Page Count Grade 0-9 Date I finished Source (FPL: Fargo Public Library)
I wasn't sure I read the prequel, but it was familar from almost the first page. Entertaining too. A little science and a little adventure. 388 pages 6.7 1/5/99 FPL
#5
The FPL was missing this book so they got it via interlibrary loan from the GFPL, the Grand Forks Public Library. There was more action in this one, and our side was winning, so it was easier to read. (It was shorter too.) But it didn't seem as satisfying, maybe there were too many conferences, or I'm getting tired of these hugh books. 632 pages 6.9 1/14/99 FPL
It was okay, but was not wildly funny. The end pieces were interesting: "I Love Loosely", "Lolita at Fifty". At least it was short and easy to read. 104 pages 4.0 1/15/99 FPL
#6
I thought the end of the war, where we would win, would be the good part. But once the Soviet Union started gaining territory it was bittersweet. You could see the USA was out of it's depths politcially. 676 pages 6.0 1/29/99 FPL
Winston seems to be involved with a lot of wars. He writes well and doesn't allow the story to drag by reciting loads of facts. Looking at WWI it seems WWII was inevitable. 849 pages 7.0 2/19/99 FPL
Very interesting. Again Churchill goes into detail, until you almost lose interest and then he switches gears into something more interesting. 500 pages 6.0 3/1/99 FPL
An Eyewitness Account By Astronoaut/ Explorer Artist/ Moonwalker
Alan has an interesting painting style and some of the stories are interesting. 174 pages 7.0 3/5/99 FPL
The New World
This books deals with the detail of the kings and the power stuggles with Parliment. There is not much of the 'New World' in it. Churchill must mean political new world. 410 pages 5.5 3/9/99 FPL
The Age Of Revolution
This volume was more interesting than V2 but less than V1. The more familar the material the more I then to enjoy it. 385 pages 6.2 3/12/99 FPL
I enjoyed the hell out of this book. It didn't take me long to read it either. At times I got so involved with the charactors that I started getting upset. 742 pages 8.0 3/17/99 FPL
The Great Democracies
The last book was probably the best. I understood most of the background and personalities. I should probably give Winston a rest now. 387 pages 6.7 3/24/99 FPL
Low-Tech & No-Tech Ways To Find, Ride & Keep A Bicycle
This book looked real interesting but in the end wasn't. The Urban Tricks were for bigger cities than I'll ever bike in. 232 pages 3.2 4/1/99 FPL
The Biography
This was an okay book. I started reading from the middle "Bridge Over Troubled Water' sessions. Art comes across pretty well, even Paul seems more even headed. The writing was good. I am always interested in the art of song writing. 296 pages 6.0 4/3/99 FPL
I was very interested in reading some Science Fiction. When I got to the FPL I looked for any new SF book by an author I recognized. I remember Jerry from Byte magazine. The story was great, a fun book to read. 349 pages 7.0 4/7/99 FPL
I hadn't planned on reading this book. I started lightly skimming it but there was some interesting information. I read more and more of it. Some areas I did skim. I made notes from this book before I finished with it. 777 pages 5.5 4/18/99 FPL
This was a pretty good book on Photoshop. The cover image didn't have anything to do with Photoshop. 449 pages of menu and pallete discriptions before Appendix A with the lessons. I dog eared the pages and practiced some ideas but once I return the book it's all over. This book was written for version 4. Already with version 5 many of the command locations have changed. 534 pages 7.2 4/23/99 FPL
Eisenhower And His Boys: The Men Of World War II
This book says it all about the ground war in the ETO during WWII. I got a little choked up after finishing it; I had to call Suzanne to tell her. The ingineuity to get through the hedgerows (212). 354 pages 7.5 4/28/99 FPL
A Novel
His Mars books were pretty good. This was like the worst parts of them. His writing was good, but the story line wasn't that interesting and the socialism was a little heavy handed. 511 pages 3.5 5/5/99 FPL
I was happily supprised by the amount of secrets, cool stuff and Visual Basic help. 365 pages 6.0 5/20/99 FPL
Adventure SF In The Grand Tradition
Some of the stories were good, most were fair. One was poor and one was great. 430 pages 5.3 5/31/99 FPL
This book won a Pulizer Prize. It was well written and well researched book about a fasinating man, a strange man, a good man, but somewhat misguide(?) man. The 'America First' section was interesting. How Lindbergh was right and wrong at the same time, but it didn't matter because the press and his enemies (Roosevelt) twisted his words. 568 pages 7.0 6/4/99 FPL
