Top 10 Books

The following are my Top 10 Books of all time:

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
I was the last person in the world to read this. I have a tendency to shy away from fiction that gains mainstream popularity, but now I see exactly why it achieved all of the fame that it did. Even if you don't believe all of the details in the book (and you shouldn't because some of them are flat-out wrong!), it is still a masterfully woven conspiracy theory that turns 2,000 years of accepted history on its head. In the end, I made it #1 simply because of all of the books I've ever read, I enjoyed (from an entertainment perspective) this one the most.

2. The Tipping Point (Malcolm Gladwell)
Anytime you read non-fiction, you are usually coming to the work as a lay person. Meaning the person writing the book probably knows a heckuva lot more on the subject than you do. Which can be tough because it makes it difficult to question the theories put forth. I don't know whether or not all of the historical events that Gladwell points out can necessarily be pinpointed to their Tipping Point, but the coincidences and timing of each of them seem too remarkable to not be accurate.

3. The Doomsday Book (Connie Willis)
I'm not usually a fan of science-fiction, but I had to read this for our book club in Denver and found it to be a fantastic read. Although historical fiction is probably a better description than science-fiction given all of the history included in the book. I poured through this one in just a couple of days as I couldn't put it down.

4. Lessons on Love
I lead a busy, crazy, hectic life. I am constantly moving at 100 mph and--with more frequency than I care to admit--miss the immediacy of moments as they pass me by. After reading this book, you will forever have a different view on the importance (or lack thereof) of the 100 tasks you have on your To Do List today and what it means to truly love something/someone.

5. Unforgettable Fire (Eamon Dunphy)
The biography of U2 as told by Eamon Dunphy through his years of knowing and traveling with the band. Like Rattle and Hum, this book was written at a perfect time in the band's history coming off of the Joshua Tree album but before albums like Zooropa. (I'm not knocking Zooropa, I'm just making a statement about the changes that the band has gone through over the last 30 years). This one will take you all the way back to Paul, Larry, Dave, and Adam's childhoods and the forming of the band in high school.

6. Term Limits (Vince Flynn)
The book that started the Mitch Rapp legacy. Flynn creates a fantastic middleground between the quick-read nature of Clancy's Op-Center series and the "I need seven straight days of vacation to finish this book" nature of Clancy's core books (The Bear and the Dragon, Clear and Present Danger, The Sum of All Fears, etc.) And Mitch is pretty much the coolest guy ever.

7. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
I once read somewhere that different people come to you at different points in your life when you need them most. I think books are the same way. The first time I picked up this book, I didn't like it. The second time, it was almost life-changing. Great life philosophies that will have you thinking deep.

8. Encylopedia Brown (Donald Sobol)
I'm not joking. My entire grade school years were consumed with reading these books. Encylopedia's adventures solving the mysteries of his small town all while trying to avoid the path of bully Bugs Meany.

9. The Way of the Peaceful Warrior (Dan Millman)
This book is a little too "Karate Kid", but if taken in the right light has much to say about the philosophy of living life and chosing to do what you want to do in life.

10. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
You have to take a book for what it is at the time you read it. When I read this my sophomore year in college, it changed my life and I tried to get everyone I knew around me to read it. Now, I'd probably just laugh if I read it again.

Just Missed the List: Without Remorse (Tom Clancy), Scimitar SL-2 (Patrick Robinson)