Article first published as Book Review: God’s Middle Finger by Richard Grant on Blogcritics. About: God’s Middle Finger: Into the Lawless heart of the Sierra Madre by Richard Grant is a non-fiction book about the author’s “tour” of Mexico’s Sierra Madre region. Mr. Grant is a British journalist who came to the other side of the pond in search of strangeness and adventure – I think he found both. 288 pages Publisher: Free Press Language: English ISBN-10: 1416534407 My rating for God’s Middle Finger — 4 Buy this book in paper or electronic format More Books by Richard Grant Thoughts: God’s Middle Finger: Into the Lawless heart of the Sierra Madre by Richard Grant (website | Facebook) is a fast paced, sprawling adventure in a strange world which is closer then you think, and sometimes simply too close for comfort. While the book might be considered to be in the travel genre it is a glimpse into a lawless part of Mexico. The often mis-quoted line from Treasure of the Sierra Madre said by Gold Hat (played by Alfonso Bedoya) “Badges? We don’t need no stinkin’ badges” comes to mind and, of course, makes an appearance in the book. The…
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Article first published as Book Review: State of Wonder by Ann Patchett on Blogcritics. About: State of Wonder by Ann Patchett is a fictional book taking place, mostly, in Brazil’s Amazonregion. I have been in that region and ever since loved reading about it, reliving my adventures and banging my head against the wall wishing to go back again and look at things with more informed eyes. The publisher is giving away one copy of this book— use the Rafflecopter form at the end of the post to enter. 368 pages Publisher: Bloomsbury UK Language: English ISBN-10: 1408818590 My rating for State of Wonder – 4 Buy this book in paper or electronic format More Books by Anne Patchett Thoughts: State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (website) takes its time to build up, putting ordinary people, slowly but surely, in extraordinary situations where neither them nor the reader realizes it until the setup clamps behind you with no way back. The book has several themes running through it, but the two I found most fascinating is the effects mentors have on their underlings and being able to let go of formal education, when necessary, to look differently at the world around you. I believe that…
Dr. Seuss told us years ago, “The more that you read, the more you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” This is great advice for children of all ages. There is no better way to travel worldwide and learn about life and people and everything else than by reading! With the distractions of video gaming, TV viewing and listening to music on an IPod, a parent or caregiver needs to be a bit savvy with electronic gadgets to entice youngsters to broaden a child’s horizons into reading the classics. Picture Coutesy of http://kidsoffthecouch.com/ 1. E-readers E-readers are relatively inexpensive, ranging from less than $100 to $300, and come with an instant tap into the world of classical books from the e-book vendors and local public libraries. Kindle offers a Premium Membership for an annual fee which allows the member to borrow and return e-books for free. 2. Public Library Offers Check with your local public library for the latest form of digital books. Digital books come in various forms from recordings on compact disc to a digital player resembling an IPod. These types of digital books are often theatrical quality with voice changes and…
A writer of Uruguayan origins, Carolina De Robertis is an award winning author and translator of Latin American and Spanish literature, and editor
Welcome to another edition of Tightwad Tuesday. While looking around for non-fiction books, I saw some really cool free ones and thought that you might like them as well. Authors: If you’d like your book to be featured on Tightwad Tuesdays please email me. For the Kindle: Daily Deal The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey From Booklist *Starred Review* At age 34, Bailey was stricken with a mysterious virus while on a trip to Europe. Her healthy life had been full of activity, and now just the thought of getting up to get something was exhaustive. When a friend found some violets and brought her one in a pot, she also added a live snail below the violet’s leaves. Bailey wondered why she needed a snail, but after square holes began to appear in a letter propped on the violet’s pot, it occurred to Bailey that the snail needed food. She put a withered flower in the saucer below, and when the snail began to eat, Bailey realized that she could hear it eating—it was the sound of someone very small munching on celery. Soon the author realized she was attached, the snail providing an oasis…
A Sense of Direction: Pilgrimage for the Restless and the Hopeful by Gideon Lewis-Kraus is less about the scenic road and more about the internal journey towards self discovery.
A very strong part where three of the principal players in the novel, Andrei, Nikolai and Pierre all go under different crises.
About: Akhmed and the Atomic Matzo Balls by Gary Buslik is a fictional comedic book. The story spans the globe and includes tyrants, professors and even… conservatives. 370 pages Publisher: Travelers’ Tales/Solas House Language: English ISBN-10: 1609520696 My rating for Akhmed and the Atomic Matzo Balls – 3 Buy this book in paper or in electronic format More Books by Gary Buslik Thoughts: I really don’t know what to think about Akhmed and the Atomic Matzo Balls by Gary Buslik. Some parts I found really funny, others not so much, yet at times it seemed as if Larry David was in my face trying too hard to make me laugh. This is a wacky novel, as you can tell from the wonderful title; the good news is that it’s wacky on purpose. The plot is over the top and the dialog is mostly funny, some of the jokes were not akin to my humor, but many others were. I like the sarcastic sense of humor, absurd humor sometimes passes me by. While the characterization is good, there is not one nice, sympathetic or relatable person in the whole book. That’s what the author wanted to do, I believe, and that’s what we got but…
Welcome to another edition of Tightwad Tuesday. While looking around for non-fiction books, I saw some really cool free ones and thought that you might like them as well. Authors: If you’d like your book to be featured on Tightwad Tuesdays please email me. For the Kindle: Thompson’s Lucky Star: The Story of a Stalag Survivor [Kindle Edition] by Tony Thompson, Brendan Gisby When Corporal George Thompson of The Buffs was walking to freedom from Stalag IVB after the camp’s liberation in April 1945, he most probably stopped for a moment, looked up at the sky and thanked his lucky star again. That star had kept him alive through five long years of war, the last eighteen brutal months of which he had spent as a prisoner-of-war. As he passed through the huge, intimidating gates of the camp for the last time, George carried with him some mementoes from his time in captivity, among them a very small, dog-eared notebook. The notebook was George’s prisoner-of-war diary, which he had begun the day after he was taken prisoner and in which he had made the final entry on the day of his liberation. Reproducing the actual diary entries and supplementing them…
On a vacation from Kansas to Australia, Uncle Henry and his niece Dorothy Gale are caught in a fierce storm which throws Dorothy off the ship