The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time

The authors get off to a bad start by stating their "desire to be environmentally friendly while remaining selfish consumers." Trying to remain calm, I am then told that "usually, kWh (kilowatt-hours) are used to measure electrical power or natural gas use." Actually, natural gas is measured in therms. Hoping it can't get worse, I then learn that Cameron Diaz and William McDonough espouse the "noble savage" idea, de-bunked by anthropologists, that humans lived in harmony with their world before modern civilization arrived. That's why buffalo were herded and driven off a cliff. The answer is "not about limits but about abundance" but we are then told how to limit our use of water, electricity, petroleum products, etc.
The authors proceed to do what every other "green" book does - make lists of easy things you can do. Trivial actions are given equal weight with meaningful actions. Chapters include: Home, Travel, Shopping, and Building. The Building chapter makes no mention of energy audits or blower door tests. It recommends ceiling fans when it could recommend floor fans, at a tenth the cost. It confuses insulation with air sealing when it calls for an "envelope of insulation" that reduces leaks. How did this make the New York Times Bestseller List? Could it be the celebrities?

Buy The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time!

Max (Maximum Ride, Book 5)

Max has been beaten, bruised, thrown, punched, kicked and more, but the real pain happens when her mother is kidnapped by the unknown "Mr. Chu" as a way to make Max, the flock and her mother's new Coalition to Stop the Madness stop their environmental campaining. That's the basic premise of the book, and all the rest of the fighting and fleeing (and Navy trainig- a funny scene) come down to this. The book is really fast paced and well written, and it completely draws you into Max's stressed-filled, high flying life. I was really glad to see the relationship between Max and Fang moving forward as Max acknowledges some of her issues and hang-ups.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, don't regret reading it, and even reread parts of it. But. I felt that waaaay too many new fantastical elements were introduced in this book. A talking dog with wings is one thing, but supersized monster fish that can blow snot bubbles which *contain air and oxegyn* at depths were the pressure is immense? That didn't work for me. Also, we keep meeting newer and newer (and therefore improved) robots or enhanced enemies and assasians, but Max and the flock seem to dispatch them with ever-increasing ease. Erasers could practically beat them, and these new improved versions can't? Again, this kind of bothered me.
I'd also really love an explanation for why so many people are out to destroy the flock. This book explains Mr. Chu, but previous books seemed to have enemies made to order that then disapeared. The Director, anyone?
But anyway, the books was tremendously enjoyable. And who knows? Maybe the next book will explain and resolve everthing.Buy Max (Maximum Ride, Book 5)!

The Book of Lost Things: A Novel

Gave a copy to my nephew and he enjoyed it very much. Sparked his interest and reignited his desire to read again and to stray away from the video games and TV.Buy The Book of Lost Things: A Novel!