jthierer's as close to 75 as I can get

#1 Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde.

I've enjoyed every Jasper Fforde book I've read and this one was no different. I always enjoy his slightly off sense of humor and the way the worlds he presents are like ours and yet not. Although the main character of this series is not as instantly endearing as Thursday Next, Eddie grew on me. I also appreciated that Fforde didn't wrap everything up in a neat happy ending, but trusted the reader to appreciate the complexity of the situation he had placed his characters in. I will for sure be looking forward to the sequels.

Next up: The Lightning Thief

Welcome to the group!

I have not yet read that one by Fforde, but I am looking forward to the time when I do.

I really enjoyed the Percy Jackson series, which improve every book, so I hope you have a chance to read them all.

I agree. I thought the first Percy Jackson wasn't nearly as good as the rest. (Which turns out to be true for a lot of the series I read these days.)

Enjoy!

Welcome! Shades of Grey just arrived from the library late last week, so it's actually next up for me. It looks pretty good, and I'm glad to hear you liked it.

> 2,3 I'll keep in mind that the series gets better and not give up on it if I'm underwhelmed by Lightning Thief.

Oh, you're the perfect person for this question then. I didn't think I would want to read Fforde's books because I thought he wrote dystopian novels and that isn't a genre I'm drawn to. Then last Friday, I heard him talk (to a very appreciative audience, I might add) and he really couldn't say more than a few sentences without making some funny aside, so I decided I'd check out at least one. Which would you recommend?

>6 bonniebooks: The Eyre Affair is the one I always suggest to people when I'm trying to persuade them to check out Fforde's stuff. It's a good sample of what his writing is like and its storyline is book-related, which for me was a double bonus.

Oops! I'm embarrassed to say I've already read that one!

The Percy Jackson books are fantastic, I hope you enjoy them! It's a series that stays strong with each book, and in my opinion, gets better as it goes. I haven't read the final installment yet, but hopefully this year...

Hope you enjoy it!

Welcome to our group!

>8 bonniebooks: That one is part of a series, but to be perfectly honest if that one didn't work for you I'm not sure the rest of the series would be much better.

I will look for the Eyre Affair; sounds interesting. :)

2. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.

I've heard a lot about this book and series, enough that I was concerned it might not live up to my expectations. Pleasantly, though, I was (mostly) not disappointed. I liked that the main characters were fairly well-written. None of them were complete saints or pure evil, which happens far too often in books for young readers. That said, the book felt a little too crammed for me. It introduced so many characters and places that I didn't feel like I got a chance to enjoy seeing some of my favorite Greek myths brought to life before the book was on to the next allusion. I wish there had been one or two fewer cameos, but I guess that could have slowed the pace of the book down too much. Overall, I think I'm intrigued enough to continue with the series.

Next up: an unpublished manuscript and the rest of the Percy Jackson series

#13: The series improves, IMHO, so I hope you will stick with it.

Yes, agree with Alcott... of course. The first book in the Percy series was not nearly as good as the others.

3. My Stroke of Insight

I was expecting a little bit more science, and a little less "we are the world.". I appreciate that Taylor's experience has made her value life and her experiences, but it felt too personal to be applied to my life and too self-help to be interesting as a memoir.

Next up: reviewing Congress: The Electoral Connection and Congress: Keystone of the Washington Establishment

#16: Congress: The Electoral Connection and Congress: Keystone of the Washington Establishment

I think that one would cure my insomnia permanently. Sounds dull, boring, and overall dreadful.

They aren't as bad as they sound...but if I didn't have to read them for class they certainly would not be at the top of my list

#4 Congress: The Electoral Connection by David Mayhew

A fairly easy read, but some of his arguments feel dated. Overall, worth reading if one is a politics junkie, but not for the general reader.

I certainly hope you get to read something fun some time soon!

>20 alcottacre:, me too.

Just finished #5 Congress: Keystone of the Washington Establishment, so my intention is to read something fun before I go back to the school books. My plan is to start Little Bee tonight.

#6 Little Bee by Chris Cleave

and #7 Audrey Wait by Robin Benway

Little Bee was actually much better than I anticipated it being. The marketing on the back drew a response of 'meh' but my employer picked it as a featured title, so I decided to give it a shot. The story was meaningful, and, except for the somewhat unbelievable ending, realistic. Much better than the generic "story about women" I was expecting. Audrey, Wait was a better-than-average YA title, but not particularly memorable.

