I’m a goal fanatic. One of my 2017 goals was to read more actual books rather than click bait and fake news.
Goodreads helped me reach my goal of 25 books read in 2017 ( I ended up reading 37) . Goodreads is the world’s largest site for readers and book recommendations. Some folks balked when Amazon snapped it up, but I still enjoy using it for cataloguing books that I have read, and books that I plan to read.
Goodreads is also useful for book promotions by authors, and since my first book came out in October, I have learned lot about selling and promoting books.
I have a renewed respect for local bookstores. My Christmas gifts this year were books for family and friends that I purchased at local bookstores. The discounts that authors offer local outlets to present our books are less than the 50% discount we are forced to take at national chains, including the big A. Please support local bookstores!
I am also learning about the marketing outlets that are available via social media. For example, I recently had a Goodreads Giveaway where I offered three free copies of my new book, In the Path Of Young Bulls. The Giveaway ran for a week. 457 Goodreads readers entered the “drawing”, resulting in 457 “Want to Read” results for me. I gave a way three Christmas presents for people that I hope will offer me reviews, hopefully positive!
Here are the best books that I have read, or even re-read, this calendar year, including a few comments about the books themselves:
I own both editions of this excellent gear guide. The Second version is the one to get, with additional material. Between editions, Skurka started up a guiding business. This book reflects the changes in gear recommendations that Skurka offers that were based on not just his own preferences but those of many hundreds of hikers that were on those trips. I bought a new set of carbon fiber trekking poles based on his tips. The book also contains many useful planning lists. Skurka coined the term ” stupid light”, which describes the pitfalls of excessively reducing the items in your pack, as well as the durability of those choices. This is a seasoned backpackers best thoughts about gear.
Snorkel, AKA Liz Thomas, writes with authority here. She’s a relatively young Triple Crown Award hiker, writes for Backpacker magazine, and conducts online training for thru-hiker hopefuls. From her excellent blog: “Former women’s speed record holder for the AT and veteran of twenty long trails, gives you the tools to make this dream a reality. Included is trail-proven advice on selecting gear, stocking resupplies, and planning your budget and schedule, complete with gorgeous photographs of life on the trail. Along the way, enjoy sneak peeks into not only the Triple Crown trails, but also lesser-known long trails throughout North America. She’s also a graduate of Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and is currently Vice President of the American Long Distance Hiking Association West. The book’s writing is excellent and contains strong photos, and is filled with up to date gear recommendations. With this book and Skurka’s Gear Guide i hand you can’t go wrong on any post-Holiday sales.
I really enjoy growing much of my own food as I can here in the shorter season that we have in Maine. That means Asian greens, onions, cole crops, carrots, and certain pepper varieties. I’m increasingly interested in fermented preservation of these foods. This book helped me turn the corner on not only kimchis of various types, but stir fry combos that are quick and tasty. I absolutely love the comic book format of the book, which makes the cooking even easier when you can see the steps in the process. Cartooning cookbooks work really well!
Maine’s Bernd Heinrich co-wrote this book. He’s one of the strongest naturalist beacons in the universe, with a Polish pedigree that includes world records for ultramarathon running. All the illustrations in the book were created by Heinrich. This is a book you are asked to write in, with 5 full years of blank pages at the end to list daily calendar events of animal, weather, and plant activity that one observes in the natural world . I have found it useful it on hikes and bike rides. It has assisted me in seeing more of what is out there. For example, one of the things that I want to do in the next month is discover a barred owl nest in the woods near my house. Plus, I have already learned that beech trees favor well-drained southern slops in this area of the country and guess what? It’s true !
The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease is a book that I was exposed to as a Book on Tape, or rather on CDs. I read it as a book this year, and gleaned much in terms of evolutionary biology. It’s a gem of a book, and points the way to understanding how our primal tendencies are mismatched to our current modern society. It also offers suggestions as to how to reconcile the dilemma. Readers of my blog will be pleased to know that brisk walking or 75-90 minutes a day paired with eating from the approach that Robin Ha’s presents in her cartoon cookbook noted above are parts of the solution.
improv wisdom changed my approach to long distance hiking. I read this book for the third time . I should commit it to memory. Long distance hiking is about walking smart, rather than pushing through pain and misery, although there is going to be plenty of that when you are dealing with the quirks of nature and the human body.
This book led me to explore the science behind heart rate variability, which has been my daily three minute recording practice for the past three years. I favor the Sweetbeat App. Heart rate variability (HRV) is the physiological phenomenon of variation in the time interval between heartbeats. Heart Rate Variability is well researched and provides a quick and easy assessment of the Autonomic Nervous System function.It is measured by the variation in the beat-to-beat interval. Greater Heart Rate Variability (a higher HRV score) at rest is generally indicative of better health, a younger biological age, and better aerobic fitness. Heart Rate Variability is affected by everything from your mindset, to air quality, to age, food choices and exercise patterns. I use it to determine how much energy I have available each day to devote to specific workouts, as well as to let me know when I need a rest day. A strap is placed around the chest that monitors three minutes of heartbeats, measuring the intervals between each heartbeat.
Ms. Proulx authored The Shipping News, one of the best American novels ever about Newfoundland, Canada. In 1993 it won both the Pulitzer Prize and the U.S. National Book Award. It was adapted as a film of the same name, released in 2001. Her new book is historical fiction about the logging industry, starting off along the banks of the St. Laurence River in Canada. Barkskins spans the years 1693 to 2013 in Canada, America and New Zealand. Barkskins opens when two Frenchmen, Rene Sel and Charles Duquet, arrive as indentured servants. The novel traces the lives of these two men and their descendants including the inter-marriages with the local natives. I would strongly suggest printing out the two family history charts from the book as well as having a map of maritime Canada and New England by your side as you move through the 700 page plus book. I feel the book was too long. I loved the first half of this book but lost interest as the centuries unfolded and the action moved away from my geographical connection to the story.
I recommend this book. I still have a earlier popular work on the man- Black Elk Speaks on my bookshelf. That book was eagerly read by many of us counter-cultural types back in the 1960’s. It is the bestselling book of all time about an American Indian. It presented Native American spiritualism as a contrast to modern-day capitalistic excess and the military-industrial complex. This book is research-based, with some critics reeling with the minutiae of detail contained within . He participated in a minor role at the Battle of Little Big Horn, was present at the death of his cousin Crazy Horse, and was fully involved in the notorious 1889-1890s events at Wounded Knee.
Wow! I put off reading this book too long. The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate—Discoveries From a Secret World contains recent research that I have not seen anywhere, yet. Wohlleben is a German forester who manages a forest in the Eifel Mountains and has uniquely perceived aspects of his beloved trees, animals and mushrooms that ally with them, and dangers that threaten their survival.
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