"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

Al.che.mist; a person who studies alchemy

Al.che.my; a medieval chemical science and speculative philosophy aiming to achieve the transmutation of the base metals into gold, the discovery of a universal cure for disease, and the discovery of a means of indefinitely prolonging life 



The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is the kind of book that comes along seldom in a reader's lifetime. It is one that will touch your soul and stay with you long after you have turned that last page. Inspirational does not even begin to describe it; If you highlighted every quote that taught you a lesson or made you think deeply the entire book would glow fluorescent orange.

The Alchemist is a story about Santiago, a young shepherd boy who travels from Spain to Egypt looking for a treasure buried in the ancient pyramids. The story is more about his journey then the end destination just as all ours lives are. Through the young Andalusian shepherd boy we learn things about ourselves we really never knew existed. This book is more then just bound pages it is a push toward your second chance.

A book like this rings so true for everyone but especially a person like me who is at the crossroads of deciding what, who, and why things are important. With so many directions to choose from life can seem to get twisted and convoluted. It takes a clear head and a strong sense of self to make it through and it also takes books like this. Sometimes it takes a stranger who has a gift with words to reaffirm to ourselves who we are and why we believe what we believe.

Do yourselves a favor and take some time to read this book. And then do your friends a favor and pass it on. It will become an instant favorite. It will give you hope, inspiration, courage, and affirmation. It will make you remember your dreams are and the fight you have inside you to achieve them.



"Because, wherever your heart is, that is where you'll find your treasure."


The Alchemist
Paulo Coelho
167 pages

I still don't understand Cricket

Sarah Lyall in The Anglo Files has written a great semi biographical piece about her transition from America to England. She married a writer and moved to central London to pursue a new life and to continue her career as a journalist. She produces a witty, funny and faced paced account of how different she found the cultures and the unexpected difficulties she faced while trying to adopt a new culture.

She talks about the overall social conscious of the English people in there lack of belief in therapy, their acceptance of drunken playboy behavior from their Parliament members and Royal family, and their absolute fascination with cricket, which I still do not understand. She talks about how children's education systems are dramatically different, socio-economic status still matters, and how they eat baked beans for breakfast and enjoy not having lights on. She sees a culture still heavily influenced by WWII, most notably the ration system that taught them to live with the bare minimum...and be thankful for it. They truly enjoy sunshine because they hardly see it, dampness doesn't bother them, and umbrella's are every day necessities.

She finds that most of the harmless stereotypes about the Brits are fairly true. They enjoy beer immensely, they love soccer (excuse me, football), have a perverse aversion to being praised, find being embarrassed to be the worst thing that can ever happen to them, and hold hundred year old traditions very close. Lyall also sees just how different American English is from the Queen's English. The difference in semantics and verbal style can almost be chalked up a language barrier. She found it most times to be amusing but on more then one occasion hindering and annoying.

This is just a great easy read that will keep you entertained and teach you a thing or two about our neighbors across the pond. It's a small island with big culture and this first person insight from a person who knows how to convey it makes for a great post summer read.

The UN; Friend or Foe?

As an individual who is very socially conscious and believes in humanitarian efforts, I just naturally saw the United Nations as a benevolent body that did good work through out the world. I was intrigued by the title of this book alone; Tower of Babble; How the United Nations has Fueled Global Chaos.

Author Dore Gold looks into ways that the United Nations has failed to live up to the goals of the institution which is to have an overall governing body for peace through out the world. He highlights the lack of response during the Rwandan genocide and the massacre in Srebrenica. The institution itself is a lofty ideal which came about after the atrocities of WWII. After Hitler rampaged his way through Europe conducting mass casualties along the way the Allies came together and formed the United Nations in an effort to prevent anything like what the world just witnessed  from happening again.

The idea that the nations of the world, all with their different governments and ideals can be overseen by a single institution is grounded in difficulties and bound to cause failures in its applications. Every nation has there objectives and is willing to do what it takes to see them through. What is in the best interest of the U.S. is not the same as for Great Britain. You would think however that the idea of global peace would be pretty universal, but don't forget that the UN is, after all, a government agency and nothing in government is clear cut.

In theory the United Nations is a great institution. It promotes world peace and stability while holding all the governments involved accountable for their actions. In practice however there are some severe flaws that have lead to inaction on the part of the institution and if you agree with Dore Gold, the worsening of world conflicts.

Keep in mind that one authors opinion is not fact and the United Nations is much more complicated then one book can describe. Read objectively and research the matter fully to come to your own conclusions. It is good to read multiple sources on matters of facts and this is just one source.


Tower of Babble; How the United Nations has fueled global Chaos
By: Dore Gold
238 pages

"I ran with the wind blowing in my face, and a smile as wide as the Valley of Panjsher on my lips. I ran."

I'd heard of this book a hundred times and it's one of those things that I just tend to stay away from. I don't know if it's all the hype, or just not liking to follow the trends but I was reluctant to read this one. I got it as a gift for my birthday and it came highly recommended so I figured I would clear it from my "to be read shelf." I was actually pretty surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It wasn't ground breaking for me but it did keep me entertained which is what reading is all about.

The Kite Runner tells the life story of Amir, a young Afghan boy who commits a betrayal early in life which follows him and seeps into every decision and moment from then on. He trys to suppress the memory and move on with his life but his emotions can only be buried so deep. He looks for redemption and a way to escape the past while attempting to create a new life. It is a powerful story of human emotion and life themes; regret, loss, love, redemption, friendship, acceptance, guilt.

Through out our lives we all go through times of intense emotion and hardship; coming out on the other side stronger is what makes it all worth while. This story will resonate with everyone on one level or another. Something in it will feel familiar while the author Khaled Hosseini exposes readers to the largely unfamiliar Afghan world.  

It is a fast paced intricate story that deals with emotion without being too sappy, life themes without being cliche, and political unrest without being "political". It is a great casual read and will leave an impression that only good story telling can.

The Kite Runner

Khaled Hosseini

371 pages

Courtesy of Michelle



"If he be Mr. Hyde, I shall be Mr. Seek."

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; Classic. A short yet amazing look into the duality of man and what is truly inside of us all. Robert Louis Stevenson explores human nature in this twisted tale of a respectable well admired Dr. Jekyll who makes a concoction that turns him into the evil side of his sub conscious Mr. Hyde. As the doctor gets more and more enthralled with the lack of responsibility and candor that Hyde requires he loses control of his "good" side and starts to not know the difference or who he truly is.

This is one of those stories that everyone knows but is really great to re visit it and allow yourself to be wrapped up in the drama and intellectual debate of it. With this one I recommend giving yourself some time to sit and ponder human nature. It is just a fascinating window into ourselves and for every person a different question, or answer will come out of reading it. What forces us to make decisions the way we do? Why do we strive to be good people? Why do we feel obligated to follow society? You can get lost in your own thoughts for hours and sometimes that is a great way to spend an afternoon.

It's a short one and well worth the day it two it will take to get through it. It's a classic for a reason, enjoy.


"Between these two, I now felt I had to choose. My two natures had memory in common, but all other faculties were most unequally shared between them."



Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Robert Louis Stevenson
85 Pages