Chris Lee
‘Something put into my head that you cared for me; and I lost my senses,' writes Kate Chopin towards the end of her heartbreaking novel, The Awakening. The story takes place in the late nineteenth-century Louisiana, near New Orleans. We follow our protagonist, Edna Pontellier, as she navigates her journey towards self-fulfillment and independence.
Edna is in a loveless marriage with a husband who sees her as a statuette or a rare painting among his personal “household gods.” Enter Robert, a young man with an aptitude for art who enjoys the company of Edna and always takes the time to compliment her hobbies, accompanies her to the Gulf Coast, guards her while she sleeps, and sings fun lullabies in French.
Robert decides to move to Mexico to pursue a business venture. Edna is shocked to hear about this revelation, and while he is gone, she starts to realize she was in love with him.
“Robert's voice was not pretentious. It was musical and true. The voice, the notes, the whole refrain haunted her memory.”
Robert promises to write to her while he is away, but instead sends telegrams to Edna's friend because he thinks that she does not care for him. “I realized what a cur I was to dream of such a thing, even if you had been willing.”
How do you review such a massive book with a wide breadth of themes and plot elements? I know, how about a quick, tidy, tried-and-true Alphabet review? Because, let's be honest, nobody wants to read a fifteen-page review of my rambling thoughts. This format has a clear beginning and end.
So, hold your magical glass crystals close and your tarot cards even closer, because here we go!
Quick synopsis: America is in dire straits after a nuclear war. A vicious creature named the Man with the Scarlet Eye is after Swan, a special child who might just hold the key to saving the world.
A is for Atmosphere – Oh! A great one to kick it off with. This book has it in spades! Prepare yourself for obliterated cityscapes, abandoned grocery stores, old, rickety gas stations, magical farms, mountainsides, and so much more!
B is for Beauty – The transformation of Swan is just perfection. It is a story about destiny that is filled with an incredible number of twists and turns. One of the most interesting character arcs.
C is for Creativity – It is refreshing to go into a book thinking it is going to be straight horror, but find out it tackles quite a few other emotional issues such as loss, hope, freedom, comradery, resourcefulness, etc.
D is for Disfigurement – Outward-facing appearances play a large role in this story. If you do not look a certain way, you are an outcast, and some military factions will take action against you. The way in which this idea is presented and where it ends up is ultimately fascinating and unique. Curveballs abound!
The name of the book accurately sums it up, but as a wise person once said, “It's not the destination, it's the journey.” This journey, my friends, is a wild tale of mountaineers on a mission that is not for the faint of heart.
In 1950, Maurice Herzog led a group of elite French climbers to the summit of one of the tallest Himalayan peaks (#10, I believe), named Annapurna. From what I understand, the range gets its name from the Hindu goddess of food and nourishment. This gorgeous mountain is 8,075 meters, or 26,493 feet, tall. Just shy of Mt. Everest's peak of 8,850 meters, or 29,032 for context. This climb was filled with possible dangers, including frost blindness, avalanches, frostbite, altitude sickness, and unforeseen pitfalls.
What makes this journey so interesting? To me, the reconnaissance of actually finding the range was captivating. The alpine team was given maps that were ambiguous and oftentimes incomplete, leading them to scratch their heads when time, energy, food, and changing weather patterns matter. They often used a guerilla style of information gathering where teams of two would search nearby ranges in hopes of spotting a face suitable for climbing. Once the mountain was found, it was up to Herzog to set up camps that would give the team the best possible outcome of putting boots on the summit safely.
Who is this for? Well, I would say you would have to be pretty invested in climbing in general. Unfortunately, the writing is not the highlight of this book, and most of the terminology is not defined all that well. If you do not know your serac from your massif, you might be hitting Google fairly often. It is not a deal-breaker, though. Another bit of contention might arise over the Sherpa/Climber relationship. The mutual agreements are not defined as much as in other climbing books, so a new reader might be completely turned off by the idea of “hired muscle.” This idea could not be further from the truth. From what I have read, the relationship is built on respect, dependence, and overall experience. Most Sherpas have an exhaustive knowledge of the mountain ranges and understand the path to the least resistance. This book features Ang-Tharkey, the sherpa who apparently introduced his friend Tenzing Norgay to mountaineering. Norgay went on to summit Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary.
