One of the best things about Substack is the way it allows us to make our relationship more interactive.
Instead of me making all the recommendations for you, it can be more of a conversation between all of us.
Let’s start with book suggestions - what should we read for our book club next month? Add your suggestions below and pitch us on why we should read it!
Mud, Rocks, Blazes by Heather "Anish" Anderson is the best adventure book I have read in several years. She broke most of the records for FKT(Fastest Known Time) on the PCT and AT. Her first trail name was "The Ghost" because she rarely camped with others and would be hard on herself when she didn't have a 40 plus mile days hiking. My favorite thing is how she made peace with herself and quit being so unkind during a pivotal night hike where she saw her shadow from the moonlight. It is an excellent read. I found it very relatable.
I am quite open... but please no depressing stuff! That said here's a couple I enjoyed - "A Sense of the World" by Jason Roberts is biography about a blind traveler in the early 1800s. It can sometimes get a bit 'dry' but overall it's rather amazing. "Worldwalk" by Steven Newman. The book tells of his journey walking around the world in the mid-1980s. Love his observations about people he meets.
Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz. Sadly, he passed away prior to his last book. CITA is his travels to civil war sites as a reanactor over the course of a year. His reflections on where the country was during the CW compared to today. Striking how for many people the CW was just yesterday. He offers insights along with humor and a snapshot of America. I have read it several times over the years. A great read. David
One of my favorite books is House of Leaves, being full on fiction idk if it really counts. The story and mystery are good but it has to be read physical as the layout is like no other book I read.
One recently I enjoyed was The Lacuna, half in Mexico City during Frida Kahlo and half in NC Asheville following a fictional character during real events.
Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo. It’s a novel about the Zimbabwe ousting of Robert Mugabe, but told as a fable with the characters as animals and set in a fictional African nation. Think “Animal Farm,” but more nuanced and richly detailed. The narrative bounces between those in power to the average citizens. Some chapters play out as online political discourse (Twitter conversations), but most are written in a traditional form.
It is humorous, sad, hopeful, and poetic. One of the best books I have ever read.
Mud, Rocks, Blazes by Heather "Anish" Anderson is the best adventure book I have read in several years. She broke most of the records for FKT(Fastest Known Time) on the PCT and AT. Her first trail name was "The Ghost" because she rarely camped with others and would be hard on herself when she didn't have a 40 plus mile days hiking. My favorite thing is how she made peace with herself and quit being so unkind during a pivotal night hike where she saw her shadow from the moonlight. It is an excellent read. I found it very relatable.
I am quite open... but please no depressing stuff! That said here's a couple I enjoyed - "A Sense of the World" by Jason Roberts is biography about a blind traveler in the early 1800s. It can sometimes get a bit 'dry' but overall it's rather amazing. "Worldwalk" by Steven Newman. The book tells of his journey walking around the world in the mid-1980s. Love his observations about people he meets.
Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz. Sadly, he passed away prior to his last book. CITA is his travels to civil war sites as a reanactor over the course of a year. His reflections on where the country was during the CW compared to today. Striking how for many people the CW was just yesterday. He offers insights along with humor and a snapshot of America. I have read it several times over the years. A great read. David
One of my favorite books is House of Leaves, being full on fiction idk if it really counts. The story and mystery are good but it has to be read physical as the layout is like no other book I read.
One recently I enjoyed was The Lacuna, half in Mexico City during Frida Kahlo and half in NC Asheville following a fictional character during real events.
The Incredible Voyage by Tristan Jones
Taking a boat around the world and then overland to Lake Titicaca.
“… revealing both a rich sense of history and insuppressible Welsh wit”
Glory by NoViolet Bulawayo. It’s a novel about the Zimbabwe ousting of Robert Mugabe, but told as a fable with the characters as animals and set in a fictional African nation. Think “Animal Farm,” but more nuanced and richly detailed. The narrative bounces between those in power to the average citizens. Some chapters play out as online political discourse (Twitter conversations), but most are written in a traditional form.
It is humorous, sad, hopeful, and poetic. One of the best books I have ever read.