Can Reindeer Fly: The Science of Christmas by Roger Highfield

This was a book that was really good but could have been even better.  It takes the various phenomena of Christmas chapter by chapter and looks at the history and science of each, including candidates for the Christmas Star, the reasons for Santa's longevity and obesity, the anthropology of gift giving and how Rudolph and the other reindeer fly and manage to get every child their present in time for Christmas morning.  Very good but quite heavy going.

The Horse Boy: A Father's Quest to Heal His Son by Rupert Isaacson (AUDIO)

Deeply moving and inspirational. Isaacson's son Rowan is diagnosed with autism and as his rages, difficult behaviours and inability to toilet train bring Isaacson and his wife to the edge of their coping abilities at age 5 he is walking one day with his father in the woods and throws himself at the feet of a neighbour's horse, Bessie. She spontaneously submits to him, some kind of non-verbal communication takes place. Isaacson begins to ride with Rowan in front of him on Bessie and then gets the crazy idea of taking Rowan to meet with the horse shamans of Mongolia to see if they are able to heal him. What follows is the tale of an amazing journey from the States (a meeting with Temple Grandin) via the UK to the dirty urban sprawl of Ulan Bataar, a healing ceremony performed by 9 shamans from all over Mongolia and an epic journey north by jolting van and horseback to seek the reindeer shaman Ghost in the great Siberian Taiga forests. Isaacson explores faith, desperation and describes the journey he, his wife and Rowan take with a healthy cynicism. An unmissable book, and the proceeds from the book go to help the family in their project to help more autistic children by giving them the chance to work with horses.