The Provo City Library at Academy Square has a special place in my heart. I worked here from about 2001 to 2004 as a computer network administrator. I met my wife Rebecca there while she was there reading books and I was checking her our sitting there like an angel before me.
My Current Read
I have a deep love for reading. The sensation of getting lost in a captivating story, being whisked away to another world, is unmatched.
Through books, I learn new things, explore diverse cultures, and meet fascinating characters. They have the power to make me laugh, cry, think, and feel deeply.
My journey as a reader started early. As a kid, I’d spend hours in the library, browsing shelves and picking out books that piqued my interest. I devoured everything from picture books to novels.
As I grew older, my reading preferences evolved. I began exploring non-fiction and more challenging reads, but my love for a good story, regardless of genre, never wavered.
Reading, to me, is one of the most enriching activities. It opens up endless possibilities and helps us better understand ourselves and the world around us.
If you haven’t discovered the joy of reading yet, I encourage you to give it a try. You might just find it as rewarding as I do.
The Storm Testament Vol. 1
I enjoyed the book. I’ve had this book for many years and finally got around to reading it. I plan to continue through the rest of the series.
Ghost: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent
I just couldn’t get into this book. I don’t know that world very well, so maybe that contributed to my lack of connection.
Seize the Night
This book was slow and boring until the end. So if you read this book, don’t give up because it gets better.
Just Visiting This Planet
This book is a series of short submitted questions with answers by Neil deGrasse Tyson writing as a character, Merlin. The information is interesting and short answers make it easy to have a quick read and put it down.
Rubber Legs and White Tail-Hairs
I used to enjoy the humor of Patrick F. McManus a lot more than I did on this last reading. I must have changed my sense of humor or something.
Spasm
I’ve always enjoyed Robin Cook books. I enjoyed this book.
Blockade Billy
I found this an enjoyable book even though I have zero interest in baseball. Fortunately, I know enough about baseball to have understood a lot of the terminology he used in the book.
Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum
I’ve been a fan of Back to the Future and Michael J. Fox since I originally saw the film at the Fox Theater (now torn down) in Provo, Utah. It was also one of only movies my family owned when my parents got the VHS from a McDonald’s offering, so you can imagine that I’ve seen the movie a lot! What a weird correlation, now that I think of it… The old Fox Theater once stood on the same plot of land where a McDonald’s now stands…
Anyhow, it was fun to read about Michael J. Fox’s experience while filming the epic film though I feel like I already knew most of the stories from reading all of his other books.
Golden Buddha
Even though most of Clive Cussler’s books are essentially the same plot, I still enjoy his writing. This was no exception.
The Double Jack Murders
Meh… I’m going to stick with McManus’ humor books. This was a pointless book
Avalanche
I liked this one better than the first book in the series. The book has a lot of unrealistic sexualization that is completely unneeded for the storyline. I looked up Patrick F. McManus while I was reading this and discovered that he’s passed away.
The Blight Way
I enjoyed reading Patrick F. McManus’s humor articles in an outdoors magazine in my metal shop class while I was in high school and I’ve read his humor books since. This book was off brand for his humor writing and I didn’t find it very engaging. I probably wouldn’t read the follow up books to this one if I didn’t already have my hands on them.
Operation Paperclip
I read this book many years ago. Annie Jacobsen does her homework in all of her books. All I can say about this book is that what those Nazi scientists did during the war to their poor victims is sick and twisted.
The Da Vinci Code
This isn’t my first time around with this book. I enjoy the writings of Dan Brown. He creates a very vast storyline that is engaging and fun to read.
Stardust
I was drawn to this book because I enjoyed the movie. The book is much like movie with enough differences that you don’t feel like you’re reading the screenplay for the movie. I was quite surprised at the scene when Tristan’s dad got together with Tristan’s mom. It was definitely inappropriate. For that reason I can’t recommend this book.
Masters of Disaster
I got this book because I enjoyed “How Angel Peterson Got His Name.” This wasn’t quite the same humor as that book, but it was enjoyable.
Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants
I became tired of reading this book near the beginning since it was so formulaic, but I’m glad that I continued through the end because it picked up pace and got interesting.
Mr. Monk Goes to Hawaii
Enjoyable. A light read for someone who enjoys the old TV series.
Salem's Lot
It wasn’t terribly engaging of a book. I felt like it could have been shorter and more to the point.
Cues: Master the Secret Language of Charismatic Communication
This is an excellent book if you’re like me and want to improve the image you project towards others. Read this one with a pen and paper to take notes because you’ll be inundated with outstanding tips for interpersonal relationships.
This is probably most important book I’ve read this year. I have a lot of work ahead of me implementing all the information she presented!
Get Married
I started this book because I thought it was by Bradley R. Wilcox, but it turned out not to be. I probably wouldn’t have read it had I known upfront. This book is largely statistics surrounding different concepts of marriage. It made me feel all sorts of things: I felt proud to have been married for over 20 years, and on the other side, it made me feel inadequate as a husband and father. I think it had a lot of interesting information, but it wasn’t a great book.
Johna and Paul: A Love Story in Songs
John and Paul was an interesting read. I have already read Bob Spitz’s book about the Beatles, but this one focuses mainly on Paul McCartney and John Lennon. There were several things I had never heard before. I don’t know the source of much of the information the author presents, and since he doesn’t claim to have spoken with Paul, I wonder if some of it is speculative.
Nonetheless, this book is worth reading.
Radigan
I enjoyed this book the most of the Louis L’Amour books I’ve read recently.
Fallon
A good easy read and entertaining western by Louis L’Amour. A hero cowboy taking on all of the bad guys…
Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse
I almost put it down shortly after beginning because I didn’t like the writing style, but it became interesting and I ended up enjoying the book. If I hadn’t enjoyed the TV series back in the day then I probably wouldn’t have given this a chance. I plan on reading the other books sometime.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
I have loved this book since first reading it in high school.
The Alchemist
I’ve read this book several times and it never gets old. I don’t care so much about the parable, it’s the story I enjoy.
Secret of Secrets
I do say that I enjoy a Dan Brown book! This book felt somewhat formulaic to his other books at the very beginning, but the plot twists later in the book to what I thought was formulaic was pleasantly surprising and made it great!
Deception Point
I have always enjoyed Dan Brown books and this is no exception. The characters are well developed and the action is engaging. Definitely read this book.
Look Unto Him
This is a compilation of essays by authors such as John Bytheway. There were couple of them that hit my heart.
Skeleton Coast
It’s a traditional Clive Cussler book about the Oregon. A good read if you’re looking for an entertaining book.
Edge of Valor
The final book in the Edge of Collapse series. I began this series not knowing anything about the books, but I enjoyed the books enough to complete all 7 of them. As I read the books I would occasionally think about the possibility of the event of a EMP taking out the United States power grid and the ultimate collapse. I must admit that I would be completely unprepared for such an event. I hope this remains a book of fiction and not a prophecy as the current president is threatening Iran (and every other country, friendly or not. We love you Canada. Don’t hate us.) with military action.
The Virtual Missionary: The Power of Your Digital Testimony
I read this book to give me ideas on how to improve and reach more people with the gospel blog that I already keep. It gave me a handful of ideas and things that I plan to change about my blog so that I reach more people who are searching for the gospel. In fact, if you are interested in learning more about my beliefs in Jesus Christ, you can check that out at ibelieve.dallasgolden.com
I would recommend this book to anyone as it gives great inspiration on how to share their beliefs online. I also really endorse Greg’s other book Dad’s Who Stay and Fight. A good read for a father.
Just the Funny Parts
I must admit that I didn’t know what this book was about when I decided to read it. I was attracted to the title and the cover image of her list of writing credits.
Now, at risk of sounding like a jerk, I also have to admit that I didn’t like the book. I was expecting her to amuse me with humorous tales from the writers’ room. Instead I was subjected to a long grudge against men and inequality in the workplace.
