Recommended for Travelers and the Curious

God's Middle Finger: Into the Lawless Heart of the Sierra Madre by Richard Grant

I first spotted this book two, maybe three years ago when working at my other store. It's kind of hard to ignore a book called God's Middle Finger. It's equally hard to forget about it after reading what it's about. With phrases like, "[...] his reckless adventure spiraled into his own personal heart of darkness when cocaine-fueled Mexican hillbillies hunted him through the woods all night, bent on killing him for sport." Whaaaat? Really? Of course, I didn't get the chance to read it right away, but that book stuck with me until years later I finally got my hands on it. It's a great read. Definitely worth it. Grant travels all along Sierra Madre and learns about how the police and the drug dealers co-exist, sees abject poverty, the nonstop machismo that saturates the culture (and the men), and quickly discovers that it's all about who you know.

I put this book near Thanksgiving because after reading this book, it just makes me thankful for everything I have here. I'm sure Grant's happy to be alive and well on the opposite side of the Mexican border...

Read the Epinions review here!


Notes from the playlist: "Silver Springs" by Fleetwood Mac

Recommended for Travelers and History Hunters

Hunting Pirate Heaven by Kevin Rushby

I actually had to read this in college when I took a course on pirates (yes, you heard me. A college course on pirates). But that doesn't mean it was a boring textbook. Instead, this is actually one man's account of trying to find the one place that pirates were rumored to stop and make their paradise with all their gold and plunder. Somewhere off the coast of Africa, near Madagascar. Rushby takes off from England, and from there goes on trucks, boats, and experiences some friendly--and some very questionable--people as he tries to find this fabled pirate heaven. This is also one of those stories where, as I read, I thought (admittedly in a very biased manner), "This is the sort of thing that only an English guy could get away with. If this were an American, he probably would have been shot by now."

A final note? Most college books I sold back. This one I kept.


Notes from the playlist: "Cheeseburger in Paradise" by Jimmy Buffet