What I am reading right now:

I read the National Geographic from cover-to-cover every month!

I am curently plugging-away at a volume of "The Diaries of Thomas Merton", the American philosopher-monk and professor who was a close friend of H.H. The Dalai Lama of Tibet. It is hard going but interesting. I learned a little about Merton and his relationship with The Dalai Lama from H.H.'s book "Freedom In Exile" - it is a wonderful book and The Dalai Lama is one of my life's heroes along with Jacques Cousteau, Harry Truman, and Jimmy Carter.

"Scots Worthies" an 18th Century anthology of Scots-Reformation Protestant Heroes and Martyrs by John Howie of Ayrshire, Scotland, a possible ancestor!

Admittedly on the "back-burner":

"Descartes Error" (which my son gave me for a gift a couple years ago and I haven't finished yet)

"The Tibetan Book of The Dead" given to me by my daughter awhile back - can't die 'til I finish that one!);-)

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I have recently finished:

"Will Rogers - A Biography" by Ben Yagoda. The author's obvious affection for Mr. Rogers is infectious and well-founded! I told my kids that if God had not created Will Rogers the only one capable of creating him in fiction would have been Mark Twain. In the course of this work I discovered that "Life On The Mississippi" was Rogers' favorite book and that Woody Guthrie acknowledged only two personal "heroes": Jesus Christ and Will Rogers! Is it a coincidence that I just read the Twain book and that Woddy Guthrie's autobiography "Bound For Glory" is included in the following list of my favorite books?

"Life On The Mississippi" by Mark Twain. I had read parts of the book as excerpts in an anthology of Twain's writings but never read the whole thing before. It is brilliant and hilariously funny!

"All Quiet on The Western Front" by Erich Maria Remarque. The classic tale of World War One told by a German soldier. Not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach but an amazing book.

"Treasure Island" by Robert Louis Stevenson. One of the classics I have never read before! It was John Henderson that made me think of it - another Scots author and a really good book with a story that has stood the test of time.

"The New Road" by Neil Munro. An historical novel of 18th century Scotland given to me by Scotsman and friend John Henderson. A neat action book loaded with Gaelic and Scots Doric dialog.

"Joining The War At Sea: 1939-1945" by Franklyn Dailey, Jr. Mr. Dailey grew-up in the house where my Aunt lived when I was a child and went on to graduate from Annapolis in 1942 and serve aboard a Destroyer during WW-II. He explains much about Anti-Sub Warfare, North Atlantic convoy escort duty, and his action in the Mediterranean duirng the War. He went on to serve a long career in the Navy. (I have put together an Index of all the ship's named in the book for Mr. Dailey - 995 individual references are cited in the book!

"Che's Chevrolet, Fidel's Oldsmobile" by Richard Scweid. A great book about the past hundred years of Cuban history told through the perspective of the evolution (an de-evolution!) of the transportation system. As a lover of old cars I really enjoyed this one, especially the pictures!

"Big Russ and Me" by Tim Russert. A wonderful book about the influence of Russert's dad and his community in his life.

"The National Geographic Society: 100 Years of Adventure and Discovery, by CDB Bryan" A gigantic "coffee-table" style book with a wonderful selection of photographs from Nat'l Geo. and a well-researched history of the Society and its Magazine. I have been working on it for a couple months - highly recommended reading!

"Under The Bonnie Briar Bush" by Ian McClaren, a book about rural Scottish life in the 1890s recommended to me by Sandy's distant Scots cousin John Henderson with whom I correspond about genealogy and life in general.

"My Times with the Sisters (and other events)" by Franklyn E. Dailey, Jr. Mr. Dailey, a WW-II vet, US Naval Academy graduate, and retired USNR Captain, grew-up in the Village of Brockport, NY where I attended High School. As a child he lived in the home where my Aunt and Uncle, Winnie and Jim O'Brien, lived when I was a kid. This little book about growing-up in a small town in Upstate NY in the 1920s and 30s is full of interesting stories, characters and places that are familiar to me, and sincere love for family and for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondolet who staffed the Nativity of The Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic primary school in Brockport. Thanks, Mr. Dailey, for the book and our on-going correspondence!

"The Genesee" by Henry Clune. This is a book of local history and lore that provides information on the Genesee River and its environs from pre-historic times to the date of publication in the early 1960s. Mr. Clune, a long-time Rochester, NY newspaperman, often got side-tracked by the "human interest" stories from the lives of people like Mary Jemison "the white woman of the Genesee". All-in-all,though, it is a lovingly-written book for anyone interested, as I am, in local history! It could use an update and some re-organization but few local historians would presume to tamper with a work by a man who is a legend in local journalism.

"Lone Star Ranger" by Zane Gray: Older editions of Gray's books are very popular, reasonably-priced collectibles right now. We picked-up a copy of his "Call of The Canyon" a couple years ago which turned-out to be good "light" bedtime reading between issues of National Geographic. "Lone Star Ranger" was more of the same - it is fun to learn of the influence these books had on the American TV "westerns" that I grew-up with in the 50s! "Lone Star Ranger" is about a the son of a Texas gunfighter who kills a man in a dispute and is subsequently recruited as an undercover Texas Ranger.

"How The Scots Invented The Modern World" by Arthur Herman. A great book about the profound influence of Scots thinkers and doers on modern Western society. It is almost a direct follow-on to "Scots Worthies" (see below) and the "John Adams" biography. It was a Christmas gift from my daughter - a true Scot-o-phile!

"Drums Along The Mohawk" by Walter D. Edmonds. I'm sure I saw the classic Henry Fonda/Claudette Colbert movie in black-and-white on TV when I was a kid but only discovered recently that my Grandmother Henshaw's Klock family were the same Klocks mentioned in this novel so I picked-up an early addition at an antique shop and read it. Although the times it describes were harsh and dark at best the characters, most based on real people that were neighbors and relatives of my Klock ancestors, are sympathetic and interesting! I am going to get the film on Tape or DVD to see how I like it!

"Stupid White Men" by Michael Moore This was the second in a current series of three political books by the filmmaker responsible for acclaimed documentaries "Roger and Me", "The Big One", and "Bowling For Columbine" and the landmark TV series "TV Nation". I also read the first book in the series "Downsize This" and am proud to state that I bought "Stupid White Men" mainly as an act of defiance to the post 9/11/2001 wave of pro-government "pseudo-censorship" that almost kept the book from going into circulation! It turns-out that the book is funny and informative and Mike Moore has done a service to America by writing this alternative look at the G.W. Bush Administration and its cronies in big business and big money. Read it and see for yourself...

"The Eyes of Discovery: North America Through The Accounts of The First Explorers" This is a really interesting book published in the early 1950s. It includes early accounts of North America by many famous and lesser known European explorers - really surprising stuff! I have lent my copy to a friend and don't have the author's name handy right now but you can find it on Amazon.com, I think...

"John Adams", David McCullough's Pulitzer prize-winning biography of Adams. The famous later-day correspondence between Adams and Jefferson is overshadowed by the on-going correspondence between Adams and his brilliant and articulate wife, Abigail, throughout Adams' life in politics. McCullough quotes a source that states that "Jefferson was the voice of the American Revolution, but Adams was its heart." This is one of the best biographies I have ever read - highly recommended reading!

"In God We Trust - All Others Pay Cash" - Jean Shepard's short stories about a kids life in Depression-era Indiana and the source for the screenplay of "A Christmas Story", one of the funniest movies ever made!

>"An Hour Before Daylight", Jimmy Carter's recollections of his childhood on the family farm in South Georgia. A very interesting book that demonstrates Mr. Carter's true affection for his family and the place where he grew-up.

Arch Merrill's "Land of The Seneca's" - one of Merrill's neat little books on Western New York History lent to me by my friend Joe Decker. (It says in the front of this copy that it was a Valentine's Day gift from Joe's Mom to his Dad in 1950- very cool!)

