Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations, by Daniel Yergin, 2020 Informative book. Learned that we’ve gone from being worried about running out of oil to being a major exporter of it, mainly as Liquid Natural Gas (LNG). We are one of the big 3 oil producers: USA, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. Also learned that […]
by H. M. Tomlinson, 1930 This was a book recommended on the book-a-day calendar that Christie gave me. I almost gave up on it at the start because it was so difficult to read – big words I didn’t know the meaning of, long sentences, etc. But, I hung in there and I’m so glad […]
by Richard A. Swenson, M.D., 1999 Wayne read this book; I only read the last chapter (at his instruction) and skimmed some of the other chapters. It’s an interesting theory – as we “Progress,” we also increase the “fallenness” in our world: “Because our world is fallen there is at least something wrong with everything.” […]
by Maria Uspenski, Founder of the Tea Spot, 2016 Jennifer bought this book for Chris and Stufi and it looked intriguing so I got it from the library. She recommends 5 cups of green tea per day. She lists food high in Polyphenol antioxidants: Spinach, Acai Berries, Walnuts, Wild Blueberries, Tea Leaf, Goji Berries, Broccoli, […]
by Steve Green with Bill High Steve Green is the president of Hobby Lobby. This book was recommended by Al. It’s a short, sweet little book about the Bible. You can tell Steve Green loves the Bible. I think it would appeal to brand new Christians. It’s a chronological recap of the most important stories […]
by Stephen Mitchell, 1979, with Introduction 1987 A translation of the book of Job, but he doesn’t include Elihu, saying that it was a later addition and of inferior writing. He also leaves out Chapter 28, the Hymn to Wisdom. He calls God the “Voice in the Whirlwind.” In his Introduction, he talks about the […]
by Mark Twain, 1880 Delightful tramp through Germany, Switzerland, and Italy with Mark Twain and his mysterious agent, Mr. Harris, in the late 1800’s; funny, beautiful, and educational. The landscapes in Germany and Switzerland are beautiful, except there seem to be some villages in Switzerland that are full of manure (walking through “fertilizer juice.” His […]
500 of the World’s Greatest Trips, National Geographic, Second Edition, 2018 Beautiful “coffee-table” book describing 500 trips by water, road, rail, foot, culture, gourmet, action, flight, or following historical footsteps. I liked the following: Utah: Driving Route 12 from Bryce Canyon to Capitol Reef, highlight is hiking slot canyons and below red rock spires on […]
by Bill Bryson, 2015 This book is a hilarious trip through England with the funniest writer alive, Bill Bryson. What a joy! What a great escape! It’s laugh-out-loud funny on every page. I didn’t realize that Wayne would be interested in reading this book, but he was. And what’s more, he’d like to spend a […]
National Geographic, 2019 Beautiful “coffee table” book listing the 100 best dives in the world. Definitely for scuba diving, not snorkeling–deep and full of sharks. The book is divided into dives for beginners, intermediate, and advanced & all-levels. Here are notable dives that maybe we could do? South Water Caye in Belize Something Special in […]
by Jason Fung, MD, with Jimmy Moore Adam and Danette recommended a documentary about fasting that was by the same author. We weren’t able to get it from the library but the book was available, so that is why I read it. It is causing a paradigm shift for me because I always thought going […]
by Bryan Stevenson, 2014 Excellent book! I’m not sure where I heard about it but I’m so glad I read it. Bryan Stevenson is a lawyer who started the Equal Justice Initiative. We needed him and, unfortunately, we still do. He works tirelessly to free innocent men from death row, to end the death penalty […]
by Erik Larson, 2003 Heard this book mentioned by Karen, our Old Town Library Book Club leader. True story about the building of the World’s Columbian Exposition, a world’s fair, in Chicago in 1893, and a psychopathic serial killer, H. H. Holmes. The fair is completed against all odds: Architects not completing their designs on […]
by Isabel Wilkerson, 2010 Fantastic book! Heard about it from Karen, the leader of the Old Town Library Book Club, during our discussion of American Prison. It’s long (550 pages) but gripping and eye-opening. We learn about ‘America’s great migration’ through the true stories of 3 black people who left (really, escaped) the South (Ida […]
Seven Days at the Links of Utopia by David L. Cook, PhD, 2006 Adam recommended the movie, “Links of Utopia,” as being very, very good. I ordered it via Prospector at the Library but didn’t pick it up before they closed for Covid-19. Then, when they reopened the Library, again I didn’t pick it up […]
by Hope Jahren, 2020 Book about climate change by the author of Lab Girl. Excellent! No BS, just the facts, but she’s funny and honest, and ‘hope’-ful. Love this scientist-author. She’s a gift. Her thesis is that the developed countries use more than they need of everything, resulting in carbon dioxide output that is causing […]
by Shane Bauer, 2018 This was one of the books for our Old Town Library Book Club. We are going to discuss it tonight via Zoom. Shane Bauer is a reporter for Mother Jones and goes undercover as a guard in a for-profit prison in Louisiana for 4 months in 2014. The company that runs […]
by Jenny Odell, 2019 Too many big words and thoughts! This young lady is just too smart! She doesn’t appear to believe in God so all of her deep philosophizing is for naught because, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” Psalm 127:1 Without reading the book, Wayne predicted […]
Matt Kracht, 2019 This was supposed to be one of the funniest books of 2019, but it’s mainly an unfunny, potty-mouthed berating of birds. He likes to use the f-word, butt, dumb, gd, etc. I didn’t read it for that reason, just scanned a few. Here’s what he says about the wonderful chickadee that is […]
Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy, 2018 Painful, scary book about the opioid epidemic, which started with the release of Oxycontin by Purdue Pharma in the mid 1990s. This was a drug so powerful and so over-prescribed by doctors in the Appalachian areas, that many were addicted and when […]