4 Stars. John Wesley Powell caught my attention when my husband and I visited the Grand Canyon in 2013. I would periodically think that I should read a book about him and then I would forget about it. When we visited Lake Powell and Horseshoe Canyon in Page, AZ a few months ago, I decided that it [...]
4.5 Stars. This is a slim volume and much of it is taken up with Mrs. Ritter, her husband, and his friend Karl’s day-to-day survival in Svalbard (Formerly Spitsbergen). Fair warning, that survival isn’t really for those who are disturbed by hunting for food and for furs to sell. Just trying to keep wood [...]
4 Stars. I found this book absolutely fascinating. The remarkable thing about Ada's survival is that she knew very little about surviving Arctic conditions. She was raised in the village of Nome. She'd seen some Inuit (the preferred term now) elders hunting and employing traditional skills when she was very young but she [...]
4 Stars. I don't even remember why I added this to my library wishlist but I'm so glad I did! I'm not a very good swimmer, much less a diver, but I still found Heinerth's experiences fascinating. She writes beautifully about what keeps her going back in the water, even after many of her friends have passed away on dives. She [...]
3 Stars. I read one of Ms. Birds earlier books, Adventures in the Rocky Mountains, during my blogging break and quite enjoyed it. I could only admire a woman who, in Victorian times, not only traveled alone, but managed to summit Longs Peak in a dress. When I needed a travel book as part of the 20201 Nonfiction Challenge, Ms. [...]
This is probably one of the best nonfiction books I've ever read. I've been reading about one nonfiction book a month for the past five years or so but I'm still a fiction reader in my heart of hearts. I generally read my nonfiction at night before bed because I don't worry too much about falling into the "one more chapter" trap [...]
In 1925, Percy Fawcett, a seasoned Amazonian explorer, his son and son's friend set out to find a fabulous city in the Amazon that Fawcett calls only "Z." The world had become fascinated with the expedition. Fawcett sent back a few reports, but then none of the men were ever heard from again. Over the years, many other explorers have set out to solve the mystery of the Fawcett party. All were unsuccessful. Many died. Many theories about what had happened to the men were put forward. All were eventually disproved. David Grann stumbles onto the mystery and starts researching Fawcett and the city of Z. I listened to this book and it just never grabbed me. I enjoy listening to Mark Deakins, so it wasn't his fault. It was just hard for me to keep up with everyone in the audio format. I couldn't keep up with who was in the Amazon looking for whom, which natives were good or bad, and whether I was in the past with Fawcett or in the present with Grann. I have a sneaking suspicion that my iPod skipped over a few sections but I didn't really notice because all the expeditions just blended into one big one for me. I did like the end. There was some resolution to the "lost city" part of the story, and it was surprising. I really don't have anything to add. I have a feeling that I would have liked this much more if I had actually read it. If you're interested, be sure to pick up a print copy. Read an excerpt. Find author David Grann on his website and the book's website. Buy The Lost City of Z at Malaprop’s | Better World Books I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent…