Christmas Music Review

When Jenn was a junior in high school, she had this brilliant idea that she would get one new Christmas album each year.  We now pick out a new album together each year as a part of our anniversary celebration in the middle of November.  At this point, we've gathered a pretty good collection, so we thought that some of you out there might like to know what we've got and how good (or bad!) it is.  

So, Jenn and I each independently rated each album on a scale of 1 to 5, and then we took the average of our scores.  Here is the resulting ranking, from best to worst:

Artist: Frank Sinatra

Album: Christmas Through the Years

Rating: 5

Best Song(s):  "Homesick, That's All," "Mistletoe and Holly," all of the rest

Comments: You can't get more classic than this album.  Frank serves up a lot of great Christmas hymns, and mixes in a few fun ones as well.  Jenn always get a little teary-eyed listening to "Homesick, That's All," one of the best, least-known Christmas songs out there.

Artist: The Rat Pack - Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr.

Album: Christmas with the Rat Pack

Rating: 5

Best Song(s):  "I Believe," "Jingle Bells"

Comments:  Okay, if you're the kind of person that doesn't like Frank Sinatra, maybe you should just stop reading this post right now.  We happen to think that the Rat Pack = the perfect Christmas music.  They've got plenty of fast, fun numbers, but they're able to mix in some slower ones as well.  Even better, the Rat Pack sings the classics just how they're supposed to be; they don't ruin them with extra frills.  You just can't help but sing along!

Artist: Relient K

Album: Let it Snow Baby . . . Let it Reindeer

Rating: 5

Best Song(s): "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "In Like a Lion (Always Winter)"

Comments: We gave three albums the full five stars, and you might think it's kind of odd that Relient K is one of those three.  Something about this album is just so good!  Relient K is able to add a bit of a rock sound, but they still take the songs seriously.  Somehow, they were able to modernize some of the songs without ruining them.  Also, they've written a few Christmas originals that are actually thought-provoking and compelling.  Even better, we never skip any of the songs on this album.

Artist: Bing Crosby

Album: The Voice of Christmas

Rating: 4.75

Best Song(s):  "Christmas is A-Comin'," "Here Comes Santa Claus"

Comments: Here we are back with another classic voice from the big band era.  This two-disc album has all the Bing you'll need, and it's a must-own.  It only just missed out on the full 5 stars because it's got like 8 versions of White Christmas, which is a bit much.  But Bing's ensembles with the Andrews Sisters are smokin' good, and he's also got plenty of great Christmas songs you've probably never heard.

Artist: James Taylor

Album: At Christmas

Rating: 4.25

Best Song(s): "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," "River"

Comments: We heart James!  His "Have Yourself..." is the purest version we've ever heard, and "River" is really exceptional.  Lots of classics that are really well done (except for "Jingle Bells," which you can safely skip).

Artist: The Carpenters

Album: Christmas Portrait

Rating: 4

Best Song(s): "It's Christmas Time," "The Christmas Waltz"

Comments:  This is the first album that Jenn bought, and we've gotten a lot of use out of it.  The Carpenters sound different from any of our other albums, so they're a nice change of pace.  There isn't a bad song on the album either.  

Artist: Julie Andrews

Album: Christmas with Julie Andrews

Rating: 3.5

Best Song(s): "In the Bleak Midwinter"

Comments: These are great to sing along to: simple, pure, and reverent enough for Sunday.

Artist: Sarah McLachlan

Album: Wintersong

Rating: 3.5

Best Song(s): "Happy Xmas (War is Over)," "River"

Comments: This is the perfect CD to wind down after a stressful day of Holiday preparations.  It's soothing, rich, and lovely.

Artist: Jim Brickman

Album: The Gift

Rating: 3.25

Best Song(s): "Joy to the World"

Comments: We like the ones with only piano in them, which are most of the songs.  Great album for some nice background music.

Artist: Vince Guaraldi

Album: A Charlie Brown Christmas

Rating: 3

Best Song(s): "Linus and Lucy"

Comments: This soundtrack takes us back to the days of our childhood.  It's got some fun, jazzy, instrumental music that sets a nice Christmas mood.

Artist: Various Artists

Album: The #1 Christmas Album

Rating: 3

Best Song(s): "Deck the Halls"

Comments: Unfortunately, this isn't our #1 Christmas Album, in spite of its title.  But it's still a good one.  It's an opera and choral compilation, including Placido Domingo and other opera singers that you've probably not heard of.  Overall, a solid album for when you're feeling you need a little culture.

Artist: Various Artists

Album: Elf: Music from the Motion Picture

Rating: 2.75

Best Song(s): "Pennies From Heaven," "Sleigh Ride"

Comments: This one has a few great songs on it, but somehow we don't seem to put it on as often as many of our other CDs.  Still, if you're ever in the mood for some Passion Fruit Spray, this is a good choice.

Artist: Barbra Streisand

Album: A Christmas Album

Rating: 2.75

Best Song(s): "Jingle Bells?"

Comments: I was surprised the Barbra ended near the bottom of our list, because it's a decent album.  "Jingle Bells?" is really one of the best versions of the song ever.  I think that the rest of the songs on the album are just a little too slow for me, with a lot of long, held out notes that seem to never end.  I guess that's Barbra Streisand for you, eh?

