The Bible by God
4th of July by James Patterson
The Gospel Code by Ben Witherington III
True Believer by Nicholas Sparks
Expiration Date by Eric Wilson

Recent reviews:

Conspiracy of Fools by Kurt Eichenwald
Recommendation: read it and weep.  This is the true story of Enron -- a larger-than-life morality play that highlights the fundamental greed of the human nature.  Eichenwald sums it up best in his own prologue: "This is the story of men smart enough to get around all the rules but not wise enough to understand why the rules were written in the first place."  Though the ending is no surprise, it's still fascinating stuff and extremely well researched.

The Perfect Mile by Neal Bascomb
Recommendation: loved it!  This book was a sleeper.  It's about three men and their historical quest to break the four minute mile.  It's inspiring and fascinating.  It makes you want to run.  Instead, you end up reading another chapter.  It's one of those triumph of the human spirit books.

The Broker by John Grisham
Recommendation: I take the Fifth.  Hey, Grisham's the best writer in my genre -- how do you write a bad review about a person like that?  You don't.  Enough said.

Dead of Night by Brandilyn Collins
Reccomendation: read it with the lights on.  This is a great story told from the first-person perspective of a forensic artist on the trail of a serial killer.  The ending will surprise you and the characters will draw you in.  Along the way, you will change the way you think about prevailing prayer.

Old reviews:

Courting Justice by David Boies
Recommendation: for lawyers only.  Boies is the superstar litigator for all things liberal and/or hated by the south -- Al Gore following the 2000 presidential election, the anti-trust suit against Microsoft, the New York Yankees.  For this former trial lawyer who now teaches advocacy in law school, it's fascinating stuff.  For those of you less legally-inclined, it may be pretty dry.  Plus, Boies spares no praise in writing about himself, and his self-described brilliance can get a little old.  But, as Ali used to say, "It ain't braggin if you can back it up."

Namath: A Biography by Mark Kriegel
Recommendation: for baby boomer football fans only.  The language and some of the content is pretty rough -- almost as if the author wants to give it the flavor of a football locker room, which isn't pretty.  Plus, if you always loved Joe Willie and don't want to burst your bubble of what a great guy he is -- stay away from this book.  I was intrigued by it because it shows that everything the world has to offer -- fame, money, sex, etc. -- can't make a downpayment on happiness.   

The Vendetta Defense by Lisa Scottoline
Recommendation: If you like legal thrillers or Italians, you'll love this book.  Scottoline is a master at developing interesting characters in exciting yet humorous ways.  I want to write like her when I grow up.

Kill the Messenger by Tami Hoag
Recommendation: Fair to middlin'.  The book starts off strong, with an intense chase scene involving a bicycle messenger.  After that, it's like yours truly the only time I rode the bike in a triathlon race -- start fast, then gradually slow down to a pace generously described as "leisurely."   Plus, the story line was a little bit too unrealistic for my taste.

Come Thirsty by Max Lucado
Recommendation:  It's Lucado, therefore it's good.  This one focuses more on the Holy Spirit than&nb sp;Luc ado's other books.  He has some great insights told in very memorable ways.  God is using this guy to touch a lot of readers. 

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown.
Recommendation: Don't waste your time.  Though this book is not as full of apostacy as Brown's more popular Davinci Code (see review below), it does not have the same fascinating plotting as the Code either.  The book features Code protagonist Robert Langdon, a Harvard symbologist, as he is thrust in the middle of a deadly war betweeen an ancient secret brotherhood -- The Illuminati (who believe in science, not religion) -- and the Roman Catholic Church.  My problem with the book is that the science is so nonsensical that I never bought Brown's premise.  And the torture and killing of Catholic Bishops gets old quick.

Killer Smile by Lisa Scottoline
Recommendation: B minus on plot; A plus on characterization.  Scottoline has done something I thought was impossible: written an incredibly fun book with a very boring plot.  Her characters are South Philly lawyers with a rich Italian heritage and Scottoline, no stranger to that culture, captures it perfectly.  On that score, this is the literary equivalent to the way My Big Fat Greek Wedding perfectly captured the Greek culture.  I found myself laughing in recognition of the family and personalities traits of my good Italian friends.  The plot concerns some long-dead guys (the protagonist calls it the "History Channel case") that didn't generate much interest from me.  But I liked the book enogh to start another Scottoline novel -- more Italians and hopefully, a better plot.

Brink of Death by Brandilyn Collins
Recommendation: a definite read.  Brandilyn is one of my favorite Christian authors and this novel lived up to expectations.  Her protagonist is a likeable, quirky single mom fighting to raise her kids and survive in the world.  In Brink of Death, she becomes a composite sketch artist and helps police solve a grizzly crime that occurred in her neighborhood.  At one point in the story, the tension was so real that I had to skip ahead and see what happened.  I never do that.  I think you'll like this one. Check it out at www.brandilyncollins.com

The Last Juror by John Grisham.
Recommendation: If you like Grisham, you'll love this one.  And if you don't like Grisham, what are you doing on this web page?   Grisham takes us back to his fictional town of Clanton, Mississippi.  He develops quirky characters that we end up caring about.  The plot's a little slow, but I'm sure they'll figure out a way to fix that before they release it as a movie. This was my second favorite Grisham book (right behind A Time to Kill).

Next Door Savior by Max Lucado. 
Recommendation: buy two one for you and one to give away.  This is Lucado at his best inspiring devotionals about a God powerful enough to save but close enough to be our next-door neighbor.  We've used it in our family devotions.

The Zero Game by Brad Meltzer.
Recommendation: a zero read.  Meltzer can do much better.  The concept has a lot of potential -- inside politicos betting on the outcome of legislation -- but is poorly executed.  I usually love Meltzer's stuff, so I gobbled this book up as soon as it came out.  Now, you can read this recommendation and save your money.  If you want to try Meltzer, read The Millionaries -- it's a much "richer" story.

The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. 
Recommendation: read this one with a jaundiced eye.  I would say don't read it at all, but since everybody else already has you might as well find out what they're talking about.  Remember, this book is fiction.  Brown is a gifted writer, but he's no theologian.  Nor is he a church historian.  He throws in just enough historical references and interesting tidbits about DaVinci and other historical figures to make you think the book is historically accurate.  It is not.  A slightly modified legal maxim is appropriate for this book: let the reader beware.

Breach of Promise by James Scott Bell.   
Recommendation: you'll like this one or you get your money back -- that's what the sticker said on the front of my book.  Don't expect me to be standing in line for a refund.  I read this one in about two days during a very busy time for me.  It's one of those books that draws you into the story and you find yourself figuring out ways to procastinate on life's other obligations so you can finish it.  

Dark to Mortal Eyes by Eric Wilson. 
Recommendation: wait to buy it until May 18, 2004, because that's when it comes out.  This is my good friend Eric Wilson's debut novel and I had the privilege of reading an advance copy.  Eric is one of those super-creative types who opens our eyes to the spiritual forces around us.  It's kind of a Stephen King meets Frank Peretti deal.   You can read my entire review on Eric's website -- www.wilsonwriter.com