Books I have read

I like to read all sorts of things, both for their content as well as the author's ability to communicate effectively. I am always in the lookout for great books and great authors. While I've read a few books over the years, it was not until 2006 that I decided to keep track of the books I've read, write a review about them, and decide on my favorite book over a span 12 months of reading. Here is a compilation of the books I've read since 2006 (the score is on a 5-point scale, with 5 being the best read).

Year	aBook	aScore

2012	"Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared Diamond - Book of the year After reading, and throughly enjoying, The Third Chimpanzee I decided to read more from Diamond. A great decision. It's no surprise Gun, Germs, and Steel won the Pulitzer in 1998. The research, scope, and ultimately the sound thesis explaining the rise of Western civilization is excellent. While the almost 500 pages are a little repetitive, the fact is that the plentiful, and edifying, examples strongly support the author's conclusion: geographical and ecological happenstance had more to do with why some, and not other, civilizations rose to power than any genetic difference between peoples. A must read.	5
	"Last Words: A Memoir" by George Carlin Brilliant and throughly enjoyable. From hosting the first SNL show in 1976, appearing on The Tonight Show over 130 times and winning 5 Grammys, to winning the eleventh Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2008, George Carlin said it the way only he could: "I have this real moron thing I do? It's called thinking". Hi memoir does a great job of keeping the voice alive, albeit never as eloquent, or smart, as the real thing. Trying to summarize the overflowing contents of this book would be like trying to understand a man that kept "thousands of notes and ideas in hundreds of files on four Apple computers" by picking one of those notes and claiming it explained the man. His observational skills are legendary, and his way with words was simply unique. If you read this book, and I strongly recommend you do, you'll very likely come to the same feeling I had when I finished: this can't be the end, can it? Seventy one may seem like a ripe enough age to die, yet the New York Boy seemed to just be getting warmed up. Years ago he may truly have "began to recede past Jupiter and its moons, out to the Oort cloud of trillions of comets, beyond the planet formerly known as Pluto, back home with my fellow atoms", but luckily he still liked to "drop in every now and then to show my former species how fucked up they are". For a reader/listener like me, I'm glad he did.	5
	"Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History" by Stephen Jay Gould Any science book that is decades old is bound to have some mistakes, like Gould's erroneous interpretations of some of the Burgess fauna as dead evolutionary ends instead of early relatives of modern organisms. Still, this book provides a wonderful exposure to the Burgess Shale and a very insightful interpretation of what all these fossils may mean to the evolution of life in this planet. In one word: contingency (read: not necessarily an unbroken line of progress from simpler to more complex life forms and fittest doesn't always guarantee survival). The book is full of beautiful drawings of amazing Burgess Shale creatures like Hallucigenia, Canadaspis and Aysheia, which complement Gould's always enjoyable writing style. One of my favorite passages read as follows: "I believe that Whittington's reconstruction of Opabinia in 1975 will stand as one of the great documents in the history of human knowledge. How many other empirical studies have led directly on to a fundamentally revised view about the history of life? We are awestruck by Tyrannosaurus; we marvel at the feathers of Archaeopteryx; we revel in every scrap of fossil human bone from Africa. But none of these has taught us anywhere near so much about the nature of evolution as a little two-inch Cambrian odd-ball invertebrate named Opabinia". After 300 plus pages of a truly enjoyable historical perspective on evolution, and the role contingency plays on who lives and who becomes extinct, the ending is nothing less than inspiring. A must read.	5
	"Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner It would be easy to dismiss this book as simply the opinion of a couple of writers, especially if you believe that traditional sources of information are correct most of the time or that even scientific/expert conclusions are presented/published only after throughly researching a topic most of the time. The fact though is that this is not the case. Levitt and Dubner provide a brilliant, and very well written, account of what can happen when you look closely at what are some of the real reasons behind events whose "accepted" reasons we mistakenly take for granted. This second look, a numbers-focused approach at teasing out the truth, upends conventional wisdom more often than so called experts would like to admit. More to the point, it exposes the fabrications and lies some experts use to manipulate public opinion. A must read for anyone hoping to shave off some naiveté about the news and information accepted as truth every day.	5
	"The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways" by Earl Swift A very well written, and throughly researched, account of the history and people behind the construction of America's interstate system; for better or worse one of the largest construction projects in human history. Swift barely touches on the monumental economic impact the highways had on America, instead focusing more on how the automobile dictated the creation of this system and on the human, and environmental, impact its had in its decades of existence. Full of personal stories and a glimpse back to the roadless America at the turn of the century. Highly recommended.	5
	"The Sun's Heartbeat " by Bob Berman For anyone that takes the time to understand what makes life on Earth possible, it must be very easy to see how much of this existence is due to the Sun. And yet, at least for someone like me, it is amazing how little we know about the G-type star, G2V to be more exact, at the center of our Solar System. The Sun is 1.3 million times larger than the Earth, but only 333,000 times heavier. The Sun's temperature is 27 million degrees Fahrenheit, essentially the same as a hydrogen bomb, and yet a hot summer day on Earth rarely get hotter than 130 degrees Fahrenheit. We are, on average, 93 million miles away from the sun, which means it takes 8 minutes and 20 seconds for the light generated by the Sun, traveling at a speed of 186,000 miles per second, to reach us. Berman introduces these, and many more facts, in a very articulate and enjoyable manner. I was a little surprised though that for an obvious Sun lover Berman left one fact out: the Sun accounts for 99.8% of the mass of our Solar System (the Earth: a mere 0.0003%). Nevertheless he more than made up for that with his insights into Sun spots, Sun flares, magnetism, eclipses, rainbows, aurora borealis, vitamin D, and many other Sun-related phenomena. Our Sun is barely getting started at 4.6 million years of age; may its next few billion years be as interesting as the last 200,000 years have been for one very peculiar specie of mammal living on Earth. A must read.	5