Next up is still more class reading and Crazy for God by Frank Schaeffer. Percy Jackson series is on hold until the movie inspired craze dies down a bit and I can borrow them from work again.

#8 An unpublished manuscript by the daughter of a friend. I'm hopeful this book will be published soon so I can recommend it to people.

#9 Don't Look Behind You and

#10 Resolution.

The two were fairly different, but both were pretty light reading for my vacation. Don't Look Behind You was frequently laugh out loud funny but it didn't really come together as a whole book for me. Resolution was good, but it seemed too similar to Appaloosa, the previous book in the series, for my tastes.

#24: I hope you enjoy your next read better. Sounds like both of those were a bit of a disappointment.

>25 alcottacre: I wouldn't say disappointing, just not shove at random customers telling them they must read this amazing.

#11 Shutter Island was a disappointment, but I can't really put my finger on why. I feel like the ending was lacking in something, but I can't really articulate what or why I feel that way.

#12 Crazy for God was also just OK. I think the problem I'm having right now is I don't really like to read anything substantial during the school semester, which generally means I'm reading fluff which is enjoyable at the time but not super memorable.

#13 Appaloosa
and #14 Whatever You Do, Don't Run.

Not much to say about either of them. I seem to be on a run of 3 star books. Nothing to rave about, but good enough to keep me reading and mostly enjoying.

Next up is Brimstone by Robert B. Parker and Last Child by John Hart.

Maybe your luck will improve soon! I hope so.

#15 Brimstone by Robert B. Parker
and #16 Hi, Anybody! by Denny Matthews.

I did love the Denny Matthews book, but I think its best for Kansas City fans. I'm not sure how much appeal it would have for fans of other baseball teams, but since I love my (terrible) Royals, it worked for me.

Next up: Last Child by John Hart and Apologize, Apologize.

#29: I am probably not enough of a KC fan to enjoy the Matthews book although I do love baseball. I think I will have to pass on that one.

> 29, Yeah, I think my excitement about having gotten my copy autographed may also have biased my review a tiny bit...

#17 Last Child by John Hart. Not quite what I was expecting, but I appreciate that in a mystery. I think I'll be (cautiously) recommending this one to customers looking for mysteries, but probably not to the general reader.

Next up: The Blind Side

#31: I already have Last Child in the BlackHole. I will be interested in seeing what you think of The Blind Side.

# 18 The Blind Side. I am not a football fan, and I found myself frequently saying 'Gosh, I would love this if Michael Oher was a starting shortstop...' I liked the honesty with which Lewis portrayed Michael and the Tuohy family. They weren't saints, and their motivations were allowed to be a bit gray. I just found the sections detailing the evolution of football strategy and the left tackle position to be largely incomprehensible to someone who watches one game a year. I wound up suggesting to a few of the other book club members that they skim those sections.

#19 While Dangers Gather Graduate school semester why aren't you over yet....

#33: I will have to add The Blind Side to the BlackHole. Thanks!

#20 Exploration Fawcett. Definitely a good read if you enjoyed The Lost City of Z. I'm not sure how accessible it is if you haven't read that one though...

Next up: Apologize, Apologize by Elizabeth Kelly and Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey

#21 Apologize, Apologize by Elizabeth Kelly. Not terrible, not awesome. Just a little too much for it to read as a believable or relate-able story.

#35: I really enjoyed The Lost City of Z, so I will look for that one. Thanks for the recommendation!

>37 alcottacre: I'm always so glad when people love Lost City of Z. I literally walked up to random customers and told them they just "had" to read this book when it came out in paperback.

My #22 is Home Style by Richard Fenno, a reread in preparation for my exams next semester.

Currently reading : Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey

I'll be interested to hear what you say about Sandman Slim. I thought it was fun.

#23 Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey. I actually was surprised by how much I like this one. The first 50 pages didn't really grab me, largely because I don't usually go for the 'noir' style. Once I got into the story, though, the main character kind of started to grow on me despite his self-destructive tendencies. I liked it enough to preorder the next in the series, so hopefully that one won't be a waste of money.

