Collateral Bloggage What passes for thought around here…

Sci-Fi. Humanity discovers a new alien species, 3000 years after the Bugger Wars. The new aliens are killing those sent to study them. Who better to broker a treaty between humanity and the second species than the commander who, as a child, waged war against the first? So deep and yet so readable, this book has such wonderful characterization in it. You'd want to read Ender's Game first in order to understand some of the background, but it's my favorite of the series, and I can't see a year going by without reading it again.

Historical Fiction. The rise of the Tokugawa Shogunate, set in ~1600, the story revolving around Blackthorne, an English sea captain. For a 1200 page book, it's a fast read. I honestly couldn't put it down after reading the first sentence.

Fantasy. The imagery is so vivid and the story so powerful that it makes me wish Ransom had been there when our First Parents were tempted.

Classic/Historical Fiction. Amazing presentation of the French Revolution, with vivid characters you really come to invest in.

Sci-Fi. Forget the Will Smith movie. This collection of short stories is amazing. A robot who reads minds. A robot who doesn't believe man could be the Creator. A robot who passes himself as human and is elected to public office (or is he a robot?). Fascinating stuff.

Sci-Fi/Thriller. Time travel. Romance. Action! Nazis! What's not to love?

Historical Fiction. Amazing fictionalized retelling of key conflicts and issues leading up to the U.S. entering WWII, told from the perspective of one fictional family.

Historical Fiction. Set in Changi, a Japanese prison camp in Singapore during WWII, the novel tells the story of British and American prisoners, with one American strangely at home in the camp.

Sci-Fi. The Buggers came to earth, twice. Humanity barely repelled them. Now, all the best and brightest children are sent to Battle School to prepare for the Buggers coming back. But at what cost?

Historical Fiction/Alternate History. Life in a small town after the Cold War erupts into all out Nuclear Destruction. This is the book on this list I've read, for the first time, most recently. Can't believe I didn't know about it before.

Science/History. This is an amazing work. So accessible, and so interesting all the little discoveries that led Einstein to his most famous equation.

Science. Tells the story of the discovery of the Expanding Universe, which flew in the face of accepted Scientific Consensus. Shows us that those on the side of Consensus are reluctant to change their views, even in the face of hard fact (Einstein was in the Consensus).

Christian Inspiration/Apologetics. In my opinion, all subsequent works of Christian Nonfiction are commentary.

Science/Origins. Tries to bring some sanity to the Young Earth/Old Earth controversy. If you don't know what Old Earth is about, you need to read this.

U.S. History. Awesome recap of what happened leading up to and following the shooting of Lincoln. Did you know the whole Cabinet was targeted?

Church Life. What I said about Christian Nonfiction? Yeah, doesn't apply here. Why are there so few men in church? Read it.

Bible Commentary. Amazing work, pulling together the four main schools of interpretation on the most difficult book of the Bible to understand. If you think it's easy, it's because you didn't know there were other ways to look at it. And you didn't know that your way of interpreting it has probably only been around since the 19th century...

Christian Living. Write a book? Make a movie? Are these things Christians can do? What? We should?

Science/Origins. Written by a Christian who's also an evolutionist. Maybe you don't believe it's possible. Mind-opening.

Christian Anti-apologetics. Sets out the reasons the Jews rejected Jesus, from the perspective that they were right to reject him. Not for the faint of heart or the weak of faith. Very challenging and worth the read if you're up to it, though.