Hats off to Hillcrest High School's boys basketball team

Congratulations to Hillcrest High School’s varsity boys basketball team this week for representing Conecuh County in the Class 4A state tournament.

Even though the Jags, who have been ranked among the best teams in their class all season, came up short against Anniston in the semifinals Wednesday of last week in Birmingham, they still deserve a pat on the back for posting the best season the school’s basketball program has had in several years.

Hillcrest Head Coach Warren Roberts Jr. did an outstanding job coaching and managing his team this season, and it’ll be interesting to see how well they do next season after the loss of five remarkable seniors.

Seniors on the team include state all-tourney player DeAundre Lyons, Chris Joyner, Chris Howard, Randell Taylor and Travis Stallworth.

Other players on the team include juniors Barron Smith, Barry Smith, Cleveland Thomas, Keith Richardson, Terrance Simpson, Laquiention Prince and Tevin Rudolph. Sophomores include Demetrius Likely and Rajah Savage.

If you see any of these players or Coach Roberts out on the street, give them a big pat on the back and let them know how much you appreciate their efforts this season.

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Evergreen’s Chris Hines played his final regular season home game at Alabama on Saturday, helping to lead the Tide to a 65-57 win over Georgia. Alabama didn’t lose a home game all season, and Hines played a big part in making that happen.

Hines is one of four seniors on this year’s team, and it’ll be interesting to watch how he fairs at the next level. I’d love to see Hines make a pro roster. This year’s NBA draft will be held on June 23 in Newark, N.J. Of course, if he’s not drafted, he could make a team as a free agent or find himself on one of the league’s development teams.

With that said, I’m probably getting the cart ahead of the horse because I’m really looking forward to seeing how Alabama does in the SEC tournament. Hopefully, they’ll finish strong and be among the teams selected to this year’s NCAA tourney.

If they don’t make the NCAA tourney, then they’re surely a shoo-in for the NIT tourney, which will mean more television exposure for Hines and the other seniors on the team.

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High school baseball and softball is in full swing now in Conecuh County and with the time changing this weekend, we’ll have plenty of long afternoons ahead to enjoy the upcoming games. I think that our local teams will be improved over last year’s teams, and it’ll be fun to see how they match up against their area opponents.

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I saw in Ripley’s Believe It or Not! earlier this week that the University of Mount Union football team in Alliance, Ohio won its 100th consecutive regular season away game on Nov. 6, 2010 by beating the team from Baldwin-Wallace College – the last home team to beat them back in 1991.

Did I ever tell you about the time I met Conan the Barbarian?

Did I ever tell you about the time that I met Conan the Barbarian?

No?

It was the same day that I met the Terminator.

No joke.

Back in 2004, I don’t remember the exact date, I found myself at Camp Arifjan (pronounced Air-Riff-John), a hot and dusty Army camp that served as a major logistical hub for units taking part in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

From time to time at these places, USO tours would pass through and bring celebrities to visit the troops. These USO groups usually included pro sports team cheerleaders, professional athletes, actors and comedians. Some that I remember include R. Lee Ermy (the drill sergeant from “Full Metal Jacket), the Washington Redskin cheerleaders, a handful of professional wrestlers and comedians Al Franken and Robin Williams. As you might imagine, when the USO came to town, they drew a big crowd.

On this particular day, Arnold Schwarzenegger was the main attraction. At the time, while he made no mention of it, he was running for the California governor’s seat, a position that he held up until earlier this year. For the troops that wanted to see and hear him, you had to be at the mess hall at a certain time.

Camp Arifjan had what was reputedly the largest mess hall in the Army, but that still didn’t keep me from standing in the longest line I’ve ever stood in in my life. In Army talk, we had to stand in line to get in line.

When I finally made it into the building, it was packed. Most folks just stood around, mainly because they couldn’t move due to the size of the crowd, but I was slowly able to make my way closer to the front of the crowd. Before long, I was actually close enough to hear “Ahh-nold” speak and when he began to take a few minutes to shake hands with the troops, I found myself among the first few to shake his giant hand.