A murder, a psychiatric hospital, and plenty of drama. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides is a psychological thriller through and through. After being booked for the murder of her husband, Alicia is sent off to the Grove mental hospital for treatment. There, she is heavily medicated, does not respond well to the program, and, more curiously, refuses to speak to anyone. (Hence the title of the book.) Enter Theo, a psychiatrist who has sought a job at the Grove so he can personally treat the hospitalized artist. The current psychiatric team has all but given up trying to treat her, so letting Theo have a go may be the last hope of saving her sanity and finding out why she committed such a heinous act.
I enjoy a slow-burn thriller, but the story and the character development were a bit too sparse for me; most of the patient treatments were head-scratchingly unprofessional; and the drama felt very much like a soap opera. That being said, I do believe the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
It might not reach the same heights as a similar Christie novel or do much for me, but it had its moments and might just wiggle its way into your psyche.
“Starship Troopers” is less of a space-fairing action novel and more of a futuristic military procedural manual. It won a Hugo in the 1960s, was cheered for its take on a future military, and garnered many positive reviews at the time.
So, what is it about? Well, this is where it gets kind of murky. On the surface, we follow a young man named Juan “Johnny” Rico as he joins the military, particularly the mobile infantry. A war is raging between humans and a bug-like alien species.
Let me curb your enthusiasm a bit. If you were thinking about going to grab the butter-flavored popcorn to sit down to a book of action, this is not going to do it for you. Your popcorn will become stale long before you reach the end. It does have a few combat sequences, but for the most part, it is an ideological dive into fairly narrow political viewpoints.
First and foremost, this book was not for me. I am not all that interested in talking about the controversial aspects of the book, such as its pro-war symbolism, voting rights, dehumanizing, or human moral psychology. All one has to do is pick up a history book for a lesson in these matters. If dreamy political idealism is your thing, this might do it for you.
The structure has quite a bit of exposition, and the info dumps are quite rampant. For me, these sections really stuck out. You have to make up your own mind if you feel these ideals are preachy or have enough introspection to garner a more worldly conversation. I'm just pointing it out.
A positive: I sort of liked the descriptions of the spaceships, the suits, the weapons, and the powered armor specifically, which seems to be a staple in most modern military books, movies, and games.
Just because you make a mistake doesn't mean you are a mistake.
** Welcome to the 1920's **
Kitty is a free-spirited, outgoing individual. She is quite gorgeous and has many admirers, but she has fended them off for many years while waiting for Mr. Right. Eventually, she marries Walter, an intelligent bacteriologist who is stationed in Hong Kong.
Walter is extremely cold to Kitty conversationally, but he makes up for his lack of social skills by attending to her every will.
A bored Kitty meets Charlie, a charming man who is married, has kids, has a good career, and is quite older than her. An affair transpires, which makes you think this is going to be a typical romance-drama, but it actually turns out to be so much more.
There are some interesting dynamics afoot! Walter was aware of her proclivities and that they would eventually lead her to become promiscuous, but he does very little to stop the meetings since he has a weak backbone and is too preoccupied with his profession.
An ultimatum is drawn up by Walter. Kitty can either have Charlie divorce his wife and marry her or travel with him to mainland China so that he can provide help to those who are in need of cholera treatments.
After much fuss, she agrees to travel with Walter to live out her loveless marriage in a foreign land.
How will Kitty fit in with her new surroundings, and will Walter help develop a treatment for the disease? From here on out, I would describe the book as being sorrowful, poignant, and despondent.
Somerset Maugham weaves a story that feels realistic. There are no sunshine or rainbows throughout 95% of the book. Although Kitty and Walter do their best to make things work, oil and water never mix.
So, if you are in the mood for a soul smashing story of love and its many trappings, this might just be the one to pull off the shelf.
