false 26 649 365 true 5655918 read 0 true 801477 currently-reading 22 true 801476 to-read 256 true 3566230 have--not_read 6 true 2527069 on-hold 277 false 802101 fiction 170 false 802109 nonfiction 144 false 3625304 reference 90 false 801797 lds 69 false 3566237 medicine 62 false 5210631 foreign_language 60 false 801590 fantasy 55 false 801879 history 40 false 2469439 modern_classics 28 false 818991 biography 22 false 802105 philosophy 22 false 5210571 self_help 20 false 2467010 politics 14 false 3566271 essays 13 false 2469375 business 12 false 5214262 family 11 false 802093 science-fiction 10 false 802100 best 10 false 5215334 hobbies 9 false 3566181 childrens 9 false 801483 epic_poetry 8 false 2469532 economics 8 false 2469386 classical 7 false 2480436 poetry 7 false 5215586 travel 7 false 817928 plays_tragedies 5 false 3566243 sociology 5 false 818824 plays_commedies 3 false 5218612 memoir 3 false 5221370 science 3 false 2469556 worst 2 false 5230018 art 2 false 5221624 education 1 false 5214248 humor 1 false 3239302 law 1 false 5221460 nature <![CDATA[Ryan added 'Men of Influence: The Potential of the Priesthood to Lift the World']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74945937 to: Men of Influence: The Potential of the Priesthood to Lift the World (Hardcover) by Robert L. Millet
bookshelves: lds, nonfiction
Robert Millet discusses important aspects of becoming a more effective and even powerful bearer of the priesthood. From more meaningful prayer to greater knowledge of gospel truth to stronger faith, men can develop greater power in the priesthood. ]]> <![CDATA[Ryan added 'The Lost Symbol']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73394796 to: The Lost Symbol (Robert Langdon, #3) by Dan Brown
bookshelves: fiction
]]> <![CDATA[Ryan is on page 329 of The Lost Symbol ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73394796 Ryan is on page 329 of 509 of The Lost Symbol ]]> <![CDATA[Ryan added 'Outliers']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71732143 to: Outliers (Hardcover) by Malcolm Gladwell
bookshelves: economics, nonfiction, sociology
In this interesting look at the way that circumstances, as well as innate ability, determine the success in an individual's life, the author teaches the reader to take account of influences that may not be obvious at first. Using the examples of a Korean airline, Jewish lawyers, and inner city schools, among others we come to find that there are more factors than just hard work and good genes that lead to success or failure. I think, in the end, this book has helped me to be a little more introspective in considering the blessings that I have received in my life to allow me to be the person that I have become and to realize that for many generations back there have been influences that have put me where I and my family are in society today. ]]> <![CDATA[Ryan added 'Night Watch']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71626464 to: Night Watch (Watch, #1) by Sergei Lukyanenko
bookshelves: fantasy, fiction
Set in a modern day Moscow, this novel brings a magical race right under the noses of the human race. The Others look human but possess powers that humans do not. Magicians, werewolves, vampires, and other magical beings struggle for Light or Dark. Despite being about good and evil, the characters are essentially amoral and act either out of self interest or in the interest of the good of mankind. This was a very different novel. The plot is a little difficult to follow and perhaps something is lost in translation from Russian. Some of the dialogs are a little unclear and the characters never seem to gel completely, except perhaps for the main character, Anton, who tells the story from his own perspective. The novel certainly has some highlights in the face off between good and evil but it takes a little effort to read. ]]> <![CDATA[Ryan added 'End the Fed']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71527627 to: End the Fed (Hardcover) by Ron Paul
bookshelves: economics, nonfiction
This latest book authored by Congressman Ron Paul is timely and important. Dr Paul lays out the economic catastrophe facing our nation. He ties the current fiasco to the Federal Reserve, our nation's central bank, and the powers it has assumed to regulate monetary policy through control of interest rates, reserve requirements, purchase of debt, and other maneuvers. He makes a strong case for not only auditing the Fed (through current legislation he has proposed in Congress) but also ending the institution which exists through Congressional act. Other important topics addressed in this book include the perils of a fiat currency not tied to a commodity. He proposes a return to a commodity backed money system, one not controlled or regulated by government. He chastens Congress for outlandish spending on wars and social welfare and the accumulation of more debt than can be easily repaid. Dr Paul presents a road map back to economic stability to allow the United States to become a leader economically once more. I recommend this book to anyone concerned with freedom and financial security. ]]> <![CDATA[Ryan added 'The Little Book of Bull Moves in Bear Markets: How to Keep your Portfolio Up When the Market is Down']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71527169 to: The Little Book of Bull Moves in Bear Markets: How to Keep your Portfolio Up When the Market is Down (Little Books. Big Profits) by Peter D. Schiff
bookshelves: business, economics, nonfiction
This book was probably written for someone a little more savvy than myself about investing. I've come to know the author through my interest in Austrian economics, a perspective on economics than I have been learning more about lately. The book essentially lays out Schiff's opinion that the American economy is tanking because of bad economic policy and that it may be wiser to invest money abroad in foreign markets. He also addresses ways that Americans can turn the economy back around. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is concerned about the state of our economy and who wants to know how we can weather these difficult times. ]]> <![CDATA[Ryan added 'Meltdown: A Free-Market Look at Why the Stock Market Collapsed, the Economy Tanked, and the Government Bailout Will Make Things Worse']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/66851520 to: Meltdown: A Free-Market Look at Why the Stock Market Collapsed, the Economy Tanked, and the Government Bailout Will Make Things Worse (Hardcover) by Thomas E. Woods Jr.
bookshelves: economics, nonfiction
Lucid explanation of the current economic catastrophe our government and the federal reserve bank have led our nation and the world into. ]]> <![CDATA[Ryan added 'How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/65220502 to: How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe (Paperback) by Thomas Cahill
bookshelves: history, nonfiction
This book was not quite expected. It takes the reader on a skipping tour of the end of Roman civilization and the the transition to the medieval era. The author proposes that the Irish, recently Christianized by Saint Patrick, enabled the culture of the Latins to continue into European culture.

I enjoyed the brief biographic sketches of the few very important and illustrative personages who made this transitional period possible. I learned a lot about this period of history that I hadn't really known before. ]]> <![CDATA[Ryan added 'Atlas Shrugged']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/59392133 Atlas Shrugged (Paperback) by Ayn Rand
bookshelves: fiction, on-hold, philosophy
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