Book(s) of the Month - August

August brought three great books to my hands -

1. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. This book was a 1954 clever and riveting vampire classic. Quite out of the spectrum of books that I normally read, but it was a fast and fun read. Moreover, this is the book that brought us the Charlton Heston movie "Omega Man" and will also bring us Will Smith's upcoming movie "I Am Legend." Be warned that it's a very short story and has a quite unique ending to it.

2. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. Since 1997 I've always remembered seeing this book being prominently displayed in airport bookstores but I never bothered to pick up the book and read it. The reason you may ask? Becuase I thought it was about plane crash survivors lost in the mountains, and since I was going to be getting on a plane, I wanted none of that! Anyways, this was a great book. Krakauer tells quite a tale about the tragedy that nipped at his heels on Mt. Everest. My favorite part of the book is the ending where he and another author and climber that were on the mountain battle about whose story is more realistic. The afterword by Krakaer is hilarious.

3. Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. To steal a line from the book, this was truly a story of courage, community and war. The book details the journey of the Pilgrims from "Old Europe" to New England and the settling of Plymouth Colony and the perils that the colony had in settling its community in a new and unknown world. The relationships with the various Indians and the war that followed was quite interesting as I grew up in and among the various battle "sites" between the colonists and the Indians. This is definitely a book that I would recommend to those interested in the extreme "Olden Days."

Okay, now off to the bookstore and to find my books for September!