Books - BillDamon.com

What I've read recently
Title (with Amazon.com link)	Rating	Author	Description
Worst Fears Realized	7	Stuart Woods	Another in the Stone Barrington series has Stone and Dino's lives turned upside down by someone they had put in jail years ago. Good enough if you like the other of the series.
The Spiritualist	7	Megan Chance	A mystery set in 1860's New York City centering on the skills of a medium and a wealthy family. Interesting stuff if you like the medium story line.
Peru - Culture Smart!: a quick guide to customs and etiquette (Culture Smart!)	10	John Forrest	A great guide to the customs and etiquette of Peru for those who are visiting. Things like greetings, visiting people's homes, popular card games, how to ask for help, how to talk to people you don't know… great stuff.
The Last Days of the Incas	9	Kim MacQuarrie	The history of how the conquistadors brutally conquered the Inca Empire. The details of the story are fascinating and it is told in a farily entertaining way.
The Andean Codex	7	J.E. Williams	The author Williams has an ayahuasca experience that leads him deep into the Andes to spend time with the Q'ero and open his heart. A very detailed look at the lives of some of the Q'ero.
Shoot Him If He Runs	7	Stuart Woods	Another Stone Barrington story that I liked.
The Incas	9.8	Daniel Peters	Fantastic story of Cusi Huaman growing up at the hieght of the Inca Empire, only to see it crumble before his eyes as civil war and the Spanish tear things apart. Great characters, great story.;
Peruvian Shamanism: The Patchakuti Mesa	8	Matthew Magee	Lots of details on the Patchakuti Mesa and how cuaranderos use it for healing. Painful in its details at times.
Spirit Medicine	8.5	Hank Wesselman	A great once over on shamanism from a Hawaiian kahumas healer. Has all the basics and is an easy, quick read.
Courageous Dreaming	9	Alberto Villoldo	Alberto writes about dreaming your world into being. A great look at how to set intention and your life and plenty about the basics of Shamanism.
Inconvenient Truth, An	8	Al Gore	An easy read with a ton of good info, charts, pictures, and historical perspectives. I don't agree with everythign in it, but it's still a good read.
The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court	9	Jeffrey Toobin	A great look at the controversial Supreme Court of the last 20 years. In depth writing on each of the key justices and an outline of the most important cases. A good read.
The Incas	6	Terence Daltroy	Dry, dry history of the Incas. Covers political and sociological aspects also.
The Audacity of Hope	8.5	Barack Obama	A good look at the rising politician has plenty of stories of his life in Illinois and Washington and outline his political views. Good reading.
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer	8.6	James L. Swanson	Fascinating story of John Wilkes Booth's assasination of Lincoln and the subsequent chase. The background of the story is the U.S. in the days just after Lee's surrender of the Confederate Army were surprising to me. I had no idea what the country was like then and didn’t imagine it to be as chaotic as made out here.

