Deserves the same applause as Bill Bryson
Book title: Almost heaven: Travels through the backwoods of America
Rating: 5/5
Binding: Unknown Binding
Rating: 5/5
Binding: Unknown Binding
I love travel writing, of which this book is a great example. However, I only stumbled upon it because I happened to meet a friend of the author, and I think its a great shame that more people haven't been introduced to this writer. This book covers his journey from The Delmarva peninsula all the way to the Pacific NW. Along the way he took the time to meet with locals, and learn about their everyday lives and the changes that have been ongoing in many of the little nooks and crannies of this country. He had researched his trip well, and took the time to meet with local politicians and newspaper editors, all of whom added their own local flavor. I have been eagerly awaiting Bill Brysons next book and now I will add Martin Fletcher to the same waiting list.
EAN: 9780316640923
Pages: 256
Publisher: Little, Brown
Authors:
Martin Fletcher
Baby steps
Book title: Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year
Rating: 5/5
Binding: Paperback
Rating: 5/5
Binding: Paperback
I read this during my maternity leave and I can't think of a better novel for new moms. Somehow Lamott is able to make the tough first year of her son's into a hilariously funny read. She's dealing with alot more than sleeplessness and colic-- staying sober, single motherhood, and financial woes are just the beginning. Love for her son, faith in God, and a bevy of supportive friends and family help her along the way. Great to read if you're a new mom because you can compare notes (yeah, my kid does that) and can easily empathize. Religion fills in the gaps of her life, without dominating the novel. Lamott's writing is honest and evocative. Makes you wonder if there's going to be an updated version, since baby Sam must be a teen by now.
EAN: 9780449909287
Pages: 272
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Authors:
Anne Lamott
Sort out your priorities
Book title: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
Rating: 5/5
Binding: Paperback
Rating: 5/5
Binding: Paperback
I gave this book to my son (a high school student) who is a major procrastinator. I am pleased to report that I have seen a remarkable change in his organizational abilities. He has cleared his desk and he even got rid of a stack of junk I thought would stay there for another six months. He is using his daily planner, to keep himself focused through the day. If you are disorganized, this book will help. Add Optimal Thinking: How To Be Your Best Self to your shopping list and you will have the mental software to be your best and maximize every situation.
EAN: 9780142000281
Pages: 267
Publisher: Penguin Books
Authors:
David Allen
speak
Book title: Speak
Rating: 5/5
Binding: Paperback
Rating: 5/5
Binding: Paperback
Melinda had just started as a freshman at Merryweather High. She went into the school year without friends. No one could figure out why she was not speaking to them. Melinda had gotten into a fight with her ex-friend, Rachel, when Melinda had called the cops. Rachel had been hosting a party. Rachel, and the rest of the kids at the party, thought Melinda was trying to break up the party. Finally, at the end of freshman year, Melinda gained enough confidence to finally "speak" to Rachel about why she had called the cops. Melinda told Rachel that she was raped by Rachel's boyfiend, Andy Evans, that night. Melinda was too drunk and young to realize she was getting raped, which caused her to be embarrassed to speak the truth.
EAN: 9780141310886
Pages: 208
Publisher: Puffin
Authors:
Laurie Halse Anderson
should be in every cardealers showroom
Book title: Asphalt Nation: How the Automobile Took over America, and How We Can Take It Back
Rating: 5/5
Binding: Paperback
Rating: 5/5
Binding: Paperback
They should put up a stand in front of every cardealer's showroom to preach the message. Though some of your writers said Kay's message was nothing new, it clearly makes a polemic that carries more weight and more solid and elegantly put information than Fastfood Nation. Actually, it replaces or supplements that book by saying if we moved more...we'd be healthy, wealthy and wiser, never mind saving the planet's diversity and co2 emissions.