Next up: The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (solely so I can say I read the entire trilogy before saying I don't 'get' Larsson's appeal) and Good Omens for book club.

#24 The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson. Honestly, I read all three of the Millenium Trilogy now and I still am not sure I understand why James Patterson's books are "trash" and these are "literature." After reading the two authors' work I often feel the same way. Ok, that was a fun, twisty plot with serviceable (occasionally awkward) writing. Lisbeth Salander is a fun character, but I don't see her as the brilliant literary creation she was hailed as by critics. Mostly I alternate between empathizing with her and being annoyed by her. Ultimately, the books were entertaining, but they weren't the awesome experience I had expected based on reviews.

Next up: Good Omens and Watching Baseball Smarter

#41: I am sorry you did not love the books like I do, but honestly, I have never thought of them as "literature." I do think they are better written than James Patterson's books, but literature? Not to me.

#38

LOL. I was like a Lost City of Z pusher for awhile. "Psst buddy. Need a good book? I got whatcha need..."

> alcottacre, I guess I mostly heard that attitude from customers of the book store I worked at. Before I left I had a running total of people who told me they loved "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" but they didn't like "mysteries" (inevitably said with the same tone of voice I would use to say "cockroach").

#25 Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Good funny stuff, although I suspect the girls in my book club aren't going to like it.

Next up: Watching Baseball Smarter

Looks like you've been doing some good reading and we have a lot of books in common. You described pretty much how I felt about the Percy Jackson book, and I'm trying to dive into the Millennium series as well. Good Omens is also on the horizon somewhere so I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it. Why wouldn't your book club girls like it?

mihess, I suspect the British humor is not going to be their particular cup of tea, but I'm hoping to be proven wrong.

#26 Watching Baseball Smarter by Zack Hemple. Good primer for beginners, but I think more of it is going to be old hat to serious fans than Hemple likes to believe.

Next up: Einstein's Cosmos

#27 Einstein's Cosmos by Michio Kaku. I read Kaku's book The Physics of the Impossible and really enjoyed it, but this one didn't feel as complete. I'm not sure if it was because Kaku was confined to just Einstein's theories or because of the format of the book. It was still an interesting read, though.

Next up: Blockade Billy by Stephen King

#47: I will look for Physics of the Impossible rather than Einstein's Cosmos. Thanks for the recommendation!

#28 Blockade Billy by Stephen King. I tend to enjoy King's short stories more than his full-length novels, solely because he doesn't have the room or the motivation to ramble off on 50 page tangents. Neither of the two stories included in my edition were good enough for me to rank among his best, but they were worth reading and I'll probably enjoy revisiting "Blockade Billy" again.

Next up: What Can Be Found in Lost by John Ankerberg and Dillon Burroughs

#29 What Can Be Found in Lost by John Ankerberg and Dillon Burroughs. Not recommended. At all. I consider myself somewhat religious, and I love "Lost", so I though this might be an interesting read for me. The topic still interests me, but this book was so shallow and poorly written that I didn't feel like I learned anything someone with a fair degree of biblical literacy couldn't have figured out on their own. Thank goodness it was free.

Next up: Angels and Demons

#50: Skipping that one!

#30 Why Does He Do That by Lundy Bancroft. I saw this on someone else's thread in this challenge, and now I wish I remembered who so I could go back and thank them! Several times while reading this I had to stop and go, 'Oh my God that was a direct quote of something my ex said to me!' The book is designed for women who are actually involved in abusive relationships, but I would recommend that any women read this, if only to see the warning signs of a guy who will cross the line from jerk to abusive.

Next up: Angels and Demons by Dan Brown and Fifty-nine in '84 by Edward Achorn

#52: Laura (lauranav) read and recommended that one, I believe.

to see the warning signs of a guy who will cross the line from jerk to abusive.

Books like this should be part of relationship classes for teens. It shocks me sometimes what women (and men, too) put up with.

>53 alcottacre: Thanks, I'll be sure to stop by her thread and thank her.

#31 Fifty-Nine in '84 by Edward Achorn. Not bad, but it was definitely hampered by a lack of primary source material.

