Sand Trapped, by John Gratton

When Rodney suggested that I write a "murder mystery that involves a software strategist, a mysterious tattooed girl and a golf club," I told him I have something pretty close on my to-read queue. This is it.

The main character is too slow to be a good strategist, the heroine is pierced but not tattooed, and there's a lot less golf involved than the title would have you think. This is a fast and amusing novel with an engaging plot.

The Increment, by David Ignatius

This is a spy novel about a CIA agent done in close to a traditional British spy tone. It is complex, but interesting. On a flight, this would be a great book; sitting on the deck with a cool beverage it drops to average (there's more amusement against which it must compete).

Oddly the title (even though there's a brief inside-flap explanation of it) has very little to do with the story.

Breach of Trust, by DiAnn Mills

I should have given up on this book at page two, but kept at it out of stubbornness. The book wasn't that bad, other than the writing and the plot development.

Here's a sample; see for yourself if I'm overly critical:

"She scraped the grasshopers from her shoes and onto the curb. The pests were everywhere this time of year. Reminded her of a few gadflies she'd been forced to trust overseas. She'd swept the crusty hoppers off her porch at home and the entrance to the library as she'd done with the shadow makers of the past. But nothing could wipe the nightmares from her internal hard drive."

Sigh.

Armor of God, by Paul Block & Robert Vaughan

Eh.

I know, out of respect for anyone who goes to the trouble to read this blog, I ought to at least attempt a complete review. But really, "eh" just says it all.

The Associate, by John Grisham

Now maybe it is just a sign of the sorts of books I've read lately: I really enjoyed "The Associate." I was totally surprised to see that Amazon reviewers dislike it so, with one-star ratings outnumbering five-stars by nearly a three-to-one ratio.

The biggest complaint: the ending seemed rushed, wasn't sufficiently developed.
Other complaints: poor character development, dull and boring.

I'm sticking with my initial assessment. This is a fine legal thriller.

Then again, compared to the fantastical Tanenbaum or the hero-as-vampire-slayer, my bar wasn't set all that high at this point.

Capture, by Robert K. Tanenbaum

Would you believe me if I said that the last book I read -- about vampire hunters -- was more credible than this one?

Tanenbaum's given up on character development: he spends pages explaining what his characters are thinking and why.

At least the plot is complex. And, as is so often my situation, I keep reading these books even though I know when I'm done that I've wasted my time.

This book was the equivalent of a mediocre cheese danish: not only was it not healthy eats, it didn't even taste good enough to be worth the calories.

And yes, I'll read Tanenbaum's next one anyways.

Skin Trade, by Laurell K. Hamilton

Let's cover the negatives first: the mediocre writing descends to abysmal in too much of the dialog, redundancies imply the lack of capable editing, and the plot -- well, this is about vampires and other supernatural beings.

On a positive note, it is the best written of Hamilton's books thus far.

And there you have my confession: I've actually read this tripe. Sigh. Hey, everyone's entitled to a vice or two.

The Wealthy Barber, by David Chilton

I've continued my search for a good book on financial planning to recommend to my children; Chilton's book was recommended to me.

The conversational, parable style might work for some folks, but it didn't much amuse me. The key points, however, are solid.

I won't recommend this book, but will net it (and similar books) out in just the 655 words that follow:

1. Pay yourself first by setting aside 10% of your income as automatic savings (i.e., payroll deduction or the like to remove any opportunity to treat it as discretionary funds). What to do with the money? Chilton likes dollar cost averaging to (low expense rate) money market funds; seems reasonable to me. (Consider Vanguard.)
   
   
2. If you have dependents, have a will. This seems pretty obvious; if you're in Texas, I recommend Keith Gamel do the paperwork for you. (Once she passes the Texas bar next year, I'll recommend another attorney; no offense to Mr. Gamel.)
   
   
3. Life insurance, maybe. If you don't have dependents, you don't need it. If you do have dependents, you only need it if you have debt, or if you want to provide for those dependents. If you want it, you only want term insurance -- anything a life insurance agent thinks is bad is probably good (i.e., if their compensation is minimized, your efficiency is probably maximized).
   
