Orville Jenkins Thoughts and Resources
Orville Jenkins Ideas and Interests

Books I Read in 2010
Orville Boyd Jenkins
Last edited 9 March 2018

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This list is my way of keeping myself accountable for the goals I have set, and for providing resources to others who may be interested in the topics I study.  My goal for 2010 was 135 books.  I reached that goal in September, and finished that month with 143 books.  I got opportunities to accelerate my reading in September, shortening my timeline.

Finished (186)

Abanes, Richard.  Religions of the Stars.  Minneapolis, Minnesota:  Bethany House, 2009.  223p.  (Abanes provides a serious and helpful introduction and overview of the various religions, east and west, old and modern, that Hollywood personalities belong to.  He provides a good social setting for the rise of religious fervor among the Hollywood crowd, refuting the common popular view that Hollywood and the entertainment are irreligious or antireligious.  He covers the main religions then closes with a comparison of the similarities and differences with Christianity as he understands it.  See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Bought 10 July 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 10-16 July 2010.  Religions (Culture and Trends)

Abbott, G.  Great Escapes from the Tower of London.  London:  Heinemann, 1982.  115p.  Bought 23 July 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 29-30 July 2010.  History

Abdul-Ghafur, Saleemah, ed.  Living Islam Out Loud:  American Muslim Women Speak.  Boston:  Beacon Press, 2005.  209p.  (Essays and poems by women born in America and raised as Muslims.  Telling their stories and how they are forging a current identity as Muslims in a modern western secular setting.  Many thoughtful ideas on viable Islamic adaptations that reject traditional cultural limitations and abuse of women found in some Islamic cultures.  Patriotic, spiritual and dynamic women dealing with the realities facing them, and their positive interpretations of Quranic faith as a liberating force in their lives.  This volume will provide rewarding insights into Islam.  These essays are not somebody's unconsidered opinion about Islam and how it affects women.  This is a set of personal testimonies of Muslim Women.  This is the real deal - not just the negative, but the positive.  See and learn of here of personal faith, not about a religion.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)   Bought 5 August 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 19-20 August 2010.  Faith and Life

Alda, Alan.  Things I Overheard while Talking to Myself.  Westminster, Maryland:  Random House/Recorded Books, 2007.  Audiobook.  (This is a hilarious autobiography.  You will learn many interesting details about life and the world, as well as show business.)  Borrowed 4 May 2010.  Heard 8-9 May 2010.  Autobiography

Alden, Edward.  The Closing of the American Border.  NY:  Harper, 2008.  346p.  Bought 7 December 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 9-13 December 2010.  American Politics

Anderson, Keith B and G Patrick Benson.  Religions in East Africa.  Nairobi:  Church of the Province of Kenya, 1985.  214p.  Bought in Nairobi in the 1980s.  Read 9-16 July 2010.  Religions

Arnold, John.  Life Conquers Death:  Meditations on the Garden, the Cross, and the Tree of Life.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 2007.  192p.  Bought 18 December 2010 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.  Read 24-29 December 2010.  Faith and Life

Arterburn, Stephen and Sam Gallucci.  Road Warrior.  Colorado Springs:  Waterbrook Press, 2007.  173p.  (This book is not exactly about Faith and Life, though the writers are Christians.  The writers address a common American problem, dual in nature and related to patterns of business across the continent.  Travel adds stress on relationships and distance between family family members.  Arterburn and Gallucci describe out of their own experience and the testimonies of others how life on the road leads to a sense of personal disorientation and a strain on relationships with spouse and children.  See my full review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Bought 25 February 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 16-17 April 2010.  Faith and Life

Axelrod, Alan.  Revolutionary Management.  Guilford, Connecticut:  The Lyons Press, 2008.  246p.  (Axelrod presents a thematic and historical analysis of the thought and principles of John Adams, one of the founding fathers of the United States.  Axelrod analyzes the principles of management Adams articulates, analyzing his letters, diary and published essays, as well as his official acts while President of the republic.  He has abstracted from Adams' prolific writings and records 126 Lessons expressing Adams' practical concerns and management approaches for business and politics.  See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Bought 3 April 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 11-13 April 2010.  American Politics and Culture

Baldwin, Stephen with Mark Tabb.  The Unusual Suspect:  My Calling to the New Hardcore Movement of Faith.  NY:  Warner Faith, 206.   286p.   Bought 20 May 2010 in Richmond, Virginia.  Read 21-22 May 2010.  Faith and Life

Barrett, Paul M.  American Islam:  The Struggle for the Soul of a Religion.  NY:  Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007.   304p.   Bought 19 December 2009 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 17-22 February 2010.  Peoples and Cultures (Religions, Islam)

Bell, Rob.  Jesus Wants to Save Christians.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 2008.  218p.  Bought 7 January 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 12-13 January 2010.  Faith and Life

Bennett, Barbara.  Soul of a Lion.  Washington, DC:  National Geographic, 2010.  292p. (With the quality we expect from National Geographic, Bennett transports us to exotic Gobabis, at the edge of the great Kalahari Desert in Northern Namibia, near the Botswana border.  There among the large farms and cattle ranches, the van der Merwe family turned their family ranch into a shelter for abused and injured animals.  Marieta van der Merwe worked with the traditional San people to develop a pleasant symbiosis with several wild species.  Bennett tells their fascinating story that led to the world-famous Harnas Wildlife Preserve, served by an international team of volunteers.  See my review of this book on this website.  See this book on Amazon with my review.)  Received as a Publisher's Pre-Release Review Copy 28 August 2010.  Read 29-31 August 2010.  Science

Berman, Bob.  Cosmic Adventure:  Other Secrets Beyond the Night Sky.  NY:  Quill (HarperCollins), 2000.  255p.  Bought 3 January 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 10-11 January 2010.  Science (Astronomy)

Black, Amy E.  Beyond and Right:  Helping Christians Make Sense of American Politics.  Grand Rapids:  Baker, 2008.  254p.  Bought 7 January 2009 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 17-19 January 2009.  Politics (Church and State)

Boa, Kenneth D and Robert M Bowman Jr.  Sense and Nonsense about Heaven and Hell.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 2007.  199p.  Bought 4 September 2009 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 4-7 September 2010.  Theology

Buckley, William F Jr.  The Rake.  NY:  HarperCollins, 2007.  278p.  Bought July 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 22-27 September 2010.  Fiction

Burge, Gary M.  The Bible and the Land.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 2009.  109p.  Bought 10 July 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 29 August 2010.  Bible Backgrounds (Peoples and Cultures)

Burge, Gary M.  Jesus, the Middle Eastern Storyteller:  Uncover the Ancient Culture, Discover Hidden Meanings.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 2009.  108p.  Bought 17 June 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 17-18 June 2010.  Bible Backgrounds (Peoples and Cultures)

Burridge, Richard A.  Faith Odyssey:  A Journey through Life.  Grand Rapids/Cambridge:  Eerdmans, 2003.   226p.   Bought 29 April 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 12 May 2010.  Faith and Life

Burroughs, Dillon and Marla Alupoaicci.  Generation Hex:  Understanding the Subtle Dangers of Wicca.  Eugene, Oregon:  Harvest House Publishers, 2008.  173p.  Bought 3 December 2009 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 21-24 December 2010.  Religions (Wicca)

Burstein, Andrew.  Letters from the Head and Heart:  Writings of Thomas Jefferson.  Monticello:  Thomas Jefferson Foundation, 2002.  100p.  Bought 30 August 2003 in Monticello, Virginia.  Read 28 August 2010.  American Politics

Byrd, Senator Robert with Steve Kettman.  Letter to a New President:  Commonsense Lessons for Our Next Leader.  NY:  Thomas Dunn (St Thomas Press), 2008.  192p.  Bought 7 August 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 29-30 November 2010.  American Politics

Caron, Timothy P.  Struggles Over the Word:  Race and Religion in O'Connor, Faulkner, Hurston, and Wright.  Macon, Georgia:  Mercer University Press, 2000.  162p.  Bought 3 June 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 24-25 November 2010.  American Culture (Religion and Culture)

Castaldo, Chris.  Holy Ground:  Walking with Jesus as a Former Catholic.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 2010.  236p.  (An excellent personal commentary and comparative analysis of the historical and social characteristics of Roman Catholics and the prominent Protestant communions.  Castaldo presents a sympathetic review of similarities and differences with a strong emphasis on mutual respect and understanding.  This will be helpful to gain historical awareness of how different cultural and social problems in medieval Europe were handled in what are now the Catholic and Protestant branches of the western form of Christianity.  Castaldo looks at the continuum of attitudes and practices in these variant forms of Christian faith and practice.  See my full review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Purchased 2 October 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 14-16 December 2010.  Religions (Christian History and Denominations)

