BlogFest is Here!

On Fridays I normally do Friday Coffee Chat posts but this week is special because it’s time for BlogFest! Don’t worry though because Jennifer at Girls Gone Reading is still doing a Friday Coffee Chat post so get your cup of joe ready and go chat with her about Overblown Authors—Too much hype, too little delivery. I can think of a few myself so I’ll be sure to take my opinion to her chat!






A Journey of Books is hosting BlogFest this year and during the days September 10-12, 2010, blogs that have signed up have agreed to post at least one giveaway on their blog. I am posting a few giveaways this weekend!
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Giveaway #1 – Book Read ‘Round the World (Giveaway Closed)



The first is an ongoing giveaway that will run through October 1. The giveaway is international and is open to anyone who would like to enter! For my Book Read ‘Round the World event that is ongoing, I am giving away a signed copy of The Lunatic Express by Carl Hoffman. Mr. Hoffman was excited about the event and was nice enough to provide a copy to give away. The book is fantastic. Click HERE to read my review.

I am also giving away two pairs of origami earrings that my wonderful cousin made. The first are paper cranes and the second are kimonos. I love them both and secretly want to keep them even though she sent me my own pair as well!

This giveaway is open through October 1, 2010 and is International. Winners will be announced shortly after October 1.
**You MUST write in what order you prefer the prizes (ex. 1. The Lunatic Express, 2. Kimono Earrings, 3. Paper Crane Earrings)**
*Winners will be chosen by Random.org.

                

Enter the Book Read ‘Round the World Giveaway!

Giveaway #2 – Reclaiming My Shelf Space
Giveaway closed

OK…I’m not gonna lie. I need to get rid of some of the books I’ve read to make room on my shelves for some shiny new books! So here are a few that I am getting rid of and can be yours to read!

This giveaway is U.S. Only and will be open until September 12. Winners will be announced on Wednesday, September 15.
*Winners will be chosen by Random.org


Beat the Reaper – Josh Bazell
From the back of the book:
Dr. Peter Brown is an intern at Manhattan’s worst hospital. He has a talent for medicine, a shift from hell, and a past he’d prefer to keep hidden. Pietro Brnwa is a hit man for the mob, with a genius for violence, a well-earned fear of sharks, and an overly close relationship with the Federal Witness Protection Program. Nicholas LoBrutto is Dr. Brown’s new patient, with three months to live and a very strange idea: that Peter Brown and Pietro Brnwa might—just might—be the same person… As goons, G-men, and death itself descend on the hospital, Dr. Brown must do whatever it takes to save his patients, himself, and his last shot at redemption. He just has to get through the next eight hours—and somehow beat the Reaper.

The Bourne Identity – Robert Ludlum 
From the back of the book:
Jason Bourne. He has no past. And he may have no future. His memory is a blank. His bullet ridden body was fished from the Mediterranean Sea. His face has been altered by plastic surgery. A frame of microfilm has been surgically implanted in his hip. Even his name is a mystery. Marked for death, he is racing for survival through a bizarre world of murderous conspirators—led by Carlos, the world’s most dangerous assassin. Who is Jason Bourne? The answer may kill him.

The Art of Racing in the Rain – Garth Stein
From the back of the book:
A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope—a captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life…as only a dog could tell it.






Empress Orchid – Anchee Min
From the back of the book:
From a master of the historical novel, Empress Orchid sweeps readers into the heart of the Forbidden City to tell the fascinating story of a young concubine who becomes China’s last empress. Min introduces the beautiful Tzu Hsi, known as Orchid, and weaves an epic of a country girl who seized power through seduction, murder, and endless intrigue. When China is threatened by enemies, she alone seems capable of holding the country together. In this “absorbing companion piece to her novel Becoming Madame Mao” (New York Times), readers and reading groups will once again be transported by Min’s lavish evocation of the Forbidden City in its last days of imperial glory and by her brilliant portrait of a flawed yet utterly compelling woman who survived, and ultimately dominated, a male world.









