Dave
great work on understanding contemporary linguistic issues and topics. probably not the most academically intensive book on linguistics but still well written and easy enough to understand for the beginning linguist.
Great book on the legacy of American influence in the East Asian region pre WW2. Gives you great insight into how geopolitics of that region were shaped.
Good book on tracing the steps of an explorer gone mad in search for a purported city in the Amazon. Basic premise is that the jungle is probably the hardest terrain to explore compared to anything else (e.g. desert, frozen tundra, etc).
Bryson is a good story teller. I enjoyed his sense of humor and wit though the book didn't delve a whole lot into describing the scenery on the AT in detail.
Fascinating read on the importance and weight of fixed nitrogen and its implications for the world.
Great writer. Hard not to come out feeling somewhat ambivalent towards the Mormon faith given it's history and the fact that so many others have co-opted its foundations to come up with some extreme forms of self-prophetizing.
