Taiko, by Eiji Yoshikawa
Yoshikawa is one of Japan’s greatest historians who died in 1962. His work is now starting to hit American shelves, but you need to be careful of the translator. A good one makes the book an incredible read, as in this example – however, a bad one is just not worth your time, as in another readily available one called “Musashi”. Taiko tells the story of Hideyoshi, who lives in the sixteenth century and winds up becoming the ruler of Japan.
A Short History of Just About Everything, by Bill Bryson
Most of you recognize Bill as a travel writer, but he also has several other types of books under his belt. This one I would take with me to a deserted Island! It is truly about pretty much everything there is to know about, and his humorous writing style makes it a joy to read. I have given this book as birthday gifts to all of my family members, and even as a wedding gift once! There is a coffee-table version, with bright shiny pictures – but I prefer the version with just words, as the pictures tend to distract from the text.
The Chess Garden, by Brooks Hansen
This is a shining example of how the English language should be used. Reading this book was totally awe-inspiring from a grammatical point of view. The story is quite interesting, as well, in that the main character tells many stories, some of which have their main character telling stories – so there are multiple levels of stories going on all at the same time. I have read other books by this same author, but this is by far his finest.
Bully for Brontosaurus, by Stephan J. Gould
This was my first exposure to Stephan J. Gould and is still my favorite. He has an amazing ability to start his essays on one subject and, by taking you on a long and winding path thru a great many mental twists and turns, wind up on a completely different subject while still making complete logical sense!
Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson
This is an incredible story of just how much impact one man (or woman!) can have, and shows that anything is possible. With no money and no experience, this one man winds up changing the lives of almost an entire country, one village and one school at a time. I took this book with me to Mongolia and passed it on to my fellow travelers, and fully intend to get it for my family members as well.
The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver
I have to admit that I am not fond of this author normally, but she truly outdid herself on this one. This tells the story of a Baptist missionary who takes his wife and four children to the African Congo back in the early 60’s. Their experiences are told thru the eyes of the girls, age 5 through 16 – and as each girl “steps forward” to tell her story, the style of writing changes to fit the child’s age. When the 16-year old speaks, she uses big words to sound grown-up but she doesn’t really know what they mean and ends up using them incorrectly. When the 5-year old speaks, she talks about bugs or sugar candy or how her sisters pick on her. It’s amazing to me that only one person actually wrote the book and not six (there are six main characters).
The Island of the Day Before, by Umberto Eco
This is the story of a ship-wrecked man who washes up onto a deserted ship located roughly a mile from an island that he can see but cannot get to (he can’t swim), so he spends his time trying to figure out what happened to the ship’s original crew. The book is written in a Journaling style, so you read about his life day by day as it unfolds, and the ending is just perfect! (some might disagree with me there, but I stand by my statement)
Ahab’s Wife, by Sena Jeter Naslund
This is a great book, based on the wife of the fictitious main character from Moby Dick. As Ahab goes off to see to search for the white whale, his wife is left behind to make her way thru life never knowing what happened to her husband. It’s a great twist on a story everybody knows of, and is so well written it has been widely mistaken as an historical novel.
Babylon’s Arc, by Lawrence Anthony
Here is another story of how one man can make a difference. The war on Iraq has had many victims; this story talks about the animals. By the time Lawrence arrives in Baghdad to rescue the animals of the zoo, most of them have either been eaten by the locals or starved to death because they’re locked up in a cage and have no food or water. With bombs going off literally right in their back yard, Lawrence and his team of volunteers struggle to save as many as they can. I warn you: I cried.
The Book of God, by Walter Wangarin, Jr.
If any of you have ever read - or tried to read - the bible, you know that it is not easy. The language is jerky, the text can be unbearably boring, and the whole thing can be dry beyond belief. This book gives you the stories in a readable format, without losing any of the content. And you just might be surprised at how much of the bible you actually know already!
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