Don't Know Much About Mythology: Everything You Need To Know About the Greatest Stories in Human History But Never Learned

By Kenneth C. Davis

General overview of creation and other myths in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Native America. Includes stories of the Trojan War, Buddha, Druids, Thor, Machu Picchu, etc.. It has to be read in small bites, otherwise the information is overwhelming. You also have to slog through the bad jokes and liberal viewpoint.

The Miracle of Freedom: Seven Tipping Points that Saved the World

By Chris Stewart and Ted Stewart

How does the world manage to keep humanity, democracy, and culture alive?  The Stewart brothers examine points in history that, if events would have different, the world would have become a drastically different place.  The stories include the salvation of the kingdom of Judah, the victory of Greek democracy, and the conversion of Constantine to Christianity.

Simply told, but interesting. The Battle of Britain, for example, is interesting because if the Nazis would have kept up the air war, England would have been a goner.  Thank goodness European tyrants always try to take on Russia in the winter!  Spreads out the troops, saves the rest of Europe.

The Secret

By Rhonda Byrne

I'm only writing this down to remind myself never to pick up this book again... how do people get sucked into this drivel???  I know! The Secret is to write an insipid book, get Oprah to endorse it, and make millions!

How We Decide

By Jonah Lehrer

Intuition? Gut feelings? Rational thought?  How we decide depends on what we are trying to decide.  Stock picks -- do your research. Buying a house -- happiness comes from the gut, but don't forget a home inspection! Most importantly, keep your skills and awareness sharp, so that when life throws you for a loop, your brain has already trained itself to react. 

Made To Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

By Chip Heath and Dan Heath

What makes us believe some theories and trust some people?  Urban legends, conspiracy theories, and bogus health scares have just enough truth and believability to live forever.  The Heaths explain why interesting, simple ideas have far more "stickiness" in our minds.

The Heaths believe in six key principles to make an idea unforgettable: simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotions, and stories.  These ideas are helpful to teachers, speakers, and anyone else who wants their ideas to not only be heard but remembered.

Don't Know Much About the Bible: Everything You Need to Know About the Good Book But Never Learned

By Kenneth C. Davis

A long, tedious, unfunny "investigation" into why everything in the Bible is wrong.  I kept waiting to actually learn something new, but all I learned is that Davis doesn't believe in the Bible, pushes his liberal views, and states over & over again that the Bible can't possibly be true because archaeological findings don't match up.  I've read other books by Davis and enjoyed them, so this was a letdown.  The background of the Dead Sea Scrolls was interesting, along with the Jewish vs Christian ordering of the Old Testament books.  Otherwise, UGH

The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House On the Prairie

By Wendy McClure

The author is a HUGE fan of the Little House books, and documents her adult journey of her juvenile obsession.  McClure tries her hand at churning butter, wades by the banks of Plum Creek, and visits the annual summer pageant in Laura's hometown, among other down-home, pioneer experiences. 

Not being a true Little House fan myself, I read this book like an adult indulging a small child.  It was interesting, but I couldn't connect with the over-the-top mania.  That being said, I liked her willingness to explore.  McClure is a city girl, so her reaction to being trapped in a "covered wagon" during an intense hail and lightning storm in South Dakota is great... I loved it.

The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom

By Jonathan Haidt

Haidt compares the world's beliefs and philosophies searching for common themes. He compares the way to find a successful life with controlling our inner "elephant" by becoming the in-charge "rider".  Wealth is less important to happiness than close friendships, quiet surroundings, and short commutes.

This book almost has too much to think about, since it covers childhood & parenting, positive psychology, and the author's own philosophical journey.  However, taken in small chunks, it is an informative, interesting book.

Anne Frank Remembered: The Story of The Woman Who Helped to Hide the Frank Family

By Miep Gies and Alison Leslie Gold

For more than two years, Miep Gies and her husband Henk helped to hide the Frank family and four others from the Nazis.  Gies worked downstairs with others who were in on the secret, while her husband worked for the Dutch Resistance.  We have Miep to thank for Anne's book, since she gathered her journals after soldiers discovered the annex and sent the hidden away to Auschwitz.

