• 1776 - David McCullough

This was a great book. He follows the conflict between the Americans and British during the year of 1776. He uses sources from both sides to present the events in Boston, New York, and New Jersery during the year. He also briefly covers event in Philadelphia. McCullough writes in an easy to read style that's great for someone who may have not spent much time studying the American Revolution. While the book would still be considered a survey by a historian, it's not like the typical surveys that tend to lack substance. Also, there is an extensive bibliography full of books that would be wonderful to read.

• Sex, Time, and Power: How Women's Sexuality Shaped Human Evolution - Leonard Shlain

This was a wonderful book. Shlain is one of my favorite authors because he frequently presents multiple positions on an issue. The book's topic is simply stated in its title and focuses on the development of early humans and frequently juxtaposes these developments with those of other animals. The book is organized just like The Alphabet Verses the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image, which I highly recommend, and was written because Slain felt that he needed to finish clarifing his stance in the early chapters of AVG. Even if you don't agree with all of Slain's theories, which he is great at stating when they're his theories verses theories that are universally accepted, there are a lot of interesting tid bits and quotes that can be found in the book.

Let me know if you're undertaking this one. I'd love to hear your opinions.

• The Balkans: A Short History - Mark Mazower

I got one or two good quotes from this book, but besides those it wasn't amazing. It was rather boring to be honest. I don't know if this is the book that put me off reading for a while or life just got busier than normal. I guess I'll find out when I try to start reading something else.

The one good part of this book is an explaination of cooperating Christians and Muslims living near border territories. Friends would often make pacts and become "brothers" and vow to save one another when necessary.

• Poland (Enchantment of the World) - Martin Hintz

I liked this one, better than the book on Hungary, but less than the book on Romania. The last chapter was a day in a life story that just kind of killed it for me. It's nice to actually know something about Poland now since I have a friend who lives there. Eventually I hope to visit her, but that might take a while. The library really needs to get better books on European countries. I think that I'm going to have to get a card to the university library.

• Romania (Enchantment of the World) - Terri Willis

This was a fun little survey of Romania that provides the reader with some general ideas about the country without going in depth. The pictures are beautiful and make me want to visit Romania and study it's history in a more academic text. I like this series much better than the one on Hungary. It's better organized and doesn't constantly repeat itself.

PS - I haven't been in a reading mood recently so until I get back in it I'll be taking my time on the books.

• Cultures of the World: Hungary - Robert S. Esbenshade

It's a nice little cultural introduction book on Hungary, but if you're looking for substance find a bigger book. There are some good pictures and some good info on society during communist rule, but it's just an intro book so, again, don't expect too much. Teachers might find it good to have around the room so that students can look at it though.

• The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

This was definitely light reading. I enjoyed the book and I got a lot of good quotes out of it. The main theme is beaten into you so if you miss the message to follow through with your dreams you're ... well, you're not processing things properly. I don't think it's a literary marvel, but if you're ever in need of an extra boost because you're afraid of something then this book could come in handy.

• The Divine Comedy: Inferno (Vol 1)

I've always wanted to read the Inferno, but I never got around to it for some reason. Finally, I found a book that had the original Italian on one side with the translation on the other, plus a bunch of extra stuff at the end of each chapter and then even more at the back of the book to break it down. I think that I was expecting a lot more out of this book since you hear so much about it, but maybe that's becasue I stll have two more books to read in order to finish The Divine Comedy. (I'm not saying that it was bad, just that I expected it to be amazing.) Thinking of the book in the context of the society in which it was written I can see why it was so popular.

• The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova

This was such a fun read! I never wanted the story to end. It has a perfect mix of history and adventure that made me love the book. The Historian is another Dracula hunt, but this one is much different than the rest. It's easy to get behind the characters, to picture yourself traveling to amazing locations and researching in some of the best libraries. This is definitely one of my favorite books. I just wish it never ended. I think this is one that I'll reread in a few years.

• Dracula - Bram Stoker

I'm a scardy cat so I put off reading this for a very long time. However, it wasn't really scary. For the most part I kept imagining the characters as those in Mel Brooks' Dracula: Dead and Loving It. It's hard to get freaked out when you're imagining spoof characters. However, there was a part that did kind of get to me because it had to do with wolves and I read it at 3am with every dog in the neighborhood going off. Besides that it was all rather disapointing. By using journals, Bram Stoker had an interesting way of being able to switch perspectives while still using the first person. While that was interesting, the final scene felt like he was simply ready to finish the book and it was written without as much detail or adventure as one might assume was coming.

