Silent Spring is perhaps the first environmental book that was ever published. Published back in the 1960s, originally, it is unfortunately just as relevant now as when it was first put into print. It is a book that will make you think about what we are doing to our food, to our planet, and to ourselves.

The writing is passionate and relatable. The science is readable by most anyone. The message is one that needs to be heard. If I had the power to make this mandatory reading in middle school then I would do so. Since I hold no power even close to that I will implore that if you read just one nom fiction book this year that you make it Silent Sprint. Not only is it well written and well presented it has a message that is of importance.

Encounters with Authors by Dale Andrew White is a unique and intriguing book to read. It is a collection of twenty interviews that were conducted by White around 1980; however, the book itself was published over thirty years later. All the writers included in this collection are older, most have passed on before this book was published. Getting to read interviews of authors who have now moved on is the biggest appeal of this book. It is a way to know them outside of their novel, something that we will no longer have the chance to do firsthand.

Most interviews are approximately five pages long. White always includes an antidote about the author, a way of seeing the author from Whites perspective. Most also include a question and answer portion as well. In the case of Agatha Christie, who had already passed on, White interviewed someone who worked closely with her theater productions.

It is no surprise that authors are real human beings, with faults and virtues. However, it is interesting to see their personalities and how they match (or do not match) with their works. There is also a wide variety of authors who are included in the interviews. You may even find someone new to read.

It is probably a bit sad to admit that I did not read any stories by about Winnie-the-Pooh until I was in my late 30's. By the time I was a child they were already animated, so I am still very familiar with the 100 Acre Woods and Christopher Robin. I knew the lore about how A.A. Milne wrote these stories for his son. Yet, I had never read any of the books.

Thankfully my quest to finish Amazon's 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime encouraged me to pick up this book, the second in the Winnie-the-Pooh series. There were benefits to starting with the second book. Most of the stories were new to me. I did not have preconceived pictures from seeing them on film - well as many at least. I will never be able to view Pooh, or Eeyore, or Piglet as anything other then their movie versions.

This is a collection of stories all of which take place in the imaginative 100 Acre Woods revolving around Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends. The stories are a journey of friendship and of growing up. They would be great to read to your younger children, but they are also perfect for your early reader to read as they transition from being a "big kid" to being a kid. If you are nostalgic for your own childhood then I highly recommend that you pick up this book and relive a bit of magic that can be found between a child and their bear.

This is toy favorite book by Malcolm Gladwell I have read so far, it is my favorite book I have read so far this year.

I feel compelled to write a review because it seems that so many reviewers have missed the entire point of the book.

The underdogs are able to overthrow the Goliath's because they are able see options that are outside of the norm. I find it ironic that most of the bad reviews are because this consent is insulting or foreign to the readers - so it must be wrong, which just reinforces Gladwell's point.

I am very glad that Gladwell did emphasize the point that travesty and difference does not guarantee success - for every one success story there are nine more who do not succeed.

While Gladwell did touch on Dyslexia, I think it would be fascinating for an entire book to look at this concept in relation to mental health and developmental disabilities. It seems to get to the top you have to be able to think and act differently from the world.

Amazing book!!!!

Clockwork Angel is the first book in the Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare. Infernal Devices is the prequel to her best selling series The Mortal Instruments. It is also where I decided to start reading in the series.

The main character Terressa Gray was introduced right away, and right away her life is put into danger. Yet, while at no time does the action seem to stop in this book, it is still by far an introduction book. A lot of time is devoted to helping the reader understand the world that they have found themselves in. This has a natural flow, as the reader learns about the world right alongside Terressa.

There was nothing epic or amazing about the series. It is a good read, and I plan to finish the trilogy at least, if not the entire series. It just does not have the special appeal to rank as one of my favorites. Although, as the characters become more central to the story than the history that may change.

I was really uncertain what to expect with this book. There seemed to be a lot of strong reactions, both positive and negative. After finishing the book I understand why so many people seem to despise the book, and why others (like myself) love it.

Before even reaching the first page of the novel there is an acknowledgment page, well pages. The acknowledgment section is multiple pages of small print ravings. Eggers explains that you are more than welcome to skip this section. I recommend that you do not. It is long, but it is also humorous and will set the tone for the novel yet to come.

A Heartbreaking Work of a Staggering Genius is about as pompously and as self-centered as the title suggests. Eggers is a twenty-something year old who not only has to find his own way in life, he is doing so while coming to terms with death and parenting his younger brother. It can be seen as a coming of age novel where the narrator has to figure out how to live with death. Or, maybe it is a novel about death where the living are brought along as side characters. Either way, the book truly is genius.

It is also eccentric. If you are looking for a more traditional narrative structure or a more mature and likable main character, then you will probably passionately hate this novel. If you are looking for something that pushes the envelope, that looks at novel writing as an art form and isn't afraid to show the world in all its gory truth then you will probably love this book as much as I do.

Time and Blood is written in a unique narrative style. Each section switches between characters, yet each section is presented from a first person point of view. You cannot get the entire story without reading multiple sections. Each character has a very unique voice that is easily distinguished from all the other characters.

Unfortunately, this can leave the plot a bit confusing. The main character, Rhea, has lived for millenniums. It is no wonder that her grasp of the concrete here and now is a bit muddled. When a reader first reads events from her perspective they are left with less than concrete plot details. It isn't until another character's nerationg that the details become more defined. To add to the confusion, the narrative switches chronologically as well, going back hours in the story line. While it is a brilliant and unique narrative style, the way that it was implemented made the story more confusing than it needed to be.

The plot is quite fascinating. Rhea is an immortal phenix that was identified, with her mate, as being central to a prophecy. Then her mate is killed, along with all the other phoenix's leaving Rhea as the sole survivor. Rhea moves through the human world without hope. How can she fulfill the prophecy if your beloved is dead? Yet, love has found a way.