I know and I readily recognize there is an enormous problem with men harassing women in the workplace, so don’t get me wrong, but I saw some of her problems as a direct result of her actions.
Wildly Optimistic
This is a great book. Al’s book is a bit of a pump you up book. Although she spends a lot of time talking about her tattoos. I get that is part of her life, but we don’t need to be constantly reminded of it.
Sunrise on the Reaping
I really enjoy the Hunger Games series. They are great reads. This book is right up there with the rest though I felt like the end was kind of dumb.
Bendigo Shafter
This was a very long book for Louis L’Amour. I did enjoy it, but there wasn’t a lot of action compared to the short stories. The ending wasn’t terribly exciting.
The High Graders
I enjoyed this book. The story was good and the hero was likable. I had been taking a break from Louis L’Amour, but I obviously went back for this book.
The Twenty-Nineth Day
This book was disappointing. I didn’t find the story leading up to the bear attack very engaging. Once he was attacked it felt pretty minor since they continued on with their journey and there wasn’t much of a rescue effort.
How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life
This is an excellent book about Walt Disney and his development and leadership of the Disney brand. I have read this a couple of times and definitely recommend reading it.
The First Fast Draw
I enjoyed the story, but thinking about Louis L’Amour books over all, I think I enjoy the shorter stories better. I like the quick and simple storyline.
Edge of Valor
I was done with this series by the time I read this book. I’m glad it’s done. The series had a good start, but by the end it dies out.
Edge of Survival
I’m kind of starting to lose interest in these books. I have book 7 so I plan on finishing the series, but I’m not feeling the intensity of the first books anymore.
Slime Doesn't Pay
I’m tired of these books.
The Gangs of Zion
This was an interesting book because it made me have to admit to a problem that I have never seen in Utah and probably am too dense to recognize it if I were to ever see it. The language made me consider putting it down several times and I was hoping for a more exciting narrative, but it is real life, so obviously it’s not as adventuresome as a movie might be.
We are All Paralyzed
This was an amazing story of faith. I felt inadequate while reading it and feeling like I could do better about my relationship with God. I also feel so grateful that I have not gone through any of this man’s trials. It is definitely worth the read.
Edge of Defiance
Still enjoying this series. There were a couple of surprises that I didn’t anticipate
Edge of Anarchy
The continuation of the series that has proved to be some great reading.
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs
I chose to put this one down. Not because it is a bad book, but because I’m making the choice to keep my head in the sand. Sure, I enjoy the speculation of UFOs or UAPs. It’s fun to imagine. I even had an event in my youth where I saw a triangle light formation fly overhead while laying on a trampoline with several friends. I have watched and read numerous books and videos on the very subject. I don’t know what made this book different, but it hit home really close and has me wondering about our place in the universe and how I can possibly fit into all of it. It’s quite a bit to digest right now, so I’m going to skip over this one and perhaps return to it in some future date.
My Friends Call me Monster
I’m not sure if it was a good book for kids, but I think it was one of his dumber books.
The Man From Skibbereen
This was a pretty good book. Not much to say about it.
Edge of Darkness
I must have been pretty slow not to realize that the woman from the first book was the wife of the police officer from the second book. Nice plot twist. I also like the twist near the end of the book. I’m now hooked and plan to continue the series. It’s getting more interesting as I’m feeling more attached to the characters.
Edge of Madness
I thought this would be a sequel to the first book, but it’s a story of completely different people involved in what I can assume is the same EMP event as the first book. It’s a good what if type book that entertains and makes you think about what you would do in that situation.
A Christmas Carol
My yearly read of one of the best Christmas books ever written. There’s a reason it’s considered a classic. Even if you’ve seen any of the movies, you should read this book. There’s so much to the book that can’t be captured in the movies.
If not you should watch The Muppet Christmas Carol. It combines my favorites of the book and the Muppets.
Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling
This book is for both the believer that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God and for those wishing to know more. Bushman neither slanders nor elevates Joseph Smith’s life history. This isn’t my first time through this book and somehow I found myself asking questions about Joseph Smith this time around. Bushman allowed room for both spiritual experiences and Joseph as a man. If you are wanting to know a considerable amount about the life of Joseph this book will provide you with that and more.
