Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble by Lester Brown

I have become terribly disturbed by the accounts of what can happen to the Earth as climate changes produced by global warming disrupt the environment. I believe the majority of scientists who assert that we humans are the cause of the problem and I'm frustrated by the lack of urgency displayed by our governments and the general population. If we continue "business as usual," is it already too late to prevent disaster? Reading Plan B 2.0 gave me some hope that things can be done. What now can an ordinary citizen do to get the world to act on this?

The History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage

In your opinion, which beverage: beer, wine, alcoholic spirits, coffee, tea, or Coca Cola was the most important in world history, and why?
Tom Standage, the author, has a Web site on which he answers some frequently asked questions FAQ about the book (and about his opinion of bottled water). I bet he never drank Gloucester water!

Last Breath: The Limits of Adventure by Peter Stark

Interested in extreme sports? This book describes in graphic detail many of the ways you can DIE and what happens in your body as you freeze to death or suffocate under an avalanche or fall off that cliff.... Each short chapter tells the story of a different fictional adventurer as he or she reaches for the limits. I am an armchair sportsman, but I can think of situations where the information in this book would be quite useful. Can you?

The Gunslinger from The Dark Tower series by Stephen King

Stephen King is a terrific story teller even when the book isn't exactly his usual horror genre. This, the first in the series, has elements of medieval coming-of-age stories, The Western, and fantasy quests. There will be plenty of violence and strangeness in Roland of Gilead's world, a world that has elements of ours, but a world that has "moved on." What other Stephen King titles have you read? Am I right that this series is different?