Bob’s Bookshelf - 11/18/09

11/18/2009 - My son Steven got a book diary for his 13th birthday (yes, I now have a teenager in my house); I told him it would be interesting to have a history of the books he’s read, so that when he gets old like his Dad, he can reminisce about some of the fine books he’s read.

This got me to thinking that it might be fun to share the titles that I’m reading with others, so I’m going to start this more-or-less weekly posting of the latest books I’m reading. I’ve got some great ones on my nightstand this week, and hope you’ll find this useful.

I’ve been slowlly trodding through “A Team of Rivals,” which is a great book, but I keep putting others in front of it. Since the time I started “Team of Rivals,” I’ve probably started and finished ten books, but I give myself permission to do that...

In the last few weeks I read the latest Robert B. Parker book “Rough Weather,” which I knew I would enjoy--and did. Again, Parker has woven an enjoyable tale, connected it with excellent dialogue, and I always enjoy his character development.

I’m reading “What Would Google Do?” right now; written by Jeff Jarvis, it offers some interesting insights into the thinking of media giants like Google, and I’ve already gotten some great ideas from it.

I’m also about to start Stephen King’s new “Under the Dome;” I’ve been reading King since “The Stand” in the late 70s or early 80s, and have enjoyed most of his books, but some more than others. His skill at writing has gotten me through some plots that weren’t as engaging as I might have hoped, but I have tremendous respect for Stephen King’s skill as a wordsmith. I will always consider “The Stand” one of my favorite of the genre, and look forward to reading the Gunslinger saga again in the next year or so.

I read “Duma Key” by King, and enjoyed it; it was a fast read, disturbing but not gory, and I recommend it. A fun book.

I’ve also got James Patterson’s “I, Alex Cross” sitting here; I hope I like it. I’ve liked some of his books, but he got too creepy for me at some point.

I’ve also got “The Pagan Christ,” by Tom Harpur, sitting on my desk. I saw a show based on this book, and am interested to see what he offers. His premise is that Christ’s story is actually based on ancient myths from Egypt and elsewhere. Very controversial, certainly not for everyone, but I find this interesting.

Which reminds me of Dan Brown. Skip “The Lost Symbol,” which was possibly the most disappointing book I’ve read recently. As someone so eloquently put it, “There is no greater thief than a bad book.” Brown should be arrested for this bad chunk of text.

Naturally I’ll be skipping Palin’s pack of lies; reviews don’t give it much praise for writing skill, nor do her GOP contemporaries give it creds for accuracy. I don’t want to delve into politics in this article, but suffice to say that if I wanted to waste hours on something like this, I’d rather stick my hand in a blender.

I recently read “Thirteen Moons,” by Charles Frazier, who also wrote “Cold Mountain.” I listened to Frazier’s read of “Cold Mountain,” and still consider it one of the finest audiobooks I’ve experienced, and an excellent book. I enjoyed “Thirteen Moons,” but it wasn’t as compelling as his previous book.

Other recent books that I’ve enjoyed: “Into the Wild” by Krakauer--compelling, sad, uplifting at the same time. What an interesting story. The movie was very sad, and I highly recommend both.

“Rough Country” by John Sandford, who is one of my recent favorite authors for entertaining detective/crime novels. Also, “The Professional,” by Robert B. Parker, who can always be relied upon for an entertaining and well-written book.

Next week I’ll list some nerdly books that I’ve been reading as well; there are quite a few, and some are very context-specific.