A Few More Toward my Goal of 100

Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach

It might take kind of a weird person to
1. Pick up one of Mary Roach's books and
2. Read one.
But I'm just that kind of weird person. I read another of her books (Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers) awhile back and after that, I determined that I would read just about any book she would churn out. She takes odd subjects and brings out the fascinating aspects of them. In Bonk, she discusses all kinds of things. The history of sexual research (and how everyone who does sex research is looked at like some kind of pervert -- never mind the strides that sex research has taken toward combating infertility and other sex-related problems), animal pheromones, the crazy surgeries some people will undergo on their nether regions due to vanity and insecurity, and a very entertaining footnote describing various things doctors have found "inside" patients. Sounds like some very uncomfortable ER visits! Anyway, I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading her other book, Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

Snooze fest. Seriously. I listened to it on audio book and though I did make it all the way through, I could have easily given up early in the book and not missed out on anything. There's no action, really. Just lots of talk and reminiscing by the narrator. I felt nothing for the characters. Don't waste your time.

Give it All to Him by Max Lucado

This is one that had been on my wish list for a long time and just this week, a lady contacted me and said she was sending it to me in the mail. I really expected this to be a typical Lucado book (in length and content), but it's more like a pamphlet. It's very short (maybe 60 pages) and it's not really fresh material. In fact, it feels a little like Lucado is using this short book to mention little bits and pieces of all of his other books. It seemed a little forced to me, but it's a quick read and a good summary of the Gospel story. I could see it making appearances in church goody bags.