Books....

I don't think I've ever written in my blog about books. This is a little odd since I am constantly buying (and attempting to read) new books. My problem is the same as that of most people I know--I buy a lot of books and never finish them. On any given day you can assume I'm in the middle of an average of five books, most of which I will never finish.

Here are some books that I have finished that I highly recommend finishing:
We Are All The Same, by Jim Wooten
God Was in This Place and I, I Did Not Know, by Lawrence Kushner
Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger (I own multiple copies of this book. Creepy.)
Inside Al Qaeda: How I Infiltrated the World's Deadliest Terrorist Organization, by Mohamed Sifaoui (I need to say that this book has to be read with a lot of discretion, the author is very opinionated)
Velvet Elvis, by Rob Bell
Cry, the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton
The Chosen, by Chaim Potok


Here are some books that I'm in the middle of that I think will be worth finishing:
Freakanomics, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Eat the Rich, by P.J. O'Rourke
Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill, by Jessica Stern
Just and Unjust Wars, by Michael Walzer (Some of you wonder why I would read this)
Everything Belongs, by Richard Rohr
Invisible Lines of Connection, by Lawrence Kushner (And a million other books by him)
Sinner's Guide to the Evangelical Right, by Robert Lanham (this book is not for everyone, don't say I didn't warn you)
The World is Flat, by Thomas Friedman
We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda, by Philip Gourevitch (this book deserves an even greater warning, it is really difficult to read, which is why I've been in the middle of this book for years, literally)


Books that are sitting on the shelf that I'm dying to start reading:
The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell
Crimes Against Logic, by Jamie Whyte
Better World Handbook, by Ellis Jones, Ross Haenfler, Brett Johnson
(Go here to learn how to make the world a better place, and go here to download the Better World Shopper's Guide to your iPod.)

Books I started reading and don't think are worth finishing:
God's Politics, by Jim Wallis
A Framework for Understanding Poverty, by Ruby Payne (this book starts out strong and gets weak really quickly).


And last, books that are not sitting on my shelf that need to get there immediately:
Franny and Zoey by J.D. Salinger
The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities For Our Time by Jeffrey Sachs
An Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr., by Martin Luther King Jr


I would also like to make honorable mention to the Time magazines that are accumulating around my home. I should read more of those.

And as a second honorable mention for recommended reading, you should read this. If you don't already appreciate the art form for which this artist is already well-known, perhaps you will enjoy this expression of art. (Did you really think I would write this whole blog and not mention music somewhere along the way?)

So, any recommendations?