	"The Federalist Papers" by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay The arguments expounded in support of the Constitution of the United States, brilliantly written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison, are a must read for anyone interested in getting a glimpse into the minds of the men instrumental in giving a young country a truly solid foundation for the future. A wonderful example of political writing at its best, full of rational thought, experience, research and logic. As an example of the quality of this document, here is one of my favorite passages: "Men often oppose a thing merely because they have had no agency in planning it, or because it may have been planned by those whom they dislike. But if they have been consulted, and have happened to disapprove, opposition then becomes, in their estimation, an indispensable duty of self-love. They seem to think themselves bound in honor, and by all the motives of personal infallibility, to defeat the success of what has been resolved upon contrary to their sentiments. Men of upright, benevolent tempers have too many opportunities of remarking, with horror, to what desperate lengths this disposition is sometimes carried, and how often the great interests of society are sacrificed to the vanity, to the conceit, and to the obstinacy of individuals, who have credit enough to make their passions and their caprices interesting to mankind. Perhaps the question now before the public may, in its consequences, afford melancholy proofs of the effects of this despicable frailty, or rather detestable vice, in the human character". Sadly true to this day as it was back in 1787-88.	5
	"Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time" by Dava Sobel A short, very well written, account of how the longitude problem was finally solved, by none other than an uneducated clockmaker of unparalleled skills. The fact that John Harrison's tower clock at Brocklesby Park, a clock he manufactured using lignum vitae hardwood that excuses its own grease and as a result works without the need of external lubricants, has been running uninterrupted since 1722 (over 270 year) is testament to this master carpenter's talent. Even more astonishing is the fact that Harrison's clocks never erred more than a second a month, at a time when the best clocks manufactured anywhere in the world erred by about a minute a day. Sadly the English government never supported Harrison's brilliance, mostly because government scientists wanted their own, obsolete, lunar/astronomical solutions to win the longitude problem price. John Harrison died on March 24, 1776, 83 years to the day of his birth, and is fittingly remembered as a martyr among clockmakers.	5
	"A Dog's Purpose" by W. Bruce Cameron A throughly touching story of a dog's multiple lives from the perspective of Bailey the dog. To any dog lover that though they could not love dogs any more than they already do: this book will prove you wrong. As for the rest, this book will be a reminder of how unique a dog's unconditional love truly is. A very well written, fast flowing, and engaging book worth picking up any time.	5
	"Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit" by Barry Estabrook An excellent account of the history of the tomato and how delicious this fruit can be when grown and harvested the proper way, with an emphasis on how the mass-produced and taste-less Florida tomato is produced, including labor practices that are best understood by visiting the museum created by the same workers picking the tomatoes: the Florida Modern-Day Slavery Museum. When asked about the difference between a real tomato grown by Tomatoman (aka Tim Stark of Eckerton Hill Farm in Hamburg, Pennsylvania) and a typical tomato found at a grocery store, Peter Hoffman, chef/owner of the Savoy and Back Forty restaurants in Manhattan, stated: "You can fool a lot of folks into eating crap, but they notice the difference immediately when you give them something truly good". It is easy to forget that a farm grown tomato can be truly delicious, or to eat a tasteless tomato simply because it is convenient and cheap. This book lends further proof, if any was still needed, that growing food in a sustainable manner, without exploiting people, yields by far the best tasting and nutritious food. A must read for anyone interested in knowing the truth behind the tomatoes they eat.	5
	"The Diamond Age" by Neal Stephenson and Jennifer Wiltsie The story of Princess Nell, an underprivileged girl that happens upon a futuristic book/computer, "A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer" ("The Primer" for short), designed to raise and educate a girl to unheard of levels of human achievement. A very creative and engaging plot that is slowly and masterfully delivered, full of colorful supporting characters and side stories. Within the main story one finds a number of short stories told by The Primer to Nell. These stories are truly enjoyable, and meant to teach Nell various life concepts and philosophies. My favorite story was "Dinosaur's Tale". A very well rounded, and original, look at the future, with solid foundations and fleshed out descriptions. Definitely worth reading.	4.5
	"What's The Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of Americas" by Thomas Frank For a topic that could easily be discussed indefinitely, why do poor conservatives elect Republicans that systematically make their lives worse?, What's The Matter with Kansas? provides a 320-page summation, with multiple real-world examples and explanations, of how this culture developed and continues to be an integral part of the lives of so many Americans. Frank takes a successful stab at explaining how Republicans have been able to manipulate the minds of these voters by focusing on issues like religion, creationism and abortion, which have little to no real impact on the quality of their lives, instead of issues that do, like economics and education. Ultimately the Kansas conservative movement is but one example of one of America's outmost freedoms: the right to ignorance. And assuming, as the saying goes, that ignorance is bliss, who is to question people's pursuit of happiness? Or as the author framed it: "The deafness of the conservative rank and file to the patent insincerity of their leaders is one of the true cultural marvels of the Great Backlash".	4.5