Artist: Various Artists

Album: Yule Groove

Rating: 1

Best Song(s): The first one?

Comments: Anyone else have this free demo CD from American Eagle Outfitters?  Are any of Jenn's roommates still reading this post?  Well, the next time you're hosting a Christmas-themed club dancing party, this is definitely the go-to album.

Let the Great World Spin

Title: Let the Great World Spin
Author: Colum McCann
Genre: Modern Fiction
Pages (words): 400 (N/A)
Readability: N/A
Rating (out of 5 stars): ***1/2
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: In 1974, a man illegally walked a tightrope between the brand new World Trade Center Towers (that part is true).  This novel tells the story of many disparate and seemingly unconnected New Yorkers whose lives are going on around this incredible event.  Each chapter tells the story of a different character, where they came from and how they got to New York, and how their lives might have changed on that day.  Some of them witness the tightrope walker, and others miss the event completely.  But all of them, in their own way, are walking their own tightropes with no net to catch them, as the world spins around them.
Thoughts: There was a lot to like about this book.  The writing was very, very good, I thought, with clean, innovative description and really great voice.  I also thought that McCann did a cleaver job of pulling all the various stories together in a coherent, but non-contrived way.  And, while it is a bit more artistic than most books that I read, it wasn't so out there that I couldn't follow it.  On the contrary, the character sketches were each quite intriguing.  There were only two downsides for me.  First, I don't know that books about gritty side of New York are my favorites.  That's just personal taste, more than anything.  Second, the chapter about the prostitute (it's the one about Tillie) was far to seedy for me, and I ended up skipping much of it.  I think that chapter left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth, and without it I would have likely bumped up the rating by another half star.  I'd recommend the book, but I you should just skip that chapter.  You can do so quite easily and it won't affect the story at all, since each chapter is about a different protagonist.
Disclaimer:  As mentioned, there is one pretty explicit chapter that I would recommend just skipping.  The rest of the book had some scattered swear words, and several chapters have prostitutes in them but do not describe anything explicitly.

Undaunted Courage

Title: Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West
Author: Stephen E. Ambrose
Genre: History
Pages (words): 521 (218,949)
Readability: 10.6
Rating (out of 5 stars): ****1/2
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: A biography of Meriwether Lewis, of Lewis and Clark fame.  Of course, the majority of the book focuses on the famous expedition across the continent, but it also gives a history of Lewis' life before and after his famous journey.
Thoughts: This is one of those history books that reads like a novel.  Ambrose is a really great writer (similar to David McCullough), and this description of the Lewis and Clark expedition was incredibly fascinating for me.  Can you imagine leaving on a expedition for which you have no idea where you are going, how long it will take you, what Indians you will meet, what physical obstacles you might face, or how you will get food and water?  How do you even know what to pack?  I really enjoyed reading this one and learning how this incredible expedition actually made it to the Pacific and back, and how the leadership of Lewis and Clark made it happen.  Highly recommended.
Disclaimer: None.

Thanks to Katie for the recommendation, and Dan for providing the audiobook for me!

Predictably Irrational

Title: Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions
Author: Dan Ariely
Genre: Popular Science
Pages (words): 384 (N/A)
Readability: N/A
Rating (out of 5 stars): ****1/2
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: Dan Ariely is a professor of economics at Duke University, and has studied behavioral economics for his whole career.  This book is his attempt at writing up his findings for a non-academic audience, showing us all of the mistakes that we commit when making common, everyday decisions.  He covers topics including: over-valuing ownership, the price of zero, placebo effects, lying, and loyalty.  The book is full of novel experiments, and descriptions of what their findings mean for each of us.
Thoughts: I HAD to tell Jenn about every chapter that I read in this book.  It was seriously astounding how good it was!  I was afraid when I started the book that it would be full of things that I already knew, but in fact most of the findings he discussed I was unfamiliar with, and I thoroughly enjoyed each chapter.  Ariely is a really entertaining writer, and anyone could easily understand Predictably Irrational.  What I liked most about the book was the way that each section was completely applicable to my own life; it's all about decisions that we make daily.  Highly recommended.
Disclaimer:  Chapter 5 (I think) is about decision making under sexual arousal.  If you're uncomfortable with that, you could easily skip this chapter.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Title: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Genre: Classic Fiction

Pages (words): 234 (103,785)

Readability: 7.3

Rating (out of 5 stars): ****

Reviewed by: Ben

Description: Sherlock Holmes takes on 12 trying cases with his trusty Watson always at his side to provide assistance.

Thoughts: It had been a long time since I read any Sherlock Holmes, and I actually liked this book more than I expected to. Each chapter contains a different case, and each case was vastly different from any of the others. Arthur Conan Doyle really had a great imagination to come up with each of the mysteries, and his writing is easy to read, full of just enough facts to make it nearly impossible to guess the truth of each case. If it's been a while since you read any Sherlock, or if you've never tried it at all, this is a great place to start.

Disclaimer: None.

The Bourne Supremacy

Title: The Bourne Supremacy

Author: Robert Ludlum

Genre: Thriller

Pages (words): 646 (230,270)

Readability: 6.1

Rating (out of 5 stars): ***

Reviewed by: Ben

Description: Jason Bourne is forced back in to action when his wife is taken hostage. The trail leads him to Hong Kong, where he must track down a trained assassin and use him to stop a plot that would plunge the world into war.