Chicago Social Brain Network.  Invisible Forces and Powerful Beliefs:  Gravity, Gods, and Minds.  Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:  FT Press Science, 2010.  222p.  (Read my online review of this book on Amazon.)  Received as a Publisher's Pre-Release Review Copy 27 September 2010.  Read 7-10 October 2010.  Science (Philosophy)

Clarke, Arthur C.  The Hammer of God.  Prince Frederick, Maryland:  Bantam/Recorded Books.  1994.  Audiobook.  (A stellar space odyssey focused on the asteroid named Kali, for the Hindu goddess of death and destruction, headed straight for the earth.  Suspense develops as the mission sent to divert the asteroid experiences sabotage.)  Borrowed 4 May 2010.  Heard 27 November - 1 December 2010.  Sci Fi

Clarke, Arthur C and Stephen Baxter.  Time's Eye.  NY:  Del Rey (Ballantine), 2005.  364p.  Read 17-19 May 2010.  Sci Fi

Collins, Francis S.  The Language of Life.  NY:  Harper, 2010.  368p.  Borrowed 5 May 2010.  Read 26-29 May 2010.  Science

Copeland, Lori.  A Case of Crooked Letters.  Prince Frederick, Maryland:  Tyndale Publishing/Recorded Books, 2004.  Audiobook.  (Set in the community of Morning Shade, Arkansas, this humourous mystery focuses on an explosion of chain letters promising vast riches to a hardhit Ozark Mountain village.  The characters in this story were hilariously realistic.  The interesting, diverting and highly entertaining local colour is recognizable to those of us with some connections and acquaintances in that region.  This was my first Lori Copeland book, and I am amazed at the richness and depth of these characters and the rising suspense.  I suggest you meet the interesting people of Morning Shade, Arkansas.  See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Borrowed 4 May 2010.  Heard 29-30 May 2010.  Fiction

Crichton, Michael.  Eaters of the Dead.  Prince Frederick, Maryland:  Random House/Recorded Books, 1999 (original 1976).  Audiobook.  (A story based on an original in AD 922, when Arab courtier Ibn Fadlan accompanies a troupe of Vikings to find and destroy mythical beasts ravaging some land.  Ibn Fadlan was appointed by the Caliph of Baghdad as the ambassador to the pagan Northmen of Northern Europe.  Crichton keeps Fadlan's real commentaries on the culture and practices of the peoples he observes on his real-life trip to the north and then develops a fictional historical basis for the Danish story of Beowulf.  This creative new approach brings us Beowulf with a new cultural perspective.  See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Borrowed 4 May 2010.  Heard 2-3 December 2010.  Historical Fiction

Crowther, J G.  Six Great Scientists.  NY:  Barnes and Noble, 1995.  Borrowed 28 March 2010.  Read 13-16 April 2010.  Science

Cutter, Donald and Iris Engstrand.  Quest for Empire:  Spanish Settlement in the Southwest.  Golden, Colorado:  Fulcrum Publishing, 1996.  358p.  Bought 23 July 2009 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 30 July - 6 August 2010.  History (Peoples and Culture)

Dart, John.  Decoding Mark.  Harrisburg, Pennsylvania:  Trinity Press International.  2003.  213p.  Bought 13 September 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 16-18 September 2010.  Bible

DeConde, Alexander.  Presidential Machismo:  Executive Authority, Military Intervention and Foreign Relations.  Boston:  Northeastern University Press, 2000.  391p.  Bought 18 January 2009 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 19-22 January 2010.  Politics

Dent, Harry S, Jr.  The Roaring 2000s.  NY:  Touchstone (Simon and Schuster), 1998.  319p.  Bought 28 March 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 31 March - 2 April 2010.  Business

DePalma, Anthony.  City of Dust:  Illness, Arrogance, and 9/11.  Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:  F T Press, 2010.  324p.  Received as a Publisher's Pre-Release Review Copy 30 September 2010.  Read 20-25 November 2010.  Politics (Medicine)

DePalma, Anthony.  Here:  A Biography of the New American Continent.  NY:  Public Affairs (Perseus Books Group), 2001.  375p.  (DePalma evaluates the common historical experiences of the cultural and political entities that make up the North American Continent.  He likewise analyzes the similarities and differences between the three large geo-political entities of Canada, Mexico and the United States.  See my full review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Bought 3 January 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 13-19 March 2010.  Peoples and Cultures (History)

Dubin, Eric.  The Star Chamber:  How Celebrities Go Free and Their Lawyers Become Famous.  Beverly Hills, California:  New Millennium, 2007.  214p.  (Dubin was the plaintiff's lawyer in a civil suit against Robert Blake in the death of his wife Bonny Bakely.  Dubin analyzes the situation with celebrity trials in the US.  He writes from his own insider perspective to expose the double standard that often prevails.  In balance, he tells in exciting detail his own experience in his own spectacular win against Blake, who had already been found not guilty in criminal court.  He analyzes the cases of O J Simpson and Michael Jackson, among other less spectacular cases.  See my full review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Bought 3 April 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 5-6 April 2010.  American Politics and Culture (Legal)

Easterbrook, Gregg.  Sonic Boom:  Globalization at Sonic Speed.  NY:  Random House, 2009.  243p.  Received 4 February 2010 as a Publisher's Preview Review Copy.  Read 8-10 February 2010.  Business

Estes, Douglas.  SimChurch:  Being the Church in the Virtual World.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 2009.  256p.  Bought 17 June 2009 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 27-29 July 2010.  Culture and Trends (Religion)

Euler, Robert C and Henry F Dobyns.  The Hopi People.  Phoenix:  Indian Tribal Series, 1971.  106p.  Bought July 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 11-12 September 2010.  Peoples and Cultures

Faith, Curtis.  Trading from Your Gut:  How to Use Right Brain Instinct and Left Brain Smarts to Become a Master Trader.  Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:  FT Press, 2010.  202p.  (See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Received 4 January 2010 as a Publisher's Preview Review Copy.  Read 6-8 January 2010.  Business

Feinberg, Margaret.  Scouting the Divine:  My Search for God in Wine, Wool, and Wild Honey.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 2009.  214p.  (The author explores different peoples' current lifestyles to gain insights into the ways of life and meanings of metaphors from the biblical texts to better understand its application to life. See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Bought 1 July 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 13-14 August 2010.  Faith and Life

Ferguson, Craig.  American on Purpose.  NY:  Harper, 2009.  268p.  Bought 1 January 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 3-6 January 2010.  Autobiography

Field, Taylor with Jo Kadlecek.  A Church Called Graffiti.  Nashville:  Broadman and Holman, 2001.  187p.  (This is a fascinating touching and informative story about a young pastor from Oklahoma who answered a call to work in Lower East Side Manhattan as a missionary to the inner city, and the store-front community church he started on New York City's East 7th Street.  Taylor Field relates his own emotional struggle living in this drug-infested and poverty-stricken neighborhood where much of his ministry involved feeding homeless people, caring for drug addicts and AIDS patients while trying to understand what God was doing and how God's love could be expressed in this dire situation where so many had given up hope.  All traditional Southern Baptist and other cultural Christians need to see what church on the edge really is like in this story of discovery.  This is church like most have never seen it.  See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Bought 10 July 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 26-28 November 2010.  Faith and Life (Peoples and Cultures: NY City)

Fitz-Gerald, Keith.  The Rise of Financial Terrorism.  Ferderick, Maryland:  Money Map Report, 2010.  112p.  Received as a gift 19 August 2010.  Read 23-24 August 2010.  Business

Foster, Charles.  The Selfless Gene:  Living with God and Darwin.  Nashville:  Thomas Nelson, 2009.  283p.  (Foster is a tutor at the University of Oxford, educated at the University of Cambridge.  He writes here to analyze the reductionist bombasts of scientist Richard Dawkins, pointing out the logical errors and lack of evidence for many of Dawkins' claims for radical Darwinism against religious viewpoints as a whole.  He likewise critiques the related radical Rationalist reductions of "creationism," pointing out rightly that Dawkins and the creationists make use of the same errors of logic and sweeping avoidance of evidence.  (See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Bought 6 May 2010.  Read 9-11 May 2010.  Philosophy (Science and Religion)