Revenge of the Tipping Point
It’s been forever since I’ve read the original Tipping Point book and I don’t really remember much if anything. I’ve always enjoyed Malcolm Gladwell books because he has a great way of keeping you engaged in the subject matter. This book is no exception. Malcolm presented an update to his original book that kept me moving through the book with interest.
Mystery Writers of America Presents The Mystery Box
This was a great book of short stories by different authors revolving around a box. I enjoy most all of the stories with one exception where I was so bored with the story that I simply skipped it.
Party Games
I was surprised by this book. I think R.L. Stine was trying to keep up with his young readers as they grew older. It seems more suited for high school-age kids. I can’t recommend this book at all. One of the characters spent the first quarter of the book saying things that I found quite inappropriate—not just for teenagers, but even for adults. This is not a good book for kids of any age.
Dr. Maniac vs. Robby Schwartz
Good for reading to kids. It wasn’t quite as enjoyable for me as these books were maybe 20 years ago. I felt it was kind of cooky.
Goosebump SlappyWorld - Attack of Jack
It’s Halloween time and time for reading scary books. I read some of these when I was a young adult and I remember enjoying whatever I had read, but this time it wasn’t quite the same experience. My kids don’t even claim to have liked it. Sure it might be a good read for elementary age kids, but not much older than that.
The Mountain Valley War
This book proves that I’m losing my mind and that I need to keep a log like this website to help me remember the books I’ve already read. I was well into this book before I remembered parts of it, but I couldn’t remember most all of it. It was a good book with a good protagonist.
Brionne
This book has shown me how I like the Louis L’Amour novels. I like them with very few characters to have to keep track of.
How the West Was Won
It was a pretty good book. Not my favorite of Louis L’Amour’s
High Lonesome
I liked this story. It showed moral character by the main characters of the book.
Yondering
This book was unexpected. It’s a collection of stories based on Louis L’Amour’s life.. Not western stories, but about miners, sailers, and such. It was still good though.
The Rider of the Ruby Hills
This book was good. What you’d expect from Louis L’Amour. It was a bit slow in some parts, but the end it great.
The Spirit of Revelation
This is a great book! It answers many questions about receiving revelation. I enjoyed the book. It did introduce some questions that I hope to someday have answers to.
Amish: Mother of Faith
It was a good enough book to want to finish and it was kind of a fun take to create a story for a very briefly mentioned individual from the Book of Mormon. Perhaps I don’t really identify very well because this book feels like it was written for women.
The Long Walk
This was an interesting premise of a book. I can’t imagine an entire book about people walking, but King made it engaging enough to pull it off. Add the element of death to everything and it adds the suspense. I’m not quite sure about the ending though. Kind of confusing.
Down the Long Hills
It was a long trip for two kids to be found by their father. It was okay, but not great. There wasn’t a whole lot of action
Guns of the Timberlands
I wasn’t really into the book until the end. I enjoyed the ending.
Fahrenheit 451
Great book to remind us of how important books are. We see some measure of censorship in our own country today.
From the Corner of His Eye
This was a pretty good book. Not my favorite Dean Koontz, but still a really good one. It took me a while to get through the book and as a result my interest fluctuated. Maybe if I had spent more time with it, I would have enjoyed it more.
Night Shift
I enjoy Robin Cook books for the suspense. I don’t have any knowledge of the medical field, so a lot of what he writes about is completely over my head. Still… Good storyline.
Mr. Murder
I’ve liked books by Dean Koontz since I was in high school. This book hits the spot like his many other books.
Northwind
Normally I like Gary Paulsen books, but after getting 25% into the book I just wasn’t all that interested in it. His other books are great How Angel Peterson Got His Name is a Favorite in our house. And don’t forget his most popular book Hatchet.
Chaos Rising
A nice and easy read and short. It’s the prequel of Edge of Collapse. These books are good and I look forward to continuing the remainder of the series.
