Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder

This is a very thought-provoking book about Paul Farmer and his vision of health for the poor of Haiti and the world. Farmer, who I can't help both admiring and disliking, is a leftist who refuses to accept a different standard for care of the poor. Working in perhaps the most fatalistic settings on earth he refuses to give in to such forces. Stirring up a cloud of guilt wherever he goes, he scolds, goads, charms, even steals to promote his vision for his patients. And who are his patients? Like the question "who is my neighbor," everyone who presents to him is his patient. The world has much to learn from Farmer (not that his ideas are new). I have much to learn or at least think about because of him. I would say that he is selective in his objects of scorn. Surely he is blind to the evils of Aristide; in fact, he is willing to dance with the devil for the sake of his patients. Like Haitian voodoo, he borrows just enough of religion to serve as a veneer.

Infinite Ascent by David Berlinski

This is a fresh, concise and interesting trip through mathematics. What is particularly wonderful about the book is the logical progression from one area to the next, a historical and logical progression that is even aesthetically pleasing. The topics are all seminal, presented with admiration and delight. As always, Berlinski writes with wit and whimsy!

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

A thoroughly delightful and wise book about a female detective "PI" in Botswana. Full of culture and love of Africa. It is a lot of fun and emotionally fulfilling. Highly recommended.

Out of My Life and Thought by Albert Schweitzer

This is a short autobiography that is also a brief review of his major ideas. It is interesting about his view of Jesus as a mistaken figure who thought he would be the Messiah and was mistaken. He sees Christianity as an ethical system and later espouses "reverence for life" as a unifying principle linking the great faiths. His upbringing, his obvious brilliance, his desire to follow Jesus and renounce his fame made him more famous. It is interesting how his rejection of the Gospel of John to me seems to have determined his intellectual "fate." He was a man of astonishing intellect, great stamina and courage. His briefly-mentioned encounters with orthodox believers are described with warmth but condescension. After deconstructing the Gospels and being their arbiter, there was no turning back!

The Know-It-All by A. J. Jacobs

This is a fun book about a journalist who read the Encyclopedia Britannica cover to cover. It is surprisingly interesting and quite funny. Many interesting facts and trivia.

Embryo Factory by Rev. Richard A. Humphrey and Dr. Loren J. Humphrey

An interesting story by my former pastor. Colorful southern dialect but the orthography can mislead as the dialect can be engaging but if read wrong can be jarring. The ethical issues are brought forward, I enjoyed the prolife stand but perhaps another reader would see it differently. A good tale with good characters but some better editing would have helped.

Kepler's Conjecture by George Szpiro

This book explores in depth the packing problem of spheres, which appears so simple and yet has only recently been solved. Because it begins with an easily-understood problem and with good writing progresses from there, it can go deep and yet keep interest. It is historical, witty, and has fairly difficult math kept to the appendix.