What are you reading?

[Roybrew]

I just finished this book. It appealed to me because it is in my area. I have been to several places the author paddled through.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[frozentripper]

http://www.myccr.com/phpbbforum/viewtopic.php?f=181&t=46814

At the moment above, journal entries from the Moffat 1955 canoe trip in northern Canada which ended in a death and criticized for incompetence.... there is a book as well, Barren Ground, see Amazon for description of the expedition. Might read the book after the journal account, we'll see.

Also two books on the fall of Quebec during the Seven Years War 1759... detailed histories from both French and English POVs, journal entries, from a variety of participants including Wolfe and Montcalm. These are back in the library system but I can get titles and authors. Shows how well organized the British were in naval affairs and carrying out war, the French just couldn't match that kind of capability.

And Lake Superior history, a little less gripping than the death and devastation above but informative esp if you've been there... Writing Superior: The Wolf's Head. Also back in the library system.

 

[Odyssey]

I'm halfway through an endearing book by the late Farley Mowat called Bay of Spirits - A Love Story. This is an autobiography of sorts detailing Mowat's exploration of the south coast of Newfoundland in the 1960s. There he fell in love with a young woman he would eventually marry, but most especially fell in love with the outport communities and their histories. I'm enthralled with his excursions through fog and storms to discover secluded bays, forested coastlines and rocky headlands, at times under sail or by means of a dilapidated motor, always deeply touched by the stoic nature of outport people clinging tenaciously to a precarious way of life. By the time Mowat was visiting the small communities he was witnessing the brutally hard subsistence way of life being swept away by a more modern world.
https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/society/outports.php

 

[BlackRock]

Just finished Wilderness and the American Mind by Roderick Nash, and am now re-reading Coming into the Country by John McPhee. If you haven't read the former, do it! It is a great profile on America's relationship with wilderness...Coming into the Country is sort of the next chapter, as Wilderness didn't really consider AK.

 

[Guest]

am now re-reading Coming into the Country by John McPhee.

Coming Into the Country is one of my favorite McPhee books.

Spoiler Alert for those who have not read that McPhee; his tale of the WWII bomber crewman who survived for 80 days by finding food and gear stocked in abandoned trapper cabins during the winter Alaska wilderness is a favorite chapter, and a great re-read.

McPhee tells the story better, but Murphys book length retelling of Leon Cranes survival is worth reading.

https://www.amazon.com/Days-Below-Zero-Incredible-Wilderness/dp/0306824523

 

[Guest]

Island of the Lost; Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World (Joan Druett)

https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-56512-408-0

The only resourceful crewman from the wreck of the Invercauld should be recognized as one of the all-time great survivors, and only he kept any of them alive. He was not an officer, so when finally rescued (by a ship bound for South America) he had to sleep in the dank crew quarters, while the useless officers got cabins and later sold their heroic stories.

So to should a seaman (Raynal) from the better led Grafton survivors. In an effort to build a ship to sail back to New Zealand Raynal freaking made a forge and bellows. He made different sized tongs, without having tongs to use in the forge. He made a cold chisel, punches, and all of their nails. And he figured out how to do so with the materials at hand on a godforsaken island in the sub-Antarctic.

There was one critical boatbuilding tool he could not make. You will have to read the book.

I am glad a bought a copy of that one, I will re-read it at some point.

 

[Odyssey]

When the the two young grandsons come to visit Grandma feeds them up and Grandpa turns them loose in the yard. My pile of dirt looking very much like a burial barrow honouring some ancient warrior king ( or maybe I let my imagination run amok ) became their play pile. Whatever wasn't tied down became a digging tool and toy. That's where I found 2 hockey sticks, 1 garden rake, 1 scooter and an assortment of laundry line clothes pegs lined up all in a row. When the critters get all worn out, and believe me that takes some doing, they come in for a bath and bedtime. Grandma does the bath thing and I stretch/pass out on the bed to read them a story or two...or three or four, however many it takes for one of us to fall asleep. I'm told they have youthful stamina on their side because I never remember who tucks who into bed after that. Anyway, our daughter came prepared for story time with several new books on this trip. My favourite, and perhaps my favourite of all time now, is When Dinosaurs Came With Everything, written by Elise Broach and illustrated by David Small. Gosh it is so much fun reading this aloud and pointing out all the amusing details in the illustrations! We easily took an hour exploring this story, planning how to care for and keep their very own Triceratops! Pssst. If you want to step back from all the trials and tribulation that comes with our adult world try dipping into a children's book. Don't worry, you don't really need kids around to do this, and most come with pictures. Hope you're all getting through this summer with a chuckle and a smile; here's a slice of fun to help you out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Etz3rC-ewo

 

[yellowcanoe]

The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder

its a study of prairie life and the ecosystems that dictated how one lived. She moved around a lot so there is much discussion of the different plants and animals and weather. In the book Pa's favorite Green book of Animals was cited.

