoritative notes
Revised New Testament and Psalms
Family register and full-color maps (2405 and 2406 editions only)
Chronological listing of Christ's miracles and discourses
List of the Popes
Book introductions
Cross references
Footnotes
Maps
Presentation page
Red letter (except 2401)]]> 1394 Anonymous 0529064847 Paul 5
It is so much easier for me to understand the necessity for Christ after reading the OT. It makes so much sense to me why God decided to have a communion with us in a way we could understand. We failed Him miserably as a race, even the Chosen Ones. Christ as the "perfect sacrifice" is the ONLY way we could understand God and be His People as He desired. This kind of understanding on my end still makes me shiver like I have stumbled onto something so amazing that it is life changing.

Some parts were naturally quite boring (Leviticus) and some, that are only in the Catholic OT were pretty cool stories with heroes and big fight scenes against overwhelming odds (Maccabees--I mean, c'mon, the book is namded after Judas Maccabeas, or Judas the "Hammer.")

All in all, it was a very good experience. I want to do it again in a few years, just to see what else I pull from it.

As I have found myself doing recently (thanks Jenny), I saved one of my favorite parts of The Book that I will share:

"Do not give into sadness
Torment not yourself with brooding
Gladness of heart is the very life of man
Cheerfulness prolongs his days
Distract yourself, renew your courage
Drive resentment far away from you
For worry has brought death to many
Nor is there aught to be gained from resentment."

(Sirach 30: 21-25)

I wrote a bunch more down on the back of a picture of my son but it is packed away. When I pull it back out I will leave you with some other good ones.

Oh, and if you are wondering who finished first in the OT Challenge...Jenny finished first, but she didn't read the whole OT, she skipped all the Catholic extra books. Technically, that makes me the winner. :) ]]> 4.48 1899 The New American Bible
author: Anonymous
name: Paul
average rating: 4.48
book published: 1899
rating: 5
read at: 2007/03/01
date added: 2012/03/16
shelves:
review:
I was encouraged by my best friend to read the entire Old Testament from start to finish during this deployment (OIF 06-08). Based on my spiritual reformation this year and some friendly competition on how long it would take us to finish it, I signed up and it was super-enlightening.

It is so much easier for me to understand the necessity for Christ after reading the OT. It makes so much sense to me why God decided to have a communion with us in a way we could understand. We failed Him miserably as a race, even the Chosen Ones. Christ as the "perfect sacrifice" is the ONLY way we could understand God and be His People as He desired. This kind of understanding on my end still makes me shiver like I have stumbled onto something so amazing that it is life changing.

Some parts were naturally quite boring (Leviticus) and some, that are only in the Catholic OT were pretty cool stories with heroes and big fight scenes against overwhelming odds (Maccabees--I mean, c'mon, the book is namded after Judas Maccabeas, or Judas the "Hammer.")

All in all, it was a very good experience. I want to do it again in a few years, just to see what else I pull from it.

As I have found myself doing recently (thanks Jenny), I saved one of my favorite parts of The Book that I will share:

"Do not give into sadness
Torment not yourself with brooding
Gladness of heart is the very life of man
Cheerfulness prolongs his days
Distract yourself, renew your courage
Drive resentment far away from you
For worry has brought death to many
Nor is there aught to be gained from resentment."

(Sirach 30: 21-25)

I wrote a bunch more down on the back of a picture of my son but it is packed away. When I pull it back out I will leave you with some other good ones.

Oh, and if you are wondering who finished first in the OT Challenge...Jenny finished first, but she didn't read the whole OT, she skipped all the Catholic extra books. Technically, that makes me the winner. :)
]]> The Catholic Source Book 2811751 506 Peter Klein 0159018838 Paul 5 4.50 1990 The Catholic Source Book
author: Peter Klein
name: Paul
average rating: 4.50
book published: 1990
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2010/10/14
shelves:
review:

]]> The Witch of Portobello 816720
That is the central question of international bestselling author Paulo Coelho's profound new work, The Witch of Portobello. It is the story of a mysterious woman named Athena, told by the many who knew her well—or hardly at all.]]> 320 Paulo Coelho 0007251866 Paul 2 3.55 2006 The Witch of Portobello
author: Paulo Coelho
name: Paul
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2006
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2010/08/21
shelves:
review:

]]> Foucault’s Pendulum 17841 623 Umberto Eco 015603297X Paul 4 3.92 1988 Foucault’s Pendulum
author: Umberto Eco
name: Paul
average rating: 3.92
book published: 1988
rating: 4
read at: 2008/09/15
date added: 2010/03/26
shelves:
review:

]]> Aesop's Fables 20781 80 Aesop Paul 3 4.03 -560 Aesop's Fables
author: Aesop
name: Paul
average rating: 4.03
book published: -560
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2010/03/23
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)]]> 6148028 Sparks are igniting.
Flames are spreading.
And the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol—a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest that she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before . . . and surprising readers at every turn.]]> 391 Suzanne Collins 0439023491 Paul 4 4.34 2009 Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Paul
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2010/03/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)]]> 2767052
Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun. . . .

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.]]> 374 Suzanne Collins 0439023483 Paul 4 4.34 2008 The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)
author: Suzanne Collins
name: Paul
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2010/03/11
shelves:
review:

]]> Under the Dome 6320534
When food, electricity and water run short, the normal rules of society are changed. A new and more sinister social order develops, Dale Barbara, a young Iraq veteran, teams up with a handful of intrepid citizens to fight against the corruption that is sweeping through the town and to try to discover the source of the Dome before it is too late...]]> 1074 Stephen King 1439148503 Paul 3 3.92 2009 Under the Dome
author: Stephen King
name: Paul
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2010/03/11
date added: 2010/03/11
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1)]]> 5043 Ken Follett is known worldwide as the master of split-second suspense, but his most beloved and bestselling book tells the magnificent tale of a twelfth-century monk driven to do the seemingly impossible: build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has ever known.

Everything readers expect from Follett is here: intrigue, fast-paced action, and passionate romance. But what makes The Pillars of the Earth extraordinary is the time the twelfth century; the place feudal England; and the subject the building of a glorious cathedral. Follett has re-created the crude, flamboyant England of the Middle Ages in every detail. The vast forests, the walled towns, the castles, and the monasteries become a familiar landscape.

Against this richly imagined and intricately interwoven backdrop, filled with the ravages of war and the rhythms of daily life, the master storyteller draws the reader irresistibly into the intertwined lives of his characters into their dreams, their labors, and their loves: Tom, the master builder; Aliena, the ravishingly beautiful noblewoman; Philip, the prior of Kingsbridge; Jack, the artist in stone; and Ellen, the woman of the forest who casts a terrifying curse. From humble stonemason to imperious monarch, each character is brought vividly to life.

The building of the cathedral, with the almost eerie artistry of the unschooled stonemasons, is the center of the drama. Around the site of the construction, Follett weaves a story of betrayal, revenge, and love, which begins with the public hanging of an innocent man and ends with the humiliation of a king.

For the TV tie-in edition with the same ISBN go to this Alternate Cover Edition
]]> 976 Ken Follett 045122213X Paul 5 4.34 1989 The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1)
author: Ken Follett
name: Paul
average rating: 4.34
book published: 1989
rating: 5
read at: 2010/01/13
date added: 2010/01/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century]]> 4936457 319 Ian Mortimer 0224079948 Paul 4 3.99 2008 The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century
author: Ian Mortimer
name: Paul
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2010/01/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch]]> 12070 The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before she exploded), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner.

So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon—both of whom have lived amongst Earth's mortals since The Beginning and have grown rather fond of the lifestyle—are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture.

And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist . . .]]> 384 Terry Pratchett 0060853972 Paul 0 currently-reading 4.17 1990 Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
author: Terry Pratchett
name: Paul
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1990
rating: 0
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date added: 2009/12/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Signs of Life: 40 Catholic Customs and Their Biblical Roots]]> 6495777 Scott Hahn, the bestselling author of The Lamb's Supper and Reasons to Believe, celebrates the touchstones of the Catholic life, guiding readers to a deeper faith through the Church's rites, customs, and traditional prayers.

Signs of Life is beloved author Scott Hahn's clear and comprehensive guide to the Biblical doctrines and historical traditions that underlie Catholic beliefs and practices. Devoting single chapters to each topic, the author takes the reader on a journey that illuminates the roots and significance of all things Catholic, including: the Sign of the Cross, the Mass, the Sacraments, praying with the saints, guardian angels, sacred images and relics, the celebration of Easter, Christmas, and other holidays, daily prayers, and much more.

In the appealing conversational tone that has won him millions of devoted readers, Hahn presents the basic tenets of Church teachings, clears up common misconceptions about specific rituals and traditions, and responds thoughtfully to the objections raised about them. Each chapter concludes with loving, good-natured, inspiring advice on applying the Church's wisdom to everyday life.]]> 288 Scott Hahn 0385519494 Paul 5 4.23 2009 Signs of Life: 40 Catholic Customs and Their Biblical Roots
author: Scott Hahn
name: Paul
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2009
rating: 5
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date added: 2009/11/08
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]]> <![CDATA[The Sibley Guide to Trees (Sibley Guides)]]> 6376401 426 David Allen Sibley 037541519X Paul 5 4.42 2009 The Sibley Guide to Trees (Sibley Guides)
author: David Allen Sibley
name: Paul
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2009/10/28
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]]> <![CDATA[The Celts: Uncovering the Mythic and Historic Origins of Western Culture]]> 256531
? One of the most comprehensive treatments of Celtic civilization ever written.

? A cornerstone of Western civilization and the major source of its social, political, and literary values, Celtic civilization occupied the whole of Western Europe for more than a millennium.