Thoughts: Like the first Bourne book, this one was a real page-turner. I thought it had a great plot, but it seemed to drag a bit. It probably could have been two thirds as long and I would have liked it better. Anyway, it was fun to read, and at some point I'll definitely read the last book in the series. Also, this one was completely different from the movie, so no worries if you've seen the movie already. They're not the same at all.

Disclaimer: Lots of violence, and quite a bit of swearing.

A Happy Marriage

Title: A Happy Marriage

Author: Rafael Yglesias

Genre: Modern Fiction

Pages (words): 384 (N/A)

Readability: N/A

Rating (out of 5 stars): *1/2

Reviewed by: Ben

Description: Each chapter of this novel alternates between the story of how Enrique Sabas and Margaret Cohen meet, fall in love, and spend the first few years of their marriage, and the story of how Margaret is facing death by cancer 30 years later. As the story bounces back and forth, the full view of their marriage comes together.

Thoughts: It is very rare that I get halfway through a book and decide to stop reading it. I had heard good things about this book and really was enjoying it for most of the first half. It was an interesting story and the writing was great. But then more and more explicit material kept creeping in, until I'd finally had enough. So, I don't recommend this book. It seemed to be pretty well done, but just had way too many explicit details that were completely unnecessary. When it started creeping away from a novel and towards pornography, I put it down.

Disclaimer: Very explicit sexual encounters, lots of swearing.

NurtureShock

Title: NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children

Authors: Po Bronson & Ashley Merryman

Genre: Parenting/Popular Science

Pages (words): 352 (N/A)

Readability: N/A

Rating (out of 5 stars): ****1/2

Reviewed by: Ben

Description: Bronson & Merryman review a vast amount of child development and psychological research related to some of the major issues that parents are concerned about: lying, race, gifted children, language development, teenage independence, sibling interaction, praise and self esteem, and self-control. They show that many of the commonly-accepted practices of parents are in fact backfiring, and discuss ways that parents and teachers can better help children succeed.

Thoughts: Even though the year isn't even half over, I'm pretty sure this is going to be my favorite non-fiction book of the year. I really liked this book a lot. Jenn and I read it at the same time, and every night we had a conversation about what we had read that day, and I think we've really come away from it understanding our kids much better. It had good, solid science behind all of the recommendations, and in addition the authors gave a few examples of how they have put the ideas in to practice with their own kids. I felt like it was a great mix of proven fact and practical application, all without seeming agenda-driven or pushy in any way. Also, I always worry with books like this that the authors are trying to find that the accepted wisdom is incorrect, and that they will go to great lengths to "prove" this. With this book, it really seemed like the authors did an incredible amount of research, and then chose these ten areas where parents and/or schools commonly did things that could be better. That approach is so much better, because none of their recommendations are outlandish or quirky; they all make a lot of sense once you think about it for a bit. Anyway, I would highly recommend this book to everyone that interacts with kids regularly. I just hope I can remember all that I've learned.

Disclaimer: None.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Title: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Authors: Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows

Genre: Modern Fiction

Pages (words): 290 (N/A)

Readability: N/A

Rating (out of 5 stars): ***

Reviewed by: Ben

Description: Juliet Ashton, in search of material for her next novel, happens to begin a correspondence with a few residents on the island of Guernsey, in the English Channel. She learns of their heroic acts, large and small, in the face of occupation by German forces near the end of WWII.

Thoughts: This was definitely an enjoyable book, but overall it just felt a little too contrived for me. There seemed to be just too many happy coincidences that happen to makes things fall in to place just perfectly, a little like eating something that is just a bit too sweet. That being said, I felt like the book certainly had its moments, and I enjoyed the writing quite a bit (it is written as a series of letters between characters in the book). There were some very touching parts in relation to the German occupation, and also some good insights into the growth of friendships during difficult times, and I very much enjoyed those pieces. Overall, the good parts outweighed the overly sappy stuff, and I'd recommend it as a quick read. I should also note that Jenn probably liked this quite a bit more than me, so maybe I was just not the right audience!

Disclaimer: Very clean. Might be a few swear words, but nothing serious.

Hughes: The Private Diaries, Memos, and Letters

Title: Hughes: The Private Diaries, Memos, and Letters

Author: Richard Hack

Genre: Biography

Pages (words): 444 (N/A)

Readability: N/A

Rating (out of 5 stars): ***

Reviewed by: Ben

Description: Howard Hughes was an aviator, movie maker, business man, and complete lunatic. This book uses his private correspondence to examine the kind of man that he was: what he cared about, how he spent his time, and what concerned him.

Thoughts: Howard Hughes has got to be one of the most eccentric characters of American history. He ranged from constantly seeking the public spotlight early on in his career, to hiding inside his hotel with all light blocked out for the last 35 years of his life. While he had major psychological problems, he was also a brilliant business man (becoming one of the wealthiest people in the world) and daring aviator. This particular book was well written and had tons of interesting insights into his life. There are lots of other Hughes biographies out there that likely give more details on the major events of his life--how he made his money, the details of him flying across the U.S. in record time, etc. Instead, this book delved a bit more into his personal life, focusing on his hopes and frustrations, his relationships with others, and his eventual seclusion from the world. While I found this quite interesting, I probably would have preferred to read a more standard biography first just to get more information on the main details of his life. Still, it was really interesting to get a glimpse into the onset of his insanity. It was especially interesting to consider how this insane man with essentially unlimited money likely ruined himself, as he was able to simply purchase anything he desired including drugs, entire hotels (to enhance his seclusion), and endless amounts of tissues (for "insulation"). If he had been forced to actually go to a psychologist, I think it's likely that he could have enjoyed much better years before his death. Anyway, it was an interesting book.

