• 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.