This is a collection of books I have read over the last, oh I don’t know, 12 months or so and my thoughts on them… They’re in alphabetical order simply because I’m working off my Delicious Library list for self-reference:

“All Scripture is Inspired of God and Beneficial” – Watchtower Bible and Tract Society: This is an interesting book. It is the Watchtower’s book of apologetics for a literal interpretation of the Bible. It represents an entirely conservative fundamentalist view of the scriptures, ignoring mountains of evidence that contradict it’s traditional views while cherry-picking the evidence to support itself. An example, in the coverage of the book of Matthew they ignore the extensive evidence that dates the writing of Matthew as happening (at the earliest) after 70 CE and place it instead at 41 CE. Their rationale is that a copy of Matthew from the 10th century (that’s right, 1000 years later) has “41 CE” written on it. They support the traditional belief of Moses as the author of the first five books of the Bible and all the traditional conservative beliefs. No attention whatsoever is given to the evidence of the Documentary Hypothesis, the Q text or any of the other generally accepted modern views on the development of the Bible. Overall, useful in understanding just how woefully incomplete and naive the fundamentalist picture of the Bible is.

Age of Propaganda, The Everyday Use and Abuse of Persuasion – Anthony Pratkanis and Eliot Aronson: Wow. This book is amazing. The authors are professors of sociology who describe the psychological methods by which persuasion techniques used by advertisers, religious leaders and politicians work. Through use of controlled studies, statistics and reasoning they outline all the many ways that the average persons opinions are being shaped, tugged, pushed and pulled in their everyday lives. You can’t read this book without recognizing the situations and scenarios it describes and realizing where you have indeed been persuaded. They do not necessarily take a judgmental approach to the topic, more like a clinical one, taking the line that it is better to understand the topic and know when and how persuasion is being used so that you can make the correct decisions in your life. On a personal note, I found the section on “How to Start a Cult” particularly eye-opening in the way it perfectly describes the operations of Jehovah’s Witnesses. I further found it fascinating that I discovered this book via a reference in a Witness publication (an Awake! magazine). If this book describes the way the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses is run as the way to run a cult and the Witnesses quoted this book, well… I just found it interesting… I’ll leave the drawing of conclusions as an exercise for the reader…

The Ancestor’s Tale, A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution – Richard Dawkins: Starting from humankind and tracing backwards in time to our common ancestors may not seem like an interesting thing but this book is simply incredible. The concept that all life on earth is descended from a common ancestor may seem hard to grasp but after reading this book it’s perfectly clear. It’s not even that complicated and the evidence is mind-boggling. I could not put this book down and I highly recommend it to everybody who is interested in knowing how and why we are all of us, cats, chimps, trees, sponges, related.

The Austere Academy – Lemony Snicket: I am currently reading the Lemony Snicket books to Syd before bedtime. Anyhow, it’s terribly tragic, funny, well written and enjoyable but so far I think that the Reptile Room is my favorite…

The Bad Beginning – Lemony Snicket: Lots o’ fun. Horrible, yes. Depressing, yes. But lots o’ fun.

Birth of Christianity, Reality and Myth – Joel Carmichael: The author puts forth the interesting theory that Christianity grew out of a combination of events: Jewish messianic “end times” fervor, a guerilla leader/revolutionary/”messiah” named Jesus and a vision had by Peter after the state killed Jesus for sedition. He paints a very interesting and archeologically supported picture of first century Palestine and does a very good job of helping to describe the Jewish mindset at the time and exactly what the “end times” meant to them. He also makes a strong case for a possible path by which the martyred political figure could have transformed into the celestial Christ figure. A little dense but a good read none-the-less.

The Blind Watchmaker, Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design – Richard Dawkins: This is one of Dawkins most famous books and for good reason. As an introductory text to understanding the basic fact that there are things that can function as a “designer” that require no sentient will or purpose and that those processes are responsible for life as we know it this book is invaluable. There are more up-to-date books with better scientific evidence in them (The Ancestor’s Tale is one from the same author) but this book is still extremely valuable.

