As a continent, Africa has long fascinated me. Evolution points to Africa as a pivotal point in our collective history as civilization. The tribes and people of Africa create a tapestry of culture and humanity unlike any other place on Earth. Why read travel books about Africa? Why not? It’s a continent filled with diverse …
With a last name like O’Donnell, my Irish heritage was a vibrant thread woven into the fabric. My parents and grandparents ensured that, long before my first trip to Ireland, I dined on a steady diet of the greatest Irish authors of all time. By the time I reached adulthood, I had watched every great …
If you’re heading to Spain, then you should use the incredible trove of fascinating books about this beautiful country to get you up to speed on the history, culture, and people. Spain is not only big, but it has a complicated past and a similarly complicated current era. With people alive today still remembering Franco …
As part of my 52 books challenge, I aimed to read a book a week throughout the year. While I ultimately failed (I was about 10 books shy of my goal), I did read interesting stories I might never have otherwise discovered. When I visited a friend in Australia last fall, I perused her bookshelf …
This has been on my Kindle for at least a year and I have no idea why I waited to read it. When I started my 52 Books Project I made sure The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner was among the first I read. It’s a fantastic book. Even more, I read it simultaneously with Man’s Search for Meaning, by …
Reading is one of the first things to fall by the wayside when life gets busy, so in 2016 I set a goal for myself to read 52 books every year. My kindle is packed with books from over the years. Everything from business books I’ve wanted to read, to travel books, to gifts from …
I picked up I Am Malala on a whim; I was strolling through Target for a toddler birthday gift and saw it on the shelf. I had seen her speech to the United Nations Assembly, and I found her message compelling. I also own that I didn’t know a lot about Pakistan, and I found that …
North Korea is all over the news lately. Over the holidays, the controversy over the film The Interview put the country back in the spotlight (is it ever far?) and highlighted for the world just how far the North Korean government will go to control information. A week after I watched the film, a close friend recommended …