On the Wealth of Nations by P. J. O'Rourke

This was such a disappointment. It was like O'Rourke forgot to be funny.

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson

This was the lamest, cheesiest, most emotionally manipulative book I have ever read.

Sex God by Rob Bell

I've been listening to (and enjoying immensely) some of Bell's sermon podcasts, but this book didn't do much for me. It bordered on the incoherent--some interesting ideas that just didn't feel fleshed out.

The Writings of Camilla Eyring Kimball

This was an enjoyable read; charming for its datedness but nonetheless hinting at the intellectual life of what might be the most interesting prophet's wife.

Girl Meets God by Lauren Winner

A good memoir about a woman's conversion from orthodox Judaism to Christianity. And we can play six degrees of separation: I learned about this author from Susan Wise Bauer's blog (they're friends) and the author mentions her friendship with Jana Reiss in the book.

Mudhouse Sabbath by Lauren Winner

This was pretty good; not life changing but a nice read.

Note

I haven't been reading or posting must since we are in the middle of moving, but wanted to do a quick update today so I can box up these books.

Sisters and Little Saints by Carol C. Madsen

This was OK; it is important as a history of the Primary but seemed to suffer from authors who forced themselves to sound correlated when they didn't really want to. And it was a little dry.

Stolen Lives by Malika Oufkir

This was pretty good.

Adventure Capitalist by Jim Rogers

The travelogue parts of this book where quite interesting; the parts where he thinks he understands how the world works just because he got lucky in the stock market once were much less.

Polio: An American Story by David Oshinsky

This didn't do much for me. About a decade ago, I read Patenting the Sun, which was a much better history of the polio vaccine.

From Mafia to Mormon by Mario Facione

This was a light, enjoyable read.

Naked Economics by Charles Wheelen

I loved this book. I can't say that much of it was new to me, but it was presented well with interesting data. Highly recommended.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

What if you tried to protect your wife and ended up destroying your family? In this finely-crafted novel, Edwards creates compelling characters and avoids a morality play while teasing out the long-term complications of a well-motivated lie.

The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan

Easily one of the best books that I have ever read, this engaging story of those who survived the Dust Bowl deserves a wide audience.

Oracle Bones by Peter Hessler

I didn't like this at all. There were a few interesting anecdotes, but mostly this felt like him rewarming his newspaper and magazine articles to sell a book.

Grace in Galatia by Ben Witherington

I'm not sure if this title was a little flabbier than the usual Witherington fare or if I am just a tad burned out and stressed out trying to get everything on my shelf read for my classes this Spring.

Climbing the Mango Trees by Madhur Jaffrey

This book was delicious: a lovely memoir of a food-filled childhood in an unusually progressive extended family in India. Recommended.

Water Buffalo Days by Huynh Quang Nhoung

I read this to the boys; they really liked it and I did, too.

Conflict and Community in Corinth by Ben Witherington

I'm feeling a little guilty for reading so much Witherington lately instead of getting a broader variety of sources, but I just like him so much. This is another great title.