Sunday, March 25, 2012

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

Author:  Cheryl Strayed
Year: 2011
Publisher: Knopf


Once I picked it up, I could not put this book down. Cheryl Strayed is having a hard time coping with her mother's death from cancer. Her life falls apart and she strays far from the right path in life. One day she decides to solo hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California, Oregon and Washington State. She has no hiking experience and no clue what all is involved in such a long hike. 

I loved reading her adventures tales and all of the hilarious - and sometimes scary - things that happen to the author on the PCT. It's not all adventure story, however, it almost qualifies as a memoir as a good bit of the book deals with the author's learning to cope with her mother's death. This is one of my favorite quotes from the book and one that I think gives a terrific idea of the author's mindset:

"It was a deal I'd made with myself months before and the only thing that allowed me to hike alone. I knew that if I allowed fear to overtake me, my journey was doomed. Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story from the one women are told. I decided I was safe. I was strong. I was brave. Nothing could vanquish me. Insisting on this story was a form of mind control, but for the most part, it worked. Every time I heard a sound of  unknown origin or felt something horrible cohering in my imagination, I pushed it away. I simply did not let myself become afraid. Fear begets fear. Power begets power. I willed myself to beget power. And it wasn't long before I actually wasn't afraid."

I highly recommend this book.

The Iron Queen

Author:  Julie Kagawa
Year:  2011
Publisher:  Harlequin Teen


At the end of The Iron Daughter, Meghan and Ash were banished from the Nevernever into the human world. As far as Meghan was concerned, her life and the feary world were lost to her forever. Then the iron fey army follows her to the human world and takes her back to the Nevernever and back into the war between the iron fey and the Summer and Winter fey. And Meghan may be the only person who can stop the advancement of the iron kingdom and save the feary world.

These are such fun little romance stories. I can't wait to read The Iron Knight and get some insight from Ash's point of view.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

The Iron Daughter

Author: Julie Kagawa
Year: 2010
Publisher:  Harlequin Teen
Website: http://www.juliekagawa.com/

Meghan Chase is now a prisoner at the Winter Court - brought there and abandoned by the Winter prince, Ash. No one believes her stories of the iron fey. Now, the scepter of the seasons has been stolen. The Winter Court blames the Summer Court is preparing to wage war but Meghan knows that the iron fey are to blame. 

This book was just as good as the first one. The feelings are intense and the characters very likable. Fun, fast and easy read.