Some of My Favorite Fiction Books
Title (with Amazon.com link)	Rating	Author	Description
Ender's Game	10	O. Scott Card	One of the all time sci-fi classics. A good read even if you aren't into this genre at all. A must read if you like SciFi.
The Godfather	10	Mario Puzo	Easily one of the best books I've ever read. Even if you've seen the movie 10 times this book is still great. It adds another level of detail to all the main characters and helps you understand their motives much more.
Night of the Avenging Blowfish	10	John Welter	So witty it makes my sides hurt just thinking about it. A lonely Secret Service agent gets involved with hijinks around a secret baseball game against the CIA, getting SPAM on the presidential menu, and falling in love. I've read this book more times than any other and I can't wait to read it again.
Killer Angels	10	Michael Shaara	Probably the most fascinating book I ever read gets into the details of the Battle of Gettysburg through the eyes of each of its major players. It was amazing the first time through to see Robert E. Lee and Longstreet come to life. A great read for the Civil War buff or even just a history fan.
The Incas	9.8	Daniel Peters	Fantastic story of Cusi Huaman growing up at the hieght of the Inca Empire, only to see it crumble before his eyes as civil war and the Spanish tear things apart. Great characters, great story.;
The Time Traveler's Wife	9.8	Audrey Niffenegger	One of the best, and most mindblowing books I have ever read. It’s the story of a man who can time travel and his long, and time twisted relationship with his wife. So mind warping with the time element totally chaotic yet totally gripping throughout. Just a great, great, great read and you don't have to be sci-fi fan at all to enjoy it.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows	9.5	J. K. Rowling	A great ending to a fantastic series. Harry ends his epic journey with an epic undertaking and Rowling pulls it off with out gettnig too sentimental or sloppy. Just one of the best series I've ever read. Fantabulous!
Lucifer's Hammer	9.5	Niven Pournelle	The story of a comet hitting the earth is amazing in its complexity and the drama that unfolds after impact.
Nobody's Fool	9.5	Richard Russo	I love Richard Russo's stuff. This is probably his best. A look at Sully, a small time construction worker trying to keep his life together in the small town he grew up in. Lots of great characters playing out in small town America.
Prayer for Owen Meaney, A	9.5	John Irving	A classic. The story of a young boy facing all kinds of challenges but keeping his eye on his destiny for the greater good of all. Fascinating.
Angels & Demons	9.4	Dan Brown	Great thriller set in and around The Vatican might be better than Brown's biggest sellter, The Davinci Code.
Moonfall	9.3	Jack McDevitt	Story of a comet hitting the moon and what happens afterwards. Good disaster tale with interesting characters and some well thought out future discoveries.
Pillars of the Earth	9.2	Ken Follet	Great story of life in medieval times follows many different folks on their journey to survival in religously ruled Europe.
Edge of the City	9	Daniel Mahoney	The second of the Brian McKenna series is damn good.
Night Prey	9	John Sanford
Vertical Run	9	Joe Garber
Dangerous Fortune, A	9	Ken Follet
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone	9	J. K. Rowling
Rise to Rebellion	9	Jeff Shaara	The first of two books on the American Revolution is riveting as it tells the story of how John Adams, Sam Adams, Ben Franklin, Paul Revere and many other characters led the U.S.A. to its independence. A fictional work that let's you really see how life was back then.
Night Sins	9	Tami Hoag
Detective First Grade	9	Daniel Mahoney	Mahoney's first in the Dectitive Brian McKenna series is one of the best detective novels I've read. McKenna is a hard nosed NYPD dectitive how earns his stripes the hard way in this intersting mystery.
You Gotta Play Hurt	9	Dan Jenkins	From the author of "Semi-Tough" comes this story of a reporter on a year long tour of the sporting world. Damn funny and an intriguing look at sports.
Poet	9	Michael Connolly
Straight Man	9	Richard Russo	A witty, irrevrant, fun book looks at the life of a university profesor in a midlfie crisis. Laugh out loud at times.
Mars	9	Ben Bova
Gods and Generals	9	Jeff Shaara
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire	9	J. K. Rowling	The 4th in the series could be the best. Harry gets entered into a wizard contest as strange things are happening at Hogwarts. The series still has a certain snap to it as author Rowling ups the ante with all kinds of weird goings on.
Moonwar	9	Ben Bova
Century, The	9	Kurt Andersen
Catcher in the Rye	9	J.D. Salinger
Eyes of a Child	9	Richard North Patterson
The Alchemist	9	Paul Coelho	Paule Coelho's classic fable of a poor shepherd trying to accomplish his "personal legend".
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince	9	J. K. Rowling	Another great chapter in the story has Harry and Dumbeldore on the trail of Lord V.
The Glorious Cause	9	Jeff Shaara	Fantastic 2nd part of Sharra's Revolutionary War tale shows just how great a leader George Washington was and how important France was to the U.S. gaining its independence.
Executive Orders	9	Tom Clancy

Science Fiction Books
Title (with Amazon.com link)	Rating	Author	Description
Ender's Game	10	O. Scott Card	One of the all time sci-fi classics. A good read even if you aren't into this genre at all. A must read if you like SciFi.
The Time Traveler's Wife	9.8	Audrey Niffenegger	One of the best, and most mindblowing books I have ever read. It’s the story of a man who can time travel and his long, and time twisted relationship with his wife. So mind warping with the time element totally chaotic yet totally gripping throughout. Just a great, great, great read and you don't have to be sci-fi fan at all to enjoy it.
Lucifer's Hammer	9.5	Niven Pournelle	The story of a comet hitting the earth is amazing in its complexity and the drama that unfolds after impact.
Moonfall	9.3	Jack McDevitt	Story of a comet hitting the moon and what happens afterwards. Good disaster tale with interesting characters and some well thought out future discoveries.
Moonwar	9	Ben Bova
Mars	9	Ben Bova

Literature Books
Title (with Amazon.com link)	Rating	Author	Description
Night of the Avenging Blowfish	10	John Welter	So witty it makes my sides hurt just thinking about it. A lonely Secret Service agent gets involved with hijinks around a secret baseball game against the CIA, getting SPAM on the presidential menu, and falling in love. I've read this book more times than any other and I can't wait to read it again.
Prayer for Owen Meaney, A	9.5	John Irving	A classic. The story of a young boy facing all kinds of challenges but keeping his eye on his destiny for the greater good of all. Fascinating.
Nobody's Fool	9.5	Richard Russo	I love Richard Russo's stuff. This is probably his best. A look at Sully, a small time construction worker trying to keep his life together in the small town he grew up in. Lots of great characters playing out in small town America.
Catcher in the Rye	9	J.D. Salinger
Straight Man	9	Richard Russo	A witty, irrevrant, fun book looks at the life of a university profesor in a midlfie crisis. Laugh out loud at times.
The Life of Pi	8.6	Yann Martel	A boy who grows up following many different religions in India while his father tended a zoo gets stuck on a lifeboat with a tiger after his ship heading to Canada sinks. A remarkable story that starts off slow, but is a real page turner after that.

