Summer Reading List

Sorry, it's been over a week since my last post. I had several bad days in a row and little I wanted to talk about. Feeling a bit better today.

In honor of "Back to School" season, I give you my "completed" summer reading list. Which ones do I recommend the most? Harry Potter, Empire & Princess of Wands.

Cat & Mouse by James Patterson
Pop Goes the Weasel by James Patterson
These books are smack in the middle of the Alex Cross saga. This is a great pulp-fiction, detective-thriller series. There are times when I admittedly get pissed off at Patterson for screwing Alex's life up so much. Thus, I tend to read it in chunks.

Alex Cross is a DC detective and an all-around noble guy. He believes in his community and his family. When bad things happen in his part of town, nobody cares except Alex and his friends. But, Alex's skills take him out of the "hood" and into international hunts for serial killers. Unfortunately, all too often these killers come knocking at Alex's door.

I have the next two books Roses are Red & Violets are Blue, but I'm saving them for later.

The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren
This book is supposed to be the be-all, end-all of modern day American Christian living. Horse-shit! Perhaps my liberalized Lutheran viewpoint is skewed too much. Perhaps, I'm just stupid. I couldn't stand him. The simple truth is that all his practices rest on a foundation of theology that I cannot agree with. As a one-time scientist, I can't agree with a theorem that's constructed upon a viewpoint I simply can't share. I hated the book. That said, it did drive me screaming to my next reading.

The Large Catechism by Martin Luther
Ah brother Martin, how I love (Philia) you. I realize that Luther's writings read like a text book, but man it makes a lot more sense that the mushy crap that people spew today. Want to understand the 10 commandments, the creed, the Lord's prayer, and the sacraments? Look no further. If you only read the Small Catechism or if you read this years ago (like me,) pick it back up and read it.

Harry Potter IV-VII by J.K. Rowling
Yes, I read 4 Harry Potter books. Yes, I did it in under a week. Yeah, I was feeling like crap and sat in my chair for most of it. So what? It was great fun. No one paragraph can do Potter justice, so I'm not going to try. Let me just say that Neville is my favorite character.

The Icewind Dale Trillogy by R. A. Salvatore
The legend of Drizzt Do'Urden among D&D players starts here. Every idiot that ever rolled up a "good" drow then whined when their DM killed the character starts here too. I've read several series by Salvatore about Drizzt & his friends as they battled the forces of evil, but never the original. Set in the fantasy world of the Forgotten Realms, the story of Drizzt is a story of dwarves, elves, orcs, dragons and all that stuff. I read Salvatore's stuff like I read Patterson. It's just easy fun.

Princess of Wands by John Ringo
For years I've asked my buddy Bruce to recommend some books to me. He kept mentioning John Ringo. This summer, he gave me this book. I couldn't put it down. Great reading. Ringo has a knack for description and details. This book is like nothing else I've read. Set in modern day, it's about a "holy warrior" who battles the forces of evil, deals with the stereo-types of being a faithful Christian and still has time to pick up her kids from school. Yes, "her!" Barbara Everette is my new favorite action-hero!

Empire by Orson Scott Card
Imagine modern-day America. Imaging the far left & far right nut-jobs finally having enough of one-another. Imagine civil war in modern America. Can't do it? Neither could I. Card does a fantastic job of making impossible fiction a probable possibility. It does so and reminds us that the majority of Americans live in the middle. Bruce, you must read this book!

Books I'm still working on...

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
A very funny story about the end of the world. The anti-christ is born, but due to a mix-up at the hospital, he's missing. Now it's up to an Angle & a Devil to find him before their bosses do and stop Armageddon.

Marley & Me by John Grogan
A story about a couple and their insane dog. I've read a few chapters and it's funny. I just keep getting distracted.

Practicing Our Faith edited by Dorothy C Bass
This book was my father's answer to my complaints about Rick Warren. I'm reading it 1 chapter a week. I've already quoted it in this blog. It's about simplifying your life using Christian practices.

My Next Read...

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
So, I went to the library and accidentally picked up Empire instead. This is the book that ALL my friends keep telling me to read. It's the next one on my list. Just got to head back to the library to pick it up.