Two Posts in September! Wow!

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
Bill Bryson is in his fifties: aging, overweight, and settled down. Instead of retiring, though, he does something he's wanted to do ever since he moved back across the pond: walk the Appalachian Trail, 2,100 miles from Georgia to Maine. Armed with a backpack, maps, and a lot of noodles, and accompanied by highschool friend Katz, Bryson sets off for a walk in the woods.

Good. It made me wish that I hiked, and that i had the fortitude to try something that daunting.

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In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
After writing about America and Europe, Bill Bryson flies to Australia. What follows is his account of the only country which is also a continent: a country with baking deserts and lush rainforests, a place with more lethal creatures than anywhere else, a land where everyone is friendly. Bryson travels across Australia, remarking on every detail, leaving one wishing to go Down Under.

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Daws: A Man Who Trusted God by Betty Lee Skinner
Growing up in California in the early 1900s, Dawson Trotman was a liar and a gambler. Then, in one decision, his life was changed forever. Reversing completely, Daws began learning Scripture verses every day, witnessing to everyone he met, and organizing Christian groups. That eventually became the core of the Navigators organization: Scripture memory, witnessing, and prayer. Through his life, Dawson Trotman led thousands to belief in Jesus Christ.

Convicting. I definitely don't read the Bible or pray or talk to people enough. Daws made me decide to re-start and re-dedicate.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

When Liesel Meminger is nine, in the year 1939, she steals her first book. She is by her brother's grave; it is the Grave Digger's Handbook. So begins a love affair for words, nurtured by her foster father and the Jew hidden in the basement. While the world burns around her, Liesel takes books from wherever they may be found, trying to live through the war.

This is one of the best-written books I have read for a long time. Zusak's prose burns with intensity, creating a deeply moving story about why we need books.

I would love to hear what you think about this story. Contact me!