Giveaway #3 - Celebrating Becoming a Book Depository Affiliate
Giveaway closed





For my last giveaway, I am advertising becoming a Book Depository affiliate by giving away any book of your choice that is less than or equal to $15 USD. This giveaway is International and will be open through September 12. Winners will be announced on Wednesday, September 15.
*Winners will be chosen by Random.org






Last, but not least, here is the link to the next blog for BlogFest! Make sure you visit:







Blog #256 - Jordan Deen   

For a full list of blogs participating in BlogFest, make sure you visit (and also for trackback purposes):

A Journey of Books

The Lunatic Express – Carl Hoffman

I am giving away a copy of The Lunatic Express by Carl Hoffman on my blog for the Book Read ‘Round the World Event. Mr. Hoffman was nice enough to send me a signed copy of his book for the event so if you are interested in owning a shiny new copy, make sure you enter the giveaway.

The giveaway is open until October 1 and is International.

Click HERE to enter. (Giveaway Closed)

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Book: The Lunatic Express
Author: Carl Hoffman (Click author’s name to go to his website)
Publisher: Broadway Books
283 pages (I purchased and read the Kindle Edition of the book though)
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Daily travel for the developed world is a relatively safe endeavor for most commuters. When newspaper articles kept popping up about how unsafe transportation in many nations is, Carl Hoffman decided that this would be an excellent experience to write about. So, he packed his bags and set out across the world to experience the world’s most dangerous modes of transportation. His journey took him to South America, Asia, Africa, and North America where he took planes, trains, automobiles, and ferries that would at the very least give most of us pause and would send most of us fleeing in the opposite direction. What he finds on his journey is an amazing demonstration of the goodness of people and a special connection that would not have otherwise been made had he not lived like the locals.

The book starts off with Carl Hoffman traveling to Cuba by plane—not just any plane--a  fairly ramshackle and unsafe feeling plane. Well, I obviously knew that he survived his trip so I felt like I could roll with his adventure through the streets of Havana before he moved onto South America. By the time Peru rolled around, I wondered how many pages would either be ghost written or blank because I was truly terrified. You see, the roads in Peru are not good roads, AND they happen to hug some wicked cliffs. In fact, the introduction to one of the sections on Latin America included a news story of a bus that had disappeared of a 1,600 foot gorge. I have a small fear of heights…ok…a BIG fear of heights. My stomach is actually feeling a little tingly and weak just thinking about that section because I cannot even imagine being in a bus on sketchy roads that hug cliff faces. I was really glad when the Latin America section was over and Mr. Hoffman moved on to Africa.

Each section is preceded by a news story of some terrible transportation accident or physical dangers from people that might do others harm. It sets up each trip he takes as harrowing even though he is just a passenger. Every section was unsettling and dangerous, but the people he meets in each place transcend the danger and make the journey an interesting and worthwhile experience. If anything, the book helps restore some faith in humanity as complete strangers open up themselves and at times their homes to Hoffman. I found that beautiful and was thankful to see that despite language and cultural differences, there is a common humanity that people can exhibit especially when they have so few material things to give. This was my favorite thing about the book as Hoffman traveled around the world. It was a rare moment when his willingness to share the experience of the traveling poor wasn’t rewarded with an act of kindness. Even in places where the camaraderie was in short supply, there was usually a small incident that showed how wonderful people can be.

I also really enjoyed how candid Carl Hoffman was about his experience and his motivations to take the trip. It was more introspective and raw than I was expecting, and it made me enjoy the book that much more. I think it must be so difficult to express some of the internal trials that we all go through as human beings, but Hoffman shared a part of himself that I wasn’t expecting and his honesty was refreshing. The trip was as much about discovering where he was in his life as it was about discovering the world’s most dangerous transportation.

There was one thing I found lacking in the book. The map in the Kindle edition is not very easy to examine. I was lucky enough to have a paper copy that I could look at as well. While that was disappointing, it didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the book in the least. It was an amazing journey all-around and it made me look at travel in a whole different way. I can’t say that I would be willing to travel in a broken down truck with no heat in the cold desert of Mongolia, brave a war torn country like Afghanistan, or sleep on a ferry that I shared with thousands upon thousands of roaches, but it definitely makes me want to embrace more experiences that might cause some personal discomfort but will open the world to me in ways which I never expected. I enjoyed every moment of the book and highly recommend it if you are looking for a book about really off the beaten path travel.


