Guest of the Revolution by Kathryn Koob
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

After reading "Guests of the Ayotollah," which gives one the bigger picture, I enjoyed this personal view of one of the 52 American hostages held for 444 days in Iran, back in 1979-1980. Her faith carried her through with grace and made a big difference.


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The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds by Alexander McCall Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Loved this book of the on-going happenings in/around the witty, philosophically-inclined character of Isabel Dalhousie in another chapter (Book 9) of this classic Alexander McCall Smith series.


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Remembering Afghanistan in a Time of Peace, 1958-1960: A Personal Recollection: A Personal Recollection by Charles T. Scott
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Interesting reading, as the author was a colleague of my father's with the Columbia Univ. Teaching Team in Kabul, Afghanistan in the late 50s. Gives some insights into life in Afghanistan 50+ years ago (some things haven't changed all that much).


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The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael   Lewis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Just finished this book (thanks, Coco!) and absolutely loved it. Movie was good--but it was only a part of the depth presented in the book on the amazing story of Michael Oher and the evolution of the offensive/defensive strategies in the NFL involving the QB and the left tackle. I gave it a 4-1/2 stars on my personal reading log.


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The Dust of Kandahar: A Diplomat Among Warriors in Afghanistan by Jonathan S. Addleton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Enjoyed this personal reflection journal of a book that gives some great insights into the political & military life, over the year (2012-2013) that the author spent living in Kandahar. I was living in Afghanistan at the same time (in Kabul), and had the privilege of traveling to many places across the country. I did not get down to Kandahar during those years, but had made several trips to Kandahar early on--between 2003 & 2007. Addleton's perspective & viewpoint was very different from mine-and so it was very interesting to get his side of the on-going Afghan story--through the eyes of a diplomat, always surrounded by "warriors" of the US & other militaries. I remember reading about the tragic suicide bombing attack in Zabul in 2013--now through Addleton's pen, I feel like I was there and lived through it. A miracle that he survived; God has further plans for his life, that's for sure.


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Contagious Disciple Making: Leading Others on a Journey of Discovery by David Watson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Excellent & insight/practical handbook on what it means to be a disciple maker and how foundational that is toward seeing Disciple Making Movements (DMM) develop. I was especially challenged by their chapter on a disciple's prayer life and am seeking to implement some of those lessons into my own prayer life.


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What W. H. Auden Can Do for You by Alexander McCall Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this book because I wanted to learn more about the modern poet, W. H. Auden, whom Alexander McCall Smith often references in his Isabel Dalhousie philosopher series.


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Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Read this in preparation for teaching a StrengthsFinder module at our GLI (and have been sitting in a course this week being taught by a friend at ILD).


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The Word Painted: The Five Books of Moses Illustrated by the Masters by Eleanor DeLorme
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fascinating and well-written dual commentary that is quite unique. The author, Eleanor DeLorme, and one of her sons, Charles, provide a fascinating journey through the Pentateuch--the Five Books of Moses that begin The Bible--using paintings & frescoes of the great art Masters. Not only is there great commentary on all that occurs throughout the narratives God inspired Moses to pen--and there are some of the greatest biblical stories in his five books--but one is also given an erudite education on art through the lives and works of some of the greatest painters of all time. Fascinating historical accounts all-around that are blended together in a very engaging and stimulating manner. I only wish that the Kindle edition was able to provide the art work with a higher quality resolution, as it was sometimes hard to make out the details in the paintings so well exegeted by the authors. But I also know that Eleanor's other son, Stuart, put a lot of time & effort & diligence into securing the rights to the artwork==and so am very thankful that images of all the paintings & frescoes were included. Thanks for your hard work, Stuart--and for letting me know about this wonderful book in the first place.


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I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fast-moving thriller focused on a terrorist plot to infect millions of Americans with a hot, fast-acting, deadly smallpox virus. This was a long book that doesn't fit the normal "thriller" novel length, but I enjoyed it all the way through. Good part of it took place in Turkey.


