Barkskins by Annie Proulx
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I'm giving this book 2-1/2 stars in my Reading Log. It had some interesting aspects, but overall, I didn't feel there was much of a pull for me to keep "reading" (I listened to this audiobook on my iPhone--and it was loooooong!--borrowed from the library, re-borrowed...); didn't feel there was enough of an engaging plot & some of the characters were just bland. The story took place over a couple hundred years--which is always a challenge to pull off in a novel--and had insights into the challenges & lifestyles of early loggers/barkskins. It also gave a window into life & challenges among the early native peoples of "New France" (Canada)--and early New Englanders.


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Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don't Know by Malcolm Gladwell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Really enjoyed this latest foray from Gladwell. Insightful--and very, very sad hearing the details of cases like Sandra Bland's and the misapplication of the Kansas City policing procedures. Hard to believe how much our own intelligence agency has had the wool pulled over our eyes by the Cubans--and other, no doubt. Watch your implicit default-to-trust levels! Listened to the creative audiobook on my iPhone--borrowed from the library.


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Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a sad tale of how-the-mighty-have-fallen...and taken so many with them, both willingly & unwillingly. Theranos, Elizabeth Holmes and her scary CEO/boyfriend Sunny Balawi--Exhibits A in a case of "your sin will find you out." Shame, shame on them and their hard-nosed, arrogant, hurtful & deceptive methods in a field where lives are dependent on the results they claimed to be providing (in their case--the so-called results...). Great investigative reporting by Carreyrou of the WSJ. Borrowed from the library.


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The Education of a Coach by David Halberstam
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Loved this look at Coach Belichick's life history in regards to his incredible football sense, prowess, & practices. He has proven to be the best football coach...ever. And he's humble enough to just keep on working and looking forward to next week's game and everything needed to get everyone focused on doing their job, in order to be successful. Library ebook.


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Accessory to War: The Unspoken Alliance Between Astrophysics and the Military by Neil deGrasse Tyson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Interesting look at the convergence of astrophysics/science and the military/war. Some of it pretty deep--literally, deep space. Very informative regarding the race for space & all the developments that have been spawned for a variety of uses from this field. Listened to the audiobook on my iPhone--borrowed from the library.


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Alone on the Wall by Alex Honnold
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Really enjoyed hearing both first & second-hand accounts of Honnold's various out-of-this-world climbs; though this was written before his Free Solo climb on El Capitan in Yosemite. Listened to this on my iPhone--borrowed from the library.


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Along the Broken Bay by Flora J. Solomon
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Interesting story set in WWII with how one woman (& her family) had to cope with the invasion of the Philippines by the Japanese. The treatment of Filipinos and the captured Allied armies was despicable.


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The Culture Key: Successful Investing and Entrepreneurship in Frontier and Emerging Markets by Curt G. Laird
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Good insights on doing business/relationships cross-culturally. Curt is a friend and it was great getting to know him & his family for a couple years while we crossed paths in Afghanistan together. Great practical examples from his experience in helping to set up the cellular phone company, Roshan, in the "early" days of development in post-Taliban Afghanistan.


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Not That Kind of Girl by Carlene Bauer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Giving this 3-1/2 stars on my Reading Log. Was interesting to read the thought processes over the years that this author went through with regards to her faith. Gave some insight into how this modern generation thinks & does...just don't understand some of it!


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Tracks: One Woman's Journey Across 1,700 Miles of Australian Outback by Robyn Davidson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A real fascinating look into the audacious adventure of a young Aussie lady back in 1977, who was fascinated by the wild camels of Australia's outback. She also turned out to be quite the Aboriginal rights spokesperson--when it wasn't popular--and a savvy & reflective writer. Well-written memoir that keeps your interest as it moves from one amazing part of the long & difficult adventure to another--across some 1,700 miles of desert/outback/bush. Borrowed from the library; read on my iPad.


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Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters by N.T. Wright
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Excellent book on who Jesus was/is--He is "the same yesterday, today, & forever"--and on what He accomplished in his earthly life, and what He meant by proclaiming that "the Kingdom of God has come near." Listened to it on my iPhone; borrowed from the library.


