Lush Life - A Biography of Billy Strayhorn

by David Hajdu

A very nice, well written book about Strayhorn who wrote many jazz classics, such as Lush Life and Take the "A" Train. Strayhorn worked for Duke Ellington and did many arrangements for the orchestra. Billy didn't broadcast it but neither did he hide his gay lifestyle which was very unusual for the times.

The Man Who Quit Money

by Mark Sundeen

A few years ago, I met Daniel Suelo in Moab. We've talked together many times and I liked him - a nice, mellow, intelligent guy. I liked the fact that he gave up money and decided to mainly live in a cave. He had a few articles written about him over the last few years also. (One of which caused him to be kicked out of his cave on government land near Moab, Utah.)

Mark is a friend of his who wrote this book about Daniel's life story. Daniel doesn't get any money from the book in keeping with the spirit of his philosophy.

American On Purpose

by Craig Ferguson

An autobiography written by the Late, Late night talk Show host. I read it because he the funniest man on TV. Year after year, he just makes me laugh. From Scotland, he tried to be a musician then he got into stand-up comedy. It also deals with his alcoholism. He's been dry for 20 years now.

Where Our Food Comes From

by Gary Paul Nabhan

(Retracing Nikolay Vavilov's Quest to End Famine)

A wonderful and important book about a Soviet scientist in the 20's and 30's and his quest to find and record how farmers all over the world create and use different varieties of crops which are the best protection against disease and are able to genetically change crops under changing conditions such as drought or temperature change.

Nabhan returns to some of the countries in the 2000's that Vavilov visited to see what changes to take place.

The Queen's Conjurer

by Benjamin Woolley

About John Dee was for a while, an adviser to Queen Elizabeth in the late 16th century. He was a late Renaissance Englishman who was well versed in mathematics, the sciences and astrology. He had a very extensive library which was rare back then of many of the most important books of his day. He also was one of the first people to suggest to the Queen that England build an empire. But like many of these learned men, he tapped into the spiritual world and got advice from angels and spirits which through the rumors spreading about this lead to him falling into disfavor with the Queen.

The Gardner Heist

The True Story of the World's Largest Unsolved Art Theft

by Ulrich Boser

A fascinating and very nicely written story about how thieves broke into the Isabella Gardner Art Museum in Boston and stole seven paintings including one of the thirty-six known Vermeers, a Rembrandt and a Manet.

The Yellow House

Van Gogh, Gauguin and Nine Turbulent Weeks in Arles

by Martin Gayford

A very nice, in-depth look at what happened and what life was life in the time that Gauguin lived with Vincent just before he cut off part of his ear.

Alexander: The Ambiguity of Greatness

By Guy MacLean Rogers

I've looked at a few books about Alexander the Great (323 BC) and most of them have been very dry and most of it is about his battles. This is the first book that I've seen that's very nicely written. I enjoyed it very much. Much is actually not known about him (even if he was poisoned when he died at the age of 33) because most of what was written about him during his lifetime had been lost or destroyed.