false 21 446 395 true 5641667 read 1 true 174285 currently-reading 50 true 174284 to-read 401 false 1820629 own 100 false 223871 non-fiction 86 false 1804188 1001 54 false 227121 ya 33 false 1868333 northwest 30 false 223866 travel 12 false 223886 presidents 9 false 223880 geology 7 false 1868412 minnesota 7 false 1770403 about-books 3 false 1195257 poetry 2 false 4440253 lent 2 false 7109691 infinitesummer http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74108659 to: The Accidental Adventurer: Memoir of the First Woman to Climb Mt. McKinley (Paperback) by Barbara Washburn
bookshelves: non-fiction
A memoir from Barbara Washburn, the first woman to reach the top of Mount McKinley. This is a quick read (less than 200 pages) and always entertaining. Washburn worked with her husband to summit several mountains. The pair also mapped McKinley, Everest, the Grand Canyon, and many other areas. Much of their work was done for the National Geographic Society. Washburn tells her story in a conversational tone, which makes the book a pleasure to read. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77647357 A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) by George R.R. Martin
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/65974991 sarah's review of A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)
by George R.R. Martin

wow. All caps---you mean serious business. I'll have to add this to my list. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73738569 to: Dracula (Penguin Classics) by Bram Stoker
bookshelves: infinitesummer, own
http://infinitesummer.org/dracula

Van Helsing has a tendency to blabber on and on about nothing. And, the men make some really silly decisions at times (especially when it comes to Mina). But, this was still a really fun read and it was easy to see why it has become a classic.

One thing I was really impressed by was Stoker's descriptive skills. There are some beautiful descriptions of landscape, weather, and location in this book. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74107698 By the Pricking of My Thumbs (Winterbrook Edition) by Agatha Christie
bookshelves: own, to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/37925521 Theodore Rex: 1901-1909 (Hardcover) by Edmund Morris
bookshelves: currently-reading, non-fiction, own, presidents
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67836822 to: The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power, and the Future of the World (Hardcover) by Michelle Goldberg
bookshelves: non-fiction
An excellent book that covers the history of the international reproductive rights movement. Goldberg covers such topics as abortion, female genital mutilation, birth control, population control, family planning, family-friendly policy, and more. She did extensive research, including interviews of the key players. She looks at the important role that women's rights play in improving the lives of women and men in developing countries. She also describes how the United States has been a been a driving force on both sides of the debate.

The book is a fantastic overview of the issues as well as a call to further action. It is hard to deny Goldberg's thesis that the more power women have over their own lives, the better off everyone (women and men) will be. As she says, "there is no force for good on the planet as powerful as the liberation of women." ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/15098689 to: The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of The Oxford English Dictionary (Paperback) by Simon Winchester
bookshelves: about-books, non-fiction, own
I think the title sums it up pretty nicely. I had never really considered how a dictionary was put together, so this was pretty interesting. It was also an engaging human story of both Minor (the madman in the title) and Murray (the editor). ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63222110 to: Unlikely Destinations: The Lonely Planet Story (Paperback) by Tony Wheeler
bookshelves: non-fiction, travel
It was very interesting to learn about how a company like Lonely Planet got started and developed over the years. Wheeler writes in a casual style that works well. At times the book devolves into a list of places they visited and doesn't have the interesting travel stories you might wish for. But, it is a book about their company, not their travels and the listing of the itinerary doesn't bog the book down.

I've used Lonely Planet guides for years and it was certainly satisfying to learn that this was a company that came from a deep love of travel, not a business model. I especially liked their focus on places you wouldn't necessarily think of as travel destinations (like East Timor). ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63220932 to: Rabbit-Proof Fence: The True Story of One of the Greatest Escapes of All Time (Paperback) by Doris Pilkington Garimara
bookshelves: non-fiction
This is a fascinating true story. However, the escape part doesn't even start until page 75 of this 133 page book. It was so short that it was hard to get a sense of the immense distance the three girls traveled. I was just left wanting so much more out of this little book. I'll definitely have to see the movie. ]]>