"To End All War" by Thomas J. Knock, an excellent historical account of President Woodrow Wilson's involvement with the formation of The League of Nations. (My daughter had to read this for a course in her PoliSci Master's Program!)

"Captured By The Indians" an anthology of first-person accounts of European-Americans captured and held by American Indian tribes.

The book based-on the Bill Moyers/Joseph Campbell PBS series "The Power of Myth". An amazing book that touches on a broad range human experience. I never saw the TV series because it was on too late in the evening! I'm a country boy and cannot stay up too long after the sun sets - its my Dad's fault!

"Confederates In The Attic", an entertaining and thought-provoking book about the legacy of the Civil War in today's South.

"The Sons of Old Monroe" by Brian Bennett. The regimetal history of my Great-Grandfather's Union Army Civil War Unit, the 140th NY Volunteer Infantry.

"Keeping Faith", Jimmy Carter's Presidential memoirs. A fascinating portrait of the man and his perspective on the events of his time in the White House.

"Haroun And The Sea of Stories" by Salman Rushdie. He has not surpassed Hemingway at the top of my "Greatest 20th Century English Writers List" on the strength of this story alone although it is entertaining and well-written. After observing that his love of fantasy and language suggests an appreciation of Tolkien I was shocked to find that, in thumbing through the first chapter of "The Satanic Verses", Tolkien lore figures in the plot of that book!

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My all-time favorite books, in no particular order, include:

Don Quixote (The Walter Starkey translation - I read it twice!)

Tolkien's "Lord of The Rings" trilogy (Read that three times - once myself and once to each of my kids when they were little.)

"Giants In The Earth" (Powerful Stuff)

"The Call of The Wild" (Hey, I like dogs - Buck is the best!)

"The Grapes of Wrath" (I like everything I have read by Steinbeck:

"Of Mice and Men"

"East of Eden"

"Tortilla Flat"

"Travels with Charlie"

(The movie version of "The Grapes of Wrath" is wonderful - that scene where Ma Joad puts on her favorite earrings before leaving them and the farm forever is just overwhelming.)

"Bound For Glory" by Woody Guthrie. (Does anybody know where Woody's real life leaves off and his imagination begins?)

"On The Road", (Kerouac was one of a kind - the narrative is revolting and compelling at the same time.)

I love Kurt Vonnegut:

"Breakfast of Champions"(*)

"Slaughterhouse Five" (The real POW who was the basis of Billy Pilgrim is buried in Rochester, NY.)

Etc.

"The Human Comedy"

(Saroyan wrote an awesome book about the human cost of war.)

"The Source"

I like a lot of Michener's books:

"Hawaii"

(Makes me think of the Eagles song "Paradise"!)

"Centennial"

"Tales of The South Pacific"

All good reading...

"QB VII" and "Trinity" by Leon Uris.

"The Rievers" by Faulkner

(The movie with Steve McQueen is great! I always wanted to be a Grandfather like Will Geer - BTW: he was a real-life pal of Woody Guthrie who is mentioned in "Bound for Glory"!)

"Siddhartha"

(Also Hesse's "Narcissus and Goldmund", but not Steppenwolf - next to "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold" it is the most depressing thing I've ever attempted to read!)

"Smiley's People"

(And LeCarre's "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" - you've gotta read 'em both. Avoid "The Spy Who Came in From The Cold" - see above!)

Mark Twain:

"Huckleberry Finn"

http://www.poetry.com/"The Adventures of Tom Sawyer"

"A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court"

"Travels Around The Equator"

Twain's writing is so good it makes the hair stand-up on the back of your neck!

"Plain Speaking", the transcription of the autobiographical film interviews of Harry Truman. Taken along with David McCullough's wonderful biography "Truman" and the biography of his wife written by daughter Margaret these books will make anybody a Truman fan!

"The Silent World", Jacques Cousteau's companion book to his groundbreaking 1950s Film. A story about a man who followed an original dream and changed the world with his passion.

