One of the best serious introductions to early Islamic history. Examines the rise of Islam in the Arabian context, the early Islamic communities, and the Ummayyad, Abbasid and Fatimid caliphates.

Not my first stuffed animal, I’m sure, but the one I’ve held onto the longest is certainly a teddy bear that I was given as a child. My was pink and had a belly button in the correct place for a person. The similar teddy bear that was given to my brother was brown and had a belly button too, but it was on the bear’s ear!

This is totally the kind of book to buy in the airport on the spur of the moment for a relatively short plane trip. Normally I have trouble reading on airplanes, but this book kept me occupied and entertained during a flight from LA to Chicago, after which I passed it along to my boyfriend, who gave it to his sister, then I gave it to my parents, who will probably pass it along to someone else. Not a keeper, but amusing.

Jelly Beans are only worth consuming if they are black or certain flavors of Jelly Belly (pear, especially). Otherwise, they give me a migraine.

One of the last times I was putting together a spinach salad…. I had raw spinach on the counter and I had to leave the room. When I returned, I found my littlest cat sitting on the counter, happily munching away on spinach leaves! It now appears to be one of his favorite foods and he tries to get each each time I make a salad. Spinach now makes me think of him, in addition to being good for me.

This came out in between the first and the second of the new Star Wars movies, if I recall correctly. Happily or sadly, depending on your perspective, it was a million times cooler than the films themselves. It is a must-see for any fans of Star Wars who were disappointed by the new films.

This is by far the best Arabic-to-English dictionary out there for Arabic languange students. You will need to purchase a separate English-to-Arabic dictionary though.