Don't Know Much About History: Everything You Need to Know About American History but Never Learned (Kenneth C. Davis)

[***] ISBN: 9780060083816

A very quick, and sometimes interesting, survey of American History. Things get started with some tentative speculation about how the first (non-) indigenous peoples arrived, then picks up speed with the arrival of the first European explorers. If you already passed AmHist in high school and college, you already know this stuff. But it's a reasonable refresher course. Keep in mind that this is somewhat targeted at those with less than a college (or even high school?) education, so there are no big words or deep concepts.

Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana (Ann Rule)

[****] ISBN: 1400043522

The Road to Cana was not quite as enjoyable as Out of Egypt, at least not at first. The first 2/3 of the book felt slow, even meandering. The last 1/3 was very fast paced, almost too quick.

Like the first book, it's a bit of a stretch to get one's head inside the human head of the Son of God, though it's a bit easier having Him be an adult, rather than a child. But the author does an admirable job of trying to get some sort of a clue of the reality of the situation. As in the first book, she also brings the land and culture to life. Altogether an interesting read. Recommended.

Freedomnomics (John R. Lott, Jr.)

[***] ISBN: 9781596985063 (hardcover), 9780786149506 (audio)

John R. Lott, Jr. obviously has a bone to pick with the authors of Freakonomics. From the title of his book to the analysis inside, he is out to disprove many of the outlandish proposals in that other book.

In a way, he succeeds. The title got my attention. And I stayed with the book, listening through to the end. And I have to agree with much of his analysis and his conclusion: the free market is usually smarter than the government.

On the other hand, the book is not quite as entertaining as the one it's attacking. It might have helped if the main author were a magazine writer, rather than a PhD. Even so, if you read Freakonomics (which you should), then read this one to get a view from the other side.

The Abs Diet Get Fit Stay Fit Plan (David Zinczenko, Ted Spiker)

[***] ISBN: 1594864098

This book just makes a lot of sense to me. It presents a very balanced view of diet and exercise. I first heard about it by chance on the Internet. Then I looked at a summary of the program at the Men's Health web site. Then I got the book from the library. Finally, I bought the book so that I can reference it any time.

I don't know if I'll manage to lose 15 pounds and 4 inches of gut in 6 weeks like some of the people. I've already been following many of the diet guidelines for a while and don't think I can get much more fanatical about them. But I think I can follow the exercise program pretty well, and that should be a big help. We'll see.

Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need (Blake Snyder)

[****] ISBN: 9781932907001

This is the best book on screenwriting that I've read so far. It can't take the place of basics like "Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting" by Syd Field. But whereas Syd's book shows you the form of a screenplay and gives you the overall strategy for creating one, Blake's book gives you the nitty-gritty details and tactics for actually getting one written.

Look for even more guidance on creating a killer logline than "Crafty Screenwriting" gave. Look for a better explanation of genre than I've seen elsewhere (which is expanded on in "Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies"). Look for the amazing Black Snyder Beat Sheet (BS2) that gives a page by page breakdown of what goes where in your movie (every movie that works) and why. This is a must read for prospective screenwriters. And it's fun to read, too.

Scene & Structure (Jack M. Bickham)

[***] ISBN: 0898799066

A very well structured and highly detailed book on how to do a highly detailed and well structured analysis when plotting a work of fiction. The problem for me is that doing all this analysis up front feels mechanical and artificial. I think these principles will be helpful in analyzing stories that don't seem to be working. This is good for skimming and getting general principles, but I would avoid getting bogged down in the details too soon.

Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies: The Screenwriter's Guide to Every Story Ever Told (Blake Snyder)

[***] ISBN: 1932907351

I enjoyed the tone and perspective of this book and will be reading its predecessor, "Save the Cat!", in order to get a better understanding of how the plots can be broken down. The examples in this volume shed much light on how various sorts of films all share the same basic plot. Yet the book also shows how any basic outline, when done well, can be made fresh and alive. And when done really well, the same old plot becomes something new and unique. Recommended for any author, especially those writing screenplays. Warning: the plot breakdowns do contain spoilers (I skipped the ones for films I have not seen and plan to) and get a bit repetitive.

