The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

By A.J. Jacobs

Raised without religion, and being an admitted agnostic, the author nevertheless spends a year trying to discover the Judeo-Christian religion's place in society.  He tries to follow common rules such as the Ten Commandments, but also mixes in some unique suggestions like not wearing clothes made of mixed fibers.

After reading this book, I feel like I rewarded an attention hound.  Jacobs didn't want to seek out any deep meaning, he just wanted to grow an unruly beard, wear white, and whine.  He boasts about his sub-par parenting skills, and his wife is just as bad as he is - he makes his living writing about nothing, and she tries to out-do his self centered attitude.  When he tries to follow the rule about avoiding a woman during "that time of the month", she spends the day sitting on every chair in the house. How mature!  His version of keeping the Sabbath Day holy is to do absolutely nothing, and he has no grasp of basic Judaic laws.  It's hard to see why this book was so popular... it was very poorly researched, and his choices were simplistic and pointless.  I think Jacobs just wanted a way to make a quick buck while rewarding his narcissism.

The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Carvaggio Masterpiece

By Jonathan Harr

The true story of the search for The Taking of the Christ, a painting by Caravaggio lost to history many years ago.  On the trail are two Italian graduate students, art historians, and an Italian art restorer working in Ireland.  This is mixed in with a rough outline of Caravaggio's tumultuous life, his talent, and his early death.

This is almost written as historical fiction, especially since it seems unlikely that any famous artists have paintings hiding in plain sight.  It was very readable, even when explaining how to re-line and restore an old Italian canvas.  I only wish there was more development about why Caravaggio's style was so unique.