Book Recommendations

I just finished reading At Home by Bill Bryson, who both hilarious and highly inquisitive. I'm amazed by the depth of curious, offbeat detail he weaves from his research into the topic he's writing about. I learned quite a bit about the evolution of that thing we call a house and how our current lifestyle evolved, and was reminded yet again about how wonderful it is to live in the 21st century with indoor plumbing, hot water, heat, reliable electricity, a comfy bed, refrigeration and all that other good stuff. It's a good read but you might want to alternate with Us Weekly as it can be a bit dense.

I also recently read Following Atticus: Forty-Eight High Peaks, One Little Dog, and an Extraordinary Friendship by Tom Ryan. An amazing true life story (as they say) about a man, a remarkable little dog and a mountain range. I was in the White Mountains while I read the book which added to the drama and couldn't put it down. This spring and summer I am inspired to do some grand trekking, including climbing a 4000 footer!! Plus I spied the *real* Tom and Atticus outside the Conway, NH Starbucks right after I finished the book so I was wicked thrilled. Way better than seeing Michelle Bachman and her mammoth tour bus pull up at Zeb's.