How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read (Pierre Bayard)

[****] ISBN: 1433208016 (audio), 1551929627 (hardcover)

This is a very fun book. The (English) audio version, especially, reminded me at times of the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. More to the point it helps one think about what it means to read (or not read) a book. The overall conclusion is that there is not that much difference, in the long run, between reading and not reading a book. I have to agree, to a point. Of all the books I have read, I probably have a distinct memory of only a few. And of those I probably have only a hazy impression.

Sins of the City: The Real Los Angeles Noir (Jim Heimann)

[***] ISBN: 9780811823197

This is a concise portrait of Los Angeles during the noir period (1930s to 1950s) as captured by various news and other photographers. A short essay at the front sets the stage, but it's the photos that tell the story of a city growing up.

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores The Hidden Side Of Everything (Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner)

[****] ISBN: 9780060776138 (audio) ISBN: 9780060731328 (hardcover)

Steven Levitt has a warped mind. He is the rogue economist of the title, and he manages, by having such a unique perspective about so many things, to really make you think about how you see the world. And it's not just that he's just being contrarian in his world view. He applies genuine science, mathematics, and statistics to answer hard questions about the world. The unique part comes from the questions he is asking, the way he asks them, and the way he applies the science, etc. to answer them. I came away convinced that the so-called common wisdom is obviously wrong in many cases and so very easy to subvert. With the other Stephen (of the New York Times) joining in to help with the writing, these two are essentially the Mythbusters of economics (and, by implication, sociology).

You're Lucky You're Funny: How Life Becomes a Sitcom (Phil Rosenthal)

[***] ISBN: 9781597771436 (audio) ISBN: 9780452288782 (paperback)

This book is an almost perfect resource for anyone who is trying, or considering trying, to break into television scriptwriting, especially for sit-coms. For them it's really a four-star book. It's loaded with keen insight into the world of television production and writing.

It's also a four-star book for anyone who is a fan of the show Mr. Rosenthal created, Everyone Loves Raymond. It's loaded with hilarious behind-the-scenes stories about how the show came to be and the people involved.

For everyone else, it's worth at least three-stars, especially the audio edition where you get to hear the author, in his very ethnic New York voice, tell all the stories and do the voices and play some recordings. It's just plain funny.

The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film (Charles Lippincott)

[****] ISBN: 9780345477613

This is an amazing book documenting the amazing story of an amazing film. The big revelation for me was that George Lucas really didn't have the whole story of all of the episodes mapped out before he began the process of making the film (which is what SW lore would have you believe). Amazingly, he didn't even have the entire plot of this first film mapped out until after he started shooting (something that is not that uncommon, but I did not really comprehend) and didn't really finish it off until the end. I think I learned more about story development from following this saga than from reading any other texts on how to do it.

Fifty Things To Do When You Turn Fifty (Ronnie Sellers, ed.)

[**] ISBN: 9781569065907

Yes, this is the birthday I had this year. But this book didn't tell me much I didn't already know. It may be enlightening to someone who was caught completely unaware of their age. But I think most folks hitting this milestone will realize that they aren't kids anymore and will have started thinking these issues through.

That's not to say there isn't good stuff here and that I didn't learn anything. It's just that the essays are all rather short and most of them are very predictable (change your eating habits, exercise, rethink your portfolio, try a new hobby, give something back). I would recommend this as a book to skim through and use as a jumping off point to topics that might need more attention one's life.

The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down (Colin Woodard)

[***] ISBN: 9780156034623

I listened to the audio edition of this for a couple of weeks. In some ways, I wish that there had been an edited version, instead of having to listen to 383 pages worth of "the 300 ton sloop this" and "the 400 ton frigate captained by Bob Smith" over and over again. But then again, there is an awful lot of ground to cover when discussing pirates in the eighteenth century and the author does an admirable job of focusing on the key players and taking the reader through the events and politics of the time and region. This is a real eye-opener for anyone interested in the subject.

The Life And Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir (Bill Bryson)

[***] ISBN: 9780739315231 (audio) ISBN: 9780375434303 (hardcover)

Bill Bryson grew up in the fifties in the mid-west. This is his story. I grew up in the sixties in the mid-west and west. A bunch of this is also my story.