Biography Books
Title (with Amazon.com link)	Rating	Author	Description
Black Mass	9.5	Dick Lehr	The story of Whitey Bulger and the FBI is quite rivoting.
And I Don't Want to Live this Life	9.5	Deborah Spungen	The story of the life of the girlfriend of Sex Pistol star Sid Vicous. Fascinating and scary look at what havoc a person with a mental illness can cause for a family. Written by the victim's mother. You can feel her pain.
Marlene Dietrich	9.2	Maria Riva	Biography of Dietrich as told by her daughter. Abosultely one of the dirtiest and raunchiest life stories you will ever read. Especially considering it was written by her daughter! Interesting throughout. She really "served" the soldiers of France well. Her escapades are really unbelievable. Especially with folks like Ernest Hemingway.
The Kid Stays in the Picture	9	Robert Evans	One of the ultimate Hollywood legends produced The Godfathers and some other huge hits while dating everyone woman in Hollywood and hanging with Nicholson and the crew. Fascinating story.
Paul Revere's Ride	9	David Hackett Fischer	A great read that tells the story of Paul Revere's ride before, during, and after. It's just fascinating to see how his influence and ingenuity so greatly affected the beginning on the revolution in small and large ways. It's a must read for anyone who plans to do the historical sites in Boston.
Peter the Great	9	Robert Massie
American Shaolin	8.7	Matthew Polly	Matthew Polly was a college junior interested in the martial arts and in overcoming his own cowardice when he decided to go to China and study at the Shaoline Temple in the mid 90's Great account of what it takes to study the arts at this level, of life in China at that time, and of growing into your life.
Adeventures in the Screen Writing Trade	8	William Goldman	William Goldman who wrote Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Princess Bride among others, breaks down film stories and the industry. Great insider stuff.
Cary Grant	8	Graham McCann	The story of Cary Grant is pretty amazing in that he was a circus performer who traveld to the U.S. to be in vaudville and ended up at a party in LA with Mae West. He was in some of the funniest movies of all time and is arguably the most successful actor in the history of Hollywood.
Howard Hawks: The Grey Fox of Hollywood	8	Todd McCarthy	The biography of probably the greatest director in movie history. His works include "The Big Sleep", "His Girl Friday", "Red River", "Brining Up Baby" and about 40 others. He discovered Lauren Bacall in a Red Cross picture and made her a star.

