I’ve noticed that I often bring up in conversation one or more of the fascinating books I’ve been reading lately, only to fail utterly at recalling titles or authors’ names. I’ll take this opportunity to at least have a handy reference available for anyone who cares to follow up on something I’ve said.
Just check my blog!
Non-Fiction
History
The Bad-ass Librarians of Timbuktu : and their race to save the world’s most precious manuscripts by Hammer, Joshua
Dinner at Mr. Jefferson’s : three men, five great wines, and the evening that changed America by Cerami, Charles
White Trash : the 400-year untold history of class in America by Isenberg, Nancy
Language
The Little Schemer by Daniel P. Friedman and Matthias Felleisen
Pimsleur German I (audio CD)
Memoir
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind Kamkwanba, William
True Crime
In Cold Blood : a true account of a multiple murder and its consequences by Capote, Truman
Fiction
The Fearless Travelers’ Guide to Wicked Places by Begler, Peter
Reading Notes:
Do you have a logical mind? Do you enjoy mental puzzles and games? Maybe you do, but you’ve never tried any computer programming? Or you know something about programming, but haven’t read this book?
Consider picking up a copy of The Little Schemer.
Your library might have The Little LISPer instead. It’s the same thing, just an older edition. Consider them equally good reads unless you have a specific need to learn the Scheme dialect of the language, LISP.
Though the first edition of The Little LISPer is as old as I am, I didn’t read it in college, where I majored in Computer Science. I picked it up a year ago for fun.
The Little Schemer is one of the most mind-stretching things I’ve ever read.
You don’t need a special application or even a computer to learn from this book. A pencil and paper or text editor will do. For an intellect that revels in a certain kind of logical thought, it is well worth the effort to give it a whirl.
This isn’t about learning a piece of technological equipment. It’s strength training for your mind.
Really Wonderful Things 
Truman Capote… VERY sobering. A compelling read.
It’s a book I’ve known about for years, but hadn’t gotten around to.
It’s so modern, though, isn’t it? He saw something coming. It’s like a precursor to all the crime shows I watch as a guilty pleasure. But his take on the perpetrators was simultaneously neutral, yet compassionate.
I enjoyed reading what could have been an agonizing story. That’s genius.
Nice, potted, summary. I read it years ago, then listened to it as an audiobook only a few weeks back. The order of narrative is extremely well put together; engrossing from first to last pages.