Our Book List

Three Cups of Tea	*Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time* Greg Mortenson, ISBN-13: 978-0143038252 I couldn't believe this story when I first read it. A guy descending K2, near death is nursed back to health by villagers. He promises to build a school in this very remote part of Pakistan. His naive first attempt made me laugh and cringe. But Greg found a new K2 and climbed it. Despite the long title the editors insisted on, Three Cups of Tea is an story that is unbelievable. "Dr. Greg" earned the respect of thousands of Afghans as well as ours. I read a study that for every $1 invested in a 3rd world country's education returns $18 within one generation. Greg invested his heart and soul and his reward was priceless.
Revelation Space Redemption Ark Absolution Gap	*Revelation Space* Alastair Reynolds ISBN-13: 978-0441009428 The first book in this series jumps right into a complex timeline of a genetically splintered human race (and some non-humans). While it was a bit tough to dive into such a complex story, the characters and ideas soon build into an amazingly detailed universe. The science behind the story and concepts really made the story seem plausible. One of the coolest parts of the storyline is the search for purpose: where are all the other life forms? Amid ruins of failed civilizations a strange and shocking prophecy for intelligent life is discovered. But can anything be done to avoid doom? Split into 3 books, this Trilogy is long but you'll feel like you've traveled a 1,000 light years and soared through a spectacularly complex Universe.
Manifold Time Manifold Space Manifold Origin	*Manifold Trilogy* Steven Baxter I liked Manifold Time the best and Manifold Origin the least, but all three books were scientifically thought provoking. Each one focused on different aspects of the same philosophic question: "Who am I and why am I here?" While I doubt I'll be remaking the universe anytime soon, I had fun reading these books because the quality of the science was good and the story tackled some big difficult issues.
Snow Crash	*Snow Crash* Neil Stephenson, ISBN 978-0553380958 This book was really well written and took an interesting turn into the human mind and ancient languages. While I found the "cyberspace" of 1992 a bit comical, the story was vividly written and full of good characters. Billed as a "cyberpunk" book might have worked in '92, but in '08 it was more fantasy than cyber. I liked the author's dive into ancient languages and their possible impact on human minds which made the story really work even 15 years after begin written.
A People's History of the United States	*A People's History of the United States* Howard Zinn, ISBN 0-06-052837-0 We haven't added any books to our list because the quality of most of what we find in the "book exchange" shelves has been so poor. However this gem of a book was a fascinating story about the US Government and all the bits often skipped over or "cleaned up" by traditional history books. It has it's own slant as the author openly discusses but the material is all well documented. For me it helped explain the mania of pure capitalism and gave me a deeper insight into the workings of the United States.
Sliced Iguana	*Sliced Iguana* Isabella Tree, ISBN 0140281142 A search for "Old Mexico" in the nooks and crannies of the small pueblos reveals the deep and diverse culture of indigenous Mexicans. It's a well written travelogue with historical and cultural depth that most travelers in Mexico never discover. Definitely one of our favorite books about Mexico and a great travelogue as well!
Light of Other Days	*Light of Other Days* Arthur C. Clarke & Steven Baxter Ok, another fiction book. They're about all we can manage to trade down here. Sherrell and I both liked this book and Sherrell never reads Sci-Fi. I thought this book was a modern version of Brave New World (remember that one?). It's a well researched and thought out transformation of humanity via quantum technology.
American Gods	*American Gods* Niel Gaiman Only the second fiction book to make our list! I should mention that Sherrell couldn't get half way through it, but I loved it. American Gods is a very creative look at our world behind the scenes as the powers greater than us battle in the background. Niel mixes contemporary writing with old Myths from all over the world in a macabre and dark tale that was so vivid I found myself thinking about scenes from the book for days.
The Beak of the Finch	The Beak of the Finch Jonathan Weiner, ISBN 0-679-40003-6, 1994. This is a great book that chronicles the first serious scientific study done in the Galápagos Islands that lasted 20+ years. This book is mind-blowing story that stunned evolutionary biologists and lets Darwin RIP. They document the change in DNA combinations, hybridization and even discuss the documented rare event of a new species evolving from a known species. The popularization of this subject was treated well, but the intentional dumbing down of the subject left some holes. All in all, though, it's an excellent book!
Plane Insanity	Plane Insanity: A Flight Attendant's Tales of Sex, Rage, and Queasiness at 30,000 Feet Elliot Hester For those who have done any extensive flying on the commercial cattle cars in the sky, you'll laugh so hard you'll grab for the air-sickness baggie while reading this book about the insiders view of air travel.
Venturesome Voyages of Capt. Voss	*The Venturesome Voyages of Captain Voss* J.C. Voss, ISBN 0-88826-066-0. In 1901, Voss set out for some amazing around the world adventures in a modified dugout canoe. His story is of local interest as he departed from Victoria and provides vivid descriptions of how he and his tiny craft happily weathered brutal storms.
Pass the Butterworms	*Pass the Butterworms: Remote Journeys Oddly Rendered* Tim Cahill This book contains on of the most beautiful passages about dealing with foreign cultures I have ever read. It involves Donald Duck, but it is really better if you just read the book for yourself. A travel book of short stories and wild places full of funny adventures.
A Reason for Hope	Reason for Hope: A Spiritual Journey Jane Goodall, ISBN 0-446-52225-2. An interesting book that explores both science and the soul from an incredible woman who altered the course and methods of natural science.
Pale Blue Dot	Pale Blue Dot Carl Sagan Anything by Sagan forces you to think of the possibilities, but Pale Blue Dot is one of my favorites. An introspective look at our life on earth. The Viking imaging system captured the Earth from space as a tiny pale blue dot which was Sagan's inspiration for how fragile we are.
Diet for a New America	*Diet for a New America* John Robbins John turned away the Baskin and Robbins fortune in pursuit of a better lifestyle. Full of world wide statistics of diets and associated health and environmental problems, Tim makes a compelling case with his exhaustive research for the causes of many cancers, cardiovascular diseases and the dangers of factory farms.
A Fortune Teller Told Me	*A Fortune-Teller Told Me: Earthbound Travels in the Far East* Tiziano Terzani, ISBN 0-00-655071-1. A well written story about travel in S.E. Asia with a great historical perspective. If you've been to Asia or are just curious, you'll love this book.
Life and Death in Shanghai	*Life and Death in Shanghai* A fascinating look at life inside Mao's China during his fanatical pursuit of his idea of Marxist Perfection. An incredible and rare look inside the lives of the citizens as told from someone who survived several years as a political prisoner.
Lord of the Rings	*Lord of the Rings* J.R.R. Tolkien. A classic trilogy and it's back in vogue.
Man's Search for Meaning	Man's Search for Meaning Viktor E. Frankl. This is probably the best book you'll ever read or re-read. For details click the link on the left.
Dominion	*Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy* "This is one of the best books ever written on the subject of animal welfare. Scully, a journalist and former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, chooses to fight on his own ground, and he rightly argues that the important thing is not insisting upon equal "rights" for animals but in treating them with a modicum of respect and dignity." -- From Amazon.com
Krakatoa : The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883	*Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883* Simon Winchester. I thought this book was an interesting history lesson about S.E. Asia's early colonies and how the area has changed over the years. Interleaved into the history is an amazing story of a massive volcanic eruption. While the story weaved in and out of its main point, perhaps in an attempt to fill the book, I still found the story interesting and look forward to seeing some of these places. This is the same author who wrote the fascinating book about the origin of the Oxford English Dictionary -- see below.
The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of The Oxford English Dictionary	The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of The Oxford English Dictionary This is Simon Winchester's best work in my opinion. We both found it a fantastic book and Amazon.com's summary offers the best overview. From Amazon.com: The Professor and the Madman, masterfully researched and eloquently written, is an extraordinary tale of madness, genius, and the incredible obsessions of two remarkable men that led to the making of the Oxford English Dictionary--and literary history. The compilation of the OED, begun in 1857, was one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken. As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee, led by Professor James Murray, discovered that one man, Dr. W C. Minor, had submitted more than ten thousand. When the committee insisted on honoring him, a shocking truth came to light: Dr. Minor, an American Civil War veteran, was also an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane.
Annapurna: A Woman's Place is On Top	*Annapurna: A Woman's Place* We stumbled across this book in a tiny used book store. We only found the tattered original 1978 copy, but what we found inside was a shocking thriller. The author created a scene so real you found yourself fighting with the characters and sharing their struggles up one of the tallest mountains in the world, at a time when everyone told them women aren't capable of climbing big mountains and they couldn't even get a single sponsor. Like most mountaineering books there's tragedy, but it comes as a total surprise to the reader. This was a book we couldn't put down.
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America	*The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America* Hundreds of things that we take for granted today as a modern convince were first showcased to the world in the 1893 Chicago's world fair. They also built things on a monumental scale that is incomprehensible for 1893, much less for 2004. For a slice of fascinating slice of popular history mixed with drama, mystery and madness, this book fits the bill. Much the history you don't know about Americana, then suddenly realize you should, unfolds in this tale about a most unusual fair.
Blue Latitudes : Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before	Blue Latitudes : Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before Tony Horwitz Now this is my idea of a book. Travel the South Seas going to all the nicer places that Captain Cook went to "researching" Cook's tales and local impressions of his three massive voyages. Cook himself probably doesn't need much introduction to most people, but besides his achievements for England, this book explores the deeper side of Cook. How did the natives really view him and how accurate was the retelling of Cook's voyages. Absolutely an amazing book from an author I hope to share a beer with one day. (See "One for the Road" as well below).
One for the Road: An Outback Adventure	*One for the Road: An Outback Adventure* Tony Horwitz This guy has quite the job. He decides to go hitchhiking into the Australian Outback and write a book about it. Fortunately for him, he's good at finding the most bizarre and unusual things to write about, but maybe that's not a big challenge in the Outback. His insight and wit makes the book memorable. I laughed out loud reading this one, and I recommend it highly.
The Da Vinci Code	*The Da Vinci Code* Dan Brown UPDATE: At the time we read this no one had heard of it, now that it is a mediocre movie, I almost want to remove it, but it is still a good book. This book was recommended by a friend of ours and while we rarely read fiction anymore, this one was a nice blend of real Christian and Mason (called "Pagan" by Christians) symbolism and how they have intertwined throughout our history and culture. This is the backdrop of the story as the plot takes us on a modern chase for the holy grail (yes, it sounds cheesy, but it isn't Monty Python) and the author really makes the story work.