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Been So Long: My Life and Music by Jorma KaukonenMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I became interested in Jorma Kaukonen in his post Jefferson Airplane & Hot Tuna years--though I always liked Hot Tuna's tunes. Jorma Kaukonen just didn't register with me. I think my becoming more familiar with him was from some of his great Americana/blues solo work. That in turn got me more interested in his Hot Tuna years. I saw Jorma & Jack Cassady as the more recent incarnation of Hot Tuna at the House of Blues in Boston back in 2015/16 or so--along with Steve Earle. Loved when they played together at the end of the show. Also loved that G. E. Smith was playing in Hot Tuna then. Didn't realize Jorma had a Finnish background and spent many years growing up overseas, as his father worked for the State Dept.--including some years in Karachi, Pakistan! I'm giving his bio 3-1/2 stars in my Reading Log. Not bad, but not great--and I would have liked more transparency overall. Jorma doesn't hide that he had struggles, but he seemed to deal with them so casually. 
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Leadership and the One Minute Manager by Kenneth H. Blanchard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great insights/reminders on what Situation Leadership (SLII) is and how one can be a better leader when implementing various leadership styles, depending on the *situation* (development level & needs of those you lead). Easy-to-read and grasp presentation of SLII.


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The Vikings by Frank R. Donovan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thoroughly fascinating exploration into the annals of history--around the 8th-11th centuries--centering on the exploits of the feared/fearless peoples from the North, Norsemen, more commonly known as the Vikings. This reading was inspired by the Vikings series from the History Channel that we've been watching, and the desire to learn a bit more background on my ancestors, as I'm half Swedish by heritage. The Vikings went farther & wider than believed, and were responsible for reshaping the history of Europe and the West more than most people know.


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The Godfather by Mario Puzo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A tale of an immigrant Sicilian family who rise to the heights of wealth & fame/infamy through carefully orchestrated honor obligations--and subtle threats & a good pinch of violence. Classic honor/shame, debt/obligation, favor-for-favor cross-cultural context, rooted in the family's origins in Sicily. The movie does an excellent job of mirroring the book & its dark family origins and practices.


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Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fascinating book on an important topic--how television/media have become all about entertainment--that is even more poignant/critical in this day & age of the smart phone ("hey!--look up & talk to me!") and social media ("It's me! Me!"). Postman has a firm, cynical--bordering on snide--and authoritative voice throughout the book; he makes his case for the massive shift that television (& image(s)) have wrought on public discourse & thinking. It's only gotten worse since he wrote this treatise. It's getting worse still. But, I'm still a little cynical myself about all his cynical conclusions and think there is a proper & beneficial place for how technology has developed our abilities to connect and network with people all over the world. On the other hand, as Postman incisively points out, there are also great dangers to a distracted & enticed public. And, yes, advertising = the devil; when $$ drives what is shown & how it is shown & disseminated, you get deception, ignorance, and slick misinformation. Borrowed this from the library; read on my iPad.


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Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book and its stories of hard work & perseverance--as well as the specific contexts that led people to greatness. Putting in the time, hard work, persistence, practice, and application are all so key to becoming an expert in whatever it is you desire.


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The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Had not read this A. W. Tozer classic in many years; found it very refreshing, instructive, encouraging and spot-on theologically. Lifts up and shines the spotlight on the glory of God like few other books.


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This Shall Be a House of Peace by Phil Halton
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Thought this might be an interesting read, but overall it was rather a drag & dragged. It's a fictional telling of the origins of the Taliban, though by my understanding, a quite rosy re-telling. It does remind one that in the beginning--when they were getting their start--the Taliban had high aspirations & dreams for bringing peace to a land wracked by warlords, bandits, perverts, and law-breakers (well, was there really any law, since there'd been war & civil war for some 15 yrs?). But, it was all based on a very simplistic, extremist view of Islam that was skewed by the hateful/vengeful perspectives of the Muslim Brotherhood, which gave birth to al Qaeda...which led to ISIS/Daesh...which led to horrible repression, deaths & killings, buckets of ignorance, etc. Not to mention a lack of any kind of joy & pleasure in things like music, flying kites, etc. "House of Peace"--NOT--only a sham & shame & fruit that gave no life & that brought only death & destruction. All only a focus on the external, a fastidiousness of dry & dead religious rules/laws, completely lifeless & bringing only death & the destruction.


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The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On by Dawn Eden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second book I've read by Dawn Eden and it was well worth it. She makes a very cogent argument for (the real meaning) of chastity--and for keeping oneself for marriage (whatever has happened previously--yes, there's always time for a new start with God's mercy!). With her experience, she makes a solid case for why she wishes she'd done things differently before she turned her life over through a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. This is counter-cultural stuff, for sure, as it runs against the widespread trend and normal practice (at least in the West) to have causal sex before commitment in life-long marriage. A cheapening, a deception, a ruse, that only leads--as Eden says--to a more dislocated & lonely existence.


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Selection Day by Aravind Adiga
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My 2nd Aravind Adiga book--I'd have to say I liked the first one, White Tiger, better. But, since I've been learning more lately about the game of cricket & its players, there were some enjoyable things about this fictional tale. Listened to this audiobook on my iPhone; borrowed from the library.


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The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Such a great audiobook--loved the narrator's performance. Takes you back into the days of the great British houses and their professional butlers, valets, housekeepers, etc. I think Downton Abbey's chief butler was modeled on the character of the protagonist. Listened to this on my iPhone; borrowed from the library.


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The Siege: 68 Hours Inside the Taj Hotel by Adrian Levy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well-written & documented book on the horrible terrorist attacks (perpetrated & controlled by a Pakistani terrorist organization that ISI ultimately sanctions) on Mumbai in 2008. A focal part of these horrific attacks that killed over 160 people was the seige of the world-class Taj Hotel. Part of what led to the high number of casualties--both killed & wounded--by the 10 trained terrorists was the inexplicable delay on the Indian government's behalf in getting their specially trained anti-terrorist troops to Mumbai (and the actual attack sites) from New Delhi. Inexcusable disorganization with deadly results. I listened to the audiobook, borrowed from the library.


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The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fascinating (& disturbing) investigation into the effects of all the technological "advancements" that have come along with the rise & development of the internet and the digitalization of all things. Not to mention the 24/7 "on" button that streams everything, causing multiple interruptions & distractions. It is all having an effect on us and our brains & ways of living & working. Some great insights from neuroplasticity in this book--a relatively new science studying the incredible structure & adaptability of our brains. Bottom-line: the more distractions we encounter, the less our long-term memory is able to build/retain information & learn from it. We need times of deep thought, reflection, quiet, solitude in order to learn, gain understanding, and to inculcate ideas into our minds. I listened to this on my iPhone; borrowed from the library.


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Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Steve Coll
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is Pt. 2 of Coll's series that brilliantly expose the events leading up to 9/11--and those following the dastardly 9/11 attacks. Coll does an excellent job of unpacking the issues & events & missteps of the US' government and various agencies in its response to 9/11--the focus being the on-going conflicts in Afghanistan & Pakistan (yes, still on-going in 2019 & not likely to be over soon...hey, we're still engaged in Germany & S. Korea after 60+ years!--what did you expect??). I appreciated the nuances Coll depicts in the US relationship (can't really be called much of an alliance) with Pakistan--and it's military & I.S.I. leaders. Mostly, there's lots of missteps & miscalculations exposed--and outright duplicity & forked-tongue speak. If you want to know why the on-going situation in Afghanistan is so complex, read this account by Coll, backed up by solid research and hundreds of interviews. And maybe do a little more in-depth thinking and research next time when you think that outright military might & money can solve complex & implacable issues on the far side of the globe.


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The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It really is an extraordinary story--27 years in the woods of Maine...and just a few minute's walk away from a bunch of summer lake cabins. Amazing that he went undetected for so long. Finkel does a great job of unraveling the mystery of the hermit of the Maine woods. Sad, sad in places; inspiring in other places. Borrowed from the library.


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Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church by N.T. Wright
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My first NT Wright book--really enjoyed his biblical insights & overall exegesis. Wright also has a very engaging writing style, even though he's explicating deep & serious theological issues. Wright's reminder that Christianity's view of heaven & the resurrection is not gnostic or dualistic is very important--Christ's resurrection was the "first fruits" clearly demarcating that God's eternal Kingdom (the "Kingdom of heaven" Jesus announced) had broken into the kingdom of this world, and that those who truly believed & followed Him would also be fully resurrected bodily to be participants in the fully restored future "new heaven & earth." That hope now fuels believers & followers of Christ to work for the Kingdom of heaven that is even now breaking out all over the present earth. Borrowed the ebook from our library.


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Belichick and Brady: Two Men, the Patriots, and How They Revolutionized Football by Michael Holley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great read & insights into the depth chart & tactics of the "Patriot way" and the phenomenal success of the NE Patriots since all the magic started in the 2001 season. Yes, that's right, 18 years ago. Never been a dynasty quite like it...and, no, I don't believe it's over yet. Brady & Belichick are still going strong! Great & "mediocre" & bottom-wrung players on the Pats come & go--and the Pats have seeded/ceded countless players & coaches to other teams--but the magic just keeps on happening. Sorry, Patriots-haters in the 44 other states...you'll just have to read 'em and keep weeping. And shame on ESPN for their mistaken & un-retracted stories & tweets that fueled the so-called Deflategate--that's just wrong, as is the Commissioner, one too many times...maybe time for you to move on too?? Roger that?? Oh, you gotta love 18-1 season (!) after "Spygate" and then the sweet revenge & payback when Brady & Belichick & the Pats won their 5th Super Bowl (of 6 so far, don't forget) after the 4-game Brady suspension. Listened to audiobook, borrowed from the library.


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How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My third Mohsin Hamid book. I'm giving it a 3-1/2 stars in my Reading Log. I liked the narrator's voice overall, very chatty and witty. Quite a bit tongue-in-cheek, with a good dose of cynicism, the narrator outlays the challenges and difficulties of a fictitious person in a fictitious rapidly expanding Asian city (in South Asia) who is attempting to get ahead in life. The vagaries and ups & downs of life in the so-called Third World, with its corruption, cultural clashes, traditions, and fast-changing pace of life. Borrowed from the library.


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The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

One of the most unusual, unexpected, amazing, powerful testimonies I've heard--pointing again to the power of the Gospel to bring about a transformation that would otherwise be impossible. And an amazing testimony to the power of hospitality and, yes, relational/friendship evangelism (with a good dose of the Gospel & God's Word).


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SuperFreakonomics by Steven D. Levitt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fascinating follow-up to their first book, Freakonomics. Some amazing insights--with humor--on things great & small in our world; e.g. an ingenious & relatively simple way to stop hurricanes from forming (and saving billions of dollars of damage done each year)...Loved the audiobook narration (by one of the authors)--borrowed the audiobook from the library.


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The Gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book by Rosaria Butterfield follows from her amazing testimony detailed in The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert. It packs a powerful punch and includes very personal & specific stories of real people (the Butterfield family) doing real practical hospitality with their neighbors and fellow church members. It is an excellent example of how lives transformed by the Jesus & the Gospel can adorn the Gospel and draw people into God's Kingdom. In my opinion, a book that every Christian should read and prayerfully consider putting into practice, whatever their situation in life. A biblical call & challenge to a "radical" way of life, because, unfortunately, so many believers aren't living out the normal life patterns that are part of the ordinary call of being disciples of Jesus. Yes, it's just a call to be "radically ordinary" in how we live as Jesus followers in a fallen, broken world. I listened to this audiobook on my iPhone and enjoyed Rosaria's reading.