	"The 50 Funniest American Writers: An Anthology of Humor from Mark Twain to the Onions" by Andy Borowitz The funniest American Writers, or even the funniest works from these selected American writers, this book is not. It should come as no surprise that the author purposely highlights in the title itself, with a big asterisk no less, that this selection is according to: Andy Borowitz. Still, a decent attempt at an impossible task. Twain's A Presidential Candidate is a solid start, and Dorothy Parker's The Waltz is a 1930s gem. Fifty pages later you get a taste of Lenny Bruce, but that's all, a taste. The next 140 pages could easily be skipped, but what comes after is worth the price of admission and more: John Hughes' Vacation '58, the short story that led to the making of the 1983 movie National Lampoon's Vacation, with Chevy Chase, and quite possibly the funniest story in the book. Dave Barry's Tips for Women is definitely nice, and The Onion's Clinton Deploys Vowels to Bosnia is a fair example of Onion humor. Last but not least, and second only to Hugue's story, is George Saunders' Ask the Optimist! Hilarious. Definitely worth reading, even if one ends up mining for gems amongst stories that are not that funny.	4
	"Options: The Secret Life of Steve Jobs - A Parody" by Daniel Lyons As someone that tends to be described as an Apple fan, mainly because I happen to find that some Apple products are superior to the alternatives, I really wanted to like this book. While painting the late Steve Jobs as a completely self-absorbed-stoned-hypocrite-asshole can be funny, a joke can only be used so much before it becomes an excuse to fill up a book. The author mentions daily colonics/enemas so many times that one wonders if he simply cannot come up with more original material, or believes that one cannot rub off the humor out of an otherwise smart comment. Not worth it, even if buying it used for $2.	3

2011	"The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie" by Andrew Carnegie - Book of the year With an inflation adjusted fortune of $309 billion, Andrew Carnegie is considered the second richest person of all time (behind John D. Rockefeller's $336 billion). To give some perspective, the fortune of Bill Gates stands at $53 billion, while that of Warren Buffett is $47 billion. A beautiful story of a young kid coming to America with nothing and amazing a fortune beyond his wildest dreams. A champion of labor and a humanist, Andrew Carnegie is one of those rare human beings that valued and rewarded hard work. The quality of his persona can best be explain by what he did with all his money: he gave almost all of it away to promote education (establishing thousands of libraries) and peace. His autobiography is beautifully written and gives a glimpse into the man, and a truly remarkable time in US history. A must read.	5
	"The Showball: Warren Buffet and the Business of Life" by Alice Schroeder How to summarize an 838-page book? In this case you don't. The Snowball gives you a glimpse of Warren Buffet's life, his principles, and his genius. To say that his life's story is nothing short of impressive is an understatement. Alice Schroeder narrative makes this book a wonderful read, but it's the man's life itself that transports one's mind to that rarest of places: imagination. Highly recommended, not just for its exciting business stories, but for its portrayal of a man capable of becoming the richest in the world while at the same time having the humanity to give almost all of it away for the betterment of mankind.	5
	"Not For Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade" by David Batstone For those that find it hard to believe that human slavery is alive and well in the 21st century, or forget that we live in a world were freedom is still a luxury and not the right of every human being, Batstone's book is a must read. Not For Sale is a vivid account of how slavery poisons the dignity of people in six areas of the world: Thailand, India, Uganda, Europe, Peru and The United States. It is also a call to arms as Not For Sale is a movement of abolitionists seeking to eradicate slavery. This is not a fun read but an eye-opening one. It will, should, make you angry. And with any luck this book will remind you to feel empathy towards, and do something for, those least fortunate.	5
	"Adventures on the Wine Route" by Kermit Lynch Effortlessly eloquent, Lynch shares his experiences traveling the French wine country in a way that open's one's eyes to what many have called, deservedly so, the elixir of life. Reading through his stories one cannot help but look at wine in a different light: a living thing, a thirstquenchin exploration of the senses, a gift from the earth itself. Kermit does not hide his disdain for the number of "upgrades" winemakers have come up with, from chaptalization, degassing, and the use of mechanical harvesters, filters (some of which contain asbestos), and glass and stainless steel fermentation tanks, to the application of fertilizers, sulfur dioxide, and copper sulfate, just to name a few favorite chemicals. And all this does not even include the high pressure wine is subjected to during automated bottling. But just as one starts to wonder if the fate of wine has been sealed, Lynch comes up with stories of true enological gems that would uplift even the most pessimistic. A true pleasure to read and a throughly educational experience.	5
	"The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal" by Jared Diamond A great discussion about human evolution and evolutionary psychology, coupled with and supported by excellent examples. In addition to tackling topics like sexuality, lifespan, language, art, agriculture, and vice, Diamond delves into two of the characteristics that makes us humans unique: a propensity towards the destruction of all live arounds us, including that of our own species, and a complete disregard towards our environment. Very well written and researched. Highly recommended.	5
	"Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terror" by Richard A. Clarke Instead of adding my own praise to a true patriot, and to this outstanding book, I will share one of the most helpful reviews written in Amazon.com about Against All Enemies: "I lost a relative in the WTC bombing, and I am still hurting. After reading Clarke's book, I know he is telling the truth. I am a registered Republican, but I have had enough of the Bush-Cheney lies. If Clarke was out of the loop and was demoted according to Cheney, then it tells you that terrorism was not a priority to the Bush administration. If it was, Clarke's warnings would have been heeded. Bush's motives for going to war has cost too many lives. He and the Republican party must own up to their sins of omission. A person who is telling the truth cannot be destroyed by all these ferocious attacks by the Republican party leadership. I am very ashamed to be a Republican. Read the book and be enlightened." A must read.	5