Edge of Collapse
I didn’t realize that this book would be part of an eight book series. I really wasn’t ready to commit to such a long series, but after reading this book I’m ready to continue with the rest of the books.
Killoe
This wasn’t my favorite of his books. Still worth reading.
Dark Memories
This was a pretty good book. I enjoyed it.
Fair Blows the Wind
This was a very different book from Louis L’Amour’s traditional westerns. I liked it well enough.
Treasure Mountain
Tell Sackett is a tough guy. All the Sacketts are survivors.
Mohave Crossing
I good enough. For some reason I just wasn’t getting into this book.
Christine
Man was there a lot of language in this book. Yes, I know that Stephen King uses a lot of language, but even though I thought about abandoning the book several times because of the language, I continued on. It was an interesting book. Good for entertainment, but I probably wouldn’t recommend it to anybody or ever read it again myself.
The Sackett Brand
Those Sacketts are one heck of a family! My new phrase from reading these books is “dead for rights”.
Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites
It was a good read back in the day and it’s still a great book to read to the kids.
The Trail to Beach Meadow Canyon
More western. I must be needing to buy a horse and ride the open plains.
Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life
I was attracted to this book by the fact that Arnold Schwarzeneger is the author. This is a great book. His advice is helpful and good to take to heart. Of course a man who is Mr. Universe and who worked hard to get there would know a thing or two about working hard and achieving your goals. He was sincere and honest in his writing. I even laughed out loud on a couple of occasions.
Conagher
Still going through a western reading stage. This book was another fun one. If I continue to read westerns I probably should expand out to other authors.
Jump Start Your Creative Engine: With the 8 Creative Power Habits
I bought this book to support my friend who is the author. I wasn’t really a big fan of the book. It felt like a clinical approach to creativity.
More Adventures of the Great Brain
The second book in the Great Brain series. It’s a great book to read to your kids. Enjoyable enough for adults.
The Continuous Conversion
This is a great book that gave me several insights on the subject that helped me understand things better.
Firestarter
The book had a good start, but soon lost its steam. I’m not a regular Stephen King reader, but I’ve read a handful and this was his weakest in my mind.
All Hallows
You can probably guess why I chose this book based upon the man’s last name. This book was just all right. There were too many characters to have to track at the same time. The villain was weak.
The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece
I didn’t finish this book. I was really hoping that it would be a good book because it was written by Tom Hanks to whom I’m a bit of a fan. But I just couldn’t get into the story and didn’t feel any desire to get to reading it, so I did what I try not to do and I decided to move on to the next book.
After Steve
Being an Apple products user, I found this a very interesting insight into what is going on with the company. It’s sad when finance becomes the focus over innovation.
A Christmas Carol
This is my favorite Christmas story that I read every year.
The Diamond of Darkhold
I definitely have mistaken this series for some other young adult book series that got really bad as the books went on. This was a fairly good story and a satisfying end to the series.
The Prophet of Yonwood
The books are a getting weirder. I feel like the author didn’t really have an idea for writing a sequel, but she was under contract to write a book, so she wrote a prequel. It really doesn’t have much to tie in with the earlier books.
The People of Sparks
I’m not really remembering these books at all. I’ll have to count this as a new read. It’s a good read. I wonder what the author’s agenda is in writing these books.
City of Ember
I enjoyed this book. It’s not the first time I’ve read it. I’m going to go through this series even though I don’t quite like the later books when I think the story goes off the rails.
Mustang Man
I’m still going through a bit of a western phase. It was a fun enough book
Joyland
Kind of a slow book. Different from the other Stephen King books I’ve read.
The Great Brain
I enjoyed the Great Brain books when I was a boy. It’s still fun all these years later. I’m wondering about some parallels to Tom Sawyer. The secondary hero’s name is Tom, the teacher’s name is Thatcher, and part of the book kids are lost in a cave. Hmm.