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The Church in Babylon: Heeding the Call to Be a Light in the Darkness by Erwin W. Lutzer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm giving this book 3-1/2 stars in my Reading Log. It had some very good points & insights; it also had some that were a bit overstated, I thought. But, overall, a solid & good book with some practical recommendations for living out our faith in a relativistic world.


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Big Game: The NFL in Dangerous Times by Mark Leibovich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I loved this book and the humorous voice of Mark Leibovich (as read by the narrator--excellent job!), even when talking about quite serious issues. Lots going on in the NFL in recent years--the so-called "Not For Long" league--and Leibovich does an excellent job in employing sarcasm and unflinching truths about it, in an engagingly irreverent tone. I gave it 4-1/2 stars in my Reading Log. Especially loved the "slant" that Leibovich has as an avid Patriots' fan, given that he grew up in the Boston area (and the olden non-golden years of the awful Pats), and the access he gained to both Brady, Belichick, and RKK (ah, Robert Kraft, as he likes to be referred to, while looking directly into people's eyes...or was it he being "directly looked" at in his eyes?). Published just prior to the season where the Patriots won their 6th Super Bowl--and seem poised, possibly, to going on with Brady & Belichick to win SB #7...we hope. And, surely, we'll watch those rewinds/replays over & over again...Borrowed this audiobook from the library.


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The Prestige by Christopher Priest
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Not bad, but not great. I think the shifting perspectives and timeframes made for difficulty in reading continuity. Want to rewatch the movie--which, as I remember, has made some pretty significant changes to the book.


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Brave Companions: Portraits in History by David McCullough
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm giving this 3-1/2 stars in my Reading Log. This is a collection of articles and some speeches of McCullough, and so not a proper book on its own. Some interesting characters highlighted in these portraits, some more interesting than others. Loved his commencement speech to the Dartmouth Univ. class of 1986. Study history--soak it up & learn from it. So much to learn; so many who have blazed trails ahead for us to follow and be inspired by. Borrowed from the library...and only makes me want all the more to go visit the Library of Congress in DC.


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Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy by Anne Lamott
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Loaned from the library--listened to on my iPhone. Lamott is in her own category; some good stuff, some a bit fuzzy/relative...


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J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I gave this bio of J.R.R. Tolkien a 3-1/2 stars in my Reading Log. It was pretty good--though I would have liked more details on the long, drawn-out process and twists & turns of Tolkien's writing of The Lord of the Rings trilogy--and maybe more of how his son, Christopher, managed to finally finish up The Silmarillion book that Tolkien had labored over for so many years. Borrowed from the library.


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Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster by Adam Higginbotham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A well-researched, documented, and written account of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant's reactor #4 meltdown. Higginbotham has done an excellent job interviewing all the main characters--still living 20 years later--who were there as the meltdown happened and/or were involved in the cover-up & clean-up. A damning look at the sloppiness, arrogance/hubris, mistakes, ignorance, and downright criminal actions of Soviet officials right up to the highest offices in the empire...a crumbling "empire" that was helped out of existence due to the long-lingering effects of Chernobyl's meltdown and its unbelievable associated costs. All the shining promises of nuclear were set back years & years by the events surrounding the bad design flaws and operator failures--and irreversible negative effects--of the meltdown at Chernobyl's reactor #4. Borrowed from the library.


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Apollo 8: The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon by Jeffrey Kluger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amazing read about the history-making voyage of Apollo 8 & its crew--the first manned space flight to the moon (they orbited 10 times) and back. What a thrill to read the details of how this unfolded and the challenges NASA faced in moving one step closer to the "giant leap for mankind" soon coming with the mission of Apollo 11. Borrowed from the library.


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Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains by Jon Krakauer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Excellent group of articles on various climbing adventures. Borrowed from the library.


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Shoot Me First by Grant Lock
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Some good stories & adventures detailed in a the Lock's 24-years of service in both Pakistan & Afghanistan. I gave it a 3-1/2 stars on my Reading Log.