First of all, what exactly is The Omnivore's Dilemma? According to the author, there is a national confusion about knowing exactly where our food comes from and what propels us to choose one food over another.
If you are quite busy throughout the day, you might grab some fast food, a boxed meal, or something from a can. Convenience is key. This book does not argue if processed food is good for us; we all know the answer to that. It does, however, try to trace the food chain to find out where it all comes from. If you enjoy the TV show “Inside the Factory” on BBC, you will undoubtedly like this.
So, where does the book start? A farm, no doubt. Yes, but the crop of choice is used in almost anything and everything you can possibly imagine. Your food, your car, the textiles you walk on, and it can even be traced to the book cover you are holding in your hand.
This magical crop is
You know that feeling you get when you have been waiting two hours at a concert for the headlining act to come on? There's that anticipation in the air. You're excited, you're flustered, and you're ready to rock! The lights go out, and your eyes start to sparkle as the band belts out the riff to your favorite song. Could this get any better? Then, as the musician makes their way to the mic for the second song, they say these eight dreaded words. “This is a song from our new album.” Heart-sink, buzz-kill, kill-joy. I went through similar emotions while reading The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa. The only difference is if the band continued playing songs from the new album; in fact, they played most of the new record, leaving you disappointed and scratching your head.
In a nutshell, this book follows the narrator as she tumbles down the rabbit hole of memory loss prevention. Her memory is not degrading because of old age; its deterioration is being systematically eradicated by the Memory Police. Dun dun duuun!
Do not let my rating hamper you from adding this book in any way; it might strike a chord for you, but it was definitely not the droids (book) I was looking for. I just found it lacking in the content department. After the initial setup, it digresses into fairly ordinary character moments and weighty chapters that are filled with whimsical ideas you understand within the first few paragraphs but seem to idle on for several pages. For every neat idea like, “Your voice is trapped inside this (type-writer) machine. It's not broken, it's just been sealed off now that it no longer has a purpose,” it has several paragraphs reiterating the same feelings over and over again. The words sterile, unassuming, round-about, and plotting come to mind. It just does not have the connective tissue to keep the feelings engaged.
Rather than using Fahrenheit 451, 1984, or even The Collector as a dystopian starting point (most of the ideas were lifted from these), this book just adds a bit of magical realism to the stew, but it never really simmers or adds anything new to the taste you already know and enjoy.
Oh! And that ending.
Can a father with an issue of authority, fervent distaste for the world, and limited inner strength be a shining light to the general masses who want him dead? That's a question that teeters through Steven King's “The Running Man,” a book that carries underline critiques of corruption and hampers on the social injustice of class structure.
The book was published in 1982 and is surprisingly set in the not-too-distant future of 2025. A future that is close to home on so many levels. Basically, the world is crumbling economically, and most people live in an impoverished state. Our main character, Ben Richards, needs a large sum of money to help get his sick daughter treated. He decides to enroll in a violent game show run by the government in hopes of raising funds. Little does he know that he will appear on the Running Man segment, where he will be hunted down by a hitman. The more days he survives, the more money he receives. Oh, and did I mention nobody who has been on this particular program has survived? Easy-peasy, right?
|| “Protest did not work. Violence did not work. The world was what it was, and Ben Richards moved through it like a thin scythe, asking for nothing” ||
Ben has an exciting time in Co-op City. Every day before 12 a.m., he must film several minutes of himself and mail the finished product to the TV studio. The studio producer takes said tapes and dubs voices over them, making Ben out to be a menace to society when the footage airs on prime time. A few colorful metaphors about authority does the trick. This enrages citizens and encourages them to turn him in.
|| “These people,” Richards said, “only want to see someone bleed. The more the better.” ||
Once Ben's feet hit the ground running, he seeks a disguise, a car, and bogus identification papers from a shadow broker and a few gang members. This allows him to dress as a visually impaired priest as he makes his way from New York to Boston and eventually to Derry.
John W. Campbell's “Who Goes There?” is an ingenious piece of sci-fi horror written in the late 1930s. There is an updated version entitled Frozen Hell, which expands on the original and has a few added illustrations, but from what I read, the original has less setup and really tosses you into the nightmarish fray early on. Game on!