Next up: The Map of True Places by Brunonia Barry

#32 The Map of True Places by Brunonia Barry. It was decent, but I feel like she recycled too many of the same plot elements from her first book, The Lace Reader, which made it somewhat predictable.

Next up: The State of Jones

#33 Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. Ordinarily, I'm wary of award-winning books. More often than not, I find them to be too precious or pretentious. Wolf Hall was a welcome exception to that rule of thumb. Its well-written and has some lovely turns of phrase, but it still tells a story worth telling.

Next up: Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan

I enjoyed Wolf Hall as well despite having problems with Booker Prize winning books in the past. I guess it just shows that there are exceptions to every rule.

I will be diving into Wolf Hall when I get back from my trip and can devote my whole attention to it.

Mamzel, I think I would have been way more confused by all of the family connections if I hadn't been able to focus on just that book. Sometimes I read while the baseball game is on, but I was not able to do that with this one.

#34 Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan, on the other hand, required basically no concentration. It was fun, but it felt like fluff disguised as "serious" literature to me. That's not a criticism necessarily, but I didn't unequivocally love it either.

Next up: Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Manzen

#35 Mennonite in a Little Black Dress and

#36 Angels and Demons.

Both were good, quick reads, but neither was something I will rush to recommend to anyone.

Next up: The Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol to finish up the series.

#37 The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I don't really understand the vitriol this book seems to provoke. Was it excellent writing? No. Do I recommend basing your religious belief system on its arguments? Big no. Was it a moderately entertaining way to spend a few hours? Sure. I wouldn't shower it with awards, but it certainly isn't the travesty many book people claim it to be.

Next up: The Lost Symbol by Brown

#62: I never understood the furor about that book at all. I agree with you - a moderately entertaining way to spend a few hours.

#38 The Baseball Codes by Jason Turbow and Michael Duca. The thing I really liked about this book was the way the authors pointed out that many of the things we think of as belonging to "old school" baseball like spitballs and rookie hazing still go on today. It made me watch players with a more suspicious eye, but in the best way possible.

Next up: The Lost Symbol (still)

#64: Being a huge baseball fan, I will have to find a copy of that one. Thanks for the recommendation!

If you weren't very enthused about The DaVinci Codes, I might suggest you skip The Lost Symbol. One excuse I read was that it was rushed to print.

>66 mamzel:, Thanks for the tip but I have this semi-OCD thing about finishing series I start...especially when I've already taken them out of the library. That said, I definitely could have lived without The Lost Symbol. Rushed to print would explain why it felt like cobbled together outtakes from the first two. It wasn't terrible, but it could have used a little bit more creativity.

Next up: The State of Jones

#40 The State of Jones by Sally Jenkins. I liked this history, but it wasn't what I was expecting. The subtitle and the jacket copy make a huge deal about how the book is all about a poor county in Mississippi that seceded from the Confederacy during the Civil War. The actual secession is barely mentioned in the book though, and the author's imply it didn't really happen at all. I liked the story they told me, but it wasn't the one promised. I'm not sure if they thought the book's actual main topic, a white man who deserted from the Confederate Army, led a band of rebels against the rebels, and then married a former slave, wasn't interesting enough to draw in readers or if the copywriters just read a different book, but it was odd.

Next up: The Silent Sea by Cussler and Renegade by Wolffe

#41 The Silent Sea by Clive Cussler. Typical Cussler, which means quick moving plot that requires a fair amount of suspension of disbelief.

Next up: Renegade by Wolffe

The State of Jones sounds good. I'll have to add it to the wishlist.

I never read Cussler. What's your favorite book by him?

>70 cal8769: Maybe Sahara which was far better than the movie or Raise the Titantic. I don't claim either of them is a masterpiece of writing, but they're both good for when you just want a good page-turner without having to put in a ton of thought.

#42 Renegade: The Making of a President by Richard Wolffe. A little too fawning for my tastes. I wish the analysis had been less obviously pro-Obama, but it did have an insider's perspective that I liked.

Next up: The Accidental Billionaires

#43 The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich. Probably would have been a better magazine article. As it stands it is a very slight book with absolutely no participation from Mark Zuckerberg which led to a less-than credible narrative told by people who no longer work with him, many of whom have an axe to grind.

