Reading List
I enjoy reading. In fact, it may be the only thing that I do very well. Because of this, and because I believe strongly that the ability to read is important in life, I encourage everyone to read as much as he or she can. The written word, more so than science or technology or Big Mac's, is the crowning achievement of mankind.
Reading gives you the opportunity to listen to what someone else has to say. And the written word usually represents a more careful and considered means of communication when compared to speech. I cannot talk with physicist Richard Feynman, since he died in 1988, but I can listen carefully to what he has to say through the several books he left. Of course, you do not have to read only non-fiction. Writers of fiction often have as much to say, if not more, than do those who write non-fiction.
Richard Feynman (1918-1988)
My personal goal is to read at least 100 books each year, as well as listening to some audio books and reading the usual newspapers and magazines. For a couple years now I've kept a database of books. I've converted this database to several different formats, including MS Excel, CSV, and RTF. Maintaining a reading list serves two purposes for me: First, it gives me a mechanism to record the names of books that I would like to read when I come across them in reviews or articles. Second, it makes it easier for me to recommend books to others.
If you are interested in downloading this book list, you can download it here in either format.
Download MS Excel format reading list.
Download CSV format reading list.
Download RTF format reading list.
If you are interested in just browsing the list, here it is in table form. I'm sorry, but I'm a little lax in filling out some of the fields.
AUTHOR |
TITLE |
TYPE |
RATING |
Achenbach, Joel |
Captured by Aliens |
Non-fiction |
|
Achenbach, Joel |
Why Things Are |
Non-fiction |
Good |
Aczel, Amir D. |
Fermat's Last Theorem |
Science |
|
Aczel, Amir D. |
Probability 1 |
Science |
|
Ambrose, David |
Superstition |
Novel |
Poor |
Ambrose, Stephen |
Nothing Like It in the World |
History |
|
Ambrose, Stephen |
Undaunted Courage |
History |
|
Ashley, Mike ed. |
Locked-Room Mysteries and Impossible Crimes |
Short Stories |
|
Atkins, Peter W. |
Creation Revisited |
Science |
|
Atkins, Peter W. |
The Second Law |
Science |
|
Banfield, Edward |
The Unheavenly City |
Social Commentary |
|
Bang, Richard |
The Lost River |
Adventure |
|
Barbour, Ian G. |
Unknown |
||
Barker, Clive |
The Essential Clive Barker |
Horror |
|
Barrow, John |
Impossibility |
Science |
|
Baum, L. Frank |
The Annotated Wizard of Oz |
Novel |
|
Beckmann, Petr |
Pi |
History of Science |
|
Berger, Thomas |
The Return of Little Big Man |
Novel |
|
Bernhardt, William |
Cruel Justice |
Novel |
|
Bernhardt, William |
Dark Justice |
Novel |
|
Bernhardt, William |
Deadly Justice |
Novel |
|
Birkerts, Sven |
Readings |
General |
|
Blackburn, Simon |
Think |
Philosophy of Science |
|
Blackmore, Susan |
The Meme Machine |
Science |
|
Blease, Kathleen |
One Dark Night |
Short Horror Stories |
|
Bourke, Joanna |
An Intimate History of Killing |
History |
|
Bowden, Mark |
Black Hawk Down |
History |
|
Breen, John L. and Ed Gorman |