Links of Interest
Sophisticated Dorkiness' review of The Lunatic Express
Website for the book, The Lunatic Express
Carl Hoffman’s Blog
Follow author Carl Hoffman on Twitter

**Note of Disclosure: I purchased my copy of The Lunatic Express for my Kindle, but I did receive a copy of the book from the author, Carl Hoffman, for a giveaway on my blog.

Guest Post #4 – Book Read ‘Round the World: Iris from The Netherlands shares her Book Hobo Experience

The Enchanted April = Red Pin

Journeyed from Groningen, The Netherlands to Cayce, South Carolina, USA

Distance Traveled = 4287 mi / 6899 km

Total Distance Traveled to Date = 12182 mi / 19604 km

Guest Post #4

Iris from The Netherlands

Courtney at Stiletto Storytime has received her package from Iris so now I am free to post Iris’ guest post! After you read this post, go check out Iris’ blog, Iris on Books. She has made the 2010 BBAW shortlist for Best Eclectic Blog and Best New Book Blog. Courtney also has an amazing blog that features what her “Little Man” is reading and she has recently been published in Wink Magazine!

**Also, make sure that you sign up for the Book Read 'Round the World Giveaway. It is international and includes The Lunatic Express by Carl Hoffman and two pairs of origami earrings made by my wonderful cousin. It is open until October 1. My review of The Lunatic Express will be posted tomorrow!

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Hello, this is Iris from Iris on Books. I am a Dutch book blogger who focuses mainly on literature (contemporary and classic), YA and non-fiction about religion and history. I find it hard to put up any adequate description of my blog, but I always love to make new blogging friends so feel free to leave me a note!

I am currently blogging from Sweden, and I was lucky enough to receive my package from Sandie Lee just in time to read the book and assemble my own gifts for Stiletto Storytime.


It was quite a thrill unpacking the package when it was delivered at my home address. Sandie Lee put in all kinds of small souvenirs from Canada and wrote down information on her country and the area she lives in on different postcards. It was really nice. I especially enjoyed the moose keychain!

Shopping!

And that is when the hardest thing about the Book Read 'Round the World Event started: I had to think of gifts for Courtney. I had a hard time thinking of nice but small gifts (postage in my country in crazy, I ended up spending 20 euros on postage alone). I didn't want to buy her typical touristy things, I'm sorry if that was what you were hoping for Courtney. The thing is, when you're from the Netherlands, you get fairly tired of being known as the country of the "wooden shoes, tulips, cheese, windmills, drugs and Amsterdam". So all of these things were a no go for me. Instead, I decided to focus on small things I enjoy about my country. That all became a little easier when I noticed Courtney has a son. It gave me the perfect opportunity to include Miffy by Dick Bruna. Miffy is I am sure a well known children's figure worldwide, but originated in the Netherlands. I actually told myself I could read because of these books when I was just 3. Because I knew the stories by heart I pretended to read them while turning the pages in time with the story. I hope Courtney's son enjoys the story as much as I did when I was little, I am of course not sure if it works as well in English as it works in Dutch.

Apart from the Miffy book, I bought Courtney a "Jip and Janneke" shopping bag, to stick with the theme of bags that seems to be going on during this event. I felt most uncertain about this gift. It is childish, I know and in the end I think I bought it more because of my own fond memories of these illustrations.. I used to collect these items and Jip and Janneke is a very well known children's story in the Netherlands as well. Ask anyone, and they will show you their ragged copy of the book. Or at least that is my experience. I also included some "dropjes" which is translated in English as liquorice, but I have always been told that it is only available in this variety in the Netherlands. However, shopping in Sweden showed me that the people who told me this might have been wrong.


And last I included a postcard that says "Lieve groetjes uit Groningen" (Kind regards from Groningen). Groningen is the city where I have lived these past 5 years, during my time at university. It is the biggest city in the North of the Netherlands, but not very well known. It is surrounded by grass and farms and so the sheep sees fitting.


