The Time of My Life. Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi. Simon & Schuster, 2009.
In an acting career spanning more than 30 years, Patrick Swayze made a name for himself on the stage, the screen and television. A behind-the-scenes look at a Hollywood life and a remarkable love, according to the sleeve notes this memoir is both entertaining and inspirational and shows that life should not be lived as a series of endings but rather as the beginning of greater strength and love.
The Age of Fallibility. George Soros. Public Affairs, 2007.
In his book subtitled ‘The consequences of the war on terror’ Soros offers his opinions on the subject that has preoccupied him since 2001: the state of America. He looks at the fatal flaws not only of the Bush Administration but also of the wider American worldview. Soros delivers his most forceful and penetrating description of how the country that should provide a beacon for good governance around the world had lost direction to the extent that it believed its own rhetoric and myth-making.
The Tipping Point. Malcom Gladwell. Little, Brown, 2000.
In this book Gladwell explains and analyses the ‘tipping point’, that magic moment when ideas, trends and social behaviours cross a threshold, tip and then spread like wildfire. Taking a look behind the surface of many familiar occurrences in our everyday world, Gladwell explains the fascinating social dynamics that cause rapid change.
"Its account of the pivotal role that identifiable individuals play in the spread of ideas, information and trends is, in particular, fascinating. It is also heartening: individual men and women can, it turns out, really make a difference," the British Sunday Telegraph newspaper wrote in its review of The Tipping Point.
Storybuilding. Jane Spiro. Oxford University Press, 2006.
This book, a part of the Resource Books for Teachers series, offers a carefully structured series of activities which guides learners to write their own stories. The range of language practised includes speaking and writing skills, tenses, descriptive adjectives, reporting verbs, direct speech, functions, discussion and argument, letters and diaries.
High Season. English for the Hotel and Tourist Industry. Keith Harding & Paul Henderson. Oxford University Press, 2009, 19th edition.
High Season is a topic-based course for trainees and employees in the hotel and tourist industry. It introduces and practises the language skills necessary for dealing with English-speaking guests and for negotiating with English speakers within the industry.
Each of the 12 units deals with an important topic and contains a balanced variety of activities, including a language study section and a word study section.
Ancient Rome. Simon James. Dorling Kindersley, 2008.
Ancient Rome is a combination book and CD for children published as a part of the Eyewitness series.
From why Roman baths were so popular to how sea battles were staged in the Colosseum, it gives children an opportunity to visit one of history’s greatest civilisations and find out about many remarkable people: their conquests, achievements and way of life.
Great for projects or just for fun, this book will help your child learn everything about ancient Rome.
This column is a selection by The Slovak Spectator of English-language books recently released in Slovakia; it does not represent an endorsement of any of the books selected.
The column is prepared in cooperation with the Oxford Bookshop Bratislava. The Oxford Bookshop is now located at Laurinská 9.