	"The Death of Common Sense: How Law Is Suffocating America" by Phillip K. Howard It is close to impossible to read this book and not be angered by it so be warned: this book will piss you off. Having said that, Howard's book is a must for anyone that has been exposed to a very simple reality: when an organization, like the US government, grows a bureaucracy that makes decisions based on written rules rather than common sense, you have a recipe for idiocity. The number of examples discussed is vast for such a small book, and almost without exception every example will shock you if, like me, you only have a cursory understanding our legal system. Unfortunately Howard does not provide solutions to this problem, which makes this book all the more depressing. Very well written and worth the empty feeling it will leave in your stomach.	5
	"Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life" by Carl Zimmer A comprehensive, and very well written, account of Escherichia coli's life and maybe more to the point, its intertwined existence with our own. Rich in facts and details for both scientists, for whom it may well be a must-read, and non-scientists alike. I've always considered good science writing hard to come by, in part because it's relatively easy to make science sound too much like a boring lecture. Carl Zimmer has mastered a style of writing that makes science not only interesting but also highly didactic. Excellent book.	5
	"Eon" by Greg Bear Trying to appreciate what a billion of anything really means, let alone a billion years, or an Eon, provides a great starting point to fully enjoying Greg Bear's wonderfully written novel. The Greeks, who coined the word Eon, used it to describe eternity, or at least their view of what seemed eternal to them at the time (Gods and the universe). To describe this book as simply a science fiction take on the end of the cold war in the 1980s, or for that matter to focus on the Stone/Potato as the central theme of the book, would be a big disservice. With superb writing and an engrossing plot Greg Bear delivers a gem. Highly recommended.	5
	"Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes What else could be said about a novel that won the Hugo in 1959, the Nebula in 1966, an Oscar in 1968 (for the movie adaptation), and eventually became a Broadway musical in 1980? It's science fiction at its best. Profusely original. A must read.	5
	"The Perfect Host: Volume V: The Complete Stories of Theodore Sturgeon" by Theodore Sturgeon This fifth volume, out of ten intended to reprint all of Sturgeon's short stories, consists of 17 stories. The best among these stories were: Quietly; Unite and Conquer; The Martian and the Moron; The Dark Goddess, and Messenger. Stories that are worth reading include: The Love of Heaven; Till Death Do Us Join; The Perfect Host; Die, Maestro, Die!; Scars; Minority Report; One Foot and the Grave; What Dead Men Tell and The Hurkle Is a Happy Beast. Finally, stories that you could well skip include: The Music; Prodigy; and Farewell to Eden. My favorite stories were Quietly and Messenger. Quietly can be summarized by this quote: "You see the amount of trouble a man can get into by talking too much, Quietly? Among men, the less you say, the better. Human beings have, among their other diseases, a crazy desire to explain things, each in his own way. If a man knows little about you, he will fill in the details to suit himself. If you tell him all the details, the chances are that he will not believe you. Let him, and all his brethren, draw his own conclusions about you, and neither confirm nor deny anything. Then he may compliment himself on his insight, and you may be assured of your privacy." These stories are followed closely by The Martian and the Moron, which has this very nice quote: "Half of humanity doesn't know what it wants or how to find out. The other half knows what it wants, hasn't got it, and is going crazy trying to convince itself it already has it". Finally, one of my favorite words of the book, used only once at the end of Scars, was: "cain't".	5
	"The Consolations of Philosophy" by Alain de Botton For someone like me that has not been exposed enough to great philosophers, de Bottom's articulation of what some of the great philosophers have to say about how to live life is nothing short of wonderful. From Socrates on unpopularity, Epicurious on money, and Seneca on frustration, to Montaigne on inadequacy, Schopenhauer on love, and Nietzsche on facing difficulties, de Bottom weaves a story that is as much a conversation as it is a lesson on how to rationally behave, and feel, about what life has in store for us. No quote could do this book justice, but I nonetheless venture to share three: one by Montaigne: "In the friendship which I am talking about, souls are mingled and confounded in so universal a blending that they efface the seam which joins them together so that it cannot be found", one by Schopenhauer: "If you wish to draw pleasure out of life, you must attach value to the world", and finally one by Socrates: "[to have] the strength, under certain circumstances, not to take the view of others seriously". Great writing. A must read.	5
	"The Unfinished Journey: America since World War II" by William H. Chafe It goes without saying that few things are as important as knowing your history, and knowing it well. The Unfinished Journey is a good step towards reaching such a goal. From Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson, to Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan, the positives and negatives of every administration were summarized and discussed in light of the social, economical and geopolitical situation the country, and the world, faced during the first half century after World War II. Interestingly enough in the middle of this period, 1973 to be exact, America lost control over its own destiny: "Prior to that year [1973], America exercised virtually unchallenged economic and military dominance in the world. Afterward, it became a dependent nation". To drive this point home, Reagan was instrumental in letting "the federal deficit soar from $90 billion in 1982 to $283 billion in 1986 - nearly ten times the highest deficit under any previous president". Worth reading.	5
	"The First American Cookbook: A Facsimile of "American Cookery," 1796" by Amelia Simmons The first cookbook printed in America, by an American, using American ingredients. Wonderfully fun to read and a window to life in eighteenth century America.	5
