Recent Reading

I do quite a bit of reading for relaxation before I go to bed, and I've been trying to alternate between reading I do for total immersion (fantasy and SF especially) and reading that would be "good for me" or that others have recommended. I just finished Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin and Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, both recommended by family members, and am now reading Connie Willis's The Doomsday Book, fantasy/SF. I think I'll talk about each in the next postings, with Three Cups of Tea first.



My dad recommended Three Cups of Tea, and of course I heard about it, as it seemed as if every book group in the country was reading it. I was kind of worried about starting it because I was afraid it would depict a nice white guy going to save the third world. Although I suppose that's what happened, the tone was humble and built on Greg Mortenson's interest in Pakistan and the people of Pakistan more than the cause. It was a slow read for me. I think it took almost a month. I don't read non-fiction quickly, probably because there's no plot to draw me along. There's just this set of events and then that set of events and then some more events, so I don't tend to wonder what is going to happen. I'm glad I read it because I can talk with my dad about it. As he is caring for my mom now, who has Alzheimer's, talking about books is one way for me to try to support him at a distance.

(All of the book images come from Amazon.)