Book recommendations

Looking for some great books to read or for presents – these might assist your searching:

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Semi-autobiographical account of Roberts who escaped a maximum security prison in Australia and spent ten years on the run in India and Afghanistan

Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin
Follow the true-life journey of a young peasant boy plucked from his family in China to train as a dancer, rising to world-wide acclaim

Marching Powder by Rusty Young
The most amazing insight into life in a Bolivian Prison where entrepreneurship equals survival

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Share in the poignant and soul-shattering story of two young boys growing up together in Afghanistan

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Again, set in Afghanistan, enter the lives of two women pre, during and post Taliban rule; it will change your view of your own life forever more

Stolen Time by Sunny Jacobs
Condemned to death, along with her partner, for a murder they did not commit, Sonny spent five years in solitary on death row and twelve years in prison before being released The White Masai by Corinne Hofmann

German born and raised Corinne fell in love on sight with a Masai warrior on a visit to Kenya and returned to live with him, enduring endless challenges to be with the man she loved

A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
The memoirs of a boy soldier recruited into the government army in Sierra Leone and forced to commit unspeakable acts of violence

Kilroy was Here by Kris Olsson
She was locked up and abused at 13, a mother a 17 and jailed for drug trafficking at 28, Kris ultimately became a relentless campaigner for women's rights in prison and was awarded the Order of Australia. 

Truth Imagined by Eric Hoffer
Blinded as a child, regaining his sight at 15, Eric Hoffer began to consume books and is truly a modern day philosopher.  Join him on his migratory travels throughout the USA during which he questions every basic assumption about human nature

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
A fascinating look at the world of the geisha behind the costume and the mask. Explore the mystery and the meaning of this dying phenomenon

Making Money Made Simple by Noel Whittaker
A down-to-earth, practical, readable, common sense look at how to maximise the money we earn. If only I had read it thirty years ago!  Still, it is never too late to start applying his simple principles

The World is Flat by Thomas L Friedman
Globalisation in the 21st century through technology is connecting people, resources and knowledge at a lightning-fast pace. Discover the implications for you and your business

Good to Great by Jim Collins
21 researchers, five years and 1435 Fortune 500 companies = compelling evidence on what it takes to take a company from good to great and keep it there. That is achieving 6.9 times cumulative stock returns over fifteen years.

Unlock Your Hormones by Dr Graeme Williams
A convincing and compelling read into the role hormones play in our lives and how to overcome the symptoms of menopause and andropause, PMS, excess weight, moods, anxiety, diabetes, osteoporosis, breast & prostate problems, stress etc

These on the other hand are not to be recommended;
· A Clifftop Saga, by Eileen Dover
· Stories from the North Pole, by I. C. Blast
· Garden Care, by Anita Lawn
· A Garlic Lover's Story, by Y. I. Malone
· A Stupid Person's Guide, by M. T. Head
· How to Joust, by Sally Forth
· How to Suck Blood from Humans, by Amos Quito
· Being Miserable, by Mona Lott
· The First Years of School, by L. M. Entree
· Embarrassing Hair Disorders, by Dan Druff
· Hurricanes and Their Causes, by Gail Force-Wynn
· Cannibalism, by Henrietta Man
· Insomnia, by Eliza Wake
· Barber Shop Management, by Aaron Floor

What?

Accordinig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Pettry amzanig huh?

Can you read these correctly the first time?

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England nor French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices?

Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?