While the story has its problems, it was very interesting.  There are many stories about the suffering of the Jewish people, but I hadn't read a book about general suffering of citizens conquered by the Nazis.  It started out slowly, and I sometimes wished for more details. For example, towards the end, their Jewish landlady returned from hiding.  In the next chapter, there's one line about a minor disagreement and the Gies family found a new apartment.  Really?  They took care of her belongings and home for two years, and that's all the explanation we get as to why they moved? I have heard that a DVD with interviews of Miep is more detailed, and I wanted to hear more about the people in the annex.  How could they not have more to say about people they spoke with and worried over everyday?

At Home: A Short History of Private Life

By Bill Bryson

Bryson takes the reader on a tour of his own English home, with a history of how each area came to be, including inside and outside areas.  While he gets off subject sometimes, including sections on rats, bats, and archaeology, he eventually gets back to why we have dining rooms, indoor plumbing, and gardens.

Very well written -- I even learned something about rats and the plague that I hadn't heard before.  The topic that sticks most in my mind was how so many unique structures were destroyed mainly due to the passage of death taxes.  Also, how Stonehenge was almost torn down by the landowner, then later almost torn down and reassembled in the United States.

The Brain and Emotional Intelligence: New Insights

By Daniel Coleman

Information and research about how certain parts of the brain affect personality and how emotional intelligence might be more important than IQ.  For example, a person might be brilliant, but lack any sorts of communication skills, so they would be almost a hindrance in a work setting.

Interesting book, but pretty deep concerning brain functions.  I especially liked the part about creativity, persistence, and motivation --- the examples included why the founder of Google was more successful than other internet counterparts due to his intelligence combined with his personality traits.

Love Is A Verb: Stories of What Happens When Love Comes Alive

By Gary Chapman

Short vignettes about how to treat others with love.  If you like Chicken Soup stories, you will like this book.  Unfortunately, I don't like Chicken Soup stories. Nuff said.

Subliminal: How Your Unconscious Mind Rules Your Behavior

By Leonard Mlidinow

The author researches how our unconscious mind/thoughts shade how we feel about the world around us.  Even when we believe we are being open-minded and neutral, our mind is always processing and influencing our relationships and life choices.

This may sound like a deep and slightly confusing subject, and it is --- people don't like to think of themselves as being unconsciously prejudiced against anything.  We float through life believing that we are intelligent human beings, fully capable of making rational choices.  That's what makes this book interesting.  It proves that we are influenced by how people look and what we are told, even when we try to be impartial.

Ageless Face, Ageless Mind

By Nicholas Perricone, M.D.

Dr. Perricone explains how we treat our bodies corresponds with how we look and how we feel.  His discovery of AGEs (Advanced Glycation End Products) and stem cell topical treatments are combined with healthy eating to keep a person young & active.

I was disappointed with this book.  Eating habits are given a little space, but his products are pushed hard.  The examples he gives of clients that he has miraculously saved ate an unspecified healthy diet, stopped smoking, exercised, and put his special stem cell cream on their face.  Thanks for nothing...

Plain and Simple: A Woman's Journey to the Amish

By Sue Bender

Bender, a career driven wife and mother from Berkeley, sees an Amish quilt in a store.  She is taken with its simplicity, and becomes obsessed with finding a way to live with the people that create such timeless, uncomplicated designs.  It takes some effort, and a little luck, for Bender to find an Amish family willing to take her in for a few weeks.  During that time, she learns that there's nothing wrong with living day to day, finding joy in ordinary tasks.  While some modern conveniences are creeping in to Amish society,  community spirit and joy in just "being" may be more important than recognition and notoriety.

I don't think I could be friends with a person like the author and her friends -- their whole life is built around accomplishments and self-congratulation.  For example, even though she is An Artist, she creates for recognition, not the love of the craft.  Everything has to Mean Something, and every person has to Be Somebody.  She even struggles with how to introduce herself at a party, and whether to describe herself as a therapist, an artist, etc.  After she returns home, she wants to bake bread, quilt, and be domestic, but where she lives won't allow it -- no one has time.  When she scrubs her vacation home top to bottom, a friend mocks her for becoming too submissive and homey.  Sheesh people, it's not all about you!