	"Roughing It" by Mark Twain Roughing It is an excellent example of Mark Twain's storytelling: humorous while at the same time informative. The book is an account of his travels from 1861 to 1866, starting with a great narrative of his stagecoach ride to Nevada, followed by a series of stories in California, including a healthy amount of prospecting, and ending with a quick look at how the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) used to be back then. Excellent writing, unique perspective, great historical significance, and outstanding satire.	4.5
	"Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus: A Practical Guide for Improving Communication and Getting What You Want in Your Relationships" by John Gray There is much that I found lacking, and disagreed with, in this book, from the way men were portrayed to the writing style. Still, the following quotes give a glimpse of rare statements that I agreed with: "We must acknowledge that there is an emotional person inside of us who gets upset even when our rational adult mind says there is no reason to be upset. We must isolate that emotional part of our self and become a loving parent to it" and "Men and women need to understand and cooperate with their particular sensitivities and not resent them. You will be addressing the true problem by trying to communicate in a way that fulfills your partner's emotional needs. Arguments can then truly become mutually supportive conversations necessary to resolve and negotiate differences and disagreements". Worth reading.	4
	"The Professor and the Madman:A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of The Oxford English Dictionary" by Simon Winchester I really wanted to like this book, but this story about the editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, and one of its main contributors, the schizophrenic and American Civil War veteran Dr. William Minor, leaves much to be desired. How could a story that spans 70 years and chronicles the definition of 414,825 words, including 1,827,306 quotations that required 227,779,589 letters and numbers (178 miles of typeset), be made into such a cursory book about mostly two men? Despite its superficiality, or maybe because of it, it's a very easy read, and a nice glimpse at a truly amazing literary accomplishment. Clearly a gem for lexicographers, not so much for an average reader like myself.	3.5
	"The Essential John Nash" by John Nash, Harold William Kuhn and Sylvia Nasar The first 30 pages of The Essential John Nash provides a nice glimpse of Nash's life. After that this book is a tour de force in Mathematics, including Nash's PhD thesis both as a scanned document, pages 53 through 84, as well as a transcribed version, pages 85 through 98. Likely a delight for people whose handle of Mathematics is beyond the capabilities of the average Mathematics graduate student, yet well beyond the understanding of the average person. A more significant attempt at explaining some of Nash's published work, and proofs, would have been very helpful. If looking for a compilation of Nash's published works, this is definitely a good source.	3.5

2010	"The Man Who Ate Everything" by Jeffrey Steingarten - Book of the year Many books follow a typical progression: a catchy beginning to attract interest, followed by writing that rarely goes beyond average, likely intended to heighten the appeal of the meat of the book, and an ending that is both slow and unimaginative, a choice likely based on the fact that most readers, once committed well beyond the half way mark, will plow through almost anything to finish reading the story. Jeffrey Steingarten's The Man Who Ate Everything is anything but typical. It is a brilliant composition, a wonderful dialogue about food in all its intricacies, from the most basic, nutrition, to the most sublime, the true gastronomic achievements of the world. While reading this book it was impossible for me not to ask: what makes a book great? Is it the topic, which has to spark my interest? Or is it the quality of the writing? How important is it that the author teach me something I did not know? How important is the research behind the book's claims? Does the book's flow make sense, is it appealing? Does the content inspire me? Do I feel like I cannot put the book down? Good books are those that are able to do one of these things very well. Great books are composed around the rare achievement of doing multiple of these things right. Jeffrey's book achieves the impossible: it does it all. Not only that, but it even taught me what a truly great book can do: teach while being funny, be didactic and yet engrossing, take you away from every day life and make you a participant in an amazing story that you hope will never end. The Man Who Ate Everything is an exquisite collage of achievements around food, cooking, travel, culture, and yes even a slice of science. Pure joy. A must read.	5
	"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot Excellent. A must read! Everything you wanted to know about the most important cell line in human history, HeLa, and so much more. Rebecca Skloot's first book is simply captivating. Her narrative is excellent and her style engaging. She achieved something that one rarely finds in a book of this kind: a solid and very accurate exposition of the science intimately intertwined with the human element. Or better yet, a heartbreaking human story framed by amazing science. Bravo.	5
	"Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origins of Species" by Sean B. Carroll Carroll does it again. A very well thought out and researched compilation of the history of evolutionary biology, told as a series of mini-biographies of the individuals that made the field what it is. From Humboldt, Darwin and Chapman Andrews to Leakey, Pauling and Wilson, these stories are nothing short of inspirational. An open window to the secrets of evolution. Very well written, informative and punctuated by Sean's trademark conciseness. A must read for anyone that wants to get an idea of why life is the way it is, and where we humans came from.	5
	"A Movable Feast" by Ernest Hemingway A masterful narration of the author's life in the Paris of the 1920s. A beautiful rendition of Paris when Paris was Paris and a slide of life full of the kind of romance and fulfillment that is so rare in the world of today. A must read.	5
	"Life of Pi" by Yann Martel If you are looking for "a story that won't surprise you. That will confirm what you already know. That won't make you see higher or further or differently. You want a flat story. An immobile story. You want dry, yeastless factuality", then this book is not it. Life of Pi is a beautiful story told by a master storyteller. It is not just a story about survival, religion, zoology and botany. It is bigger than the sum of its parts and a delight to read.	5