Foust, Dennis and William Tinsley and Brian Harbour.  The Book of Acts:  Toward Being a Missional Church.  Dallas, Texas:  BaptistWay Press, 2007.  163p.  Received 14 February 2010.  Read 14-15 February 2010.  Bible

Franzese, Michael.  I'll Make You An Offer You Can't Refuse:  Insider Business Tips from a Former Mob Boss.  Nashville:  Thomas Nelson, 2009.  155p.  (For more see Michael Franzese's wesite.)  Bought 13 December 2010.  Read 19 December 2010.  Business (Mob Culture)

French, David.  A Season of Justice:  Defending the Rights of the Christian Home, Church and School.  Nashville:  Broadman and Holman, 2002.  213p.  Bought 7 August 2010.  Read 25-26 August 2010.  American Politics and Culture (Church and State)

Fuller, Graham E.  A World Without Islam.  NY:  Little, Brown and Company, 2010.  317p.  (Released August 2010.  Fuller, former Vice Chairman of the National Intelligence Council of the CIA, discusses in great detail and clarity the role of Islam as a social and cultural phenomenon in the world's cultures.  Fuller analyzes the current militant phenomenon of radical Islamist terrorism in the light of history and concludes that without Islam, the same types of conflicts would have occurred because of other reasons.  He finds that religion simply becomes the vehicle of protest based in ethnic or political attitudes, especially among oppressed groups.  See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Received 2 July 2010 as a Publisher's Preview Review Copy.  Read 21-26 July 2010.  Religions (World Politics)

Gall, Pete.  Learning My Name.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 2009.  207p.  Bought 10 July 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 30 November – 2 December 2010.  Psychology (Faith and Life)

Gelinas, Robert.  Finding the Groove:  Composing a Jazz-Shaped Faith.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 2009.  218p.  Bought 30 October 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 31 October - 1 November 2010.  Faith and Life (Music)

Gellman, Barton.  Angler:  The Cheney Vice Presidency.  NY:  Penguin Press, 2008.  483p.  Bought 25 April 2009 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 30 April - 3 May 2010.  Politics (Biography)

Gesteland, Richard R.  Cross-Cultural Business Behavior:  Marketing, Negotiating and Managing Across Cultures.  Copenhagen:  Copenhagen Business School Press, 1999.  282p.  Borrowed 22February 2010.  Read 22-28 March 2010.  Business

Glickman, Rosalene.  Optimal Thinking.  Prince Frederick, Maryland:  Gildan Media/Recorded Books, 2007.  Audiobook.  (Optimal Thinking is presented as a more realistic and more productive alternative to "Positive Thinking," which Glickman says often deteriorates in to self-destructive wishful thinking.  Glickman provides productive techniques and questions to ask about each type of decision, to enhance your enlightenment on issues you face and your systematic and practical thinking towards solutions.)  Borrowed 9 February 2010.  Heard 1 March 2010.  Business/Personal Development

Gold, Dore.  The Fight for Jerusalem:  Radical Islam, the West, and the Future of the Holy City.  Washington, DC:  Regnery Publishing, 2007.  372p.  Bought 9 June 2009 in Irving, Texas.  Read 1-3 February 2010.  History (Peoples and Cultures)

Gravel, Senator Mike and David Eisenbach.  The Kingmakers.  Beverly Hills:  Phoenix Books, 2008.  204p.  (This is a competent and focused analysis of trends and patterns in the American public News Media.  Specifically considering the coverage of political events and election campaigns, the Senator finds clear patterns of myth-making and myth-breaking, which often determines and drives the news.  Poor or non-existent background research is a major syndrome Gravel documents here.  The media become simply a funnel for the story line and slogan emphases of the Administration or a particularly favoured personality.  See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Bought 25 February 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 17-19 April 2010.  American Politics and Culture

Grewal, Jagtar Singh.  Essays in Sikh History.  Amritsar, India:  Guru Nanak University, 1972.  195p.  Bought September 1981 in Nairobi, Kenya.  Read 1-3 September 2010.  Religions (Sikh)

Gribbin, John and Mary.  Annus Mirabilis:  1905, Albert Einstein and the Theory of Relativity.  NY:  Chamberlain Bros (Penguin), 2005.  310p.  Bought 31 December 2009 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 13-16 February 2010.  Science

Gundry, Stanley N, series editor.  Five Views on Sanctification.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 1996.  254p.  (A volume in the Counterpoints Series.)  Bought 3 June 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 15-16 June 2010.  Theology

Hartmann, Thom.  Rebooting the American Dream:  11 Ways to Rebuild Our Country.  San Francisco:  Berret-Koehler Publishers, 1910.  229p.  Received as a Publisher's Pre-Release Review Copy 4 November 2010.  Read 6-8 November 2010.  American Politics and Culture

Henry, Douglas V and Michael D Beaty, eds.  Christianity and the Soul of the University:  Faith as a Foundation for Intellectual Community.  Grand Rapids:  Baker Academic, 2006.  192p.  Bought 29 April 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 14-15 May 2010.  Faith and Life

Henson, Dennis J.  EZ Real Estate Investor.  Arlington, Texas:  Vanguard Marketing and Investments, 2009.  Audiobook.  (A course on Real Estate, covering various aspects of the business, evaluating properties and building deals, managing properties, rehabbing and others.  Originally presented in a live training event.)  Received as a door prize from the author in March 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Heard 21-22 October 2010.  Business

Herringshaw, Mark.  The Karma of Jesus:  Do We Really Reap What We Sow?.  Minneapolis, Minnesota:  Bethany House, 2009.  207p.  (This is a rewarding read, written in a flowing style that sweeps the reader pleasantly along on the wave of the author's reflections.  Herringshaw tells us the story of conversations he has had with various people in his role as a teacher of religion.  We are carried along with the author's own thoughts as he goes through backgrounds and possibilities in thoughtful, dynamic engagement of serious questions.  He draws on current news stories, historical perspectives from important personages in history, characters and situation in popular entertainment, and the personal back story of the people he is engaging with.  See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Bought 1 July 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 26-27 July 2010.  Philosophy (Theology)

Hick, John.  The Metaphor of God Incarnate.  London:  SCM Press, 2005.  204p.  Bought 2 January 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 16-17 May 2010.  Philosophy

Higgins, Jack.  Edge of Danger.  Prince Frederick, Maryland:  Penguin Putnam/Recorded Books, 2001.  Audiobook.  Borrowed 13 December 2010.  Heard 23-26 December 2010.  Fiction (Action Thriller)

Higgins, Jack.  The Wolf at the Door.  Grand Haven, Michigan:  Brilliance Audio, 2006.  Audiobook.  (Another spy novel from Higgins, performed in the skilled voice of Michael Page, a drama professor at Calvin College, Grand Rapids.  A new cold War is underway, focusing on conflict between the Russians and the British.)  Bought 25 October 2010 in Round Rock, Texas.  Heard 25-27 October 2010.  Intrigue

Hijuelos, Oscar.  A Simple Habana Melody.  NY:  Harper-Collins, 2002.  342p.  Bought 3 June 2009 in Gainesville, Texas.  Read 12-14 June 2010.  Music (Fiction)

Hillerman, Tony.  Dance Hall of the Dead.  Prince Frederick, Maryland:  Curtis Brown/Recorded Books.  1991 (original 1973).  (Discovering Tony Hillerman in November 2009, 2010, I was captured by the Southwestern setting and the Native American lore involved in Hillerman's murder mystery The Fallen Man.  I was reading a hardback copy of Hillerman's later story of Detective Joe Leaphorn, The Shape Shifter, when I found I found more of these audiobooks in another library branch.  Finding four Hillerman audio novels in the library, I began to explore further Hillerman's recreation of the cultural context of Navajo, Zuni and Apache in these mysteries.  I found that all are narrated by the skilled dramatic voice of George Guidall, whose vibrant interpretation of The Ghostway, the second Hillerman audiobook I heard, had fastened the Navajo mystery experience into my memory.  I started with the oldest one in the library's collection, Dance Hall of the Dead, first released in 1973, and recorded in 1991.  This is the second in Hillerman's series about Leaphorn, a detective retired from service.  Hillerman develops the difference between the Native American and the European worldviews, and his stories are tight, engaging mysteries.  See this book with my review on Amazon.)  See my review of this book on GoodReads.  Audiobook. Borrowed 29 October 2010.  Heard 29 October - November 2010.  Fiction

