On My Nightstand November 27, 2022

Physical Books i pulled out to read in december

Good morning! Did we all survive Thanksgiving? We had a good day. I was feeling really overwhelmed by everything that had to get done, but it all came together. Since then I’ve had some time off, and I’ve been organizing, catching up on letters, and getting ready for December. This has been a much needed rest. Back to work tomorrow!

Here’s what I’m reading this week:

Long Life by Mary Oliver - I meant to read this last week, but was in more of a fiction mood. I do hope to finish this by the end of the month though.

The Next Everest by Jim Davidson - This just came in from the library. I started it, but am not sure I’ll finish it. Would love to know if anyone has read and enjoyed it.

Africa Is Not A Country by Dipo Faloyin - This might be the last book set in Africa I read this year, and what a way to go. This is such a great overview of the continent.

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell - I started this years ago, and it’s really time I finish it. It’s a good story. I’m not sure why I keep putting it down before finishing it.

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This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

Non-Fiction November

Of all the challenges I do each year #NonfictionNovember is one of my favorites. It’s low key and casual, and keeps my brain awake during a season where all I really want to do is sleep. Here’s what I read for the challenge this year.

Four Star Reads

A Promised Land by Barack Obama - The audiobook was great. I appreciated the care and deliberation President Obama seemed to put into each decision he outlined in the book. To be honest after everything we‘ve been through since March 2020 I was kind of nostalgic for some of the crises he talked about here. I can‘t wait for volume 2.

The Five by Hallie Rubenhold - A in depth look at Jack The Ripper’s victims. This was such a fascinating book. I really appreciated how it gave voice to the previously voiceless.

The Third Pole by Mark Synnott - I really enjoyed this memoir of a 2019 Everest climb combined with the history of the Mallory/Irvine climb post WWI. If you like Everest books this one is worth the read even if it seems like you‘ve read enough books about Mallory.

Dead Mountain by Donnie Eichar - This is a great book that not enough people know about. It‘s about a group of students who died in the Ural Mountains in Russia in the 1950‘s. Recommend for fans of Serial and Into Thin Air.

The New Wild West by Blaire Briody - During the oil boom years in Williston, ND Blaire Briody immersed herself in the everyday lives of oil workers and their families. This was a great book.

Three Stars

Big Girls Don't Cry by Rebecca Traister - This book brought me right back to the 2008 election and all of the mess that went down against women in the US election. I would love to see an update.

Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell - I had it on my mental to-do list to learn more about the history of Hawaii this year, and this was an entertaining way to do it.

Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt - I‘m not even sure what I just read, but I enjoyed it, and I really want to travel to Savannah. This was billed as true crime. If even half of it is true it‘s a great story.

The Misfit Economy by Alexa Clay and Kyra Maya Phillips - This book examines how modern day Pirates and hackers operate, and the lessons we can learn from them. It was a quick read with some interesting parts, but I wish it had more substance.

REVIEW: Left For Dead by Beck Weathers

I have a high threshold for scary stuff in books. I can read Stephen King books by the dozen and sleep well at night. So when the first section of Left For Dead by Beck Weathers had my heart pounding, I couldn't wait to read the rest. But sadly, it was just, meh.

I can't think of anything scarier than being alone near the summit of Mt. Everest. Weathers' vivid descriptions of what it was like to wake up and realize he was alone, and most likely going to die were like nothing I've read before. The premise of the rest of the book (how depression led him to take such crazy risks, and how his mountain climbing left a scar on his family life) sounded just as interesting. The book didn't deliver though, and I just barely finished. Sadly, I can't recommend this one, but if you find yourself with a copy the first section is worth a look.

If you too have a fondness for books about disasters on high mountains may I suggest:

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