In the year 2005 I finished
17
books.
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Angels & Demons
Author: Dan Brown
Format: Book
(528 pages)
My favorite Dan Brown book. The Da Vinci Code might have been more edgy and more movie-maker-friendly, but I got into A&D a little more than DVC since I could relate to its Sunday School bible references better than DVC's Renaissance art.
Rating: 10 out of 10
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Blink : The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
Author: Malcolm Gladwell
Format: Book
(288 pages)
Origin: Borrowed From Friend
Not as captavating as Tipping Point, but a great read none the less. Although several ideas are thought provoking, I felt like he left items a little too open ended for someone trying to prove a point. It does not make his arguments any less interesting. The concepts are still facinating.
Rating: 8 out of 10
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Digital Fortress : A Thriller
Author: Dan Brown
Format: Audio
(384 pages)
A little bit of a let down for me since I had already read DVC and A&D before this one. I soaked up the geeky subject matter (encryption), but found that the story followed a familiar formula except with weaker characters. A little far fetched in places and a chase/escape that seemed to go on forever. Still enjoyable but fails in comparison to other Dan Brown books.
Rating: 7 out of 10
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Invisible Monsters
Author: Chuck Palahniuk
Format: Book
(278 pages)
Felt a little too similar to Chuck's other nomad based stories. A nice twist towards the end, albeit a little less than a surprise.
Rating: 7 out of 10
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Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right
Author: Al Franken
Format: Audio
(377 pages)
Incredibly funny look at the right. Some of the thoughts on GWB were so funny that it scared me. I'm still amazed that this country would re-elect GWB. Could have done without the chapter with the comic. It was useless.
Rating: 8 out of 10
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Lullaby
Author: Chuck Palahniuk
Format: Book
(272 pages)
Fizzled ending certainly put a damper on this original story. Always the cynic, Palahniuk tells a story that questions society (again), but his lack of a quality ending seems to put his insight to waste.
Rating: 5 out of 10
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MCSA/MCSE Self-Paced Training Kit (Exams 70-292 and 70-296): Upgrading Your Certification to Microsoft Windows Server 2003
Author: Microsoft Corporation, Dan Holme, Orin Thomas
Format: Book
(1000 pages)
Plot is weak. The characters are one dimensional.
Rating: 1 out of 10
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My Losing Season (Alex Awards (Awards))
Author: PAT CONROY
Format: Book
(416 pages)
A disturbing look at how someone can be the target of several destructive male role models (father and coach). The difficult task of being a student, athlete and soldier without getting positive reinforcement from any of the three.
Rating: 8 out of 10
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Prey
Author: Michael Crichton
Format: Book
(384 pages)
A little far-fetched, but an enjoyable ride. I would consider this similar to a "popcorn movie"... a "popcorn book", if there were such a term. We have seen all of these types of characters before in Crighton books, but in a good way. It becomes familiar like a reunion instead of being too predictable
Rating: 8 out of 10
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Ric Flair: To Be the Man
Author: Ric Flair, Keith Elliot Greenberg
Format: Book
(332 pages)
Glorifies Flair's rambunctious drinking days a little too much for me. However, it provides insight on the behind the scenes politics that occurs in the wrestling business. In an individual "sport", Flair demonstrates how to be a team player.
Rating: 8 out of 10
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Star Wars, Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Author: Matthew Woodring Stover
Format: Book
(432 pages)
Initially bought this book to learn about the movie before it came out, but thought better of it after 1/3 of the way in. Once I returned to the book after watching the movie, I was hoping for some insight not found in the movie. All I got were a few missing scenes with the eventually Rebellion senators (Organa, Mothma, etc) Did not gain anything additional from the book.
Rating: 6 out of 10
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Survivor : A Novel
Author: Chuck Palahniuk
Format: Book
(304 pages)
The most cynical book ever. Probably standard fare for Palahniuk. Questioning religion and hero worship appealed to me. The ending was so-so, if not predictable (pun intended)
Rating: 9 out of 10
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The Da Vinci Code
Author: Dan Brown
Format: Book
(464 pages)
Loved reading this book. I think its a combination of Angels & Demons and Digital Fortress.
Rating: 9 out of 10
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The Five People You Meet in Heaven
Author: Mitch Albom
Format: Book
(198 pages)
Simple and sappy. Doesn't take much to read between the lines and see the underlying messages. The book means well, but it just wasn't for me.
Rating: 3 out of 10
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The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
Author: Malcolm Gladwell
Format: Book
(304 pages)
Clever theories about how some ideas become popular while others fail. In depth analysis on how these ideas spread like epidemics. Highly recommended
Rating: 10 out of 10
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Watchmen
Author: Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons
Format: Book
(416 pages)
A lot less comic book-y than expected, although there are heroes as the main characters. There are many layers to this tale and I found it interesting to peel back each one only to find another layer. Highly recommended.
Rating: 9 out of 10
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What's the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America
Author: Thomas Frank
Format: Book
(320 pages)
A little more Kansas-centric than I expected. Some good analysis of the contradictory dicotomy that Kansans have in their state. Hoping for more of a "how this relates to the current state of America" angle. Gives some insight on the shift towards conservative in this country, but theories lose some momemtum as soon as they are taken out of Kansas.
Rating: 7 out of 10
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You: On A Diet: The Owner's Manual for Waist Management
