Spring is here and it is delightful. Trees are blooming, birds are singing, and I’ve been getting out on some hiking trails. I am the kind of person who listens to audiobooks while I walk, even when I’m outside intent on enjoying nature. The right book can absolutely get me through fatigue or the desire to turn back and be done. That has put thoughts of this week’s Weekend Reads theme in my mind. These books are either themselves about following a literal or physical path, or they’ll keep you going because you just want to know what happens next.
Cheryl Strayed memoir’s of her hike of the Pacific Crest Trail, Wild is heartbreaking, touching, and funny. I enjoyed the story so much that I assigned to Beth as part of a Pop Culture Homework Assignment. This was a pick for Oprah’s book club and it was made into a movie, so I know I’m just another voice in a cacophony recommending it. But, if you’re interested in women’s stories and in particular tales of battling grief and finding yourself, then this is a great read.
The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness
This is an action-packed series that will keep you on the trail. Epic, interesting and terrifying, it is set in a world where people can hear each other’s thoughts. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone, even the dog. The protagonist, Todd, meets someone whose thoughts he cannot hear and they go on a mission to change to world.
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
A classic in the travel memoir genre, this is another trail-hiking adventure. It follows Bill and his friend Stephen as they embark on an adventure to hike all 2,197.4 miles of the the Appalachian trail, a journey that will take them through fourteen states. starting in Georgia and ending in Maine. These are two middle aged men who probably have no business going on this trek, but they do anyway. It is funny, informative, and touching. I really love this book and I know Beth enjoyed it, too.
So, there you have it! Three books vaguely related to the idea of getting out there in the world and walking around. Do you have a favorite tale of a journey, travel memoir, or epic adventure? What has kept you outside and moving because you needed to know what happens next?
There was a recent discussion on Twitter about whether or not you avoid reading popular books. Is the fact that the book is popular and “You just got to read it” a turn on or turn off. Whether a book is popular is not really a selling point for me but I’m not going to avoid reading it if it is. Unless it’s an Oprah book. Now bear with me. Oprah’s Book Club has done so much to get people to read and for that I applaud her. It has also been a boom for the publishing industry, it has promoted authors that probably would never get exposure or that level of exposure but as a former bookseller, it made my life difficult. I know, it sounds weird but ask any bookseller. For years, Oprah wouldn’t announce her new pick until she did it on her show. People would immediately come into stores asking for the new Oprah book and we wouldn’t have a clue what they were talking about since we were working and not watching Oprah. And rarely would people who watched the show know the title of the book they must read and would come in with no information. Now, it’s a little easier. Oprah works more with publishers to make sure her picks are ready to go with her sticker already on the book when she makes her announcements. Also, now with the internet, if customers come in for her books and we were left unaware, they could look it up more easily but yeah Oprah. Also I found that a lot of her picks were the same. Different authors but all carried the same theme and that didn’t appeal to me.
2 Women, So Many Books 