In some ways, this is everyone's story. The whole idea of 'kidworld', with its own rules. The inexplicability of adults, especially relatives, and their world. The wonderfulness of creating your own entertainments, followed by television and popular culture taking over and defining our lives.

This is also the story of a disappearing way of life. Neighborhoods full of children playing outside, unchaperoned - vanishing. Cities full of distinctive neighborhoods, stores, and restaurants - homogenized by corporations.

I listened to the author reading his own work, and in this case, he pulled it off. Of course, it's his reminiscence. Even beneath the reading, the words were crafted with poetry and care. The book makes the people and places come alive again, in a distinctive and funny way. I do mark the book down a little (I took away a star) because there are several spots where the author turns a bit preachy on a subject or two, diverting the otherwise delightful stream of memories. Otherwise, I'd recommend this book to anyone that wants a flavor of growing up in the fifties.

Blink: The Power Of Thinking Without Thinking (Malcolm Gladwell)

[****] ISBN: 9781586217198 (audio)

Blink is a fascinating survey of how the human mind perceives the world, especially in the first two seconds of an encounter. The author balances examples of the mind's incredible power to almost instantly and unconsciously thin slice a situation and reach amazingly accurate conclusions on the slimmest of evidence against it's own tendency to fool itself by semi-consciously over analyzing and yielding to irrelevant input.

Gladwell is a journalist, not a scientist. But that allows him the freedom to wonder far afield to bring together amazingly varied and seemingly unrelated research to build his case. When viewed together, the studies and anecdotes create a tantalizing glimpse of what seems to be happening inside our heads.

Oh, and this is one of the few times when having the author read the audio book works.

Oscar-Winning Screenwriters on Screenwriting (Joel Engel)

[***] ISBN: 9780786886906

This book gives some insight into the grit, heart and soul of writing for film. Mr. Engel interviewed 11 Oscar-winning writers about their craft and edited the result into 11 monologues that often provide zesty insight into the life of a screenwriter. A common lament is the lack of recognition that the writers get in the industry (and by film fans). A common bond is the love of storytelling. Here and there the reader can also pick up some tips on how to write and sell a good script.

Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting (Syd Field)

[****] ISBN: 9780385289153

This book is very solid stuff. It's exactly what someone (like me) getting started writing screenplays needs in order to get started and not fly off in the wrong direction. Syd tells you about structure. He tells you about character. He tells you about emotion. This book even gives you a peek at what it will take to market your screenplay (except I haven't read that section because I'm doing Script Frenzy and needed to do more writing). There's a reason why this book is almost always mentioned as a resource to people that want to write for film. I will probably have to get a (more up-to-date) copy of this for my writing bookshelf.

Screenwriting for Hollywood (Michael Hauge)

[***] ISBN: 9781880717608 (audio only)

These are three hours of highlights of a seminar that Mr. Hauge gives over the course of a weekend. It's a fabulous jumpstart for someone that wants to understand how to write a script. It's not quite as invaluable as a good book on screenwriting (like Syd Field's). But it's well worth a listen and easier to access while commuting to work.

The Art of Fiction: A Guide for Writers and Readers (Ayn Rand)

[**] ISBN: 0786188847

This is a frustrating work. It's filled with wonderful thoughts and ideas about how fiction works, how to make characters live and breath with emotion and how authors can enhance their own creative process. On the other hand, it's also full of preposterous ideas about the purpose of fiction, what makes a book worth writing or reading and her own philosophical invective.

To top off my frustration, I watched the film version of her book The Fountainhead, in order to get a flavor of her writing. As I feared, it's full of the same melodramatic, selfish, intellectual drivel. I felt like Ayn (who wrote the book and the screenplay) was constantly pounding the sides of my head with a philosophical two-by-four using her completely ridiculous dialog (this stuff might work in some sorts of books, but it never works in film). It ruined what could have been a fascinating film with amazing directing and acting (very evident when no one was speaking). Whatever inclination I might have had to actually read some of her fiction has been squeezed out of my brain.

My hope is to remember and use the more practical and reasonable ideas that Rand puts forward in The Art of Fiction. I also hope to forget the crap (and never again hear the word bromide). It's too bad that's unlikely.