Hmmm. What is the best way to describe the book? An Antarctic research team stumbles upon a spaceship along the frosty tundra, and to the crew's surprise, they find an ancient, frozen creature. So, what does any enterprising research team do? Yep! That's right. They exhume what they can and bring the body back to the lab. Most of the team is gung-ho on defrosting the creature so that it may learn its secrets. The cook, funny enough, wants nothing to do with it and makes his voice heard. Also, speaking of cooks, I might have been devouring a naan with pesto at this point. Not recommended when it gets to the grislier bits.
There are certain books that speak to the heart and send shivers up the spine as you read them. The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran is one of those books. It will help make you a better person, it will help dampen demons in the soul, it will help set perspectives, it will help you to never underestimate your self-worth, it will make you question if you are doing enough to help your fellow human, and it will help inspire you to level up your appreciation of the world around you. Truly, truly amazing! But enough of me babbling on. Here are some of my favorite quotes. ❖ “ The hidden well-spring of your soul must needs rise and run murmuring to the sea;And the treasure of your infinite depths would be revealed to your eyes.But let there be no scales to weigh your unknown treasure;And seek not the depths of your knowledge with staff or sounding line.For self is a sea boundless and measureless.” ❖❖ “The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.Let your bending in the Archer's hand be for gladness;For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.” ❖❖ “Some of you say, “Joy is greater than sorrow,” and others say, “Nay, sorrow is the greater.”But I say unto you, they are inseparable.Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed.Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy.Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced.” ❖Its in the public domain on project gutenburg or on audio at librovox. Give it a go. ⭐ Rating ⭐❖ 6 out of 5 ❖
“The Tattoo Murder” is a repetitive and showy locked-room murder mystery set in late 1940's Japan. The story is filled with more side tangents, ranting, and babbling on than I would care to mention. It's like Poirot and Sherlock Holmes meets Inspector Jacques Clouseau, but void of the fun, laughs, and genuine entertainment the aforementioned sleuths offer up. Although there were intriguing possibilities here, they were lost in repetition and an overly drawn-out conclusion. It would have worked well as a short, but as a full-length, it just does not have the torso, the arms, the head, or the legs to stand on.Okay. Let's set the scene. The Edo Tattoo Society hosts a judging competition where contestants show off their intricate tattoos to the masses. Kinue, the daughter of a famous tattoo artist, sheds her clothes to show off her tattoo to the judges; she oohs and awes with her design, the sorcerer Orochimaru from Japanese folklore. Before the ink is seen, she confides in Kenzo that her life is in danger—a seemingly rando encounter that sparks the initial plot.Kenzo is called by Kinue afterwards for a rendezvous at her place. Kenzo shows up at her home and spots blood and severed limbs in the bathroom. Who murdered the woman? Was it the yakuza, another lover, her husband, Dr. Tattoo, who harvests tattoos off those who pass on, a family member, or someone else entirely? The first theory that comes to mind is most likely the correct one. Even if it is not, for the next 275+ pages, the author makes quite certain that you remember each and every detail with painstaking thoroughness.My favorite part of the movie Office Space is when Tom explains his get-rich-quick scheme, the jump-to-conclusions mat. It's quite literally a mat that has conclusions you can jump to. I feel like the author might have used this mat to complete the last 100 or so pages of the book. I'll explain. Around the 70% mark, a young, hot-shot detective friend is brought on to the case. After a few moments of introspection, he is laying out exactly what happened. The detectives marvel at his genius, but the actual work could have revealed itself if they had thought the case through for just a few minutes. Obvious questions are asked, answered, and subsequently baffling to the lead investigator. The ‘leaps' of logic were not that complex.Have you ever finished a book and thought, I would have loved to have certain aspects explained in greater detail? Well, this book will make quite certain that no stone is unturned. Surprisingly enough, quite a few ideas were heavily inspired by the book The Honjin Murders, which was released two years prior. I am not sure if this particular locked room idea was common in mysteries of that time, but once a certain aspect is revealed in this novel, it takes your mind straight there.Maybe it's my Poirot withdrawal, or the translation (which is utterly confusing at some points), or my hope for a story that was much more intricate. Whatever the case may be, I would recommend reading [b:Out 25365 Out Natsuo Kirino https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386749063l/25365.SY75.jpg 849266] instead. ** A big thank you to my partner in crime, Helga, for reading this one with me. **
Powerful, poignant, and introspective. These are just a few words I would use to describe “Diving into the Wreck” by Adrienne Rich.
