The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg

The Power of Habit:  Why we do what we do in life and business by Charles Duhigg was recommended by a coworker as a book he thought I might like.  He had read the first chapter.

Started: 2/10/2014
Completed: 2/27/2014
Recommendation: Highly recommended
Recommended By: A coworker

Review:

This book is full of stunning insights into everyday behavior. I am a habit oriented person (if I get interrupted in the middle of a habitual cycle, I often cannot get back on track). I have also had good luck changing my habits, but it sometimes takes a while and, when stressed, I've found myself falling back into my old habit. This has long perplexed me and this book has some explanation for why this happens. It also has some ideas for how I might overcome my tendency to fall back on old habits even when they have not served me well. Add in the insight into how companies use data about people and this is quite an intruiging read. 

The Nine, Jeffrey Toobin

The Nine:  Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin came up on a search of library audio books with the key words "supreme court" so I thought I'd give it a shot.

Started: 11/7/2013

Completed: 11/13/2013

Recommendation: Mildly interesting

Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

This book has an interesting angle on the effect of abortion in general and conservatism in particular on the Supreme Court.  Having said that, there is no stepping inside a "Secret World."  All of the details mentioned here about the court are readily available elsewhere.  The interesting angle is more the Conservative assault on the Court which has been quite successful and is reasonably well documented.

Out of Order, Sandra Day O'Connor

Out of Order:  Stories from the History of the Supreme Court by Sandra Day O'Connor came up when I was searching for audio books with Supreme Court as a keyword so I thought I'd give it a shot.

Started: 10/25/2013

Completed: 11/7/2013

Recommendation: Recommend the audio version for those with an interest in US History

Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

Justice O'Connor seems to write her chapters as one might write a legal decision.  Between chapters it is not unusual for the same historical fact to reappear often  in the exact same way it was presented earlier.  It feels like the book is a collection of presentations with the occasional chapter being a combination of several speeches.  As a result, there is overlap between them.  This is why I recommend the audio version...the overlaps are relatively small and easy to hear, but I can imagine reading the same thing over and over and thinking that she had said all she was going to say.  Rather, I think that each time she addresses a major character or event at the court, she feels the need to set the historical precedent which led to the event itself.  Hearing her describe these events with frequently the same inflection suggests that this is material that is familiar and important to her, kind of like a point that a teacher might repeat over and over in the hopes that a child would come to know the material through repetition alone.

Justice O'Connor's perspective alone is useful in understanding some of the seminal decisions for which she was a swing vote, but her sense of the other justices on the court--both current and historical was an interesting insight as well.  She remains active in the Federal Court system, though she has retired from the Supreme Court.  I enjoyed her fresh insights, her take on historical courts, and her severe and ardent dislike for circuit riding (which seems exceedingly well founded).  After reading her work (in contrast to Justice Stephen's book) I feel like I've had a character sketch of Justices framed by their life, times, and decisions.

Team of Rivals, Doris Kearns Goodwin

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin was recommended to me at the polls by one of the people working there.  She had just finished it and wanted to share with everyone what a wonderful book it was.  I picked up this audio version from the library book store a few days ago.

Started: 9/28/2013

Completed: 10/25/2013

Recommendation: Wonderful addition to a Lincoln biography

Recommended By:  A woman working the polls several election cycles ago.

Review:

Wow.  This is the book that served as a basis for the movie Lincoln.  It does not strive to tell Lincoln's whole life, but focuses on Lincoln's acumen and accomplishments as a politician.  I always wondered why Seward was attacked on the day that Lincoln was killed and this book explains that clearly.  More to the point, this book explains how a perceived bumbling back-woods lawyer (who shared a bed with Seward when the two first met as a matter of boarding convenience) managed to become such a strong president.  Goodwin takes you inside the nominating process of the day and demonstrates the steps that Lincoln took to go from also-ran to nominee.  In addition, she details the collection of events that inadvertently helped forward his cause.

Lincoln's presence comes through sharply revealed through letters and actions and Goodwin does an excellent job of describing how his almost comical outward appearance belies his fierce intellect and deft ability to build consensus.  Lincoln's life and politics are fairly well known, but if you aren't familiar with the impact of Seward and Chase on Lincoln's White House years, then this book is fantastically informative.  Additionally, if you are aware that Lincoln was unhappy with the way his generals pursued the Civil War, this book offers insight into some of his thinking and how he handled his frustration--in particular, it explains how someone who is not a soldier can still be an effective leader of the entire military.