Friends, Lovers, and a Big Terrible Thing
I read this because of his recent passing. It is a sad story of a sad life. A man of such potential who got caught up in drugs and alcohol. It is a good cautionary tale for those with such addictions, but I really would have liked to hear more about his life outside of his addictions.
The Boys
I admire Ron Howards movies and it was interesting to hear his growing up story with his brother Clint.
The Skyliners
Another Sackett book. I enjoyed the story and it was a fun read.
The Alchemist
I really enjoy this book. I have read it several times. It’s a pretty short book, so it’s easy to get through. I hear they’re even making a movie based on the book. We’ll see how that goes
Sackett
The Broken Gun
Not your typical Louis L’Amour. I enjoyed it. It’s nice for an easy read to allow you an escape from reality.
Psycho
A fun read for Halloween time. It would have been better if I first didn’t know that Norman’s mother was dead. I don’t know how this compares to the movie since I haven’t seen it in 30 years.
From the Listening Hills
Continuing my reading of Louis L’Amour. More of his short stories
The Road Home
It was a ho hum finish to the series. There was no conflict to keep you wanting to read. It was almost predictable and everything fit together in the end as you would expect them to. Not terribly satisfying when you know how it’s going to happen.
Forgotten Road
I almost quit this book because it is largely a travel log and history of places on Route 66. I was looking for a story, not a boring travel log. The only reason I continued was because the book got good reviews on Amazon. Also, because I’m feeling a bit invested in reading since it’s #2 in the series and it’s fairly short.
The Broken Road
This was the first Richard Paul Evans book I’ve ever read. I was pleasantly surprised when what I thought would be an over-the-top LDS based book turned out to be not so. I just discovered that the book is the first in a trilogy and I think I might just read the others as well.
Billy Summers
Stephen King is definitely a great storyteller. There were a few spots when I considered putting the book down because of the content. One spot I was wondering just how twisted a mind Stephen must have to come up with such an idea.
Inside the Real Area 51: The Secret History of Wright Patterson
These testimonies before Congress about the existence of aliens have sparked an interest in UFOs again. Plus, I like to hear about the unknown no matter how far-fetched and unsubstantiated it make becomes. I’ve never heard anything about Wright-Patterson in relationship to aliens, so this was new.
The Good Guy
I’ve been reading Dean Koontz since high school, so it came as no surprise that I would like this one.
Just Getting Started
I read this in honor of the passing of Tony Bennett, but I feel like I know very little more about him than before reading the book. This book is mostly talking about the history of people he knew then tying it into the time they worked together. It’s major name-dropping one musician after another. I wish it were more focused on Tony’s life and not others, that is why I read the book after all.
Midway to Heaven
It’s an enjoyable book. It kind of plays on LDS cultural stereotypes to cater to the LDS readership
The Tall Stranger
I’m feeling like a western right now and it fit the bill.
Dead Ringer
I don’t know if it’s just summer and I’m feeling like exploring the West, but I’m feeling like a Western. I enjoyed this book.
1776
I am quite interested in the birth of our nation and I enjoy David McCullough’s writing, so this is a good book!
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
I sped through the series this summer. I beat Caroline on our race!
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
This is where the books start going dark
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The book is great, but the movie is not so much
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
A fun book
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Book 3 is pretty good
Harry Potter and the Camber of Secrets
Book 2 in Caroline and my race through the series. Fast read and enjoyable
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Caroline and I are racing to finish the series over the summer. I’ve read this series several times.
Every Tool's a Hammer
I liked watching Mythbuster while it was on, so this book had that draw for me, but the book stands on its own as a good book to read.
Sacred Stone
It might be a better book, but I couldn’t get into the book and I often found my mind drifting to other things.
The Beatles
This is a well-written biography of the Beatles. If you’re a Beatles fan then I highly recommend it.
Here Lies the Librarian
You can never go wrong with Richard Peck books.
The Teacher's Funeral
Richard Peck is at his best!
The Millionaire Next Door
Told me what my life would look like if I were a millionaire.
50 Signs of the Times and the Second Coming
Read it for good information about what’s to come
