Uncommon Dissent edited by William Dembski

This is a good collection of essays by Darwin skeptics. It is a good resource. The most surprising essay is by Michael Denton, who perhaps started a wing of Darwin Doubting with "Evolution: A Theory in Crisis" but now has changed his view into an interest in self-organization as an inherent property of matter, which is perhaps just another form of materialism which most of the other authors reject. The interview of Schutzenberger is very interesting. Budziszewski is brilliant and gives real philosophical weight to the discussion. Tipler is interesting on peer review holding back scientific progress. Some of the writers seem to anticipate more recent findings of lateral gene transfer and regulatory parts of the genome, which create great problems for the "tree of life." Soon another collection of these and other authors will be needed.

Probability's Nature and Nature's Probability by Donald E. Johnson

This is a probabilistic refutation of Neo-Darwinism on informational and mathematical grounds. It is full of interesting quotes. The format is barely readable and the quotes, though carefully referenced, could be closely edited for effect. However, I myself think they are representative. An evolutionist can say "appearance of design" dismissively only so often without having to try to quantify "possible" and "given enough time" etc. An evolutionist can invoke comets, panspermia, anything but intelligence, and not be ostracized. Yet intelligence is our only empirically tested source of true (as opposed to Shannon) information. Useful also for bibliography.

A Corpse in the Koryo by James Church

(read aloud over dishes) Seems to be a murder mystery with a dead body and an inspector, but turns out to be about survival in North Korea, where behind each intrigue is more intrigue and one branch of government is watching another. The two main characters are portrayed so well that the reader becomes very attached. This leads to humor and fear and some sadness. The ending is predictable and seems right but is a little disappointing. Closing the book one feels real regret not having more time with "Inspector O."

The Associate by John Grisham

Read during dishes, fun to read, good plot, but ending a little unfulfilling. The usual bad lawyers and good lawyers in a shadowy world.

Creation as Science by Hugh Ross

This book is good about framing the debate, and I think he does understand science. His biblical interpretation is to me not accurate, attributing far too much precision to texts that are just descriptive. And like many, he misunderstands intelligent design arguments. His testable model to me is arcane.

Flotsametrics and the Floating World: How one man's obsession with runaway sneakers and rubber ducks revolutionized ocean science by Curtis Ebbesmeyer

This is a wonderful book about everything that floats in the ocean and why it goes where it does and how fast. There are circular currents, beaches that collect debris, and large areas of ocean choked with plastic. By tracking ordinary flotsam, Ebbesmeyer has made the ocean currents give up many of their secrets. He weaves history, science, and beachcombing into a fascinating tale. He writes with the confident but understated tone of someone who really knows what he is writing about.

Supercontinent by Ted Nield

The earth's crust is floating on the mantle of the earth and moving to make supercontinents and fracturing to make oceans and colliding to make mountains. The story of proving this is amazing. The reluctance of the scientific community to embrace this idea is alluded to in the book and is a cautionary tale to those who worship science.

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

This small book is a gem and a work of genius. The cold, the hunger, the hopelessness, the injustice are made palpable by the understated mention of a hot stove, a crust of bread, a gift of tobacco, a remembered promise.

This one day in an interminable imprisonment speaks of all the days, all the prisoners, all the lost years. And there is a ray of hope, a breath of warmth, an extra ration, a desire to live that leads to the next day and the next.

Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes

This detailed review of the origins of the current consensus on a healthy diet and the cause of obesity is troubling on several levels. Either Taubes is mistaken and biased, or everything I have been taught about diet, exercise, lipid treatment, and obesity has been wrong. His review also indicts science as it is currently practiced, with consensus breeding more consensus even when the evidence is very weak.

His basic message is that carbohydrates cause obesity mediated by insulin. And that thermodynamics ("a calorie is a calorie is a calorie") has misled us by mistaking correlation (increased calorie intake with increased weight) with cause (eating fat causes obesity). Read this book if you dare.