	"California: A History" by Kevin Starr After spending the last two years adopting California as my new home, reading about this part of the world was clearly overdue. This book is very well written, especially considering that it is a summation of Starr's own extensive 7-volume America and the California Dream. How to explain that a nation state that has 0.5% of the world's population is also the fifth largest economy (with $1.5 trillion, or 3%, of the total GDP of the world in 2004)? Many of the facts described in this book, mostly as a chronology of California's past, give hints at the DNA of California. An excellent starting point for anyone that wants to learn about California, and a truly inspiring account of the first 160 years of our 31st state.	5
	"The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals" by Michael Pollan Pollan does a great job of teasing apart the industry that produces the food we eat, and in the process provides something no barcode or nutrient-content label has ever done: an appreciation for where our food comes from. Omnivore's Dilemma presents the strongest argument I've ever read against eating store-bought meat, and for that matter any meat sold at a fast-food restaurant. As someone that loves a good burger, what I read in this book makes me question the pursuit of that fast, cheap and tasty treat. I've never thought about my food as much as this book made me think, and I believe that is something that makes this book a must read for everyone. You will not see food the same way again.	5
	"Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich Nickel and Dimed provides a good picture of what can only be described as modern slavery. As a waitress, a cleaning woman, nursing home assistant, and ultimately as a Wal-Mart associate, Barbara Ehrenreich tried to make ends meet at $8 an hour or less, as 30% of the workforce in the US survives (in 1998). The simple answer is: you can't. The moment people sell their life, on an hourly basis, to earn a non-living wage, toiling under degrading working conditions, dealing with managers that are more enemies than anything else, you can't help but feel that there is something wrong. As with so many other realities of the modern world, such as the lack of a monetary cost linked to environmental pollution, the working poor are a reality that is exacerbated by the choices made by the ones that are better off, such as living in huge houses that could only be cleaned by hired help. Worth reading.	5
	"After Many a Summer Dies the Swan" by Aldous Huxley A story about a rich businessman that lets his fear of death, and various other shortcomings, define his life. Set in the California of the 30s, the book is rich with explorations of class struggle, morality, greed, and philosophy. The book, published in 1939, is likely a reflection of what Huxley experienced upon moving to California in 1937. Beautifully written, full of discussions between well developed characters as well as insightful monologues.	5
	"Green from the Ground Up: Sustainable, Healthy, and Energy-Efficient Home Construction" by David Johnston and Scott Gibson A very good starting point for anyone looking to build a house following environmentally-friendly principles.	4
	"Ali and Nino" by Kurban Said Ali and Nino is not just a love story, but a window into the unique coming together of Asian and European cultures that is Baku (current capital of Azerbaiyan). Kurban Said weaves love with culture so tightly it is easy to forget that one is reading two books in one: a beautiful love story between a Georgian girl, Nino, and a Russian-educated Muslim, Ali and, as Alix Wilber perfectly summarized, a "lovingly rendered evocations of Muslim culture". The richness of the story is only comparable to how well the novel was written. Easily a book that can be enjoyed in small tastes, or fully in one sitting. Highly recommended; it will make you look at culture, and love, in a brighter light.	4
	"Micromotives and Macrobehavior" by Thomas C. Schelling An enjoyable conversation about mathematical modeling that slowly becomes tedious in the later parts of the book. As someone that enjoys Math this book was a treat, yet the repetitive nature, and arbitrary assumptions, took some of the air out of Schelling's analysis. Worth reading, as it presents a not-so-obvious topic using a very accessible writing style	4
	"In-N-Out Burger: A Behind-the-Counter Look at the Fast-Food Chain That Breaks All the Rules" by Stacy Perman The story of In-N-Out Burger starts as a beautiful family story. You have Harry and Esther starting from nothing and building an institution based on a great idea and even better execution. Amazingly the second chapter of the restaurant's history, personified by Harry's son Rich, continues the family tradition of excellence together with a sense of goodness rarely seen in the industry. Sadly the book ends with the reality that the new generation of owners, Lynsi Martinez and Mark Taylor, have none of the Snyder family qualities that made In-N-Out great. The way they treated Esther until her eventual death is nothing short of horrible. That alone makes me wonder if I will ever eat their food again.	3.5
	"Hidden Messages in Water" by Masaru Emoto and David A. Thayne This book draws most of its conclusions from a very simple experiment: if you cool water to the point of freezing, it will form crystals, but only if the water is pure, unprocessed. If the water is not pure, or if the right set of conditions are created, crystals will not form. From this simple observation Masaru Emoto expands on how almost everything can be explained by the purity of water, from people's health to our own emotions and thoughts. While there is no denying that taking care of our resources, like water, is important not just for our planet but our species, the book takes the importance, and significance, of water purity a little too far. Then again that is the purpose of the book, and it is hard to argue that we are not really taking good care of arguably our most important resource.	3.5
	"Food Rules: An Eater's Manual" by Michael Pollan After reading the Omnivore's Dilemma, I am not impressed by Pollan's Food Rules. Yes, it has many good rules about eating well, and you can read this book in an hour or two, but in many ways this book reads more like a cliff notes, or Eating for Dummies, than a true guide to eating well. I even disagree with one of the rules, number 61, which essentially states that you should leave food on your plate, essentially stating that it is good to throw away food. Worth reading, in particular if you have no idea about how to eat well, but don't go out of your way to do so.	3.5
