I finished this book at lunch today and I'm still working it out in my head. The story is told by a band of boys who only refer to themselves as "we," and who have taken it upon themselves to catalog and remember every detail of the Lisbon girls' short lives. Their earnestness and drive to understand makes the reader feel the same way - I felt like I was looking through their windows myself. I even began to feel protective of them toward the end of the book. On one hand, the ending is unsatisfying - none of the questions posed by the meandering narrators are answered. On the other hand, knowing the answers would have spoiled the myth the boys had created.

I'll be honest: I don't know a lot about the feminist movement. Lately though, reading RMJ's blog (and many of her past writings and comments) have made me want to look into it. As promised by Valenti, I discovered that I am indeed already a feminist. So, this book didn't tell me anything I didn't already know or change any of my political views, but rather it backed up everything I have ever felt was wrong with the way society viewed and treated myself and other women. This is definitely something I will be following up on and getting more involved in.

I heard about this book through mental_floss. It's very much along the lines of A.J. Jacobs' "The Year Of Living Biblically," which fits seeing as Roose was Jacobs' intern/aide. It wasn't really a tell-all kind of book, but maybe that was because I already knew that not everyone at Liberty University is a walking stereotype. However, it was neat to see the day to day conversations of the boys in Roose's dorm, as well as see Thomas Road's services from the inside. And of course, who wouldn't giggle a little at the idea of Every Man's Battle? So while this book is nothing groundbreaking, it does provide a more sympathetic view of Jerry Falwell and his followers than we are usually shown.

I wish I could give half stars, because two doesn't seem like quite enough. An interesting collection of climbing-related stories, including a couple of related sports I'd never imagined. Krakauer is very good at putting the reader in the narrator's shoes, but I prefer when he has more time to really tackle the stories and give all the details.

Written in the same style as her other books, Mary Roach takes a look at the theories surrounding what happens to your soul and consciousness after your death. She has a sharp wit and always finds the humor in serious scientific things. This book is even a little thought provoking at times, making you think more carefully about your own beliefs on the subject.

Funny, and occasionally thought-provoking. It's obviously not all-encompassing, but I think Jacobs does a good job of trying to tackle a wide range of Biblical laws, all while keeping the conversation light.

An interesting story, but the characters were pretty wooden, and some of the plot points didn't seem to flow. The narrator character in particular never seemed to learn anything from the Insights, even though every other character was there to help him out. On the other hand, the idea of being able to see and to consciously share energy is pretty neat.

A funny take on what it might be like if the gods of Olympus lived in modern day England. The characters are are hilarious and manage to stay true to the original myths, creating a fun modern fairy tale.

Funny and intriguing look at the history of American presidential assassinations (excluding Kennedy). Particularly fun to read about the landmarks all over DC, both well-known and obscure.