As long as I live, I’ll never forget my exact thoughts at that moment. I gripped his hand, looked him in the eye and gave it a firm shake. The encounter lasted all of about two seconds before he moved on to shake the hand of the person behind me.

It was in that moment, as I stepped to the side that I thought: Man, I just shook hands with Conan the Barbarian.

Some of you may laugh at that, but I can’t help but connect Arnold with Conan, given that Arnold played the role of the famed, fictional barbarian in a number of movies in the 1980s. (He’s also famous for his role as the Terminator in that series of movies.)

I only mention all of this because I got to thinking about my encounter with Arnold the other day when I had the pleasure of reading Robert E. Howard’s “The Conquering Sword of Conan.” Published in November 2005, the book includes such sword-and-sorcery classics as “The Servants of Bit-Yakin," “Beyond the Black River,” “The Black Stranger,” “Man-Eaters of Zamboula," and “Red Nails.” These stories and others like them inspired the Conan the Barbarian movies that helped make Arnold famous. I highly recommend the book for any Conan fans out there. Check it out when you get a chance. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

The Evergreen Courant's Sports Flashback for March 10, 2011

FOUR YEARS AGO
MARCH 8, 2007

“Neil Presley finished a doubleheader with three base hits Saturday afternoon at J.U. Blacksher High School at Uriah. Presley, a junior infielder/pitcher for the Jaguars, went 2-for-4 in the first game, scored a run and stole a base. In the second game, he had a single and scored a run.”
Other players on Hillcrest’s team that year included Marc Barlow, Quin Lee, John Dees, Ryan Moorer, Keon McCaskill, Jerrod Thomas, Zan Nevlous, Tony Nettles, Quinton Simpson, Delarius Simpson, Astin Mixon, Laroy Samuel, Jeremy Ealum, Rodney McQueen, Corey Poindexter, Billy Dunnivan, Alex Samuel, Trey Salter and Leroy Samuel. Rick Badger was head coach.

“Junior pitcher/infielder Myles Wiggins went 2-for-2 Saturday to highlight Sparta Academy’s offensive efforts against a solid Southern Academy team in Evergreen.”
Other players on Sparta’s team that year included Chris Cinereski, Hunter Hutcheson, Gaston Bozeman, J.R. Williams, Chase Brown, Perry Thompson, Dylan Davis and Taylor Brown. Mike Sims was head coach.

“Sparta Academy’s Lady Warriors collected seven base hits, including three doubles, to highlight the offense Saturday in a 22-6 loss to Southern Academy in Evergreen.
“Jessica Searcy, Susan Ann Cook and Sarah Smith each had a double for the Warriors.”
Other players on Sparta’s team that year included Frankie Gibson, Sarah Smith, Elizabeth Cinereski, Nicole Bradley and Hayden Talbot.

19 YEARS AGO
MARCH 12, 1992

“Selanmin and Green Gross display their trophies which they received last Saturday night at Lyeffion Junior High School during the football and basketball banquet. Selanmin received a participation trophy and a trophy in honor of the late Green Gross Sr. as well as leadership and participation trophies in basketball. Green, his younger brother, received a participation and best defensive lineman trophies from the tiny mite division. Their parents are Green and Juanita Gross Jr.”

“Finally, no more fishing tales! It took several hours, but Melissa Wright finally caught a fish… a three-pound bass.”

34 YEARS AGO
MARCH 10, 1977

“Donna Salter and Janice Pugh of the Sparta Academy Warriors will play in the Alabama Private Schools Athletic Association Girls All-Star Basketball Game at Fort Dale Academy in Greenville tomorrow.”

