I am a long-distance hiker who read this book while stuck in bed with a shoulder injury that kept me far from the trail.
The author shares my favorite line as she sits looking at the famous Muir Hut along the trail: "I realized that the going and getting there were never the point--when we are always almost somewhere, we can't be happy where we are."
Three women set out just after college to hike over two hundred miles on one of the most famous hiking trails in the world. Along the way, they meet other hikers, as one does, and soon, I couldn't wait to see what happened next.
Roberts writes dialog that flows seamlessly and genuinely, words and sentiments you would expect from twenty-somethings. Her trailside descriptions had me walking beside her and her willingness to be hard on herself and admit she didn’t have all the answers made me feel I knew her.
Winner of the 2012 National Outdoor Book Award in Outdoor Literature
Day One, and already she was lying in her journal. It was 1993, Suzanne Roberts had just finished college, and when her friend suggested they hike California's John Muir Trail, the adventure sounded like the perfect distraction from a difficult home life and thoughts about the future. But she never imagined that the twenty-eight-day hike would change her life. Part memoir, part nature writing, part travelogue, Almost Somewhere is Roberts's account of that hike.
John Muir had written of the Sierra Nevada as a "vast range of light," and…
Frank Bruni has long been one of my favorite writers because his prose is frequently like poetry.
As a fellow author, I love the written word, and Bruno’s ability to put sentences together is flawless. The Beauty of Dusk shares how at fifty-two he lost clarity of sight in one eye and that the possibility that the same thing would happen to his other eye lingered.
The balance of the book helped me, a woman diagnosed with RA at sixty, sharpen my understanding for what happens to our psyches after loss and the difficulty of acceptance. But accept we must, as loss is part of aging. The key question each of us must answer is whether we’ll choose life over self-pity, construction over destruction, and appreciation over bitterness. It is not about constantly searching for the light, but about appreciating the beauty of dusk.
And I must add here, that my favorite chapter was about Bruni’s dog. How much our furry friends can teach us.
From New York Times columnist and bestselling author Frank Bruni comes a wise and moving memoir about aging, affliction, and optimism after partially losing his eyesight.
One morning in late 2017, New York Times columnist Frank Bruni woke up with strangely blurred vision. He wondered at first if some goo or gunk had worked its way into his right eye. But this was no fleeting annoyance, no fixable inconvenience. Overnight, a rare stroke had cut off blood to one of his optic nerves, rendering him functionally blind in that eye-forever. And he soon learned from doctors that the same disorder…
I’ve been a skier for over 55 years, first in the northeast on a rope tow, and now on an 8-pack in the west, where my husband and I retired. I’m also a writer and so appreciated Hansman’s gorgeous prose.
I very briefly considered being a ski bum when I was a student in France in the 70s, but love and life brought me back to the States. How might that have turned out? Having skied over the past half-century at many of the places the author profiles, I’ve experienced first-hand all the changes she describes.
I was lucky enough to speak a bit with Heather Hansman (a lovely woman) when she did a book event in Park City, UT, and we agreed that few have any answers as the industry gets more and more expensive and pushes locals out.
*An Outside Magazine Book ClubPick* *Winner of the International Ski Association's Ullr Book Award*
"A sparkling account."—Wall Street Journal
An electrifying adventure into the rich history of skiing and the modern heart of ski-bum culture, from one of America's most preeminent ski journalists
The story of skiing is, in many ways, the story of America itself. Blossoming from the Tenth Mountain Division in World War II, the sport took hold across the country, driven by adventurers seeking the rush of freedom that only cold mountain air could provide. As skiing gained in popularity, mom-and-pop backcountry hills gave way to groomed…
Bohr and her husband, about to turn sixty, are restless for adventure. They decide on an extended, desolate trek across the French island of Corsica—the GR20, Europe’s toughest long-distance footpath—to challenge what it means to grow old. Part travelogue, part buddy story, part memoir, The Twenty is a journey across a rugged island of stunning beauty little known outside Europe. Hiking The Twenty forces the author to transform a lifetime of hard-won achievements into acceptance of her body and its limitations.
More than a hiking tale, The Twenty is a moving story infused with humor about hiking, aging, accepting life’s finite journey, and the intimacy of a long-term marriage—set against the breathtaking beauty of Corsica’s rugged countryside.
My 15-month-old grandson and his friends love this book and I love reading it to them.
The rhymes are so much fun and children love repeating llama llama and red pajama. The book talks about why Mama Llama can't always respond to her baby right away when she's busy. It can help a conversation about independence and why Little Llama shouldn't be worried if Mama Llama isn't there.
Baby Llama turns bedtime into an all-out llama drama in this rhyming read-aloud favorite!
Llama Llama’s tale of nighttime drama has charmed readers for over a decade and makes an ideal story for bedtime reading. With this board book edition, Anna Dewdney’s infectious rhyming text and expressive artwork are availabe to the youngest readers. Children will relate to Baby Llama's need for comfort, as much as parents will appreciate Mama Llama's reassuring message.
A wonderful book for young children, baby-2 years old.
Little Fish swims in the sea and sees all his friends. He says hello and wants the readers to say hello too. There are lots of brilliantly colored fish in every color. Then there’s Striped Fish, Spotted Fish, Ele-Fish, and Shelly Fish and many others. There’s also Mommy Fish, who has lots of kisses. And then Little Fish gets to meet himself in the mirror.
The rhymes, colors, and patterns, are all wonderful. My grandson giggles all the way through the book.
Little Fish leads an underwater journey to say hello to friends of all stripes—including the little creature peering into the novelty mirror.
Hello, hello, hello fish, red, blue, and yellow fish.
Little Fish is swimming in the sea and saying hello to all his friends. Who wants to come along and meet them? First you’ll see brilliant fish in every color. Then come Striped Fish, Spotted Fish, Ele-Fish, and Shelly Fish. Look out for Eye Fish and Shy Fish, Fly Fish and Sky Fish! Best of all is Mommy Fish, who is always ready with a bunch of kisses. But…