Sleuths of the Century |
Short Story/Mystery |
|
Brehm, Jack |
That Others May Live |
Biography |
Poor |
Brown, Dale |
The Tin Man |
Novel |
Sucks |
Buell, Thomas B. |
The Warrior Generals: Combat Leadership in the Civil War |
History |
|
Calne, Donald B. |
Within Reason: Rationality and Human Behavior |
Science |
|
Campbell, Steve |
Statistics You Can't Trust |
Science |
|
Camus, Albert |
The Stranger |
Novel |
|
Carr, Caleb |
The Alienist |
Novel |
|
Cavelos, Jeanne |
The Science of Star Wars |
Science |
|
Chowdhury, Bernie |
The Last Dive |
Nonfiction |
|
Clancy, Tom |
Rainbow Six |
Novel |
|
Clancy, Tom |
The Bear and the Dragon |
Novel |
|
Clancy, Tom |
The Sum of All Fears |
Novel |
|
Clancy, Tom |
Without Remorse |
Novel |
|
Clegg, Douglas |
The Halloween Man |
Horror |
|
Coben, Harlan |
Tell No One |
Novel |
|
Collier, Peter and David Horowitz |
The Kennedys: An American Drama |
Biography |
|
Connelly, Joe |
Bringing Out the Dead |
Novel |
Good |
Cook, Robin |
Vector |
Novel |
Good |
Cookman, Scott |
Ice Blink |
History |
|
Coonts, Stephen |
Flight of the Intruders |
Novel |
|
Cowley, Robert |
What If? |
History |
|
Coyle, Harold |
The Ten Thousand |
Novel |
|
Cromer, Alan |
Connected Knowledge |
Philosophy of Science |
|
Davis, Robert |
The Plutonium Murders |
Novel |
|
Dawkins, Richard |
Unweaving the Rainbow |
Philosophy of Science |
Very good |
De Mers, Joe |
The Return |
Novel |
Good |
DeMille, Nelson |
The Charm School |
Novel |
|
DeMille, Nelson |
The Lion's Game |
Novel |
|
DeMille, Nelson |
The Talbot Odyssey |
Novel |
|
DeMille, Nelson, & Thomas Block |
Mayday |
Novel |
|
Dennett, Daniel C. |
Consciousness Explained |
Science |
Excellent |
Dennett, Daniel C. |
Darwin's Dangerous Idea |
Philosophy of Science |
Good |
Dennett, Daniel C. |
Elbow Room: The Varieties of Free Will Worth Wanting |
Psychology |
|
Dennett, Daniel C. |
Kinds of Minds |
Psychology |
|
Deutsch, David |
The Fabric of Reality |
Philosophy of Science |
|
Dickinson, Martin |
The Other Side of Everest |
Adventure |
|
Diffie, Whitfield & Susan Landau |
Privacy on the Line |
Social Commentary |
|
Donaldson, Stephen |
Lord Foul's Bane |
Novel |
|
Donaldson, Stephen |
The Illearth War |
Novel |
|
Donaldson, Stephen |
The Power that Preserves |
Novel |
|
Donaldson, Stephen R. |
Reave the Just and Other Tales |
Fiction |
|
Edelman, Gerald M. |
Bright Air, Brilliant Fire |
Science |
Good |
Edmundson, Mark |
Nightmare on Main St. |
Social Commentary |
|
Eickhoff, Randy Lee |
Bowie |
Historical Novel |
Good |
Eickhoff, Randy Lee |
The Fourth Horseman |
Historical Novel |
|
Eickhoff, Randy Lee |
The Raid |
Historical Novel |
|
Ferguson, Kitty |
Measuring the Universe |
Science |
|
Ferris, Timothy |
The Whole Shebang |
Science |
|
Feynman, Richard P. |
QED - The Strange Theory of Light and Matter |
Science |
Excellent |
Fitchen, John |
The Construction of Gothic Cathedrals |
History |
|
Fletcher, Tony |
Moon: The Life... |
Science |
|
Flynn, Joseph |
The Next President |
Novel |
|
Flynn, Vince |
Term Limits |
Novel |
|
Forsyth, Frederick |
The Deceiver |
Short Story |
|
Forsyth, Frederick |
The Negotiator |
Novel |
|
Frazer, James George |
The Golden Bough |
Social Anthropology |