? Unlike the Middle Eastern forerunners of the Greco-Roman world, Celtic civilization is still alive today.]]> 320 Jean Markale 0892814136 Paul 3 3.72 1993 The Celts: Uncovering the Mythic and Historic Origins of Western Culture
author: Jean Markale
name: Paul
average rating: 3.72
book published: 1993
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2009/10/05
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]]> Hell 6354310 240 Robert Olen Butler 0802119018 Paul 4 3.41 2009 Hell
author: Robert Olen Butler
name: Paul
average rating: 3.41
book published: 2009
rating: 4
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date added: 2009/10/05
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]]> The Last of the Celts 256527
Travelling throughout the remote Celtic world, award-winning author Marcus Tanner describes the relentless pressure on Celtic communities to assimilate and warns that a distinct Celtic identity may not survive for another generation—a sobering loss that would impoverish us all.

"Tanner has concluded we must resign ourselves to the fact that Celticism is done, over , finis . He proves it in a very good and special book that every prodigal and true Celt should read and try to prove wrong."—Malachy McCourt, Washington Post Book World

"Lively. . . . [A] thoughtful book."— Publishers Weekly

"An exceptional journey into the remarkable cultural history of the Celtic people. . . . [Tanner’s] experience reads like a travelogue and an insightful history with an emphasis on cultural heritage."—Raymond L. Flynn, Boston Sunday Herald

"[An] angry, elegiac and meticulously researched book."— Christian Century]]> 398 Marcus Tanner 0300115350 Paul 2 3.52 2004 The Last of the Celts
author: Marcus Tanner
name: Paul
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2004
rating: 2
read at: 2009/10/05
date added: 2009/10/05
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]]> <![CDATA[The Lost Symbol (Robert Langdon, #3)]]> 6411961
Washington DC: Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned at the last minute to deliver an evening lecture in the Capitol Building. Within moments of his arrival, however, a disturbing object - gruesomely encoded with five symbols - is discovered at the epicentre of the Rotunda. It is, he recognises, an ancient invitation, meant to beckon its recipient towards a long-lost world of hidden esoteric wisdom.

When Langdon's revered mentor, Peter Solomon - philanthropist and prominent mason - is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes that his only hope of saving his friend's life is to accept this mysterious summons and follow wherever it leads him.

Langdon finds himself quickly swept behind the facade of America's most historic city into the unseen chambers, temples and tunnels which exist there. All that was familiar is transformed into a shadowy, clandestine world of an artfully concealed past in which Masonic secrets and never-before-seen revelations seem to be leading him to a single impossible and inconceivable truth.

A brilliantly composed tapestry of veiled histories, arcane icons and enigmatic codes, The Lost Symbol is an intelligent, lightning-paced thriller that offers surprises at every turn. For, as Robert Langdon will discover, there is nothing more extraordinary or shocking than the secret which hides in plain sight...]]> 509 Dan Brown 0385504225 Paul 3 3.75 2009 The Lost Symbol (Robert Langdon, #3)
author: Dan Brown
name: Paul
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2009/09/18
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]]> <![CDATA[The Spartans: The World of the Warrior-Heroes of Ancient Greece]]> 89287 320 Paul Cartledge 1400078857 Paul 4 3.84 2002 The Spartans: The World of the Warrior-Heroes of Ancient Greece
author: Paul Cartledge
name: Paul
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2009/09/09
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]]> The Child Thief 6308379 not Neverland. Fourteen-year-old Nick would have been murdered by the drug dealers preying on his family had Peter not saved him. Now the irresistibly charismatic wild boy wants Nick to follow him to a secret place of great adventure, where magic is alive and you never grow old. Even though he is wary of Peter's crazy talk of faeries and monsters, Nick agrees. After all, New York City is no longer safe for him, and what more could he possibly lose?

There is always more to lose.

Accompanying Peter to a gray and ravished island that was once a lush, enchanted paradise, Nick finds himself unwittingly recruited for a war that has raged for centuries—one where he must learn to fight or die among the "Devils," Peter's savage tribe of lost and stolen children.

There, Peter's dark past is revealed: left to wolves as an infant, despised and hunted, Peter moves restlessly between the worlds of faerie and man. The Child Thief is a leader of bloodthirsty children, a brave friend, and a creature driven to do whatever he must to stop the "Flesh-eaters" and save the last, wild magic in this dying land.]]> 483 Brom 0061671339 Paul 5 4.08 2009 The Child Thief
author: Brom
name: Paul
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2009/09/02
date added: 2009/09/02
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]]> <![CDATA[The Princes of Ireland (The Dublin Saga, #1)]]> 28867 778 Edward Rutherfurd 0345472357 Paul 3 3.86 2004 The Princes of Ireland (The Dublin Saga, #1)
author: Edward Rutherfurd
name: Paul
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2009/08/31
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]]> <![CDATA[Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories, Volume I]]> 3581
Volume I includes the early novel A Study in Scarlet, which introduced the eccentric genius of Sherlock Holmes to the world. This baffling murder mystery, with the cryptic word Rache written in blood, first brought Holmes together with Dr. John Watson. Next, The Sign of Four presents Holmes’s famous “seven percent solution” and the strange puzzle of Mary Morstan in the quintessential locked - room mystery. Also included are Holmes’s feats of extraordinary detection in such famous cases as the chilling “ The Adventure of the Speckled Band,” the baffling riddle of “The Musgrave Ritual,” and the ingeniously plotted “The Five Orange Pips,” tales that bring to life a Victorian England of horse-drawn cabs, fogs, and the famous lodgings at 221B Baker Street, where Sherlock Holmes earned his undisputed reputation as the greatest fictional detective of all time.

A study in scarlet --
The sign of four --
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: A scandal in Bohemia; The red-headed league; A case of identity; The Boscombe Valley mystery; The five orange pips; The man with the twisted lip; The adventure of the blue carbuncle; The adventure of the speckled band; The adventure of the engineer's thumb; The adventure of the noble bachelor; The adventure of the beryl coronet; The adventure of the copper beeches; Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes: Silver blaze; The yellow face; The stock-broker's clerk; The "Gloria Scott"; The musgrave ritual; The Reigate puzzle; The crooked man; The resident patient; The greek interpreter; The naval treaty; The final problem; The return of Sherlock Holmes: The adventure of the empty house; The adventure of the Norwood builder; The adventure of the dancing men; The adventure of the solitary cyclist; The adventure of the priory school; The adventure of Black Peter; The adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton; The adventure of the six Napoleons; The adventure of the three students; The adventure of the golden pince-nez; The adventure of the missing three-quarter; The adventure of the abbey grange; The adventure of the second stain.]]> 1059 Arthur Conan Doyle 0553212419 Paul 4 4.47 1927 Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories, Volume I
author: Arthur Conan Doyle
name: Paul
average rating: 4.47
book published: 1927
rating: 4
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date added: 2009/08/23
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]]> From the Corner of His Eye 65948
At the age of three, Barty Lampion is blinded when surgeons remove his eyes to save him from a fast-spreading cancer. As he copes with his blindness and proves to be a prodigy, his mother counsels him that all things happen for a reason and that every person's life has an effect on every other person's, in often unknowable ways.

At thirteen, Bartholomew regains his sight. How he regains it, why he regains it, and what happens as his amazing life unfolds and entwines with other results in a breathtaking journey of courage, heart-stopping suspense, and high adventure.]]> 746 Dean Koontz 0553582747 Paul 2 4.04 2000 From the Corner of His Eye
author: Dean Koontz
name: Paul
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2000
rating: 2
read at: 2009/08/16
date added: 2009/08/16
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]]> The Book of Lies 3202905
In Chapter Four of the Bible, Cain kills Abel. It is the world's most famous murder. But the Bible is silent about one key detail: the weapon Cain used to kill his brother. That weapon is still lost to history.
In 1932, Mitchell Siegel was killed by three gunshots to his chest. While mourning, his son dreamed of a bulletproof man and created the world's greatest hero: Superman. And like Cain's murder weapon, the gun used in this unsolved murder has never been found.

Today in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Cal Harper comes face-to-face with his own family tragedy: his long-missing father has been shot with a gun that traces back to Mitchell Siegel's 1932 murder. But soon after their surprising reunion, Cal and his father are attacked by a ruthless killer tattooed with the ancient markings of Cain.

So begins the chase for the world's first murder weapon. It is a race that will pull Cal back into his own past even as it propels him forward through the true story of Cain and Abel, an eighty-year-old unsolvable puzzle, and the deadly organization known for the past century as the Leadership.

What does Cain, history's greatest villain, have to do with Superman, the world's greatest hero? And what do two murders, committed thousands of years apart, have in common? This is the mystery at the heart of Brad Meltzer's new thriller.

]]> 334 Brad Meltzer 044657788X Paul 3 3.63 2008 The Book of Lies
author: Brad Meltzer
name: Paul
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2009/08/16
date added: 2009/08/16
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]]> <![CDATA[Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong]]> 296662 Lies My Teacher Told Me won the American Book Award and the Oliver Cromwell Cox Award for Distinguished Anti-Racist Scholarship.

James W. Loewen, a sociology professor and distinguished critic of history education, puts 12 popular textbooks under the microscope-and what he discovers will surprise you. In his opinion, every one of these texts fails to make its subject interesting or memorable. Worse still is the proliferation of blind patriotism, mindless optimism and misinformation filling the pages.

From the truth about Christopher Columbus to the harsh reality of the Vietnam War, Loewen picks apart the lies we've been told. This audiobook, narrated by Brian Keeler (The Hurricane, "All My Children") will forever change your view of the past.]]> 383 James W. Loewen 0684818868 Paul 4 3.96 1995 Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong
author: James W. Loewen
name: Paul
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1995
rating: 4
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date added: 2009/08/16
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]]> <![CDATA[Johannes Cabal the Necromancer (Johannes Cabal, #1)]]> 5750628
Johannes Cabal, a brilliant scientist and notorious snob, is single-mindedly obsessed in heart and soul with raising the dead. Well, perhaps not "soul" . . . He hastily sold his years ago in order to learn the laws of necromancy. But now, tormented by a dark secret, he travels to the fiery pits of Hell to retrieve it. Satan, who is incredibly bored these days, proposes a little wager: Johannes has one year to persuade one hundred people to sign over their souls or he will be damned forever.

