Category Archives: books

How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher From Galillee by Bart Ehrman 2014/ 371 pages rating 8 / history of Christianity Although Ehrman is no longer a believer, he presents a fair picture of the “historical” Jesus … Continue reading →

The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels 1979 /182 pages rating 8 / history of Christianity Interesting exploration of how the gnostic gospels interacted with orthodoxy and to shape the Christian church as it developed. Good book – it’s not about … Continue reading →

Heatstroke: Nature in an Age of Global Warming by Anthony Barnosky 2008/ 288 pages rating 7 / non-fiction/ environment Not a top-notch anything, but pretty good for a freebie. The focus of Heatstroke is the effects of global warming on … Continue reading →

A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz 2003/ 517 pages rating 7 (but parts are 10) / fictionalized memoir Perhaps I’ve just read too much Israeli history and lit to really appreciate this book. It started out quite … Continue reading →

Asunder by Chloe Aridjis 2013 / 192 pages rating 7.5 /contemp fiction By day Marie, like her great-grandfater, is a guard at the British Museum where she watches the paintings and patrons as well as thinks. After working hours she … Continue reading →

The Red and the Black Stendhal – 1830 rating- 10/ French Classic A bleak yet somehow charming and in the end complex satire of hypocrisy in love and politics (of all kinds) during the Restoration Era in France. Julien Sorel, … Continue reading →

A Tale For the Time Being by Ruth Oziki rating 8.5 / contemp. There are at least two interwoven stories involved in this tale. The first concerns Yasutani Nao, a 15-year old Japanese girl, partly raised in California, who writes … Continue reading →

Posts right now only (no “pages”) as I’m working from my iPad alone, traveling with lots of time to read but very limited internet access other than the 3G.  This will likely continue for a couple months.

The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy 1886 / 62 pages (Kindle) rating 10 / Russian classic If you haven’t read this book please put it on your “to be read” list – somewhere near the top.  If you have … Continue reading →

The Idea of Israel: A Study in Power and Knowledge by Ilan Pappé 2014 / 313 pages (Kindle) rating: 9 – historiography/memoir (!) This is an amazing book!   I decided to read it as an antidote to My Promised Land and it … Continue reading →

My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of IsraelAri Shavit2013 / 464 pagesrating – ?   – memoir/history Later:  Considering the title, I took this book to be a memoir, not a history or official anything. I took it to … Continue reading →

No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA and U.S. Surveillance State by Glenn Greenwald May 2014 / 288 pages rating  8 / current events The first two chapters are riveting. Chapter 3 is jam-crammed full of very specific information … Continue reading →

Troubles by J. G. Farrell 1970 / 480 pages rating 10 / hist fiction Farrell is an under-appreciated genius in my opinion, and it’s especially apparent in this sad yet humorous award-winning novel about the time of “Troubles” in Ireland circa 1919-1921 … Continue reading →

Capital in the 21st Century by Thomas Piketty 2014 / 696 pages rating 10 (yes) / non-fiction – economics So what’s up with this new and very hot-selling economics book, “Capital in the 21st Century” by Thomas Piketty? Published in … Continue reading →

A History of the World in Six Glasses by Tom Standage 2005 / 311 pages rating 9 – history Standage is not an historian but rather he calls himself a journalist and author. He specializes in comparing historical events and … Continue reading →

Candide by Voltaire 1759/ 100 or so pages rating 10 / classic-satire The entire basis for this book is that a young man named Candide is taught by his Professor Pangloss that “this life is the best of all possible … Continue reading →

Seeking Enlightenment … Hat by Hat: A Skeptic’s Guide to Religion by Nevada Barr 2003 / 223 pages Rating: 9 / spirituality, essays This is a collection of essays dealing with the author’s ongoing path toward and life since enlightenment, … Continue reading →