The Case for Christ – Lee Strobel: Like the Watchtower’s “All Scriptures” book, this is a book of Christian apologetics but rather than defending the literal truth of the Bible it is defending the historicity of Jesus. The author makes a few good points and a lot of major stretches. The book is structured as the author conducting interviews with a bunch of theologians and Bible scholars (all of the conservative religious bent, no secular scholars or dissenting opinions) with the author playing the role of skeptic and the interviewees answering his questions. My biggest problem with the book, I think, was that Strobel isn’t very good at being the skeptic. The questioning leaves out the most important questions that entered in to my mind and the answers given by those being interviewed were quite unsatisfactory and illogical in nearly all the most critical subject areas. I kept having additional questions that I would want to ask that would (admittedly) undermine the argument that was being presented. It’s the kind of book that at least acknowledges skepticism and attempts to paint a path that a relatively passive skeptic who wants to be lead to a conclusion can follow. For some people it’s probably eye-opening, for me it was little more than a new vehicle to argue some very old ideas that provided little in the way of new information and avoided all the most important evidence and questions.

Cat’s Cradle – Kurt Vonnegut: I. Loved. This. Book. Of course, you can’t go wrong with Vonnegut, he’s an incredible writer, but this book constructs an end of the world scenario and religious conception that are simply unlike anything else ever. After reading about bokononism I half wanted to become one if for no other reason than that it is the only religion I have seen propounded that embraces the fact that it’s all just a lie to make life easier and integrates that fact into it’s very fabric. This book is a must read for, well, anybody.

The Daily Show Presents America (the Book): A. I learned more about America from this book than from all other school textbooks combined. B. I laughed my ass off in the process. Amazingly funny stuff, but what do you expect from Jon Stewart?

Darwin’s Black Box, The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution – Michael Behe: This book pisses me off. Raising a question that needs to be answered is standard scientific procedure. You then hypothesize an answer and you test your hypothesis to see if it withstands analysis. A book like this, which simply poses questions and then says, ‘It’s too complicated, an intelligent designer must have done it’ is not science, it’s propaganda. In fact, it’s specifically propaganda being funded and planned by the conservative Christians in America. I read the book, it looks like science, can fool somebody into thinking it’s science, but it’s not science. It’s quack propaganda and doesn’t raise any questions that biologists have not already been able to solve within the structure of evolutionary theory. It has, however, provided scientists with a good example of what the Christian Right is using in their new agenda for control of, well, everything. Be afraid, be very afraid.

Equal Rites – Terry Pratchett: I just discovered Discworld this last year and for a guy who really really really misses Douglas Adams, it’s a joy. I love all of these books. They’re all great. Every one.

Evolution, The Fossils Still Say No! – Duane Gish: OK, I admit, I only skimmed this one. I was laughing so hard and the arguments being made were so absurd and silly that I couldn’t even read it with a straight face. Plus, well, I’d read every single argument made before and knew all the reasons they were wrong so there was nothing to see here. I moved along, as one should.

From Hell – Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell: This is a graphic novel, a huge, brooding, literary epic that tells the story of Jack the Ripper. It’s incredible, deep, rich, fascinating and gothic. An absolute classic, right up there with Watchmen, Sandman and Dark Knight Returns.

The Genesis Flood, The Biblical Record and It’s Scientific Implications – Morris & Whitcomb: This is what happens when people start with an assumption (the Bible is God’s infallible word) and work back from there. This is the opposite of science and therefore it fails on every single possible test of reason and logic. The fact that this book is still published and referenced by Flood supporters and fundamentalists is a tragic statement about the level of ignorance and misunderstanding of reality in our world.

Great Wine Made Simple, Straight Talk From a Master Sommelier – Andrea Immer: I have yet to finish this book but what I have read has completely demystified wine for me. I have bought more wine with more confidence and I have yet to make a major wine-buying mistake since getting this plain English no-nonsense advice. Great book. Highly recommended for the wine novice who doesn’t want to become a snob.

A History of God, the 4,000 Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam – Karen Armstrong: The author synthesizes information from many sources to paint the most accurate picture of what we can currently know about the development of the worlds three great monotheistic religious traditions. Using scriptures, archeology, secular histories and lots more she traces the development of ideas and beliefs in a way that will most likely shock and surprise you. The story is likely not what you think it is but this is the story that really fits the available evidence and it’s fascinating.

