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I recently just finished "The Devil & Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness and Obsession" by David Grann and I have to say it's a good read. The book is filled with true stories that Grann has tracked down through his time as a reporter. Highlights include the obsession of the Sand Hogs in NYC who are tasked with digging the new aquaduct for the city. It's amazing what these guys do, and how fragile NYC's water supply is. The story of a Sherlock Holmes fanatic that is murdered in a strangely Holmesian way and one man's quest to capture a baby giant squid and raise it in captivity.

Also by Grann is "The Lost City of Z" which is the story of P.H. Fawcett, a turn of the 20th century explorer that disappeared into the Amazon on his quest to track down El Dorado. This is one of the best books I've ever read. The sheer will of these explorers to go back into the jungle after their near brushes with horrific deaths is nothing short of stunning. Grann actually travels to the Amazon to try and follow Fawcett's path and it's fascinating what he discovers about what we percieve as "primitive" people. Amazing book.

"Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall actually made me want to start running, which is saying something, and not just running, but running ultra marathons. This book features a tribe of Mexican indians that are capable of running incredible distances -- hundreds of miles without stopping -- in what essential boils down to homemade sandals. It's unbelievable. To try and save the tribe, an American ultra runner gathers a group of the best ultra runners in America and sets up a race between the tribe and his crew. As well as the history of the tribe, the build up to the race, and the eventual outcome of the marathon through the desert, McDougall also learns why American runners are so prone to injury, while senior citizens in the tribe can run marathons. He also learns something incredibly interesting about human evolution and how we learned to run. Amazing book.....


Patrick