|
Frazier, Charles |
Cold Mountain |
Historical Novel |
|
Garber, Joseph R. |
Vertical Run |
Novel |
|
Gardner, Martin |
The New Age: Notes of a Fringe Watcher |
Philosophy of Science |
Very good |
Gardner, Martin |
Weird Water and Fuzzy Logic |
Science |
|
Gilovich, Thomas |
How We Know What Isn't So |
Philosophy of Science |
Good |
Gleick, James |
Chaos |
Social Commentary |
|
Gleick, James |
Faster |
Social Commentary |
|
Gleiser, Marcello |
The Dancing Universe: From Creation Myths to the Big Bang |
Science |
|
Godfrey, Laurie |
Scientists Confront Creationism |
Science |
|
Gottlieb, Anthony |
The Dream of Reason |
Philosophy |
|
Gould, Stephen |
The Lying Stones of Marrakech |
Essays |
Poor |
Gould, Stephen Jay |
Questioning the Millennium |
Philosophy of Science |
Muddled |
Greenberg, Martin ed. |
Murder Most Medieval |
Short stories |
|
Greene, Brian |
The Elegant Universe |
Science |
|
Gribbin, John |
In the Beginning |
Science |
|
Gribbin, John |
Stardust |
Science |
|
Gribbin, John |
The Birth of Time |
Science |
|
Gribbin, John |
The Search for Superstrings, Symmetry, and the Theory of Everything... |
Science |
Satisfactory |
Gross, Paul and Norman Levitt |
Higher Superstition |
Philosophy of Science |
|
Gross, Paul R. |
The Flight from Science and Reason |
Philosophy of Science |
|
Gutmann, Stephanie |
The Kinder, Gentler Military |
Commentary |
|
Harris, Robert |
Enigma |
Novel |
|
Henderson, Charles |
Silent Warrior |
Nonfiction |
|
Hernon, Peter |
8.4 |
Novel |
Good |
Hillman, David and David Gibbs |
Century Makers: One Hundred Clever Things.... |
History |
|
Hofstader, Douglas, and Daniel Dennett, eds. |
The Mind's I |
Psychology |
|
Hunter, Stephen |
Hot Springs |
Novel |
|
Hunter, Stephen |
Time to Hunt |
Novel |
Satisfactory |
Jenkins, McKay |
The White Death: Tragedy and Heroism in an Avalanche Zone |
Adventure |
|
Jones, Stephen ed. |
Dark Detectives |
Short stories |
|
Jones, Steve |
Darwin's Ghost |
Science |
|
Junger, Sebastian |
The Perfect Storm |
Adventure |
|
Kauffman, Stuart |
At Home in the Universe |
Philosophy of Science |
Muddled |
Kaye, Marvin ed. |
Treasury of Horror Stories |
Short stories |
|
Kent, Gordon |
Peacemaker |
Novel |
OK |
King, Stephen |
Bag of Bones |
Novel |
|
King, Stephen |
On Writing |
Essay |
|
King, Stephen |
The Waste Lands |
Novel |
|
King, Stephen |
Wizard and Glass |
Novel |
|
Koerner, David and Simon LeVay |
Here be Dragons |
Science |
|
Koontz, Dean |
Whispers |
Novel |
Very good |
Krakauer, Jon |
Into Thin Air |
Adventure |
|
Larson, Erik |
Isaac's Storm |
Adventure |
|
Snicket, Lemony |
The Bad Beginning: A Series of Unfortunate Events |
Novel |
|
Loftus, Elizabeth |
Witness for the Defense |
Psychology |
Poor |
Ludlum, Robert |
The Apocalypse Watch |
Novel |
|
Ludlum, Robert |
The Aquitane Progression |
Novel |
|
Ludlum, Robert |
The Parsifal Mosaic |
Novel |
|
Lundy, Derek |
Godforsaken Sea |
Adventure |
|
Maas, Peter |
The Terrible Hours |
Adventure |
|
Macgregor, Douglas |
Breaking the Phalanx |
History |
|
Mackay, John |
Pinkertons |
History |
|
MacNee, Patrick |
The Avengers and Me |
Biography |
|
Manchester, William |
Goodbye Darkness |
Autobiography |
|
Marks, Leo |