Disclaimer: Not much bad here at all. Maybe a couple of swear words.

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet

Title: The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet

Author: David Mitchell

Genre: Modern Fiction

Pages (words): 496 (N/A)

Readability: N/A

Rating (out of 5 stars): *****

Reviewed by: Ben

Description: In 1799, Jacob de Zoet leaves his native Holland to make his fortune working as a clerk for the Dutch East India Company in Japan. In Japan, he struggles to deal with the clash of Dutch and Japanese cultures, corruption within the company, homesickness, and feelings he has for a Japanese woman who is completely off-limits.

Thoughts: I didn't know anything about this book before I read it except that most people who read it liked it, so I had no idea what to expect. It's odd subject matter for a novel written in 2010: a Dutchman living in Japan in 1799. But I seriously enjoyed this book. The plot was interesting, unpredictable, and had plenty of action (more than I expected). I thought the book was well-researched and interesting just because of that aspect. But on top of that, it was very well-written; it was pleasant to read. And best of all, it was just one of those books that made me want to be a better person and live a full life, but not in a preachy sort of way. All in all, this was a really solid book and I'm super glad that I gave it a try.

Disclaimer: Overall, this was quite clean. There were a few parts that were PG-13 for intimate situations, but it was never overly descriptive. There was also some swearing, and a bit of violence.

The Bourne Identity

Title: The Bourne Identity

Author: Robert Ludlum

Genre: Thriller

Pages (words): 608 (N/A)

Readability: N/A

Rating (out of 5 stars): ***1/2

Reviewed by: Ben

Description: Jason Bourne wakes up on an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea with no memory of who he is...or was. His body is riddled with bullets, and he finds he has skills that no average person should have: he can handle a gun, speaks several languages, and can easily blend in to any environment. He must find out who he is, but at the same time part of him just doesn't want to know.

Thoughts: This book was pretty much as expected: no real deep insights, but it's a real page-turner and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I really couldn't put it down, and found myself reading way too late at night on several occasions. I'd compare it to something like The Da Vinci Code. I'll definitely read the other two books in the series soon. Also, I didn't feel like having seen the movie ruined the book at all. The movie has the same premise as the book, but they are sufficiently different that both are pretty enjoyable in and of themselves.

Disclaimer: Lots of violence, some swearing.

The Help

Title: The Help

Author: Kathryn Stockett

Genre: Modern Fiction

Pages (words): 464 (N/A)

Readability: N/A

Rating (out of 5 stars): ***1/2 (Ben) ****1/2 (Jenn)

Reviewed by: Ben & Jenn

Description: The voices of three different women tell a story of early 1960s Jackson, Mississippi. "The help" are black women who work in white homes keeping house and raising the kids. While the help do the work, the white women spend their time organizing league meetings, going to bridge club, and eagerly gossiping about other women in town. The Help tells a story of those racial barriers slowly breaking, and the havoc that is caused as some fight the changes while others embrace them.

Thoughts: The Help has been gaining more and more popularity over the past few months, and it's no surprise that it has wide appeal. Overall, it's a solid book. For us, the best part about the book was the voice; Stockett did an incredible job giving each character a strong personality through her writing style. (Side note: we both listened to the audio book version, which had three separate readers, and it was incredibly well done.) Aside from the voice, Ben thought that the plot was good but maybe not spectacular. Jenn was much more drawn in to it, and finished it several days before Ben did because she couldn't put it down. We think that this is maybe because there aren't any significant male characters in the book at all, making it a bit harder for Ben to relate to it. At any rate, it's always interesting to consider just how far this country has come with regards to racism in the past 60 years, and this books definitely brought that to light. Overall, Jenn really loved it, and Ben enjoyed it as well.

Disclaimer: There are a few mild swear words, and also a scene with a naked man, but overall this is a pretty clean book.

The Glass Castle

Title: The Glass Castle

Author: Jeannette Walls

Genre: Memoir

Pages (words): 288 (N/A)

Readability: N/A

Rating (out of 5 stars): ****1/2

Reviewed by: Ben

Description: Jeannette Walls tells her own story of growing up with an alcoholic father and eccentric (to put it mildly) mother in abject poverty. The family is constantly running from the authorities, sleeping in boxes, and going for days without food. Somehow, the kids get raised without dying from illness or accident, but along the way they are subjected to harrowing adventures and heart-breaking ridicule.

