My friend Daniel has been writing a little series about the books that changed his life. It is amazing how much he inspires me when he writes. It amazing that two people can connect to the level we have as friends even though geographically we are very far. Reading his posts I began to think of the books that I have read, but it never occurred to me that they would be powerful enough to change my life, but then I read blink.

After reading this book I felt like Malcolm Gladwell was someone that I wanted as a friend. He a talented and best selling author(he also wrote The Tipping Point,) but when he writes he has a conversation with the reader that is spoken in a tone that most people reserve for their best friends. The message of the book is in a way about tolerance and introspection, but the book gave me so much more.

I just turned 30 and self evaluation has kicked into high gear. Event though my birthday has never felt quite like a milestone, this one did and it was partially because of this book. The books title talks about the power of thinking without thinking. In simple terms it tries to let you know that you have a key to your unconscious, but it is not the one that will let you open it.

After reading this book I feel I understand the way I make decisions a little better, but more importantly, I learned that my decisions are being affected by what surrounds me more than I ever even imagined. I then decided that what I was doing for my brain was simply not enough. To put it in computer terms, I have a very powerful machine, but I was just leaving my connection to the internet at dial up speed.

We can all let ourselves be manipulated by what advertisers or media outlets want us to believe about the world or we can go one step further and learn to think for ourselves. Knowledge is power only if it used. One of the biggest problems I have with formal education is that it is almost set up to make you pass tests rather than to actually learn something. After reading blink, you start to see the purpose of gathering knowledge. From being able to read minds to eliminating racism or sexism in some situations. This book gives us the opportunity to look at life in a different way. What if we could literally steer history in a different way by refusing to accept the negative imagery that is presented to us in a regular basis?

The book is powerful because it does not hold our hand by giving us a quick guide as to how to make quicker decisions. Rather it opens up the door for us to make our life and mind better by filling it with better information. The reasons some of the experts on his book are as good as they are is because they took an active interest in a subject and became truly amazing at it. While we might not be able to do it at the scale that some of those scholars did, we can take steps towards being more mindful of all the clues that are out there for us.

While it might have been that I read the book in the weeks before my birthday, I still think there is a lot of merit for the authors ability to make me think. His message is simple while covering very complex subjects. It lets us take a peek into how truly extraordinary people make decisions even when they do not even know themselves.

One simple lesson that you can take with you is that vocabulary is important in any subject. It is probably one of the places most of us get really hung up on. While we might have an opinion about something, not having the correct way to express it can leave us with a simple yes or no answer. If you think about relationships and feelings, being able to voice them is very important, but what if we cannot explain what we are feeling? There are plenty of books out there that can give you the vocabulary you need to vocalize what you feel. When we put a puzzle together we use the picture of what it is supposed to look like to find the right pieces. So if you are particularly stuck with something in your life, it might be a good idea to pick up a good book and find the picture that will help you put that puzzle together.

I just finished reading Next by Michael Crichton. He is one of my favorite authors, but this book really left a lot to be desired. While I do have to say that I read the book pretty fast and I wanted to keep going, I think it was mostly to see if he could untangle the mess he had created.

The first issue I encountered is that I could not keep the characters straight. Initially I thought it was because he was introducing to many, then later I realized that, while all of the mini stories were connected, they did not flow. I ended up not caring for any character in particular, there was no real hero, no real victim, no real redemption, no main story.

The book tries to bring genetics to the forefront of our mind, but it does so in a very disjointed way. I don’t feel like he was thinking of the reader when he wrote the book, or at least not the average reader. One of the things I have always loved about Crichton is that he makes science seem easy, but in this book we feel very removed from he actual science, catching only glimpses of it. If genetics was to be the main character of the book, it was an elusive character that never quite came to the forefront of the story.

I blame Google for the spastic nature of the book. Imagine someone doing a search on Google about genetics and then trying to fit every link that came back in the first page into a book.

