And on with the show...

I'll be taking further book reviews to www.hyperwest.net. Or possibly www.jonyang.org. Keep reading. The only difference between humans and all other creatures is our ability to retain and disperse knowledge by reading. Seriously.

the last templar (2006)

The Last Templar (Raymond Khoury)

you've got to give some credit to dan brown. all imitators have so far been failures. i mean, sure the copycats sell millions of books but they're not nearly as gripping as brown's book(s). the last templar suffers from a weird structure, lack of intriguing characters, and generally, isn't memorable for much of anything. i just sped through it to get to the "revelation/reveal;" which didn't even end up being that exciting.

catch me if you can (2000)

Catch Me If You Can (Frank Abagnale)

everything as expected here. light, easy to read, and pretty interesting as abagnale recounts his experiences swindling money from individuals, banks, and countries. ripped through the book in an hour or two and while i didn't exactly take anything away, it builds upon the tales told in the movie. amazing how one man can do so much eh?

the rule of four (2004)

The Rule of Four (Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason)

the authors have been friends since childhood and collaborated and wrote this book in six years after they graduated. it's kind of a da vinci code knock-off but i think the writing is actually better, if not as gripping. it sold millions of copies and now i'm a jealous beast. a fun ride through another history lesson (the secret in question here isn't quite as compelling) and an easy to finish thriller.

20 essays by 20something writers (2006)

Twentysomething Essays by Twentysomething Writers (Kellogg & Quint)

right up my alley. young people writing about whatever the hell young people write about: life, job, loves, disappointments, mustaches. these essays are the winners from an internet campaign run by kellogg & quint -- who were interns at random house, i believe. good stuff in here, and it's a shame the collection isn't larger.

New York Times Top Ten

Here it is, the influential Times' Top Ten for 2006.

And while we're at it,
Washington Post Top Ten
Christian Science Monitor's Best Fiction 2006
Boston.com's Best Fiction 2006

doing our own thing (2003)

Doing Our Own Thing: The Degradation of Language and Music and Why We Should, Like, Care (John McWhorter)

It was all the rage a few years ago to read books about why the current state of written (and any other) English sucked so bad. Well, three years later, I've read a few of these books and my English still sucks. But hey, at least now I know why it sucks. I blame poor schooling personally. Overall, the book tends to read like a history/trivia-lite book more than anything that is actually applicable or revelationary. Having said all that, I love books like this. "Did you know..."