This expertly crafted bit of poetry examines a wide range of dynamic assertiveness, including an advocation for rights, a dynamic look at self-purpose, and anger that is let loose from the bottle. To me, it's a cry for people to listen. A poetical discourse to stand up for a certain belief and showcase it as a guiding light, or to use it as a beacon of love for when you are feeling desperately inadequate or underappreciated.
Excerpt from “Burning Oneself Out”:
“that print, that rock,that sun producing powerful dreamsA word can do thisor, as tonight, the mirror of the fireof my mind, burning as if it could go onburning itself, burning downfeeding on everythingtill there is nothing in lifethat has not fed that fire”
The collection captures a wide range of topics, including gender equality, feminism, love, life affirmations, class, sexuality, race, and so much more.
⭐ | Rating | ⭐
❖ 4 out of 5 ❖
Initial Thoughts Brilliant this story is! No doubt one of my favorite stories from the queen of mystery, Agatha Christie! I'll try to make this review as unbiased as possible, but there are simply not enough superlatives one can tack on to the ingenious writer. Plot Overview Oh no! Emily Inglethorp, owner of a sprawling estate and a good sum of money, is poisoned in her room! She has a few family members, an orphan she graciously took in, and a new young husband. With wills being written and changed faster than Usain Bolt can run a 100-metre, us readers get a front-row seat to this exciting affair that unfolds in many logical layers. Who benefits the most from her murder? The Murder Now we get down to the nitty-gritty! We have locked doors, we have poison, we have impersonators, we have several witnesses, and we have implicated gardeners. For once, the butler did not do it!
“Mooncalled” reads like a firecracker that's gone off in the urban fantasy genre section. The book is a mish-mash of clever bits you know and love, but it is presented in a ‘nice' way.
Mercedes, or Mercy for short, is a mechanic who is a skinwalker, which means she can transform into a coyote at will. When an inexperienced werewolf shows up on her doorstep, she must find out who's pack he belongs to. This path sees her become embroiled with her past once more and stirs up quite a fizz among werewolves and other creatures that go bump in the night.
Mercy is incredibly smart, cunning, and giving. These traits are pretty unique to the genre, and I was surprised at how much the author focuses on the character and the history of werewolves in general.
Overall, it's entertaining, and you can tell the author is having a great time writing it. For every bit of action and circumstance, there are equal parts building on the werewolf lore as well as enhancing the small side characters.
I wish there would have been a bit more to the location descriptions, but there was just enough variety to set the mood. The novel length was just right, and it all seems like a grand setup for future books in the series that I, for one, will be checking out in the future.
⭐ | Rating | ⭐
❖ 4 out of 5 ❖
I enjoy a good sci-fi romp through space every once in awhile, and The Stars, My Destination fits the mold perfectly.
Gulliver (“Gully”) Foyle is an uneducated mechanic set adrift aboard a damaged ship named the Nomad. With his air supply dwindling, a terra ship named the Vorga passes by and, to his amazement, leaves him. Foyle is incredibly angry and vows to track down the Earth-based ship and enact revenge.
Foyle repairs the ship and blasts to a nearby asteroid, where he is captured by a cult, is instantly married to a crew member, and has his entire face tattooed with their signature, a tiger-like design. Fun times!
Did I mention teleportation? The ability was discovered, and it retroactively changed the way Earth deals with logistics, privacy, and the mix of different cultures.
It has quite a few novel ideas for the mid-1950s. It touches on governmental control, space fairing, cybernetic implants, telepathy, and time travel, to name a few. Those who like a bit of Terminator with their pseudoscience, death-wish-like plotting will be at home here.
