by Hamill, Peter
Comments: This is a collection of stories that apppeared in publications like Vanity Fair, New York and Esquire. Whether he's waxing nostalgic about New York City, giving you insights into mobster John Gotti, or talking about Mexico and Vietnam, Hamill's writing is absolutely brilliant.

by Bossidy, Larry; Ram Charan; Charles Burck
Comments: This book's title sums the contents up nicely. Bossidy argues that too often actually getting things done ends up taking a back seat to other corporate agendas, and talks about how to turn things around.

by Allen, David
Comments: I kept running into people who recommended "Getting Things Done." In it Allen takes a refreshingly simple approach to managing daily tasks, focusing on decision-making instead of convoluted paper or electronic processes. Overall, his recommendations make sense and most people would surely benefit by following them. The rub of course is that the reader has supply his or her own discipline.

by Zeldman, Jeffrey
Comments: Zeldman has been a strong voice for the importance of web standards. His well-writen book provides a very accessible discussion of why web standards benefit web designers and web visitors alike, and delivers detailed information how to tackle a variety of design issues with web standards in mind.

by Gordon, John Steele
Comments: In the age of the Internet, it's easy to forget just how isolated people once were. News used to take weeks to transmit by ship across the Atlantic. Gordon's book chronicles the incredible challenge of linking Europe and North America with the first transatlantic telegraph cable -- essentially the technological equivalent of sending men to the Moon a century later. Gordon did a great job keeping my interest as he both detailed the decades of labor involved and the changes that came from that first transatlantic connection.

by Swofford, Anthony
Comments: Swofford takes an unflinching look at his life growing up, his time with the Marines during the Gulf War and his return home.

by Winchester, Simon
Comments: Everything you wanted to know about how the Oxford English Dictionary came into being. What I found most amazing was the way the OED was created over decades using a world-wide volunteer army of researchers from all walks of life. Reminds me a bit of a certain operating system…

by Martel, Yann
Comments: This story is about a Indian boy and Bengal tiger adrift in a lifeboat. Or maybe it's not. Either way, Yann Martel's book is fabulous (in every sense of the word). Most of the book is a harrowing story about trying to survive dangers inside and outside the lifeboat, and you come to really care for the two main characters. It can be slow going in some parts, but it's worth finishing because its ending challenges you to consider the story in a different light. Martel says the novel is about "the idea of life, of reality, being an interpretation, a choice of stories." I believe I know which way Martel leans, but it's to the story's credit that leaves the final interpretation up to you (and leaves you thinking about what your decision says about youself).

by Martin, Steve
Comments: When I think of Steve Martin, I always think of his over-the-top zany characters from The Jerk, King Tut and A Wild and Crazy Guy. But that's almost 30 years out of date. Martin the author writes in a very different style: sensitive, thoughtful, almost poetic, with very subtle humor and irony. What comes through strongest in this second novella about a compulsive man striving to break out of his shell of self-imposed loneliness is Martin's compassion and hope for his protagonist. It's a fast, enjoyable and ultimately uplifting story.

by Niffenegger, Audrey
Comments: First, this is a love story, not a science fiction story. It follows the lives of Henry and Clare and their attempts to cope with Henry's "condition," which sends him randomly time travelling whenever he becomes stressed. Like another favorite, "Life of Pi," this story's situation is fantastic, but the way the characters behave is so believable that it was very easy to suspend my disbelief. Filled with humor but also a good deal of tragedy, "The Time Traveler's Wife" is ultimately about the struggle to hold onto one another in a world seemingly bent on tearing people apart.

by Grossman, Lev
Comments: Codex seems written especially for -- and is all about -- the kind of hip nerds from Manhattan who quote from Kafka and tape episodes of X-Files. The plot involves a successful investment broker who becomes obsessed with a mysterious historical book and descends Alice-in-Wonderland-like into a surreal world of hidden libraries, nerdy LAN parties, and Byzantine conspiracies. Unfortunately, the characters and plot never quite rang true to me. But, as someone who loves books, history and adventure games (I go back to the days of Zork and remember how dangerous grues are in the dark), I still found the details of the story fascinating.

by Haddon, Mark
Comments: Haddon shows you the world -- and a puzzling crime -- as it appears to his young autistic protagonist. Unable to decode basic human emotions and impossibly literal, Christopher is still just a boy trying to understand the world and how to make his own place in it. How he succeeds -- and solves the curious incident of the dog in the night-time -- is in turns humorous and poignant.

by Smith, Alexander McCall
Comments: Precious Ramotswe, owner of the only detective agency in Botswana, continues to solve cases and sort out personal problems with her customers, staff and family, giving a wonderful view into the everyday life in this southern African nation.

by Horwitz, Tony
Comments: Part history lesson, part travel guide, part social commentary, Tony Horwitz follows (literally) the path of Captain Cook's famous voyages of exploration from England to the South Pacific. Horowitz travels to modern day sites of historical significance to Cook and shows how Cook's legacy has (or hasn't) survived. There's a tremendous amount of history packed into each chapter, but Horwitz irreverant "road trip" journalism makes the reading anything but dull. Yet underneath the levity, his commentary is very insightful about the people and society he sees around him.

by Krakauer, Jon
Comments: Into Thin Air is a riveting first-hand account of a catastrophic expedition up Mount Everest. Krakauer ultimately raises the question: should anyone who can pay be allowed to climb?

by Delaney, Frank
Comments: Frank Delaney weaves an Irish boy's fascination with a visiting storyteller with some wonderful retelling of Irish history and myth. The audio CD version is real gem as Delaney brings every sentence to vivid life with his fantastic narration.