Spirituality Books
Title (with Amazon.com link)	Rating	Author	Description
The Four Agreements	10	Don Miguel Ruiz	This huge best seller is one of the easiest books you will ever read. The premise is that if you make these four agreements with yourself you will allow your true nature to be released. These agreements are: Be Impeccable With Your Words, Don't Take Anything Personally, Don't Make Assumptions, Always Do Your Best.
Shaman, Healer, Sage	10	Alberto Villoldo	Alberto's defining book and the one that made him a bestselling author explains many of the healing ways of the Inca Shaman. Part manual, part history, and part inspirational.
The Power of Now	10	Eckhart Tolle
Power vs. Force	10	David Hawkins	Hawkin's pioneering work in kiniseology and spirituality in great detail. Just fantastic.
Masters of the Living Energy: The Mystical World of the Q'ero of Peru	10	Joan Parisi Wilcox	An in-depth look at the Q'ero shaman of Peru by Parisi who spent a few years studying them. Some great insites for Mesa carriers, healers, and for despacho ceremonies. A must for anyone on that path.
You Can Heal Your Life	9.5	Louse H. Hay	A great introduction on some basic energetic and spritual principles that help people heal their lives.
The Impeccable Warrior of Light	9.5	Peace Mother Getta Sacrd Song	A great book on how an impeccable warrior of light (one on a spiritual path) can walk their path with protection and help others. Real good stuff.
Eat, Pray, Love	9.4	Elizabeth Gilbert	Fantastic memoir of a woman's trip to Italy, India, and Indonesia to find herself after a traumatic divorce. There's lots of books of people finding their path through life but author Elizabeth Gilbert is a highly entertaining author which adds a lot to the mix.
The Alchemist	9	Paul Coelho	Paule Coelho's classic fable of a poor shepherd trying to accomplish his "personal legend".
Courageous Dreaming	9	Alberto Villoldo	Alberto writes about dreaming your world into being. A great look at how to set intention and your life and plenty about the basics of Shamanism.
Shamanic Journeying: A Beginner's Guide	9	Sandra Ingerman	The definitive book on shamanic journeying.
The Heart of Buddah's Teaching	9	Thich Nhat Hanh	A great once over for the basic Buddhist principles from one of the most prolific teachers in Thich Nhat Hahn.
The Four Insights	9	Alberto Villoldo	Alberto's look into the four insights that will let you lead your life in a more conscious way as taught to him from the earthkeepers.
The Miracle of Mindfullness	8.8	Thich Nhat Hanh	Thich Nhat Han's simple and powerful book about how becoming mindful can change your life. FROM AMAZON: "Miracle of Mindfulness is a sly commentary on the Anapanasati Sutra, the Sutra on Breath to Maintain Mindfulness. "Sly" because it doesn't read like a dry commentary at all. One of Thich Nhat Hanh's most popular books, Miracle of Mindfulness is about how to take hold of your consciousness and keep it alive to the present reality, whether eating a tangerine, playing with your children, or washing the dishes. A world-renowned Zen master, Nhat Hanh weaves practical instruction with anecdotes and other stories to show how the meditative mind can be achieved at all times and how it can help us all "reveal and heal." Nhat Hanh is a master at helping us find a calm refuge within ourselves and teaching us how to reach out from there to the rest of the world. "
Intention	8.8	Wayne Dyer	Dyer looks at the energy behind intention and gives some great ten step programs on how to make things happen in your life.
American Shaolin	8.7	Matthew Polly	Matthew Polly was a college junior interested in the martial arts and in overcoming his own cowardice when he decided to go to China and study at the Shaoline Temple in the mid 90's Great account of what it takes to study the arts at this level, of life in China at that time, and of growing into your life.

Historical Books
Title (with Amazon.com link)	Rating	Author	Description
Peru - Culture Smart!: a quick guide to customs and etiquette (Culture Smart!)	10	John Forrest	A great guide to the customs and etiquette of Peru for those who are visiting. Things like greetings, visiting people's homes, popular card games, how to ask for help, how to talk to people you don't know… great stuff.
The Incas	9.8	Daniel Peters	Fantastic story of Cusi Huaman growing up at the hieght of the Inca Empire, only to see it crumble before his eyes as civil war and the Spanish tear things apart. Great characters, great story.;
Band of Brothers	9.6	Stephen E. Ambrose	Sensational account following Company E of the 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division from training through D-Day, Holland, Bastogne, and finally Germany. The detail of story is amazing and some larger than life characters make the whole story totally gripping much of the time. If you like war stories, this is one of the definitive books for WWII. And its great even if you've already seen the HBO special. It adds a lot of context that's missing in the mini-series.
Seabiscuit	9.5	Laura Hillenbrand	The depression era set story of an unlikely group that comes together to become the toast of the horse racing world. A historical non-fiction work that reads like a great story from beginning to end. The stories of the key players alone are interesting. How they come together and become the toast of America is just an amazing story. I also enjoyed learning a lot about that time in American history from a cultural point of view. Even a good read if you've seen the movie.
Citizen Soldiers	9.5	Stephen E. Ambrose	The continuation of "D-Day" following the Allied advance in ETO from Normandy to Berlin.
D-Day	9.3	Stephen E. Ambrose	The detailed story of the invasion of Normandy told through experiences of the veterans.
The Last Days of the Incas	9	Kim MacQuarrie	The history of how the conquistadors brutally conquered the Inca Empire. The details of the story are fascinating and it is told in a farily entertaining way.
The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court	9	Jeffrey Toobin	A great look at the controversial Supreme Court of the last 20 years. In depth writing on each of the key justices and an outline of the most important cases. A good read.
The Glorious Cause	9	Jeff Shaara	Fantastic 2nd part of Sharra's Revolutionary War tale shows just how great a leader George Washington was and how important France was to the U.S. gaining its independence.
Paul Revere's Ride	9	David Hackett Fischer	A great read that tells the story of Paul Revere's ride before, during, and after. It's just fascinating to see how his influence and ingenuity so greatly affected the beginning on the revolution in small and large ways. It's a must read for anyone who plans to do the historical sites in Boston.
Peter the Great	9	Robert Massie
Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, The	9	William Shirer
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer	8.6	James L. Swanson	Fascinating story of John Wilkes Booth's assasination of Lincoln and the subsequent chase. The background of the story is the U.S. in the days just after Lee's surrender of the Confederate Army were surprising to me. I had no idea what the country was like then and didn’t imagine it to be as chaotic as made out here.