Next up: The Girl Who Could Fly

#70 The early Cusslers are fun thrillers, but you should avoid anything after Cyclops or Treasure. Read Iceberg, Vixen 03, Raise the Titanic, Night Probe! or Deep six, but ignore all others. By about 1990, the books had turned into parodies of themselves - for example, Dirk Pitt (an oceanographer!) single-handedly killing an entire platoon of Soviet special forces soldiers - and by the mid-1990s, Cussler was plainly no longer edited as the writing just got worse and worse. He doesn't even write them now, but farms out the actual work to others. I read him until Valhalla Rising, but it was more out of respect for the early ones than anything else. It was so bad, I've avoided his books ever since.

#44 The Girl Who Could Fly. I read it for book club, and probably wouldn't have otherwise. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't awesome either.

Next up: Are We Winning? by Will Leitch

I hope Are We Winning? proves to be a winner for you!

>75 alcottacre:, It was! I was totally expecting to find it a little boring since books about the father-son relationship are sometimes, shall I say, irrelevant to women. Thankfully, Leitch is hilarious and actually does a good job of talking about how baseball fans have a different experience than fans of almost any other sport. I got this copy from the library, but I'll definitely be picking one up to add to my permanent collection.

Next up: Golden Buddha by Clive Cussler

I will have to look for Are We Winning? since I love baseball books.

>77 alcottacre:, For sure. I am actually surprised it hasn't been more popular.

#46 Golden Buddha by Clive Cussler. It was meh, which for me means good enough to read the next one but not good enough to want to reread.

Next up: The Husbands and Wives Club, which I'm already loving

#47 The Husbands and Wives Club by Laurie Abraham which had some really interesting/moving moments, but didn't really form a great whole for me by the end.

Next up: The Kids are All Right by Liz, Diana, Amanda and Dan Welch

#79: Too bad that The Husbands and Wives Club did not end up being a good read for you, Jenn. Maybe the next one will be!

>80 alcottacre:, Its not that it wasn't a good read, it just wasn't a great one the way I had hoped from my reaction to the first few chapters. It started strong, but just lost steam at the end, I think.

#48 The Kids are All Right was great, though, and I recommend it. I appreciated that they acknowledged right up front that memory is a tricky thing and that they were just presenting events as they remembered them, even if the siblings remembered them differently. That was refreshing for me.

Next up: Game Change, about the 2008 election

#81: Adding The Kids Are All Right: A Memoir to the BlackHole. It looks like a book I would enjoy. Thanks for the recommendation, Jenn!

#49 The Automatic Detective by A. Lee Martinez. Really good sci-fi detective story. Reminded me of Sandman Slim, which was also really fun.

#83: I just bought The Automatic Detective recently since I enjoyed Martinez's Gil's All Fright Diner so much. Thanks for the reminder. I will see if I can locate it.

>83 Jthierer:: I really enjoyed The Automatic Detective; I think it's his best. It really seemed like it was going to have some sequels but, so far, he hasn't returned to that story line. I'm disappointed.

>85 TadAD: I'm still hopeful that he will eventually get back to that world, but I'm perpetually optimistic.

#50 Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin. This was gossipy and backbiting, as promised. Unfortunately, I'm not sure it provides anything more substantial than a soap opera style account.

Next up: The Angel's Game by Zafon

Congratulations on hitting 50 books for the year!

86: Loved The Angel's Game and hopefully you will too!

>87 alcottacre:, Thanks I got there a lot faster than I thought I would.
88, It was amazing!

#51 The Angel's Game and #52 The Shadow of the Wind. I loved both of these books enough to want to keep them in my permanent collection. Definitely will be recommending (but not lending) to several friends.

#53 A Thousand Splendid Suns. I enjoyed this one, but I think it suffered a bit in comparison with the two Zafon titles. I think I'll give him another shot with The Kite Runner at some point to see if he's an author I will love or just like.

Next up: The Last Time I Saw You by Elizabeth Berg

Glad you loved Zafon's books. I love his writing. Weren't they just utterly gripping? I spent many late nights finishing them.

The Shadow of the Wind is one of my all-time favorites. I re-read it again recently in preparation for reading The Angel's Game. I am glad to know you enjoyed them both!