A good book, as I get older I can see the humor. I liked his bit about small print. I strained my eyes reading it. Mom didn't seem to have any trouble once she took her glasses off. 219 pages 6.2 6/7/99 FPL
A Personal Report
It seemed like Newt was whinning in the book. I don't know if most of the lessons he wrote about were mistakes. I hated the last chapter, his policy prescriptions are anti-libertiarian. 213 pages 3.7 6/8/99 FPL
The Unmaking Of Elvis Presley
This was as well written as the first book, but because Elvis was in his up arc in the first book and a death sprial in this book, it was kind of hard to read. Near the end of the book I couldn't put it down until Elvis died. There weren't many pages after that. Then I couldn't sleep so I started another book at 1:00 am. 661 pages 6.0 6/15/99 FPL
Bob wrote the chapter topics and then acted as editor to funny bits. I enjoy political humor and this was a good selection. 191 pages 4.5 6/18/99 FPL
Travels Inside The Secret World Of Roswell And Area 51
At first I wasn't sure about this book. I didn't want to read about a bunch of UFO crap. Phil debunked or made light of it and the chapters about black planes, scanners and black budgets made up for it. 316 pages 6.5 6/23/99 FPL
How It Works & How To Improve It
Interesting book. There are no magic secrets but there are some techniques to help memorizing and improve memory. I scanned some of the techniques: "Your Memory". 222 pages 6.0 6/25/99 FPL
The Inside Story Of The Making And Unmaking Of The Franken Presidency
Very funny; I read it in two sitings. It didn't help my bursitus laughing in bed. 291 pages 7.2 6/26/99 FPL
An Oral History Of The US Navy Seals
The stories didn't go into a lot of detail about missions but they were colorful and interesting. The last chapter was Jesse Ventura's story. 283 pages 6.5 6/27/99 FPL
An Oral History
I wasn't even sure I wanted this book, but figured I could use some light reading. (I gave up on the Chaos book- it wasn't hard enough.) The oral format work well and I really enjoyed the book, finishing in one night. 320 pages 7.9 7/2/99 FPL
This was recommended by Jim Rea on the Panorama Mail list. I got it thru interlibrary loan. I asked for and got the 20th Anniversary edition. At first I thought it was the greatest book on management I ever read, but it's only about managing software- so of limited value. Panorama is in good hands if Jim is using it as a model. My lighting program followed all the ideas Brooks suggested: grow not build and using off the shelf programs. 308 pages 6.0 7/4/99 FPL
Not a bad story for an old book. I got due to a biography on Dashiel on PBS. 196 pages 6.3 7/7/99 FPL
American
Hamilton, like all the founding fathers, at first glance seems like a god. After reading the book all the way through seems a flawed as any other man. What made everything work out was a dislike bordering on hatred between the Federalist: Hamilton and the Republicans: Jefferson, which Washington showing the way. 217 pages 6.7 7/16/99 FPL
Some science fiction as a change of pace was good. At first the book was slow and I didn't get into it. I knew Varley writes a good SF story so I kept going. It got better and better. It was about an actor, but there was an interesting subtext which was only mentioned in passing: invaders killed all the humans on earth and kicked them off the planet. I see a sequel in the works. 425 pages 6.9 7/23/99 FPL
Mere Machine To Transcendent Mind
A good book which could have been great if the writing was clearer. I found it dense in spots. The history of robots was interesting. The near future was very interesting. The distant future was at first disturbing but probably not as dire as it sounds. Hans continued with Quantum theory and thought and consciousness- back to firmer or more interesting ground. Finished off with a Shakespear quote. 220 pages 6.9 8/3/99 FPL
Very enjoyable story. The ending was like Hemingway with Rachel dying in the jungle. 435 pages 7.0 8/9/99 FPL
A Life In Phsyics
It was hard to get through (I had to renew it) but I did like it. The science and the personalities were well sketched out. Page 171 describes all the sub atomic (Quantum) particles in a manor that makes sense. 357 pages 5.5 8/26/99 FPL
The Life And Death Of The A Rock Legend
Suzanne got me this book at Virgin Superstore in NY. It was well written, entertaining and informative. Tony wasn't afraid to step on toes or say some event was a myth. After Keith's death, I thought he was unduly harsh of the Who. 592 pages 7.2 9/1/99 Craig
With Click & Clack, The Tappet Brother
Creators and Hosts of National Public Radio's Popular Car Talk Show. It didn't help with my auto troubles but it was a fun read while waiting on the computer. 206 pages 6.5 9/4/99 FPL
