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Books

Being the son of a librarian, I was raised with a voracious appetite for reading. I'm usually reading two or three books at a time, and have a healthy book queue which I only burn through on vacation.

Here are some of the books I'm currently reading, just read, or are waiting for me to read.

Dating Amy - Amy DeZella

I saw this on the shelf at Borders Books, and after flipping through a couple of pages, realized I had to read it! Anything with the tag line "50 True Confessions of a Serial Dater" is worth reading. I'll let you know what I think when I'm done!

Blink - Malcolm Gladwell

An interesting book on how people make split-second decisions, and how to do it yourself while still being accurate. A very cool followup to "Tipping Point"

The Eye of the World - Robert Jordan

People have been recommending this book to me for years, and yet I'm making slow and painful progress. I can't imagine how anyone got past the other eleven books in the series!

Team of Rivals - Doris Kearns Goodwin

I've just started this book, but it's off to a good start! In an age where politicians are unwilling to work with the other party or the best interests of the country as a whole, this book is a refreshing change.

Abraham Lincoln not only reached across the aisle, but put his greatest critics in his own cabinet. And when mistakes were inevitably made, they were fixed and we moved on. I think all modern politicians should read this book!

Freakonomics - Steven Levitt

Freakonomics uses economic techniques to show correlations between seemingly unrelated events. Like how Roe v Wade reduced the amount of violent crime, and why most drug dealers still live at home with mom. You may not agree with it, but its definitely an interesting read!

Digital Fortress - Dan Brown

Dan Brown (author of "The Da Vinci Code") is definitely the new Michael Crichton, and not necessarily in the good way. Michael Crichton books always have a serious technical flaw that the entire book is hinged on. Dan Brown books tend to follow the same rule, and Digital Fortress is no exception. His books are guilty pleasures, but you should definitely check your brain at the door.

Against all Enemies - Richard Clarke

Richard Clarke was the terrorism expert in the Clinton and both Bush Administrations, and was witness to what we did before, during and after 9/11. An interesting insider's view and a truly interesting read!

Democracy Matters - Cornel West

Cornel West's critical assessment of Democracy in America illustrates how government has been co-opted by the interests of corporations and the military, and how the press no longer focuses a critical view on anything. Not a book my Republican friends would enjoy, but it did make me think.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
by JK Rowling

The latest in the series of Harry Potter books, and debatably the best of the lot. This is considerably darker than the predecessors, and we start to see Harry coming to terms with growing up, girls, and his place in the world. One of the main characters does die. I won't mention who, since some people apparently don't know about this (Hannibal and Valerie!!!!) If you've read the others, this book definitely makes it worth catching up.