Here's the stuff I read while I was on my summer vacation. Not as high volume this year because of a lot of other things going on. Still was productive.
Clapton, The Autobiography - Not really a tell-all like recent rock biographies. More like a story of a guy from England that overcame his addictions. It just happens that this particular guy's one of the most influential rock and blues guitarists ever.
Chessplayer by William Pearson - Somewhat typical 80's era cold war US/Soviet spy book. It was interesting. Lots of action. Lots of cold war paranoia and spycraft. Good ending.
Flower Net by Lisa See - Another cold war era book. A murdered Triad honcho puts an LA lawyer together with a Chinese cop to work out what happened and who's responsible. Lots of more cold war intrigue in both LA and China. It was alright. Lots of twists and turns. Interesting ending. Good lead-in for the Olympics being in China this year.
The World is Flat by Thomas L Friedman - This was a crazy book. Also good timing with the Olympics in China. Basically, it's a book talks about how various factors have flattened the world in the context of global economic competition. Lots of information about where we are, how we got here and how to deal with it going into the future. Very eye opening.
The Good War by Studs Terkel - Memories about World War II from the people that lived through it. The people that fought the war from all sides, as well as the people that were left on the home front. It's a testament to the hell that is war and also to the men and women that went through it. They are the greatest generation.
The Shack by William P Young - It's a story of a man who meets God in the shack where his daughter died and spends the weekend learning about the nature of God and himself while working through what he calls The Great Sadness. There are reviews of this book all over the place but make no mistake...this is a Christian book. It was interesting. I haven't really decided what I think about its message.
The Idiot by Dostoyevsky - I tried...I really did. I wanted to make it through this book but I couldn't. Well written classic literature. Not enough action to keep me going while I'm at the beach.
The Murderer Next Door by David Buss - This is more of a psychology and anthropology thesis than a regular book. The author's theory is that while most of us won't ever kill another person, the drive to kill is built into how our brain works. He works to prove his theory by using both modern crime statistics as well as archaeological evidence. I'm not done with this book either. It's interesting though. Should finish it off in a week or so.
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