To make the bet even more interesting, Satan throws in that diabolical engine of deceit, seduction, and corruption known as a "traveling circus" to aid in the evil bidding. What better place exists to rob poor sad saps of their souls than the traveling carnivals historically run by hucksters and legendary con men?

With little time to lose, Johannes raises a motley crew from the dead and enlists his brother, Horst, a charismatic vampire (an unfortunate side effect of Johannes's early experiments with necromancy), to be the carnival's barker. On the road through the pastoral English countryside, this team of reprobates wields their black magic with masterful ease, resulting in mayhem at every turn.

Johannes may have the moral conscience of anthrax, but are his tricks sinful enough to beat the Devil at his own game? You'll never guess, and that's a promise!

Brilliantly written and wickedly funny, "Johannes Cabal the Necromancer" combines the chills and thrills of old-fashioned gothic tales like "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," the mischievous humor of "Wicked," and the sophisticated charms of" Jonathan Strange &Mr. Norrell "and spins the Faustian legend into a fresh, irreverent, and irresistible new adventure.]]> 291 Jonathan L. Howard 0385528086 Paul 5 3.93 2009 Johannes Cabal the Necromancer (Johannes Cabal, #1)
author: Jonathan L. Howard
name: Paul
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2009
rating: 5
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date added: 2009/08/03
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]]> <![CDATA[Got Fight?: The 50 Zen Principles of Hand-to-Face Combat]]> 6461291 208 Forrest Griffin 0061721719 Paul 4 3.79 2009 Got Fight?: The 50 Zen Principles of Hand-to-Face Combat
author: Forrest Griffin
name: Paul
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2009
rating: 4
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date added: 2009/07/22
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]]> The Sandman: Endless Nights 47720 160 Neil Gaiman 140120113X Paul 4 4.35 2003 The Sandman: Endless Nights
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Paul
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 2009/07/18
date added: 2009/07/18
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]]> <![CDATA[A Civilization of Love: What Every Catholic Can Do to Transform the World]]> 2829817 A Civilization of Love. By popularizing not only John Paul's vision but also that of his successor, Benedict XVI, Anderson hopes to inspire Christians to work toward creating a civilization of love. In such a civilization every person is a child of God. We are all intrinsically valuable. The battle today is between the culture of death (where people are judged by their social or economic value) and the culture of life. Anderson pushes aside religious differences in order to spread a message of hope to those who are weary of the constant turmoil of modern society. While he does specifically challenge Christians to take an active role in their faith, you do not have to be a Christian to participate in the movement toward a civilization of love.

By embracing the culture of life and standing with those most marginalized and deemed "useless" or a "burden" on modern society, Christians can change the tone and direction of our culture. Anderson demonstrates that regardless of our differences, we can come together on the centrality of loving and caring for others. He brings a message of inclusion and hope in the midst of a clash of civilizations and provides a road map for helping Christians understand their role in the world.]]> 203 Carl A. Anderson 0061335312 Paul 0 currently-reading 3.79 2008 A Civilization of Love: What Every Catholic Can Do to Transform the World
author: Carl A. Anderson
name: Paul
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2008
rating: 0
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date added: 2009/07/15
shelves: currently-reading
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]]> <![CDATA[Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders]]> 16788 In a novella set two years after the events of American Gods, Shadow pays a visit to an ancient Scottish mansion, and finds himself trapped in a game of murder and monsters . . .
In a Hugo Award-winning short story set in a strangely altered Victorian England, the great detective Sherlock Holmes must solve a most unsettling royal murder . . .
Two teenage boys crash a party and meet the girls of their dreams—and nightmares . . .
In a Locus Award-winning tale, the members of an exclusive epicurean club lament that they've eaten everything that can be eaten, with the exception of a legendary, rare, and exceedingly dangerous Egyptian bird . . .

Such marvelous creations and more—including a short story set in the world of The Matrix, and others set in the worlds of gothic fiction and children's fiction—can be found in this extraordinary collection, which showcases Gaiman's storytelling brilliance as well as his terrifyingly entertaining dark sense of humor. By turns delightful, disturbing, and diverting, Fragile Things is a gift of literary enchantment from one of the most unique writers of our time.]]> 360 Neil Gaiman Paul 4 3.98 2006 Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Paul
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2006
rating: 4
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date added: 2009/07/01
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]]> Fool 3684856 --Dallas Morning News

Fool--the bawdy and outrageous New York Times bestseller from the unstoppable Christopher Moore--is a hilarious new take on William Shakespeare's King Lear...as seen through the eyes of the foolish liege's clownish jester, Pocket. A rousing tale of "gratuitous shagging, murder, spanking, maiming, treason, and heretofore unexplored heights of vulgarity and profanity," Fool joins Moore's own Lamb, Fluke, The Stupidest Angel, and You Suck! as modern masterworks of satiric wit and sublimely twisted genius, prompting Carl Hiassen to declare Christopher Moore "a very sick man, in the very best sense of the word."
]]> 311 Christopher Moore 0060590319 Paul 3 3.97 2009 Fool
author: Christopher Moore
name: Paul
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2009
rating: 3
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date added: 2009/06/16
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Not my favorite Christopher Moore book, but it made me laugh during some difficult times down range. He clearly did his research before he wrote this book and it shows.
]]> <![CDATA[New Moon (The Twilight Saga, #2)]]> 49041 There is an alternate cover edition for ISBN13 9780316160193 here.

I knew we were both in mortal danger. Still, in that instant, I felt well. Whole. I could feel my heart racing in my chest, the blood pulsing hot and fast through my veins again. My lungs filled deep with the sweet scent that came off his skin. It was like there had never been any hole in my chest. I was perfect - not healed, but as if there had never been a wound in the first place.

I FELT LIKE I WAS TRAPPED IN ONE OF THOSE TERRIFYING NIGHTMARES, the one where you have to run, run till your lungs burst, but you can't make your body move fast enough.... But this was no dream, and, unlike the nightmare, I wasn't running for my life; I was racing to save something infinitely more precious. My own life meant little to me today.

FOR BELLA SWAN THERE IS ONE THING more important than life itself: Edward Cullen. But being in love with a vampire is even more dangerous than Bella could ever have imagined. Edward has already rescued Bella from the clutches of one evil vampire, but now, as their daring relationship threatens all that is near and dear to them, they realize their troubles may be just beginning....

LEGIONS OF READERS ENTRANCED BY THE New York Times bestseller Twilight are hungry for the continuing story of star-crossed lovers Bell and Edward. In New Moon, Stephanie Meyer delivers another irresistible combination of romance and suspense with a supernatural spin. passionate, riveting, and full of surprising twists and turns, this vampire love saga is well on its way to literary immortality.]]> 563 Stephenie Meyer 0316160199 Paul 5 3.61 2006 New Moon (The Twilight Saga, #2)
author: Stephenie Meyer
name: Paul
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2006
rating: 5
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date added: 2009/06/15
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I read this one on my four day foray from Afghanistan back to the States. Plenty of airport time equals getting locked into this storyline. Even during roll call, I was wondering if Edward was going to fix Bella's broken heart or leave her again. It may sound childish, but I was totally committed to their love story.
]]> <![CDATA[Twilight (The Twilight Saga, #1)]]> 41865
First, Edward was a vampire.

Second, there was a part of him - and I didn't know how dominant that part might be - that thirsted for my blood.

And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

Deeply seductive and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight is a love story with bite.]]> 498 Stephenie Meyer 0316015849 Paul 5 3.66 2005 Twilight (The Twilight Saga, #1)
author: Stephenie Meyer
name: Paul
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2005
rating: 5
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date added: 2009/06/15
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]]> Stardust 16793 Alternate cover edition can be found here

Young Tristran Thorn will do anything to win the cold heart of beautiful Victoria—even fetch her the star they watch fall from the night sky. But to do so, he must enter the unexplored lands on the other side of the ancient wall that gives their tiny village its name. Beyond that old stone wall, Tristran learns, lies Faerie—where nothing not even a fallen star, is what he imagined.]]> 248 Neil Gaiman 0061142026 Paul 5
Stardust is a brilliant quest story with the subtlety of love as a backdrop. Perfect formula. I recommend it to anyone, regardless of age or disposition. It is a quick read--much faster than say, American Gods. Even if you don't like it, it wont eat up all of your time. But I doubt you will not like this story. ]]> 4.11 1999 Stardust
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Paul
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1999
rating: 5
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date added: 2009/06/15
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I think Neil Gaiman has an amazing imagination. His storytelling is flawless and his character development are spot on. He's the kind of author that makes me want to write a book, yet at the same time, completely discourages me with his mastery of the genre.

Stardust is a brilliant quest story with the subtlety of love as a backdrop. Perfect formula. I recommend it to anyone, regardless of age or disposition. It is a quick read--much faster than say, American Gods. Even if you don't like it, it wont eat up all of your time. But I doubt you will not like this story.
]]> Tuck (King Raven, #3) 4286737 452 Stephen R. Lawhead 1595540873 Paul 4 4.12 2009 Tuck (King Raven, #3)
author: Stephen R. Lawhead
name: Paul
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2009
rating: 4
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date added: 2009/06/15
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]]> <![CDATA[The Endless Knot (The Song of Albion, #3)]]> 264007
The ancient Celts admitted no separation between this world and the Otherworld: the two were delicately interwoven, each dependent on the other. The Endless Knot crosses the thin places between this work and that, as Lewis Gillies begins his ultimate quest, striking the final resounding chord in the Song of Albion.]]> 439 Stephen R. Lawhead 1595542213 Paul 4 4.19 1991 The Endless Knot (The Song of Albion, #3)
author: Stephen R. Lawhead
name: Paul
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1991
rating: 4
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date added: 2009/05/04
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]]> False Memory 182425
No fan of Dean Koonts or of classical psychological suspense will want to miss this extraordinary novel of the human mind's capacity to torment - and destroy - itself.]]> 751 Dean Koontz 0553580221 Paul 4 3.90 1999 False Memory
author: Dean Koontz
name: Paul
average rating: 3.90
book published: 1999
rating: 4
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date added: 2009/05/04
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]]> <![CDATA[Mysteries of the Middle Ages: The Rise of Feminism, Science and Art from the Cults of Catholic Europe]]> 27199
By placing the image of the Virgin Mary at the center of their churches and their lives, medieval people exalted womanhood to a level unknown in any previous society. For the first time, men began to treat women with dignity and women took up professions that had always been closed to them.