All in all, I really enjoyed this event, it was nice getting to feel more in touch with bloggers from around the globe and I'm eagerly awaiting the other posts in the series. I do hope the event will be organised a second time. I did wish I could've included even more gifts and I'm sorry that I could not do so.

Questions

Before I forget, Sandie Lee asked me two questions about the seasons and wildlife in the Netherlands. Below are the answers to the questions Sandie Lee asked me:

“Here in Ontario Canada, we have 4 definite seasons; Winter/lots of snow. Spring/rain. Autumn/rain-snow mix. Summer/hot and humid. What is the climate like in your area? Do you experience definite seasonal changes as well?”

We do experience definite seasonal changes and like in Canada there are 4 seasons. I think the difference between the seasons might be less extreme though. Winter is cold compared to the United States for example, but we do not have snow regularly. There are years and years in which it only snows for a few days and then there are years like last year when it snows for 2 months. In winter we mostly hope for frost so we get to skate on what we call “natural ice”: lakes and small rivers that are frozen and we get to skate on. It has been years since we have had the opportunity to skate for weeks and have big events like the eleven city race, sadly.Spring is a mixture of sunshine and rain, while summer is usually sunny, but we have years in which it rains a lot (The Netherlands is similar to England in that it rains a lot over here). In summer the temperature usually ranges from 18-25 degrees Celcius. Autumn can be defined by two words: rain and wind.

“I’m a huge wildlife enthusiast – What different types of wildlife and birds do you have?”

This is a very hard question to answer. Why? Because the only thing that comes to mind when I think of wildlife in the Netherlands is that it is nothing special, at all. We do not have large animals and I do not know if there are any animals that are specific to our country. I think it is important to realize that there are living over 16 million people in a very small territory in this country. There are woods and large stretches of grass, but most of these areas are only 5 minutes away from a city. I think that what Holland is best known for are the many areas close to water and that is certainly true. I am not an expert on it though and I couldn’t tell you if any animals of interest live there. I do like the nature in my country and the way it looks, but I think for foreigners the most special thing is that a) it is incredibly flat, we have no real mountains, except a few very small ones in the south of the Netherlands b) there is water in the cities, which means that there are boats in most cities.


**Be sure to check back for a link to Iris' review of The Enchanted April. I will link it in this guest post when she posts in on her blog and it will also be linked in the Mr. MckLinky in my right hand sidebar. 

Let the Right One In – John Ajvide Lindqvist

I have been seeing some buzz around Twitter about Let the Right One In. One of the great things about Austin is that we get a lot of indie and foreign films in the movie theaters here. Last year, my husband Kevin went to a midnight showing of the Swedish film, Let the Right One In. He thought it was fantastic so I went out and bought him the book. It sat on the shelves for year until I told him he should read it when I saw my Twitter friends talking about the new American film. So, being the wonderful guy he is, he picked it up and read it. You know what is even better? He sat down and wrote a review of the book when I asked him to do a guest review for me! Here it is!
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Book: Let the Right One In
Author: John Ajvide Lindqvist
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
480 pages
Kevin’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars


Let the Right One In is the story of Oskar, a 12-year-old boy, and Eli, the girl who might be something else entirely. Oskar is bullied at school and lashes out against the world in private. His life is drastically changed when he meets Eli, the new girl in his Apartment complex. Eli talks differently, seems oblivious to the cold of the Swedish winter, and doesn't come out during the day. The two form an unlikely friendship considering that Eli ought to see Oskar as food. Unfortunately for Eli, it's not easy for a vampire child to function in society on her own. When her adult companion is caught trying to gather blood for her, Eli must risk exposing herself as the townspeople become more and more suspicious of what might be in their midst, and Oskar might be the only one who can help.

Let the Right One In is a horror story unlike any other I've ever read. It's an atmospheric read that tends to be creepy rather than scary most of the time, but still managed to have certain scenes I found scarier than most anything I can remember. The Vampires are mostly traditional although they are some pretty cool twists to them, that I wouldn't dream of spoiling.

