...Books...

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Here are some books I've read recently:

PMP Exam Prep (4th Edition) by Rita Mulcahy

This book is the best study guide for the PMP Exam on the market. If you visit Rita's site at www.rmcproject.com you can find a lot of other good material.

How Would You Move Mt. Fuji? by William Poundstone

This question, and others like, "Why are beer cans tapered at the top and bottom?" are examined in this book that explores the phenomenon of puzzle interviews. A great read...

Inside Windows Server 2003 by Bill Boswell

An interesting overview of W2K3, Microsoft's new flagship product. It's an easy read, though much is a repeat of W2K.

The Gospel of Thomas by Elaine Pagels

Pagels, who wrote The Gnostic Gospels, here focuses on the so-called "gnostic" gospel of Thomas. She provides an interesting reading of the Gospel of John explaining that it can be read as a reaction to the ideas espoused in the Thomasine gospel. Pagels is a great writer, and communicates in a clear fashion. If anything, the book doesn't address enough detail, but then again that is probably not its purpose.

IT Project Management: On Track from Start to Finish by Joseph Phillips

A decent introduction to IT Project Management. The best parts of the book are where the author speaks from his own experience. If you're looking for a book to map to the CompTIA Project+ cert, this is a good supplemental book, but won't cover all you need to know, nor use the same terminology.

Project Management: Best Practices for IT Professionals by Richard Murch

Ditto the review above, though the best part of this book was Murch's discussion of alternate means of addressing Rapid Application Development.

Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson

A now-infamous book, I had to pick it up and read it. It's a fable about mice who must adapt in order to survive. The lesson: always be anticipating change.

The Buddhist Handbook by John Snelling

A good historical overview of Buddhism, which deals more with documented facts surrounding the culture than arcane practice or meditation. This book provides a survey of Buddhism as it has developed throughout the world up to relatively recent times. The original publisher stopped printing it, but used copies should still be available and Barnes and Noble reissued it under their press.

Security+ Exam Cram2 by Kirk Hausman

What can I say? It's a no-nonsense study guide for the Security+ exam, which I'm taking because I'll soon be teaching a few classes for folks taking the exam. Decent, but no substitute for working with the technologies.

Yoga Journal (magazine subscription)

Although I've been practicing yoga only infrequently, this magazine provides many articles that provide great advice for athletes, and a different way of approaching life. Philip Moffet's articles always stand out for their insight and quality. See www.yogajournal.com for a version of the magazine online.

Dynamics of Software Development by Jim McCarthy

Now a classic, McCarthy wrote this highly readable book when he was fresh out of some pain and success with the Microsoft C++ team. This is a collection of truisms that pull from the disparate fields of aesthetics, philosophy, biology, mathematics, and computer science to make up an intriguing view of how to build a successful software development team, and ship an excellent product on time.

Software Project Survival Guide by Steve McConnell

This book takes you through the fundamentals of Software Project Management. A useful overview to save freshly "promoted" PMs from some pain: McConnell's experience will help you avoid making some common mistakes.

Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

This is a book about the development of religious faith as seen though the lens of the Latter Day Saints, or Mormons.  It is at times disturbing, enlightening, and always interesting. It explores the roots of Mormonism, and focuses on its fundamentalist adherents (who are excommunicated from the "official" LDS church).

Krakauer analyses the murder of a mother and child by fundamentalist brothers who were "doing God's will," and the kidnapping of Elizabeth Smart by a self-proclaimed fundamentalist "prophet."

It's an adventure of another type. I enjoyed Krakauers Into the Wild and Into Thin Air. You won't be disappointed with this one.

Wild At Heart by John Eldridge

Eldridge rails against the notion that Christian men have to be weak, "nice" men. He starts by appealing to the testosterone, but ends up backing his claim using scripture. Jesus, after all, was no wallflower, but a risk-taker who was willing to buck convention and risk death to help common people, regardless of their social class or caste.

The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert

In the tradition of Daniel Boone and Davy Crocket comes the true story of Eustace Conway. Son of a demanding and brilliant father and a brilliant and nature-loving mother, Conway was living in a teepee and foraging from the land at an early age. Gilbert's portrayal shows Conway as a flawed hero, who struggles with reconciling his ideals and reality. A great read.

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers

Published in 1935, this book is one of the bestselling devotionals of all time. During my college days, I'd see folks reading it everywhere. I picked it up to see what the fuss was about. Its reputation is deserved. Check it out online at http://www.myutmost.org/addnl/tz.html

The Art of Deception by Kevin Mitnick

The uberhacker Mitnick has turned professional by providing security consulting for companies.  If you want to know how "social engineers" can gain access to your confidential data you'll want to read this book.

Eating Well for Optimum Health by Andrew Weil, M.D.

I haven't read any of Weil's other books, but hear/read about them quite often. I picked this book up at the local co-op with the intent of discovering more about the food I eat. It comes with recipes as well. Not bad.

Mary Todd Lincoln by Jean H. Baker

An interesting biography of Abraham Lincoln's wife, who was born and grew up in Lexington, Kentucky.

Citizen Soldiers by Stephen Ambrose

An account of what happened in Europe after D-Day from the perspective of the average soldier.

The Body: A Study in Pauline Theology by John A T Robinson

A small book with a bunch of big words. Robinson argues that the body is a (if not the) central trope that figures Paul's conception of Christian faith. It was dense, with a lot of Greek, which is, well, Greek to me.

"If a fool would persist in his folly he would become wise"

--William Blake