The communion bread, believed to be the body of Jesus, encouraged the formulation of new questions in philosophy: Could reality be so fluid that one substance could be transformed into another? Could ordinary bread become a holy reality? Could mud become gold, as the alchemists believed? These new questions pushed the minds of medieval thinkers toward what would become modern science.

Artists began to ask themselves similar questions. How can we depict human anatomy so that it looks real to the viewer? How can we depict motion in a composition that never moves? How can two dimensions appear to be three? Medieval artists (and writers, too) invented the Western tradition of realism.

On visits to the great cities of Europe—monumental Rome; the intellectually explosive Paris of Peter Abelard and Thomas Aquinas; the hotbed of scientific study that was Oxford; and the incomparable Florence of Dante and Giotto—Cahill brilliantly captures the spirit of experimentation, the colorful pageantry, and the passionate pursuit of knowledge that built the foundations for the modern world. Bursting with stunning four-color art, Mysteries of the Middle Aages is the ultimate Christmas gift book.]]> 368 Thomas Cahill 0385495552 Paul 5 3.81 2006 Mysteries of the Middle Ages: The Rise of Feminism, Science and Art from the Cults of Catholic Europe
author: Thomas Cahill
name: Paul
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2006
rating: 5
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date added: 2009/04/19
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]]> <![CDATA[Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter (The Hinges of History)]]> 27200 Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea, his fourth volume to explore "the hinges of history," Thomas Cahill escorts the reader on another entertaining—and historically unassailable—journey through the landmarks of art and bloodshed that defined Greek culture nearly three millennia ago.

In the city-states of Athens and Sparta and throughout the Greek islands, honors could be won in making love and war, and lives were rife with contradictions. By developing the alphabet, the Greeks empowered the reader, demystified experience, and opened the way for civil discussion and experimentation—yet they kept slaves. The glorious verses of the Iliad recount a conflict in which rage and outrage spur men to action and suggest that their "bellicose society of gleaming metals and rattling weapons" is not so very distant from more recent campaigns of "shock and awe." And, centuries before Zorba, Greece was a land where music, dance, and freely flowing wine were essential to the high life. Granting equal time to the sacred and the profane, Cahill rivets our attention to the legacies of an ancient and enduring worldview.]]> 304 Thomas Cahill 0385495544 Paul 5 3.74 2003 Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter (The Hinges of History)
author: Thomas Cahill
name: Paul
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2003
rating: 5
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date added: 2009/04/19
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]]> <![CDATA[Desire of the Everlasting Hills: The World Before and After Jesus]]> 775405
In Desire of the Everlasting Hills, Thomas Cahill takes up his most daring and provocative subject yet: Jesus of Nazareth, the central figure of Western civilization.

Introducing us first to "the people Jesus knew," Thomas Cahill describes the oppressive Roman political presence, the pervasive Greek cultural influence, and especially the widely varied social and religious context of the Judaism in which Jesus moved and flourished. These backgrounds, essential to a complete understanding of Jesus, lead to the author's stunningly original interpretation of the New Testament--much of it based on material from the ancient Greek brilliantly translated by the author himself--that will delight readers and surprise even biblical scholars.

Thomas Cahill's most unusual skill may lie in his ability to bring to life people of a faraway world whose concerns seem at first to be utterly removed from the present day. We see Jesus as a real person, sharp-witted and sharp-tongued, but kind, humorous, and affectionate, shadowed by the inevitable climax of crucifixion, the cruelest form of execution ever devised by humankind. Mary, while not quite the "perpetual virgin" of popular piety, is a vivid presence and forceful influence on her son. And the apostle Paul, the carrier of Jesus' message and most important figure in the early Jesus movement (which became Christianity), finds rehabilitation in Cahill's realistic, revealing portrait of him.

The third volume in the Hinges of History series, this unique presentation of Jesus and his times is for believers and nonbelievers alike (for Jews and Christians, it is intended by the author as an act of reconciliation). With the same lively narration and irresistible perceptions that characterize How the Irish Saved Civilization and The Gifts of the Jews, Thomas Cahill invites readers into an ancient world to commune with some of the most influential people who ever lived.]]> 353 Thomas Cahill 0385483724 Paul 5 3.97 2013 Desire of the Everlasting Hills: The World Before and After Jesus
author: Thomas Cahill
name: Paul
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2009/04/19
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels]]> 27202
The author of the runaway bestseller How the Irish Saved Civilization has done it again. In The Gifts of the Jews Thomas Cahill takes us on another enchanting journey into history, once again recreating a time when the actions of a small band of people had repercussions that are still felt today.

The Gifts of the Jews reveals the critical change that made western civilization possible. Within the matrix of ancient religions and philosophies, life was seen as part of an endless cycle of birth and death; time was like a wheel, spinning ceaselessly. Yet somehow, the ancient Jews began to see time differently. For them, time had a beginning and an end; it was a narrative, whose triumphant conclusion would come in the future. From this insight came a new conception of men and women as individuals with unique destinies--a conception that would inform the Declaration of Independence--and our hopeful belief in progress and the sense that tomorrow can be better than today. As Thomas Cahill narrates this momentous shift, he also explains the real significance of such Biblical figures as Abraham and Sarah, Moses and the Pharaoh, Joshua, Isaiah, and Jeremiah.

Full of compelling stories, insights and humor, The Gifts of the Jews is an irresistible exploration of history as fascinating and fun as How the Irish Saved Civilization.]]> 304 Thomas Cahill 074595054X Paul 0 to-read 3.88 1998 The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels
author: Thomas Cahill
name: Paul
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1998
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2009/04/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001]]> 71984 Ghost Wars is the most accurate and revealing account yet of the CIA's secret involvement in al-Qaeda's evolution. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 2005.

Prize-winning journalist Steve Coll has spent years reporting from the Middle East, accessed previously classified government files and interviewed senior US officials and foreign spymasters. Here he gives the full inside story of the CIA's covert funding of an Islamic jihad against Soviet forces in Afghanistan, explores how this sowed the seeds of Bin Laden's rise, traces how he built his global network and brings to life the dramatic battles within the US government over national security. Above all, he lays bare American intelligence's continual failure to grasp the rising threat of terrorism in the years leading to 9/11 - and its devastating consequences.]]> 712 Steve Coll 0143034669 Paul 0 4.31 2004 Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001
author: Steve Coll
name: Paul
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2009/03/11
shelves:
review:

]]> The Histories 1362
Here is the historian, investigating and judging what he has seen, heard, and read, and seeking out the true causes and consequences of the great deeds of the past. In his History , the war between the Greeks and Persians, the origins of their enmity, and all the more general features of the civilizations of the world of his day are seen as a unity and expressed as the vision of one man who as a child lived through the last of the great acts in this universal drama.

In Grene's remarkable translation and commentary, we see the historian as a storyteller, combining through his own narration the skeletal "historical" facts and the imaginative reality toward which his story reaches. Herodotus emerges in all his charm and complexity as a writer and the first historian in the Western tradition, perhaps unique in the way he has seen the interrelation of fact and fantasy.]]> 784 Herodotus 0140449086 Paul 0 to-read 3.98 -430 The Histories
author: Herodotus
name: Paul
average rating: 3.98
book published: -430
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2009/01/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America, and the New Face of American War]]> 543103
Another nameless town, another target for First Recon. It's only five in the afternoon, but a sandtorm has plunged everything into a hellish twilight of murky, red dust. On rooftops, in alleyways lurk militiamen with machine guns, AK rifles and the odd rocket-propelled grenade. Artillery bombardment has shattered the town's sewers and rubble is piled up in lagoons of human excrement. It stinks. Welcome to Iraq...
Within hours of 9/11, America's war on terrorism fell to those like the 23 Marines of the First Recon Battalion, the first generation dispatched into open-ed combat since Vietnam. They were a new breed of American warrior unrecognizable to their forebears-soldiers raised on hip hop, Internet porn, Marilyn Manson, video games and The Real World, a band of born-again Christians, dopers, Buddhists, and New Agers who gleaned their precepts from kung fu movies and Oprah Winfrey. Cocky, brave, headstrong, wary, and mostly unprepared for the physical, emotional, and moral horrors ahead, the "First Suicide Battalion" would spearhead the blitzkrieg on Iraq, and fight against the hardest resistance Saddam had to offer. Generation Kill is the funny, frightening, and profane firsthand account of these remarkable men, of the personal toll of victory, and of the randomness, brutality, and camaraderie of a new American war.]]> 354 Evan Wright 042520040X Paul 5
So, anyways, I get back from my latest trip to Baghdad (15 months this time; maybe next time I can do two years if I am super lucky!) and after a few months, I am flipping through the channels and hear the characteristic beep and rush of an FM radio. I stop and the call of the wild comes flooding back. I hear a voice as it can only sound on a SINCGARS (that's the primary military radio for those scratching their head: Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System). I watched the entire episode without blinking.

I called my buddy and said, "Dude, someone actually got it." I raced out that night and went to Book Mecca, better known as Barnes and Noble, and bought it. Even if it was written by a Rolling Stone journalist. I say that because I am SO tired of the spin on the war. I got it, man. You think the war is evil and everything. It's too late to undo what has been done, let's just fix the problem at hand.

I swallowed this book whole and walked away believing that this is the best, most accurate documentary of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Hands down. The following are three themes that you should be able to get out of this book without turning it into a work that suits your personal agenda:

1.) We are the good guys.

Despite what you may feel about the personal beliefs, attitudes, and vulgarities of the Marines in this book, there is no denying that they (at least the company grade officers and below) wanted to kill only those who posed a threat to themselves, their brothers, and the Iraqi people. The US forces in Iraq were intent on precisely discriminating their targets and, with all sincerity, reducing the amount of damage to Iraqi civilians and infrastructure.

