To continue last year's tradition...here is the 2008 edition of G
et to Know Your Friends!
WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING?
WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
FAVORITE BOARD GAME?
FAVORITE MAGAZINE?
FAVORITE SMELL?
FIRST THING YOU THINK OF IN THE MORNING?
HOW MANY RINGS BEFORE YOU ANSWER THE PHONE?
FAVORITE COLOUR?
WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT IN YOUR LIFE?
FAVORITE FOOD?
IF YOU COULD PLAY AN INSTRUMENT, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
DO YOU LIKE TO DRIVE FAST?
SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?
WHAT TYPE WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?
WHO IS THE PERSON FROM YOUR PAST YOU WISH YOU COULD GO BACK AND TALK TO?
FAVORITE ALCOHOLIC DRINK?
WHAT'S IN THE TRUNK OF YOUR CAR?
DO YOU EAT THE STEMS OF BROCCOLI?
IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY JOB YOU WANTED WHAT WOULD IT BE?
GLASS HALF-EMPTY OR HALF-FULL?
FAVORITE MOVIE?
DO YOU TYPE WITH YOUR FINGERS ON THE RIGHT KEYS?
WHAT'S UNDER YOUR BED?
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST AMBITION?
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WEAKNESS?
IF YOU COULD BUILD A HOUSE ANYWHERE WHERE WOULD IT BE?
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ARTICLE OF CLOTHING?
BEACH, MOUNTAINS OR CITY?
TECHNOLOGY OR ART?
COMEDY OR HORROR?
FAVORITE PHYSICAL FEATURE OF THE OPPOSITE SEX?
FAVORITE TIME OF DAY?
THE LAST CD YOU BOUGHT?
WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT, STRONG IN MIND OR STRONG IN BODY?
WHAT TIME DO YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING?
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE KITCHEN ITEM?
WHAT MAKES YOU REALLY ANGRY?
WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SPORTS CAR OR SUV?
DO YOU BELIEVE IN AFTERLIFE?
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON?
IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPER POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
CAN YOU JUGGLE?
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DAY?
WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SUSHI OR HAMBURGER?
IF YOU COULD TAKE A VACATION ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD WHERE WOULD IT BE?
Step into the wacky world of “womanless wedding” fund-raisers, in which Bubbas wear boas. Meet two sisters who fight rural boredom by washing Budweiser cans and cutting them into pieces to make clothing. Learn why the word snow sends any right-thinking Southerner careening to the Food Lion for extra loaves of bread and little else.
Jackson's brand of Southern fiction was born to be read out loud, with its quirky characters and astute observations about human nature. And Jackson herself is the one to do it; it's clear throughout the narration that she's having a raucous time as raconteur. As she spills forth the story of Nonny, a young Georgia woman caught in the tumble of a feud between her adoptive and biological families, there is palpable energy and sustained warmth. What is especially surprising is how skillfully Jackson manages the large array of divergent character voices, from the calm, matter-of-fact tones of Nonny's adopted mother to the wild redneck sensibility of her biological grandmother. Particularly delicious is Jackson's nasal, braying inflection to portray Nonny's bossy and narrow-minded aunt Bernise. The one place Jackson's dexterity falls short is in the novel's male voices, which sometimes fall flat. Otherwise, this is a delight from start to finish.
Some failures lead to phenomenal successes, and this American nurse's unsuccessful attempt to climb K2, the world's second tallest mountain, is one of them. Dangerously ill when he finished his climb in 1993, Mortenson was sheltered for seven weeks by the small Pakistani village of Korphe; in return, he promised to build the impoverished town's first school, a project that grew into the Central Asia Institute, which has since constructed more than 50 schools across rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. Coauthor Relin recounts Mortenson's efforts in fascinating detail, presenting compelling portraits of the village elders, con artists, philanthropists, mujahideen, Taliban officials, ambitious school girls and upright Muslims Mortenson met along the way. As the book moves into the post-9/11 world, Mortenson and Relin argue that the United States must fight Islamic extremism in the region through collaborative efforts to alleviate poverty and improve access to education, especially for girls. Captivating and suspenseful, with engrossing accounts of both hostilities and unlikely friendships, this book will win many readers' hearts.