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Farewell Kabul: From Afghanistan To A More Dangerous World by Christina Lamb
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is really a Vol. 2 of which "The Sewing Circles of Herat" is Vol. 1; it covers the history of Afghanistan since 9/11, whereas the "Sewing Circles" basically covered up until 9/11. Very well reported overall and insightful; Lamb has been a reporter in the region for many, many years and had access to many of the key players, including former President Karzai and other members of his cabinet & staff. Heavily influenced by a British perspective, as Lamb embedded with British forces in the south a number of times and had the inside contacts there. The Brits--and basically everyone else--are shown to be rather unprepared for all they were to encounter in their attempts to "pacify" southern Afghanistan.


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Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewish Words of Jesus Can Change Your Life by Lois Tverberg
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Connecting the Old with the New

Enjoyed this book that gives some very good insights into things Jesus said that are best understood from a Jewish perspective and with the background info/texts that He would have been familiar with. I give the book a 3-1/2 stars.


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Rabbi Jesus: An Intimate Biography by Bruce Chilton
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I think we picked this book up from a yard sale. I could tell from the beginning that it would be quite a liberal spin on the life of Jesus--the kind of thing that the fatuous Jesus Seminar would produce (Chilton worked with that ultra-liberal project). But, I thought there might be some good historical stuff to glean from this book and so pressed on. Well, there were some insights worth the read, but overall it was a sad, liberal, twist-it-to-make-it-fit-my/our-liberal-biases volume. Who came up with the title that included "intimate?" Speculative and watered-down, weak-kneed would be more appropriate. The emphasis on the Ezekiel "Chariot of God" rabbinical experience and the "person who was a person" (Chilton's translation of "Son of Man") got tiring and only served the author's intention to present Jesus as a brilliant rabbi--a young disciple of John the Baptist (??)--whose dreams of overturning the Roman rule of Palestine were prematurely squashed by a politically fearful Pilate & jealous Jewish leaders--and whose "alleged" resurrection was all a mystic vision of his deluded disciples who thought it would be a neat idea to start a new religion to carry on Jesus' teachings. What rubbish! Please, Mr. Chilton, read and mediate on this: "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." (I Cor. 15:17-19).


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The Martian by Andy Weir
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book--virtually borrowed over the miles from our library back in the US. Poo-poo to all the reviewers who say otherwise! This is the kind of "sci-fi" I can get into that has realistic characters and scenarios based on real science. Fascinating story that unravels with just the right amount of tension and believability. Humor also that was well done and added to the unfolding intensity of the story. A very strong debut novel by an author who will go far.


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Perfect Soldiers: The 9/11 Hijackers: Who They Were, Why They Did It by Terry McDermott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A well-reported & written book about the 9/11 plot and how it developed. Gives good background on all 19 hijackers who carried out the 9/11 attack, though the main focus is on the 4 "pilots" and on KSM, who was the mastermind behind the plot. There is also good historical background on Islamic extremism as it developed over the years through the aegis of people like Osama bin Laden/al Qaeda & the key leaders he worked with over the years. Thanks, Dylan, for the birthday present!


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High Crimes by Michael Kodas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very interesting & engaging read on the way that the bigger, "professional" climbing expeditions have brought some less-than-desired change to the Mt. Everest area. There are some charlatans and egotists operating under the guise of guides--buyer beware, as it could lead to a tragic end. I liked the emphasis in this book on the north side route from China--and learned much more about that side of Everest, as the typical book on climbing Everest is a south-side, Nepalese perspective.


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The Seven Sins of Memory: How the Mind Forgets and Remembers by Daniel L. Schacter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Fairly interesting book overall on the subject of the vagaries of human memory--with lessons learned from animal memories as well--though it wasn't the most engaging book. Had to push my way through it and there was quite a bit of technical jargon along the way. Insightful, though, and bottom-line: our memories' strengths & weaknesses all end up serving us in multiple ways, connecting us to others and to our time-space context, helping us to negotiate our way through complex lives. Though not stated, our minds & their connected memories are an amazing testimony to the intricacies & complexities of our creation by a Creator who leaves nothing to chance.


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Pioneering Movements: Leadership That Multiplies Disciples and Churches by Steve Addison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Good book that focuses on what it means to have a vision for having true discipleship training of believers (disciples) who multiply themselves and the churches they plant--which results in swelling, impacting movements.


