A History of the World in 6 Glasses, by Tom Standage

The Help, by Kathryn Stockett

The Post-American World, by Fareed Zakaria

Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy, by Jostein Gaarder

loved the metaphysics of the interwoven lives! (and the review of Philosophy 101!)

The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition, by Caroline Alexander

Would also recommend Alfred Lansing's The Endurance ~ more detailed on the journey, I felt it better conveyed the sense of adventure and danger. The Alexander book, however, does a better job of conveying a sense of the personalities of Shackleton and his crew. It is always fascinating to me to see Frank Hurley's film footage of the expedition ~ it was fun seeing that after our discussion.