I haven't posted since Feb so here's what I've read since then:

I've been incredibly busy recently and have not had the time to post. Nor have I had the time to read many books. Here's what I've managed to find time for:

American Shaolin: Flying Kicks, Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch: An Odyssey in the New China - Matthew Polly

This was a really interesting book. It's an autobiography about an average guy who decides that he's going to fly to China and learn how to fight like the Shaolin monks. He drops out of Yale, angers his family, and flys to China in the 80's. I really enjoyed it because it not only discribes a lot of different aspects of Chinese culture, but Matt is not afraid to tell you about the stupid mistakes he's made and the embarrassing moments that I would never have the curage to discuss with even my closest friends. I've never been interested in any type of martial arts in my life, but he made me actually consider it for a few moments. Although, give me an opportunity to live in another country and participate in its customs and I'm generally more than willing, as long as I can handle the food. (I hate being a picky eater!)

River God: A Novel of Ancient Egypt - Wilbur Smith

I loved this book. I really got behind the characters and loved the heroins and hated the vilians. I was fully engaged in the book while reading. There was a bit of a love story envolved, but it was interesting because it was told from the perspective of a slave rather than a pharoh or warrior. Now, of course, this slave is supposidly the most talented person to have ever lived in Egypt, but at least that provides an opportunity for Smith to bring in art, architecture, advances in warfare, and technology. If you're interested in Egypt you might enjoy it. If you're an Egyptologist, you'll probably find an error or two.

The Book of Useless Information - Noel Botham

Hehe. Fun. Cute to keep you entertained on a long car ride.

The Book of Merlin - T.H. White

You know, I get it, but I still didn't like it. I tried reading this in high school and I got stuck on the communist ants. Again, I couldn't really get past it. I guess after The Once and Future King I was expecting a little more. I can just imagine how much trouble this book caused when it came out. If you love debates over which governmental system is best, here's a book for you.

The Aeneid - Virgil

This book reminded me a lot of The Illiad without the major listing of people. I loved the first part of the book, but my interests kind of tapered a bit after Dido's death. I had been wondering why schools don't make kids read this book over The Illiad since it was more entertaining, but after Dido's death, I stopped questioning the choice. I spent most of my time compairing the styles between Virgil and Homer and how writing had changed from Ancient Greek to Anciet Rome. It's an interesting comparison.

• The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

Most people applaud this book as being amazing, as do I. The Kite Runner gives you a brief glimpse at the Russian and Taliban occupation of Afghanistan. (It's not the primary theme of the book, but a significant part of the book). I think it's so important because it shows people that not ever Afghan is pro Taliban, anti-America, etc. Not that I haven't understood that since the beginning, but I can't believe the amount of people out there that don't believe that Afghans are capable of independent thought and that they're all out to get "us." Well, they can think for themselves, and not everyone is pro violence. They've grown up in an era of violence and that's negatively influenced a lot of people, some just failed to cope with it properly.

Anyway, the basic plot is one that a lot of people can understand and I think it's both gut-wrenching and heart-warming at the same time. If you're not up for the read, watch the movie. I hear it's good too. Maybe I'll watch it someday. =)

• Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School At Home - Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

I wish everyone would read this book. It was an amazing story that really inspires one to do something for the good of others. Greg Mortenson stays with a Pakistan village after a failed attempt at K2 and realizes that something as simple as a school would make a tremendous difference in their daily lives. He returns to the states and works hard to find money to fund the school he promised. His success leads to the creation of the Central Asia Institute (CAI) and many more schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Greg's story is inspiring and his work has had an amazing effect on the students in these poor villages. Check out his web site or donate a few pennies to Pennies for Peace. If you buy the book on Amazon, some of the money will go to the organization. It's worth it. This is one of the best non-fiction books I've ever read.

• Life of Pi - Yann Martell

I've contemplated this book for years. Every time I walked past it I'd stop and stare at the cover, wondering if it were worth my time. I'd pick it up, flip it over, and read the summary on the back. "I don't know," I'd say. I would flip it forward and backward wondering if it were worth my time. Every time I would put it down and think maybe I'd get it next time. I repeated this process, especially so in the last two years. I finally asked a few people about it in e-mails, but they seemed to respond to every question I had asked except for the one about the book. Apparently it wasn't memorable enough for them to praise it, or tell me it was horrific. Finally, I asked a friend over the phone and she said she liked it. I had this feeling that there would be something good within the pages of the book, but that summary was making me doubt myself. So, with some form of confirmation I finally purchased the book.

