Books

On this page, I offer short reviews of the books I've read (in reverse chronological order in which I read them), both for the benefit of others and as a record for myself of my own reading. If you'd like a little better insight into my interests, or would like to buy me a gift, check out my amazon.com wish list.

NOTE: This page is no longer active. I now write my book reviews on my weblog.

Cover Title Author Rating Completed Comments
Speaks the Nightbird, Volume 2: Evil Unveiled Robert McCammon March, 2004 This two-part novel is very well written. The characters are well rounded, the plot weaves together many strands. I was an enjoyable read.
Speaks the Nightbird, Volume 1: Judgment of the Witch Robert McCammon March, 2004 See above
Prey Michael Crichton January, 2004 Crichton is a great thriller writer, and I usually enjoy the scientific or philosophical underpinnings of his novels. I enjoyed this novel, but I thought he stretched current technology well beyond the line of plausibility.
Deception Point Dan Brown October, 2003 Not nearly as good as The Da Vinci Code or Angels and Demons, but not a bad thriller. I know that when you read such a thriller, you have to not worry too much about plausibility, but I felt much of the plot was built on implausible oversights.
The Da Vinci Code Dan Brown September, 2003 A great thriller with lots of history mixed in! I read it obsessively to the end
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix J. K. Rowling September, 2003 I enjoyed this book almost as much as the previous Potter books, but this one dragged a little in the middle and felt just too formulaic for me to highly recommend it
Artemis Fowl Eoin Colfer June, 2003 A very cute tale of the exploits of a 12-year-old criminal mastermind
Holes Louis Sachar May, 2003 A fun, quick read. Now I need to see the movie that was just released
The Amber Spyglass Philip Pullman May, 2003 Not as compelling as the first two books in Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Toward the end of the trilogy, Pullman's theological ax-grinding begins to weigh down the story.
The Subtle Knife Philip Pullman May, 2003 The second book in Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, as good as the first.
The Golden Compass Philip Pullman April, 2003 An excellent fantasy novel that Katie, Hannah and I all enjoyed immensely. On to the second book in the trilogy!
Manifold: Space Stephen Baxter April, 2003 Following 8000 years of human history and travel throughout the galaxy, this book contains lots of interesting concepts, but it was not particularly compelling reading.
The Music of the Spheres Elizabeth Redfern September, 2002 A very well written mystery set in 1795 in London. The author does a nice job of integrating her fictitious plot with actual historical events.
The Cabinet of Curiosities Lincoln Child and Douglas J. Preston August, 2002 Another well written book from Child Preston, much better than Ice Limit. I have to admit to having been taken in by their red herring as to the nature of Enoch Leng's 'true' project (I won't say any more, lest I spoil the plot for you)
Sea Change James Powlik August, 2002 A mediocre thriller
A Painted House John Grisham June, 2002 Another incredibly well-written book by John Grisham, though quite a refreshing change from his lawyer books. I very highly recommend it
Angels and Demons Dan Brown June, 2002 A good thriller, some nifty plot twists, and reasonably well written
Another Planet: A Year in the Life of a Suburban High School Elinor Burkett April, 2002 Ms. Burkett spent a year in a suburban Minnesota high school, making herself ubiquitous among students, teachers and staff. I didn't find her experiences with the school and its staff surprising, but her view of today's high school students and their baby-boomer parents was sobering.
Church of the Dead Girls Stephen Dobyns April, 2002 The thriller plot was somewhat weak, but the writing is very good; Dobyns' narrator describes life in a small town in great detail.
The Ice Limit Lincoln Child and Douglas J. Preston March, 2002 As usual for Child and Preston, this book was very well written, and the scientific premises were interesting. I have to admit, though, I thought the character development wasn't that complex. The primary personality trait of one of the characters is that he never errs, and in the end, of course, he does so, which was no surprise. There's only so much you can do with a character like that. Refreshingly, the book doesn't have a heroic ending; the character who I figured would save the day, didn't. Also, it seems like they left the ending open to a sequel.
