Category: VAULT Reviews

The Last Question (TLQ) is a short story by one my favorite authors of all time. Isaac Asimov has a talent for writing fiction about the future that reads like a historical novel. Out of the several thousand works by Asimov, TLQ was his favorite. In addition, TQL is probably the best example of his writing style; a style where the plot is driven not by the characters or the color of his writing, but by the very ideas woven through his themes. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I do.

Economics provides some of the most powerful tools for data analysis available to society. Yet historically these tools have been used almost exclusively in the realm of finance and business decision support. Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner talks about the work of Steven Levitt, one of the most respected economists alive. Levitt uses economic models and data analysis tools to find answers to some of societies most interesting questions.

I enjoyed this book enough to read through it in one sitting, in one night. And I strongly recommend that anyone with interest in socio-political issues read it. Freakonomics will make you take a second look at what you though was common sense. However, the book does have its notable shortcomings.

First, this book is little more than an extended version of the newspaper article by Stephen Dubner on Levitt’s work. If you are familiar with the article there is little reason to buy the book. Second, the book covers almost nothing about economic method. As such it leaves itself open to more criticism that it generally deserves. Third, Freakonomics is definitely dumbed down to make it readable (and probably profitable) to a wider audience. However, the lack of technicality makes the book an enjoyable weekend read and may even encourage the reader into a greater interest in economics and its usefulness.

I got the pleasure of seeing Rudolph Giuliani speak at a graduation ceremony at the University of Oklahoma where he discussed his new book, “Leadership”. He was an amazing speaker and as such I decided to pick up his book when I got the chance. Leadership by Rudolph W. Giuliani and Ken Kurson gives an overview of Mayor Giuliani’s leadership focus and a narrative of his actions/reactions to the September 11th events. I found both aspects of the book fascinating and informative without being overly scholastic.

“Leadership” does NOT provide any staggering new insight into leadership techniques and as such will probably not be useful to students of management. What the book does do is to provide fascinating examples of select leadership traits in action. These “inside” stories were the most enjoyable part of the book. Providing a counterpoint, to the New York media, on Giuliani’s term as mayor.

The book was begun well before 9/11 and as such the material covering those events feels, at times, disconnected from the main theme of the book. But because the 9/11 events play such a huge role in bringing Giuliani’s leadership skills to our attention, the information is understandable and interesting for its own sake.

Overall I really enjoyed reading “Leadership.” Its a quick read with a great deal of information, and was well worth my time.

The Eight by Katherine Neville, is a alternative-history style thriller novel in the same basic genre as “Da Vinci Code.” The book is a pretty fun read, even if the character development is lacking and its dialog unrealistic.

What really characterizes this book is the over-the-top nature of the plot. Take every historical figure that you can think of, combine them as pieces of a complex chess match, add in lots of technology and math references, and finally add a dash of romance novel; and you might get an idea of how this book works. While the plot is never too much to handle, some readers might be turned off by the simplicity of the authors writing style.

The Eight was an enjoyable “weekend” book and one that I am glad I read. I suppose the best comparison I can give of the book is this; I come away from “The Eight” in much the same way I came away from “Die Hard.” Its was an enjoyable experience whose short-comings helped “make” it, instead of taking away from it.

The Lord of the Rings books have always been my favorite recreational reading material.  I have no idea how many times I have read these books but each and every one has been a wonderful experience.  There is nothing I can say about The Fellowship of the Ring that has not been said before, by someone more articulate than me.  I suppose the best review I can make, and the greatest statement of the quality of this book, is the joy I get in its reading and how that joy has not diminished with the number of times I have read it.  I may not know how many more times I will experienced the The Fellowship of the Ring, but I know it will be, at least, one more.

I started reading “A Concise History of the Catholic Church” because my friend Matt, who went through RCIA with my wife, decided that he knew very little about the history of his new faith and wanted to do some informal study on the Catholic Church.  Now, my knowledge of early Catholic history consists of what I have read in the New Testament and a general assumption on my part that there was probably a Pope John Paul the first and that, just maybe, there was a prequel to Vatican II (although I was not entirely sure.)   “A Concise History of the Catholic Church” was the book we picked up to enlighten our historical Catholic viewpoint.

The book was pretty good.  It gave a high level overview of the major historical trends and treaties of the Church over the last 2000 years or so.  It tries to go into more depth on topics that the author feels are a good barometer of Church trends at the time.  These “low level” views were helpful to get a better picture of the place of the Church at a given historical period.  In addition the book was good about covering a good balance between the, admittedly rocky, political history of the Church and its spiritual progress.

I thought that most of the book was fairly balanced (as balanced as you can expect a book about the Catholic Church to be.)  The only disappointment I found was an obvious bias on the part of the author toward the modern progressive Catholic Movement (i.e. liberation theology, historical literalism, etc.) and a fairly vocal disappointment in the lack of support from the current Pontiff for these ideas.  I am a huge supporter of the Church’s current position on world social issues; something the author is evidently not.

Overall I would rate the book as a good read, especially if you want to learn about the pre-twentieth century Catholic Church. The shear number of references and quotes make it an excellent “start point” for further Catholic study.  The history of the Catholic Church is not a study in perfection; but any institution whose historical linage can be traced back almost 2000 years is bound to be interesting.

I first read The Silmarillion when I was 12.  For someone who has been a Tolkien fan for almost his entire life,  The Silmarillion is not simply a good book.  It is required reading.  Admittedly more difficult to follow than The Lord of the Rings; yet it, in many ways, more completely fulfills the depth of culture and history that Tolkien has always tried to bestow.  The Silmarillion coves the long history of the Elves and the first age of Middle-Earth.  It is the Bible of Middle-Earth.  It’s as glorious as it is heartbreaking.  It is easily one of the most “unique” books I have ever read, combining fantasy with history; biography with myth.

If you are a fan of Tolkien’s world, and not simply a fan of the movies, then I strongly recommend reading this book.  It will leave you in awe of the “completeness” of the world that Tolkien created.  Its one of my most prized books.