The enemy had no qualms about dressing like women, hiding amongst the populace, and killing as many people that were either infidels or infidel-supporters (read: their own people) as possible. And as a two tour combat veteran and attack helicopter pilot, I can personally vouch for both of the above statements.

Does this make the war legitimate? That's not for me to decide. My personal beliefs and those of the Marines in First Recon are not deciding national strategic policy. We are there because the people that we elected to make those decisions did make those decisions. Conversely, if you didn't elect the administration, you FAILED to get your guy elected who would have possibly decided differently. You lost, and now you must also submit to the properly elected officials' decisions. Sorry, that's how America works.

But this theme does establish who's side you should be on. You (Americans) sent us to Iraq (either by election or indirectly by poor campaigning in the US) and we are behaving justly and righteously in the face of an enemy who cares nothing about justice or righteousness.

2.) War is frustrating.

Taken out of their traditional role, the Marines of First Recon were very frustrated with how they fit into the big picture. I have felt their pain as well. To train for years to fight a certain way and then to be told to fight another is both stressful and risky to say the least.

Aside from the change of mission, there is always the burden of having one or two douche bags that ruin it for everybody else. Two key leaders, Captain America and Encino Man (code names to protect their identity and presumably any libel lawsuits), were amazing examples of what not to do. Like calling in artillery on top of your own guys, or going ape-shit crazy and mistreating POWs. They were not only sorry excuses for leaders, they were dangerous to the lives of their own Marines--and that is inexcusable.

But this is the reality of warfare. In the midst of my last deployment, I wanted to write a book called, "Are You F***ing Kidding Me?!?" about the atrocious actions of those entrusted with command. I would cite some examples, but I am still considering this project. Alas, it will have to wait until my next deployment this Spring. I will tell you this though: the incompetency and inability to listen to subordinate advice directly led to the deaths of two very close friends and men I fought with. And I will never forget it.

Lastly,

3.) War can be HILARIOUS too.

The absolute best part of this book for me is that Evan Wright accurately captured the culture of today's war-fighters. From "your mom" jokes (of which I am positive the military is the last bastion of using appropriately while still avoiding prosecution) to getting your genitals squished in the chemical protective suits, I laughed more than I have in months.

One example I will speak of is particularly close to my heart. While the Force Recon guys would be out on patrol, they would sing Avril Lavigne songs to pass the time. Grown men, in combat, with the ever present enemy lurking around the next turn would take pleasure in singing the lyrics to "Sk8r Boi" from a 16-year old Canadian girl. What a riot.

I recall flying a certain mission over Baghdad with bullets flying in both directions, when suddenly my wingman calls me on the radio and screams into my ear, "Whooooooooaaaa, we're halfway the---rree; who---ahhh--ohhh, LIVIN' ON A PRAYER!" And I mean right as the proverbial shit is hitting the proverbial fan. In the face of oncoming AK and RPG fire. Priceless.

In summary, I truly recommend this work for those who want to know what it is REALLY like to fight a war. My personal description of combat is always "Endless amounts of boredom and waiting interrupted by stark moments of sheer terror." You will certainly see that in Generation Kill. Thank you Evan Wright for reporting it exactly how you see it. Like the Marines say, "It is what it is."



]]> 4.27 2004 Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America, and the New Face of American War
author: Evan Wright
name: Paul
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2009/01/11
shelves:
review:
I didn't even know this book was written, mostly because I am usually deployed. And when I am deployed, I don't want to read about being deployed. I stick to fantasy and religious books. And the classics. I can just imagine some Roman officer on the plains of Gaul kicking his feet up on the table and reading The Histories of Herodotus of Halicarnassus.

So, anyways, I get back from my latest trip to Baghdad (15 months this time; maybe next time I can do two years if I am super lucky!) and after a few months, I am flipping through the channels and hear the characteristic beep and rush of an FM radio. I stop and the call of the wild comes flooding back. I hear a voice as it can only sound on a SINCGARS (that's the primary military radio for those scratching their head: Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System). I watched the entire episode without blinking.

I called my buddy and said, "Dude, someone actually got it." I raced out that night and went to Book Mecca, better known as Barnes and Noble, and bought it. Even if it was written by a Rolling Stone journalist. I say that because I am SO tired of the spin on the war. I got it, man. You think the war is evil and everything. It's too late to undo what has been done, let's just fix the problem at hand.

I swallowed this book whole and walked away believing that this is the best, most accurate documentary of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Hands down. The following are three themes that you should be able to get out of this book without turning it into a work that suits your personal agenda:

1.) We are the good guys.

Despite what you may feel about the personal beliefs, attitudes, and vulgarities of the Marines in this book, there is no denying that they (at least the company grade officers and below) wanted to kill only those who posed a threat to themselves, their brothers, and the Iraqi people. The US forces in Iraq were intent on precisely discriminating their targets and, with all sincerity, reducing the amount of damage to Iraqi civilians and infrastructure.

The enemy had no qualms about dressing like women, hiding amongst the populace, and killing as many people that were either infidels or infidel-supporters (read: their own people) as possible. And as a two tour combat veteran and attack helicopter pilot, I can personally vouch for both of the above statements.

Does this make the war legitimate? That's not for me to decide. My personal beliefs and those of the Marines in First Recon are not deciding national strategic policy. We are there because the people that we elected to make those decisions did make those decisions. Conversely, if you didn't elect the administration, you FAILED to get your guy elected who would have possibly decided differently. You lost, and now you must also submit to the properly elected officials' decisions. Sorry, that's how America works.

But this theme does establish who's side you should be on. You (Americans) sent us to Iraq (either by election or indirectly by poor campaigning in the US) and we are behaving justly and righteously in the face of an enemy who cares nothing about justice or righteousness.

2.) War is frustrating.

Taken out of their traditional role, the Marines of First Recon were very frustrated with how they fit into the big picture. I have felt their pain as well. To train for years to fight a certain way and then to be told to fight another is both stressful and risky to say the least.

Aside from the change of mission, there is always the burden of having one or two douche bags that ruin it for everybody else. Two key leaders, Captain America and Encino Man (code names to protect their identity and presumably any libel lawsuits), were amazing examples of what not to do. Like calling in artillery on top of your own guys, or going ape-shit crazy and mistreating POWs. They were not only sorry excuses for leaders, they were dangerous to the lives of their own Marines--and that is inexcusable.

But this is the reality of warfare. In the midst of my last deployment, I wanted to write a book called, "Are You F***ing Kidding Me?!?" about the atrocious actions of those entrusted with command. I would cite some examples, but I am still considering this project. Alas, it will have to wait until my next deployment this Spring. I will tell you this though: the incompetency and inability to listen to subordinate advice directly led to the deaths of two very close friends and men I fought with. And I will never forget it.

Lastly,

3.) War can be HILARIOUS too.

The absolute best part of this book for me is that Evan Wright accurately captured the culture of today's war-fighters. From "your mom" jokes (of which I am positive the military is the last bastion of using appropriately while still avoiding prosecution) to getting your genitals squished in the chemical protective suits, I laughed more than I have in months.

One example I will speak of is particularly close to my heart. While the Force Recon guys would be out on patrol, they would sing Avril Lavigne songs to pass the time. Grown men, in combat, with the ever present enemy lurking around the next turn would take pleasure in singing the lyrics to "Sk8r Boi" from a 16-year old Canadian girl. What a riot.

I recall flying a certain mission over Baghdad with bullets flying in both directions, when suddenly my wingman calls me on the radio and screams into my ear, "Whooooooooaaaa, we're halfway the---rree; who---ahhh--ohhh, LIVIN' ON A PRAYER!" And I mean right as the proverbial shit is hitting the proverbial fan. In the face of oncoming AK and RPG fire. Priceless.

In summary, I truly recommend this work for those who want to know what it is REALLY like to fight a war. My personal description of combat is always "Endless amounts of boredom and waiting interrupted by stark moments of sheer terror." You will certainly see that in Generation Kill. Thank you Evan Wright for reporting it exactly how you see it. Like the Marines say, "It is what it is."




]]> <![CDATA[Don't Know Much About? Mythology: Everything You Need to Know About the Greatest Stories in Human History but Never Learned (Don't Know Much About Series)]]> 23523 560 Kenneth C. Davis 0060932570 Paul 3 3.64 2005 Don't Know Much About? Mythology: Everything You Need to Know About the Greatest Stories in Human History but Never Learned (Don't Know Much About Series)
author: Kenneth C. Davis
name: Paul
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2005
rating: 3
read at: 2009/01/08
date added: 2009/01/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[American Gods (American Gods, #1)]]> 4407
Together they embark on a profoundly strange journey across the heart of the USA, whilst all around them a storm of preternatural and epic proportions threatens to break.

Scary, gripping and deeply unsettling, American Gods takes a long, hard look into the soul of America. You'll be surprised by what - and who - it finds there...

This is the author's preferred text, never before published in the UK, and is about 12,000 words longer than the previous UK edition.

]]> 635 Neil Gaiman Paul 4 4.10 2001 American Gods (American Gods, #1)
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Paul
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2009/01/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[On Combat: The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Conflict in War and in Peace]]> 88431 395 Dave Grossman 0964920514 Paul 4 4.26 2004 On Combat: The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Conflict in War and in Peace
author: Dave Grossman
name: Paul
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2009/01/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Silver Hand (The Song of Albion, #2)]]> 73930
The ancient Celts admitted no spearation between this world and the Otherworld: the two were delicately interwoven, each dependent on the other. The Silver Hand crosses the thin places between this world and that, as Lewis Gillies seeks to learn the secret of the prophecy of The Silver Hand - and to save Albion before it is too late.]]> 448 Stephen R. Lawhead 1595542205 Paul 4 4.26 1991 The Silver Hand (The Song of Albion, #2)
author: Stephen R. Lawhead
name: Paul
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1991
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2009/01/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Paradise War (The Song of Albion, #1)]]> 73932
The ancient Celts admitted no separation between this world and the Otherworld: the two were delicately interwoven, each dependent on the other. The Paradise War crosses the thin places between this world and that, as Lewis Gillies comes face-to-face with an ancient mystery - and a cosmic catastrophe in the making.]]> 444 Stephen R. Lawhead 1595542191 Paul 4 4.08 1991 The Paradise War (The Song of Albion, #1)
author: Stephen R. Lawhead
name: Paul
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1991
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2009/01/02
shelves:
review:

]]> Neverwhere (London Below, #1) 14497
"Neverwhere" is the London of the people who have fallen between the cracks.

