Northern Apex

As part of my intellectual apex growth this year I want to read 100 books (no reason, a nice round number). I will list books here as I finish them with a hotlink to this list along the left margin of my blog, and a hotlink on each entry to the Amazon listing for the book for further information if you're interested. For fun, I will rate each book from one to ten moose but will not bore you with the reasons for my rating.



1. Three Weeks with My Brother by Nicholas and Micah Sparks. Awesome, a must read about family. Rating: 9 Moose

2. Jarhead - A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles by Anthony Swofford. Haven't seen the movie, decent read. Rating: 7 Moose

3. Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Great little piece of fiction, an Eastern Old Man and the Sea. Rating: 8 Moose.

4. The Know-It-All : One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by A. J. Jacobs. Christmas gift from my wife, this was a fun read. Rating: 8 Moose

5. The Power Of A Praying Husband by Stormie Omartian. I have found this book to be helpful and a comfort. Rating: 7 Moose

6. A Hidden Place by Robert Charles Wilson. A quick read, depression-era America combined with some sci-fi. Rating: 6 Moose

7. The Jester by James Patterson. I read this on the LA to Anchorage flight after the Mexico cruise. Perfect for . . . well, reading on an airplane . . . Rating: 6.5 Moose

8. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson. This was actually pretty decent, written in a British voice with great character development. Rating: 7.5 Moose

9. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. This is a good one - makes you think, full of allegory and examines the true nature of evil. He has several other books along this same vein out now that I want to read as well. Rating: 8 Moose

10. Nova by Samuel R. Delany. I'm not a huge science fiction fan, but this was definitely a good read - the imagry is astounding. Rating: 7 Moose

11. Having Our Say by Sarah L. Delany and A. Elizabeth Delany. This book was a hoot! Very quick read and a glimpse into the golden age of Harlem and some wonderful wisdom on how to grow old. Rating: 8 Moose

12. Walking the Bible - A Journey By Land Through The Five Books Of Moses by Bruce Feiler. This book was excellent but took me awhile to get through. The author does a better job describing lighting and geological features than anyone I've read. A little daunting at 450 fact filled pages, but worth the time - and my understanding of that period in the Bible rose exponentially. Rating: 9 Moose

13. God At The Edge - Searching for the Divine in Uncomfortable and Unexpected Places by Niles Elliot Goldstein. This book was both better and worse than I expected. Very good historical resource covering religious figures through the ages that ventured into the darker dimensions of spiritual life. Very even handed writing told from a Jewish perspective. Rating: 6 Moose as a reading experience, 7 Moose as a research source.