I loved it. The discussions on the nature of the beast and religion, this crazy boy who thought it was okay to be Christian, Muslim and Hindu, and of course, this elaborate story of one's life adrift. There were moments reading when I would relate to the character, but more often then not, I just felt like I understood him and his struggle. It was like no other book I've read. (Which is ironic seeing how there were questions about whether or not the author had plagiarized the book from a less successful version of a boy and a jaguar stuck on a boat.) It's worth a read.

"...a tie is a noose, and inverted though it is, it will hang a man nonetheless if he's not careful." - p. 6

• Paper Money - Ken Follett

This was the last Ken Follett book left for me to read. I understand why it's one of his most successful, unsuccessful novels. It was entertaining and worth reading, but you can also see why it wasn't a worldwide hit. It's different from his other books in that there are tons of characters, some of which are good and others are bad, but in this book there is no real hero. No one stands up and saves the day. Events just happen. It seems much more realistic without someone willing to risk everything, maybe they'll put up a fight here or there, but they never fully throw themselves out there and risk it all. Well, maybe one character puts himself out there in the end, but there's nothing heroic about his deeds.

• Unnatural Exposure - Patricia Cornwell

Unnatural Exposure wasn't exceptionally well written, but it was entertaining. Not much more to say about it...

• Two Lives of Charlemagne - Einhard and Notker the Stammerer

This was a good book to read. Einhard takes a historical approach to his writing and gives a background of the Frank, his likes and dislikes, a list of his marriages and children, as well as his will. Notker the Stammerer, a monk, tells multiple stories or anecdotes. He tells stories that emphasize Charlemagne's intrests in religion, education, etc. Unlike Procopius, these two had nothing negative to say about Charlemagne, which means one should question the validity of the stories without further studies. Despite that, they're worth reading.

• Velazquez - Javier Portus

Portus gives a brief overview of the important artistic and personal influences on Velazquez. He doesn't spend much time analysing Velazquez's art outside of the context of who or what influenced the painter. However, he does discuss his royal patronage and the significance of his portraits in relation to that position. It's a quick read, but it's something to start with. I would not recommend using this as your only source on Velazquez though. It doesn't give you a complete understanding of the artist's works.

• The Secret History - Procopius

Talk about someone unhappy with their current government... Procopius assaults Justinian, Theodora, and Belisarius. It reads almost like an E! True Hollywood Story with a little soap opera thrown in. Without a decent knowledge of Justinians' reign it's hard to separate fact from fiction and the over exaggerations.

I find it rather frightening to see how competent government never seems to survive. There's always someone that will come along later and manage things inefficiently. Off course, that's not a suprise to anyone seeing how it seems to be a historically proven process that we will continue to cycle through.

• Roman Society - Henry C. Boren

I really enjoyed this book. It may not be perfect, but it does exactly what it set out to do, provide a history of Roman society. There's a lot of good information in the text, as it provides Roman society within the context of the development and decline of Rome.

• Belly Laughs - Jenny McCarthy

This was a really cute book about the whole pregnancy process. It's not a book that an expecting mother should live by, but it's deffinately something that will entertain you while giving you information about a few things you'll be looking forward to, and hoping to avoid. She's honest about her pregnancy and puts even the most untalked about subjects out there. It might scare some people, but it might help someone realize that they're not alone in all those bodily changes. It's an easy read for someone not looking for anything comprehensive.

• Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West - Gregory Maguire

I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. I guess it just wasn't for me. Part of it could also be that I'm still stuck on John Adams and I haven't really been inspired to move on to other books yet. It took me a lot of time to get through it since I wasn't motivated. Interesting concepts. Enjoyed the political discussions, but it didn't capture me.

• John Adams - David McCullough

So, I finished this one at the end of October and just never got around to posting. McCullough wrote an amazing book that I'm still mulling over in my mind. There was so much information and so many examples of the spirit of 1776 that it was impossible for me to read without really considering the changes in our government and begin to worry about how far we've strayed from the essential tenants of our founders. Not that I didn't worry before, but now it has really gotten under my skin. Whether you agreed with Adams' position on events, you have to admit that he's an amazing real life character. He struggled throughout his life to do what he felt would help America as a nation. I see people who feel like the events of today don't affect them, or at least not enough to put down the remote and do something of significance. As a nation we expect to be handed an easy life in return for mediocrity. Politicians will compromise their morality, but they wont meet in the middle to help the poor, deal with Medicaid, social security, or education. It's an all or nothing attitude and not much of significance has come from it.

