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1. The Age of American Unreason by Susan Jacoby

Feel free to check out my review here:

2. In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India by Edward Luce

Feel free to check out my latest review here:

3. The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic and How it Changed Science, Cities and the Modern World by Steven Johnson
Feel free to check out my latest review:

Maphead, already you've given me three weight titles to add to my reading list this year! (Sigh).

You are most welcome, Kay. I'm afraid I'm a little behind in my reading, but I hope to give you many more interesting titles before the year is done !
Feel free to drop by my blog as well if you would like to learn more about these books and others.
As always, I'm just happy someone is reading my posts!
-m

4. Crescent and Star:Turkey Between Two Worlds by Stephen Kinzer

Read my extended review here:

5. The Logic of Life: The Rational Economics of an Irrational World by Tim Harford
Check out my latest review:

6. The Making of African America: The Four Great Migrations by Ira Berlin
Check out my latest review here:

7. America's Prophet:Moses and the American Story by Bruce Feiler
Feel free to check out my review:

8. The Assault on Reason by Al Gore
Feel free to check out my review:

9. South of the Clouds:Exploring the Hidden Realms of China by Seth Faison
Check out my review:

10. Thank God for Evolution: How the Marriage of Science and Religion Will Transform Your Life and Our World by Michael Dowd
Check out my review:

11. The Persian Night: Iran under the Khomeinist Revolution by Amir Taheri
Feel free to read my review here:

12. The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy Birthday: Unexpected Encounters in the Changing Middle East by Neil MacFarquhar
Feel free to read my review:

13. Map of the Invisible World: A Novel by Tash Aw
Check out my review here:

14. Death of a Nationalist by Rebecca C. Pawel
Check out my review here:

15. Leaving Tangier: A Novel by Tahar Ben Jelloun
Check out my review on my book blog:

16. The Devil We Know:Dealing with the New Iranian Superpower by Robert Baer
Check out my review on my book blog:

Maphead wrote: "16. The Devil We Know:Dealing with the New Iranian Superpower by Robert Baer "

Just the title of this book is sobering . . .

It is. But interestingly enough, Baer is not a pessimist. According to him, if we have a good enough understanding of Iran and can put enough stuff in the right perspective, we can get along with them, much like we did with the Soviet Union and China during the Cold War.
If you want sobering, read Taheri's book. It is not optimistic in ANY way !

17. Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih
Check out my review on my book blog:

18. Terrorism and the Economy: How the War on Terrorism is Bankrupting the World by Loretta Napoleoni [image error]
Feel free to check out my extended review:

Maphead wrote: "It is. But interestingly enough, Baer is not a pessimist. According to him, if we have a good enough understanding of Iran and can put enough stuff in the right perspective, we can get along with t..."

Hmmm. I wonder if that kind of understanding and perspective are really possible. I'm not sure we got along with the USSR and China - it seems more like everyone just built bigger and bigger weapons to scare the heck out of each other!

Good point. At least we didn't try to blow each other up !!

19. Mapping Human History: Genes, Race and Our Common Origins by Steve Olson
Check out the review on my book blog:

20. The Vagrants: A Novel by Yiyun Li
Check out my review here:

21. Memories of Muhammad: Why the Prophet Matters by Omid Safi [image error]
Check out my review here:

22. Kabbalah: A Very Short Introduction by Joseph Dan
Check out my review here:

23. Pakistan: Opposing Viewpoints Series
Check out my review here:

24. Iran:Opposing Viewpoints
Check out my review here:

25. The Duel: Pakistan on the Flight Path of American Power by Tariq Ali

Check out my review here:

26. How Jesus became Christian by Barrie Wilson

Check out my review here:

Maphead wrote: "26. How Jesus became Christian by Barrie Wilson

Check out my review here:
"

Wow! This one looks intriguing! Just the title has me full of questions....I will have to check out your review on the blog!

27. The Trouble with Diversity: How We Learned to Love Identity and Ignore Inequality
Check out my review here:

28. Islam Explained by Tahar Ben Jelloun
Check out my review here:

29. Pitching My Tent: On Marriage, Motherhood, Friendship, and Other Leaps of Faith by Anita Diamant
Check out my review:

30. Afghanistan: Current Controversies ed. by Debra Miller
Check out my review here:

I didn't know Anita Diamant had a new book!

Andrea wrote: "I didn't know Anita Diamant had a new book!"
Actually it's a collection of her columns and essays written before she hit it big with The Red Tent. It's pretty good ! Check out my review on my book blog:

31. The Rise of Nuclear Iran: How Tehran Defies the West by Dore Gold
Check out my review here:

Great review, I think this is something I would really like as well. I also used to read a lot of short stories and essays and then I somehow got away from them. Your review really inspired me to try adding these back into my reading. Thanks!

Andrea wrote: "Great review, I think this is something I would really like as well. I also used to read a lot of short stories and essays and then I somehow got away from them. Your review really inspired me to t..."
Thanks ! And if you are looking for any essay collections to read, just follow my links to the essayists on Amazon. Those writers I mentioned in the review wrote some pretty good essays.
-m

Thanks, I will check that out. I also have several of the Best Short Series collections for past years.

32.Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach
Check out my review here:

33. Who Speaks For Islam?: What a Billion Muslims Really Think by John L. Esposito and Dalia Mogahed
Check out my review here:

34. China:Opposing Viewpoints ed. by David Haugen
Check out my review here:

Wow, you certainly don't to a lot of light reading. Added the Ghost Map to read! Was definitely drawn in by your post title: bravo!

Will wrote: "Wow, you certainly don't to a lot of light reading. Added the Ghost Map to read! Was definitely drawn in by your post title: bravo!"
Thanks !
Be sure to check out my blog if you get a chance:

35. Rashi by Elie Wiesel
Check out my review here:

36. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Check out my review here: