Tears for Pakistan

My dad has been doing humanitarian work overseas for 20 some years so when he handed me Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin I knew it had to be good…..and I was completely blown away. I found myself tearing up several times as I read the story of one man’s struggle to change the Middle East through education. This novel helps to develop a whole new perspective on the conflicts going on overseas and show the reader how big of an impact education can have on a society. It never occurred to me that education would be an excellent solution for combating terrorism.  Not only did the book give a sneak peek into some of the customs in Pakistan and Afghanistan but it also served to remind me of how fortunate I am. We become accustomed to viewing a good education as a right and too often forget that in some places in this world it is a wonderful privilege that very few get to experience. This novel is very well written and I’m sure that once you sit down with it you won’t want to put it down (I know I certainly didn’t)!

Kindle Rules Christmas

Kindle has become increasingly popular and according to amazon.com it is their best selling Christmas item. I’ve been eyeing them for awhile now and wishing that I could afford to gift one to myself for Christmas but have yet to actually buy it. What I find particularly interesting is that the Kindle managed to outsell Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; that alone just makes me smile. I’ll be eyeing it for a bit longer but it’s nice to know that a product that promotes reading literature is a best seller. :)

A Letter from Santa

A charming author by the name of Mark Twain not only wrote novels such as the well known Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , but also was the author of a Christmas related letter that is sure to make even the grumpiest scrooge smile. Mark Twain plays the part of Santa Claus and writes back to a little girl in order to make some inquiries about some gifts she ordered. This letter warmed my heart and made me laugh at the same time. Enjoy and have a Merry Christmas!

Store closed for the holidays.

Hello Customers!

Our store is now closed for the holidays until January 5, 2011. It’s been a fantastic Christmas so far and we look forward to the next year!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Peter Kao

Huxley vs. Orwell

Anyone who has read Aldous Huxley’s book Brave New World or George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty – Four has probably picked up on the differences in the futuristic societies of these two books. But how can we apply these novels to modern day life? Was it Huxley or Orwell that had the most accurate predictions as to how future generations would run the world? Check out this interesting link which compares the two points of view and applies them to today. The outcome is interesting and I actually found myself nodding my head in agreement to most of it. But then again, it’s just personal opinion. Enjoy!