"...the eyes of the world are upon you." - 402

"Our obligations to our country never cease but with out lives." - 387

"Popularity was never my mistress, nor was I ever, or shall I ever be a popular man. But on thing I know, a man must be sensible of the errors of the people, and upon his guard against them, and must run the risk of their displeasure sometimes, or he will never do them any good in the long run." -373

• World Without End - Ken Follett

I absolutely loved this book. It's one that you wish would never end. World Without End lives up to the expectations of those who read The Pillars of the Earth. I had to force myself to slow my reading in order to really spend time with the book since it was so wonderful that I wanted to read it in one sitting. As you've read time and time again, Follett does a wonderful job developing his characters and you really get behind the heros and hate the villians. I loved Caris, Merthin, Thomas... Follett truely understands the importance of imagery and how to get the most out of each scene. The book won't disappoint!

"But humans are fallible, so the truth might be different." - p.284

• Whiteout - Ken Follett

I finished reading this earlier in the week, but I've been incredibly sick and busy on top of that so I haven't gotten to the computer in a bit. Sorry you had to wait for my insomnia to come back (almost 5 am and I haven't slept). Anyway...

I loved this book. I held off on it for a while since it has to do with viruses and germ warfare just freaks me out. Follett did a wonderful job of making the book suspensful, but not overly tramatic. It's a wonderful read. The characters are amazingly strong and Follett finally succeeds at utilizing a large group of characters without underwritting them (one of his own goals from his early days). Everything comes together rather nicely dispite the multiple story lines. Plus, it seems like the climax just continues to build as the book moves on, rather than just waiting till the end for the big scene.

• Art History's History - Vernon Hyde Minor

It's a nice background to the changes in the study of art over the years. There's a lot of good excerpts or articles to give to students. Plus, quite a few future essay questions were inspired by the text. My future students will whimper. =)

• Unveiled: The Hidden Lives of Nuns - Cheryl L. Reed

This one was rather fun and a bit of an eye opener. It really takes away a lot of the stereotypes that we have of nuns. Reed travels all over the United States visiting a variety of different orders - from the extremely cloistered to those who live in apartments and have jobs in the community. She teaches her readers that nuns are not always spiritual saints. Many nuns struggle with their spirituality; and some have even looked to Buddhism and other spiritual religions/philosophies to help them define their own relationships with God. For instance, one lady says her daily prayers, but spends more time meditating in order to discover her own self and her believes believing that end the end that added knowledge of self will enable her to have a better relationship with God. Some of the women question the infallibility of the pope, the fact that women cannot be priests, and the celibacy issue (not that they want to break the vow, but the fact that it leads to the even bigger issues that the church is currently having to deal with). They're not all perfect cookie cutter Catholics and it's nice to know that you're not any less of a person because you question God at points throughout your life. Many of the women believe that through this questioning you build a better, stronger relationship with God.
While she describes the daily lives of those who spend the majority of their day in prayer and have taken vows of silence, it is her descriptions of the more modern sisters that almost make you want to seek out a nunnery just to see these women in actions. When I say "seek out" I'm not referring to feeling like you should go join one, but that you really should observe some of these women living their lives in order to learn how to better your own. (Although, if I were Catholic I think I would have wanted to join their ranks). There are activist nuns who have been arrested frequently for protesting the making of bombs, etc. There are women who run clinics for women - some very pro-life, anti-contraceptives, while others are willing to provide women with all the options available to them and realize that family planning isn't incredibly accurate. Others teach, work as social workers, and practice midwifery in some of the poorest areas in the United States. As an educator the chapter on nuns who teach on Indian reservations just amazed me. They put more effort into their students than seems physically impossible. Some of these women spend so much time focusing on others that they find little time to even say their daily prayers.


"I decided to get a job where I could badger the boss. I decided to become a lobbyist of the highest lever." - 294

• The Birth of Venus - Sarah Dunant

Okay, so I finished reading this on the 8th, but forgot to post it for some reason. I've been busy and my laptop isn't working properly so I guess I've just been a little side tracked. Anyway...
This was actually a very enjoyable book. I've put off reading it for so long because I thought it was just going to be some cheesy romance novel that tries to pretend to be historical fiction. While you can tell that the writing is somewhat for an audience of women, it's not solely. The book really describes the mental, physical, and spiritual struggle that overwhelmed so many Florentines during the days of Savonarola. It also shows the struggle of a woman to achieve intellectual freedom in a city that thrived on the intellectual male, but feared the same qualities in a female. This is a plane book. Something to read and relax without being incredibly complicated, but still based on something worth learning about. It has a Girl With a Pearl Earing vibe to it for those of you who have read the story or seen the movie.