   Term life insurance is focused insurance - it doesn't help you save, it isn't an investment, it simply pays out on your demise. Check out professional organizations (e.g., ACM, IEEE, NRA) as well as established insurance firms for quotes. The amount: pay off your debts, provide for sufficient funds to accomplish your post-death wishes (e.g., significant other can pay their bills, offspring can attend college, dog can lounge in a silk covered pet bed, whatever), and don't forget the impact of inflation (i.e., you might want to slightly over-insure for that) nor the declining needs of your dependents (e.g., as kids age out, or the need for significant other to vacation on the Riveria declines as he/she finds a replacement loved one).
   
   If you lack debt, your finances' liquidity would cover the tax pain of your estate, or you just don't give a damn about what happens when you're dead, then save your money.
   
   
4. Plan for retirement. In other words, in addition to the 10% you pay yourself first, add on an IRA (or Keogh), and a 401(k) or 403(b). This is easiest if you qualify for your investment (e.g., in an IRA) to be tax deductible as you make it (the earnings are tax deductible in any case). The investment structure: focus as usual on low expense investments, consider dollar cost averaging into financial instruments, devise an allocation that meets your requirements for sleep (e.g., more or less risky, realizing that the more the risk the more the return, within reasonable - don't fall for the Madoff ponzi scheme craziness - bounds).
   
   
5. Home ownership - or not. Renting makes fine sense; home ownership is emotional. If your ownership expense (mortgage, taxes, maintenance) is roughly equal to what it would cost you to rent an equivalent property, you're probably in fine shape if you want to own. A home shouldn't be your primary investment asset.
   
   
6. Avoid credit card debt; avoid debt. Don't pay credit card debt, which isn't to say, "be a deadbeat," but rather, pay off your credit card bill in full each month, never pay credit card interest ever, and if you can't handle that, cut up your credit cards.
   
   Credit card debt is undoubtedly the most expensive debt short of borrowing from a loan shark. Its only advantage is that the credit card firm won't break your legs if you don't pay. Either way, the interest will break your back.
   
   While on this theme, strive to avoid non-tax-deductible debt in general. It is costly. Think carefully about the difference between what you want and what you need; doing so will often allow you to save an amazing amount of money.
   

Chilton has one of his characters quote Syrus (p 59): "Many receive advice, few profit by it." The six steps above are great advice for my kids (and probably many others) and saves them reading several books; all they need to do is execute on it.

The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University, by Kevin Roose

My pointer to this was Jacobs, because Roose was his unpaid intern during the writing of that book. I enjoyed "The Unlikely Disciple" because the writing is solid and there was an element of suspense to see how Roose was affected at the end by his experience.

In short: Roose was a journalism major at Brown; took a semester's leave of absence to study at Jerry Fallwell's ultra-conservative, "bible is the literal word of God" college, Liberty University, specifically to write a book about his experience there. Here's how I net out Roose's experience of life at Liberty:

1. Homophobia runs rampant.
2. Normative behavior quite different from baseline; can't judge as good or bad.
3. In objective argument, atheists overwhelmingly defeat professor in debate on religion, e.g., bible literalists have trouble defending bible contradictions. (See also Jacobs' book, or Dawkins'.)
   
4. Dating is easier within structured behavioral boundaries.
5. Anti-evolution arguments are indecipherable at best.
6. The students are mostly likable people; taken independently of the behavior required by their religious beliefs (i.e., targeted hatred), they're great folks.

Roose picks up some of the beliefs - or at least habits - even a semester after leaving the school.

I was surprised. Shouldn't have been: heard of the Stockholm Syndrome? Maybe that's unfair: I just expected Roose to fulfill his role as "Godless liberal" and he ended up being open minded (to closed minded-ness? Be nice now Carl!) instead.

In any case, can't help but expect to read more of Roose's work - in magazines or books - and I look forward to it.

Always Looking Up, by Michael J. Fox

I strongly recommend this book.

What should come next is my argument in support of the advice: what's great about this book? That's a tougher assignment than I'd expected. It isn't the best written book, nor most captivating page by page -- but as a whole, it just works.

Fox seems charismatic, humble; clearly a sweet guy. He has a mission and a passion for it (use stem cells to aggressively treat diseases, from Parkinson's to spinal cord injury to juvenile diabetes).

I like this quote a lot, after pointing out that people against stem cell research often identify themselves as pro-life: "... explain to those of us with debilitating diseases -- indeed, to all of us -- why it is more pro-life to throw away stem cells than to put them to work savings lives."

Pretty short at 276 pages and a fast read, I suggest you read this book.