How to Practice, The Way to a Meaningful Life – The Dalai Lama: I am fascinated but many of the ideas of Buddhism and much of what the Lama had to say in this book was useful to me. I did not, however, find it particularly helpful when he went off on metaphysical tangents or discussed mythical ideas like cosmic rebirth. I see no more reason to believe in cyclic rebirth than to believe in any other wishful thinking of people (going to heaven, getting resurrected) as the evidence in favor of each is identical… none. Still, his thoughts on morality, wisdom and using discipline to achieve mindfulness were very valuable.

How We Believe, Science Skepticism and the Search for God – Michael Shermer: In this book, Shermer attempts to figure out what exactly makes us believe in God, angels, the supernatural, etc. It’s an interesting read although at times he strays from the topic. He does provide some interesting information on studies that have been conducted to provide rational explanations for such things as out of body experiences and visions and the like, thereby helping paint the picture that people of faith aren’t necessarily inventing the things they feel/see/believe, but are simply misinterpreting what those things mean.

The Illustrated Brief History of Time – Stephen Hawking: OK, I admit, this one went over my head at times. Fascinating, complex and really fun to dig into when you want to know about the fundamental fabric of reality and stuff. The easiest that cosmology gets, probably, but still damn hard. I gotta read it again…

The Jesus Mysteries, Was the Original Jesus a Pagan God? – Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy: This book is interesting in that it makes some outlandish and completely unprovable claims but does raise a huge number of good questions. It’s only pseudo-scholarly and it is my opinion that the authors let the conclusion they want to reach direct them too much so I don’t really agree with their conclusions or their overly enthusiastic methodology. On the other hand, there is much of what they are saying that is confirmed and spoken about in the far more scholarly and well-researched texts on the same subject and while I don’t think that Jesus was simply a Jewish version of the Osiris-Dionysus-Bacchus mystery religion (their central thesis) I do think that they are correct that the Gospels were developed out of that story and that the historical Jesus was only the kernel around which the layers of myth were built. So I agree with them and disagree with them at the same time. Also, I would hardly call their coverage of the matter unbiased or scholarly, but interesting for an amateurish effort and worth the read.

Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, Directors Cut – Jhonen Vasquez: This is the darkest comic book I have ever read. An insane homicidal maniac killing everybody to feed his wall with blood. It’s insane, it’s twisted, it’s genius. I don’t know what is wrong with Jhonen Vasquez and I hope it never happens to me (whatever it is) but this and Fillerbunny and Invader Zim (yes, the Nickelodeon cartoon) are all his mad works and I love ‘em, I love ‘em all, even if I could barely get through this one because it was just TOO dark sometimes.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell – Susanna Clarke: This is simply a very good novel. The concept is that Victorian England has a tradition of practical and theoretical magic and two magicians attempt to revive the practical application of magic for the modern times. A little slow in parts but a very good read that has wonderful use of language, memorable characters and a lot of really fun scenes and ideas.

Last Chance to See – Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine: I am not afraid to say I am a huge Douglas Adams fan and I’ve have read every book he has published. This one, however, was in some ways even more enjoyable than his usual fiction because it consists of his real life adventures attempting to find and see some of the worlds most endangered animals from crazy stuff like the kakapo to rhinos and silverback gorillas. It’s fascinating, educational, funny, sad and bittersweet because although the animals he wrote about still exist, Douglas does not and the world lost a great man when it lost him.

Lives That Shaped Your Life – Bob Bracher: This is not a book to sit and read in one sitting, or even from beginning to end. It’s a collection of newspaper clippings about famous and not-so-famous people reporting upon their deaths. It covers the gamut of human activity and of recorded journalism. It’s fascinating because the clippings are original and sometimes have to be pored over just to be understood. The thread uniting all the reporting is that the lives of these people had some sort of impact on others. Extremely fascinating reading. I haven’t read all of the obits yet but I feel like adding to the collection by collecting the write-ups on the people who have shaped my life at a more personal level who are now gone.

The Louvre – Alexandra Bonfante-Warren: This is a rather handsome coffee-table book containing tons of art from The Louvre Museum in Paris. I have only recently begun developing a true appreciation for visual arts and painting and I’ve spent hours going through and studying these works, reading about them and pondering their historical and personal significance. What else is there to say? If you like art, this is a book to have. :-)

The Miserable Mill – Lemony Snicket: Easily my least favorite of the “Series of Unfortunate Events” books. I mean, if you’re going to read one, you should read ‘em all, and that means this one too, but it is kinda boring and lame, relative to the others.