"A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway

My candidate for the best book ever written in the English language! (My daughter tells me some of Salman Rushdie's books are better. I did read "Haroun and The Sea of Stories" recently and really liked it - but it didn't impress me like "A Farewell to Arms" or my runner-up, Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"! )

"Le Morte d'Arthur" - I think this may actually be the "mother of all stories", maybe I will have time to finish it when I retire! I keep taking notes - and I'm still confused!

"Shogun" by James Clavell (I actually thought I could speak Japanese when I finished this book!)

"The Thorn Birds" by Coleen McCullough (?) - This came to mind right after "Shogun" because the same actor played the lead role in movie adaptations of both! The similarity between the 2 books ends there. This is "soap opera" - but very good!

"Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" by Dee Brown - One of many sad books I have read on the plight of the American Indian and one of the most moving.

"A Sand County Almanac" by Aldo Leopold - one of the classics of Conservation literature!

Farley Mowat's "People of The Deer", "Never Cry Wolf", and "Grey Seas Under". Outstanding books!

"Arctic Dreams" by Barry Lopez - another great book about nature in the Arctic.

James Fenimore Cooper's "Last of The Mohicans" and "The Deerslayer". Among the most readable classics.

"The Crystal Cave" by Mary Stewart - Merlin IS magic!

"Clan of The Cave Bear" by Jane Auel(?) - my wife read one of the sequels but said it was not up to the original, an absorbing novel!

"Out of The Silent Planet" by C.S. Lewis - I read all three books in that trilogy but cannot remember the titles of the other two. Interesting allegories - he even works Merlin into the plot!

"The Autobiograhy of Benjamin Franklin" - A local library had an illustrated edition that was absolutely amazing! America's true "Renaissance Man".

"Stranger in A Strange Land" and "Dandelion Wine" by Ray Bradbury are masterpieces of science fiction!

The four books of Douglass Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" "trilogy": "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy", "The Restaurant at The End of The Universe", "Life The Universe and Everything", and "So Long and Thanks for All The Fish" - These are among the funniest books I have ever read!

"You Live and Learn and Then You Die and Forget it All" A biography of Mississippi Mule Trader Ray Lum - an obscure but loveable book about real life!

"The Right Stuff" by Tom Wolfe - fantastic book about Chuck Yaeger, John Glenn, and the men who led America into space exploration.

"Worlds in Collision" by Abraham Velokowsky - A scientist who was way ahead of his time.

"The Foxfire Books" - I once had a wonderful collection of these books full of Appalchian Mountain wisdom but lost it in a basement flood!

"Desert Solataire" by Ed Abbey - I gave my first copy to a fellow from Germany who went to visit the Southwest. I cannot imagine visiting Havsupai Canyon without this book - I've never been to the canyonlands of the southwest myself but I feel like I have been thanks to Ed Abbey!

"The Dragons of Eden" by Carl Sagan and "The Panda's Thumb" by Steven J. Gould - Two complementary books about "The romanance of science" (sagan's words, I think.)

"Watership Down" - an excellent and moving book about the world of rabbits!

"Flatland" a little book with very big ideas about perspective!

"I Ain't Much Baby, But I'm All I've Got" by Jess Lair - given to me by old friend Dave Horn. A unique view on life by a man who felt he had been given a second chance to live and appreciate it.

"Assault on The USS Liberty" - The shocking true story of how Israel tried to sink an American Naval ship during the 6-days War and then buy-off the survivors!

"2001: A Space Oddysey" and "Childhood's End" by Arthur C. Clarke - The movie "2001" was confusing - the book is astounding. "Childhood's End" is excellent!

"The God's Themselves" by Isaac Asimov - There is a reason this guy is considered the dean of Science Fiction!

"A Study In Scarlet" by Arthur Conan Doyle - I have read a number of Sherlock Holmes mysteries but this one is the one I remember best.

Poetry by Robert Frost and Robert W. Service