Leisure reading theme this week: Australia *who would have guessed* 

So I went to the library and got some books, just to see if it was capable for me to read and keep attention. I got through 2 althoughi remember at least 50% less of what I read then I normally would. Anyways...

1. Smiling at Shadows by Junee Waites and Helen Swinbourne
This book is about a mothers journey raising an austistic child. I would more say it is about the child overcoming it's adversity...but I spose she has something to do with that. This book is great. Besides it being non fiction and being set within an Australian family, it opened my eyes to people with autisim. I thought it was pretty much the same as down syndrome or plain old being mentally challenged. It's really different. It also gives some insight into what these families have to go thourgh. I never knew people were so pressured to put their children in institutions and forget about them. Over all easy read, although the mother tends to lack some organizations and repeats some points a few too many times.

2. In a Sunburned COuntry by Bill Bryson

Bill is known for his travel novels. They are travel novels done in a non fiction, sotry telling kind of way. He not only tells you of the places he visits and people he meets but also some REALLY interesting and mostly funny history or personal stories of people from the country. I really loved this book. Would recommend it to people who have been to australia but more to those who haven't.

The only thing I didn't like was his superior attitude of himself due to being American. He does reflect that Americans can be the root of things corporate and ugly but in other passages goes on to say things about Canadians with the tone of "there is a risk of canada not remaning canada and becoming the states" because apparently it has been decided by Americans that Canada is not sustainable as a country? That really ticked me off. But other then him being the stereotypical American and then trying to say he isn't in other sections, its a nice read.

I am now moving on to reading "The Souvenir" a fiction novel by Australian author Patricia Carlon.

Krista Experienced Paradise at 3:21 PM
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