“Warriors play in Jamboree Saturday night: The Sparta Academy Warriors will climax spring football practice when they take part in a jamboree at Greenville Academy at 7:30 Saturday night. Greenville, Fort Dale and South Butler academies will be the other teams taking part.
“Sparta’s Warriors have had 36 boys taking part in spring drills, according to head coach Mike Bledsoe and assistant coach Darwin Cook. The boys trying to earn places on the squad are, by grades:
11th grade, David Sabino, Harry Crabtree, Joey Rayfield, Jamie McKenzie, Mike Webb, Johnny Ralls, Steve Dubose, Gray Stevens, Bob McCreary;
10th grade, Bill Cope, Hal Hart, Greg Anthony, Tony Raines, Tommy Hutcheson, Jimmy Ellis, Tony Baggett, Bobby Padgett;
9th grade, Terry Peacock, Ronny McKenzie, Wayne Gladwell, Greg Crabtree;
8th grade, Robert Owens, Bobby Mason, Jeff Johnson, Steven Likens, Shayne Odom, Mike Raines, Mike Ellis, Scott Baggett, Terry Shipp, Darwin Nix, Richard Nix, Jeff Hutcheson;
7th grade, Tripp Hendrix, Mike Mixon; and 6th grade, Trent Carrier.

49 YEARS AGO
MARCH 8, 1962

“The Evergreen Aggies lost to a hot-shooting group of Theodore Bobcats Thursday night at the U.M.S. Gym in Mobile in the first round of the 1st District’s Class AA Basketball Tournament.
“Mike Ward and Donnie Jones, who played what was his best game thus far for the Aggies, each had a dozen for the losers.”

“The Conecuh County Training School Eagles placed second in the South Alabama Athletic Association Tournament in Monroeville Saturday. Monroe County Training School placed first by defeating the Eagles, 61-58.
“Before conceding to MCTS, the Eagles defeated Rosa Lott High of Mobile, Harper High of Jackson and Williamson of Mobile.
“The final saw the Eagles leading much of the time but losing strength at the last of the game.
“High scorer for the Eagles was Douglas Evans with an average of 32 points for the four games and 35 for the final.”

“The annual girls basketball tournament will begin today at 6 p.m. at the Evergreen High School Gym. The tournament is composed of teams chosen from each physical education class and players are selected on the basis of their skill and sportsmanship.”

64 YEARS AGO
MARCH 13, 1947

“The Aggies led by Carpenter rolled through Citronelle, Excel and W.S. Neal before losing to McGill and Monroeville in the 1st District Tournament this week at Frisco City.
“Citronelle bowed to the fourth-seeded Aggies by a score of 50-17 with Logue leading the scoring with 14 points.
“Excel defeated Grove Hill and met the Aggies in the second round. At the final whistle the score was 40 to 19 with Excel on the short end of the score. Logue and Carpenter led the point getting with 16 and 12, respectively.
“The Aggies quarterfinal opponent was W.S. Neal’s five, who had defeated Fairhope and Damascus. These boys were hot throughout the tournament, but the Aggies had very little trouble winning by a score of 34-13.
“The semifinal opponent of the Aggies was first-seeded McGill. The Aggies played good ball but fell to McGill by a score of 54 to 32.
“In the consolation game, the Aggies started strong but gradually slowed up and lost to Monroeville 33 to 16. Jones led the scoring for the Aggies with six. Capt. Carpenter led his team through the tournament and was selected to the all-district team. The Aggies also were presented a plaque as the best sportsmanlike team in the district.”

My movie picks this week are 'Battle: Los Angeles' and 'Inside Job'

It’s Wednesday, so today I give you my weekly list of movies that will open in theatres this week as well as a list of movies that will be released this week on DVD.

I hope this will serve as a useful guide as to what’s going on this week if you happen to be near a movie theatre or if you’re looking for something to drop into your NetFlix queue.

Movies that are scheduled to hit theatres this Friday include:

3 Backyards (R, Drama): Directed by Eric Mendelsohn and starring Embeth Davidtz, Edie Falco, Elias Koteas, Rachel Resheff and Kathryn Erbe.