While many of the principle characters in Let the Right One In are children, it has very adult themes, focusing on love, sex, pedophilia, alcoholism, divorce, bullying and the pains of growing up. It's definitely not a happy book. All of the characters are flawed in some way, even the ones who'd generally be considered the protagonists. I think this provides an emotional depth that is uncommon in this genre.

I read this book after seeing the original Swedish movie and I think they complement each other very well. The movie is much more straightforward and cuts out a lot of the subplots (including the scariest part of the whole book!) but is excellent in its own right. I imagine that people who read the book before seeing the movie could be disappointed, but coming to them in the order I did made a lot of sense. I was even a little disappointed at first because for the first 100 pages or so the book seemed to be almost identical to the movie, but then it began to expand and flesh out the characters and circumstances a lot more.

I highly recommend the book and the movie to anyone who likes their horror to have a little depth to it. Definitely don't wait for the US remake which they'll surely screw up.

Shanghai Girls – Lisa See

Book: Shanghai Girls
Author: Lisa See
Publisher: Random House
336 pages
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars


Shanghai Girls tells the story of Pearl and May, two sisters living a privileged life in Shanghai when their world is turned upside down by their father’s gambling and the Japanese invasion of China. The girls make a tumultuous journey together through China to escape the Japanese threat and to meet up with their new husbands through arranged marriages. Eventually, Pearl and May end up in America where they make a new, modest beginning and work hard to make a good life for themselves. Though the book is not perfect, it is an excellent commentary on the immigrant experience in mid-20th century America.

I have been waiting to read this book for a few years. I am not sure why I didn’t pick it up sooner, but when the opportunity finally presented itself I jumped at the chance to read it. For some reason, I am drawn to novels about the Asian experience. I have to say that while I enjoyed the book, I had a little trouble caring for Pearl and May. Because they lived such a privileged life, I felt like their reaction to the change they experienced was written well, but it made them kind of unlikeable. For about two-thirds of the book I felt like I just didn’t like either Pearl or May very much, but as time went on and through adversity their character grew, they became women that I began to admire. After thinking about it for a week, I think that Lisa See’s writing was masterful because of this. When a writer can make me actually dislike their characters and then come full circle by the end, I think that is just effective writing!

The part of the book I most enjoyed was Pearl, May, and their family’s experience as immigrants to America. The immigrant experience (especially for the Chinese) in post-WWII must have been difficult when Mao Tse Tung came to power. Lisa See’s depiction of Pearl and her family was eye opening and very relevant since immigrant issues have become such a major point of contention in the U.S. I know there are many stories of immigrants coming to America to make a better life for themselves, but this was the first one I’ve read that took place and addressed the Red Scare and McCarthyism. It was this aspect of the book that tipped the scales up to a four star book for me. There is inherent value in keeping past stories of the immigrant experience in America alive so that we know our history and see the struggle that people went through to make the United States the country it is today.

The book is perfect for anyone who is looking for a story where the characters experience real growth and for those looking to understand the Chinese immigrant experience in America. After reading Shanghai Girls, I am definitely interested in reading more of Lisa See’s work.

*Note of Disclosure: This book was received for review through Crazy Book Tours.

Friday Coffee Chat (9) – Are You a Peter Pan?

Are You a Peter Pan?

Last week, we talked about whether or not we are Bibliomaniacs in preparation for the month long book buying ban that Bella from A Girl Reads A Book is hosting in September. I think we can safely say that none of us are bibliomaniacs because the Hoarders team from A&E isn’t knocking on our doors to help us clear a path through our homes. This week, I’m hopping full on into a controversial subject so pull out your pitchforks and get ready to chase me out of town. Jennifer at Girls Gone Reading is VERY appropriately doing a Friday Coffee Chat post on What Sparks a Love of Reading. Make sure you check out her blog after you read, comment on my post, and then angrily run me out of the blogosphere!

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This week I’m throwing the dreaded Young Adult subject out there for all you readers. There are heaps of YA blogs out there, and I have quite a few good bloggy friends out there that love YA (Hi Bella and Chachic and Carly…I know there are others, but you guys come to mind first). With the release of Mockingjay which thanks to Twitter I am VERY tired of hearing about, I started thinking about why people are obsessed with YA fiction.