This book is not a substitute for a biography, but is a wonderful addition to a biography and I heartily recommend it.

The Light of Eidon, Karen Hancock

The Light of Eidon by Karen Hancock is the book in the Legends of the Guardian-King.  The author is known for Christian fantasy, so there is likely some effort to forward a religious perspective.  I got this book for free for the Kindle.

Started: 9/18/2013

Completed: 10/22/2013

Recommendation: Easy read, don't look for a lot

Recommended By:  Nobody

Review:

I was expecting a pretty heavy handed attempt at Fantasy from a religious perspective, but that is not what this is.  The book stands on its own as a fantasy novel.  Sure, there are some pervasive religious concepts that rather clearly map to current religions ("The Dead God" and the concept of at least a 2-in-1 deity).  These religious concepts, however, help strengthen the book and definitely don't take away.  A Christian reader is not going to be greatly offended by any of the religious concepts put forward and may find themselves at home.  Having addressed religion so thoroughly, this book does not read as a religious text.

The characters, for the most part, are a bit flat and real character development is largely limited to the protagonist.  Even there, and in most of the other characters, character traits are rather static.  The adventure part of the story is fairly good and internally consistent.  There are some real implausibilities (sickly boy becomes gladiator pretty much over night and a woman in what is a match for Arabic society has too much sway) but those are explained away in terms of the uniqueness of the characters and there is no need to suspend disbelief.  There are a few that are internally inconsistent implausibilities (queen who is forced into prostitution and the cascading dependencies therefrom) that do take away from the story and that frustrated me mildly.

This book isn't going to convert you into some religion.  It may be mildly supportive of your existing religious view.  There are no raunchy sex scenes.  This is a beach book and while I have a mild interest in the characters, I doubt I will read the next book in the series.

Five Chiefs, John Paul Stevens

Five Chiefs: A Supreme Court Memoir by John Paul Stevens falls into the broad category of books about the Supreme Court. I'm interested in learning more and more about how the court works and this is part of the dip into understanding the court better. I picked up an audio version from the library to hear during my commute, but this book has been on my shelf for a while and the area has been a long term interest.

Started: 9/18/2013
Completed: 9/28/2013
Recommendation: Recommended, good insight into the court
Recommended By: I read a review of this book that recommended it as one for anyone who wanted to know more about the Court, but I cannot recall the source of that review, maybe the Washington Post

Review:

Justice Stevens does not stand out in my mind as an exceptional judge.  Having said that, he simply must be a fantastic judge to have made it to the Supreme Court.  I have read a few of his opinions and while I do not agree with all of them, I have always found his logic appealing.  As a result, I was looking forward to this insight into the court.  Justice Stevens does not tell you how the Court makes decisions, but he does give you insight into how the Court operates.  Of course, the memoir is his own and it is littered with his opinion (an opinion that somehow, reverberates) on a wide array of items.  It was stunning to me that he put so much time into the layout of tables in a general conference room, but perhaps it is this attention to detail that made him a good judge.  I'm glad I read this book, though, as I feel like I understand the man behind the opinions much better.  I would recommend that anyone interested in the Court from the perspective of one who served on it for quite some time,

Assassin's Apprentice, Robin Hobb

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb is a book I picked up for free on the Kindle.  Robin Hobb is a pen name of Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden.  This book was nominated for the British Fantasy Society Award for best novel.

Started: 7/24/2013
Completed: 9/18/2013
Recommendation: Fun read
Recommended By:  Nobody

Review:


Welcome to a rich world where magic takes the form of "The Skill" or "The Wit" or, maybe something more.  The story here is what happens when a bastard son appears on the doorstep of a King-in-waiting?  Well, he becomes an assassin, of course.  Not to assassinate his father, but to act as a tool of the king (whomever is king) to remove those who must be removed in one of the oldest forms of "diplomacy."  Of course, this is no normal bastard and the world is a rich place to explore.  This opening book leaves lots of threads unexamined and plenty of space for growth.  The book itself is rich and introduces the world in a strongly believable way while offering a series of compelling plot lines (a few of which are thoroughly examined).  I have to admit, I'd love to jump to the next book and keep going, but my pile of books to read is so huge that I imagine it will be quite a while before I can pick up the next one.  This is a beach book and a fun escapist read.