Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix- J.K. Rowling

By far the longest book in the series so far with 800 plus pages. The storyline is decent, but it gets totally dragged out. I felt like a million things were brought to my attention more than once. I mean, I guess if J.K. Rowling is writing for kids with the attention span of a fly then it makes sense to reiterate things. It was just a little overkill for me. The storyline was more of the same with Voldemort still in the picture and the need for Harry to step in and save the day. Still, I look forward to book six in the series (hopefully I can find a paperback in the hostel).

Three Cups of Tea- Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

If you think you know where the war on terrorism started and the driving force behind it maybe you should think again. This is the remarkable true story of a mountain climber turned philanthropist. Greg Mortenson lost his route during his descent from an unsuccessful ascent of K2 and found himself in a remote village where he fell in love with the people’s warmth and hospitality. This chance happening led to a dialogue where Greg discovered the need for a school. He went to work procuring funds to build this first school which eventually led to more schools in other places. During 9/11 and the surrounding aftermath Greg was actually in Pakistan and Afghanistan working on building schools and shares his account of what was really going on. This is an incredible and inspiring story of the difference one person can make.

The Only Road North- Erik Mirandette

This is a true story about a Michigander who interrupts his college education to volunteer in Africa. After completing his volunteer work, Erik organizes a motorbike trip beginning in South Africa and ending in Egypt. The book chronicles the journey of Erik, his brother and two friends as they make their way north through war-torn countries, border crossings, jungles and countless breakdowns. I believe their trip took place in 2004, and while you may be tempted to assume this is the African version of The Motorcycle Diaries, the stories are not at all alike. This book really resonated with me. Maybe it’s because it didn’t happen that long ago. Maybe it’s because Erik is in his 20’s and from Michigan. Regardless, it is a great story worth reading.

Black and Blue- Anna Quindlen

An Oprah's book club book that I definitely do not recommend. This book is a fictional story about a woman that left her abusive husband by taking her son into hiding. The book tells the story of her transition to her new identity and life while flashing back to life with her husband. It clearly explains the vicious cycle of love and forgiveness that the main character experienced during her marriage and that happens all to often in abusive relationships. I found the bookto be sort of textbook in it's description of spousal abuse and it didn't really bring anything new to the table. It wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't anything to write home about either.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven- Mitch Albom

Everybody talks about this book and on the recommendation of a friend I read it. It was cute, but it really wasn't worth all the talk. I guess the idea is to maybe give people a different perspective of what death is all about. I think I've had enough time here in Burkina to think about a number of topics including death to the point of exhaustion so I didn't really get too much out of it. To sum it up I'd say the main point is that everything in life is not always about you and sometimes you need to consider how your actions and inactions affect others. It's too short of a book not to read so you might as well get this one out of the way just to say you read it.

One For The Money- Janet Evanovich

The first book in a series about a laid-off lingerie buyer turned bounty hunter. The lead character is strapped for cash and reluctantly contacts her (yes HER) bondsman cousin (or maybe it's uncle) to do a few jobs for some quick money. Turns out the target is a childhood friend/ex that was involved in a shooting and skipped bail. Generally, the book is witty and story entertaining and it was a quick read. I look forward to the second.

Citizen Coors- Dan Baum

This book documents the Coors legacy in Golden, Colorado. To think it all started with the German immigrant who wanted to start a brewery. The Coors family diversified to also open a malt house, grow their own barley, create a ceramics plant and are the inventors of the modern day aluminum can (steel was used before). Believe it or not, most of these spin-offs were in an effort to exercise complete control of the quality and flavor of the beer. They even went as far as changing the weather (spraying the air with salt to induce rain) on their barley fields during times of drought and bending a river to divert floodwaters from drowning their brewery. I was recently in Golden and the Coor's property is sprawling. The book is longish and took me forever, but I definitely recommend it to the curious types who like to know a little bit about everything like me.