Rigged by Ben Mezrich

I greatly enjoyed reading this book and following the crazy adventures of “the ordinary kid from Brooklyn” and how he managed to end up in Dubai and convinced many other (important) people to go along with his ideas. The book reads like it is a work of fiction, as many of the events that unfold are very surreal and outrageous. Many of the events that unfolded in Dubai sounded very unbelievable- at least for the “regular Joes” out there. The book reads a lot like a travel guide and there are many very good descriptions of the major sights and the history of Dubai as a trading partner. Even though the book is about finance, it is still entertaining enough that people who are not in that industry would enjoy reading about David Russo’s crazy adventures in the quest to expand the Mercantile Exchange.
Note: I also found it quite ironic that the author refers to David Russo as an “ordinary kid from Brooklyn” because he was actually educated at Harvard Business School and that is not something that the average person does.
For more information about this book: http://www.harpercollins.ca/global_scripts/product_catalog/book_xml.asp?isbn=0061252727
ISBN: 9780061252723; ISBN-10: 0061252727; On Sale: 10/23/2007; Format: Hardcover; Trimsize: 6 x 9; Pages: 304; $29.95(CAN)

My Mother's Daughter by Rona Maynard

I had the opportunity to read this book last week and found it was very hard to put down. The book reads like Rona is talking to the reader as a close friend. She exposes all facets of her family life and the joys and turbulations of life with or in the shadow of her mother. Rona takes the reader on quite a journey that starts with her life in the United States and ends with her currently living in Toronto. In between all this we also get to know about the other Maynard siblings and relatives- like the sister Joyce that was living with J.D. Sallinger when she was only 18 years old. The book was a very eye-opening read as I have read Chatelaine magazine and never knew that much about the (former) editor. I will definitely be passing my copy along to my mother the next time I see her.
More info on this book can be found at: http://www.mcclelland.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780771057014
Format: Hardcover, 264 pagesPublisher: Douglas Gibson BooksISBN: 978-0-7710-5701-4 (0-7710-5701-6)Pub Date: September 11, 2007Price: $34.99
Also, when I opened the copy of the book I received there was a lovely personal inscription from Rona Maynard and I found that very nice as well :)

The World Without Us by Alan Weisman

I greatly enjoyed reading this book and would reccomend it to everyone that cares about the planet. It is impossible to ot be able to relate to at least one of the subjects that is covered throughout the book. Even if you are not into the environment or saving endangered species around the world there is so much that has been built by mankind that will need preserving for future generations. I really likes how Weisman used examples that the "average" reader could relate to. There were also some great explanations for the more complicated concepts. One example that came to mind was how the New York subway system is built on a riverbed, and that the pumps being used to not have the modern capacity to handle the excess water that passes through. If the pumps happen to stop, the subway system will come to a halt. I found it rather ironic that as I was reading this book the very next day similar incidents happened in New York causing the subway system to come to a standstill. Another aspect of the book I greatly enjoyed was how each chapter was dedicated to a specific topic- you could just read the chapters that interest you first. I do reccomend reading the whole book though.
For more information about this book the publisher's website is at: http://www.harpercollins.ca/global_scripts/product_catalog/book_xml.asp?isbn=0002008645
ISBN: 9780002008648; ISBN-10: 0002008645; On Sale: 07/07/2007; Format: Hardcover; Pages: 320; $32.00(CAN)

Queen of Babble In The Big City by Meg Cabot

I really enjoyed reading the (mis) adventures of the Queen of Babble In The Big City. The book was written in a very light tone of voice much like you were talking to one of your friends. I thought that this added some warmth and personality to the characters in the story. But let’s first start right at the beginning of the book. The story is told through the voice of Lizzie Nichols- a young, zany and fashionable girl who has big dreams of being a wedding gown designer in New York City. Things do not go as smoothly as Lizzie expected- partly because she keeps on putting her foot in her mouth. But at the same time Lizzie’s ability to blab and talk to many people also saves her at the end of the story and makes for a happy ending. Overall I thought the book was quite easy to read and couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. This would be a nice book to take on vacation or to read at the beach (or in your back yard at least). I have not read the first book in this series Queen of Babble and will definitely pick it up after having read this one!
For more info about this book the publisher's website is at: http://www.harpercollins.ca/global_scripts/product_catalog/book_xml.asp?isbn=0060852003
ISBN: 9780060852009; ISBN-10: 0060852003; On Sale: 06/26/2007; Format: Hardcover; Trimsize: 5 1/2 x 8 1/4; Pages: 320; $28.95(CAN)

