A House in the Sky by: Amanda Lindhout

Book of the Day:
A House in the Sky by: Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett

 
   I never used to find memoirs appealing until recently. In my head there was this preconceived notation that all memoirs are boring and dull. Call it teenage ignorance or just being naive, either way, I was so very, very wrong. A House in the Sky has all the makings of a breathtaking and immensely interesting memoir about a woman who was held captive in Somalia for 15 months.
     A House in the Sky starts off with a glimpse into Amanda Lindhout's childhood in a rural town of Alberta, Canada. As a child Amanda would dumpster dive with one of her brothers to collect bottles to return for cash. Amanda's bottle money was put to good use as she began to purchase old copies of National Geographic. She found that as her stack of magazines accumulated, so did her longing to travel. 
     Finally, at the age of 19, Amanda and her boyfriend at the time got out of Canada and spent 6 months in backpacking in South America. South America became a gateway destination for Amanda that led her to go on and backpack through many countries including Asia, Africa, Iran, and even Somalia.
      Ridden with war, religious tensions and poverty, Somalia is often labeled as one of the most dangerous places in the world, especially for women. At 26 years old, Amanda and her ex-boyfriend, Nigel, knew the risk they were taking when they decided to do some freelance reporting in part of Somalia. After a short time there, Amanda and Nigel were kidnapped by a group of Somalian men and held for a ransom of 1.5 million dollars each. A combined 3 million dollars for two westerners is not uncommon. In actuality, the kidnapping of westerners is a common occurrence in Somalia. and to the horror of Amanda and Nigel, there are laws set in place that stop foreign countries from paying ransoms. Amanda knows her family can't afford the ransom. She's well too aware of what happens to those whose families can't pay ransoms.

   Against the odds, Amanda survives 15 brutal months in captivity.

   A House in the Sky is a recollection of what happened during those 15 months. Amanda's bravery is awe-inspiring, it impossible to read this memoir and not be sucked into the world she became a part of. I can not recommend this book enough, it's simply a must read. 

Long Time, No See

       The Book House blog has been collecting cyber cobwebs for quiet some time now, but I've brought my virtual broom and I'm here to clean up. Since I've never posted on here before, I should probably introduce myself. My name is Courtney and I've been lucky enough to be an employee at The Book House for almost a year now. I love my job and especially love recommending books to fellow bibliophiles.
        But if you ask what type of books I read most often, don't expect a simple answer. I'm usually drawn to quirky, funny novels but I read anything from Young Adult lit to Fantasy/Science Fiction to Literary Fiction and, of course, Romance. Basically, if it sounds good, I'll read it. Which would explain why my to-be-read pile of books is ever growing.
        In the rare-moments when I'm not reading, I'm probably blogging, writing, exploring, or putting up adorable pictures of my long haired chihuahua (Sully) on Twitter. I hate being idle so I'm always on some sort of adventure, big or small.

        Speaking of adventures, my lovely co-worker Alexis and I will be attending BEA on Friday. For those who haven't heard of BEA (Book Expo of America) you can read all about it by clicking here. It'll be my first time going to BEA so I'm very excited, expect a blog post soon!

        In the mean time, here's a picture of Sully.