I’m not gonna lie. I’m 32. No kids. I don’t read a lot of YA. Sure I read Harry Potter and I even read Twilight, but YA isn’t on my radar for the most part. This doesn’t mean that I am not open to reading it. Some of my bloggy friends have given me some really good suggestions that I’ve added to my wishlist. Honestly, and dare I say this, I am too old for the YA phenomenon. I don’t really remember reading much of it when I was a young adult because it simply wasn’t as popular back then.

So why do so many adults choose to read YA? I’m not talking about a book here or a book there. I’m talking about having a steady diet of YA when you are in your 20s or 30s and up. What is so wonderful about teen angst that isn’t wonderful about other decades’ angst? Are there no kick ass heroes and heroines in adult fiction (and I don’t mean THAT adult fiction..hehe)? Are there no compelling characters or stories in the entire world of adult fiction? I’m thinking that this isn’t the case so these are the reasons I’ve come up with for the popularity of YA Fiction:

• The books are shorter with bigger print so it enables bloggers to read and review more books.
• It’s more escapist than fiction geared toward adults. I mean, we’re all living our lives so maybe we don’t want to read about problems or situations we’re currently facing.
• People are overstressed, overworked, overeverything so when they read they want something quick, fun, and easy.
• The language in the books is easier and requires less thought to get through.
  
  

Now before you skewer me for writing those reasons, I’m not judging all the YA bloggers and readers out there. I think people should read what they enjoy of course! I just wonder why more people aren’t eagerly anticipating books like The Distant Hours by Kate Morton or The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (there is anticipation, but nothing like The Hunger Games or Harry Potter phenomenons). No one was threatening to unfollow people on Twitter for spoilers from The Passage, but Mockingjay pretty much took over Twitter for the last three weeks or so complete with threats of unfollowing Twitter users and blogs that posted spoilers.

So what would it take for adults to be interested in fiction that is written for adults again?

Does it matter?

Do you think that adult fiction is less relevant today than it used to be?

Should I be embracing my inner Peter Pan and abandon adult fiction? So many questions! Let me know what you think!

*Note: I do plan on reading The Hunger Games trilogy at some point as well as some other fantastic YA fiction that people have recommended to me. I’m all about trying to be open. I don’t always succeed, but I do try!

Guest Post! Sarah from Bookworm Blues

A few months ago I met Sarah on Shelfari. After inviting her to join the Fantasy/Science Fiction Book of the Month group, I found out that she is a fellow blogger and a fantastic one at that. Sarah reviews Fantasy and to a lesser degree, Science Fiction on her blog, Bookworm Blues. I asked her to write up a guest post and she agreed, so here it is! I love it and think she is very inspirational.


Make sure you check out her awesome blog. Her reviews are fantastic and she reads some of the best Fantasy books out there!
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My husband came home from work one day, his eyes swept over our living room which had, throughout the course of the day, turned into my battleground. I had three piles of books and was dividing my stash into them to best organize my growing bookshelf. I had a gnawed on pen hanging out of my mouth (complete with ink-stained fingers), my hair was sticking up in every direction possible (a halo of horrible). My pajamas had become my conquering armor and a war was being waged; a war of organization. “What the hell are you doing?” he asked me.

“Organizing,” I mumbled, without looking up from my treasures. He looked over my books and whistled.

“Quite a collection,” he replied.

My husband is not a reader. He’s a gamer. I could see the question he’s asked me a hundred times before forming in his eyes. “What exactly does reading do for you?” He wanted to ask. He’s never been able to wrap his mind around my love of books. In fact, not many people can. I’m not just a hobby reader. Sometimes I feel like words are my blood and imagination is what nourishes my spirit. I couldn’t envision a world without books, a world where all devices are those that plug into walls and require batteries.

I grapple with his question. I’ve never been able to answer it. What does reading do for me? What is it that those of us who find solace in words get out of our love of books? Is it just the ability books give us to escape for a time or is it more?

More. It’s so much more.

Several years ago, after I had finished a book that particularly moved me, I had a fit of passion. I slammed my book shut, stared at my husband and said, “I’m doing a book drive.”

