We got a couple of kayaks last summer and really enjoy getting out on them. We talked about doing the Neches River Rendezvous in the fall last year, but my wife wasn't too interested. My family has a private lake in Grapeland we take them out on and have gone out in Galveston Bay. The same weekend in Galveston, me and a buddy went out on the gulf side. That was an adventure, but a ton of fun.

Spring Break we are heading to either Kerrville (With travel trailer) or Garner (Tent) and plan on getting the kayaks out.

Since it is Black History month, I must recommend the following :

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Skloot. It's about one womans cells and how they have impacted advancements in medical treatment. Its about medical ethics, science, family, race. Author does a good job of explaining scientific stuff & then the human interest. I consider it a must-read.

Pilotgirl said:

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Since it is Black History month, I must recommend the following :

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Skloot. It's about one womans cells and how they have impacted advancements in medical treatment. Its about medical ethics, science, family, race. Author does a good job of explaining scientific stuff & then the human interest. I consider it a must-read.

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I'll have to add that to my reading list. When living in Virginia, we passed Henrietta's birthplace on an afternoon drive one day and I've been meaning to read the book ever since.

In that same vein, I recently finished 12 Years a Slave. It is exceptionally written and eye-opening. Probably one of the top 5 books I've ever read.

How interesting!!

Yes, I read 12 Years a Slave in a History undergrad class and WOW. Powerful stuff!

"The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis
"Lord Jim" by Joseph Conrad
"The Last Lion" (biography of Winston Churchill) by William Manchester

Hope this helps.

A friend of mine put his hand at writing a novel a while back. For his medical thriller he chose a developing story of Henrietta Lacks' legacy. I thought he did a great job. Black Cottage by Tom Dudley. Skloot called him since his book preceded hers by a couple years to ask him what he knew about the real history. If anyone is interested his book is available at xlibris.com.

Thanks! Its a remarkable, horrific story.

A little off topic, but apparently this is what 2nd grade GT in Lufkin is reading.

Referencing nacluth's recommendation of the book about Eric Liddell, there is a great book that talks about Liddell and others.

7 MEN by Eric Metaxas. In addition to Liddell, Metaxas writes about other extraordinary men, including George Washington, Diedrich Bonhoffer, William Wiberforce and Jackie Robinson. Highly recommend it.

Last year I read Metaxas' full biography on Bonhoeffer. It was excellent - thick with deep insight into his theology and inner life.

I'm flying to Australia in April and have time to kill on the flight so came to check the recommendations. I'll definitely be utilizing these.

Also, if you haven't read "Issac's Storm" by Erik Larson, I recommend. It's about the 1900 hurricane that hit Galveston