• Never Have Your Dog Stuffed And Other Things I've Learned - Alan Alda

The book was fun and interesting. It's a light read, but Alda has a lot to say. He writes about his life and the things that have affected him, and most importantly how they affected him. I've always been a fan of Alan Alda (I named a cat Hawkeye recently) and this book just reinforced my ideas about him. He's amazingly intelligent and just as OCD, if not more, about planning things out and being prepared so that he knows what he's talking about. I know that one of the main reason he writes the book is to overcome the urge to let the past rule your life rather than the present, but I think that the most important thing I got from the book is that it's okay to adapt yourself according to the situation if you find a way to do it without losing yourself in all of the adaptions.

• The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield

I expected a little out of this book, but I didn't expect to really be drawn into it as I read. However, it managed to captivate me. I really enjoyed reading this book. It's about a lady who gets asked to write a biography of a famous author. The author is notorious for lying to the press and the public about her life and the lady worries that the author won't be honest with her. However, after a few false starts, the woman begins to tell her her story. A story that no one would have expected. A story that's amazingly interesting and kept me entertained. I even read it at the Trace Adkins concert until the sun went down and I was left to stare at drunk middle aged people and wonder why they were so immature.

• Lipstick Jihad: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America and American in Iran - Azadeh Moaveni

This is a great book for someone looking to understand the emotional ordeals that face living in America as an immigrant. (Mind you, she's a legal immigrant, or an emigre to be more specific.) She struggles with issues of trying to fit in while her parents struggle to hold onto their own culture. Then, feeling like she doesn't fit in 100% in America, she travels to Iran only to find out that her home culture is also foreign to her. She struggles with the realization that she'll never fully fit in anywhere and that she'll have to come to terms with that. It's a great book. If it weren't for one page, I'd use it in a high school class, but parents would freak over that one page so I can't. I wish they'd realize that there kids have already heard this stuff before and be okay with it as long as the book wasn't teaching them how to do something, or advocating doing it... It just alludes to something that would set off most parents. But, since you're all adults...READ IT!

• The Mediaeval Church - Marshall W. Baldwin

The visual organization of the book isn't pretty, but the information is good for someone looking for an introduction to the Medieval church. It's one of those supplemental books that help when someone needs a few gaps filled, or else to get the basics. I'd put a pic up, but they didn't have one. It's an older book, but I can steal bits and pieces for a lecture later in life.

• The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana - Umberto Eco

I'm not sure about this one... There were moments that I loved and moments where I was just kind of reading just to get through. The main character has lost his episodic memory and must attempt to sort through the tangible things of his past. Sometime's it's really intersting sorting through the guys things, and other times I got a little bored. As I said before Umberto Eco's a little pedantic and this time it was harder to get through for me. Maybe it's because it's my third Eco book in a row, or maybe just because it's not taking place in the Middle Ages. Honestly, I'm not sure... I loved the beginning of the book and I loved the stories of this guys past as he starts remembering what's happened to him. Everything else I'm still debating on.

• Baudolino - Umberto Eco

Wow... I don't even know where to begin. I got more than I ever expected out of this book. I think it was a great choice to fulfill the goal that I set a few months ago (It's my 12th book). The main complaint that I hear about Umberto Eco is that The Name of the Rose started out to slowly, or that he's pedantic (which I happen to like). I think that this book will suprise those people. It starts out much faster and his love of details is integrated nicely thoughout the book so that they flow with the pace of the particular event.

The overall setting of the book is the Middle Ages during the Crusades. The main character, Baudolino, is closely associated with Frederick Barbarossa. Baudolino likes to tell lies and these lies lead to all kinds of adventures, the primary adventure being the search for the kingdom of Prester John in the East.

The story begins normally enough, but at some point you're thrust into Baudolino's (or Eco's) version of Middle Earth. Things start to get a little strange and reality is altered. There's adventures, debates, passion, ... it's just an interesting read. Plus, I think this book has the best last sentence I've read so far. Give it a try. The longer you stick with it the more involved you become.

• Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong - James W. Loewen

I really enjoyed this book. Loewen studied 12 of the most common high school American History texts and then analyzed their historical accuracies and inaccuracies, as well as their omissions, tone, and audience. I noticed a huge difference between the history presented by my college profesors and the history that I had learned in K-12. I had always wondered why, and this book really talks about those differences and the reason why authors writing for high school students present more biases than those for college student (not to say that college texts aren't bias). He talks about Columbus, Thanksgiving, slavery, the Civil War, Civil Rights Movement, and other issues. Most of these chapters are really interesting and I think that most of you would enjoy reading them, even if it's just to stir up a little debate. =)

• Early Medieval Art: Carolingian, Ottonian, Romanesque - John Beckwith

The World of Art series is always ify. Their books have a lot of good information, but the authors frequently get too wordy for the typical person to understand. Even with a background in Art History there are moments when I'll reread something since I had no clue what work they were talking about. As with most art books, pictures should be placed on the same page as the description. This would help tremendously. Also, they should talk about the images in order rather than mentioning image 101 before 98. I never understood why they do that. If the book changed just these two things, I'd suggest it to anyone who has studied these periods in history and art before. However, since the author frequently leaves out deffinitions for basic art historical terms I wouldn't suggest it to someone who hasn't studied art before.

