Summer reading list (pun intended)

It was so nice to be able to read for fun this summer! Some of the books I read:

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
My favorite of the bunch--very long but so worth it. Highly recommend it. Lincoln was, in a word, AMAZING.

Saints at War: Experiences of Latter-Day Saints in World War II by Robert C. Freeman & Dennis A. Wright
Excerpts from journals and letters that are both uplifting and depressing (I know, it's about WWII). But mostly uplifting. Lots of amazing miracles about soldiers being protected or sharing the gospel or finding other LDS guys.

Mormon Scientist by Henry J. Eyring
I think this is the one Abbie just posted about. Very cool guy.

Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose
About the Lewis & Clark expedition and Jefferson's role in it. Some of it was very interesting and some not as, but I liked it. Mostly it just amazed me that all but one of the expedition came back alive.

The Complete Sherlock Holmes (volumes 1 and 2) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
I love Sherlock Holmes. If Arthur Conan Doyle were alive today he'd be a huge Monk fan.

Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner
Very interesting. Economics as you've never thought about it before. Examines the motivations behind public school teachers cheating, compares crack gangs to McDonald's, and more.

1776 by David McCullough
Admittedly, not as good as John Adams, but how many books are? Everyone told me before I read it that it was depressing. It was. But it was interesting to see the British point of view, and to read about all the events chronologically--what was happening in the battlefields and overseas diplomacy-wise at the same time. I enjoyed it.

Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
Finally read F&A's favorite book about Dr. Paul Farmer, the Harvard med school-educated doctor who started an organization called Partners in Health and for many years has worked part of the year at a Boston hospital and part of the year in Haiti. My heart ached for those people, my blood boiled when World Health Organization officials got in PIH's way, and I was amazed by Paul and his friends who have done SO much to improve the lives of Haitians in the Central Plateau, the poorest part of the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Kidder also talks about PIH's efforts in Russia and Peru and Dr. Farmer's colleague's success in driving down tuberculosis drug prices. I didn't realize before what a huge problem TB is and how difficult it is to treat when it becomes drug-resistant. Made me wonder why people don't do more to alleviate suffering in this world and quit thinking about themselves...but that would include me, of course. Swearing alert: there's quite a bit. I guess I'm a little desensitized from reading sweary books for LEAP in high school. Overall, a humbling and fascinating read.

Reflections of a Scientist by Henry Eyring
A little repetitive after reading Mormon Scientist, but this one is all in his words. I can see why he was such a popular speaker at universities and other venues--has a way of grabbing his audience's attention and getting his point across, no matter what the topic is.

C. S. Lewis: the Man and his Message
A compilation of talks from a C. S. Lewis conference at BYU a few years ago from scholars like Neal A. Maxwell, John S. Tanner, and Robert L. Millet. I had never really read any Lewis before and I love it! He has a way of explaining concepts with such infallible logic that made me think "why did I never think of it that way before?" (For example, the question why do we have/need trials, the doctrine of eternal progression.) Some chapters were more interesting that others, but all were well-written and gave me a huge appreciation for the man and his message.

The Nine Nations of North America by Joel Garreau
Dad recommended this one. The "nine nations" are regions divided by economic and cultural differences that are better dividers than arbitrary political boundaries. It was too long--too many of those chummy rub-elbows-with-the-locals moments for my taste. But I thought the author's arguments were solid and it was interesting to think about those connections between places and learning about Québec, the nation I knew the least about.

Anyone else read any good books this summer?