Thoughts: I was this close to giving this book five stars. I really loved it. In fact, I think if I had read this book before Angela's Ashes I probably would have given this one five stars and Angela's Ashes would have gotten four and a half. Add A Tree Grows in Brooklyn to that list as well. All three books tell essentially the same story, and all three are excellent books. I'm not sure what is so compelling about reading about kids surviving poverty...maybe it's the fact that these are people who actually did live the idealized American Dream, or maybe it's just the absolute insanity of it all. Whatever it is, The Glass Castle definitely belongs among the best memoirs about going from rags to riches. I couldn't believe some of the things that Jeannette's parents put their kids through; the stories were just wild. But beyond just being a bunch of good stories, what intrigued me about The Glass Castle in particular was the fact that, despite being the worst parents of the century, many of the things her mom and dad said I completely agreed with. The book was filled with tender moments when you could see her dad really trying to develop a close connection with his daughter, and then on the next page he would be using her to get booze money. Her mom was incredible at adjusting to difficult circumstances--something that I believe is an important skill--but so much so that she never made her situation any better. Anyway, I'd highly recommend this book to anyone. Well-written, a real page turner, and chock full of intriguing issues to think about.

Disclaimer: There are several adult moments in the book including two attempted rapes and some sexual abuse. Never is the book overly explicit, nor did it make me feel too uncomfortable. Also, Jeannette's dad uses a fair amount of colorful language.

I'll Mature When I'm Dead

Title: I'll Mature When I'm Dead: Dave Barry's Amazing Tales of Adulthood

Author: Dave Barry

Genre: Humor

Pages (words): 272 (N/A)

Readability: N/A

Rating (out of 5 stars): ****

Reviewed by: Ben

Description: A collection of all-new humor essays by Dave Barry, covering topics ranging from having kids to getting a colonoscopy to writing a movie script. And everything in between.

Thoughts: I love Dave Barry. All in all, he's probably the funniest humor writer that I've read, which isn't saying much because anytime I'm in the mood to read humor I pretty much always read Dave Barry. At any rate, I thought this was an absolutely hilarious book. My absolute favorite part was his spoof of Twilight, which was spot on perfect. The only downside of this book was that I was listening to it on the bus, and it was awkward having everyone watch me while I laughed out loud every minute or two. I got over that pretty quickly and just enjoyed the book.

Disclaimer: Dave Barry is relatively clean, but he does have a fondness for bathroom humor. I don't recall many swear words, but there might have been one or two.

Manhood for Amateurs

Title: Manhood for Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son

Author: Michael Chabon

Genre: Non-fiction essays

Pages (words): 336 (N/A)

Readability: N/A

Rating (out of 5 stars): ****

Reviewed by: Ben

Description: This book is a collection of essays dealing with the topic of manhood. In them, Chabon tells about living through the divorce of his parents, his relationship with his brother, finding the right woman to marry, and his struggles at being a good father. He also covers general topics, such as the lost freedom of childhood and his difficulties of dealing with religion.

Thoughts: I wasn't sure what to expect from Manhood for Amateurs, but I really liked it a lot. The best part about it was the actual writing; Chabon is a great writer. So, regardless of the subject matter I found it nice just to listen to the book. In addition, I really liked a lot of his insights into the struggles and pleasures of being a man. I didn't really agree with everything in the book, but it was enlightening to read and consider. I particularly liked his thoughts on the lost freedom of childhood. Overall, it was a really nice book, and one I would recommend to both men and women. I would have given the book an extra half star if it had not included a fairly significant section on him losing his virginity, which was neither enlightening nor necessary to the book. I really could have just done without that part--not that it was too graphic, but just not really tasteful, in my view. So, my recommendation is that you skip the portion of the book entitled "Burning Women," and read the rest.

Disclaimer: In addition to the section on losing his virginity, there are also a fair number of swear words in the book.

Bringing Down the House

Title: Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students who took Vegas for Millions

Author: Ben Mezrich

Genre: Nonfiction (kind of)

Pages (words): 273 (78,076)

Readability: 7.3

Rating (out of 5 stars): ***

Reviewed by: Ben

Description: In the mid-1990s, a team of MIT students mastered the art of team card-counting, and then took their game to Vegas. This book details their experiences, the double lives they led, the money they made, and their struggles against the casinos to stay in the game.

Thoughts: This was an enjoyable read, but nothing earth-shattering. The subject of the book is completely fascinating: super-smart people leading double lives, wearing disguises, taking on fake identities, and using their brains to win nearly $4 million from Vegas casinos. It doesn't get much better than that, really. However, I didn't really love Mezrich's writing style, and I really could have done without some of the strip club scenes. All in all, a fun book, but not one I'll readily tell everyone to read.

Disclaimer: This book has a lot of swearing, wild parties, strip clubs, etc. A little more than I was comfortable with, really.

Soccernomics

Title: Soccernomics: Why England Loses, Why Germany and Brazil Win, and Why the U.S., Japan, Australia, Turkey--and Even Irag--Are Destines to Become the Kings of the Worlds' Most Popular Sport

Authors: Simon Kuper & Stefan Szymanski

Genre: Popular Economics

Pages (words): 336 (N/A)

Readability: N/A

Rating (out of 5 stars): ****

Reviewed by: Ben

Description: Kuper, a sport journalist, and Szymanski, a sports economist, use cold, hard data to tackle questions regarding commonly-held beliefs about soccer. Ranging from what determines a country's success in major tournaments to how purchase a player for your team to the game theory behind the penalty kick, they show that many of the "truisms" of soccer are actually wrong. They have the data to prove it.