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2009	"Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin - tied for Book of the year A must read. For some years now my favorite quote, by Edmund Burke, has been: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing". This book is about how much good an individual can bring to the parts of our world that need it the most. It is about identifying your path in life and pursuing it with utter devotion. About what being human should be: giving of ourselves without consideration of color, nationality or religion. As Patsy Collins told Greg in a letter towards the end of 2001: "You represent the goodness and courage that America is aall about". Or as Republican representative Bono put it: "He represents the best of America". Or as Greg himself ashared: "I've learned that terror doesn't happen because some group of people somewhere like Pakistan or Afghanistan asimply decide to hate us. It happens because children aren't being offered a bright enough future that they have a areason to choose life over death". Ultimately this book is about one of the most important, if forgotten, priorities ahumanity ought to have: provide every child in this world an opportunity for a fulfilling and happy life through aeducation. Loved the story, loved reading it, from the first to the last word.	5
	"Dancing Naked in the Mind Field" by Kary B. Mullis - tied for Book of the year What can I say? It is the best book I've read so far in 2009 and will likely end up being my favorite book of the year. A wonderful read. Highly recommended to both scientists and non-scientists alike.	5
	"Why We Run: A Natural History" by Bernd Heinrich The first third of the book is a solid three stars, mainly because it was too philosophical for me. Or maybe I just did not get it. After that though the books gets a lot more interesting (i.e. I was able to understand the financial aexplanations and descriptions). Overall it is a book worth reading. There is quite a bit of repetition, but it helps in aemphasizing the points being made. If you want to get a big picture view of the world economy and how economies ainterconnects, this book provides a good explanation. Ultimately though don't expect an easy answer: the concept of areflexivity, while simple on the surface, makes financial analysis all the more complex and uncertain.	5
	"Satisfaction: Sensation Seeking, Novelty, and the Science of Finding True Fulfillment" by Gregory Berns Berns writes a compelling essay about the psychology of satisfaction, and how it compares to pleasure and happiness. He shares lots of great examples/stories, from food, to exercise, to sex and everything in between. If this was not aenough he also weaves into his story the biology of satisfaction, describing the various regions of the brain that are aactivated (if you have not heard of the striatum, this book is a great place to start learning about it) and the many amolecules that act on our brain (cortisol anyone?). A very satisfying read. Highly recommended.	5
	"A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini To be completely honest I started reading this book with trepidation. The fact that women are treated as second class citizens, and much worse, in the twenty first century is disgusting to me. Yet I must admit that Hosseini did a great job of weaving a beautiful story within the confines of a brutal reality. The story of Mariam and Laila is nothing short of inspirational. One can only hope that such stories, albeit inspirational and infused with the beauty of human sacrifice, will one day have no connection to the real world.	5
	"Out of Poverty: What Works When Traditional Approaches Fail" by Paul Polak What can you say about someone who writes about, and is devoted to, those who have the least in this world? The various topics, and supporting examples, Polak uses to remind us of the billion people in this world who live on less than a dollar a day are striking in their simplicity and clarity. The beauty of this book is in the story, how it is told, and the detailed solutions presented: from $2 glasses, $12 solar lanterns, and $25 treadle pumps to $40 10,000 liter water tanks and $84 cataract operations. Powerful, insightful, and inspirational, Out of Poverty is not about charity but about business; it is less about what the poor lack and more about how to meet, through business acumen and creativity, the unmet needs of a huge clientele. In many ways it is a modern take on an old saying: "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime" (Confucious). What is missing are businesses with vision to create the necessary tools.	5
	"The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 1: 1929-1964" by Robert Silverberg An amazing collection of science fiction stories. Roger Zelazny's A Rose for Ecclesiastes (the last story of the book) is a must read. Daniel Keyes' Flowers for Algernon is excellent. I really enjoyed James Blish's Surface Tension and C. M. Kornbluth's The Little Black Bag. And what can I say about Fredric Brown's Arena, classic. Other notable stories include Tom Godwin's The Cold Equations, Jerome Bixby's It's a Good Life (although you see it coming), Cordwainer Smith's Scanners Live in Vain, and Murray Leinster's First Contact. Finally, you have to be in the right mood for Judith Merril's That Only a Mother, but it is definitely worth it. There are of course many other stories, even Issac Asimov's Nightfall, but the ones mentioned make this book. The rest are good, but in my very humble opinion not as good as the one's above. Enjoy.	5
	"Don't Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate" by George Lakoff Normally I do not read books about politics, but Don’t Think of an Elephant is more than just a book about politics. It is a deep, and successful, exploration into the psyche of conservatives in America. It begins with a 101 in framing, easily the most pertinent concept discussed in the book, and follows with examples of how framing can manipulate popular opinion. Two great examples of framing are “tax relief” and the “Clear Skies Act”. The use of the word “relief” next to “tax” implies that taxes are a bad thing, something that couldn’t be further from the truth. And there is no need to explain that when an Act increases pollution, calling it “Clear Skies” is nothing more hiding the truth behind words. Some could say that this book is all about knowing your enemy and provides tools progressives can use to even the playing field with conservatives. Instead I see it as reminder of what progressives stand for: caring and responsibility, protection, fulfillment in life, fairness, freedom, opportunity, prosperity, community, service, cooperation, trust, honesty, open communication, equality, government for a better future, ethical business, value based foreign policy, and last but not least democracy, a form of government of the people by the people. When people stop deciding for themselves and instead blindly accept dogma that is fed to them through carefully crafted, yet insubstantial, messages they inadvertently remove themselves from the democratic process and lose the freedom their ancestor fought so hard to obtain.	4.5
