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I’m an Edward Abbey fan, and so considering the topic there had to be one from him in here. It was a toss-up between this and his other classic, Desert Solitaire—a lyrical, eloquent and sometimes controversial paean to a place he loved, a place he himself fought to save from the mechanical jaws of rapacious industrialism. It recounts his retreat to the desert over a couple of seasons, working as a ranger but spending most of his time reflecting on the human condition, the wilderness around him, what it teaches us, and what we’re doing to it in pursuit of the dollar. It affected me profoundly. Cook, a former producer of the cult radio programme This American Life, is the author of the acclaimed short story collection, Man v. Nature. Here, too, it’s what we do to nature and what nature does to us that absorbs her. She doesn’t once use that hoary phrase “Mother Nature”, but it hovers all the same over a novel in which motherhood and the mother-daughter relationship – its sacrifices, its limitations, its elemental, consuming love – are pivotal. The push-pull ambivalence of Bea and Agnes’s bond forms its beating heart. The more I got to know Will, the more I couldn’t make him out. He’s a dooshbag, a romantic, a worrier, a liar. Which one was really Will?!
New Wilderness by Diane Cook review - The Guardian The New Wilderness by Diane Cook review - The Guardian
The men in Olivia’s life are just vile. In fact, most of our main players in this story don’t have many redeemable qualities yet I was still able to empathise deeply with our main character. Wilderness is an entertaining thriller that really gets you enraged at some points and is thought provoking at others. It’s a little different than your standard feminine rage/revenge story as Olivia is not quite the cunning femme fatale she might like to think she is! The authors weaves quite an intricate tale without the facts getting swallowed up in themselves and the twists are the kind that you can get involved with, puzzling them out as you move through the story. Exactly what I look for in a thriller. Let me play detective please. A fast-paced thriller with a definite psychological edge...and one that might have you watching your nearest and dearest very closely indeed. Years later I returned to read the book in its entirety and found it to be incredibly interesting. The book, written by canoeing legend Hap Wilson, resembles a memoir in parts but goes much further than that.
Now I don't want to delve too much into the storyline because I don't want to give anything away and spoil it for you readers. The synopsis is a great taster of what lies ahead in Wilderness. And with this strapline on the cover: NOLS Expedition Planning will also help outdoor enthusiasts plan food and fuel requirements, how to prepare mentally and physically for the hardships faced in the great wilderness. In River of Fire, Hap recounts his experience paddling the Seal River during an enormous and dangerous forest fire (one of the worst the Boreal Forest has ever seen). He has a terrible co-guide and two completely inexperienced clients. And this was during a time when you didn’t have satellite phones to call for help. Wilderness is a fantastic armchair adventure. It has got a wife seeking revenge in whatever way she deems plausible. A husband who is so guilt ridden be will do anything to please his wife. They embark on a dream roadtrip exploring America's famous national parks. But, the wife has other ideas.
Wilderness author on phone call that stopped her quitting - BBC Wilderness author on phone call that stopped her quitting - BBC
To me, every episode of the hit survival shows on TV, DVD or a survival app on the phone just don’t take the place of a real paper book. The plot, the characters, the setting, the cover, the blurb – I loved absolutely everything about this book. It’s very likely it will feature in my top 10 books of the year list in December. Liv is pushed to her absolute limit – the repercussions of which were fascinating to watch. I couldn’t look away as she slowly unravelled before my eyes and I HAD to find out how the story would end. It’s not often I wish for a happy ending in my books but I was desperate for life to turn out OK for Liv. Does it? Well, you’ll have to get hold of a copy of Wilderness and find out for yourself. Braving It: A Father, a Daughter, and an Unforgettable Journey into the Alaskan Wild By James Campbell If he fails? Well, it's dangerous out there. There are so many ways to die in the wilderness. And if it's easy to die, then it's easy to kill too. This is one of those “he did an impressive thing so let’s have him write a book about it”. I wasn’t taken on an emotional rollercoaster; there were no long nights where I couldn’t put the book down. That said, it was interesting learning about what goes into an expedition and how your mindset changes as you navigate an obsession.Sergei Boutenko (son of raw-food guru Victoria Boutenko), in Wild Edibles about foraging wild edible plants, explores the health benefits of wild-harvested food. If you’re planning a trip to the great outdoors and want to learn how to survive in the wilderness, “Thrive: Long-Term Wilderness Survival Guide; Skills, Tips, and Gear for Living on the Land” is a must-read book. It isn’t thrilling the way Touching the Void or River of Fire is, but instead of thrills, the reader will get a deep look into a landscape untouched by modern development. I found the book to read kind of like an elaborate love letter to the wilderness. Plus, Adam is so damn funny in his prose. I love it. I first learned about this book while researching the Missinaibi River before a summer of guiding. I came across a passage from the book about more than 30 fatalities that occurred on the river due to mistakes on the topographic maps (critical portages and waterfalls were incorrectly marked or missing altogether).
The best books on Wilderness - Five Books The best books on Wilderness - Five Books
Joe and his climbing partner are mountain climbing in South America, attempting a first ascent. On the descent, there is a terrible storm, Joe is injured and from there on it’s just disaster-miracle-disaster-miracle. Hap Wilson is the father of modern canoeing, having paddled over 60,000 km, completed 250 expeditions and created the first canoe guide books for many of the most popular rivers we paddle now. Wilderness has a past and present narrative that works well to develop the storyline and gives the reader a better understanding of Liv's character. In total honestly, this is my least favourite Adam Shoalts book. When he began his journey as explorer-author, I think he placed a little too much emphasis on ‘discovery’ and ‘conquering the land’. He’s evolved so much as a story teller since this book and I don’t have this critique for anything else he’s written.
The story seems fairly straightforward in some ways. Young married couple move to America. Husband has an affair with a co-worker. Wife finds out and decides to forgive him...but then organises a road trip to give her errant husband the chance to show he’s changed. Things aren’t going well, and it seems the wife is going to take the opportunity to remove her husband from the situation. But things don’t quite work out like that.
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