The Descent Jeff Long December, 2001 Interesting premise, good writing style, but the book needs a good editor: lots of loose ends, conflicting details, etc. But a nail-biting read nonetheless.
The Magic Circle Katherine Neville November, 2001 Katherine Neville writes well, but unfortunately, this book is not nearly as good as The Eight. With a plot that spans, basically, all of human civilization, the book never delivers. The climax is neither, as I'd hoped, a big showdown between the forces of good and evil, nor a full explanation of the thing that has been sought by so many for so long.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire J. K. Rowling September, 2001 I was just as thrilled with this one as the others, though I wouldn't really recommend it for younger children due to more graphical violence than the preceding novels.
Los Alamos Joseph Kanon August, 2001 The author pays a lot more attention to character development than many popular authors--though I still found the characters somewhat flat. It's interesting the way he interweaves real historical events--The Manhattan Project--with fictional characters and events.
Young Men and Fire Norman Maclean July, 2001 Although it's a pretty good read, I was not as thrilled with this book as I'd expected. It was unfinished at the time of the author's death, and it really reads like it could have used some revisions.
Thunderhead Lincoln Child and Douglas J. Preston July, 2001 Yet another great thriller by the authors of Relic, Reliquary, and Mount Dragon, all of which I also highly recommend. The movie Relic was truly awful, but the book, like all these authors' books, was extremely well written. Next on my list of books to read are Riptide and The Ice Limit.
Temple Matt Reilly June, 2001 This book reads like the screenplay for a Schwarzenegger or Stallone action thriller movie. Would make a great movie, but as a book, well, not so good. The only reason I completed it was because the protagonist is a professor of languages. Speaking of which, cliches abound: protagonist is a professor who haplessly gets roped into an expedition to the Amazon rainforest, discovers his ex-girlfriend on the expedition, saves not merely humanity from destruction, but the planet--not once, but twice--from being blasted from its orbit.
The Burning Road Ann Benson May, 2001 Ann Benson's sequel to The Plague Tales is good, though not quite as good as the first book, but still better than your average thriller
The Plague Tales Ann Benson April, 2001 An entertaining novel with parallel plots in the 14th century and near future. Very well written, though some of the characters' actions strained believability.
Resurrection Day Brendan Dubois March, 2001 An alternate history chronicling events if the Cuban missile crisis had led to the use of nuclear weapons. This book was an enjoyable light read. It was predictable in quite a few places, but overall pretty well written.
Lord of the Rings J. R. R. Tolkien February, 2001 I've finished the first two books now--The Fellowship of the Ring, and The Two Towers--and it's getting a little long. Definitely not as good as The Hobbit, but I'll start the third book soon, to complete the trilogy.
The Hobbit J. R. R. Tolkien January, 2001 I decided to re-read Tolkien's works for the first time since I was a teenager. Now it's on to the trilogy.
October Sky Homer Hickam November, 2000 Excellent memoir of Hickam's childhood in a West Virginia coal mining town, and a darn well-written novel to boot.
Timeline Michael Crichton November, 2000 Among Crichton's better books (I think I've read all his works), though he leaves numerous plot details unexplained or unresolved.
Southern Cross Patricia Cornwell October, 2000 Not bad for light reading.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets J. K. Rowling September, 2000 Read it! Not just for kids.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone J. K. Rowling August, 2000 Read it! Not just for kids.
How I Accidentally Joined the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy and Found Inner Peace Harry Stein July, 2000 The title doesn't do the book justice. An autobiography of Stein in which Stein began to ask questions about liberal dogma. Very educational.
Cryptonomicon Neal Stephenson June, 2000 Wow! Stephenson actually manages to weave together several plots, from both the present day, and WWII, though I thought the book dragged toward the end.
Esau Philip Kerr March, 2000 Interesting premise, but it was a real disappointment. Characters were very shallow, and the climax hinged on a character who appeared once for about two pages halfway through the book. Katie was offended by the sexist portrayal of the female characters (and I can see her point).