I do not recommend this book, but if you want to read Crichton start with Timeline or Airframe; both are way better written. I am sad to say that this book ended up being an spaghetti bowl that I expected to find meatballs inside of, I searched and searched and in the end I ended up with a bunch of noodles that filled me up, but I did not really enjoy.

I started reading Harry Potter sometime in 1999. Once I had picked up the series I started to wait for the books to be released. Prisoner of Azkaban was always my favorite and I almost stop reading the series after Order of the Phoenix came out. I had become very attached to the characters and seeing die such an early death in the series felt like I was being cheated.

The third time I read the Order of the phoenix I had already read the Half Blood Price and the story seemed to be a little better. The book made a little more sense and the death was something that I was able to deal with. It was almost destiny that every single father figure Harry ever had was destined to leave the series in one way or another.

I am not going to spoil book seven for you, so don’t be scared to read if you have not finished. I will even go as far as saying that this book stands on its own. It is a great read even if you did not read the whole series. I am also glad to say that Rowling puts the whole Snape is good or bad controversy to rest.

Come to think of it, the gift that she has is that she did an excellent job at closing all the circles she opened through the story. I think re-reading the whole series now that I know everything that happens will only make me cherish the build up even more. She created a world that while not completely out of her imagination, she does borrow from mythology and other great authors, it is her own interpretation of what a magical world should be. It is fresh and very unique, it has its own rules.

I remember the whole controversy over the book corrupting people because it was about evil and witchcraft. I know think back and see that the same message that the new testament tries to give all of us, that it all comes down to love, its the same in Harry Potter.

If you have only followed the movies, I assure you, you are missing out. The books paint a picture that the movies can only reproduce like a masterpiece made into a stamp. Every book in the series tells a tale that when put together makes a lot of sense. It is not just a story about grief, sacrifice, responsibility and courage, but also friendship, family and love.

I am glad that the series ended now that I read the last book. I was a little skeptic as to how so much build up could end in just seven hundred and some pages. It did, it satisfied my craving and made me part of the generation that read Harry Potter when it first came out.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, by J.K. Rowling. Series, Snape, Dumbledore, 7.

Dean Koontz is a great storyteller. I was instroduced to him by a friend (it was her favorite author) a long time ago but did not pick it up until recently and now two of his books occupy spots in my top 5. I never thought that he could top Intensity in my book, but Watchers is a book that to me is a masterpiece of modern literature.

The book explores humanity in a way I have not seen in many books. It uses situations to not only illustrate characters personalities but also mirror them. I am also sure that this book like great songs can have different meaning to different people.

I believe that change is the center theme of the book. The characters transform their inner core value and ways of looking at the world. At times these aspect of the book seems more fictional that the actual genetic manipulation plot. It is scary at times to even consider that our lives are not being life to the fullest and that there is no one else to blame but ourselves.

The love story in the book is not only beautiful but also patient. In a time where dating seems like a romanticized idea from long ago, it makes courtship seem appealing once again. In the time of hook ups and my space it brings a nice to the word relationship.

Another impressive facet of the book is the strong African American character in the book. I was very please with the way his character was explored. It was amazing how accurate the sense of almost innate desperation to prove yourself because of the color or your skin was portrayed. I was also glad that everyone in the end realized that family in the end is the most important thing in life.

Koontz explored God in this book in a subtle way. It was more of a theological discussion about human responsibility than an actual religions statement. It is probably the only thing in the book that kind of let me wanting a little more. I personally believe that responsibility when it comes to research should be looked at from many angles. There is no clear answer to all the moral and ethical questions that genetic research raises.

The characters were all very likeable, the flow of the book was excellent, and I believe that everyone can take a little piece of self-improvement from the change in all of the characters. I believe everyone should read this book, just be warned that by the end of it you might want a brand new puppy.

Koontz, Watchers, Review, Loyalty, Friendship, Relationship, Love, Race, Murder, Suspense, Change, Fiction.

It feels like it took me forever to read this book. It was not because the book was not interesting but just due to the lack of time to read. I am a big Crichton fan since I read Timeline. State of Fear does not disappoint and keeps the action coming at a great pace. The theme of the book is Global Warming, but the real plot is how fear is used to control us.