>90 RosyLibrarian:, I got to read the last of The Shadow of the Wind alone in my apartment during a beautiful thunderstorm late at night, and I can't think of a more perfect setting for it.

#54 The Last Time I Saw You by Elizabeth Berg. I was loving this right up until the last 50 to 75 pages. At that point, it seemed like Berg didn't know where to go or how to get there. It's too bad because up to that point she had set up some interesting conflicts that I wish would have been more satisfactorily resolved. I might give her another try to see if this ending was a fluke, or her norm.

Next up: Mysterious Ancient America by Paul Devereux, which should be a complete change of pace from the literary fiction kick I've been on

#92: Sounds like a terrific setting for reading 'Shadow', Jenn, I agree!

#55 Mysterious Ancient America by Paul Devereux. I liked the information presented here, but it was way too short of a book for the number of different topics it tried to cover. I think I would have preferred that he go into more detail on a smaller number of topics so that I could follow his reasoning and thoughts better.

#56 Getting Things Done by David Allen. About what I expected, but I thought I could use a finetune of my organizational system, and this offered a few good ideas.

#57 The Bullpen Gospels by Dirk Hayhurst. Its not as good as the hype made it out to be, but it was a fun read.

Next up: The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency

#95: I will probably give that one a try just because I love baseball.

I hope you enjoy The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, Jenn. I have found it is just not a series for me.

>96 alcottacre:, I suspect it might not be for me either as I keep getting distracted from the first book, which isnt really long enough to justify why I cant seem to finish it.

#58 Queenpin by Megan Abbott. It was neat to read a noir novel from the woman's perspective, but I sometimes had a little trouble following what was happening. I think had it been just a few pages longer to allow for a little more exposition, I could have followed better. Otherwise, it was good enough for me to pick up other titles by the author if I run across them.

Next up: Still working on No. 1 Ladies and The Edge of the World by Kevin J. Anderson

#97: I know that Jude is a big fan of Abbott's books, but I have yet to read one of them. One of these days. . .

#59 The Edge of the World by Kevin J. Anderson. This was pretty good but I feel like it fell prey to the frequent fantasy problem where the author begins to confuse excessive details with world-building. Long does not equal good, and so many fantasy series/novels could benefit from a good editing. That said, most of the subplots seemed to be coming together near the end of this first novel. I am at least willing to check out the next book in the series.

Next up: I've given up on No. 1 Ladies for the time being, so The Devil and Sherlock Holmes

#99: I have seen several good reviews of the Grann book. I will be interested in seeing what you think of it, Jenn!

#60 The Devil and Sherlock Holmes by David Grann. In some ways I liked this even better than his first book, The Lost City of Z. This one is a compilation of shorter articles published mostly in the New Yorker, so it covers a variety of topics. My favorites were the first story, which gives the book part of its title, about the mysterious death of a Sherlock Holmes scholar, and the article about Rickey Henderson who at the time was still playing professional baseball at the age of 49. I loved The Lost City of Z, and I was happy to find out this book was also well-written and engaging.

#101: Glad to see you enjoyed that one! It has been in the BlackHole for a while now. I am going to have to track down a copy.

101: I need to get back to that book. I checked it out from the library and then ran out of time to actually read it. Glad you enjoyed it!

#61 The Day We Found the Universe by Marcia Bartusiak. Recommended for people who are really interested in the topic. Otherwise, probably not. I was interested in the science, but some of the infighting and rivalries got old.

#104: I am one of the people interested in the topic, so I will look for the book. Thanks for the mention!

So, I haven't been posting my reads on here due to my attempts at finishing my Master's degree. I'll try to catch up quickly:

#62 Royal Charles by Antonia Fraser

#63 The House of Bilqis by Azhar Abidi

#64 The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katherine Green

and #65 The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Of these four, The Leavenworth Case was by far my favorite and The House of Bilqis my least favorite.

Reading posts vs getting Master's degree: the Master's should win :)

I will look for The Leavenworth Case. It looks interesting.

#66 Deception: Pakistan, the United States, and the Secret Trade in Nuclear Weapons by Adrian Levy and Catherine Scott-Clark. Scary, scary book. I wanted to dismiss some of the assertions, but they were very well sourced for a book of this kind.

Yikes! The money--and the support--we're giving to Pakistan is just scary.