Library Loot ~ February 12-18

Turn Right at Machu  Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time ~ by Mark Adams, 2011, history/travel (Peru)

The lost city of the Incas?  In 1911, the explorer Hiram Bingham III unexpectedly found the spectacular stone ruins of Machu Picchu.  This discovery raised some tantalizing questions.  Why had the ancient Incas built this citadel high in the misty mountains of Peru?  How had it remained hidden for centuries?  Was Bingham — as many suspected — the real inspiration for Indiana Jones?  Or had Bingham actually lied about the achievement that catapulted him to world fame?  Mark Adams decided to search for some answers by retracing Bingham's original route.  But before long, as usually happens in Peru, things began to get a little weird.

The Time Keeper ~ by Mitch Albom, 2012, fiction

Rather than desiring more time, people should instead realize time is precious and should be used wisely.  The central character of this book is Dor, who in this fictional account invented the first clock.  Dor is punished for trying to measure time by being banished to a cave for thousands of years.  Dor becomes Father Time and has to listen to every person who laments about not having enough time.  Eventually, in the present time, Dor has a chance to redeem himself and regain his freedom.  He must help two totally different persons understand the value of making wise use of time.  One is a teenage girl who has decided to give up on life and the other is a wealthy elderly businessman who is terminally ill and tries to cheat death so he can live forever.

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire @ The Captive Reader and Linda @ Silly Little Mischief that encourages us to name the books we checked out of the library.  Click here to see what others got this week.