Life on the refrigerator door by Alice Kuipers

Life on the refrigerator door is a book that is based on the written exchanges that take place between a overworked mother and her young teen daughter. The mother and daughter keep on missing each other, so the written messages are their main mode of communication. Kuipers made the book (which is fiction) seem very realistic by keeping the same format of short messages for each page of the book. At first this takes a bit of getting used to reading such short passages on each page, but then you soon come to realize that it is also part of the experience of reading this story and makes it seem more realistic overall. I don’t want to give too much of the plot away, but the main theme of the story is that the mother and daughter keep on missing each other, then some major events happen to the mother and the majority of the story deals with how their relationship is affected. Overall the book had some very good morals and lessons that could be learned from reading it. I also think that this book would be better to discuss in a book club or a discussion group because there are many themes and topics that could be explored, but as an individual reader there is not really much for one individual to think about once the story has been read (if that somewhat makes sense). The book, while it seemed like it would be a long read was actually much shorter and faster to read that I expected. I actually got through the book on my lunch hour, so it was quite a quick read. My overall opinion of the book was that it took an interesting concept and made it seem more realistic by the layout of the text. I kind of felt like I was reading notes that were being passed around by two friends-, which I guess, was the authors’ original intention.
More info on this book can be found at: http://www.harpercollins.ca/global_scripts/product_catalog/book_xml.asp?isbn=0002006790
ISBN: 9780002006798; ISBN-10: 0002006790; On Sale: 09/11/2007; Format: Hardcover; Pages: 240; $19.00(CAN)
-also interesting to note that at the back of the copy of my book is a sticker that states: "Let us know what you thought! Leave a message for the author at (647) 477-2113. I have not tried calling yet, but I guess maybe I should...I wonder if that really? is the authors phone number...

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver

I greatly enjoyed reading about how Barbara Kingsolver and her (extended) family spent a year producing and growing their own food. The book goes into great detail about why the Kingsolver family came upon the decision to try and be self-sufficient for a whole year and how they carefully researched every aspect of food production and animal raising. The beginning of the book starts out with the Kingsolver family making the treck back to their family farm in the Appalachian countryside. The book gave me a very eye-opening look at how food in America is processed and made me think more about where food and specifically what I buy at the store comes from. I like how Kingsolver does not talk down to the reader and tries to enlighten with many facts and resources- and even provides quite a few tasty recipes along the way. The section about how the family decided to raise turkeys was quite interesting. I would have never figured that turkey farming today was so “mechanical”. But I did find that some of the sections of the book that talk about breeding turkeys and also slaughtering animals were quite graphic. This could be possibly because as a whole (we) are so removed from how out food is produced today and only seem to see the final processed product in the frozen foods section of the grocery store. I think that once you read this book you will not look at the way you shop for food again in the same way. The last few times I went to the grocery store I was even wondering where all the local produce was considering it is summer here.
I was unable to locate the book on the HarperCollins Canada website, so have provided a link to the Chapters bookstore listing instead. http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Animal-Vegetable-Miracle-Year-Food-Barbara-Kingsolver/9780060852559-item.html?ref=Books%3a+Search+Top+Sellers
Details Format: Hardcover Published: April 19, 2007 Dimensions: 384 Pages, 6.5 x 9.38 x 1.25 in ISBN: 0060852550 Published By: HarperCollins Canada
I highly reccomend this book and would hope that every school and library have several copies (as most people never see how their food is produced).

The Judas Strain by James Rollins.

"The Judas Strain is a novel that is fast paced and full of great adventures. The story started thousands of years ago when a deadly virus was discovered on a distant and now deserted island The Sigma Force and their associates have been put in charge with extremely virulent virus that threatens to wipe out all of mankind if it cannot be cured. Along the way the Sigma Force encounters numerous obstacles that they must conquer. In order to save mankind the Sigma Force has to find a series of three sacred carvings that have been hidden away for thousands of years since the reign of Marco Polo. One of the interesting aspects of the novel was how James Rollins manages to seamlessly blend fact and fiction throughout the book. (He) writes about such phenomena as Angelic script, plagues and even dangerous squid that light up. It was very helpful that there was a breakdown of what events and wildlife really exist and which were fictional. I don’t want to give away too much of the story so you will have to read this yourself to find out if mankind is finally saved. This book had me on edge waiting to see what would happen next. I would definitely say that it was very graphic and vividly illustrated and a page-turner."
I also found the novel to be a fast-paced and action filled adventure. You will be left wondering which characters were good and which were out to sabotage the plan to save mankind.