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Testimony by Robbie Robertson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fascinating firsthand narrative from someone who lived through the early days of rock 'n roll and who made incredibly valuable contributions as a member of the highly creative group called The Band. Robbie Robertson is an amazingly skillful & creative guitarist who started touring with Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks as a 16 year old teenager. Through his songs--in collaboration with the other incredibly gifted members of The Band--Robbie left an indelible mark in the development of rock 'n roll, helping to really develop and move forward what is today known as Americana or Roots music. Old hillbilly mountain music that is real, raw, story-based & character-driven, with a wide spectrum of instrumentation & harmonies, all if which is very moving, memorable, and totally engaging. Classics too many to name, like The Weight, Up On Cripple Creek, Rag Mama Rag, Stage Fright, Chest Fever, Across the Great Divide, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, Orphelia, The Shape I'm In...the list goes on & on. Go listen to some of their early recordings and soak it in: Music From Big Pink, The Band, Cahoots, Rock of Ages (live), and also the absolutely exquisite The Last Waltz CD & movie (directed by Martin Scorsese). Then there's also--of course--The Band's work as Bob Dylan's house band and their work on The Basement Tapes (ah, so classic!), Before the Flood, & Plant Waves.


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Killers of the King: The Men Who Dared to Execute Charles I by Charles Spencer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I did't know much at all about the English Civil Wars period of the 17th century (1600s), the period in which this book takes place. It started out rather slow and a bit hard to follow, given my ignorance of the times & people, but it picked up pace for me following Charles I's public execution and then, after the restoration of his son, Charles II, the hunt & often grisly demise of the "regicides," those responsible for the execution of Charles I. A vivid reminder that people down through history have always done horrible things to each other (did you ever really comprehend what is meant by someone being "drawn, hung, & quartered?") and of the utter seriousness with which the idea of "treason" was historically considered. Interesting also to learn of the involvement of so many Puritans in attempts to turn England into a republic. I ended up giving this 3-1/2 stars in my reading log.


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Inside the Revolution: How the Followers of Jihad, Jefferson & Jesus Are Battling to Dominate . . . by Joel C. Rosenberg
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Borrowed this from Hoopla.com and wished I didn't have to read it on the computer (couldn't get it to download to my iPad). Some very encouraging testimonies in this book of how God is at work mightily across the Middle East & Centra Asia. Didn't agree with everything, but a decent read overall that had some great mini-biographies of some key personalities/believers. I gave it 3-1/2 stars in my Reading Log.


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The Solitaire Mystery: A Novel About Family & Destiny by Jostein Gaarder
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is my least favorite Jostein Gaarder novel so far; not surprising, since it was his first one and he was developing his-story-within-a-story style. It just seemed to drag on too long and not to have as much substance as his other books, though I could see some flashes of his coming brilliance shining through here & there.


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This Is Bishkek Baby by Fogarty Wells
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Fun to be reading about places & streets in a city that is somewhat familiar from various visits back in the 1990s.


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The Gospel according to Bob Dylan: The Old, Old Story for Modern Times by Michael J. Gilmour
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Enjoyed this book that looked more closely than most at Dylan's references to and interactions with the Bible/Gospel and talked more about where he is spiritually. I liked it, though I had hoped for a little more insight than the author gave. Fact is, Dylan is a very private person--though a huge public figure--and he is not one who generally plows out a nice straight linear line in whatever he does. If you want to get a real good feel for how that works out--give Dylan's Chronicles, Vol. 1 a read. It's an amazing book, but it anything but a chronological telling of his life! And where is Vol. 2 of the 3-volume series, Mr. Dylan? We're waiting...anytime now!


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The World According to Bertie by Alexander McCall Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another excellent read in McCall Smith's 44 Scotland Street series--this is Vol. 4. Lots happened to the various characters connect with the 44 Scotland Street apartment--and Bertie, the young & precocious boy who plays sax and speaks Italian, continues to struggle heroically under overbearing plans of his rather eccentric mother.


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Resolving Everyday Conflict by Ken Sande
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very good, insightful and practical counsel on resolving conflicts. To the point and a good reminder of an integral part of our calling as disciples of Christ.