Being driven by fear is one of the problems with our society. I believe that while terrorism is a real threat we are at times misguided while our judgment is clouded by fear. The book also brought some excellent points about scientific research and corporate involvement. I have always loved the way Crichton has been able to make very complicated subjects accessible to reader.

The book mixes a lot of fact with fiction, and at the end of the book the author states his view on the climate change issue. While the book is more of a thriller than a political book, it still makes you think about how much of what we see on the news is actually corporate driven.

While this book is not new, it really resonated with me since we have been seeing on the news a lot of the scandals in Washington. The fiction of how politics and environmental law at times had nothing to do with preserving the environment resonates a lot more on the Abramoff era.

The characters on the book were likeable, and even though the love triangle that formed did not take the twists and turns that I predicted it still entertained. The book was not as predictable as I imagined it would be while reading it, but it still had a couple of things that I figured out early. The book would make an excellent movie like some of Crichton’s books have done in the past… I just hope if they do make it, it is more along the lines of Jurassic park and not Congo or Timeline.

Fear, Crichton, Terrorism, Warming, Abramoff, Congo, Timeline, State

I cannot believe how adult this book is. I also cannot believe that I did not read more as a kid, this book has been out forever and I never even knew about it. The only children’s book that I remember reading during my childhood was The Little Prince, which I have been meaning to get for Ty.

The book has an excellent story full of magic and mystery. In its short length it manages to develop a full story that unravels at just the correct pace except for the end that felt a little rushed. I felt the last chapter felt a little too much like the movies that hint to a sequel. Somehow the Harry Potter series has managed to do that in a way that I don’t feel bad about.

The story definitely had a very Christian undertone and almost a parable like feel to it. The themes throughout the story developed each character in such a way that they change to become something a lot better. Also I was surprised that it was not presented as they simply grew up, but that they actually changed traits in their personalities.

Without giving much away, there are many things that Lewis borrows directly from religion. The thought of redemption, forgiveness and doing things for the greater good is shown throughout the book. The sense of adventure is present enough to make you want to get to the next chapter.

I was also very interested in the sense of different magic, and the notion of almost the power of God being portrayed as very ancient powerful magic. There is a sense of right and wrong, and good and evil but they surprisingly coexist in an almost yin and yan balance. Nothings lasts forever, and I am very interested in reading the rest of the Chronicles of Narnia. I give this book full stars and think that you should check it out. It could be a fun library afternoon for sure.

Lion, Potter, Witch, Wardrobe, Book, Lewis, Christian, Magic

HP&HBP or book 6 is not going to take the spot as my favorite in the series from book 3 Prisoner of Azkaban. What it did do is got me back into the series. After reading book 5 I was dissapointed with Rowling. I thought how can you take away someone else from Harry when he is already in so much need of a family. Book 6 did just the same, but I get it this time. I see that Harry is going to have to grow up no only dealing with loss but learning how to follow his own path while appreciating the semblance of family that he does have.

Family is one of the most important things in my life. I cannot imagine growing up without my parents and still being able to experience love the way Harry experiences it. He has had to deal with a lot up to this book and HP&HBP gave him even more to deal with. I did expect him to completely give up hope, but instead he is now a man on a mission.

The book followed the Potter formula of recounting a life in a school year of the kids. As the series progresses there are more and more details being revealed about Voldemort and where he came from, this book was dubbed the Lilly Potter book, but I believe that we learned a lot more about Voldemort. It was not because it was all new information but because it all started to get tied together making a chronological recount of how he-who-must-not-be-named became what he is now.

I have never read a book that can talk about so much magic and incredible things yet carrying a very palpable message, love is the most powerful magic of all. This message makes me even more proud to read a series that a lot of adults might dismiss as kids books.

If you have not read the Harry Potter series, I think it is time you do… if book 5 left you a little empty and feeling like the rest of the series had no meaning anymore, forget about that and read book 6.

***Spoilers*** (Do not read beyond if you have not read all the books including 6)
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