Books

There are two fantastic sites out there not only designed to expand your literary world, but to connect with other people with the same interests as you. If you're in school, it's one of the best uses of technology in education as you search for a book for your research paper, or for class discussion.

LibraryThing has a community of nearly a million readers. Its main distinguishing feature is the ability to sign up to receive free review books through a lottery drawing. You can also select a book you don't own and see if it's at a nearby bookstore or at your library. You add books and can connect either with people you know, or people whose libraries you find to be interesting. There are various community groups you can also post to.

Shelfari reminds me a lot of Delicious Library for the Mac in terms of interface. It's not as full-featured as LibraryThing, but the site looks a lot nicer. However, Shelfari is a reminder that what matters about a book isn't its cover, but its contents. The one thing that Shelfari does better than LibraryThing is incorporate a planned reading list so you can show friends what you would like to purchase in the future. There is also an option to hide all spoilers. Like LibraryThing, there are various forums and friend connection tools. What Shelfari lacks is the ability to look for books locally and the...

As the situation in Afghanistan again takes center stage on the mind of the American government and military, one American man continues to shift entire paradigms in the region without firing a single shot.

Greg Mortenson soared to the top of bestseller lists with his memoir Three Cups of Tea, which chronicled the efforts of his Central Asia Institute to bring education to girls in impoverished regions of Pakistan. Now Greg Mortenson presents Stones Into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which continues the story of his awe-inspiring work amidst the violence, tribalism and radical fundamentalism of Afghanistan.

Having described his transformation from daring mountaineer to peacemaker and humanitarian in Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson continues the breathtaking story of his efforts to bring change to the region through education in Stones into Schools. In the time since Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson and the Central Asia Institute have opened over 130 schools throughout the region, bringing education to over 50,000 Pakistani and Afghani children, the vast majority of them females.

Stones into Schools is the first-person account of Greg Mortenson's vision and commitment to transforming Central Asia by working closely with village elders, tribal leaders, clerics and politicians to understand the positive impact that education--particularly that of young rural women--can have on the socioeconomic fabric...

As parents, we all agree that exposing our children to books is beneficial. It's great for language development when they are young, and vocabulary building as they get older. Not to mention SAT scores. But with all the books for kids that are out there, how do you know which ones to choose? First is obviously selecting a book that is on your child's reading level. You want to challenge them a little but not to the point of frustration.

After that, make sure you get a book on a topic they are interested in. Maybe they are into sports, or animals, or outer space. No matter the topic, there is probably a book for kids about just that subject. To give you an idea of today's literature for kids, read up on three book series for kids, of different ages, that we think are pretty cool. Happy reading!

Series One: Baby Einstein Books
Ages: Baby to 5
The Scoop: The Baby Einstein books are great for little ones. They have everything from soft fabric books to bath book to board books. They cover topics like colors, letters, shapes, animals, art and more. Each one features the colorful, fun Baby Einstein puppets that kids see in the DVD series. The stories are simple and engaging and if you talk to parents who have them, they will most likely tell you their child likes to read them over and over again.

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Who is hotter right now than author Stephanie Meyer? In 2008, the four books of her Twilight series wound up in the top four spots of the year-end best seller list--the first time in history anyone has accomplished such a feat. She was named one of the "Top 100 Most Influential People in 2008" by Time Magazine, and one of the "Top 100 Information Age Powers in 2009" by Vanity Fair. Altogether Stephanie Meyer has sold nearly 100 million books worldwide in less than five years.

Most recently the film adaptation of her second Twilight novel, New Moon, has soared to all-new box office heights, raking in a new record for single day box office gross with $72.7 million on its way to the third-biggest opening weekend gross in history ($142.8 million).

So the story goes that in mid-2003, young Mormon housewife Stephanie Meyer woke from a vivid dream about a teenage girl speaking to a handsome, sparkling vampire in a meadow. Though the vampire loved the girl, he could not deny his thirst for her blood. From this kernel of an idea, Stephanie Meyer wrote diligently for three months and turned it into the novel Twilight. She did this even while attending to her three children and the multitude of other duties a mother faces on an average day.

Stephanie Meyer insists that she initially wrote Twilight merely to entertain herself, but on the behest of her sister eventually she dove into the laborious process of submitting the manuscript...

There doesn't seem to be much that seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong can't do, having toppled records in his sport despite being given only a 40% chance of living through advanced testicular cancer in 1996. It is this message of perseverance and empowerment that Lance Armstrong has carried on beyond his athletic triumphs through the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the LiveStrong campaign.

In the new book Comeback 2.0: Up Close and Personal, Lance Armstrong chronicles his decision to return to cycling in 2009 as part of his widespread efforts to raise cancer awareness. Readers follow Lance Armstrong's audacious comeback through personal journals and intimate photographs.

When Lance Armstrong retired from professional cycling in 2005, he did it at the absolute pinnacle of the sport. Having just won his 7th consecutive Tour de France, there didn't seem to be much left for him to accomplish, especially given the mountain that he had to climb just to survive testicular cancer.

Yet Lance Armstrong continued to use his status and notoriety to forward a sweeping campaign for his Lance Armstrong Foundation, which provides support, education, fund raising, and other services for cancer patients, survivors, and family. The LiveStrong Campaign has been tremendously successful behind Lance Armstrong's public persona and inspiring athleticism, raising millions of dollars for cancer research and support and pushing untold thousands to never give...