RSS FeedRelax & Read Highlighted Books
October 17, 2005
Take a break and dive into something other than your textbooks. Here are some titles of interest in our Relax and Read collection:
Non-Fiction
Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, A Dream and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team by Wayne Coffey
Unlike previous books on this miracle moment, Coffey never sinks into melodrama and characterization. Instead his focus is on Coach Brooks psychological tactics and groundbreaking system of speed and motion that ultimately quiets the skeptics and critics. Coffey, a respected sports writer, even humanizes the Russians by revealing their struggles, such as avoiding slap shots because of a shortage of quality sticks. This book is filled with primary interviews and is of interest to more than hockey fans.
When the Mississippi Ran Backwards: Empire, Intrigue, Murder and the New Madrid Earthquakes by Jay Feldman
Did you know that some of the strongest earthquakes in America's history took place just south of us? In 1812 these shocks devastated the Mississippi River town of New Madrid, Mo. Feldman gives a lucid rundown of the geology and seismology of the quakes and skillfully deploys firsthand memoirs of the disaster to describe the titanic upheavals of earth and water that terrified onlookers and caused the river to run backwards.
Adventure Capitalist: The Ultimate Road Trip by Jim Rogers
Financier Rogers retired at 37 and instead of enjoying his sedate life teaching finance he decided to take his fiancée and a souped-up Mercedes on a frighteningly intense road trip: three years, 116 countries and 152,000 miles. Like his car that plowed through snow, mud, sand and highways on every continent, Rogers's memoir of the journey is its own breed.
Fiction
French Quarter Fiction: The Newest Stories of America's Oldest Bohemia: An Anthology of the Best Works by Living Writers on the Heart of New Orleans, edited by Joshua Clark
Due to recent events, we are all looking to understand the people and culture of one of our most interesting cities. Through the writings of Robert Olen Butler, Richard Ford, Poppy Z. Brite and more than 30 others, we get an inside feel for the history and heartbeat of the French Quarter.
The Last Crossing by Guy Vanderhaeghe
Set in the late 19th century this is the story of three well-off English brothers: twins impressionable Simon and honorable Charles Gaunt and their elder sibling, Addington, an arrogant scoundrel. Their dictatorial father sends Charles and Addington to the prairies of the U.S. and Canada in search of Simon, who has disappeared. Without cliché Vanderhaeghe uses the western motif to reveal a number of profound universal truths about personal honor, human failings and strengths.
The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint by Brady Udall
This novel hooks you in with one of the best opening lines: "If I could tell you only one thing about my life it would be this: when I was seven years old the mailman ran over my head". Quirky aspects of his story continue from there: Edgar's dysfunctional relationships, being an orphan living on an Indian reservation, and finding his unique "voice" and a love for language. The author's playful style makes you laugh while you feel sadness and even admiration for the main character. A very unique and enjoyable story.
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