Between Silk and Cyanide |
History |
|
Marshall, William |
Yellowthread St. mysteries |
Novel |
|
Matthiessen |
The Snow Leopard |
History |
|
Maxim, John R. |
Whistler's Angel |
Novel |
|
Maxtone-Graham, John |
Safe Return Doubtful |
History |
|
Mazower, Mark |
Dark Continent |
History |
|
McCarty, Cormac |
Blood Meridian |
Novel |
|
McCourt, Frank |
Angela's Ashes |
Biography |
|
McNab, Andy |
Crisis Four |
Noveu |
|
Mills, Kyle |
Phoenix Rising |
Novel |
|
Mills, Kyle |
Storming Heaven |
Novel |
|
Mills, Kyle |
Storming Heaven |
Novel |
|
Montalbano, William D. |
Basilica |
Novel |
Good |
Morrell, David |
Black Evening |
Short Stories |
|
Morrell, David |
First Blood |
Novel |
|
Morrell, David |
The Covenant of the Flame |
Novel |
|
Morrell, David |
The Fraternity of the Stone |
Novel |
|
Morrell, David |
The Last Reveille |
Novel |
|
Morrell, David |
The League of Night and Fog |
Novel |
|
Morris, Richard |
Dismantling the Universe |
Science |
|
Morris, Richard |
The Universe, the Eleventh Dimension, and Everything |
Science |
|
Morris, Richard |
Time's Arrows |
Science |
|
Murdoch, Iris |
Metaphysics as a Guide to Morals |
Philosophy |
Difficult |
Myers, John Myers |
Doc Holliday |
Biography |
|
Nance, John J. |
Blackout |
Novel |
|
Nance, John J. |
Headwind |
Novel |
|
Nance, John J. |
Medusa's Child |
Novel |
|
Nancy, Ted L. |
Letters from a Nut |
Humor |
|
Nancy, Ted L. |
More Letters from a Nut |
Humor |
|
Niven, Jennifer |
The Ice Master |
History |
|
Nozick, Robert |
Philosophical Examinations |
Philosophy |
|
Nozick, Robert |
Socratic Puzzles |
Philosophy |
|
Nozick, Robert |
The Examined Life: Philosophical Meditations |
Philosophy |
Muddled |
O'Rourke, P. J. |
All the Trouble in the World |
Humor |
Excellent |
O'Rourke, P. J. |
Eat the Rich |
Humor |
Very Good |
O'Rourke, P. J. |
Give War a Chance |
Humor |
Very good |
O'Rourke, P. J. |
Holidays in Hell |
Humor |
Very Good |
Palliser, Charles |
The Unburied |
Novel |
|
Panati, Charles |
Panati's Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things |
History |
|
Pennock, Robert T. |
Tower of Babel |
Philosophy of Science |
|
Penrose, Roger |
The Emperor's New Mind: Concerning Computers, Minds, and the Laws of Physics |
Philosophy of Science |
|
Philbrick, Nathaniel |
In the Heart of the Sea |
History |
|
Phillips, Robert (ed.) |
Nightshade: 20th Century Ghost Stories |
Horror |
|
Pinker, Steven |
How the Mind Works |
Science |
|
Poundstone, William |
Labyrinths of Reason |
Philosophy of Science |
|
Pressfield, Stephen |
Tides of War |
Novel |
|
Pressfield, Steven |
Gates of Fire |
Historical Novel |
Excellent |
Preston, Douglas, & Lincoln Child |
Reliquary |
Novel |
Poor |
Preston, Richard |
The Cobra Effect |
Novel |
Poor |
Preston, Richard |
The Hot Zone |
History |
Good |
Quammen, David |
The Boilerplate Rhino: Nature in the Eye of the Beholder |
Natural History |
|
Rakoff, David |
Fraud |
Biograph. essays |
Very good |
Randi, James |
Flim-Flam: Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions |
Science |
Very good |
Randi, James |
The Mask of Nostradamus |
Nonfiction |
Very good |
Read, Piers Paul |
The Templars |
History |
|
Reeve, Simon |
One Day in September |
History |
|
Reeves-Stevens, Judith & Garfield |
Icefire |
Novel |
Average |
Rhodes, Richard |
The Making of the Atomic Bomb |
History |
|
Rhodes, Richard |
Why They Kill: The Discoveries of a Maverick Criminologist |
Sociology |
|
Robinson, Patrick |
H. M. S. Unseen |
Novel |
|
Robinson, Patrick |
U.S.N. Seawolf |
Novel |
|
Rosa, Joseph G. |
Wild Bill Hickok: The Man and the Myth |
Biography |
|
Rose, David and Ed Douglass |
Regions of the Heart |
Adventure |
|
Rowling, J. K. |
Harry Potter and... |
Novel |
|
Russ, Martin |
Breakout: The Choisin Reservoir Campaign |
History |
|
Sanders, Lawrence |
The 8th Commandment |
Novel |
Poor |
Sawyer, Robert J. |
Calculating God |
Novel |
|
Schacter, Daniel L., and Elaine Scarry |
Memory, Brain, and Belief |
Essays |
|
Schechter, Harold |
Nevermore |
Historical Novel |
Barely OK |
Shaara, Michael |
The Killer Angels |
Historical Novel |
Very good |
Sheldon, Garrett Ward |
What Would Jefferson Say? |
Commentary |
|
Shermer, Michael |
Why People Believe Weird Things |
Psychology |
Very good |
Silva, Daniel |
The Kill Artist |
Novel |
|
Silva, Daniel |
The Marching Season |
Novel |
|
Silver, Brian |
The Ascent of Science |
Philosophy of Science |
Excellent |
Singh, Simon |
The Code Book |
Science |
|
Smith, Martin Cruz |
Havana Bay |
Novel |
|
Smith, Martin Cruz |
Red Square |
Novel |
|
Sokal, Alan |
Fashionable Nonsense: Postmodern Intellectuals' Abuse of Science |
Philosophy of Science |
|
Sosa, Paul |
The Complete Idiot Letters |
Humor |
|
Sowell, Thomas |
Conquests and Cultures |
Political commentary |
|
Stevenson III, Robert Louis |
Bright Star |
Novel |
Satisfactory |
Stewart, Ian |
The Magical Maze |
Philosophy of Science |
Good |
Stone, Robert |
Dog Soldiers |
Novel |
|
Stone, Robert |
The Damascus Gate |
Novel |
|
Straub, Peter |
Magic/Terror |
Short stories |
|
Strauss, Barry S. and Josiah Obee |
The Anatomy of Error |
History |
|
Tales of Terror |
Hitchcock, Alfred |
Short Stories |
|
Tessier, Thomas |
Ghost Music and Other Tales |
Horror |
|
Thorp, Raymond W. and Robert Bunker |
Crow Killer |
Biography |
|
Trefil, James |
The Dark Side of the Universe |
Science |
|
Trefil, James S. |
The Moment of Creation |
Science |
|
Turtledove, Harry |
The Guns of the South |
Novel |
|
Unknown |
Imagining Atlantis |
History |
|
Vogel, Steven |
Cats' Paws and Catapults |
Science |
|
Wallechinsky, David |
David Wallechinsky's Twentieth Century |
History |
|
Ward, Peter D. and Donald Brownlee |
Rare Earth: Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the Universe |
Nonfiction |
|
Weekley, Carolyn |
The Kingdoms of Edward Hicks |
Fine Arts |
|
Weiner, Jonathan |
Time, Love, Memory: A Great Biologist and His Quest for the Origins of Behavior |
Science |
|
Wilkes, Roger (ed.) |
The Mammoth Book of Murder and Science |
Non-fiction |
|
Wilson, F. Paul |
All the Rage |
Novel |
|
Wilson, F. Paul |
Conspiracies |
Novel |
|
Wilson, F. Paul |
The Barrens and Others |
Fiction |
Very good |
Winter, Douglas ed. |
Prime Evil |
Horror (anthology) |
|
Wolpert, Lewis |
The Unnatural Nature of Science |
Philosophy of Science |
If you have any questions or remarks, send mail to me. I would be particularly interested in your comments on any of these books.