// Setting the scene \
Foyle meets a 100-year-old woman whom he falls for in prison. One thing leads to the next, and after they escape, she knows an ex-con/swindler “Freakshow” procurer (yes, it gets kind of convoluted), and he is able to remove the hideous tattooing. It works for awhile, but, surprise! Once Foyle displays complex emotion, the scars return. But do not worry; he undergoes a procedure and becomes half man and half machine. And how does one control their anger after such a transformative body upgrade? Yoga! That's right, my friends, Namaste!
It's a wild plot that has quite a few twists and turns. The ending is fairly philosophical, too. Overall, I enjoyed it, but your mileage may vary. If you're looking for a nostalgic sci-fi story that has a mish-mash of plot lines that definitely inspired future writers, this is it.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays, my friends!!!!
I thoroughly enjoy epic fantasy novels, so coming off the heels of the Mistborn trilogy, I had high hopes that The Will of the Many by James Islington would deliver. And boy, did it. In the 30 some odd hours it took me to feverishly read this tome, I felt a range of emotions: amazement at its grandeur, enamored by its complexity, and delighted by the sheer energy of the character journeys. But more than anything, I was in almost constant amazement at its world-building—from the many exciting locations, the scope of the framework, the sparse but extremely effective action sequences, and the way the book rewards you for its seemingly endless setup of the first 30% or so. It will probably come as no surprise that this is probably one of my favorite reads of 2023, and I cannot wait until the next book in the series releases.
Our reticent hero is a teenager who resides in an orphanage and earns his mettle by battling foes in an arena and by keeping a watchful eye over prisoners in a dark, dank prison. (do not touch those sappers!)
After a seemingly positive interaction with a Quintus, Vis is plucked from the orphanage and enrolled in a prestigious, albeit infamous, academy. But before he embarks on his epic quest, he must endure the training of Lanistia. A quick-witted and even-tempered character that is tasked with helping Vis go from zero to hero in a few short weeks.
The training consists of all the regular superfluous studies you come to expect, including fighting, book smarts, magical concepts, passion, socialization, and immense puzzle solving. It's all here, and Vis will need to channel all these teachings in order to succeed at Hogwarts the Academy.
At its heart, the book is a coming-of-age story, and I applaud the minimalistic approach to the actual ‘scene setting'—think broad brush strokes instead of illimitable detail. Typically, I usually champion equal parts detail and substance, but this book gives you just enough to flesh out the blueprints for yourself.
The plot deepens and the extensive amount of setup begins to come to light when Vis enrolls in the academy and begins to uncover some of the murky truths surrounding the institution.
But he does not go at it alone. The tone quickly changes from a fish-out-of-water scenario to being thrown into the deep end of the pool. As Vis moves up the class ranks, acquires more knowledge, and gains more friends, he learns that the tense puzzle games the students play may not be operating ‘above board' and that the staff members might not be all that trustworthy.
From here on out, it's a cohesive collection of Enders Game sensibilities, anime puzzler-like twists, a tad bit of Battle Royal, a dash of Red Rising, a pinch of Maze-Runner, and last but certainly not least, a whole lot of fun!
Bottom line is that it's engaging, and the characters are deep and well-rounded. The groundwork is set for more clever bits of story telling, and I will be first in line to get my eyes on the sequel.
This book opens with a romance writer begrudgingly boarding a plane to Switzerland to spend a few days in exile at the Hotel Du Lac. She will have plenty of time to have a “curious interlude in her life” where she can write her new novel, take long walks, speak to other interesting guests at the hotel, and just hit the reset button. Why is our main character taking this leave of absence from life? Well, it's part of a social banishment enacted by her friends. They believe she needs to go on probation and grow a little, away from her life in London.
It's a fun little curiosity. Edith checks into the hotel and begins to meld with certain personalities over a meal or tea. We find out that most of the guests are cruel or ill-tempered, and the author often uses these traits to sly comedic effects, albeit oftentimes in long, drawn-out diatribes of small talk. There is a certain perceptiveness to the prose. Nothing is really described in great detail. It is often the witticisms that round out character traits and small intricacies that bring the hotel to life.
