My 2012 Reading List

Books read in 2012. Book title, author, and date completed.

1. Power Plays: Energy Options in the Age of Peak Oil by Robert Rapier (me) 3-14-12

Because I read it at least five times in the course of writing and editing it, I am including my own book as the first book I read in 2012. It was published on March 28, 2012 so now I can read some other books.

2. A Thousand Barrels a Second by Peter Tertzakian 3-24-12

3. Oil: Money, Politics, and Power in the 21st Century by Tom Bower 6-6-12

4. Reinventing Fire by Amory Lovins 8-10-12

5. Oil's Endless Bid by Daniel Dicker 8-28-12

My 2011 Reading List

Books read in 2011. Book title, author, and date completed. Because I was writing my own book in 2011, the number of books I read fell quite a bit from previous years.

1. Power Trip: The Story of America’s Love Affair with Energy by Amanda Little 5-15-11

Reviewed in detail on my energy blog - Book Review: Power Trip

2. Cracking the Carbon Code by Terry Tamminen 7-3-11 

Reviewed in detail on my energy blog: Book Review: Cracking the Carbon Code

3. Energy, Convenient Solutions: How Americans Can Solve the Energy Crisis in Ten Years by Howard Johnson 7-15-11

Reviewed in detail on my energy blog: Book Review: Energy, Convenient Solutions

4. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts 7-19-11

You know the Dos Equis commercial about the most interesting man in the world? Gregory David Roberts might actually be fit to hold that title. This is an incredible book, but it is a very big book (933 pages). I have been reading at it for over a year. Not because the book wasn't interesting, just because I generally read when I travel, and the book is so big I didn't always take it with me.

The book is set in Mumbai, a city I have been especially fascinated with since my visit in 2008. When I was there, I often wondered what life must be like in the slums. Roberts takes us there, as he lived there for 10 years after escaping from prison in Australia. The book is described as a novel, but many of the events are clearly from Roberts' life. As with the main character, Roberts' lived in Mumbai's slums, setting up a free medical clinic there, was recruited to Mumbai's mafia, and ultimately went to war in Afghanistan. Unbelievable story.

5. Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft by Paul Allen 11-12-11

I am always fascinated by people who have achieved great success. I like to gain some insights into what it was that made them special. In Paul Allen's case, one of the things he said in the book is that he and Bill Gates were working on the right problem at the right time. Five years earlier or five years later and Microsoft wouldn't have happened. Of course it took more than just timing; Paul is obviously a very smart guy with diverse interests. Some of his interests mirror my own; the workings of the human brain for instance. Even if you took Microsoft completely out of the equation, Paul has accomplished a great deal in his life. He details the failures as well; discussing specific investment mistakes he made that results in billions of dollars of losses. He also was quite frank in his comments on the people he came into contact with. Bill Gates, for instance, is portrayed as a genius, a jerk, and Paul's very close friend. All in all, a very engaging autobiography.

My 2010 Reading List

Books read in 2010. Book title, author, and date completed.

1. Big Coal by Jeff Goodell 2-05-10

Reviewed in detail on my energy blog - Book Review: Big Coal

2. Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd-Century America by Robert Charles Wilson 3-29-10

Reviewed in detail on my energy blog - Book Review: Julian Comstock

3. The Oil Depletion Protocol by Richard Heinberg June 17, 2010

As I read this book, I kept thinking “Yes, this plan would probably work if you could get government around the world to follow it.” The basics of the plan is to have all countries commit to reduce their oil consumption by a small percentage each year. I think the problem is going to be exactly the same as in getting countries to agree to reduce carbon emissions. Some will, some won’t. The fast-growing developing countries like China and India will never agree to it because of the perceived negative impact on their economic growth. Further, there are great incentives for countries to cheat on the their consumption; that may give them advantages over countries going through economic contraction as a result of reduced oil use. The bottom line is that I just don’t think in the real world it can be executed successfully.

4. Power Hungry by Robert Bryce October 1, 2010

Reviewed in detail on my energy blog.

5. The Impending World Energy Mess by Robert L. Hirsch, Roger H. Bezdek, and Robert M. Wendling. December 4, 2010

Reviewed in detail on my energy blog: Book Review: The Impending World Energy Mess

My 2008 Favorites

1. Thirteen by Richard K. Morgan

Excellent reading. I almost bit off more than I could chew, having decided to read one more book (by a Scottish author) a week before I was to leave Scotland. It's a pretty long read, and I finished this and dropped it off as I was leaving town. Interestingly, the UK version - which was the version I read - is called "Black Man." I guess the U.S. publishers felt that was politically incorrect. I had previously read and enjoyed Morgan's Altered Carbon, but I didn't know anything about this one. I just thought the cover looked pretty cool. But given that I had enjoyed Morgan before, I decided to give it a read. Very glad I did. The book is about a genetically engineered human (happens to be a black man) who was made to be a "super soldier." Once peace breaks out, these folks are seen as a threat. The U.S. has also split in two in this book, which was an interesting concept. For the most part, Republicans got the middle, and Democrats got "the rim." Good stuff though, and a compelling read.

2. Xenocide by Orson Scott Card

It seems like I have been working at this book for years. The 3rd book in the Ender series, and Card still had some tricks up his sleeve. I like his far-out biology concepts; they really stretch the imagination. A lot of people felt like this one fell short of the two in the series that preceded it. To be honest, it's been so long since I read Ender's Game - which is sometimes described as the best science fiction novel ever written, that I really can't compare them. I found Xenocide pretty entertaining; no complaints from me.

3. Gusher of Lies: The Dangerous Delusions of Energy Independence by Robert Bryce

This was a great book, and I reviewed it in detail on my energy blog: Book Review: Gusher of Lies

4. Big Cotton: How A Humble Fiber Created Fortunes, Wrecked Civilizations, and Put America on the Map by Stephen Yafa

Fascinating book. I learned a wealth of information about cotton, and it gave me a whole new respect for it. This book was well-written, humorous, and very informative. I especially enjoyed reading about the history of the battles with various pests, and how technology has evolved to combat these resilient pests.

5. How to Grow More Vegetables and Fruits (and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible by John Jeavons

This is really a great book to have on your shelf if you are a gardener. I probably learned more about the importance of soil quality (how to maintain it, the need to have it loosened to a greater depth, etc.) than I had learned up to this point in my life. I am actually putting the techniques in this book into practice in my garden.