Strange destinies lie in wait in London below - a world that seems eerily familiar. But a world that is utterly bizarre, peopled by unearthly characters such as the Angel called Islington, the girl named Door, and the Earl who holds Court on a tube train.

Now a single act of kindness has catapulted young businessman Richard Mayhew out of his safe and predictable life - and into the realms of "Neverwhere." Richard is about to find out more than he ever wanted to know about this other London. Which is a pity. Because Richard just wants to go home...]]> 370 Neil Gaiman 0060557818 Paul 5 4.17 1996 Neverwhere (London Below, #1)
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Paul
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1996
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2008/12/04
shelves:
review:

]]> A Clockwork Orange 227463 A Clockwork Orange is a frightening fable about good and evil, and the meaning of human freedom. And when the state undertakes to reform Alex to "redeem" him, the novel asks, "At what cost?"

This edition includes the controversial last chapter not published in the first edition and Burgess's introduction "A Clockwork Orange Resucked."]]> 192 Anthony Burgess Paul 4
From my reading, I saw this as a struggle between society and the individual. People do bad things. Can society intervene? Should they? Or is it through the destructiveness of adolescence that some individuals truly grow up?

I also viewed this struggle as one between the generations. I am at the point in my life where the world is still dominated by my forebears who typically are out of touch with today's youth. Their approach to leadership tends to be a "zero defect" policy. The elders, secretly having affairs outside of marriage or becoming hopelessly addicted to prescription drugs or entertaining pernicious thoughts about young children in a sexual manner, will crush anyone who has a flaw--or at least gets caught. They deny their own fallibility for the sake of order and discipline.

On the other hand, the generation of youths born a decade after me have become one in which everybody is equal. Everyone's voice is the same. It doesn't matter how much more experience or education one has-it only matters that they have a pulse. So what if a leader cheats on his taxes? Who cares if he doesn't really do his job well? We're all the same, they'll say. And who do these people look to for solutions to the world's problems? The media? Basketball players? Actors? Yikes. This faux equality generation is in my opinion equally as harmful as my predecessors.

I believe in a balance. But it's too much work for most. Why waste all that energy?

Have we learned nothing from the fall of Rome?






]]> 3.98 1962 A Clockwork Orange
author: Anthony Burgess
name: Paul
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1962
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2008/11/18
shelves:
review:
I see why people say that this book is so difficult to read. Burgess' invented language was a struggle at first for me. But I think that this use of make-believe colloquialisms adds to the magnificence of the novel.

From my reading, I saw this as a struggle between society and the individual. People do bad things. Can society intervene? Should they? Or is it through the destructiveness of adolescence that some individuals truly grow up?

I also viewed this struggle as one between the generations. I am at the point in my life where the world is still dominated by my forebears who typically are out of touch with today's youth. Their approach to leadership tends to be a "zero defect" policy. The elders, secretly having affairs outside of marriage or becoming hopelessly addicted to prescription drugs or entertaining pernicious thoughts about young children in a sexual manner, will crush anyone who has a flaw--or at least gets caught. They deny their own fallibility for the sake of order and discipline.

On the other hand, the generation of youths born a decade after me have become one in which everybody is equal. Everyone's voice is the same. It doesn't matter how much more experience or education one has-it only matters that they have a pulse. So what if a leader cheats on his taxes? Who cares if he doesn't really do his job well? We're all the same, they'll say. And who do these people look to for solutions to the world's problems? The media? Basketball players? Actors? Yikes. This faux equality generation is in my opinion equally as harmful as my predecessors.

I believe in a balance. But it's too much work for most. Why waste all that energy?

Have we learned nothing from the fall of Rome?







]]> <![CDATA[America's Hidden History: Untold Tales of the First Pilgrims, Fighting Women, and Forgotten Founders Who Shaped a Nation]]> 2924837 New York Times bestseller Don't Know Much About History, presents a collection of extraordinary stories, each detailing an overlooked episode that shaped the nation's destiny and character. Davis's dramatic narratives set the record straight, busting myths and bringing to light little-known but fascinating facts from a time when the nation's fate hung in the balance.

Spanning a period from the Spanish arrival in America to George Washington's inauguration in 1789, America's Hidden History details these episodes, among others:


The story of the first real Pilgrims in America, who were wine-making French Huguenots, not dour English Separatists
The coming-of-age story of Queen Isabella, who suggested that Columbus pack the moving mess hall of pigs that may have spread disease to many Native Americans
The long, bloody relationship between the Pilgrims and Indians that runs counter to the idyllic scene of the Thanksgiving feast
The little-known story of George Washington as a headstrong young soldier who committed a war crime, signed a confession, and started a war!
Full of color, intrigue, and human interest, America's Hidden History is an iconoclastic look at America's past, connecting some of the dots between history and today's headlines, proving why Davis is truly America's Teacher.]]> 368 Kenneth C. Davis 0061562882 Paul 5
Something that I learned from this book: The first European settlers in what is now The USA were not WASPy pilgrims in the Mayflower, but rather French Huguenots escaping their own religious persecution in western Europe. Whoa! Good to know, as Jenny says. Good to know.

I liked that he "humanized" our founding fathers without tearing down these iconic figures. Humans are not perfect; the men and women who founded this country could fire off heated debates about the rights of man, then turn around and massacre a whole Indian tribe the next week. I see this in contemporary America as well. We will make sure that immigrants and every variety of sexual orientation feel as comfortable as ever with their God-given rights, but have no recourse for destroying hundreds of thousands of lives through abortion.

We are interesting people.



]]> 3.47 2008 America's Hidden History: Untold Tales of the First Pilgrims, Fighting Women, and Forgotten Founders Who Shaped a Nation
author: Kenneth C. Davis
name: Paul
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2008/11/18
shelves:
review:
I love Ken Davis. This book reinforced how little I actually learned in grade school about the founding of our country. I think Ken makes his money off me by tearing down the blind "patriotic" version of history so common to my generation in childhood AND by not vilifying our heritage. It's a careful balance and Davis does it well.

Something that I learned from this book: The first European settlers in what is now The USA were not WASPy pilgrims in the Mayflower, but rather French Huguenots escaping their own religious persecution in western Europe. Whoa! Good to know, as Jenny says. Good to know.

I liked that he "humanized" our founding fathers without tearing down these iconic figures. Humans are not perfect; the men and women who founded this country could fire off heated debates about the rights of man, then turn around and massacre a whole Indian tribe the next week. I see this in contemporary America as well. We will make sure that immigrants and every variety of sexual orientation feel as comfortable as ever with their God-given rights, but have no recourse for destroying hundreds of thousands of lives through abortion.

We are interesting people.




]]> <![CDATA[Case Files of the Tracker: True Stories from America's Greatest Outdoorsman]]> 253281 208 Tom Brown Jr. 0425187551 Paul 4 3.92 2003 Case Files of the Tracker: True Stories from America's Greatest Outdoorsman
author: Tom Brown Jr.
name: Paul
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2008/11/17
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival]]> 129543
Here, in one essential volume, are the basics of wilderness survival. The most ancient and important skills, preserved for generations, are presented in a simple, easy-to-use format with clear illustrations and instructions. A complete must-have companion to the great outdoors.

? How to build natural shelters in plains, woods, or deserts
??How to get safe drinking water from plants, trees, the sun, or Earth Herself
??How to make fire without matches and maintain it in any weather
??How to find, stalk, kill, and prepare animals for food
??The "big four" edible plants, and hundreds of others useful for both nutrition and medicine

TOM BROWN'S FIELD America's most popular nature reference books, Tom Brown's bestselling field guides are specially designed for both beginners and experienced explorers. Fully illustrated and comprehensive, each volume includes practical information, time-tested nature skills, and exciting new ways to rediscover the earth around us.]]> 288 Tom Brown Jr. 0425105725 Paul 4 4.26 1983 Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival
author: Tom Brown Jr.
name: Paul
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1983
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2008/11/17
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Tracker: The True Story of Tom Brown Jr.]]> 253272
"The first track is the end of a string. At the far end, a being is moving; a mystery, dropping a hint about itself every so many feet, telling you more about itself until you can almost see it, even before you come to it. The mystery reveals itself slowly, track by track, giving its genealogy early to coax you in. Further on, it will tell you the intimate details of its life and work, until you know the maker of the track like a lifelong friend."

In this powerful memoir, famous "Pine Barrens" tracker Tom Brown Jr. reveals how he acquired the skill that has saved dozens of lives—including his own. His story begins with the chance meeting between an ancient Apache and a New Jersey boy. It tells of an incredible apprenticeship in the Wild, learning all that is hidden from modern man. And it ends with a harrowing search in which far more than survival is at stake.]]> 240 Tom Brown Jr. 0425101339 Paul 4 4.20 1978 The Tracker: The True Story of Tom Brown Jr.
author: Tom Brown Jr.
name: Paul
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1978
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2008/11/17
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Treasury of Deception: Liars, Misleaders, Hoodwinkers, and the Extraordinary True Stories of History's Greatest Hoaxes, Fakes, and Frauds]]> 401503 A Treasury of Deception is a zestful, gossipy expos'--and celebration--of mendacity.

A Treasury of Deception also includes:

Ten tricksters from scripture
Ten great liars in literature
Ten egregious examples of modern American doublespeak
Ten classic deceptions from Greek mythology]]> 304 Michael Farquhar 0143035444 Paul 3 3.66 2005 A Treasury of Deception: Liars, Misleaders, Hoodwinkers, and the Extraordinary True Stories of History's Greatest Hoaxes, Fakes, and Frauds
author: Michael Farquhar
name: Paul
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2005
rating: 3
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]]> The Case for Christ 73186 367 Lee Strobel 0310226058 Paul 3 4.22 1998 The Case for Christ
author: Lee Strobel
name: Paul
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1998
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[The Last Templar (Templar, #1)]]> 46438 Pope Leo X, 16th Century

In a hail of fire and flashing sword, as the burning city of Acre falls from the hands of the West in 1291, The Last Templar opens with a young Templar knight, his mentor, and a handful of others escaping to the sea carrying a mysterious chest entrusted to them by the Order's dying Grand Master. The ship vanishes without a trace.

