2007 Reading List
Every January I think about making a reading list for the year, but I've never followed through with actually making a list, let alone adhering to one. Rather than compiling a rigid list of books to be read without deviation, it seems better to have several books on the list with flexibility for the inevitable new discoveries and recommendations throughout the year. So, I'm in the process of compiling my 2007 Reading List and I'm looking for recommendations. I'm reading mostly non-fiction these days, but there are some classic fiction books that I've been meaning to read for a while. For example, Andy and I recently talked about reading Atlas Shrugged, so I'm open to such recommendations. However, if you recommend the latest John Grisham or, God forbid, Dan Brown book, you will be immediately banned from this blog. I generally have four categories that I like to read (not necessarily in order): politics/history, current events/interesting non-fiction ala Fast Food Nation, science and philosophy, and apologetics/theology.
Here are some of the books on my list so far:
The Right Nation: Conservative Power in America by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge (currently half-way through, and highly recommended reading for my conservative friends (read: my friends))
Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: Moving from Affluence to Generosity by Ronald Sider
Why Things Bite Back: Technology and the Revenge of Unintended Consequences by Edward Tenner
How to Solve It: A New Aspect of Mathematical Method by G. Polya
Belief in God in an Age of Science by John Polkinghorne
On Writing Well by William Zinsser
Philosophy of Science by Samir Okasha (very short)
Is Belief in God Good, Bad or Irrelevant?: A Professor And a Punk Rocker Discuss Science, Religion, Naturalism & Christianity by Preston Jones (dialog between a Christian professor and Greg Graffin, the front man for the band Bad Religion who got a PhD in evolutionary biology)
Rethinking Human Nature: A Christian Materialist Alternative to the Soul by Kevin Corcoran (this seems so bold to me)
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis (author of Moneyball)
The Logic of Failure: Recognizing and Avoiding Error in Complex Situations by Dietrich Dorner, et al.
Calculated Risks: How to Know When Numbers Deceive You by Gerd Gigerenzer
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Turning Points,: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity by Mark A. Noll
God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It by Jim Wallis
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik
A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin (fourth book in a fantasy fiction series)
Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell (I may be the last person to read it)
There are more that I could scrounge up, but this is a good start. I look forward to receiving your recommendations, including any comments on the books I've listed above. I may revise this post if I think of additional must-reads.
Let me add a few to your list off the top of my head:
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell: Okay, maybe this is a gimme, considering that Blink is already on your list, but I hear equally good reviews of The Tipping Point as well, which talks about how trends start
Everything Bad Is Good for You by Steven Johnson: I got this for Christmas, and he discusses how many of the traditionally “bad” media are actually making kids smarter. For example, the conventional wisdom says that video games are making kids less smart, when many actually teach kids to think critically and plan out tasks: “I have to get the seed to plant the flower to get the gloves to break the boulder to unblock the river so I can get across the lake.” That kind of thought process is actually useful later in life as well.
Rebel Without a Crew by Robert Rodriguez: A very interesting look at Robert Rodriguez, the director of Spy Kids and Sin City, and how he made his first film for $7000. (The full title is Rebel without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker With $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player) It is an interesting insight into the mind of a filmmaker who lives outside of the Hollywood system.
Thanks for the suggestions. I nearly included The Tipping Point, but I went with Blink because it's more recent. I'm adding the Steven Johnson book to my list. I'm sold on Johnson after he wrote an article in the NY Times about my favoriate app " rel="nofollow">DEVONThink in 2005. I'm on the fence about the Rodriguez book. It's probably an interesting read, but I'm not particularly interested in his story at this time.
How about Money Ball? I heard it is a great book.
In truth, Money Ball was originally on the list instead of The Blind Side, but a colleague just read the latter so I figured I'd have someone with whom to discuss the book. Money Ball is still on my long-term list.