Around June (Not Yet Rated, Drama): Directed by James Savoca and starring Samaire Armstrong.

Battle: Los Angeles (PG-13, Action, Science-Fiction): Directed by Jonathan Liebesman and starring Aaron Eckhart, Michael Pena, Bridget Rodriguez, Joey King and Brandi Coleman.

Black Death (R, Action, Horror, Thriller): Directed by Christopher Smith and starring Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne, Carice van Houten, Kimberly Nixon and David Masterson.

The Certified Copy (Not Rated, Drama Romance): Directed by Abbas Kiarostami and starring Juliette Binoche, Jean-Claude Carriere, Agathe Natanson and William Shimell.

Clash (Not Yet Rated, Foreign, Action, Drama): Directed by Le Thanh Son and starring Hieu Hien, Thanh Van Ngo, Hoang Phuc Nguyen, Johnny Nguyen and Lam Minh Thang.

Jane Eyre (PG-13, Romance, Drama): Directed by Cary Fukunaga and starring Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell, Judi Dench and Sally Hawkins.

Kill the Irishman (R, Crime and Mystery, Thriller, Drama): Directed by Jonathan Hensleigh and starring Val Kilmer, Christopher Walken, Linda Cardellini, Ray Stevenson and Vinnie Jones.

Mars Needs Mom (PG, Science Fiction, Comedy, Family): Directed by Simon Wells and starring the voices of Seth Green, Dan Fogler, Joan Cusack, Elisabeth Harnois and Matthew Wolf.

Monogamy (Not Yet Rated, Drama): Directed by Dana Adam Shapiro and starring Chris Messina, Rashida Jones and Meital Dohan.

Red Riding Hood (PG-13, Horror, Thriller, Suspense, Fantasy): Directed by Catherine Hardwicke and starring Amanda Seyfried, Shiloh Fernandez, Julie Christie, Gary Oldman and Billy Burke.

New DVD releases for the week of March 8 include:

Every Day (R, Drama, Comedy): Directed by Richard Levine and starring Helen Hunt, Live Schreiber, Carla Gugino, Eddie Izzard and Brian Dennehy.

A Film Unfinished (Not Rated, Documentary): Directed by Yael Hersonski.

Four Lions (R, Comedy): Directed by Chris Morris and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Will Adamsdale, Riz Ahmed and Adeel Akhtar.

Inside Job (PG-13, Documentary, Epic and Historical, Special Interest): Directed by Charles Ferguson and starring the voice of Matt Damon.

Jackass 3 (R, Comedy, Reality): Directed by Jeff Tremaine and starring Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Steve-O, Chris Pontius and Ryan Dunn.

The Man From Nowhere (R, Action, Crime): Starring Won Bin and Kim Sae-Ron.

Morning Glory (PG-13, Comedy, Drama): Directed by Roger Michell and starring Rachel McAdama, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, Patrick Wilson and Jeff Goldblum.

The Next Three Days (PG-13, Suspense, Action, Drama, Thriller): Directed by Paul Haggis and starring Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson, Olivia Wilde and Jonathan Tucker.

Tales From Earthsea (PG-13, Adventure, Fantasy, Animation): Directed by Goro Miqazaki and starring the voices of Willem Dafoe, Timothy Dalton, Mariska Hargitay, Cheech Marin and Matt Levin.

If I could only watch one movie at the theatre this week, it would be “Battle: Los Angeles,” and if I had to pick just one DVD to rent this week, it would be “Inside Job.”

In the end, let me know if you get a chance to watch any of the new movies in theatres this week or if you’ve already seen any of the movies that have just been released on DVD. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

Honey Bee spotted 18 days before start of Spring

My son and I went on a “bug hunt” Friday afternoon and despite a stiff wind, we found a couple of photo-worthy specimens.

