by Douglas Brinkley and Julie M. Fenster, 2006
This book describes the life of Father Michael McGivney and his efforts in the founding of the Knights of Columbus. The book is a somewhat tedious biography of an individual but it does provide some interesting information on the history of the Catholic Church in 19th century America. 
by Dr. Alfred Price and Mike Spick, 2000
This book chronicles the development of five WWII aircraft from the original concept, to design, to production, and modification throughout the war. The authors also describe the various missions each aircraft participated in.
The book is not very exciting or entertaining but it does provide some interesting information. The main thing I took away from reading it was that the British seemed to be the most innovative as they improved their aircraft the most during the course of the war, both in terms of increasing performance and also correcting flaws in the original design. The Americans approach toward improvement was directed more at increasing horsepower, but that approach brought additional problems of added weight and sometimes caused the “improved” aircraft to be less maneuverable. The Germans, on the other hand, seemed to improve their aircraft by increasing performance but the Americans and British always seemed a step ahead.
Perhaps there was some bias due to the fact that the authors are British, but I tend to think they were pretty accurate given the history of American engineering after WWII, particularly in the field of automobiles.Â
by Irene Nemirovsky, 2006
Although this translation of Suite Française was published in 2006, the book was orginally written by Nemirovsky in 1941 and 1942, just prior to her deportation to Birkenau and extermination. The book is the first two parts of what was intended to be a five-part novel depicting the behavior of the French people during the time of Nazi occupation.
While I found the book to be interesting, it is somewhat tedious to read.  It seems that the authors thoughts and agenda are intruding on the characters she depicts and the story.  Nemirovsky is very involved with social caste and the part it plays in influencing behavior. Unfortunately, her focus on this aspect of French life seems to detract somewhat from the quality of the writing.
I would recommend that anyone who reads this book should also read the appendices that are included. The first appendix is a collection of entries from Nemirovsky’s journals.  These entries help understand how she went about constructing the novel.  The second appendix is a collection of correspondence from before and after her deportation. These entries show the stress of living in occupied France at that time and how quickly one descend from living under the rules of occupation to death under the Nazi regime.
by Michael Connelly, 2006
I picked this book up at Wal-Mart when I was on a camping trip to New York and I couldn’t find a decent book store in Plattsburg, so I wasn’t expecting much. It is surprisingly good. The prose is well-written and the plot hangs together pretty well. Connelly’s character development is very spare and he lets little bits of description and action define them.
Overall, a good read, especially when compared to some books that I have read recently by David Baldacci, James Patterson, and Michael Crichton. 
by David Baldacci, an audio CD
This is a run-of-the-mill book that is moderately entertaining. I was put off a bit, however, by a technical issue that stick in my mind after listening to it rather than anything else that might be more worthy of comment.  The error that stood out was the author’s reference to “rolls of microfische”.  Microfische is produced on sheets and it is microfilm that comes on rolls.  It would not be possible for the perpetrator of the crimes to load a roll of microfische onto the viewer as the author states.
The error wasn’t critical to the story, but it is jarring to the senses when one is listening to an audio production. It is immediately apparent and it takes away from the story line. The net effect was to downgrade the author’s work from merely mediocre to something less than mediocre.   
by Thomas Cahill, 2006
I found this book to be very dissatisfying. I bought the book with high expectations that it would provide me with insights into various developments in the Middle Ages. Instead, the author seemed to want to show me what he knows about selected topics. I seemed to feel less enlightened after reading the book than before I started.
Cahill uses a very conversational tone in his prose but then throws in words from time to time from his large vocabulary that don’t seem to fit very well. His depictions of various art sites are reminiscent of a tour guide as he goes from one piece of artwork to another.
The book is gorgeously printed with ornamental Old English type and many beautiful illustrations. It’s too bad that the content doesn’t do justice to the appearance. 
by Elizabeth Gilbert, 2006
This book is all about a very emotional young woman and her attempts to find peace and happiness in her life. I found myself wondering why she was so off the chart in her approach to life until a few chapters into the book she revealed that she was on medication and in therapy for her psychological problems. I think that explained a lot.
As I read further, I found her story to not be all that interesting, but for some reason, it held my attention and the book overall was a pretty good read. As she progressed on her journies, she seemed to calm down considerably and regained a lot of the balance she had been seeking. I think it was the progress she made and the process she was using that caused me to continue reading. After finishing the book, I felt that it was worthwhile and I was not disappointed. 
by Sara Gruen, 2006
This book is the real deal! The author, a female, has managed to get inside the head of her main character, Jacob, and capture his innermost feelings and thoughts when he was a young man in the circus and also when he was over ninety years old in a nursing home. In addition to accomplishing this feat, she weaves an interesting story into circus life in the midst of the Great Depression. The book is also a joy to read as her prose just about leaps out of the page. As I look at the list of books I have read over the last couple of years and the number of them that I struggled through, this book restores my regard for contemporary American literature. 
by Khalid Housseini, 2007
This book is well worth reading, although it drags a bit during the first part of the book and it does not read quite as well as The Kite Runner.  The book provides the reader with a compelling story of individuals that is integrated with a view of the culture and history of Afghanistan.  I continue to be amazed by the author’s command of the English language and the readibility of his prose.
by Ian McEwan, 2003
I found this book to have much that I liked. In particular, I liked the primary theme, which is how does one make up for a terrible mistake that was committed early in one’s life. The book also, however, has some shortcomings. The prose seemed a bit hard to follow and the characters did not seem to capture all my attention at times.
In spite of its shortcomings it was worthwhile read, but perhaps not a memorable book.