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88 Days to Kandahar: A CIA Diary by Robert L. Grenier
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was an interesting enough read overall, though it had some of that "can't-give-you-all-details" feel to it. Well, what do you expect from the "confessions" of a real spy master? I gave it a 3-1/2 stars in my reading log. This was another library e-book. What I was most interested/intrigued by was the info Grenier sheds on the US/CIA/military's relationships with Pakistan's so-called intelligence agency, the ISI. I have a better view of them after this reading and, no doubt, they played a big part in helping the US capture number of al Qaeda operatives (many lower level ones). But, I think Grenier was just a tad too positive on them, given his official political position and intelligence agency partner relationship. So much of what they do/represent is two-faced, give-here-while-taking-there, backdoor, duplicitous operations that involve outright treachery & bald-face lies. While taking billions of US dollars with one hand, they have trained, armed, planned, and supported terrorists & terrorist operations with the other hand. Of course, in this part of the world, you have to work with what you've got...

I think Grenier's concluded chapters are very insightful and spot on with regard to what the US/coalition has done over the years since 2001--and his comments on Obama's "clear" disengagement timeline and the results to be expected have proven true. But, the new great game isn't over yet--and things continue to develop even now in 2017 that give pause for hope for a better & more stable Afghanistan. May it be so.


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Gold by Chris Cleave
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was an alright read--not great, not bad. Gave it a 3-1/2 stars in my reading log. Mainly about 2 women Olympic bike riders and their ups & downs. I liked the other 2 Cleave novels I've read better: Incendiary & Little Bee.


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The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson by Jeffrey Toobin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I watched the well-done series on Netflix last year and wanted to get more of the nitty-gritty details from the book on which it was based. We missed most of the hoopla over this tragedy of a trial that was supposed to be about a tragic double murder, in order to find the truth of who was responsible--and to then mete out the appropriate punishment. This book clearly shows what a joke it all became and clearly unmasks the seedy side of well-heeled, biased, & race card focused defense lawyers--as well as the judge's & LAPD's absolute media-craving/star-ogling weaknesses and the absolute incomprehensible legalistic machinations & ridiculousness that resulted in such an obviously flawed verdict. Not to mention the brazen race-focused jurors & public, manipulated and spurred on by the likes of sick/seedy media & power hungry lawyers like Cochran, Shapiro, & Bailey. "In it to win it"--totally for the money and the attention. And the brazen narcissism & arrogance & outright duplicitous denials & posturing of O. J. are enough to make one sick these 20+ years later. Sad, tragic & classic case of an outright travesty of justice [not to excuse any of the many other travesty of justices down through US history in the cases of white jurors & black defendants who never had a chance]. Where's the justice in it all, when we supposedly stand for a rule of law nation? It all too clearly illustrates the biblical declarations concerning the hearts of humans:
"16 There are six things that the Lord hates,
seven that are an abomination to him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that make haste to run to evil,
19 a false witness who breathes out lies,
and one who sows discord among brothers." (Prov. 6)


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The Ministry of Guidance Invites You to Not Stay: An American Family in Iran by Hooman Majd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very interesting memoir of an Iranian-American married to an American who went with their young son to live in Tehran for a year, not long after the heavy repercussions to the reformist Green Movement in 2009. Some good insights into Iranian culture and attitudes.


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The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fascinating account of the amazing Wright brothers and the development of their flying machines and piloting skills. Thoroughly enjoyed this read by the eminent historian, David McCullough, who could make the history of practically anything a fascinating, education, worthwhile and engaging read.


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Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fascinating read, especially when you know people who have come from this kind of stock. So sad to see the state of so many American families; so amazing to see that some not only survive and inspire their kin (Mamaw & Papaw & a sister & aunt), but some then go on to do very well and to thrive.


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The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It took a bit to get pulled into the book and the characters, but once that happened, it was a great story and read. The setting--Boston & Cambridge--was a real plus, as were the historical characters: Longfellow, Holmes, Lowell, and J. T. Fields--the publisher (Atlantic Monthly & many other literary works).There is also some great background & insight into Dante Aligheri's classic poem, The Inferno.


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