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Hegemony or survival : America's quest for global dominance by Noam Chomsky. As the band REM says, "It;s the end of the world and I feel fine"  Thank you GW!

The atomic bazaar [sound recording] : the rise of the nuclear poor by
  Langewiesche, William.  Interesting.  US intelligence failed again. When will there be a nuclear exchange in the world?

imperial Ambitions by Noam Chomsky.  Excellent.  A concise summary of Failed States

Failed States by Noam Chomsky.  Excellent. Read it especially if you think you live in a democratic country like the USA. 

Leaving Microsoft to Save the World by John Wood.  Another excellent read. The world needs more John Woods in it.

Eat, Pray, Love by Melissa Gilbert.  Excellent read.

Unforgotten Solder by Guy Sajer.   Alright but not believable at times.

An Omnivores Dilemma.   The history of food.  Very informative. A good read. 

America's Bubble Economy. Profit when it Pops by Weidmar.   Easy read but right to the point.   Get ready for the ride. 

 The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins.  Excellent.   God save me from your followers!

Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris.   Excellent.  May I add as Woody Allen said, "If there turns out to be a God, I don't think that he is evil. But the worst that you can say about him is that basically he's an underachiever".  Especially considering his most ardent followers!

2006

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.  Sucked.  Couldn't finish it.  My multi-day motorcycle trips prejudiced me. 

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut.   I like Vonnegut's view of humanity. 

Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins.  Excellent.  Read it and weep especially if you are on the wrong side of the greedy, elite, power brokers. 

Life after Death by Deepak Chopra.  As a reviewer said,  anyone who will die should read this book. 

Misquoting Jesus by Bart Ehrman.   Mapping a religion to the landscape.  Good educational information about the human document, the bible. 

The Brothers Bulger, How They Terrorized and Corrupted Boston for a Quarter Century by Howie Carr.   Excellent.  The best read of the year. Couldn't put it down. I always knew that Boston and Massachusetts was corrupt when I lived there and this book provides great details. 

Armed Madhouse by Greg Palast.  Excellent if you want to understand what's really going on with US politics, stolen elections, Iraqi War, class war, peak oil.

Mayflower by Nathan Philbrick. Excellent. All the things about the Pilgrims and Puritans that I didn't know and I'm from New England.

Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson.   Very good. Very entertaining especially if you are thinking about traveling in Europe. 

Skeletons on the Zahara by Dean King.   I usually like real life books of suffering and endurance but this one seemed fake to me.  Reminded me of the Long Walk. 

I Chong, Meditations from the Joint by Tommy Chong.  Good book. Worth the read. Wish he would have continued with biographical information about his life not just his early years. 

A Miracle in the Andes by Nando Parrado. Excellent. Couldn't put it down until I finished it.

The Adventurist: My Life in Dangerous Place by Robert Young Pelton.  OK but needs more details of his adventures. 

Better Off, Flipping the Switch on Technology by Eric Brendle.  Excellent read. Motivating.

Night by Ellie Weisel.  Written very well but the end of the book seemed rushed. 

The Long Walk. The True Story of  A Trek to Freedom by Slavomir Rawicz.    It started off great but then became unbelievable and I lost interest in it. 

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly.  Excellent read. This book is a keeper. 

Seize the Fire, Heroism, Duty and Nelson's Battle at Trafalgar by Adam Nicholson.   Not bad but the author is such an anglophile that it detracts from the book.

Electric Universe,  David Bodanis.  Interesting stories of the scientists behind the equations and discoveries.  There's a movie to be made about Alan Turing's life.

Your Inner Ape by Frans De Waal.      Interesting read. 

In Praise of Slowness by Carl Honore   Good reminder to slow down and be present. 

The World is Flat by Thomas Freidman.  Freidman loves himself and this just drags on and on but at the same time I am recommending it to my nephews who will have to live with globalization.

Shadow Divers, Robert Kurson  - Excellent book. Very well written.

True North,  Peary and Cooke, and the Race to the North Pole by Bruce Henderson - Excellent book but I'm still not sure who climbed McKinley first or reached the Pole first.  Is this propaganda from Cook's side? 

Fools Rush In by Bill Carter.

Slow Burn by Stu Mittleman

Adventure Capitalist by Jim Rogers

Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder

The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert. 

Deep Survival, Who Lives, Who Dies and Why by Laurence Gonzales

Beyond Backpacking Guide to Lightweight Hiking by Ray Jardine

Vagabonding by Rolf Potts

Gould's Book of Fish by Richard Flanagan

Bull by Maggie Maher

Jarhead by Anthony Swofford

The Corporation, The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power by Joel Bakan

The Best Democracy Money Can Buy by Greg Palast

Against the Gods, The History of Probability, Peter Bernstein

Collapsed by Jared Diamond

recommendations from Ted 'cavedog' Keizer