EAN: 9780520216204
Pages: 440
Publisher: University of California Press
Authors:
Jane Holtz Kay
Un libro para disfrutar
Book title: Steel Inferno
Rating: 5/5
Binding: Paperback
Rating: 5/5
Binding: Paperback
Realmente un libro ameno, pero no por ello poco minucioso, muy f?cil de leer y muy entretenido. Resultan impresionantes las acciones de la Hitler Jugend sobre todo en Normad?a; una aut?ntica unidad de ?lite, cuyas andanzas por Francia durante el dia D y posteriores son narradas de forma muy ?gil.
Para ser un escritor brit?nico, el libro est? completamente escrito desde una perspectiva alemana. Buen?smo para conocer acciones de gente como Wunsche, Meyer, Wittman, Witt, Teddy Wisch de forma distendida y sin caer en la pesadez.
Muy bien estructurado, aunque se echan en falta algunos mapas m?s. A veces se pierde con tanto pueblo y villa, pero no son imprescindibles todos los nombres. Muy barato en la edici?n de bolsillo.
Las referencias al libro de Meyer son numerosas, y realmente dan ganas de leer Grenadiers.
EAN: 9780440225966
Pages: 432
Publisher: Dell
Authors:
Michael Reynolds
Its a "Hoot"!
Book title: Hoot
Rating: 5/5
Binding: Paperback
Rating: 5/5
Binding: Paperback
Roy Eberhardt has rescently moved to Florida. His first few days of school were a blur. Until one day on the bus Dana Matherson had Roy's head up against the window when he spotted a boy, running without any shoes, running as fast as he could past the bus stop way on down the street, not stopping for anything. Roy was very curios so after Dana let him go he ran off the bus at the next bus stop to follow the boy. Meanwhile a construction foreman was extremely puzzled as to what was happening. Read Hoot by Carl Hiaasen to find out what happens next!
Hoot is a wonderful book to read, especially for people that like something besides love stories. This is a very adventurous book. You won't be able to put it down. I highly recommend it. It'll give you a "Hoot." Good Luck!
EAN: 9780375829161
Pages: 304
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Authors:
Carl Hiaasen
The Greatness of Dianna Wynne Jones
Book title: The Lives of Christopher Chant
Rating: 5/5
Binding: Paperback
Rating: 5/5
Binding: Paperback
Diana Wynne Jones is the best fantasy writer ever. Why is she not more famous than J.K. Rowling? The Lives of Christopher Chant was our first introduction to the worlds of magic and adventure that Diana Wynne Jones spins in every book. We barrelled through the Christopher Chant series, The Dalemark Quartet, and searched all of the bookstores for every last story. Our family's all-time favorites are Time of the Ghost and Archer's Goon. Every kid from age 6 to 66 will love these charming, enchanting tales.
EAN: 9780006755180
Publisher: Harpercollins Pub Ltd
Authors:
Diana Wynne Jones
A very heavy and depressing book, but in a good way!
Book title: The Bell Jar (Perennial Classics)
Rating: 5/5
Binding: Hardcover
Rating: 5/5
Binding: Hardcover
I thought that this book was beautifully written, because it was so harshly and bitterly honest. The main character, Ester Greenwood, was such a good protagonist because her pain, suffering and sadness completely blanketed the book with such truthfully heavy and sombre aura. Ester`s agonizing fall into depression and madness was so afflicting, it was almost disturbing that someone`s sanity could crumble so easily and so brutally. Sylvia Plath is a literary genius because "The Bell Jar" is a semi-autobiographical story, and the way she veiled her true life story with such magnificent writing is unforgettable.
EAN: 9780060174903
Pages: 320
Publisher: HarperCollins
Authors:
Sylvia Plath
A Must-Read for All Single 20-and-30-Something Females
Book title: Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
Rating: 5/5
Binding: Paperback
Rating: 5/5
Binding: Paperback
This book is hilarious! I laughed out loud at almost every page. Being a single female in her late 20s, I found reading about Bridget Jones and her escapades with dating, work, and friendship totally entertaining and inspiring. This is the first Helen Fielding book I have read and I can't wait to read the prequel. The book is a pretty easy read, perfect if you are ready to relax and enjoy some good laughs.
EAN: 9780140298475
Pages: 338
Publisher: Penguin Books
Authors:
Helen Fielding
