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"Show of Force" by Charles D. Taylor |
 By the books Tom clancy-style Cold War thriller in which American and Russian navy forces square off in the Indian Ocean while both are cut off from communicating with their respective commands. |
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"Why the Jews Rejected Jesus" by David Klinghoffer |
 This 2012 extended essay from an observant Jew caused quite a stir in both Jewish and Christian circles when it was published, for a variety of reasons. Klinghoffer argues that the apostles, as expressed in the New Testament, betray an ignorance of the Jewish Scripture that meant learned Jews of that time, as well as subsequent centuries, could not — and did not — take Christian claims of Jesus being the Messiah seriously. And, even as a believing Catholic, I accept that Peter and the others were not learned men, nor theologic scholars. They were fishers, tradesmen, tax collectors. While some Christian apologists have tried to rebut this book point by point, to me that rather misses the larger point: Faith, whether Jewish or Chrisitian, is not ultimately an intellectual exercise. The most intriguing portion of this book for me comes near the end, when Klinghoffer explores contemporary Jewish theories that Christianity may in fact be a legitimate offspring of Judaism that carries out the Scriptural exhortation to carry the word of God to all the nations. |
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"The Grass Is Always Greener" by Brian Gushue |
 Written by my longtime colleague at the old, sadly defunct North County Times daily newspaper in San Dieog County, this book captures Brian Gushue's evolving quest to see as much NFL football in person as possible. It began with a desire to see a game at every stadium with natural grass — as Brian is, in my view, quite reasonable in his opposition to the plastic stuff. That evolved into a goal to see 500 games in person at grass fields, a challenge he captures in his fun little book that highlights some of the better memories from that journey, and well as humorous situations that naturally occur during such an epic quest. (A side note: In the spring of 2019, a new spring pro league (Alliance of American Football) started up, and San Diego landed a new team, The Fleet, to take the place of the recently departed Chargers, who'd chased more money up to L.A. Week 2, the Fleet are at home against Atlanta, and I'm there. It was a rare rainy night in San Diego, and I'm getting soaked when Brian texted me: "Hey, I have an extra seat under the overhang — come sit by me. I did, the Fleet won with a flurry of scores in the fourth quarter, and we all spent too much money on merchandise for a team and league that would fold just weeks later.) |
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"Apex Blues" by Cecile J. Picou |
 A dual biography of pioneering New Orleans clarinetist Jimmie Noone and his son, San Diego-based Jimmy Noone Jr., was written by Noone Jr.'s wife. She and Jimmy Jr. had begun researching his father's biography before the son passed unexpectedly in 1991. If the son never achieved the heights of fame and success his father had in the 1920s and '30s, his own clarinet work with Jeannie & Jimmy Cheatham's Sweet Baby Blues Band in the 1980s was stellar, and he coudl double on tenor sax as well. (Read my full review at San Diego Troubadour.) |
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"Stories of the Road, the Studios, Sidemen & Singers: 55 Years in the Music Biz" by Bill Mays |
 An informal, fairly unstructured memoir by the respected jazz pianist is organized as a series of memories, stories and vignettes. Mays' career in jazz began in the early 1960s while he was still stationed in San Diego with the Navy, and continues to this day, so the list of folks he's played with (and has funny stories about!) is impressive. Well-written, breezy, and never too serious, this is one of the better "behind the scenes" look into top-flight jazz players. |
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