Hillerman, Tony.  The Dark Wind.  Prince Frederick, Maryland:  Harper and Row/Recorded Books, 1991 (original 1982).  Audiobook.  (Hillerman's main character in this murder mystery is Detective Jim Chee of the Navajo Police.  A plane crash and suspected drug running play into what Chee discovers was a murder.  Chee is assigned to investigate the vandalism of windmills on the reservation, and winds up finding the keys to the murder-drug mystery.  I love the views Hillerman's Indian characters express about the government agencies.  They make fun of the inefficiency and incompetence of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the FBI involved in this case come in for evaluation as ignorant and disdainful of Native authority.  The Navajo nation law enforcement relate directly to the Federal authorities, not the state authorities.  Chee works with a Hopi officer and the local people to solve the multi-faceted mystery behind the scenes, while being harassed, roughed up and threatened by the Feds as a suspect himself in the disappearance of the the drugs they expected to find in the plane.  Check out this book with my full review on Amazon.)  See my review of this book on GoodReads.  Borrowed 29 October 2010.  Heard 3-6 November 2010.  Fiction

Hillerman, Tony.  The First Eagle.  Prince Frederick, Maryland:  Curtis Brown/Recorded Books.  1998.  Audiobook.  (A murder mystery and a medical mystery with the appearance of bubonic plague on the reservation.  The usual FBI swaggers appear as comic relief in the Hillerman style, referred to by Navajo Police Detective Jim Chee as the Federal Bureau of Incompetence.  With the rich cultural backdrops, the brusque Feds always manage to overlook the sensitive worldview issues and come off looking stupid due to their arrogance and ignorance of the local factors in a case.  George Guidall's clear vocal acting enables us to identify and follow the interaction of the generous cast of characters peopling Hillerman's novels.)  See my review of this book on GoodReads.  Borrowed 4 May 2010.  Heard 15-19 November 2010.  Fiction

Hillerman, Tony.  The Ghostway.  Prince Frederick, Maryland:  Curtis Brown/Recorded Books.  1990.  Audiobook.  (A murder mystery set on the Navajo reservation in New Mexico, and west to Los Angeles.  This was a rich, well-developed story, intriguing and realistic.  Hillerman develops serious and deep characters and portrays the cultural setting of the Navajo worldview and lifestyle.  This was my second Hillerman novel, after discovering him in November 2009.  I borrowed this audiobook from the public library.)  Borrowed 4 May 2010.  Heard 12, 26-27 May 2010.  Fiction

Hillerman, Tony.  Sacred Clowns.  Prince Frederick, Maryland:  Curtis Brown/Recorded Books, 1991 (original 1993).  Audiobook.  (Another Navajo-Hopi murder mystery from Hillerman features the team work of Joe Leaphorn and Detective Jim Chee of the Navajo Police.  They team up with Cowboy, a Hopi law enforcement officer, to solve a murder that revolves around the Tano Kachina spirit ceremony.  As usual, Jim Chee is actually assigned on what he considers a nuisance case, looking for Delmar Kanitewa, a missing teen.  Chee spots Kanitewa at the Kachina ceremony, and while trying to get to him through the crowd, he comes upon the murder.  The murder victim is a Sacred Clown.  Myth and culture of the intersecting Native cultures of New Mexico come to life in this rich tale.  The rich background cultures come through as major players in the mystery.  Read my review of this biook on Amazon.)  See my review of this book on GoodReads.  Borrowed 29 October 2010.  Heard 7-12 November 2010.  Fiction

Hillerman, Tony.  The Shape Shifter.  NY:  HarperCollinsPublishers, 2006.  276p.  (Tony Hillerman brings us another thoughtful, challenging murder mystery set in the Navajo Nation, filled with the mystical Navajo cultural atmosphere.  I was first introduced to Tony Hillerman only last year, when I received a complimentary audiobook while traveling.  I was fascinated with the Navajo context and the rich Indian culture Hillerman wove into the murder mystery.  I bought this hardcover of a recent novel and was enveloped in the Navajo context and a puzzling murder thriller.  This story takes us across the baleful countryside of the Navajo and Apache lands in northern New Mexico and Arizona, with California and International connections.)  See my review of this book on GoodReads.  Bought 25 October 2010 in Round Rock, Texas.  Read 25-31 October 2010.  Mystery

Hitchcock, Mark.  The Apocalypse of Ahmadinejad:  The Revelation of Iran's Nuclear Prophet.  Colorado Springs:  Multnomah, 2007.  208p.  Bought 7 January 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 25-26 February 2010.  Religions (Shiite Islam)

Hopper, R J.  The Early Greeks.  NY:  Barnes and Noble (Harper and Roe), 1977.  257p.  Bought 3 August 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 24-25 August 2010.  Peoples and Cultures (History)

Huggins, James Byron.  A Wolf Story.  Eugene, Oregon:  Harvest House Publishers, 1993.  250p.  Bought 10 December 2009 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 20-25 April 2010.  Fiction

Invisible Committee, The.  The Coming Insurrection.  Grand Haven, Michigan:  Brilliance Audio, 2010.  Audiobook.  (This somewhat bizarre commentary on contemporary society and the building popular is set in France.  This version is a translation from the original, which includes good endnotes that clarify some references to French agencies, governmental or commercial entities and revolutionary or terrorist groups.  But American reader (hearer) will be instantly able to envision the analysis in the American context. See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Received from the Publisher as a Preview Review Copy 30 July 2010.  Heard 10-15 2010.  American Politics and Culture

Irivuzumugabe, Eric with Tracey D. Lawrence.  My Father, Maker of the Trees.  Grand Rapids:  Baker, 2009.  205p.  (A survivor of the massacre of Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994 tells the story of the experience and the recovery and how he helped rebuild society in Rwanda since then.  See this book on Amazon.)  Bought 9 October 2009 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 19-20 December 2010.  History (Biography, Rwanda Genocide)

Jabbal, Rajinder Singh, ed.  Nanak Prakash, 1973.  Nairobi:  Sikh Students' Federation, 1973.  141p (English section).  Received 1973 in Nairobi, Kenya.   Read previously.  Read 15 September 2010.  Religions (Faith and Life)

Jenkins, Sally and John Stauffer.  The State of Jones.  NY:  Books on Tape/Random House, 2009.  Audiobook.  (This is the fascinating story of Jones County, Mississippi, which seceded from the State of Mississippi in 1863, in order to support the Union in the US Civil War.)  Borrowed 12 December 2010.  Heard 19, 21-22 December 2010.  History

Kagan, Jerome.  An Argument for Mind.  New Haven/London:  Yale University Press, 2006.  287p.  (Kagan reviews the history of concepts of mind in Psychology, then critiques the previous schools of thought in light of recent experiments, including many of his own conducted over the past decades.  He references experiments that followed individuals in many populations in different continents from birth to adulthood.  His conclusion establishes that there are universal categories of mind and patterns of learning across human populations and social or family situations.  He shows that early theories of psychology made up their categories and conclusions from deductions from assumptions rather than by actual observation and generalization from evidence.  He concludes from the evidence of these many practical experiments and observations that there is a Mind in humans that cannot be accounted for by conditioning and behavioural training or childhood experience.  He observes that there are universal moral and social values that appear to relate to this universal common Mind among all human cultures and populations.  See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Bought 28 September 2009 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 12-14 May 2010.  Psychology (Philosophy)

Kaur, Surinder, ed.  Nanak Prakash, 1979.  Nairobi:  Sikh Students' Federation, 1979.  108p (English section).  Received 1979 in Nairobi, Kenya.   Read previously.  Read 15 September 2010.  Religions (Faith and Life)

Kenny, Big and John Rich.  Big and Rich:  All Access.  NY:  Center street, 2007.  231p.  (This is the autobiography of two musicians who came together, first in songwriting, then in stage performance, to combine country, rock, rap and Gospel styles in the music group Big and Rich.)  Bought 25 April 2009 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 17 June 2010.  Music

Kenski, Kate and Bruce W Hardy and Kathleen Hall Jamieson.  The Obama Victory:  How Media, Money, and Message Shaped the 2008 Election.  Oxford/NY:  Oxford University Press, 2010.  378p.  (See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)   Received from the Publisher as a Preview Review Copy 2 August 2010.  Read 9-14 August 2010.  American Politics and Culture