• April Blood: Florence and the Plot Against the Medici - Lauro Martines

I finally got to finish this book! Apparently I was 150 pages away from finishing it when I droped it and not 50 pages. It took me a few days to get back into, but I did.
I really liked this book. Sometimes the organization of the chapters seemed a little awkward, but I understood why they were set up that way so I got over it. The information in the text more than maked up for that. This is probably the most thourough explaination of the Pazzi Conspiracy I've read to date. Martines goes into the political background that led to the events, the different stages of the planning, the histories of the conspirators, their confessions, punishments, and of course a detailed explaination of how the assassination of Giuliano and the attempt on Lorenzo changed the course of Florentine history.
At the end, Martines tries to summorize the overall effects and the future of Florence. The information was helpful, but you could tell that the author was trying to conclude the book toward the end of chapter 13 and through all of chapter 14. I started thinking he was rushing to finally be done with the book, but again, the information more than made up for that. Also, the book does not idealize Lorenzo de' Medici, which is rare. Martines presents the positives and the negatives. It took some getting use to after The Agony and the Ecstasy depicts him as the type of father figure you'd love to have.

I've kind of made it a tradition to re-read The Agony and the Ecstasy at least every other year. Do you think I should keep this up? I know that I could be learning more from another book on Michelangelo, but am I actually wasting time by re-reading? Or am I just solidifying my knowledge in a memoriable, historical-fiction way?

• The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco

I really liked this book. I thought that the story was interesting, but more importantly I loved the historical quality of it. Umberto Eco did a lot of research before writing the book and he goes to great lengths to establish the aura of the era. He sticks you in the middle of of a monastary in the middle ages, and he does so rather accurately. While some people may not enjoy the random tangent into ancient texts and medicinal herbs I was delighted by the fact that the author did not stray away from these additions. Most authors assume they are writing for the masses, and that the typical person would get lost, while Umberto Eco includes it because it is true to the era. He takes a leap of faith and hopes that his reader will be intelligent enough to understand it, rather than neglect the additions at the expense of the setting. The book is rampant with symbolism and quotes on knowledge, faith, the ancients, monastic life, inquisitors, etc. I don't think that this book is for everyone, but I enjoyed it.

• Mesopotamia: The Invention of the City - Gwendolyn Leick

This book discusses 10 Mesopotamian cities (Eridu, Uruk, Shuruppak, Akkad, Ur, Nippur, Sippar, Ashur, Nineveh, and Babylon) as it describes the development of the city in the Near East from an archeological stand point. The author continually refers to architectural sites, statues, and writings from the era.
Leick's book is meant for someone who at least has a background knowledge of Mesopotamia and the battles between the Assyrians and Babylonians. Also, I suggest the reader stop between chapters to reflect on that particular city, or else keep a reading log of some sort so as not to mix up the cities. Overall I enjoyed the book, but I wish Leick would have included more photographs and that some would be in color. It's difficult to grasp the beauty of the Ishtar Gate in black and white. Also, it would have been nice to have seen the entire Ishtar Gate rather than just the dragonish creature since she spends so much time talking about it being shipped to Germany and its reconstruction.

• Girl in Hyacinth Blue - Susan Vreeland

This book is definately a quick read. It begins with a guy who owns a Vermeer, but cannot authenticate the artist because the painting would be taken away from him. He received it from his father who had taken it from the home of a Jewish family during World War II after rounding the family up for the trains on Black Thursday. Then, each chapter tells the story of the previous owner, how they obtained the painting and how the painting passed to the next person. It's a little awkward to work your way back along the timeline, randomly picking up in the middle of someone's life, but it's an interesting technique. I was entertained, but I'd recommend The Passion of Artimisia over this one.

• A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

How do I even begin... This is one of those books you'll either love or hate. I don't think there's much middle ground.
Honestly, the best way to describe it is for me to quote a review from the Chicago Sun-Times on the back of the book. Henry Kisor wrote, "A Confederacy of Dunces is an American comic masterpiece. John Kennedy Toole's hero is one Ignatius J. Reilly, 'huge, obese, fractious, fastidious, a latter-day Gargantua, a Don Quixote of the French Quarter. His story burst with wholly original characters, a denizen of New Orleans' lower depths, incredibly true-to life dialogue, and the zaniest series of high and low comic adventures.'"
I found myself wondering how it was all going to come together in the end, but he managed to tie the characters together in a series of odd events. I think it's safe to assume that you'll never read a book quite like this one.

• Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books - Azar Nafisi

This was a wonderful book. It provides an interesting perspective of life in Tehran from the perspective of women. A group of women, led by Nafisi, delve into literary works such as The Great Gatsby and Pride and Prejudice. The book discusses how college students interpreted these works, why they were so radical to be teaching under the Islamic rulers, the role and treatement of women, lost freedoms, internal conflict, and aspects of daily life. I passionately recommend this one. (Thanks for the rec. Nicole).

• Multicultural Children's Literature: Through the Eyes of Many Children - Donna E. Norton
  

Don't read it! It's horrid! It might be useful if you need to skim through just to get a title of a book to use in class, but the book as a whole is useless.

• Craig Davis' The Middle East for Dummies

The book is poorly organized and incredibly repetitve. Sometimes the author forgets to give you key information. For instance, he tells you to read a book that has received all kinds of negative reactions from the Muslim world and about the persecutions that this man has faced, but he fails to ever tell you what the book is about. However, despite the poor writing skills, the book does have some important information that is very useuful for understanding the culture, politics, religions, extremists, and countries in the Middle East. It's a decent starter book, but maybe I should try The Idiot's Guide version just to see if it's better since Idiots are better than dummies. Dummies are just stupid. Idiots just have dumb moments, they have more potential. =)

• South Beach Diet: The Delicious, Doctor Designed, Foolproof Plan for Fast and Healthy Weight Loss by Arthur Agatston, M.D.

I never thought I'd end up reading it, but I picked it up to look through it at Barnes and Nobles. I thought it was unique that the book actually suggested ways for you to eat your favorites, like PB&J's, Bacon, etc. The book doesn't tell you that you can't eat things, it just suggests better combinations for you to try. Like, limit the jelly and put it on pita bread. I'd like to say that I'd never seen a diet book that did that, but I've never picked up a diet book so that doesn't work. I really enjoyed it and read it in less than a day (half the book's menus, but I read through those too). Even if you don't plan on dieting, I think the book is just good for you to have a better understanding of what food does to you, and why you're still hungry after you eat a lot of the time.

I've decided to start a mid-year resolution that I probably should have made back in January. I'm determined to finish at least 12 books this year. I don't know if that's going to be too easy for me or just perfect, but I have a tendency to begin a ton of books and stop reading them for something else. I'm currently in the middle of 20 different books on my shelf if I don't include books for class that I never actually finished. There are a few books that I am not going to include in my list since I'm not sure if I completed them in 2005 or early 2006. I've started a lot of books this year, but here are the one's that I've completed in 2006 so far (It's sad actually):

• Il Gigante: Michelangelo, Florence, and the David, 1492-1504 - Anton Gill

This book was okay. It was entertaining, but there were some factual errors. It was fun finding them. I think the author's major concentration in history is Germany so I'm not sure why he wrote a book about Michelangelo in the first place. He also focuses on contemporary history and art. His previous writing on art was centered around Peggy Guggenheim, a far cry from the Italian Renaissance

• The Alphabet Verses the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image - Leonard Shlain

Amazing! Entertaining! and well worth the read. I loved this book. It starts out in the beginning historically, and works it's way to today's conflicts between the male and the female. It was recommended by Coulsby and it was one of the best books I've read so far.

• The House of Medici: It's Rise and Fall - Christopher Hibbert

Of course I loved it. It's about the Medici's. =) While the text is very text bookish (which I happen to like), I think that Hibbert does a great job of depicting the Medici family. At times the names get a bit confusing since there was more than one Cosimo, but if you pay attention and know a little bit about the Medici's before picking it up, you'll do just fine.

• Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceilinig - Ross King

If you liked Brunelleschi's Dome, you'll enjoy this one as well. I've read at least a dozen books on the Sistine Ceiling, but this one stands out. King goes more in depth and talks about the commission, a detailed explaination of the process and layout of the ceiling, as well as compairing them to Raphael's Stanza's a few rooms away. If you like Michelangelo you should give this book a try.

• Complete Idiot's Guid to Understanding Judaism - Benjamin Blech

So, I may have been the only person in the world that didn't know Rabbi's were funny. I felt like I had gotten through school without really learning about Judaism, so I picked it up. I didn't expect to read the whole thing in two days. Obviously the book is designed for a brief overview, and doesn't get too far in depth, but I learned a lot and I'd recommend it to anyone looking to get a basic understanding of the Jewish religion.