Thoughts: I'm kind of hit-and-miss on the extent to which I like popular economics books like Freakonomics. But you couldn't find a book better suited to my particular tastes than Soccernomics. I follow U.S. soccer relatively closely, and I think to myself very often that I would love to have the data to test a few ideas. In this book, Kuper and Szymanski do that for me. I really loved the book, and I even thought that the economics they used were sound for the most part. That being said, this book really isn't for everyone. In fact, if you're not a relatively big soccer fan, you probably wouldn't enjoy it. But I loved it!

Disclaimer: None.

Mockingjay

Title: Mockingjay (Hunger Games, Book 3)

Author: Suzanne Collins

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction

Pages (words): 400 (N/A)

Readability: N/A

Rating (out of 5 stars): ****

Reviewed by: Ben

Description: The conclusion of the saga of Katniss Everdeen and her fight against the Capitol. I can't say much more without spoiling things if you haven't read the previous books in the series!

Thoughts: I thought this was a great conclusion to the Hunger Games series. I'm so glad that the series didn't devolve into a hopeless love triangle (I'm looking at you, Twilight books), and that instead there were many more issues involved than just Katniss' relationships with Gale and Peeta. I was also glad that the plot didn't pull any punches; several important characters are killed along the way, and many others are permanently affected. Although the book was pretty brutal, the brutality made the book less predictable and, hence, more captivating for me. I was even glad that there wasn't really a "happily ever after" ending, but instead more of "pick up the pieces and move on" conclusion. The writing wasn't great by any means, but the plot really moved along enough to keep me fully absorbed and excited for each chapter. All in all, I really enjoyed the whole Hunger Games series (especially the second and third books), and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a quick, engrossing read.

Disclaimer: The book is pretty gory, and it might have a few swear words, but I can't recall anything too major.

Tess of the d'Urbervilles

Title: Tess of the d'Urbervilles

Author: Thomas Hardy

Genre: Classic

Pages (words): 384 (148,121)

Readability: 8.8

Rating (out of 5 stars): ****

Reviewed by: Ben

Description: Tess Derbyfield has grown up very poor for her whole life. When her father learns that they are actually related to the ancient noble line of the d'Urbervilles, he sends her off to visit some long-lost (and rich) "cousins" who may just provide them with a better living. Instead of finding a better life, however, Tess instead finds a harsh world in which people are self-centered and prejudiced to the extreme, with disastrous consequences resulting for all involved.

Thoughts: I really liked this book a lot. Hardy does an incredible job of highlighting the weaknesses that many of us have. Where one man cannot overcome his appetites and passions, another man cannot overcome his prejudices. At the end of the book, I'm still left wondering which was worse, overall. Anyway, that's what I loved about the book. The plot itself was good also (if a little far-fetched), but I had already seen a BBC version of the story so there were no real surprises in it for me, which was unfortunate, as I think I would have liked it even more if I didn't know what was coming. All in all, I really highly rate this lesser-known classic.

Disclaimer: Deals with adult ideas, but it's very clean.

Catching Fire

Title: Catching Fire (Hunger Games, Book 2)

Author: Suzanne Collins

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction

Pages (words): 391 (N/A)

Readability: N/A

Rating (out of 5 stars): ****

Reviewed by: Ben

Description: If you haven't read this series, I don't want to spoil it for you, and if you have, you've probably already read this one! Basically, it picks up right where The Hunger Games left off, with Katniss and Peeta thrown together once again in a quest to thwart the Capitol and stay alive in the process.

Thoughts: I didn't give a stellar review to The Hunger Games because for whatever reason I kind of got tired of it about 3/4 of the way through. That was absolutely not the case with this one. This book opened up so much more depth to the full plot; there was a lot more to think about than just Katniss' difficulty in managing her love triangle with Peeta and Gale. Towards the end, when I realized that there was a whole lot more going on than just Katniss trying to stay alive, the book was really entrancing--I had a hard time putting it down, and was really bummed when I tried to check out the last book in the series from the library and found out that there were 58 people ahead of me in line! This was a really great follow-up to The Hunger Games, and I can't wait to read the last one. (Never fear, I got a free trial at Audible.com and downloaded the last book. I'm about 1/4 through it now!).

Disclaimer: There is a fair amount of gore in this book, but that's it. Pretty clean.

Why Gender Matters

Title: Why Gender Matters: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know About the Emerging Science of Sex Differences

Author: Leonard Sax, M.D. Ph.D.

Genre: Non-fiction (Science/Parenting)

Pages (words): 336 (N/A)

Readability: N/A

Rating (out of 5 stars): ****

Reviewed by: Ben

Description: Leonard Sax describes the major differences between boys and girls both in terms of their psychology as well as their physiology, and explains how those differences can make a huge difference in the way they should be taught, mentored, and parented. Carefully studied with plenty of citations, Sax mixes plain scientific observation with some of his recommendations on how to apply the knowledge in a practical way. To give a simple example, he cites several studies that show that boys' hearing is on average substantially worse than girls'. So, he suggests placing boys near the front of the classroom and talking to them louder. There are a multitude of examples such as this that really give one a clearer idea of how to work with gender differences.

Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book, and felt like it was an important one for me to read as a parent (as well as a future professor). There were lots of insights and aha moments as I read it. The most incredible thing to me was that the Church already does basically everything that he suggests in the book (e.g. encourage families to eat together, give solid boys-only and girls-only mentoring and teaching, etc.). Still, there were lots of things I could personally take from the book that alters the way I approach parenting situations. While I didn't agree with everything in the book, nearly all of it was spot-on and very well researched. I think every parent should read this book. I'm already planning on reading his next one, Boys Adrift.

Disclaimer: The chapter on sex was quite explicit. In my opinion, completely unnecessarily so--there was way too much detail in there for what was needed. Not sure if he was just going for the shock effect or what, but I could have done with that part being toned down several notches. Besides that, it was clean.

The Hunger Games

Title: The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction

Pages (words): 384 (N/A)

Readability: N/A

Rating (out of 5 stars): ***

Reviewed by: Ben

Description: In a future world, the central government of what used to be the United States mercilessly oppresses the outlying districts and favors the citizens living in the Capitol. As a reminder to the Districts of its superiority, the Capitol holds the annual Hunger Games, in which 24 teenagers are randomly selected, placed in an arena, and the last one living wins. Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old girl from District 12, volunteers to go to the Games in place of her sister. Will she survive? How will she do it?

Thoughts: There has obviously been a lot of hype about the Hunger Games books. This one really sucked me in for about the first 3/4 of the book, but then I started to grow tired of it by the end. I'm not really sure why, because everyone else that I know who has read it has finished it in like a day and can't wait to read the next one. My take on it is that it was a lot of fun and I'll definitely finish the series, but I wasn't totally engrossed like everyone else seems to be. The basic plot is a great idea, but the writing is only fair and it seems a bit formulaic here and there. Still, I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a fun book that will really suck them in.

Disclaimer: Obviously, there's some gore in this book, but nothing major.

SuperFreakonomics

Title: SuperFreakonomics

Authors: Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner

Genre: Popular Science

Pages (words): 288 (N/A)

Readability: N/A

Rating (out of 5 stars): ****

Reviewed by: Ben

Description: Levitt (a U. of Chicago economist) and Dubner (a journalist) team up once again to explore "the hidden side of everything." In this sequel, they examine data on prostitutes, doctor performance, the impact of television on women in India and childen in the U.S., the effectiveness of car seats, the dangers of walking drunk, and global warming, applying good economic thinking to each question to see what the data say.

Thoughts: If you liked Freakonomics, you'll like this book. I personally liked this one better than the first, but both are really good. Some of the things they talk about in this book I've already run across in various economics classes, but I still enjoyed hearing about them in a very accessible way, and there were plenty of surprising findings in there as well. But what I really liked about SuperFreakonomics (and its prequel) is that it is a great way to learn a bit about what most academic economists actually do for their research. In the news most people hear a lot from macroeconomists who opine on the direction of the economy and financial markets. In reality, though, more and more economists spend their time doing microeconomics, and this book gives a good glimpse in to what that actually is: asking an interesting question and then coming up with a clever way to find an answer. I think most people will find that micro is much more interesting than macro!

Disclaimer: There are several swear words, and the entire first chapter deals with the economics of prostitution. It's all quite clean, but probably not a topic for the kiddos.

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

Title: Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

Author: Annie Dillard

Genre: Philosophy

Pages (words): 304 (88,994)

Readability: 9.2

Rating (out of 5 stars): ****

Reviewed by: Ben

Description: Annie Dillard ruminates on living a full year in a cabin near Tinker Creek, a small stream in Virginia. Much like Thoreau's Walden, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek uses observations on nature to make much larger points. Dillard talks about everything from tracking muskrats to the art of listening, but throughout all of it she is really focused on how man can find God, if He really exists.

Thoughts: For me, this book started out as a five-star book, then fell to three, and then ended up meriting four stars. Dillard is really an incredible writer, and she certainly has a knack for pulling meaning out of things that I never could have. There were parts of the book that I enjoyed very, very much, and some parts that I thought were a little bit too "out there" for me. I wish that I had known beforehand how the book was structured; the first half is about the beautiful things that exist in nature that signify there is a God, while the second half is about the awful things that one must cut away in order to find God. Not knowing this (until Dillard explained it in the epilogue), I couldn't figure out why the second half of the book was so unlike the first. I probably would have enjoyed it more had I known that going in to it. Overall, this book was definitely a worthwhile read, and I'll be looking in to reading some more Dillard in the future.

Disclaimer: None.

Angels & Demons

Title: Angels & Demons

Author: Dan Brown

Genre: Thriller

Pages (words): 496 (N/A)

Readability: N/A

Rating (out of 5 stars): ****

Reviewed by: Ben

Description: Robert Langdon is a Harvard Professor of symbology who gets called to Europe to help solve a murder mystery. The trail of the murderer is marked by ancient symbols which lead him across Rome in a quest to save the Vatican.

Thoughts: The perfect summer-reading kind of a book. This book was a real page-turner and I really enjoyed it all the way through. There were enough twists to keep me guessing all the way until the end, and the way that Brown weaves history, art, religion, and science together really is impressive. A little implausible, but impressive just the same. I would say that the only knock on the book was that it is pretty similar to The Da Vinci Code, but that's why I read it in the first place, so I shouldn't complain. Guess I'll have to read The Lost Symbol the next time I get in the mood for this kind of a book!