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Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The second bio I've read on Teddie Roosevelt, though this one is focused on his earlier life and does not include anything on his presidency. Roosevelt was quite an interesting character and his short (died when he was 60 yrs. old) was densely packed with such varied experiences. This is one of McCullough's earlier works and I found it not as well written or as engaging as most of his others. I gave it 3-1/2 stars in my Reading Log. Borrowed it from the library.


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Trouble In Mind: Bob Dylan's Gospel Years - What Really Happened by Clinton Heylin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this book at the same time as listening to the newly-released Trouble No More, Bootleg Series, Vol. 13. Great combination, detailing specifics of Dylan's turn to Christ and his "Gospel Albums" & tours between 1979 - 1981. When I first heard that Bob Dylan--the 60s revolutionary folkie & rock 'n roller--had come to Christ and was naming Jesus' name, it was hard to believe. I rushed out and bought "Slow Train Coming" and was blown away...and have been ever since with Dylan's work, both pre & post-conversion. It stands the test of time.


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The Fallow Season of Hugo Hunter by Craig Lancaster
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Loved this spin-off from Lancaster's Edward series [600 Hours of Edward]. This book was a read-aloud by my own personal audible.com, my wife Chris. We had some driving time on our trip back to the US in Nov.


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The West and the Rest: Globalization and the Terrorist Threat by Roger Scruton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a very insightful book on the whole issue of the "global terror threat," delving deep into the philosophical, religious, and political underpinnings of Western & Islamic civilizations. There are serious differences in how modern-day countries (and national political entities are a relatively new construct) have developed their governmental policies versus how traditional Islamic civilizations have evolved. Unfortunately, in recent years, as the author points out, there are many who have come from Muslim majority countries ("The Rest") to make their homes in Western countries--yet they have not become nationalized, but under their new political/religious freedoms have sought to take advantage of and to bring down countries/cultures which have Western political values ("The West").


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Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think this is my 4th Liane Moriarty book--but my first Audiobook version of one of her novels. It was thoroughly enjoyable--both the unfolding story & tension and hearing that peculiar Aussie accent. Even at 1-1/2 speed that accent was intriguing! And the narrator did a fantastic job with the various voices. Probably most intriguing was the voice for Vid--the Slovakian or Slovenian that he was. Moriarty is the master of the chronologically cut-up & from differing perspectives story. Bit by bit you get more & more revelation of what went on at a certain climax point--the build-up & characterizations to that point so key to a fuller understanding of all that took place at that particular moment in time. Each book of Moriarty's that I've read has been better than the last. Looking forward to another one soon!


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Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Finally...had to read this book, as it's my wife's favorite-of-all-time book and DVD series. It was OK. Maybe I need to read it a few more times...


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The Unbearable Lightness of Scones by Alexander McCall Smith
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a totally delightful read, this! I think it might be one of my favorite McCall Smith books so far. This book--Vol. 5 from the 44 Scotland Street series by Alexander McCall Smith--continues developing the intriguing characters connected to the apartment building located on 44 Scotland Street in historic Edinburgh, Scotland. Some great twists and stories as the characters interact and intersect with other unique Edinburgh personalities. McCall Smith has such an amazing way with words--so homespun, yet deeply intelligent and weighted with delightful sensibilities. Delightful, engaging, ruminating, refreshing, and thoughtful & realistic thoughts and conversations by some colorful characters. Grab a good cup of tea--or good coffee, like the kind served up at Big Lou's Cafe--and any of McCall Smith's wonderful novels, and you won't be sorry; no, you'll be delighted and will be smiling most of the way through an enjoyable read.


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The Envoy: From Kabul to the White House, My Journey Through a Turbulent World by Zalmay Khalilzad
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Khalilzad gives a great personal & close-up tour of some very significant times in modern history--especially with regards to America's post-9/11 involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq. Amazing that a man who grew up in Mazar-e-Sharif & Kabul found himself in the inner circle of leaders from the most powerful country of the world at such a critical time. Khalilzad made a difference in these engagements, though his counsel was not always listened to or acted on. Remarkable man with a deep grasp of geopolitics.


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