	"More than Human" by Theodore Sturgeon Sturgeon explores the question of "what makes us human?" by introducing the idea of Homo gestalt, the bleshing (a portmanteau of blend and mesh) of multiple individuals into a single organism/consciouness. By using characters like Lone, Janie, Baby, and ultimately Gerry (and Hip), he personifies the human potential in every aspect of life, giving focus to the power of specialization and single-minded drive while at the same time analyzing the limitations and tragedy of a life without balance. To me the interaction between Janie and Baby seems almost like a metaphor to the way Stephen Hawkins interacts with the world, even though this book was written about a decade (1953) before Hawkins started to lose neuro muscular control of his body. Altogether a wonderful look at the pieces that makes us who we are, and a tantalizing prediction about the next step in human evolution. If this was not enough, the book is superbly written. One of my favorite paragraphs reads as follows: "The girl was spooning fragrant bacon grease over and over three perfect eggs in a pan. When he sat down on the edge of the bed she slid the eggs deftly onto a plate, leaving the grease behind in the pan. They were perfect, the whites completely firm, the yolks unbroken, liquid, faintly filmed over. There was bacon, four strips seconds less than crisp, paper dried and aromatic. There was toast, golden outside, soft and white inside, with butter melting quickly, running to find and fill the welcoming caves and crevices; two slices with butter, one with marmalade. And these lay in some sunlight, giving off a color possible only to marmalade and to stained glass". Made me hungry for more.	4.5
	"Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy" by Bertrand Russell A great book. I really liked the examples, which helped significantly in understanding the concepts being explained. Had I been able to understand more than 30% of the book I would have given it 5 stars. It made me wish I had spent more time learning Math.	4.5
	"Outliers: The Story of Success" by Malcolm Gladwell As the title suggests, this book is about people that have achieved a level of success that transcends imagination. aWhere are these people from? What are the circumstances that lead to their success? What is their culture? How can a history of growing rice instead of wheat lead to an attitude perfectly suited to master mathematics? Malcolm presents a number of examples of how these outliers came to be, and points at the not so obvious reasons for their success, including the dates they were born, their culture, and even the unique opportunities they were offered. Ultimately there is no short cut to success as none of the outliers described ever achieved it without grinding through 10,000 hours of work. And of course talent and genius are requirements to achieve outlier status. It is fair to say that one of the aims of the book is to point out some of the requirements of success that are typically overlooked. By doing so one can potentially reach a higher level of success, even when not blessed with some of the gifts typically ascribed to outliers.	4
	"The First Billion is the Hardest: Reflections on a Life of Comebacks and America's Energy Future" by T. Boone Pickens Full of life lessons: work hard, never stop trying, learn from your mistakes, stay fit, be generous, the list goes on and on. The story of an underdog turned top dog, complete with great ideas for the future, from alternative sources of energy to water management. If this was not enough, the book also manages to squeeze in lessons about leadership and on how to put together and manage great teams. A life well written and worth reading.	4

2008	"Bobby Fischer Goes to War" by David Edmonds and John Eidinow - Book of the year I used to play chess all the time and always thought Bobby was one of those rare individuals that truly stood out by the sheer magnitude of their raw talent. Wonderful read.	5
	"The Assault on Reason" by Al Gore Read it, it's worth it. Beyond the highly effective and reasoned criticism of one of the worst presidencies in the history of our country (George Bush, 2001-2009), the book puts forth a solid treatise about what is necessary for a citizenry to effectively govern itself. The level of criticism, even though it’s warranted, may put you off, but it is more than compensated by the hope for the future the book exudes.	5
	"Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking" by Malcolm Gladwell Very enjoyable and interesting book. A reminder that minds may not be as simple as we may think they are.	5
	"Are Men Necessary?: When Sexes Collide" by Maureen Dowd Very well written. An intellectual, easy style that flows without trying too hard. The answer is still... as complex as reading the whole book. I highly recommend it.	5
	"Invasive Procedures" by Orson Scott Card If you know me you are aware that I am a scientist-geek at heart warning, geek moment Genetic manipulations that gives us "super powers", with a little lesson in the misuse of this technology? A very good premise in my mind. And well executed.	5
	"Darwin's Radio" by Greg Bear I love genetics so I am biased when it comes to books like this one. A thriller around the possibility of genetics gone "wrong"? Can't beat that in my book ;).	5
	"The Third Twin" by Ken Follett A very well written story. Although it is clear, scientifically, that it was written many years ago (in 1996, when it took 3 days to run a genotyping reaction), the quality of the story is not diminished. Good suspense, well developed characters, and a nice flow.	4
	"The Hedgehog, the Fox, and the Magister's Pox" by Stephen Jay Gould A wonderful, yet challenging, read about the relationship between science and the humanities. As with a workout, or a thought provoking conversation, you will feel the challenge during the process, but come out feeling like you've accomplished something. That something could well be an expansion of your knowledge and a better understanding of one, or both, sources of knowledge.	4
	"The 12 Habits That Hold Good People Back" by James Waldroop and Timothy Butler If you have ever wondered about a feeling or decision regarding your career, and wanted a perspective of what that could mean, this may be the book for you. A well documented explanation of what our habits may mean and what we can do about them.	3.5
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2007	"My Best Life Now" by Joel Osteen - Book of the year	5
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2006	"Endless Forms Most Beautiful" by Sean Carroll - Book of the year	5
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