So I got sidetracked. https://books.google.ca/books?id=Ed...&oi=book_result&ct=result#v=onepage&q&f=false

I'm reading about iceland as we spent a month there.

 

[DanOver]

Grouse Feathers by Burton Spiller. I love the way he writes about his childhood experiences. His prose reminds me of Nessmuk.

 

[Guest]

Reading the eulogies and memories of John McCain several mentioned his love of Hemingway short stories. I had not read any Hemingway in a while, and this morning reread two of my favorites, both Nick Adams stories.

Big Two Hearted River and The Last Good Country. Wow, that is some spare and evocative writing; I have read those two stories dozens of times in my life and they never fail to move me.

A taste of Big Two Hearted River for anyone unfamiliar:

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~drbr/hem_river.html

 

[Boreal Birch]

Someone at Virgnia Edu. needs to edit their version on BIG TWO HEARTED RIVER, way to many typo's for good reading. Better go to a library and check out Hemingway's short stories book.
I have his Nick Adams Stories, on the self nearest my big comfortable reading chair, the two stories you mention never fail to move me also. A couple of years ago I was in Minnesota visiting my childhood haunts. I had thought if I were ever going to make the pilgrimage I'd better do it. I drove my rental car all over the Nick Adams country of the U.P. I fly fished and camped for a week on the Fox and the Big & Little Two Hearted Rivers, fulfilling a bucket list dream of mine since a high school English class. I liked it so much that I want to see that part of the world again.
Another good book to read is BROWN DOG as series of novella's combined in one book by the author Jim Harrison, who is sometimes compared with Earnest Hemingway. I don't agree with that comparison, neither did Harrison.

 

[Guest]

I have his Nick Adams Stories, on the self nearest my big comfortable reading chair, the two stories you mention never fail to move me also. A couple of years ago I was in Minnesota visiting my childhood haunts. I had thought if I were ever going to make the pilgrimage I'd better do it. I drove my rental car all over the Nick Adams country of the U.P. I fly fished and camped for a week on the Fox and the Big & Little Two Hearted Rivers, fulfilling a bucket list dream of mine since a high school English class. I liked it so much that I want to see that part of the world again.

I have, and have had, more copies of The Nick Adams Stories than any book I have ever owned; repeatedly given away You should read this and replaced. A used paperback copy is a buck and a half on Amazon and deserves a place in any home library.

One or possibly both of those Nick Adams stories was purportedly the unfinished beginning of a novel. I am glad Hemingway never finished them, they stand as near perfection in short story writing (and I was less a fan of his writing style across full length novels).

I envy your explores in Big Two Hearted River country, and may have to add that to my bucket list. I hope you brought a copy of the book to read while you were be there now.

Second place in the paperback book I have bought multiple copies category of undoubtedly goes to Jerome K Jeromes Three Men in a Boat. Used copies under a buck:

https://www.amazon.com/Three-Men-Bo...preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

That is one of the funniest boating books ever written, still hilarious 129 years after publication. Anyone who has tripped with companions will appreciate how little human nature and personal peccadilloes have changed since 1889.

There is a (memorized) passage from Three Men in a Boat which has long been my traditional wedding toast for paddling friends.

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/224326-let-your-boat-of-life-be-light-packed-with-only

 

[frozentripper]

A coffee table book with some good maps and drawings of the Toronto islands and Toronto harbor in their natural state... 324 pages, there's plenty to read. I wasn't expecting much from the written material but so far the early days in muddy York are very well described, along with the natural features that benefitted the new residents and the natives. The Toronto Islands have been changed greatly by lakefilling, urban development and parkification, so lost natural features are more easily visualized after reading this book. Some good references included which should make for more reading.

After seeing the movie Black Robe several times, I finally got around to reading the book. Interesting, but a little disappointing, I had been expecting more. There were some differences that weren't in the movie... the constant swearing and joking by Algonquins, for example, which may have been some license taken by the author to contrast with the sanctimonious Black Robe behaviour, but I really don't know. This was described as one of the best Canadian novels ever written by critics.

(PS.... for those who haven't seen the movie, Black Robes were the French missionaries on a mission to convert natives in Canada during the 1600s).