Kersten, Holger.  Jesus Lived in India:  His Unknown Life Before and after the Crucifixion.  Boston/Melbourne:  Element, 1994.  264p.  Bought in Kenya in about 1996.  Read 27-29 January 2010.  Religions (Ahmadiyya Islam)

King, Ursula.  Christ in All Things:  Exploring Spirituality with Teilhard de Chardin.  London:  SCM Press, 1997.  181p.  Bought 9 October 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 22-23 October 2010.  Philosophy

Kinzer, Stephen.  Crescent and Star:  Turkey Between Two Worlds.  NY:  Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2001.  252p.  Bought 15 October 2009 in Richmond, Texas.  Read 27-29 April 2010.  Peoples and Cultures

Kirkby, Mary-Ann.  I Am Hutterite.  Nashville:  Thomas Nelson, 2010.  247p.  (See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Received from the Publisher as a Preview Review Copy 2 July 2010.  Read 7-9 August 2010.  Peoples and Cultures

Koehler, Paul F.  Telling God's Stories:  Biblical Storytelling in Oral Cultures.  Pasadena, California:  William Carey Library, 2010.  308p.  Received as a review copy from the author 3 September 2010.  Read 6-8 September 2010.  Culture (Worldview and Learning)

L'Amour, Louis.  High Lonesome.  Westminster, Maryland:  Random House/Books on Tape, 2004.  Audiobook.  Borrowed 10 December 2010.  Heard 13 December 2010.  Fiction (Western)

Lockyer, Herbert.  All About God in Christ.  Peabody, Massachusetts:  Hendrickson Publishers, 1995.  154p.  Received as a gift 28 July 2010.  Read 17-18 August 2010.  Bible

Lockyer, Herbert.  All the Kings and Queens of the Bible.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 1961 (reprint).  253p.  Received as a gift 28 July 2010.  Read 3-31 December 2010.  Bible

Manning, Brennan.  The Signature of Jesus.  Sisters, Oregon:  Multnomah Publishers, 1996.   235p.  Bought 7 January 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 11-12 February 2010.  Faith and Life

Mansfield, Stephen.  The Faith of Barack Obama.  Nashville:  Thomas Nelson, 2008.  164p.  Bought 2 October 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 3-5 November 2010.  Faith and Life (Biography)

Mansukhani, Gobind Singh.  Introduction to Sikhism.  New Delhi, India:  Hemkunt Press, 1973.  104p.  Bought September 1981 in Nairobi, Kenya.  Portions previously read.  Read 3-4 September 2010.  Religions (Sikh)

Martel, Yann.  Life of Pi.  Orlando:  Harvest (Harcourt), 2001.  401p.  Bought 16 June 2009 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 19-21 May 2010.  Fiction (Philosophy)

Martoia, Ron.  The Bible as Improv:  Seeing and Living the Script in New Ways.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 2010.  218p.  (Thoughtful reflections on how we approach the Bible from our particular cultural and personal assumptions and social-historical background.  Martoia uses several helpful models to illustrate how we live out the story, extend the story into our own time and culture by understanding the variety of stories and circumstances presented to us in Scripture.  Martoia presents very practical guidelines on making sense of the Bible, helping people today make sense of the many aspects of the Bible that do not make sense if it is approached in the modern manner as a propositional rulebook or universal principles.  See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Bought 4 September 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 13-14 September 2010.  Bible (Cultural Assumptions and Approaches)

Mathabane, Mark.  Kaffir Boy:  The True Story of a Black Youth's Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africa.  NY:  Free Press, 1986.  354p.  (Autobiographical account by Mathabane about life and the psyche of living in townships under Apartheid.  "Apartheid," meaning "Apartness," was the official and legal separation of "races" physically, socially, politically and judicially, enforced by the State.  Mathabane provides insights into the self-loathing engendered systematically by the Apartheid regime until freedom came in South Africa 1994.)  Bought 18 January 2009 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 5-8 July 2010.  Autobiography (Peoples and Cultures)

Matthews, Rupert.  Bigfoot:  True-Life Encounters with Legendary Ape-Men.  London:  Arcturus, 2008.  208p.  Bought 2 January 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 29-30 January 2010.  Science

Mauldin, John.  Just One Thing.  Prince Frederick, Maryland:  John Wiley/Recorded Books,2006.  Audiobook.  (Essays by successful traders and investors on the one thing they recommend as the key to successful investing.)  Borrowed 28 December 2009.  Heard 11-18 January 2010.  Business

McBain, Ed.  Fiddlers:  A Novel of the 87th Precinct.  Orlando:  Otto Penzler (Harcourt), 2005.  259p.  Bought 28 November 2009 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 30 January - 1 February 2010.  Fiction

McClaren, Brian D.  Everything Must Change:  Jesus, Global Crises and a Revolution of Hope.  Nashville:  Thomas Nelson, 2007.  327p.  Bought 17 June 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 18-21 June 2010.  Theology (Faith and Culture)

McClaren, Brian D and Tony Campolo.  Adventures in Missing the Point.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 2003.  286p.  Bought 3 June 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 21-22 June 2010.  Bible Backgrounds (Theology)

McGrath, Alister E.  Intellectuals Don't Need God and Other Modern Myths:  Building Bridges to Faith Through Apologetics.  Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993.  241p.  Bought 1 July 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 18-19 August 2010.  Theology

McGuckin, John A.  A-Z of Origen.  London:  SCM Press, 2006.  228p.  Bought 15 August 2009 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 22-25 May 2010.  Philosophy/Theology

McIntosh, Gary L.  One Church Four Generations:  Understanding and Reaching All Ages in Your Church.  Grand Rapids:  Baker, 2002.  222p.  (McIntosh provides an excellent comparative summary of the generations of the 20th century and bridging into the 21st.  In an American social context, he describes the formative events of each generation, the characteristics that developed as a result and the common attitudes and approaches to life this led to.  He then provides a basis for communicating and building intergenerational communication. See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Bought 25 February 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 2-3 April 2010.  Faith and Life

McKeown, J C.  A Cabinet of Roman Curiosities:  Strange Tales and Surprising Facts from the World's Greatest Empire.  Oxford:  Oxford University Press, 2010.  243p.  (See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Received 28 June 2010 as a Publisher's Preview Review Copy.  Read 30 June - 13 July 2010.  Peoples and Cultures (History)

Mehta, Hemant.  I Sold My Soul on eBay:  Viewing Faith through and Atheist's Eyes.  Colorado Springs:  Waterbrook Press, 2007.  210p. (This is a delightful and insightful book!  Mehta is the atheist who auctioned off on eBay a chance for a Christian to have him go to a Christian church as an opportunity for the faith to make sense to him.  He agreed to 1 hour for each $10.  This is his story and his evaluation of the churches he visited, with some practical suggestions on how churches can communicate better to those who are not already Christians.  See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.) Bought 25 February 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 19-22 March 2010.  Religions (Faith and Life)

Miller, Donald.  A Million Miles in a Thousand Years:  What I Learned While Editing My Life.  Nashville:  Thomas Nelson, 2009.  Bought 27 February 2010, read 27-28 February 2010.  Faith and Life

Miller, Stephen M.  Big Dummies of the Bible.  Nashville:  W Publishing (Nelson), 2005.  151p.  Bought 25 February 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 12-13 January 2010.  Bible (Faith and Life)

Mitchard, Jacquelyn.  Cage of Stars.  Westminster, Maryland:  Random House/Books on Tape, 2006.  Audiobook.  (This is a poignant inner look into the life of a Mormon family in Utah, told through the experiences of a young teen, Veronica Swan.  The story revolves around the murder of Ronny's two younger sisters by a mentally-ill man.  The murder scene occurs soon after the opening paragraphs of the book.  This opening scene, narrated by Ronny, is unclear, but seems to be discussing the death of the man who killed her sisters.  The book resumes Ronny's narration of her experiences with the grieving family and on through her 16th birthday as she plans what to do with her future.  She makes it to LA, enrolls in an acting class, and makes contacts, heightening the tension as the last details are filled in before the climax.  We are uncertain where Ronny's experiences are leading her, but the tantalizing opening scene in LA lurks in the background of our minds, pushing us on to discover the rest of the story.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Borrowed 4 May 2010.  Heard 8-9 May 2010.  Fiction

Moore, Wes.  The Other Wes Moore:  One Name and Two Fates - A Story of Tragedy and Hope.  NY:  Spiegel and Grau (Random House), 2010.  251p.  (See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Received 8 May 2010 as a Publisher's Preview Review Copy.  Read 1 June 2010.  Biography

