Sunday, January 07, 2007

Oh, the joy of a good book!

I received some fun, interesting and quirky books for Christmas and here are a couple that I've really enjoyed:

First up is a book that I heard reviewed on NPR about a month ago. My mama heard the same review, decided that is sounded interesting, and sent it to me. It's called Passionate Minds by David Bodanis and its the biography of a 16th century scientist named Emilie du Chatelet. Largely forgotten by history, she was responsible for translating and expanding upon Newton's original works. She was also Voltaire's lover and the lifestyle they led was revolutionary at the time. It's well written and intriguing. The second book with which I'm currently enraptured, is called 1,000 places to see before you die. I'm currently making a "life list" of places that I'd like to visit and things I'd like to do sometime in my life. This book is a great aid. I was especially pleased because it includes "must visit" places such as the Louvre, the Vatican and the Grand Canyon, and then many lesser known gems such as Manuel Antonio Park in Costa Rica, the scuba diving opportunities in Bonaire, and the cayes in Belize (all of which I've visited and loved).
For St. Lucia, the book recommends the resorts we stayed at, Anse Chastanet.
Next weekend, we're going to cross two more places off: the Pacific Coast Highway north of Los Angeles, and the town of Monteray (including the aquarium). Hooray for road trips!