• Night Over Water - Ken Follett

I was nervous about starting this book since it has to do with an incident on a plane. I rather expected it to be some form of airborne hijacking and I hate thinking about that stuff since I fly on occasion. Also, it just seems inappropriate to read something like that for entertainment purposes. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised by the text. Yes, things go awry; but the story is based during WWII and, while the terror is real, the era has passed which seems to assuage ones fears. There's a little bit of romance and a bit of adventure - the typical outline for an ordinary book, but Follett seems to continually write books that retain my focus and make me excited to move on to his next. I believe there's only 2 more for me to read (although one of them he openly admits to being before he truly refined his skills as a writer - a mere work in progress). Come early October he will have his sequel to The Pillars of the Earth in stores so I have something to look forward to. Now, if only Ross King and Leonard Shlain would publish something new for me to read... =)

• The Third Twin - Ken Follett

There was something about this book that I loved. For some reason I expected I'd enjoy it, but I didn't think I'd like it as much as I did. I guess I judged it by its cover. Once again I found myself completely behind the main female character. She's strong willed and determined, but she's not invulnerable.

The plot is a little odd for Follett - no spies involved. Well, okay, a stakeout, but no professional spies. (Not all of his books are spy novels, but about half of them are.) It's about a determined girl who is doing nature verses nurture experiments on twins who have been separated at birth and raised in different settings. She comes across identical twins with different biological mothers before the days of cloning embryos. She finds herself in the middle of a huge scandal and must fight to keep her job and to get to the bottom of the scandal.

• The Island of the Day Before - Umberto Eco

This was a wonderful suprise. This was a book different than any I've ever read before. It's a little out there... kind of like The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana, but it becomes clear that you're not going to get a clear story at the end of this one somewhere in the middle of the story (unlike being disappointed at the end after expecting it in TMFQL). It's a tale about a man you is shipwrecked and manages to land himself on a deserted ship instead of a deserted island. There are a lot of debated on religion, philosophy, science, etc.

Expect to spend a little time reading this book. It spends a lot of time philosophizing, Plus, this text will teach you more vocabulary than any English class ever could. Make sure you actually look the words up rather than pass over them if you're not sure. I think it's the first text I've ever actually seen the word punctilio used in. It's sad that that made me excited. =)

"Not everyone must be granted access to your heart. A prudent, cautious silence is the cabinet of wisdom." - 111

• The Templars: The Dramatic History of the Knights Templar, the Most Powerful Military Order of the Crusades - Piers Paul Read

This was a fairly interesting book. Not amazing, but not poorly written either. I got a lot of good information out of the book, but a few more visual aids would have been nice - maps of fortifications and battle plans. I got a few good quotes out of this one. I can go around telling everyone wearing shoelaces that they're a pagan and watch them freak out. (I'm easily entertained.)

• The Modigliani Scandal - Ken Follett

Follett had a really good idea that was poorly executed. I finally found a Follett that I'm not thrilled with. The book started out well, but it was underwritten . The characters didn't have time to develop and there were just as many plot twists in this book as in Triple, but in a much shorter period. There are two storylines that merge in the end, but the storyline that focused on the search for the Modigliani was what really excited me, initially... All of a sudden this fairly detailed chase just stopped the climax of the chase is simply hastily summed up without any flare or buildup. This was one of Follett's last books before he hit it big with Eye of the Needle. He's come a long way from The Modigliani Scandal and he openly admits it on his website. He really has learned from his earlier books. I think that if Hollywood ever picked up the book they could make something rather interesting out of it. Like I said, it was based on a good idea...

"'What do you think of it?' Peter said.

'Bad question,' Mitch replied. 'It invites me to pour out a load of bullshit about movement, brushwork, design, and emotion. Better to ask whether I would hang it on my wall.'" - 46

"I think I know what it is like to be God." - Pablo Picasso - 227

• Lie Down With Lions - Ken Follett

I know I know I know! I need to read something other than Ken Follett! Don't worry, I'm getting close to running out of books by him. This book was a little different from the other spy books. It took place in Afghanistan and the primary spy isn't necessarily spying. As usually, it is initially based on real events. It's easy to overlook the thought that it was the U.S. that armed Afghanistan so that they could fight against the Soviet Union. We worked to unite the tribes and modernized their weaponry. The book really sheds light on how harsh the landscape really is and why it's nearly impossible for any army to successfully do anything in that territory.

"'Religious conviction may thwart a timid desire but nothing can stand against genuine lust.'" -64

• A Dangerous Fortune - Ken Follett

It was a little odd to read this book after several spy novels by Follett since this one is about a British banking family. However, once I got past the expectation of another plot centering around spies and World War II I started to get into the book. With this book you don't feel any sympathy for the so called "bad guys". They're not very likable and there's no debate as to whose side you're on (unless you're the type to hope the evil people win). It's an intersting plot and apparently it was made into a movie at some point. If you've seen it let me know if it was any good.