Morgan, Giles.  Byzantium.  Edison, NJ:  Chartwell, 2007.  158p.  Bought 2 January 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 9-10 January 2010.  History

Morrell, David.  Scavenger.  NY:  Vanguard Press, 2007.  348p.  Bought 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 21-23 August 2010.  Fiction (Technology Thriller)

Moynagh, Michael.  emergingchurch.intro.  Oxford/Grand Rapids:  Monarch Books, 2004.  253p.  (Good, lively, practical, informative and motivating discussion of trends and personalities in what has come to be called The Emerging Church in contemporary America.  The Emerging Church focuses on communication in real-life ordinary language and building relationships.  The Good News is a life-integrated power and possibility, not just abstract information to learn, know, and repeat in prescribed form.)  Bought in Arlington, Texas, and begun 27 March 2010.  Finished 30 March 2010.   Culture and Trends

Musharraf, Pervez.  In the Line of Fire.  NY:  Free Press, 2006.  354p.  Bought 16 April 2009 in Hagerstown, Maryland.  Read 13-16 January 2010.  Autobiography

Naidoo, Robbie.  Brown Sugar.  Ebook draft files.  (A history of the Indians of South Africa.  Naidoo outlines the history from arrival in 1860 when the first indentured workers came to work in the Sugar fields.  He follows the economic and social development of the various ethnic and regional communities that have come to make up the Indians of South Africa.  Naidoo discusses the social and economic niches of the major communities of Indians and describes how a new focus developed with a South African identity, and English as a mother tongue, with few if any ties to the original communities in India.  Watch for release of this book in coming months.)  Electronic Draft chapters received from the author in an email exchange discussing the Indians of South Africa, read 31 August 2010.  Peoples and Cultures

Nelson, Larry M, etal.  Wii Fit:  Get Fit, Stay Fit.  Arlington, Texas:  Fielder Road Baptist Church, 2010.  127p.  (A study of the themes in the book of James.)  Received as a gift 4 April 2010.  Read 7 April 2010.  Bible (James)

Ngai, Mae.  The Lucky Ones:  One Family and the Extraordinary Invention of Chinese Americans.  Boston:  Houghton Mifflin, 2010.  276p.  (  (See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Received as a Publisher's Advance Reading Copy 28 September 2010.  Read 14-19 October 2010.  Peoples and Cultures

Numbers, Ronald L.  The Creationists.  NY:  Borzoi/Alfred Knopf, 1992.  458p.  (Numbers provides an unusual historical perspective on the social phenomenon, that takes on a religious character, or uses religion categories for dealing with the questions.  He provides a historical and philosophical analysis of the Creationist Movement that still attempts to oppose the teaching of Evolution and Natural Selection, on religious grounds or motivations, but posed in the terminology and categories of empirical science.  His introduction provides a good historical perspective from which to begin the investigation, indicating that there has been a rise in interest and aggressiveness of the formal Creationist movement since the 1960s.  It is notable that the Creationist movement is largely an American phenomenon, though some following has been gained in the UK in recent years.  The questions are basically limited to the North American Anglo-Saxon cultural sphere.  (See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Bought 10 June 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 14-19 November 2010.  Science (American Politics and Culture)

Olasky, Marvin and John Perry.  Monkey Business:  The True Story of the Scopes Trial.  Nashville:  Broadman and Holman, 2005.  Bought September 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 27 September - 6 October 2010.  Politics (Church & State/History/Law/Science)

O'Leary, De Lacy.  Arabic Thought and Its Place in History.  NY:  Dover Publications, 2003 (reissue of original 1939 edition by Routledge and Kegan Paul).  327p.  Bought 25 April 2009 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 1-8 June 2010.  Philosophy (Religions)

Oufkir, Malika.  Freedom:  The Story of My Second Life.  NY:  Hyperion (Miramax), 2006.  241p.  Bought 3 April 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 4-5 May 2010.  Biography (Religions-Islam)

Pagels, Elaine and Karen L King.  Reading Judas.  NY:  Penguin Audio. 2007.  Audiobook.  (Commentary and discussion of the Gospel of Judas and other Gnostic literature.  Pagels' critical comparison of New Testament and Judas texts was well-done and objectively evaluated.  Includes a reading of the whole text of the Judas and an additional passage-by-passage textual commentary of vocabulary and cultural and philosophical backgrounds.  See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Borrowed 28 December 2009.  Heard 3-11 January 2010.  Biblical Backgrounds (History)

Palast, Greg.  Armed Madhouse:  A Secret History of the War over Oil in Iraq.  NY:  Dutton (Penguin), 2006.  360p.  Bought 3 April 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 6-8 May 2010.  American Politics

Palau, Luis and Zhao Qizheng.  A Friendly Dialogue Between an Atheist and a Christian.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan Press, 2008.  141p.  Bought 30 October 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 9-10 November 2010.  Philosophy (Faith and Life)

Palin, Sarah.  Going Rogue:  An American Life.  NY:  HarperAudio (HarperCollins), 2009.  Audiobook, read by the author.  Borrowed 26 December 2009.  Heard 18-28 January 2010. Autobiography (Politics)

Park, Daundra Michele.  Moonfire.  Author's Draft for Review.  291p.  Received electronic copy preview from the author in October 2009.  Portions read 28-31 October 2009.  Resumed January 2010, finished 11 February 2010.  Literature (Gothic Adventure)

Parsons, Golden Keyes.  In the Shadow of the Sun King.  Nashville:  Thomas Nelson, 2008.  366p.  Bought 12 May 2009 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 4-8 February 2010.  Historical Fiction

Patty, Sandi.  Falling Forward.  Nashville:  Thomas Nelson, 2007.  174p.  Previously bought and read in 2008.  New copy bought 25 April 2009 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 15 August 2010.  Faith and Life

Peterson, James C.  Genetic Turning Points:  The Ethics of Human Genetic Intervention.  Grand Rapids/Cambridge:  Eerdmans, 2001.  364p.  Bought 3 June 2009 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 9-12 June 2010.  Philosophy (Ethics)/Science (Medical Genetics)

Phillips, Kevin.  American Theocracy:  The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century.  NY:  Viking (Penguin), 2006.  462p.  Bought 18 January 2009 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 30 December 2009 - 2 January 2010.  Politics (Culture and Trends)

Pinker, Steven.  The Stuff of Thought:  Language as a Window into Human Nature.  NY:  Viking, 2007.  499p.  Bought 2 October 2009 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 24-27 January 2010.  Science

Pope, Randy.  The Intentional Church:  Moving from Church Success to Community Transformation.  Chicago:  Moody, 2006.  222p.  Bought 25 February 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 10-11 March 2010.  Faith and Life

Prabhavananda, Swami and Christopher Isherwood, trans.  The Song of God Bhagavad-Gita.  NY:  Harper and Bros, 1951.  191p.  Bought 22 January 1971 in Wake Forest, North Carolina.  Portions read previously.  Read 23-24 Febraury 2010.  Religions (Hinduism)

Proctor, Bob.  It's Not About the Money.  Prince Frederick, Maryland:  Gildan Media/Recorded Books. 2009.  Audiobook.  (Proctor, a financial and life coach, sets out principles and mindsets for overcoming the financial victimization of a job-oriented approach to income.  He provides practical steps to envision and plan your self-directed financial goals,and how to work for your passive income from business or investment.)  Borrowed 29 January 2010.  Heard 8-9 January 2010.  Business

Rainer, Thom S.  The Unchurched Next Door.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 2003.  270p.  Bought 1 July 2010.  Read 26-27 August 2010.  Faith and Life

Richardson, Don.  Secrets of the Koran.  Ventura, California:  Regal Books, 2003.  260p.  Borrowed and read 29 May 2010 in Greenbrier, Arkansas.  Religions (Islam)

Rieser, Bill.  They Called Me White Jesus.  Chicago:  Moody Publishers, 2009.  181p.  Bought 9 October 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 23 October 2010.  Biography (Faith and Life)

Ringe, Sharon H.  Jesus, Liberation and the Biblical Jubilee:  Images for Ethics and Christology.  Philadelphia:  Fortress Press, 1985.  124p.  (A study of Luke's theme of the Jubilee of Liberation in the Gospel.  Based on the passage in Luke 4 where Jesus launches his public ministry by reading the passage from Isaiah 6:1-2 with Isaiah 58:6 in the synagogue at Nazareth.  Ringe looks at the background of the Isaiah passages which lay the basis for Jesus' identification as the messenger of the Rule of God in terms of the Jubilee.  See my review of this book on this website.  See this book on Amazon with my review.)  Bought 10 July 2010.  Read 27-28 August 2010.  Bible (Theology)