Edith eventually meets someone who is interested in her, and after a few days, he proposes. We are plucked from the hearty conversations and thrown into another unique situation that Edith did not expect. Will she say yes to the marriage proposal with stipulations attached, or are there other past circumstances that will come into play and give her yield?
This book opens with the following message: ‘A murder is announced and will take place on Friday October 29th at Little Paddocks at 6.30pm. Friends, please accept this, the only intimation.' Would you be curious enough to accept the invitation to this party that ends with a literal bang? I sure would. In fact, maybe I should pin this invitation to the community activity board during Halloween next year. Muhaha.
Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail
Many people try to hike all 2,650 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, or PCT, each and every year. This route spans from Mexico to Canada on the west coast and includes some of the most beautiful places on Earth. See the dry valleys of California, the serene Crater Lake, and breathe in the cool, clean air of Mount Rainier. (my personal favorite) But what happens to those poor souls who wander off the trail and are lost? Andrea Lankford, a retired parks search and rescue officer, and her pack of amateur sleuths try to put clues together to try and find three lost hikers who attempted the 5-month journey and give the family the peace they have been searching for years.
Whether you're following along with the vivid depictions of trail stops, sights, and or search parameters set forth, the book never fails to be thrilling. The search team dips their toes into many avenues to try and find these missing hikers. This includes contacting mediums, DNA specialists, psychics, crackpot inventors, exploitative adventure seekers, cult followers, and so much more. It gets pretty wild, and the devotion of the family's search attempts is heartwarming, to say the least.
The core of the book follows the search of the main three hikers, but deviates to some other well-known people who have lost their way along the trail and reports on a variety of peskies in the more secluded areas. The story-telling is concise and it does a great job explaining some of the most common hiking terms such as zero-days, HYOH, trail angels, and more. For those seeking to take on a long thru-hike, it is important to read some of these stories and add their knowledge to your trail rolodex. You never know when it might come in handy.
I recommended this to all hikers and arm-chair adventurers!
The Art Thief is a book about obsession, hoarding, and the insatiable desire to steal precious artifacts. The one aspect that makes this story a bit unique is the fact that the main thief does not take the antiquities to sell; he displays them to admire them in an attic imbedded in a typical suburban neighborhood.
Stéphane Breitwieser and his girlfriend stole over 200 items from museums, fairs, auctions, and cathedrals across Europe for nearly a decade. They circumvented authorities by picking up less-known items using only a standard Swiss army knife and a bit of luck.
The art they steal is varied. An ivory sculpture in Belgium, a tobacco holder, a bugle, some paintings, and a few large sculptures, to name a few. Most of their work is spontaneous and only takes a few minutes. Sometimes they steal several items per day!
But as Breitwieser gets older and the scores get larger in scope, Anne-Catherine eventually wants more stability in their relationship. If he gets caught, she is an accomplice and will be brought to justice as well.
It eventually all comes crashing down, and the authorities start putting the pieces together. Will the couple make it off Scott-free? What happens to the art room if they get caught? The story ends at a fairly recent date, and if the track record of Breitwieser stands, I am sure there will be more to the tale in the near future.
I read an interview with the author about the book, and although admiration is not the word I would choose, the quote is fairly spot on:
“Every reader can have a different opinion at the end between admiration and disgust, and nobody's wrong.”
*Read with the witty, cunning, and intrepid, Helga. Thank you for talking thievery and art! :)
This collection of letters was a joy to read. It is a simple premise. The author sourced and compiled a plethora of interesting letters from around the world. Some are heartbreaking, others are funny, a few are grim and dark, and others lift the spirits. I found it exciting to read a few each and every day. As the author notes, the letter is sort of an antique practice these days. While emails and texts push information forward quickly, there is nothing quite like receiving handwritten correspondence.
A big thank you to Helga for recommending this book for Non-Fiction November. It was an absolute blast to read, Mon Ami!