“Excuse me?” He replied, pausing his game to study me. “A book drive?”

“Do you realize,” I said, leaning forward, fixing my passion filled gaze on him, “that kids in Africa don’t have books to read? They go to school and learn what a bear is without ever seeing a picture of one. Ridiculous! How can you understand the world if you don’t have a book!?”


So, my darling husband sat back and watched me make flyers to hang all over campus about my Books for Africa drive. I don’t think he was expecting anything to happen with this wild passion that had suddenly sprouted wings within me. A month (and roughly 2,000 books) later, my living room had become taken over with donations from professors, students, neighborhood kids, churches and anyone else I could dream of. It took us about a week to sort and pack all the books and even longer to get enough donated money to ship them all to schools in Africa. It was well worth it.

Reading is so much more than a hobby for me. It’s a way for me to touch the world around me, to savor its flavors, to live someone else’s life and dream someone else’s dreams. Reading is a way to touch and become the divine. It soars me to new heights, challenges my preconceived beliefs and forces me to explore the comfortable and uncomfortable, the dark underbelly of humanity as well as humanity’s delivering angels. How could I not spread this gift of wings to others?

There is something within each of us aching to believe; a yearning that only reading, imagining and exploring can fulfill. For the (insert number of pages here) of a book we stop being ourselves, held fast by our own flaws and beliefs and daily struggles. We become someone else; something else. Books give us liberty to be what we aren’t. We can be the conquering hero or the dark villain. We can understand the improbable and believe the unbelievable. We take the wings the author has carefully crafted and use them to soar, become and explore.

Photo from Ya-Waris Foundation

Somewhere in Africa a child might be seeing his first picture of a bear, or using his first math book to calculate sums, or encountering magic for the first time. Children all over the world might be choosing books over movies. They could be experiencing the amazing power of their imagination while exploring the world through the eyes of a stranger. They might be learning about Mother Teresa or reading about Middle Earth. Regardless of their subject matter, for those precious moments they have learned to suspend judgment, put the world on hold and live fully and completely within themselves, a mindfulness that only books can lend us.
See what I mean about books nourishing the soul?

I read because somewhere inside me is a child aching to believe, explore, understand and become.



I was so interested in this story that I asked Sarah to tell me more her volunteering experience and what books have inspired her to volunteer her time to help people. This is what she wrote to me:




A few years ago I was informed that a friend of mine was impacted by Hurricane Katrina. For five weeks I talked to this family on the phone trying to learn all I could about the situation on the Gulf Coast, trying to help them whatever way I could.  For five weeks I basically sat there, watching the news and listening to first hand observations. Then, I had enough of sitting. I bought a plane ticket and moved to the Gulf Coast for seven months of service work that changed my life.

I flew from Utah, part of the industrialized United States, to an area that had been reduced to the status of a third world country. I could literally smell the death as soon as I got off the plane. I saw people living in impossible conditions that I never dreamed were possible in the United States. I saw humanity reduced to its bitter dregs and I saw through first hand experience, how the effort of one person can change the lives of others.

I flew back to Utah so I could get my degree. My time in Mississippi changed me. I read all I could (books like Leaving Microsoft to Change the World and Three Cups of Tea as well as books detailing economic situations in third-world countries and tons of others in that vein). I learned that education can change the world. The impoverished countries, the countries with dictatorships or oppressive governments, the countries that suffer the most strife are also the most uneducated countries in the world. Imagine how much the world would change if people were taught with more than one book! I had this revelation and started my Books for Africa drive where I donated over 2,000 books from universities, schools and neighborhoods to schools in Africa. I sponsored a child in Malawi.

I read a book called Girl Soldier and actually had the honor of meeting the author when she gave a public speech. Through her, I learned about an organization who helps the people in Uganda who had been impacted by their civil war. I contacted them and eventually became the USA coordinator for their organization. During this time I also became the secretary for an anti-genocide network.

I've heard "be the change you wish to see in the world" (which Mahatma Gandhi made famous), and I truly believe the only way the world will ever change is if those of us who believe it needs to change, changes it and that's what I strive to do.