April is more than half over and I still don’t have my list of books read during March posted. I have been diligently reading and it looks like I am well ahead of my goal of reading a book a week. If reading is my superpower, then seven books succumbed to me in March and I have vanquished 19 during the first 13 weeks of this year. This puts me ahead of schedule in one area of my life.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Germany during World War II. Death is rampant. The story of Liesel Meminger, the book thief, is told by Death, a kind of Grim Reaper figure. This was a very interesting way to tell the story of Nazi Germany, showing those who followed the evil regime, those who secretly fought against it, and those who were broken by it. In the midst of man's inhumanity to his fellow man there are those who are willing to fight against evil.
I listened to the audio book version and enjoyed it tremendously. This was a great book. Highly recommend it to young adults.
Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust by Chris Brogan & Julien Smith
The book says: "We’ve taken what we’ve learned from our years as "digital natives" (people who have grown up inhabiting the various online haunts of the moment), combined it with our understanding of games, people, and business as a whole, and followed it all up with information and ideas to help you better understand the mindset required to match these actions to your business needs." The authors give a lot of anectotal evidence of why businesses should use social software and build their online brand. The verdict: Be Real, Be Helpful, Be Successful.
Heresy by S.J. Parris
An excommunicated monk travels to Oxford to seek an old book but instead finds himself entangled in some gruesome murders fashioned after Foxe's Book of Martyrs.
The book does pretty well placing the story in its historical context. I was intrigued by both the story and the history.
Seized by Max Hardberger
This book tells some of the amazing adventures of Max Hardberger. ‘Stealing’ ships out from under the nose of foreign governments, sneaking planes out of East Germany a week prior to reunification, and acting as an intermediary for buyers in some pretty unusual sitiuations. The amazing adventures would be great to hear first hand, sitting at a bar over a beer or two.
This was a fun and interesting read. Sometimes the writing was as rough as the author but that almost made me feel more like i was sitting in the bar with the author listening to him relate the story in his own words.
Absolute Power by David Baldacci
Protecting the President. Killing someone who was defending themself from the President. Cover-up. It is a slippery slope that catches you off guard when you start doing the wrong things for what appear to be right reasons. Or is it just rationalization?
Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
From The Classic Tales Podcast
This multi-part podcast was well narated and fun to listen to though at times I do begin to wonder if English society is really as vapid as it appears in these stories.
House Rules by Jodi Picoult
The story allows us to look at the world from a different vantage point and realize how confusing much of what we take for granted can be, especially for someone who cannot differentiate between literal and figurative speech.
Bible: Contemporary English Version by God
My 30 minutes of audio Bible reading each morning allowed me to finish reading the New Testament and probably half of the Old Testament by the end of the month. I have changed up the order that I am reading the books (decided I needed to simplify) and so lost the exact list of books I finished in the Old Testament.
