Recent Reads:

	The No Spin Zone: Confrontations with the Powerful and Famous in America - Bill O'Reilly -Excellent read! I am a big fan of his show and his book was just as good as his show.
	Ronald Reagan- How an Ordinary Man Became an Extraordinary Leader - Dinesh D'Souza -Well written account of the Great Communicator. Showed why he was criticized and also why he is often called one of the top 5 presidents in US history.

 

Mere Christianity- C.S.Lewis -A wonderful book on Christian belief. Check out excerpts from it here. He covers many subjects prevelant in todays society and gives rationale behind the Faith. He does it so eloquently, and he does it without quoting scripture, which I find amazing because he is just SO ON THE MONEY! A must read for anyone, Christian or otherwise.

Addicted to Mediocrity- 20th Century Christians and the Arts- Frankie Schraefer -I almost skipped this book because I do not consider myself an artist, but the book defines an artist in a way that all of us are covered in this book. Schraeffer revives the idea that all we do, as long as it does not mislead and is not sinful, is a Christian work. All you do at work is art. There should be no boundaries between Christian and secular activities. A remarkable and easy-to-read book that is insightful and timely. He too tackles many tough ideas that plague our society today. Excerpts can be read here as well.

Shadow- Five Presidents and Their Legacy of Watergate- Bob Woodward -I almost skipped this book too when I realized who Bob Woodward was (a liberal journalist from the Washington Post). But I am glad I percevered and read it. You know, it IS good to read books from the Dark Side sometimes to get their vantage point. ;) It was extremely informative, even though it does have a liberal slant. It goes over the scandles of each administration and has an extremely detailed inside view which is intriuging. I found it very interesting that he spent 1 paragraph talking about Operation Noble Eagle, the horrifically failed operation that Carter spearheaded to save the Iranian hostages, while spending the rest of the book, basically talking about Iran Contra. The normal liberal slant... I skipped the part on Clinton because I have SO many books on him to read by authors who would tell it more like it is, like Barbara Olsen. in all, a good informative read. just be aware of who wrote it and weed through the liberal side-speak. Excerpts here.

	Bias- A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News - Bernard Goldberg -I was very excited about this book. ...Maybe too excited. I thought it was a very good book, but was somewhat disappointed because I expected more juicy info. It was very well written and very informative and well worth a read. Excerpts.
	Seven Myths of Gun Control: Reclaiming the Truth about Guns, Crime, and the Second Amendment - Richard Poe -As much as I looked forward to Bias, I did not look forward to this book. I thought it was going to be over the top, like many conservative books, but was greatly surprised. A superb book that is both informative and balanced. It shows stats to back up claims. Very convincing and very much worth the time to read.
	Senseless Secrets- The Failures of U.S. Military Intelligence - Lt. Col. (Ret) Michael Lee Lanning -Well written book that discusses military problems that have consistently plagued the US from inception to the present. Truly eye-opening and a book that is hard to put down.
	Every Man A Tiger- Tom Clancy with General Chuck Horner (Ret.) -My first Clancy book. His nonfiction is said to start off slow and be a bit dry. I concur. It was filled with great information and was very much worth the read for anyone that studies war.
	The Art of War - Sun Tzu -Whether Sun Tzu actually existed or if it was really a conglomeration of authors over history does not really matter. This is the quintessential book on strategy and planning. The context is that of war, but it can be used in any competitive walk of life. A must read for everyone who has ambition to succeed.
	Teach Yourself the Old Testament - Gordon McConville -Well, I got this because I wanted to learn and this book looked interesting. It talks about the history involved and goes in-depth into reasons for statements made that would normally leave us saying "....What!?!" It is a nice addition to my library and has helped in my understanding of the Bible. I must add that this book is NOT written from a Christian viewpoint since the Old Testament is recognized by Islam and Judaism.
	Black Hawk Down- A Story of Modern War - Mark Bowden -I knew nothing about Somalia or this operation before reading this book. It was recommended to me by a friend. I read it before even hearing that they were making the movie. A truly moving book that is very candid about the operations in Somalia. The movie is very close, but I would read the book before seeing the movie, if possible. I am very glad I read this. Very difficult to read because of the deaths, but I could not put it down. A definite high recommendation.
	Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter #1) - J. K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter #2) - J. K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter #3) - J. K. Rowling -I was given the e-book version of these books and read them as I waited around with nothing to do since I could carry them in my PocketPC. I found them surprisingly entertaining. I had heard a lot of bad things about the fact that they deal in witchcraft. I was not left with a bad image of the books because of this. With a little parental guidance about reality, these books should not lead your children into the realm of witchcraft. It WILL give them a sense that good will prevail and imagination is endless. The books are sequential, but they are fairly good about explaining things if you pick up at another book besides #1. The explanations are not overdone to the extent that it is boring either. Nice mix. I thought each of the three books was equally as good. Although, I must say that I began to tire of the similar plots in book #3. Hence why I did not push to get book #4 in e-book format. Return to DaveStuff Menu