Romero, Anthony D.  In Defense of Our America:  The Fight for Civil Liberties in the Age of Terror.  NY:  William Morrow (HarperCollins), 2007.  252p.  Bought 28 May 2010 in Conway, Arkansas.  Read 29-31 May 2010.  American Politics

Rosenberg, Joel C.  The Ezekiel Option.  Carol Stream, Illinois:  Tyndale House Publishers, 2005.  416p.  Received as a gift in 2008.  Read 12-19 July 2010.  Fiction

Rovira, Alex and Fernando Trías de Bes.  Good Luck.  Prince Frederick, Maryland:  John Wiley/Recorded Books. 2006.  Audiobook.  Borrowed 19 January 2010.  Heard 1 February 2010.  Business

Russinger, Greg and Alex Field, eds.  Practitioners:  Voices Within the Emerging Church.  Ventura, California:  Regal Books (Gospel Light), 2005.  254p.  Bought in Arlington, Texas, 27 March 2010.  Read 30-31 March 2010.   Faith and Life

Samson, Lisa and Ty.  Love Mercy:  A Mother and Daughter's Journey from the American Dream to the Kingdom of God.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 2010.  203p.  (This is the story of how a family, as told here by the mother and daughter, grew into an awareness of the issues of social justice in their own neighborhood and nation and in a far corner of Africa.  They tell of a reorientation to another aspect of life they had never realized, and a new vision of the biblical call to serve others.)  Bought 9 October 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 21-22 October 2010.  Faith and Life

Sanders, Catherine Edwards.  Wicca's Charm:  Understanding the Spiritual Hunger Behind the Rise of Modern Witchcraft and Pagan Spirituality.  Colorado Springs:  Shaw Books (Waterbrook Press), 2005.  233p.  (The author relates her own first-hand investigations, reporting on interviews and experiences with Wicca and other modern Pagan practitioners.  An excellent portrait, critical and sympathetic, by an accomplished journalist.  Prepare to exchange your stereotypes about Wicca for well-rounded details and explanations of current Wiccan and witchcraft practitioners, ex-practitioners who have abandoned the life and ex-Christians who have become Wicca followers.  Very informative, insightful and challenging.   An alert to the church to get their act together.  See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Bought 10 July 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 15-19 December 2010.   Religions (Wicca)

Seay, Chris.  The Gospel According to Lost.  Nashville:  Thomas Nelson, 2009.  195p.  Received 2 February 2010 as a Publisher's Preview Review Copy.  Read 3-4 February 2010.  Faith and Life

Schaeffer's Investment Research, Inc.  The Options Handbook.  Cincinnati:   Schaeffer's Investment Research, Inc, 2009.  61p.  Accessed 18 August 2009 at http://www.schaeffersresearch.com/members/services/handbooks/pdfs/oa.pdf.  Begun 31 December 2009, read various parts several times, finished 10 February 2010.  Business

Shemin, Robert.  How Come That Idiot's Rich and I'm Not?.  NY:  Crown Publishers, 2008.  247p.  Gift from the author 4 December 2010.  Read 4-6 December 2010.  Business

Sheridan, Eugene R.  Jefferson and Religion.  Monticello: Thomas Jefferson Foundation (Monticello Monograph Series), 1998.  83p.  (Sheridan documents the well-known opposition of Jefferson to traditional forms of Christian faith, notably his rejection of the divinity of Jesus and the concept of the Trinity.  Sheridan confirms Jefferson's general focus as a Deist, but details the progress and later influence of Unitarianism on Jefferson's thought over the decades of his productive life.  Sheridan also, as expected, discusses Jefferson's famous and fervent advocacy for the separation of Church and State.  See my review of this book on this website.  See this book on Amazon with my review.)  See this book with my review on GoodReads  Bought 30 August 2003 in Monticello, Virginia.  Read 28-29 August 2010.  American Politics (Church and State)

Singer, Randy.  The Cross Examination of Jesus Christ.  Colorado Springs:  Waterbrook Press, 2006.  211p.  Bought 12 January 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 19-20 April 2010.  Theology and Christian Faith (Religion and Culture)

Singh, Khushwant.  The Sikhs Today.  Bombay (Mumbai): Sangam Books (Priya Adarkar/Longman Orient), 1976.  Bought September 1981 in Nairobi, Kenya.  Read in 1981.   Read again 31 August - 1 September 2010.  Peoples and Cultures (Sikh)

Spong, John Shelby.  The Sins of Scripture:  Exposing the Bible's Texts of Hate to Reveal the God of Love.  NY:  HarperSanFrancisco, 2005.  315p.  (Bishop Spong provides a serious study here of the cultural context of the texts of the Bible, arising over a period of centuries, out of various social and political or religious situations.  He analyzes the troubling passages of the Old Testament to understand how God's Word can be found amid the puzzling events or descriptions from the understandings of previous ages, to determine how they can still make sense in our very different world.  He looks at the evils associated with religious ideas or institutions through our history.  This work will present rewarding and enlightening information to make sense of stories and provide insights into understanding the biblical texts in their own context.  This will be challenging for many, but it is refreshing to see the writer deal honestly with the text and the problems it presents to us today.  See my review of this book on this website.  See this book on Amazon with my review.)  Bought September 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 18-21 September 2010.  Bible (Theology)

Stanley, Andy.  Your Move:  Four Questions to Ask When You Don't Know What to Do.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 2010,.  73p plus DVD presentations by the author on each topic, in multi-session study group.  (Guide on daily moral decisions.)  Bought in November 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read Nov-Dec 2010.  Faith and Life

Stackpole, Michael A.  Star Wars The New Jedi Order:  Dark Tide 1:  Onslaught.  NY:  Lucas/Del Rey (Ballantine), 2000.  292p.  Read 27 September - 14 October 2010.  Sci Fi

Stevenson, John D.  Restore Such a One.  Mustang, Oklahoma:  Tate Publishing, 2008.  170p.  (A simple, but articulate plea for an approach of forgiveness and reconciliation for Christians who have fallen into sin.  The author takes a deep look into the biblical examples from both the Hebrew scriptures and the Christian New Testament.  He calls the church to repentance for the common arrogance, hypocrisy and class-concept of church membership and holiness.  See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Bought 29 April 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 3-4 May 2010.  Theology (Faith and Life)

Stim, Rich.  Music Law:  How to Run Your Band's Business.  Berkeley, California:  Nolo, 2009.  421p.  (I was impressed with the practicality of this book.  This book is written in normal English and can be used as a guide for your practical challenges.  Every aspect of each sphere of a band's life in performance and finance is covered and forms and contracts printed in the book.  The book includes a CD companion that contains all the contracts and support documents in the book.  As with all Nolo products, the company website provides excellent legal updates and other support.  See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Received 4 February 2010 as a Publisher's Preview Review Copy.  Read 25-27 April 2010.  Business

Stimpson, George.  A Book about the Bible.  NY/London:  Harper and Brothers, 1945.  509p.  Received as a gift September 2009.  Read 2-9 March 2010.  Bible Backgrounds

Strobel, Lee.  The Case for Easter.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 2003.  95p.  Received as a gift 4 April 2010.  Read 6 April 2010.  Theology

Sweeney, Jon M.  Cloister Talks:  Learning from My Friends the Monks.  Grand Rapids:  Brazos Press, 2009.  157p.  Bought 25 February 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 11-12 March 2010.  Faith and Life

Sweet, Leonard.  The Gospel According to Starbucks:  Living a Grande Passion.  Colorado Springs:  Waterbrook Press, 2007.  210p.  (Sweet addresses the concept of community and connectedness, suggesting that the Starbucks phenomenon has become so pervasive because it meets a felt need in an atomized individualized society without community, which affects the church too.  Starbucks becomes the metaphor for restoring community in modern society.  He refocuses the modern western church on the pre-modern values of the original Gospel and the teachings of Jesus, valuing the human creation, not only as individuals, but as community.  He reclaims the New Testament concept of redeeming nations and rebuilding communities through reconciliation with God and each other.  See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Bought 1 July 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 10-11 July 2010.  Culture and Trends