A new 2018 edition of Ontario's Old Growth Forests by Mike Henry and Peter Quinby is being published and will be available through the library system. Many of the old growth stands are along canoe routes and worth a look, some of which it seems, are newly described in this edition.

 

[VernAK]

Coming Into the Country is one of my favorite McPhee books.

Spoiler Alert for those who have not read that McPhee; his tale of the WWII bomber crewman who survived for 80 days by finding food and gear stocked in abandoned trapper cabins during the winter Alaska wilderness is a favorite chapter, and a great re-read.

McPhee tells the story better, but Murphys book length retelling of Leon Cranes survival is worth reading.

https://www.amazon.com/Days-Below-Zero-Incredible-Wilderness/dp/0306824523

Gotta agree with Mike......a great book....."81 Days Below Zero"
I've floated the Charley River and I hunt caribou in the vicinity of
the WWII bomber wreckage.

 

[Guest]

After some easy reading Hemmingway it was back to something harder. Current bedside read is The Source; How Rivers Made America and America Remade its Rivers.

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/martin-doyle/the-source-doyle/

Not an easy read; a lot of English Common Law, appropriation doctrine and early millwork franchise history. I can only handle one dense chapter at a sitting, but still worth the effort for a sense of how and why American rivers came to be what they are.

 

[BlackRock]

After finishing "Through Painted Deserts" by Donald Miller for (probably) the 15th time, I stumbled upon a copy of the "Adventures of Tom Sawyer" at the used book store the other day. It was read to me as a child, but I though it might be worth re-reading. I was pleased to find Twain, in his intro, specifically stated he hoped adults would read the book. Its been a fun trip so far!

 

[Jatfomike]

This recommendation will stray a bit from the last several pages of books in this thread. I recall earlier in this thread several scifi and fantasy recommendations which I greatly appreciated. A friend at work recently recommended I read The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Given the fact that he had made some strong recommendations to me in the past I made a mental note of the author and title and later in the day when I had a moment I looked them up on the internet. After finding the authors website I made a beeline to his reviews page. Suffice it to say to was an eye opener! I can't believe I had not heard of this book or author before! I have attached a link to the reviews page of his website. I won't bore you with my mundane review but would strongly urge you to follow the below link if you are a fan of the scifi or fantasy genre. I have already started his second book.

Mike

 

[southcove]

I was reminded of one of the most fascinating books I have ever read, "Skeletons on the Zahara", Dean King. It's the true life story of some American merchant sailors, shipwrecked off the barren and hostile coast of W Africa around 1815 and their harrowing enslavement by Berber tribesman, who treated them as other slaves were treated. One of the neat little ticks for me is that I recently paddled in the same back bay of the CT River in Middletown CT, from where the brig Commerce set out on it's trading journey.

 

[DaveOR]

Just finished rereading A Town Like Alice/Nevil Shute (nee Nevil Shute Norway), who also wrote On The Beach, which was the basis for the classic movie of the same name.

Currently: Born Naked/ Farley Mowat. Subtitled The early adventures of the author of Never Cry Wolf.

Next : The Philosophy of Sustainable Design/ Jason F. McLennan. From the front flap: "...outlines the major ideas and issues that have emerged in the growing movement of green architecture and sustainable design..."

 

[Odyssey]

It's nearing that time of year again when Mother Nature pulls a cozy blanket of snow across her knees and I do likewise with my own woolen one nestled in my favourite reading chair. As the days grow shorter I turn to a genre commonly described as the "cozy mystery", although years ago they were called "cottage mysteries". I got started on them one summer while off work with an injury and feeling desperate to keep my mind occupied. Desperate enough to scrounge through my mother's book shelves. Her treasure trove of dogeared Agatha Christie's tripped me up and sent me headlong into the whodunnit world of unassuming detectives solving perplexing riddles and murders in quaint English villages. After my 3rd paperback I also swore never to travel through quaint English villages. But I digress, as my favourite English cozy mystery series is actually written by the American Martha Grimes. http://www.marthagrimes.com/books/all-books/ Her Richard Jury series has all the hallmarks of a good cozy murder mystery, short on the sex and gore, long on the humour and brain puzzles. Stereotypical characters of the English village abound adding colour and predictable laughs along the way. It's not really required but it helps to read them in order. That's why I mark in pencil on the inside cover of each book it's sequential order. Starting the series from the first book each autumn I've still yet to get past # 5 by springtime, and seeing as how Ms Grimes has written and released # 24 I'd better go fetch my blanket and find my chair.