- Starbridge, by Ann Crispin. The premise of this little sci-fi book isn’t terribly original-it’s a fairly standard First Contact story-but the execution is perfect. It’s a story of ordinary folks on a freighter from somewhere to somewhere else who get lucky enough to stumble across an alien radio transmission and have to use their common sense and whatever they have onboard to peacefully accomplish Earth’s first alien contact. It’s heartwarming and inspiring and reminds me of all the things I like best about science fiction. The author used it to kick off a series of similar books, which I’m starting into; Book 2 is merely average, but #3 looks promising.
- The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss. This is the best fiction book I have read in my life. The entire Fantasy genre has been leading up to this crescendo. The book is over seven hundred pages long, and none of it is filler. The author describes a vivid and coherent world filled with fun and clever characters, dips into myth just long enough for you to understand why "Charred body of God!" is the most common swearphrase, and unveils a magic system that’s all based on science. SCIENCE! Rothfuss goes into detail about transference ratios and energy conservation and heatsinks! And once the system is in place, it’s just dazzling the clever things the protagonist does with it, and that’s just one of his talents-he’s a brilliant musician and actor as well. The book is a spectacular melding of science, myth, music, and love. It’s the kind of book that looks daunting when you take it off the shelf but which you’ll try to stretch to make the last hundred pages last a little longer. Can’t wait for the sequel, due out in April.
- Waking the Dead, by John Eldredge. This is the best nonfiction book I have ever read. It explains what mainstream Christianity is missing, why Christians are often no better or happier than their neighbors, and what can be done about it. It reminds Christians that we were born into a world at war between the forces of good and evil, that our hearts are the most precious and powerful things we have, and that God has great things for us to do. pazuzuzu, I’m still working on that Manifesto post I promised you, but if I had to condense it down into three words I’d say: Read this book. This book, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, and the Bible should be the first three volumes on every Christian’s bookshelf. (Though not in that order, obviously.)
If all of this sounds a little radical, well, it is. 
But if you want a taste of what I’m talking about, grab Epic (also by Eldredge) from your local Border’s-it’s a little $3 introduction to the ideas Eldredge brings to the table. Waking the Dead has changed my life, and it will change others' if I have anything to say about it! 
In completely unrelated news, who knew that the band responsible for the
most nonsensical song of all time also created a
pretty decent modern adaptation of
the woman of Proverbs 31?