Need a Reprieve from Winter?

Winter might not be here yet according to the calendar, but ooh baby, it's cold outside!  Slippers are now mandatory, and afghans are heaped on every couch and the bed.  Thanks to questionable insulation in our 150+ year old house, we even have to run a space heater in the bathroom in the morning.  If you're like me and are already frozen to the core, I've got the perfect book for you.

The Cactus Eaters is an hysterical travel memoir which chronicles a two person attempt to hike a trail that runs from Mexico to Canada.  2,650 long, dusty, hot, bear-infested miles in all.  The author and his girlfriend have never even shared an apartment, but foresee no issues with spending six months trapped together 24/7.  (Spoiler alert - it doesn't all go well!). 

Their lack of preparation and experience causes problems almost immediately.  Many reviewers sited this couple as too stupid to have survived this adventure.  Well, they did survive, but their misfortunes are a gift to readers.  Because truly, when a guy 'accidentally' bites into a cactus and gets 50 spines lodged in his tongue (and most importantly, you know he's okay because he wrote the book), you will laugh until you cry.

The prose is tight, the descriptions utterly evocative, and the humor self-deprecating and witty.  Mr. White takes you along with him, to where you almost feel the aching, blistered feet and dusty desert air.  This will also make a great stocking stuffer, as this book will appeal to all ages and both sexes.