The insect, pictured at right, appears to be a Honey Bee (Apis mellifera), and we spotted it on a dandelion that was growing on the shady, north end of our house. I thought it was interesting that we spotted this bee 18 days before the first official day of Spring, which technically begins this year on March 22.

According to the National Audubon Society’s “Field Guide to Insects & Spiders,” there are three types of Honey Bees – male drones, sterile female workers and queens. The guide says that drones are “more robust with largest compound eyes,” and workers are the smallest of the three. Queens are “elongate with smallest compound eyes and larger abdomen.”

I think the Honey Bee pictured above is sterile female worker, because the field guide says that “workers visit flowers of many kinds in meadows, open woods, and gardens.” Drones die after mating with a queen and unmated drones are denied food and die, the guide says.

All three types are “mostly reddish brown and black with paler, usually orange-yellow rings on abdomen,” the field guide said. Their heads, antennae and legs are “almost black with short, pale erect hair densest on thorax, least on abdomen.” Their wings are translucent, that is, light can pass through them. Honey Bees also have a pollen basket on their hind tibia, that is, the larger of the lower leg segments.

Honey Bees, which are known for pollinating crops and making honey, are common worldwide, and they build their hives in hollow trees or hives kept by beekeepers. They are often seen swarming around tree limbs. According to the field guide, settlers first brought Honey Bees to North American in the 1600s. For food, adult Honey Bees drink nectar and eat honey.

Here’s what the field guide says about the life cycle of the Honey Bee:

“Complex social behavior centers on maintaining queen for full lifespan, usually two or three years, sometimes up to five. Queen lays eggs at intervals, producing a colony of 60,000-80,000 workers, which collect, produce and distribute honey and maintain hive. Workers feed royal jelly to queen continuously and to all larvae for first three days; then only queen larvae continue eating royal jelly while other larvae are fed bee bread, a mixture of honey and pollen. By passing food mixed with saliva to one another, members of hive have chemical bond.

“New queens are produced in late spring and early summer; old queen then departs with a swarm of workers to found new colony. About a day later the first new queen emerges, kills other new queens and sets out for a few days of orientation flights. In 3-16 days, queen again leaves hive to mate, sometimes mating with several drones before returning to hive.

Friday afternoon’s trip was our second “bug hunting” trip the kids and I made this year, and we conducted it like we do all of our bug hunts. We make one lap around the yard, checking the various trees and bushes for any sign of life.

Sometimes we find insects, sometimes we don’t, but I’ve often been surprised by the number and variety of insects that visit our one-acre yard. As the seasons change and temperatures become more insect-friendly, look for more insect photos and descriptions to follow in the coming weeks.

Which sci-fi novel will win this year's Arthur C. Clarke Award?

The six finalists for this year’s Arthur C. Clarke Award were announced on Friday, and this year’s shortlist includes some of the hottest science fiction titles of the year.

Named for one of the biggest names in science fiction, the Arthur C. Clarke Award is given annually for the best science fiction novel first published in the United Kingdom during the previous year.

This year’s finalists are:

- “Zoo City” by Lauren Beukes
- “The Dervish House” by Ian McDonald
- “Monsters of Men” by Patrick Ness
- “Generosity” by Richard Powers
- “Declare” by Tim Powers
- “Lightborn” by Tricia Sullivan

The winner will be announced on April 27 at the SCI-FI-LONDON Film Festival in London.

The Arthur C. Clarke Award was first given in 1987, and past recipients include such famous science fiction writers as Margaret Atwood, China Mieville and Neal Stephenson. What follows is a complete list of the all-time winners.

