Reading List
Reading List: Best of 2019
by Heather “Anish” Anderson
Heather Anderson is a force to be reckoned with. Since 2003, she has hiked a staggering 28,000 miles and was named a National Geographic Adventurer of the Year in 2019. She’s set records on the Pacific Crest Trail, Arizona Trail and Appalachian Trail and has completed a “Double Triple Crown of Backpacking” hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail and the Continental Divide Trail each twice. In this breezy memoir, Heather focuses on her 2013 record-breaking thru-hike on the PCT. She speaks not just to the physical hardships on the trail (thirst was an obvious one) but to the emotional ones as well like fear and loneliness.
PNW Author // Non-Fiction (Memoir) // Published: 2019 // My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
by Caroline Van Hemert
Caroline, an ornithologist who studied chickadees, became disillusioned with lab work and decided to embark on a journey across Alaska with her husband. Like the birds she studied, she felt the urge to migrate back to the state where she grew up. They rowed, skied, walked and paddled over 4000 miles through the Inside Passage, the Yukon, the Arctic Coast and the Brooks Range. The arduous expedition was not without harrowing days where they did nothing but survive, but even with the hardships the feat brought the couple closer together and reminded the author of her deep love and connection with nature.
Non-Fiction (Memoir) // Published: 2019 // My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
by Gale Straub
I’ve been a huge fan of Gale Straub and her She Explores website and podcast for years. Gale has dedicated herself to sharing the stories of women in the outdoors. Whether its climbers, hikers, artists, or road-tripping nomads, she shares the stories of trials and accomplishments to inspire others and assure us that we are not alone. This beautiful book celebrates a diverse range of women who are taking charge of their lives and doing what they are passionate about. Gale also includes little ‘how-to’ sections to get started in the outdoors. I can’t recommend this book enough for any adventurous woman out there!
Non-Fiction // Published: 2019 // My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
by Peter Heller
When two old college buddies head out for a multi-day rafting trip, they get more than they bargained for. They encounter a couple fighting and then the next day find the woman unconscious and alone along the river with a head injury. They bring her with them and transition into survival mode to keep her alive while keeping on the lookout for whoever did this to her. To make matters worse, they begin smelling smoke and discover that they are being followed by a raging wildfire. The mystery keeps the pages turning, but what I really love about this book is the dynamic between the two friends with very different personalities.
Fiction (Mystery / Thriller) // Published: 2019 // My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
by Kira Jane Buxton
Does the sounds of ‘zombie apocalypse in Seattle told from the perspective of a pet crow’ make your eyes light up? If so, this book is definitely for you. When ST (the pet crow) discovers that his human (Big Jim) is turning all weird and zombie-like, he decides that he must find the cure. He sets out with Big Jim’s other pet, a dumb-witted dog called Dennis, only to find that all the humans in Seattle have turned. Now ST must use his knowledge (developed solely from TV-watching) to survive in the wild and figure out what is going on and how he can get his human back to normal. This book with its ridiculous premise made me laugh out loud so much and by the end I fell in love with the big-hearted, Cheeto-eating crow.
PNW Author // Fiction (Dystopia) // Published: 2019 // My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Underland: A Deep Time Journey
by Robert MacFarlane
Ever wonder what is going on under your feet? After visiting the heights of mountains in his previous books, Robert decides to take to the underground. He travels through geologic time into caves and crypts while exploring how the darkness of the underworld has affected humans since cave paintings were first drawn in pre-historic times. He also touches on the mind-boggling systems of roots and funghi and how they interact and communicate with each other in an environment that is hard to understand. As always, Robert MacFarlane weaves his narrative into a story of discovery and fascinating science.
Non-Fiction // Published: 2019 // My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
by Raynor Winn
After Raynor’s husband, Moth, is diagnosed with a terminal illness and their home is taken away from them after a long battle with an old friend, the couple decides to take to the trails. They will see how far they can make it on the South West Coast Path, a 630-mile trail along the shoreline of Britain. Along the way they battle the ups and downs of full-time walking and Moth’s fluctuating health to being cast off as bums. You will quickly become engrossed in this sweet couple’s journey as they find that there are many definitions of the word “home.”
Non-Fiction (Memoir) // Published: 2019 // My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
by Lara Prior-Palmer
At the age of nineteen, Lara discovered the Mongol Derby, an annual feat of endurance across 1000 km of Mongolia on twenty-five wild horses inspired by a messenger trail used in the time of Genghis Khan. She was determined to participate and signed up on a whim with no training or preparation. What follows is a miraculous story of grit and determination over 10 days of terrifying weather, a mysterious land, and stubborn ponies. She not only completed the race that few have endured, but she became the first woman to win it in 2013. Lara’s lyrical writing breathes depth into her experience written several years later with time for reflection. I could not put it down.
Non-Fiction (Memoir) // Published: 2019 // My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
by Terry Tempest Williams
These days it feels like everything is eroding: our public lands, our democracy, women’s rights, and the earth itself, both literally and figuratively in this time of climate change. In this collection of essays Terry Tempest Williams reflects on these and other difficulties in her personal life. I am usually weary of books that focus on politics and current issues, but Williams brings you in like a confidante and maternal figure, pouring her heart out for all to see. Ultimately this book is a nudging call to action and a comfort in this time of uncertainty. I loved her previously published memoir about the loss of her mother, When Women Were Birds, and now I am determined to read everything she’s written.
Non-Fiction (Essays) // Published: 2019 // My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
by Tea Obreht
This haunting take on a western is like nothing else I’ve ever read. Its the story of a frontierswoman in Arizona waiting with her youngest son, who talks of a mysterious beast he sees at night, for her husband who went off to bring back water. The other story is about a former outlaw making his way west on a camel who is haunted by the ghosts of his friends who have died along the way. Inspired by true voices in this time that are rarely shared, Tea Obreht paints a stunning picture of surviving in the west and the things that haunt us. I loved Tea’s debut novel, The Tiger’s Wife, and could not wait to get this one in my hands – it did not disappoint!
Fiction // Published: 2019 // My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Orange World and Other Stories
by Karen Russell
She may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I do love me some Karen Russell. Her latest collection of disturbing stories starts off with a duo of girlfriends escaping the depression and attending a special grand opening party at a lodge in the mountains. Its dark and snowy when they arrive at the ski lift that will deliver them to the lodge but when they arrive, the party is not what is seems and they soon find themselves fighting for their lives. The title story depicts a new mother, desperate to keep her baby safe, who agrees to breastfeed the devil in return for safety. Karen Russell’s stories are absurd and outlandish yet they manage to reveal true feelings that are often just below the surface. She is truly a genius and I can’t wait for more.
PNW Author // Fiction (Short Stories) // Published: 2019 // My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
The Word for Woman Is Wilderness
by Abi Andrews
Erin, a nineteen year old with wanderlust, sets off from her home in England to follow in the footsteps of Chris McCandless of Into the Wild fame. She wants to prove that women can also take to the wilderness and live on their own. She creates a documentary along the way to explore why it is only men who have the freedom to go off on their own based on a masculine idea of shunning society and survivalism. She finds her way through Iceland, Greenland, and Canada by working locally for money and hitching rides. She makes it to Alaska and lives in a remote cabin hunting for her food. She knows she can do better than McCandless because she is better prepared. More philosophical than adventure story, this original and brooding novel explores the meaning of feminism in the wilderness.
Fiction // Published: 2019 // My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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