When Suzanne got back from NYC, Paul said she had promised Donny she would try to find this book. I told Paul I had it bookmarked on the internet and quickly found and ordered three copies. It seemed to take awhile for it to arrive. Friday, Suzanne asked me if I wanted to read it. I read it over the weekend. Interesting book. The weird parts are too weird. The last half is pretty good; particularly the chapter about John Tomiczek. 240 pages 6.5 9/20/99 Suzanne
I loved the fact Niven used Burroughs charactors from "Princess of Mars", but didn't like how the book skipped around. I was a collection of short stories? He should have put the first/ longest story last. 316 pages 7.0 9/21/99 FPL
A tale so depressing it reads like a black comedy. No wonder it won the Pulitzer Prize. I remember seeing Frank on The News Hour and thinking it seemed interesting. I can see a movie- either one that is terrible or one that is great. 363 pages 8.0 9/30/99 FPL
A Hundred Years Of Authors, Ideas And Literature
From the staff of the New York Times Book Review. I got a decent list of books to look for. A book overview of popular fiction and non-fiction of the 20th century 626 pages 4.5 10/2/99 FPL
An American Romance
The book is a bitter sweet look back at 'Turn of the Century' Homesteaders in Eastern Montana/ Western North Dakota. It looks at the role of the Milwaukee Railroad and the government in bring homesteaders to land which really couldn't support them. The first couple years there was enough rain, but once the rain went so did their farms. It's obvious now that there wasn't enough moisture. The homesteaders knew how much was needed and the railroad brochures did give the rainfall figures. However, the railroad showed the previous year rather than the norm. The homesteaders were led to believe that the very act of farming and developing the land, would result in an increase in rain fall. These homesteaders where either non-farmers or foreigners with little knowledge of the great plains- known even then as "The Great American Desert". Reading the book I'm glad my ancestors stayed east of the Missouri. I came across this book in "Books Of The Century: A Hundred Years Of Authors, Ideas And Literature" From the staff of the New York Times Book Review. I read this book because I wanted a list of books to read. 324 pages 6.2 10/21/99 FPL
Combat Journalism by way of Jack Kerouac's "On The Road" - I don't think it was the best book on the war but it was certainly an interesting read 260 pages 6.1 10/28/99 FPL
This was much better than I thought, but I should expect as much from Rolling Stone 1117 pages 7.0 11/11/99 Craig
I would give this book a better rating if it wasn't so depressing. The cover says it's a black comedy but there is nothing funny in it, black or otherwise. The point of the story it to forgive and not be angry- sort of like the movie "American History X" 897 pages 6.2 11/22/99 Suzanne
A First Person Account Of Breaking The Sound Barrier
It's the same story I've read before from the view point of a couple other guys who haven't gotten around to writting their own books. The pictures were nice. 139 pages 3.3 11/23/99 FPL
The Triumps And Tragedies Of The World's First Computer
Interesting tale of the first computer. It's a shame they got squat out of it though. I didn't realize Minneapolis was such a hot spot for the computer industry. 228 pages 5.0 11/24/99 FPL
The Seven Laws Of Business That Made Chyrsler The World's Hottest Car Company
This books seemed a bit padded but it was pretty good. His theory seems to be walking the line between choas on stasis or left and right brain activities- all my favorite buzz words. 220 pages 7.5 12/2/99 FPL
Although there weren't a lot of text, I did read almost 100 pages of a SF book before deciding I had had it. Watterson is the finest cartoonist of all time. I wonder what he's been doing these last four years?! 208 pages 7.5 12/10/99 FPL
A collection of writing mostly Journalistic in nature and dealing with the LA area. Some sections weren't very good (personal) and some were very interesting (general interest.) 223 pages 4.2 12/15/99 FPL
Interesting but not written as well as Clancy. He should try to be the anti Clancy- more charactorization and less equipment fetish. 504 pages 5.0 12/16/99 FPL
This book hit the spot. It was an easy read, very interesting and well written- like most Crichton books. 352 pages 6.5 12/20/99 FPL
As far as war books go this was better than Dale Brown's book. It was just as improvable, maybe even more so, but the charactor were more three dimensional and the pacing was better. Still not as good as Clancy. 528 pages 6.0 12/24/99 FPL
Night And Day With The Clash
An interesting look at the Clash from the first album through the "London Calling" Tour by their roadie and go-fer. Written surprisingly well. Some of the english terms were hard to figure out. 238 pages 7.2 12/28/99 Craig