#99, "What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions"

"What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions"
by Randall Monroe

One of the most enjoyable books I've read all year. Monroe looks at the craziest scenarios and attempts to answer each in incisive and complete detail, usually to a disastrous end. His style is hilarious and very readable, as befits a scientist-turned-webcomic. The book was read by Will Wheaton, as well, which made it even better. This one is going to end up near the top of my favorites from the year.

98, "Murder on the Orient Express"

"Murder on the Orient Express"
by Agatha Christie

This is the first book from Agatha Christie I'd ever read. I was happy that this one was another that my wife Jessica read along with me. The version we had was an excellent reading by Kenneth Branagh, who stars in the new film adaptation (which I have not seen). Branagh's performance is truly awesome, and in some ways was more impressive and compelling than the actual material from the book. The mystery is pretty good, however, with a decent build of odd and seemingly unrelated happenings that come to a head at the conclusion well enough. I don't think it is a perfect novel. The conceit behind the final reveal is, to me, a little far-fetched, and I didn't buy it one hundred percent. Jessica guessed the ending, more or less, about halfway through. It was enjoyable, though--in no small part due to Branagh's performance, as I said--and I am glad to have finally gotten around to reading Agatha Christie.

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#97, "What Teachers Make"

"What Teachers Make"by Taylor Mali

This book is an expansion of a now-famous poem by the same author, Taylor Mali. By expansion, I mean that he takes a line or two of the poem (you can see Mali perform it live here) and talks about the circumstances in his teaching career that precipitated the concept behind it. The poem itself is galvanizing for teachers, a call-to-arms, a demand for respect and recognition of one of the most impactful and important professions on the planet. The book is just as excellent, challenging, insightful and inspiring. Teachers--good and bad--really do make a difference, and Mali does a great job of explaining some reasons why.

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#96, "How to Manage Your Money When You Don't Have Any"

"How to Manage Your Money When You Don't Have Any"
By Eric Wecks

What a slog. The majority of the book is concerned with the perils of consumer debt (duh) and what not to do, including ridiculous examples (don't spend $1,200 a month on shoes if you want to keep your home!). The few practical tips are generic and do not break new ground. He makes a good point about looking at a budget in terms of what you value--that is, you spend money based on your value system and should budget accordingly or change your values--but other than that Wecks does not have much that mattered to me. This one is definitely going near the bottom of my list for the year.