In present day Manhattan, four masked horsemen dressed as Templar Knights emerge from Central Park and ride up the Fifth Avenue steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art during the blacktie opening of a Treasures of the Vatican exhibit. Storming through the crowds, the horsemen brutally attack anyone standing between them and their prize. Attending the gala, archaeologist Tess Chaykin watches in silent terror as the leader of the horsemen hones in on one piece in particular, a strange geared device. He utters a few cryptic Latin words as he takes hold of it with reverence before leading the horsemen out and disappearing into the night.

In the aftermath, an FBI investigation is led by anti-terrorist specialist Sean Reilly. Soon, he and Tess are drawn into the dark, hidden history of the crusading Knights, plunging them into a deadly game of cat and mouse with ruthless killers as they race across three continents to recover the lost secret of the Templars.]]> 544 Raymond Khoury 0451219953 Paul 4 3.63 2005 The Last Templar (Templar, #1)
author: Raymond Khoury
name: Paul
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2005
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Catholicism]]> 978198 352 Bob O'Gorman 0028636392 Paul 5 3.96 2000 Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Catholicism
author: Bob O'Gorman
name: Paul
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2000
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Morning and Evening, Based on the English Standard Version]]> 674342
His lasting message is even more accessible with Alistair Begg's careful modernizing of Spurgeon's English. Begg, who has a deep love for Spurgeon's preaching and especially for this work, has maintained Spurgeon's clear passion and commitment to Christ. Using the English Standard Version as the scriptural text provides an accurate, understandable accompaniment to Spurgeon's lessons.

This updated version of a devotional classic is a timely and much-needed encouragement for today's Christian.]]> 400 Charles Haddon Spurgeon 158134466X Paul 5 4.46 1866 Morning and Evening, Based on the English Standard Version
author: Charles Haddon Spurgeon
name: Paul
average rating: 4.46
book published: 1866
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Called to Communion: Understanding the Church Today]]> 32885 Rare Book 165 Pope Benedict XVI Paul 4 4.42 1996 Called to Communion: Understanding the Church Today
author: Pope Benedict XVI
name: Paul
average rating: 4.42
book published: 1996
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul]]> 1846 256 John Eldredge 0785268839 Paul 5 3.91 2001 Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul
author: John Eldredge
name: Paul
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2001
rating: 5
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]]> The Ascent to Truth 351729 360 Thomas Merton 0156027720 Paul 4 3.94 1951 The Ascent to Truth
author: Thomas Merton
name: Paul
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1951
rating: 4
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]]> Stranger than Fiction 3717 233 Chuck Palahniuk 0385722222 Paul 3 3.57 2004 Stranger than Fiction
author: Chuck Palahniuk
name: Paul
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2004
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[Stupid Wars: A Citizen's Guide to Botched Putsches, Failed Coups, Inane Invasions, and Ridiculous Revolutions]]> 2457248 320 Ed Strosser 0061258474 Paul 2 3.46 2008 Stupid Wars: A Citizen's Guide to Botched Putsches, Failed Coups, Inane Invasions, and Ridiculous Revolutions
author: Ed Strosser
name: Paul
average rating: 3.46
book published: 2008
rating: 2
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]]> <![CDATA[Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War]]> 55403 386 Mark Bowden 0871137380 Paul 4 4.30 1999 Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War
author: Mark Bowden
name: Paul
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1999
rating: 4
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]]> Gone Native: An NCO's Story 377782
While offering rare glimpses of an aspect of the war most of the military and media never saw, Cornett tells the full, gut-wrenching story of his Vietnam. He also gives an unsparing view of himself - telling a no-holds-barred story of an American soldier who made sacrifices far beyond the call of duty . . . a soldier who, in defiance of the U.S. government, refused to turn his back on the Vietnamese.]]> 292 Alan Cornett 0804116377 Paul 4 3.92 2000 Gone Native: An NCO's Story
author: Alan Cornett
name: Paul
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2000
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The Raid: The Son Tay Prison Rescue Mission]]> 63604 Minutes after 2 A.M. on November 21, 1970, more than one hundred U.S. war planes shattered the dark calm of the skies over Hanoi. Their mission: rescue sixty-one American POWs from Son Tay prison. Less than thirty minutes later, the raid was over, but no Americans had been rescued. The prisoners had been moved from Son Tay four and a half months earlier and that wasn’t all. Part of the raiding force landed at the wrong compound, a “school” bristling with enemy soldiers, but the soldiers weren’t Vietnamese . . .

Replete with fascinating insights into the workings of high-level intelligence and military command, The Raid is Benjamin Schemmer’s unvarnished account of the courageous mission that was quickly labeled an intelligence failure by Congress and a Pentagon blunder by the world press. Determined to ferret out the truth, Schemmer uncovers one of the CIA’s most carefully guarded secrets. From the planning and live-fire rehearsals to the explosive reactions of the Joint Chiefs of Staff watching the drama unfold to the aftermath as the White House and Pentagon struggled for damage control, Schemmer tackles the tough questions. What really happened during the twenty-seven minutes the raiders spent on the ground? Did the CIA know the whole time that the Americans were gone? Had the Agency in fact been responsible for the POWs being moved? And perhaps most intriguing, why was the rescue—though it never freed a single prisoner—not a failure after all?]]> 384 Benjamin F. Schemmer 0345446968 Paul 3 4.03 1976 The Raid: The Son Tay Prison Rescue Mission
author: Benjamin F. Schemmer
name: Paul
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1976
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[Diary of an Airborne Ranger: A LRRP's Year in the Combat Zone]]> 699497 ever to appear in print!

When Frank Johnson arrived in Vietnam in 1969, he was nineteen, a young soldier untested in combat like thousands of others--but with two important Johnson volunteered for the elite L Company Rangers of the 101st Airborne Division, a long range reconnaissance patrol (LRRP) unit, and he kept a secret diary, a practice forbidden by the military to protect the security of LRRP operations.

Now, more than three decades later, those hastily written pages offer a rare look at the daily operations of one of the most courageous units that waged war in Vietnam. Johnson served in I Corps, in northern Vietnam, where combat was furious and the events he recounts emerge, stark and walking point in the A Shau Valley, braving enemy fire to rescue a downed comrade, surviving days and nights of relentless tension that suddenly exploded in the blinding fury of an NVA attack.

Undimmed and unmuddied by the passing of years, Johnson's account is unique in the annals of Vietnam literature. Moreover, it is a timeless testimony to the sacrifice and heroism of the LRRPs who dared to risk it all.]]> 288 Frank Johnson 0804118809 Paul 5 3.84 2001 Diary of an Airborne Ranger: A LRRP's Year in the Combat Zone
author: Frank Johnson
name: Paul
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2001
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Mad Minutes and Vietnam Months: A Soldier's Memoir]]> 734332 235 Micheal Clodfelter 0899503268 Paul 3 2.54 1988 Mad Minutes and Vietnam Months: A Soldier's Memoir
author: Micheal Clodfelter
name: Paul
average rating: 2.54
book published: 1988
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[Phantom Warriors: Book 2: More Extraordinary True Combat Stories from LRRPS, LRPS, and Rangers in Vietnam]]> 553540 FROM THE FRONT LINES

During the Vietnam War, few combat operations were more dangerous than LRRP/Ranger missions. Vastly outnumbered, the patrols faced overwhelming odds as they fought to carry out their missions, from gathering intelligence, acting as hunter/killer teams, or engaging in infamous “Parakeet” flights– actions in which teams were dropped into enemy areas and expected to “develop” the situation.

PHANTOM WARRIORS II presents heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat stories from individuals and teams. These elite warriors relive sudden deadly firefights, prolonged gun battles with large enemy forces, desperate attempts to help fallen comrades, and the sheer hell of bloody, no-quarter combat. The LRRP accounts here are a testament to the courage, guts, daring, and sacrifice of the men who willingly faced death every day of their lives in Vietnam.]]> 400 Gary A. Linderer 0804119406 Paul 3 4.26 2001 Phantom Warriors: Book 2: More Extraordinary True Combat Stories from LRRPS, LRPS, and Rangers in Vietnam
author: Gary A. Linderer
name: Paul
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2001
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[Phantom Warriors: Book 1: LRRPs, LRPs, and Rangers in Vietnam]]> 690278
These are LRRP, LRP and Ranger units at their finest, under the most desperate circumstances: one team surrounded by the enemy with no choice but to break out of the trap -- or die, another caught in an ambush of horrific proportions. When recon missions suddenly became contact missions, when grenades started flying and AK-47s were smoking, each man's life was instantly on the line -- and only his skills and the grit of his teammates could prevent certain death.

These highly trained warriors were among the best America had to offer, and they gave their best, no matter how high the price...]]> 384 Gary A. Linderer 0804119988 Paul 3 4.18 2000 Phantom Warriors: Book 1: LRRPs, LRPs, and Rangers in Vietnam
author: Gary A. Linderer
name: Paul
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2000
rating: 3
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]]> Baptism: A Vietnam Memoir 1436648
A Yale graduate who volunteered to serve his country, Larry Gwin was only twenty-three years old when he arrived in Vietnam in 1965. After a brief stint in the Delta, Gwin was reassigned to the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) in An Khe. There, in the hotly contested Central Highlands, he served almost nine months as executive officer for Alpha Company, 2/7, fighting against crack NVA troops in some of the war's most horrific battles.

The bloodiest conflict of all began November 12, 1965, after 2nd Battalion was flown into the Ia Drang Valley west of Pleiku. Acting as point, Alpha Company spearheaded the battalion's march to landing zone Albany for pickup, not knowing they were walking into the killing zone of an NVA ambush that would cost them 10 percent casualties.

