Category: NonFiction

by Susan Orlean, 2018 What a fantastic writer Susan Orlean is! I haven’t read a book that flows this beautifully since Herman Wouk’s, The Caine Mutiny. She details the Los Angeles Public Library fire that happened on April 28, 1986. One of the first things she tells us is why we’ve never heard of this […]

by Tim Bauerschmidt and Ramie Liddle, 2017 When Tim’s mother, aged 90, is diagnosed with uterine cancer, rather than undergo months of chemo, radiation, etc., they invite her to go on the road with them (Tim, his wife, Ramie, and their standard poodle, Ringo). She says to the doctor, “I’m ninety years old. I’m hitting […]

by Mary Roach, 2013 Funny book about all the sensationalist science on the alimentary canal, starting with taste (it’s almost all about our nose) down through all the digestive processes. She reports on a wine-tasting comparing six bottles hidden in brown paper bags. “‘At least one is under $10 and two are over $50…Over the […]

Practices that Transform Us, by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, 2005, Scanned 12/9/18 A very thorough book covering spiritual disciplines by defining them, providing Scripture verses regarding them, and exercises to build them.

A Field Guide for the Independent Traveler, by Evan S. Rice, 2017, scanned 12/8/18 Very interesting, packed little book full of all kinds of fun facts for travelers: The difference between a hobo (traveling worker), a tramp (works only when they have to), and a bum (refuses all work) Don’t worry so much Don’t pack […]

by Patricia Nelson Limerick with Jason L. Hanson, 2012 Excellent writer, she covers the history of Denver water from the mid-1800’s to present. The west was a desert, but when gold was discovered and people moved here, they needed water to live and they transformed the desert with lawns, trees, flowers, and bushes, because they […]

Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church, by N.T. Wright, 2008 Very deep book about the resurrection of Jesus and the power of it – that God brought heaven and earth together at that moment, and the power continues to radiate through us who believe. The idea that we are not Christians […]

by Phillip Keller, 1983, 2002 “A True Story of Transforming Love” He adopted a fearful, distrusting, wretched, miserable sheep dog (like us before God) and turned her into a happy, beloved, obedient, helpful, indispensable sheep dog for his ranch in Vancouver, Canada. He applied the lessons he learned from training her (Lass) to us in […]

by Erik Larson, 1999 Interesting account of the hurricane that struck and almost completely destroyed Galveston, Texas, on September 8, 1900. Told on the basis that the Weather Bureau made grave errors due to pride and ignorance, so Galveston had no warning of its impending doom. Isaac Cline was the Galveston Weather Station’s chief. Over […]

by Joan Johnson and Paul Xanthos for Brown Physical Education Activities Series, 1967 Short book (88 pages) describing everything you need to know about tennis. Under “Values:” Tennis can truly be called the sport of a lifetime, since youngsters can begin at about six years of age and their grandparents may still be playing even […]

The Arrow Writer's Handbook, Scholastic Inc., 2000 Short book (32 pages) for children packed with tips on writing. I particularly liked the tips on how to get more details into your writing: Use names. Think about exact colors, shapes, and sizes. Use comparisons. Notice all the details, even those that might not seem important at […]

100 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy the Things That Really Matter, by Elaine St. James, 1994 Easy to read, fun little how-to book on simplifying your life. Some parts are outdated (“Drop call waiting,” “Stop the Junk Mail,” and “Get rid of your car phone”) and there is no mention of social media, e-mail, […]

by David McCullough, 2005 (Merlin’s book) Nonfiction about the War from late 1775 to early 1777, takes us through the early, early stages of the War for Independence. What I learned is how terrible and dire our straits were. We had a sick, deserting, poor, unarmed, ragged army against the most powerful, experienced army in […]

by Rick Warren, 2008 “Let me blunt: you are the source of most of your problems. Even when other people cause you problems, your natural response often makes them worse…The middle letter of sin is I, and whenever I place myself at the center of my life, I sin…Sin is our greatest problem, and it […]

by Joe Stahlkuppe, 2000 “Gameness requires that they never give up.” Great book about APBT – History of the breed and everything you need to know about the APBT. Dog-Aggressive but not human-aggressive. “Avoid places where dogs are allowed to run free.” “Never let your APBT fight or even mock-fight with other dogs.” “To an […]

by C.S. Lewis, 1945 People get on a bus, arguing, cruel to one another, leave a gray ugly place – go to a beautiful place – get off angrily and in a hurry. Meet “saints” sent to greet them one-on-one. One person is confronted by a saint who was a murderer who humbled himself and […]

by A.J. Jacobs, 2012 Pg. 253, 1996 study by Izumi Tabata – Japan: 20 seconds huffing a bike as hard as possible followed by a 10 second rest, for a total of 4 minutes, 4 times a week – raised endurance, lowered blood sugar, improved lung capacity, weight loss. He writes for Esquire. He’s pretty […]

by Senator Joe Lieberman, 2011 Rediscovering the Beauty of the Sabbath Shabbat Shalom! Shabbat land He is a devout Jew and he observes the Sabbath every week from Friday sundown until Saturday sundown and 3 stars visible. No TV, phone, computer. Every light they want on gets turned on before the Sabbath and stays on […]