February Book Reviews: "The Sex Lives of Cannibals," "Born to Run," "Last Words," & "The Art of Racing in the Rain"

Here are the books I finished in February. As a reminder, this is my rating scale: *Ok, **Good, ***Great

The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost

Rating **

I thought this was a good book and gave interesting insight to living on a "desert island." There was very little about the actual sex lives of cannibals which is kind of false advertisement. But, it was still good anyway. Hopefully there will be more discussion to come on this book on the Birthday Awareness Bookclub blog.

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall

Rating ***

I loved this book. It was a great blend of story telling and scientific information all rolled into one. The basic premise of the book is that humans are genetically engineered for long-distance running but because of modern technology (i.e. cushy shoes that change our running form) we don't think we can because we're constantly getting injured. This book follows the Tarahumara tribe in Mexico which is full of super-runners and examines why it is that they can run so well. One of the only books I've read where I wished it was longer. I could see reading this one several times. I'm also very curious now to see how changing my shoes (and possibly not wearing any) could improve my running abilities. Great stuff. Highly recommended, especially if you're a runner or have ever even wanted to run. I guarantee this will make you want to run and give you a hankering for tortillas and beans.

Last Words by George Carlin

Rating: **

This book wasn't quite what I expected. Not necessarily in a bad way though. I guess I just expected it to be more of a funny memoir... kind of in the David Sedaris style. It had its funny moments, but mainly it was just an honest depiction of his life. I had no idea Carlin was so messed up on drugs and alcohol for so long. It's amazing he was able to keep his career going. I appreciated his honesty and clear disgregard of what other people would think of him after writing this. I think in the end he found what made him happy... it's too bad he left so soon. If you're offended by swears, don't read this.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Rating: **

This was a book my mom recommended to me awhile back and I finally got around to reading it. It was a very easy, quick read (only a couple short reading sessions), but enjoyable. It's a book told from a dog's point of view, which was kind of a different format. Had I been alone I probably would have cried in the very first chapter. I hardly ever cry reading books or while watching movies... but I cried at the end of this one... even though I knew what was coming from the very beginning. If you like dogs, you'll probably like this.