Things I Wish I'd Known Before I Got Married

By Gary Chapman

Dr. Chapman takes couples through ordinary yet important matters to discuss before marriage.  Topics include dividing chores, spirituality, and handling money.  At the end of each section there are "Talking It Over" questions & suggestions to help couples discuss & problem solve.

This is a good book before marriage, but is even helpful after marriage.  Dr. Chapman even has examples from already-married couples who needed help solving issues before their marriage deteriorated completely.  This book really makes you think in far-reaching terms, not just the "but we're in love!" attitude that sometimes wipes out logic.

God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons For Life's Little Detours

By Regina Brett

When Regina Brett turned 50, the newspaper columnist decided to write about her most important 50 life lessons.  As a cancer survivor and a single mom, Brett's life has been full of challenges.  These tough times have helped her remember the gifts of gratitude, laughter, and God's love for His children.

Although Brett doesn't say a lot that's new, she does say it in a refreshing, thoughtful way.  Then again, as always, people need to be reminded of the basic blessings in our lives. Long Live Common Sense!

Why Him? Why Her? Finding Real Love By Understanding Your Personality Type

By Helen Fisher

Why do we fall in love with certain people?  Why do we stay in love? What drives others away?  Our personality, along with our mate's personality, can determine how & why we are attracted to each other.

Fisher seems to be a very thorough and intelligent person.  She is an anthropologist, not a psychologist, and therefore takes a scientific view of relationships.  However, she says nothing new.  She even admits that her personality test is a modification of the Myers Briggs Test first created in the early 1960's... all she did was change the names to Explorer, Builder, Director, and Negotiator.

In the end, this just seemed like a Match.com ad, especially since they hired her to come up with a compatibility test.  Right there, I lost a little respect for the formula.  If Fisher had included more real life examples, it would have been more interesting.  Instead,  the book rehashes the same traits over & over.  Okay, we get it -- Explorers should stay clear of other Explorers, because someone has to stay home.  Negotiators should be wary of Directors, because they might lose their fun-loving spirit.  At the same time, Fisher never discourages any match... anyone can fall in love!  Then what's the point in reading this book?

The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts

By Gary Chapman

The author explains how different people respond positively to different kinds of love expressions : words, actions, gifts, affection, and time.  We usually try to give what we want, instead of what our mate wants, which causes all sorts of misunderstandings and hurt.  If we focus on our partner, and communicate in a positive way, marriages can succeed beautifully.

When written down, the love languages seem so obvious.  How could this not fail?  Well, it can easily fail when people are selfish, and always waiting for the other person to take the first step.  Marriage is hard work.  In fact, most of the negative reviews were about the simplicity of Chapman's advice, along with his spirituality.  To me, this was the strength of the book.

The one problem I wondered about early on is "What if your partner doesn't want to change?",  or "What if you have problems even telling your mate that you're unhappy?"  Towards the end, the author has an example of a wife wanting to change, her husband being a creep, and her friends telling her to walk away.  But Chapman knows that she wants to give it one last try, and creates monthly goals FOR HER to make a change in her marriage.  He doesn't try to force the husband on board.  That hit me hard.  I can't expect my marriage to improve if I'm not willing to change myself.  I really needed this wake up call, and am going to try with all my heart and soul to get on track.

Into Thin Air

By Jon Krakauer

The author describes his 1996 Everest climb, in which eight climbers died.  A series of bad weather and small errors could have killed the entire expedition, especially since some of the climbers were not as fit for the climb as they maybe should have been.  The story also includes a rough history of why Everest is still known as "the ultimate climb".

Not really my first choice for reading material, but I was sucked into the humanity of the story.  However, the author is one of the few to survive, so he doesn't have a lot of people around to contradict him.  While it's true that the story demonstrates all the little mistakes that lead to huge consequences, which is typical of real life, I have trouble with him placing all of the blame on one person.  Climbing Everest has turned into a part of people's bucket list, and is not taken as seriously.  Plus, the weather turned bad without warning, so it seems flippant to blame the guides for every mistake.  I've read other books by Krakauer, and while I enjoyed them, I still don't believe everything he writes --- in fact, I rarely agree with his opinions.