Disclaimer: This book was pretty gory. Several people are killed in really gruesome ways. I don't recall too many swear words, however.

Outliers

Title: Outliers: The Story of Success

Author: Malcolm Gladwell

Genre: Popular Science

Pages (words): 309 (N/A)

Readability: N/A

Rating (out of 5 stars): ***1/2

Reviewed by: Ben

Description: Following up on the success of The Tipping Point and Blink, Gladwell's third book explores just what makes some people extraordinarily successful. He examines the stories of professional athletes, rock stars, and millionaires and looks for key moments in their lives when they got their chance to make it big, and how those opportunities came about. In the end, he relates this to our lives and thinks about what we might do to promote even more success stories.

Thoughts: I like to read Gladwell's books. He basically tells a bunch of stories and summarizes a bunch of research and tries to tell a coherent story throughout it all. He does a great job of finding and summarizing the studies and stories (they're all fascinating), but at times I think he falls a bit short in being able to pull it all together in to one big theme,. Outliers was no exception to this, but overall it's probably my favorite of the three big ones he's written. And, I think that for the most part he makes good points. The main one, and I'm probably not giving too much away here, is that people become extremely successful not because they are that much better than everyone else, but because they had an opportunity that most other people never had and they made the most of it. That's something that I truly believe. I also especially liked the portion near the end of the book about how one's culture can really define what a person excels at, despite whatever talents they were naturally born with. To whet your appetite, he claims that the Chinese are generally good at math mainly because of the culture they grew up in, and especially because of the language they speak. And I actually buy his argument. Anyway, it was a fun little book, it gave me a lot to think about, and I enjoyed reading it.

Disclaimer: I think there were a few swear words in this book, but nothing too major.

The Path Between the Seas

Title: The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal

Author: David McCullough

Genre: History

Pages (words): 698 (227,244)

Readability: 12.4

Rating (out of 5 stars): ***1/2

Reviewed by: Ben

Description: A shortcut from the Atlantic to the Pacific was dreamed of for hundreds of years before the Panama Canal was built. Multiple expeditions set out to determine whether the feat was even possible, and, if so, where the best route lay. McCullough lays out the attempt of the French at building the canal, and the subsequently successful efforts of the Americans to connect the oceans. The entire book covers over 40 years of history.

Thoughts: Every David McCullough book I read, I think to myself, "Why has no one ever told me this before?!?" This book was no exception. All the way though it, I couldn't believe that I knew basically nothing about the building of the Panama Canal. About all I knew was that it was built by the U.S. (I had no idea the French tried it first). Anyway, this was a great book, as all McCullough books are. I especially loved the engineering parts that described the building of the locks and how they overcame the technical issues of connecting two oceans across a continent. Because I can't help comparing this McCullough to the others that I've read, I have to say that I've probably liked his other ones a bit more than this one. The Great Bridge (about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge) was a very similar book that I personally enjoyed more than this book. But that shouldn't take anything away from The Path Between the Seas. The book is superbly put together, easy to read, fully of primary-source material, and interesting throughout.

Disclaimer: None.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Author: Betty Smith
Genre: Classic
Pages (words): 528 (155,559)
Readability: 5.9
Rating (out of 5 stars): ****1/2
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: Francie Nolan is the daughter of a singing waiter father and a severely practical mother, and is growing up in Brooklyn around the turn of the 20th century. Living in severe poverty, Francie struggles to reconcile her dreams with reality, to learn truth without giving up on her dreams.
Thoughts: Another spectacular book. I recently read both Angela's Ashes and The Book Thief, and I would put A Tree Grows in Brooklyn right up there with those two. What makes A Tree Grows in Brooklyn so impressive is that its writing style feels very modern, even though it was written over 60 years ago. Smith is very open about the difficulties of life, and the issues facing the poor, which is rare for a book written in the 1940s. Anyway, the story was really captivating, and even better than that, it brought out an issue that I think we all have to address as we come to face reality: How does one keep their hope alive when they realize that things might not turn out according to their dreams? I really like how the book personified both romance and reality through Francie's parents. I found myself comparing my parenting style to each parent and realizing that I have a bit of both the practical and whimsical in me. Hopefully I can keep walking that line!
Disclaimer: There are a few swear words in the book, and a few of the characters are quite open about their sex lives. Still, overall this is a pretty clean book.

Little Women

Title: Little Women
Author: Louisa May Alcott
Genre: Classic
Pages (words): 464 (185,716)
Readability: 9.2
Rating (out of 5 stars): ***
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: Not sure this one needs much of a description. Little Women is the classic story about four girls coming of age in a little New England town. Together, they learn tough lessons about life and what it truly means, with much guidance from their loving mother.
Thoughts: I didn't expect to really love this book, since I'm not really the target audience. And, overall, it was about what I expected: entertaining, good plot, lots of great morals, but just not really intriguing for me. I think the issue was that there wasn't really a character that I connected to, and since I already knew the basic story there just wasn't much that captured my attention. I do have to say that the writing was better than I expected, which made the book pretty enjoyable. All in all, I'm glad that I read it (especially with Alcott's home just a few miles from our house!), and I'd definitely recommend it to everyone.
Disclaimer: Pretty tame book overall. :)