SEPTEMBER 2007 - BOOK REVIEWS
Short Stories, Epic Tales, and Engrossing Novels | | | | Three Cups of Tea
By Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
In 1993, mountaineer and nurse practitioner Greg Mortenson failed in his attempt to scale the famed K-2 mountain, and almost lost his life trying to escape from it. Starving, sick, and in mortal peril, he was rescued by the people of a remote Pakistani village. When he left, he vowed to return and build a school for them in gratitude for their assistance. But what had always been a philanthropic effort turned into a bureaucratic nightmare and a three-year-long crusade to fulfill a promise. Three Cups of Tea is a very honest account of how difficult it is to do development work in the third world, and how much determination and self-sacrifice it takes to make a difference. Click on the image to buy now!
| | | | | | | Spook
By Mary Roach
In Spook, you get to join author Mary Roach on a frank, witty, sharply observant and wonderfully creative journey into all things paranormal. Combining a researcher’s powers of analysis and fact-finding with a storyteller’s verve for engaging their audience, Roach seemingly leaves few stones unturned in her quest to learn more about the afterlife…or at least, what people think of it. From scientists to seers, she travels the globe, educating, enlightening, and entertaining us in equal measure. This is a fun romp through the here and now to find out about the before and after. Click on the image to buy now!
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| | If You Liked School, You’ll Love Work
By Irvine Welsh
Those familiar with Irvine Welsh’s seminal book, Trainspotting, are probably still recovering from his frenetic and invigorating abuse of the English language. This new collection of short stories and a novella don’t provide quite the same literary jolt to the system, but they do give you all the elements of an Irvine Welsh work—most notably, the liberal sprinkling of expletives throughout the narrative and the honest, blatant sexuality. Surprisingly, many of the themes are somewhat clichéd: like the old rattlesnake-bites-the-genitals bit and the hackneyed Korean-chef-and-the-missing-dog yarn. But the language, the characters, and style are uniquely Welsh. Click on the image to buy now!
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