1987 – “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood
1988 – “The Sea and Summer” by George Turner
1989 – “Unquenchable Fire” by Rachel Pollack
1990 – “The Child Garden” by Geoff Ryman
1991 – “Take Back Plenty” by Colin Greenland
1992 – “Synners” by Pat Cadigan
1993 – “”Body of Glass” by Marge Piercy
1994 – “Vurt” by Jeff Noon
1995 – “Fools” by Pat Cadigan
1996 – “Fairyland” by Paul J. McAuley
1997 – “The Calcutta Chromosome” by Amitav Ghosh
1998 – “The Sparrow” by Mary Doria Russell
1999 – “Dreaming in Smoke” by Tricia Sullivan
2000 – “Distraction” by Bruce Sterling
2001 – “Perdido Street Station” by China Mieville
2002 – “Bold As Love” by Gwyneth Jones
2003 – “The Separation” by Christopher Priest
2004 – “Quicksilver” by Neal Stephenson
2005 – “Iron Council” by China Mieville
2006 – “Air” by Geoff Ryman
2007 – “Nova Swing” by M. John Harrison
2008 – “Black Man” by Richard Morgan
2009 – “Song of Time” by Ian R. MacLeod
2010 – “The City and the City” by China Mieville

How many of these books have you had a chance to read? What did you think about them? Which did you like, dislike? Which would you recommend and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

For more information about the Arthur C. Clarke Award, visit www.clarkeaward.com.

Cussler's 'The Silent Sea' appears on best-seller list

It’s Sunday, so that means that it’s time for my weekly review of this week’s Publishers Weekly Best-Seller List. According to the list, we’ve got three new books at the top of the four major best-seller lists this week.

“Treachery in Death” by J.D. Robb replaced “Tick Tock” by James Patterson as the top book on the hardcover fiction best-sellers list.

“This Side of the Grave” by Jeaniene Frost replaced “”Dreams of a Dark Warrior” by Kresley Cole as the No. 1 book on the mass market paperback best-sellers list.

“Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back” by Todd Burpo, Sonja Burpo, Colton Burpo and Lynn Vincent replaced “Water for Elephants: A Novel” by Sara Gruen as the top book on the trade paperbacks best-sellers list.

“Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand retained the No. 1 spot on the hardcover nonfiction best-sellers list.

There are two books on this week’s hardcover fiction best-sellers list that weren’t on the list last week. Those books (and their place on the list) are "Treachery in Death" by J.D. Robb (1), "Pale Demon" by Kim Harrison (2), "Gideon's Sword" by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (3), "The Union Quilters: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel" by Jennifer Chiaverini (8), "The Paris Wife: A Novel" by Paula McLain (9), "Night Vision" by Randy Wayne White (10) and "Devil's Food Cake Murder" by Joanne Fluke (12).

There are six books on this week’s hardcover nonfiction best-sellers list that weren’t on the list last week. They include "Peace from Broken Pieces: How to Get Through What You're Going Through" by Iyania Vanzant (4), "Against All Odds: My Life of Hardship, Fast Breaks, and Second Chances" by Scott Brown (5), "A Simple Government: Twelve Things We Really Need from Washington" by Mike Huckabee (7), "Disciplined Dreaming: A Proven System to Drive Breakthrough Creativity" by Josh Linkner (10), "A Widow's Story: A memoir" by Joyce Carol oates (13) and "Undisputed: How to Become the World Champion in 1,372 East Steps" by Chris Jericho and Peter Thomas Fornatale (15).

There are eight books on this week’s mass market paperbacks best-sellers list that weren’t on that list last week. They include "This Side of the Grave" by Jeaniene Frost (1), "A Creed in Stone Creek" by Linda Lael Miller (2), "Harvest Moon" by Robyn Carr (3), "The Silent Sea" by Clive Cussler and Jack Du Brul (4), "An Engagement in Seattle: Groom Wantedride Wanted" by Debbie Macomber (7), "Without Mercy" by Lisa Jackson (9), "Deception: An Alex Delaware Novel" by Jonathan Kellerman (10) and "Against the Law" by Kat Martin (15).

There are two books on this week’s trade paperbacks list that weren’t on the list last week. They include "Private" by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (7) and "The King's Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy' by Mark Logue and Peter Conradi (13).