We first meet the POWs of Colditz as they try their hand at an escape attempt they have been cooking up for several months. The false German uniform had been made, the travel passes had been created, and photographic passports had been produced by clever means. All that was left to do was complete the plan and walk through the gates of one of the most daunting prison camps in the world.
Author Ben Macintyre writes this heavily laden prisoner escape book with great detail, putting you in the mind of the POW's, their captors, and those trying to help from the outside. This book is packed to the brim with escape attempts, so I thought I would just list some clever things to look out for if you were curious about reading it.
❖ Most of the POW's had skills to contribute to the daily escape attempts. There were magicians, card sharks, pole vaulters, theater actors, famous ace pilots, electricians, rugby players, charmers, and more.
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❖ Some clever bits include stealing a key, pressing into a bar of soap, and melting tin gathered from the roof to fashion keys to help them in their escape attempts.
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❖ The French had the first few successful attempts. Some vaulted over the wire and climbed the walls, while others dressed up and walked out during a large sporting match.
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❖ It was quite obvious at first that the flaw of Colditz was not in the architecture but in the humans that occupied it.
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❖ As attempts mounted, so did the security. Roll call was confirmed more frequently to stimy tunnel digging, extra lights were added, and gun placements were moved to areas of high activity.
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❖ Since mail was allowed, there was a marriage that took place using photos and vows sent over the wire.
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❖ The prisoners started to devise new ways of combating the constant stifling of their escape attempts by attacking the guard's psychology. They would roam around the grounds, acting like they were walking dogs or pushing around rocks using their noses. The captors thought they were a bit contrived, but even a slight bit of misdirection would help conceal an attempt in another area.
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❖ A radio was produced so they could keep up-to-date with what was happening on the outside. Magazines of the front were pilfered from guards. This gave the POWs ideas on how others were trying to escape from their respective prisons.
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Food was used as a bartering chip, and they used some of the rations to make drinks. Alcohol production was made using the strangest of ingredients. One of them was a batch flavored with aftershave. It was said to have eaten a hole in the bottom of the plastic container it sat in overnight. Most officers could stomach this variety, but they succumbed to cataclysmic headaches, blurred vision, discolored teeth, and so on. It was not discouraged because it kept morale up, and any prisoner who was inebriated was easier to manage.
|| “Our cross is the curse of waiting.” ||
Some chapters are short and filled with details on attempts of varying degrees, while others dig deep into those who had a great impact on their success in escaping. One of those heroic people was Mrs. Markowska.
Mrs. Markowska, also known as Jane Walker, was an agent of British intelligence and a lead associate in the Polish underground. She would shelter escaped British POWs and help smuggle them to safety. She was extremely intelligent and a supreme asset because she spoke German, French, and Polish. Her intolerant and sympathetic behavior was endearing to the escapees, and she treated each one like her own children. She was known for giving the POW's pep talks, medical treatments, and formal dinners. The POW's adored her and often times said they loved her.
Another was Douglas Bader, a double-amputee flying ace who inspired the RAF and was deemed by the Daily Mirror as “The Greatest Hero of Them All.” He was courageous and famous, and he became a poster boy for inflight antics. It shined a beacon of light on what is possible and how one can help with the war effort, even if they have a disability. On an offensive, Bader's plane was hit, and the fuselage tore away from the back. As the plane careened toward the Earth, he removed the Spitfires canopy, but he was not able to get out because his prosthetic leg was caught on the controls. Right before he lost consciousness, he ripped the parachute, and the force disconnected his leg. He floated to the ground with only a few broken ribs. The German captors were so enamored with his condition that they asked the RAF to send them a new leg so he could walk again. After approval from the higher-ups, they named it “Operation Leg.” Now with functioning legs, Bader tried to escape multiple times but always had issues with his leg. He would then find himself in Colditz, where his disregard and insolence for authority kept on.
I would recommend this book to history buffs and WW readers alike. It tells quite a few enduring and humbling stories about those poor, brave souls who had to endure the camps for years.
|| “The day of freedom is not set by judge or jury, but by events in a distant theater of conflict.” ||