Gwin spares no one, including himself, in his gut-wrenching account of the agony of war. Through the stench of death and the acrid smell of napalm, he chronicles the Vietnam War in all its nightmarish horror.]]> 384 Larry Gwin 0804119228 Paul 5 4.09 1999 Baptism: A Vietnam Memoir
author: Larry Gwin
name: Paul
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1999
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Six Silent Men, Book Two (101st LRP Rangers)]]> 1045796
But even as these formidable hunters and killers were themselves swallowed up by the Screaming Eagles' Division LRPs to eventually become F Co., 58th Infantry, they continued the deadly, daring LRRP tradition. From saturation patrols along the Laotian border to near-suicide missions and compromised positions in the always dangerous A Shau valley, the F/58th unflinchingly faced death every day and became one of the most highly decorated companies in the history of the 101st.]]> 304 Kenn Miller 0804115648 Paul 3 4.24 1997 Six Silent Men, Book Two (101st LRP Rangers)
author: Kenn Miller
name: Paul
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1997
rating: 3
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]]> Six Silent Men 690280
By 1969, the NVA had grown more experienced at countering the tactics of the long range patrols, and SIX SILENT Book Three describes some of the fiercest fighting Lurps saw during the war. Based on his own experience and extensive interviews with other combat vets of the 101st's Lurp companies, Gary Linderer writes this final, heroic chapter in the seven bloody years that Lurps served God and country in Vietnam. These tough young warriors--grossly outnumbered and deep in enemy territory--fought with the guts, tenacity, and courage that have made them legends in the 101st.]]> 400 Gary A. Linderer 0804115672 Paul 4 4.30 1997 Six Silent Men
author: Gary A. Linderer
name: Paul
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1997
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Six Silent Men: 101st LRP/Rangers]]> 1045798


In 1965 nearly four hundred men were interviewed and only thirty-two selected for the infant LRRP Detachment of the lst Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. Old-timers called it the suicide unit. Whether conducting prisoner snatches, search and destroy missions, or hunting for the enemy's secret base camps, LRRPs depended on one another 110 percent. One false step, one small mistake by one man could mean sudden death for all.



Author Reynel Martinez, himself a 101st LRRP Detachment veteran, takes us into the lives and battles of the extraordinary men for whom the brotherhood of war was and is an ever-present the courage, the sacrifice, the sense of loss when one of your own dies. In the hills, valleys, and triple-canopy jungles, the ambushes, firefights, and copter crashes, LRRPs were among the best and bravest to fight in Vietnam.]]> 384 Reynel Martinez 0804115664 Paul 4 4.15 1996 Six Silent Men: 101st LRP/Rangers
author: Reynel Martinez
name: Paul
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1996
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Inside the Crosshairs: Snipers in Vietnam]]> 50127
At the start of the war in Vietnam, the United States had no snipers; by the end of the war, Marine and army precision marksmen had killed more than 10,000 NVA and VC soldiers--the equivalent of an entire division--at the cost of under 20,000 bullets, proving that long-range shooters still had a place in the battlefield. Now noted military historian Michael Lee Lanning shows how U.S. snipers in Vietnam--combining modern technology in weapons, ammunition, and telescopes--used the experience and traditions of centuries of expert shooters to perfect their craft.

To provide insight into the use of American snipers in Vietnam, Lanning interviewed men with combat trigger time, as well as their instructors, the founders of the Marine and U.S. Army sniper programs, and the generals to whom they reported. Backed by hard information and firsthand accounts, the author demonstrates how the skills these one-shot killers honed in the jungles of Vietnam provided an indelible legacy that helped save American lives in Grenada, the Gulf War, and Somalia and continues to this day with American troops in Bosnia.]]> 278 Michael Lee Lanning 0804116202 Paul 3 3.63 1998 Inside the Crosshairs: Snipers in Vietnam
author: Michael Lee Lanning
name: Paul
average rating: 3.63
book published: 1998
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[Inside the Lrrps: Rangers in Vietnam]]> 699494 Vintage paperback 256 Michael Lee Lanning 0804101663 Paul 4 3.84 1988 Inside the Lrrps: Rangers in Vietnam
author: Michael Lee Lanning
name: Paul
average rating: 3.84
book published: 1988
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[LRRP Company Command: The Cav's LRP/Rangers in Vietnam, 1968-1969]]> 699499 ?
The new commander of the Company E, 52d Infantry LRRPs, Capt. George Paccerelli, was tough, but the men’s new AO was brutal. It was bad enough that the provinces of Binh Long, Phuoc Long, and Tay Ninh bordered enemy-friendly Cambodia, but their vast stretches of double- and triple-canopy jungle were also home to four crack enemy divisions, including the Viet Cong’s notorious 95C Regiment.

Only the long-range patrols could deliver the critical strategic intelligence that the 1st Cav so desperately needed. Outmanned, outgunned, far from safety, these LRRPs stalked the enemy to his lair, staging bold prisoner snatches and tracking down hidden jungle bases. Hiding in ambush, surrounded by NVA, these teams either pulled off spectacular escape-and-evasion maneuvers in running firefights—or died trying.]]> 304 Kregg P.J. Jorgenson 0804119201 Paul 4 4.17 2000 LRRP Company Command: The Cav's LRP/Rangers in Vietnam, 1968-1969
author: Kregg P.J. Jorgenson
name: Paul
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2000
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Very Crazy, G.I.!: Strange but True Stories of the Vietnam War]]> 379363
In this compelling, highly unusual collection of amazing but true stories, U.S. soldiers reveal fantastic, almost unbelievable events that occurred in places ranging from the deadly Central Highlands to the Cong-infested Mekong Delta.

"Finders Keepers" became the sacred byword for one exhausted recon team who stumbled upon a fortune worth more than $500,000--and managed, with a little American ingenuity, to relocate the bounty to the States. Jorgenson also chronicles Marine Sergeant James Henderson's incredible journey back from the dead, shares a surreal chopper rescue, and recounts some heart-stopping details of the life--and death--of one of America's greatest unsung heroes, a soldier who won more medals than Audie Murphy and Sergeant York.

Whether occurring in the bloody, fiery chaos of sudden ambushes or during the endless nights of silent, gnawing menace spent behind enemy lines, these stories of war are truly beaucoup dinky dau . . . and ultimately unforgettable.]]> 229 Kregg P.J. Jorgenson 0804115982 Paul 1 3.49 1994 Very Crazy, G.I.!: Strange but True Stories of the Vietnam War
author: Kregg P.J. Jorgenson
name: Paul
average rating: 3.49
book published: 1994
rating: 1
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]]> MIA Rescue: LRRPs In Cambodia 436617 --Kenn Miller
Author of Tiger the Lurp Dog
On 17 June 1970, in Mondol Kiri Province, Cambodia, the five men of Long-Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) Team 5-2 were about to halt for the day. Night was coming, the skies were dark, and so were the men's thoughts--they'd just found freshly dug NVA bunkers inside a scrub-brush tree line and their position was not secure.
As they carefully searched for better night lager, they learned the hard way that they had walked into an ambush kill zone: NVA fire quickly downed two men and wounded two others. In minutes, Team 5-2 had been transformed from the hunters to the hunted. They had no radio comms with their headquarters and had just two rifles and fifteen magazines of ammunition.
Two men were down, but the team was not out. MIA RESCUE is the story of Team 5-2 and the heroic and ultimately successful attempts to rescue them despite extraordinarily bad weather and an angry and aware enemy.
"Seldom can an author stimulate emotions, from the taste of fear to sweaty palms to the feeling of relief when the mission is over, but Jorgenson does and much more. If the reader was never in combat, he will feel like a Nam vet when he finishes this book."
--Jerry Boyle
Author of Apache Sunrise]]> 272 Kregg P.J. Jorgenson Paul 3 3.41 1995 MIA Rescue: LRRPs In Cambodia
author: Kregg P.J. Jorgenson
name: Paul
average rating: 3.41
book published: 1995
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[Firebirds: The Best First Person Account of Helicopter Combat in Vietnam Ever Written]]> 671330 307 Chuck Carlock 0553577050 Paul 4 3.84 1995 Firebirds: The Best First Person Account of Helicopter Combat in Vietnam Ever Written
author: Chuck Carlock
name: Paul
average rating: 3.84
book published: 1995
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The Killing Zone: My Life in the Vietnam War]]> 63530 272 Frederick Downs 0393310892 Paul 4 4.04 1978 The Killing Zone: My Life in the Vietnam War
author: Frederick Downs
name: Paul
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1978
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The O'Reilly Factor: The Good, the Bad, and the Completely Ridiculous in American Life]]> 252914
Now four seasons strong, Bill O’Reilly’s nightly cable news program, “The O’Reilly Factor,” is one of the hottest shows on the air. In book form, The O’Reilly Factor has sold over a million copies and spent fourteen weeks at the top of the New York Times bestseller list. Obviously, Bill O'Reilly has made his mark. His blunt, ironic, no-holds-barred style has earned him a devoted audience–friends and foes alike–who send him five thousand letters every week. And with the wit and intelligence that have made him one of the most talked-about stars in both television and publishing, O’Reilly continues to identify what’s right, what’s wrong, and what’s absurd in the political, social, economic, and cultural life of America.]]> 224 Bill O'Reilly 0767905296 Paul 2 3.22 2000 The O'Reilly Factor: The Good, the Bad, and the Completely Ridiculous in American Life
author: Bill O'Reilly
name: Paul
average rating: 3.22
book published: 2000
rating: 2
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]]> <![CDATA[The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You]]> 815716 有力公司、政府机関、国连、陆军士官学校、一流アスリートにも指导?讲演する「世界一のメンター」によるリーダーシップ论の决定版!
人を动かし、胜ち続けるための「21の戦略思考」が身につく本。闭闭> 160 John C. Maxwell 0785274316 Paul 2 4.15 1998 The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You
author: John C. Maxwell
name: Paul
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1998
rating: 2
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date added: 2008/11/17
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]]>