As a reminder, I’m posting these lists each Sunday because they, as a whole, represent a great, contemporary recommended reading list. These lists are initially released each week on Thursday, and if you’re interested in reading them then, visit Publishers Weekly’s Web site at www.publishersweekly.com. Below you’ll find all four of this week’s best-seller lists.

HARDCOVER FICTION
1. "Treachery in Death" by J.D. Robb
2. "Pale Demon" by Kim Harrison
3. "Gideon's Sword" by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
4. "A Discovery of Witches" by Deborah Harkness
5. "Tick Tock" by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
6. "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" by Stieg Larsson
7. "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
8. "The Union Quilters: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel" by Jennifer Chiaverini
9. "The Paris Wife: A Novel" by Paula McLain
10. "Night Vision" by Randy Wayne White
11. "Dead or Alive" by Tom Clancy and Grant Blackwood
12. "Devil's Food Cake Murder" by Joanne Fluke
13. "The Confession" by John Grisham
14. "A Heartbeat Away" by Michael Palmer
15. "Room: A Novel" by Emma Donoghue

HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption" by Laura Hillenbrand
2. "Known and Unknown" by Donald Rumsfield
3. "Decision Points" by George W. Bush
4. "Peace from Broken Pieces: How to Get Through What You're Going Through" by Iyania Vanzant
5. "Against All Odds: My Life of Hardship, Fast Breaks, and Second Chances" by Scott Brown
6. "Cleopatra: A Life" by Stacy Schiff
7. "A Simple Government: Twelve Things We Really Need from Washington" by Mike Huckabee
8. "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" by Amy Chua
9. "The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommom Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman" by Timothy Ferriss
10. "Disciplined Dreaming: A Proven System to Drive Breakthrough Creativity" by Josh Linkner
11. "I Beat the Odds" by Michael Oher with Don Yaeger
12. "True You" by Janet Jackson with David Ritz
13. "A Widow's Story: A memoir" by Joyce Carol Oates
14. "Straight Talk, No Chaser" by Steve Harvey
15. "Undisputed: How to Become the World Champion in 1,372 East Steps" by Chris Jericho and Peter Thomas Fornatale

MASS MARKET PAPERBACKS
1. "This Side of the Grave" by Jeaniene Frost
2. "A Creed in Stone Creek" by Linda Lael Miller
3. "Harvest Moon" by Robyn Carr
4. "The Silent Sea" by Clive Cussler and Jack Du Brul
5. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson
6. "Dreams of a Dark Warrior" by Kresley Cole
7. "An Engagement in Seattle: Groom Wantedride Wanted" by Debbie Macomber
8. "The Girl Who Played with Fire" by Stieg Larsson
9. "Without Mercy" by Lisa Jackson
10. "Deception: An Alex Delaware Novel" by Jonathan Kellerman
11. "Swimsuit" by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro
12. "Deliver Us From Evil" by David Baldacci
13. "The Lincoln Lawyer" by Michael Connelly
14. "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown
15. "Against the Law" by Kat Martin

TRADE PAPERBACKS
1. "Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back" by Todd Burpo, Sonja Burpo, Colton Burpo and Lynn Vincent
2. "Water for Elephants: A Novel" by Sara Gruen
3. "Cutting for Stone" by Abraham Verghese
4. "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson
5. "Inside of a Dog" by Alexandra Horowitz
6. "The Postmistress" by Sarah Blake
7. "Private" by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
8. "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
9. "Little Bee" by Chris Cleave
10. "Committed" by Elizabeth Gilbert
11. "The Girl Who Played with Fire" by Stieg Larsson
12. "The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel" by Garth Stein
13. "The King's Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy' by Mark Logue and Peter Conradi
14. "True Grit" by Charles Portis
15. "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

In the end, let me know if you’ve had a chance to read any of these books. What did you think about them? Which would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.