What We’re Reading!

(Last Updated May 9, 2008)

 Below are listed some of the books we've been reading lately.  As many of you are friends of ours, and we talk often about the latest books, we thought it might be helpful to give you our 'take' on a sampling of those we've read recently.  We've even given each book a rating, from five stars (books you must read!) to no stars (don't bother!).

Merle's Door

by Ted Kerasote

These lessons learned from a free-thinking dog make for compelling reading, and emotions from gut-busting laughter to unashamed tears rolling down one's cheeks.  This book is a joyous, sad, gripping, and deeply moving testament to the fulfilling relationship that can grown between human and dog.  The book rivals Marley and Me in all it's aspects.  Five stars.

Protect and Defend

and

Act of Treason

both by Vince Flynn

These two action adventure books are filled with suspense and danger, superbly written by an accomplished author using today's backdrop of terror in the middle east.  Every once in awhile I enjoy a book like these, in a holiday from my usual, more intense nonfiction readings, and these two books filled that need nicely.  Both, four and one-half stars.

The First Patient

by Michael Palmer

This author also wrote The Fifth Vial, and his writings are detailed while full of suspenseful action.  This one's about an old friend of the President of the United States who's asked to come to Washington to be his personal physician.  The most recent physician has mysteriously disappeared, and during the book the new physician not only keeps the President alive and the assassins away, but also discovers why the other doctor disappeared in the first place.  A great beach read!  Four stars.

And lastly, three timeless books about the ocean and tides, volumes that should be in every library on the coast of America!

The Sea Around Us

by Rachel Carson

Originally published in 1951, this book is one of the most remarkably successful books ever written about the natural world, and this classic work remains as fresh today as when it first appeared.  Known for her very best seller, Silent Spring, Ms. Carson’s writing teems with stunning and memorable images of our oceans; how they were created, how they grew, how the tides work, etc.  Quite simply, she captures the mystery and allure of the oceans with a compelling blend of imagination and expertise.  Five+ stars.

The Oceans

by Ellen J. Prager

The inside front flap of this book says it all: “The ocean covers nearly three-quarters of our planet’s surface, provides 97 percent of its living space, and from its ancient waters were born the seeds for all life on Earth.  Yet despite centuries of study, exploration, and our unceasing fascination with the sea, much of the ocean remains a great mystery.  In just the last century, spectacular scientific discoveries and revelations have yielded enormous progress toward understanding the nature of the ocean, yet some 95 percent of is watery realm remains to be seen.  Simply put, the ocean is our final frontier.”  This book reveals the nature and science of everything from waves, tides and sea level changes, to hurricanes, El Nino, and global warming, along with myriad other items which populate the ocean.  Five+ stars.

Against The Tide

by Cornelia Dean

This is one of Cliff’s favorite books.  The front flap says, “Americans love their beaches.  But when storms threaten, coastal construction – homes and businesses – takes precedence over the coastal environment.  We rescue buildings, even if it means damaging the beach.  Dean begins the story with the deadliest natural ever in the United States, the devastating hurricane that killed 6,000 people in Galveston, Texas, in 1900.  (See Also Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larson, another great book about that hurricane!)  Residents constructed a wall to protect their city, not realizing how it would interfere with the natural movement of sand onto and off of their beach.  In the end, the wall destroyed the very beach it was meant to protect.”  Ms. Dean gives many examples of how man trying to change his ocean-side environment has only wrought disaster.  A must-read for anyone wanting to learn more about the battle for America’s beaches.  Five+ stars.