Bill's Reading List

Books

General Reading

• The Holy Bible, the sacred scriptures of the Christian faith.


• Brave Ship, Brave Men, by Arnold S. Lott (©1986 Naval Institute Press)


• H.M.S. Ulysses, by Alistair MacLean (© 1960 Doubleday), or for that matter any novel by this author.


• Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis (© 1952 MacMillan Publishing Company), or for that matter work by this author.


• The Light and the Glory, by Peter Marshall and David Manuel (© 1977 Fleming H. Revell Company)


• The Navy, edited by Rear Admiral W. J. Holland, USN (Ret.) (© 2000 Navy Historical Foundation)



Professional Reading

• On Intelligence, by Jeff Hawkins and Sandra Blakeslee (© 2004 Henry Holt)


• The Language Instinct, by Steven Pinker (© 1994 William Morrow & Co.)


• How the Mind Works, by Steven Pinker (© 1997 W. W. Norton & Co., Inc.)


• The Cathedral & The Bazaar, by Eric S. Raymond (© 1999 O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.)


• The New Renaissance: Computers and the Next Level of Civilization, by Douglas S. Robertson (© 1998 Oxford University Press)


• Concepts of Programming Languages, by Robert W. Sebesta (Third through Ninth Editions © 1996-2009 Addison Wesley)


• Introduction to Languages and the Theory of Computation, by John C. Martin (Second through Fourth Editions © 1997-2010 McGraw-Hill)

Films and Plays

• Fiddler on the Roof,
  by Sholom Aleichem (book © 1894) and Joseph Stein (musical © 1964, music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick)
  Tevye the Milkman is a Jewish peasant in pre-Revolutionary Russia who copes with his life by talking daily to God.

I am inspired by Tevye's daily, candid conversations with God. I note how this strengthens him for facing the tough decisions in life. And, I admire his honor and respect for tradition, blended well with an openness to trying new ideas. But it's important to know where to draw the line.

• Zulu, (© 1964 by MGM)
  Directed by Cy Endfield; Writing credits John Prebble
  Action: Outnumbered British soldiers do battle with Zulu warriors at Rorke's Drift.
  How the British ruled the world.

I have always hoped that should the need arise, I would display this kind of courage. I pray to God that the need never arises. In the meanwhile, the thing to do is just to do my duty.

• Shadowlands, (© 1993 by HBO)
  Directed by Richard Attenborough; Writing credits William Nicholson
  Romance: C.S. Lewis, a world-renowned writer and professor, leads a passionless life until he meets spirited poet Joy Gresham.
  What Shadowlands does, it does very well. If perhaps not completely factually correct, the emotions are "spot on".

I yearn to be able to think as deeply as C.S. Lewis thought, and to be able to love as passionately as he loved. In any case, it's nice to know all of us can be surprised by joy.

• Silent Night, (© 2002 by Hallmark Entertainment)
  Directed by Rodney Gibbons; Writing credits Roger Aylward
  Drama: Germany, 1944, Christmas Eve. Sometimes the darkest moments giver birth to the brightest miracles.
  A moving, redemptive story about finding peace in the midst of war.

War is hell. But noble humans can overcome its evil. If we try, we can always seek ways to meet with our opponents in the middle. We may not part ways in full agreement, but at least we can be more understanding of each other for having met. And, we can always remember Jesus loves all people.

Poetry

• The Donkey by G. K. Chesterton
• To A Mouse by Robert Burns
• The Lamb by William Blake
• The Tiger by William Blake
• The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
• Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll
• The Walrus and The Carpenter by Lewis Carroll
• This Amazing and Expanding Universe from Monty Python's The Meaning of Life

Return to my homepage.