The Mythmaker: Paul and the Invention of Christianity – Hyam Maccoby: Even when combined with Perrins and Dulings book, the Jesus Mysteries book, the Joel Carmichael book and various other sources (like Armstrong’s “History of God”) this book still provides some very interesting insights into the actual rational process behind the development of Pauline Christianity. What were the problems that Paul was trying to solve as he constructed his message? Where did he get his ideas and how do the scriptures show the development of his conceptions of Christ and God? Those are the questions that Hyam Maccoby sets out to answer in this book and as a portrait of a very human and very sincere Paul it’s really great. The sheer scope of understanding that the author is attempting to gain of the author of the Bible texts requires more than a few leaps of psychoanalysis and reconceptions of texts, but this guy has done his homework and his arguments are strong, logical and explain much of the context around the writings of the Pauline letters of the Christian Bible.

The Pipe Companion – David Wight: Not really a “reading” kind of book, more about browsing nice pictures of pipes and reading about the makers of the ones you like. As a newbie to the world of pipes I did find it instructional.

The Reptile Room – Lemony Snicket: My favorite “Unfortunate” book so far. I love the giant snake and the macabre sense of humor.

A Short History of Nearly Everything – Bill Bryson: If you want to know how we know what we know, who discovered it, why we know it’s true and all that fascinating history of the development of knowledge, this is the book to read. Bryson is a great writer, very accessible and very much a “normal guy”. This book is written for “normal folks” who just want to know, well, how we know. It’s great, clear, intelligent, expansive… A must read for everybody, in my opinion. One of my favorite books of the year.

Sister Wendy’s 1000 Masterpieces – Wendy Beckett and Patricia Wright: Another big thick art book (like the Louvre one) but not constrained to a single museum’s collection. It’s 1000 of the greatest works of art, commented on by a nun named Sister Wendy. I think she selects a little too heavily from religious themed works (although by no means does she restrict herself to them, she’s all over the place in her selections). She has a great eye for art and I agree that these are masterpieces. I am slowly working through this one, just like the Louvre one (and the Barnes Museum CD-ROM “A Passion for Art”), pondering the paintings and learning learning learning.

Skywriting By Word of Mouth – John Lennon: This was a tough book to get through. John is a tiring writer, with no apparent rhyme or reason to what he is writing. Enjoyable, in small doses, witty, to an extreme, but not really my thing. Sorry John. I love ya, but the book… just didn’t work for me…

Squee’s Wonderful Big Giant Book of Unspeakable Horrors – Jhonen Vasquez: More stuff along the lines of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, dark, twisted, horrific, painful, funny. Not for the faint of heart, sick and wrong, but riveting.

Watchmen – Alan Moore: I had read for years about the genius that was Watchmen, about how it broke the ground for the graphical novels that came afterwards and it did not disappoint. Watchmen is dark, humorous, touching, epic and completely phenomenal. I wish I had read it sooner.

Who Wrote the New Testament? – Burton Mack: This is easily the best and most completely well-researched of the various books on New Testament and Christian studies I have read this year. Mack covers a lot of ground and he covers it very well. He provides much of the groundwork that other books are built on. Excellent.

Who Wrote the Bible? – Richard Elliot Friedman: A perfect introduction to the science of textual analysis and to the Documentary Hypothesis. Great book, but very different from the Mack book. Much more accessible.

The New Testament, Proclamation and Paranesis – Duling and Perrins: This is basically a college text book for New Testament studies. It’s a tough read but if you read the more popularized treatments (like Armstrong) and wonder where they got their information from, this is a great reference to have.

The Night Watch / The Color of Magic / The Light Fantastic – Terry Pratchett: I read all of these Discworld books this year, although I am not sure where they wound up and therefore they are not in alphabetical order because they aren’t in my Delicious Library. Oh well. They’re freakin’ hilarious and if you like words, ideas and social satire you gotta read ‘em.

Thinking in Pictures – Temple Grandin: My son is mildly autistic, this book is written by an autistic woman describing what it is like to be autistic, how her brain works, how things are different for her. It’s invaluable to anybody who needs to understand this condition.

Well, I’m sure I missed a few here and there. There are a bunch more that I haven’t finished yet but have started. I’ll post on those as I finish them, or maybe I won’t, I dunno.

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RyanSutter has content marketing with Arkayne Socialize.

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