Tchividjian, Aram and Basyle.  Invitation:  Billy Graham and the Lives God Touched.  NY:  WaterBrook Multnomah/Christianaudio Seed, 2008.  Audiobook.  (The story of Billy Graham, written by two of his grandsons.) Bought 13 December 2010.  Heard 14 December 2010.   Autobiography

Thesiger, Wilfred.  The Life of My Choice.  Glasgow:  Fontana/Collins, 1988.  463p.  Received as a gift July 2007.  Partially read 2008.  Read 15-17 August 2010.  Autobiography (History)

Thiering, Barbara.  Jesus of the Apocalypse:  The Life of Jesus after the Crucifixion.  London:  Corgi Books, 1997.  572p.  Bought 12 May 2008 in Edenvale, South Africa.  Read 29-30 April 2010.  History

Trigiani, Adriana.  Home to Big Stone Gap.  Westminster, Maryland:  Glory of Everything/Books on Tape, 2006.  Audiobook.  (This is a lazy and tedious story described by the jacket notes as "this exquisite novel."  This 9.5 hour recitation was about 8 hours too long.  I don't recommend listening to this while you are driving alone on the freeway.  This lazy, monotonous narrative is set in an Appalachian mountain community and deals with the personalities characteristic of a small town being forced to face the broader culture of the United States.  The laudable intent of the author is to portray the deep cultural traits of this unique community.  Cooks will perhaps be interested in the interminable recitation of recipes.  I had trouble staying awake for these boring recitations of ingredients, hoping some more plot might finally happen.  See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Borrowed 4 May 2010.  Heard 8-9 May 2010.  

Trump, Donald and Bill Zanker.  Think Big and Kick A-- in Business and Life.  NY:  Collins, 2007.  368p.  Bought 31 December in Arlington, Texas.  Read 8-9 January 2010.  Business

Verma, Surendra.  Why Aren't They Here?:  The Question of Life on Other Worlds.  Cambridge:  Icon Books, 2007.  232p.  Bought 2 January 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 22-24 January 2010.  Science

Vidal, Gore.  Inventing a Nation:  Washington, Adams, Jefferson.  Prince Frederick, Maryland:  Gildan Media/Literary Creation Enterprises, 2003.  Audiobook.  (Vidal presents a detailed summary of the persons and events leading to the founding of the institutions and ethos of the United States.  Vidal's witty insights and careful presentation of meaningful detail in a flowing narrative brings these three characters to us in a full three-dimensional, real-life portrait of an era and three critical personalities who shaped it.)  Borrowed 2 February 2010.  Heard 14 and 19 December 2010.  Biography (American Politics)

Vysheslavtsev, B P.  The Eternal in Russian Philosophy.  Grand Rapids/Cambridge:  Eerdmans, 2002.  202p.  Bought 9 October 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 24 October - 3 November 2010.  Philosophy

Wallis, Jim.  The Great Awakening:  Reviving Faith and Politics in a Post-Religious Right America.  NY:  HarperOne, 2008.  336p.  (Wallis surveys the religious and political landscape of the United States to perceive and project into the future the relationship of religious movements to the US political and governmental system.)  Bought 7 January 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 3-4 April 2010.  Peoples and Cultures

Wattles, Wallace D.  The Science of Being Great.  Prince Frederick, Maryland:  Gildan Media/Recorded Books. 2008.  Audiobook.  (Wattles combines insights and sources from Science, Theology and Mysticism into an eclectic metaphysical perspective on accomplishment and success.  He develops a practical theory of how to draw upon the common power of the universe he sees as available through our spirit-intellect energies through creation.  He draws heavily on biblical texts, especially the teachings of Jesus, for some unexpected understandings and connections on the topic of interest.)  Borrowed 2 February 2010.  Heard 13 February 2010.  Philosophy (Faith and Life)

Weigel, George.  Faith, Reason and the War against Jihadism.  NY:  Doubleday, 2007.  195p.  Bought 17 June 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 4-5 July 2010.  American Politics and Culture

West, Robert.  Saint Francis.  Nashville:  Thomas Nelson, 2009.  233p.  (West presents a more complete picture than I have read before of Francis' life before he heard a call to service.  This professor-actor creates an absorbing drama of the strange turmoil of medieval northern Italy as the context of Francis of Assisi.  We are plunged into the turmoil, chaos and disorder that constituted the disintegration of feudal Italy, with warlords struggling for power in the shadow of bitter and cruel but weak imperial German forces with the Saracens pressing from the South and the Germans from the North.  See the Middle Ages in a bright new light.  See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Bought 8 July 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 10-11 September 2010.  Biography

White, Andrew.  The Vicar of Baghdad:  Fighting for Peace in the Middle East.  Oxford/Grand Rapids:  Monarch Books, 2009.  191p.  (An Anglican pastor tells the story of his call into a ministry of Peace and Reconciliation in the Middle East.  This fascinating story tells of the development of multireligious, or interfaith, coalitions that Andrew White has developed in Israel and Iraq to foster the elimination of violence and the cooperation, including the first-ever fatwa from a Shia leader against violence.  See my review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Bought 9 October 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 19-21 October 2010.  Autobiography (Faith and Life)

Whitney, Russ.  Building from Rags to Riches through Real Estate Wealth.  NY:  Fireside (Simon and Schuster), 1995.  283p.  Bought in Richmond, Virginia, and portions read in January 2002.  Read 4-8 June 2010.  Business

Whitney, Russ.  Building Wealth.  Cape Coral, Florida:  Whitney Education Group, 2000.  108p.  (This is a manual of specific techniques and steps for practical success in the logistics and practices of real estate investment.  Whitney makes reference to actual techniques he has used in deals he himself has done.)  Bought in Richmond, Virginia, and portions read in January 2002.  Read 29-30 June 2010.  Business

Whitney, Russ.  Keys to Real Estate:  Financing, Locating and Analyzing.  Cape Coral, Florida:  Whitney Education Group, 2001.  106p.  (This is a manual of steps and techniques for finding and evaluating properties and putting together financing for them.  Very practical and well-analyzed.)  Bought in Richmond, Virginia, and portions read in January 2002.  Read 30 June - 5 July 2010.  Business

Whitney, Russ.  Overcoming the Hurdles and Pitfalls of Real Estate Investing:  What the "How To" Books Don't Say.  Cape Coral, Florida:  Whitney Leadership Group, 2000 (2nd edition).  136p.  (This is Russ Whitney's play-by-play testimonial account of his own experience in real estate.  This is very clearly presented and detailed in documentation.  The analysis and explanation he provides along the way comprises a significant component of mentorship to the the real estate investment newcomer.  Whitney spends time explaining how he discovered, analyzed and negotiated deals.  He explains the steps and factors in creative deal construction and approaches to financing.)  Bought in January 2002 in Richmond, Virginia.  Read 25-26 June 2010.  Business

Willis, Avery.  Making Disciples of Oral Learners.  Pattya, Thailand/Bangalore, India:  International Orality Network, 2005.  91p.  (The author was a personal friend of mine, and I had worked with him in training seminars for cross-cultural communicators in concepts of worldview and orality.  Avery died later in 2010.)  Received 15 May 2010 in Rockville, Virginia.  Read 17 May 2010.  Peoples and Cultures

Wilson, N D.  Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl:  Wild-Eyed Wonder in God's Spoken World.  Nashville:  Thomas Nelson, 2009.  201p.  (The author has a humorous and insightful perspective, in which he shares insights and questions with reflections on the philosophers of the western world and moral considerations.  Entertaining, and perceptive of the scientific and epistemological wonders of our universe.  Written in a thoughtful and powerful manner that does not take itself too seriously, nothing dry, pedantic or traditional about this quirky, rich and well-crafted book.  See my full review of this book on this website.  See the book with my review on Amazon.)  Bought 8 July 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 9-10 September 2010.  Philosophy (Faith and Life)

Wood, Gordon S.  The Purpose of the Past:  Reflections on the Use of History.  NY:  Penguin, 2008.  323p.  Bought 18 December 2009.  Read 7-10 April 2010.  History

Yankowski, Mike and Danae, editors.  Zealous Love:  A Practical Guide to Social Justice.  Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 2009.  248p.  Bought 30 October 2010 in Arlington, Texas.  Read 10-13 November 2010.  Philosophy (Faith and Life)

Yutang, Lin.  From Pagan to Christian.  Cleveland/NY:  World Publishing Co, 1959.  251p.  Bought 1985 in North Little Rock, Arkansas.  Read 26 February - 2 March 2010.  Religions (Chinese Christianity)

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