What are you reading?

[aweskamp]

For those with kids or grandkids, this children’s book is a good introduction to climbing 14ers. Full disclosure, my wife wrote it

[greenonion]

Trinity by Leon Uris. Excellent so far. Horrible what the British did to the Irish for so long and in so many ways

[RhodoRose]

Trinity by Leon Uris.

“For you see, in Ireland there is no future, only the past happening over and over.” If you like Trinity, you'll like Uris's "Exodus" even better. It was the basis for the movie with Paul Newman and Eva Marie Saint but the book is better by far.

p.s. I'm finally getting around to reading Michael Shaara's "The Killer Angels". Next up is Colorado local Ray White's "Blue Marble", set in Marble, CO. Then Eric Wittenberg's "The Devil's To Pay: John Buford at Gettysburg". Then I really need to finish Robert Heinlein's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress"...

[DaveLanders]

3 mountain related books:

"The White Ladder" by Daniel Light. Mostly about mountaineering history before the 1920's British Everest expeditions. Some well known stories like the 1st ascent of the Matterhorn and also more obscure things like early climbs on 6k and 7k meter peaks in the Himalayas.

"Everest 24" has short essays by various people about the 1920's British Everest expeditions, but mostly it has a great collection of historic photos from those expeditions.

"Democracy's Mountain" by Ruth Alexander. History of climbing on Longs and history of RMNP. Warning: may be controversial for some people depending on your political views.

[seano]

Trinity by Leon Uris.

“For you see, in Ireland there is no future, only the past happening over and over.” If you like Trinity, you'll like Uris's "Exodus" even better. It was the basis for the movie with Paul Newman and Eva Marie Saint but the book is better by far.

Thanks for the pointers. I enjoyed Patrick Radden Keefe's "Say Nothing" about the Troubles (apparently a TV series now), so I'll add those to the list.

As for what I'm reading now, I just started on Svat Soucek's "A History of Inner Asia." I can't say it's a ripping read, but I am learning a lot about Central Asia, which we Americans tend to ignore.

[taboose395]

...

As for what I'm reading now, I just started on Svat Soucek's "A History of Inner Asia." I can't say it's a ripping read, but I am learning a lot about Central Asia, which we Americans tend to ignore.

Thanks for the Svat Soucek's "A History of Inner Asia." Just ordered and looking forward to digging in.

[seano]

Thanks for the Svat Soucek's "A History of Inner Asia." Just ordered and looking forward to digging in.

If you're interested in that part of the world, I recommend "Restless Valley" by Philip Shishkin. It focuses on Kyrgyzstan since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and, being written by a reporter, is more vivid and anecdotal. The end sums it up well:

Over the years, Kyrgyzstan has been called many different things. They include, in no particular order: a display window of democracy in an authoritarian region; a Switzerland of the East; a shining example of kleptocracy by autocrats and their greedy relatives; an anarchy of mob rule; a failing state; a state that has yet to succeed. Kyrgyzstan has been all of those things, struggling to write its own narrative after centuries of having it written by others.

[bdloftin77]

Found some good mountain books over the last several months!

Colorado's Highest: The History of Naming the 14,000-Foot Peaks By Jeri L. Norgren. This has some great info on 14er naming, first ascents, and sketches/paintings.

Fourteen Thousand Feet by John L. Jerome Hart (both 1925 and 1931 editions). Lots of good historical 14er info here.

Summits to Reach: An Annotated Edition of Franklin Rhoda's Report on the Topography of the San Juan Country By Mike Foster. Franklin Rhoda, assistant topographer, recounts his summer of 1874 exploring and surveying the San Juan mountains with his half brother Allen David Wilson (Chief topographer) and Frederic Endlich (geologist). They made some first recorded 14er ascents, and climbed many other mountains as well. The 14ers this group climbed in 1874 were Uncompahgre, Sunshine (station 12), Handies, Sneffels, and Mt Wilson. Unlike other reports, parts of this one are actually very interesting to read and read like a novel (while others are a bit drier and record geographic and geologic details of certain areas). I believe at least part of, if not his whole report can be found in Hayden’s annual survey report for the exploration of 1874, see page 415: https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/ite ... 8/mode/1up

Roof of the Rockies : A History of Mountaineering in Colorado by William M. Bueler is an interesting book of Colorado mountaineering and first ascents. For those looking into early and first recorded ascents, this is another great source. It also includes first ascents of more technical routes on certain peaks, and ends with modern peakbagging and records. Spencer Swanger, Bob Martin, and Mike Garratt get prominent mentions. I read the third edition, which ends just before John Kirk’s peakbagging career began. Otherwise he would most certainly be including as one of Colorado’s most prolific peakbaggers.

Notes on mountaineering in the Elk Mountains of Colorado, 1908-1910 by Percy Hagerman. Percy Hagerman and Harold Clark are two of the early prominent mountaineers in the Elk range, accumulating some significant first recorded ascents in that area. Hagerman recounts some of his trips in this short CMC pamphlet.

For those in the Colorado Springs area…

Some good Pikes Peak resource books are Pikes Peak: Legends of America's Mountain by James McChristal (history and Zebulon Pike attempt), Among the Eternal Snows by Phil Carson (dives into great detail on Edwin James’ first recorded ascents and attempts to retrace the route himself), and The Granite Attraction: Stories of the Pikes Peak Highway and Summit by Eric Swab (history of development on Pikes Peak and associated interesting stories).

Eric Swab also wrote an interesting book on the history of the Manitou Incline Railway (From Utility to Attraction: A History of Mt. Manitou Park & Incline Railway), as well as a biography on Fred Barr (Fred Barr – Pikes Peak Entrepreneur).

Mapping the Four Corners: Narrating the Hayden Survey of 1875 by Robert McPherson and Susan Neel. Only a little peakbagging mentioned, but one worth reading for those interested in the Hayden survey, some of the of the earliest modern documentation on the Mesa Verde ruins, and a skirmish with some natives in eastern Utah from which a Hayden party barely escaped with their lives.

Some old mapping books I’ve recently looked at are Colorado Mapology by Erl Ellis, Colorado: Mapping the Centennial State through History by Stephen Grace and Vincent Virga, and Mapping the West: America's Westward Movement 1524-1890 by Paul Cohen.

[greenonion]

Recently finished James by Percival Everett - Excellent

Now reading Heartbreaker by Mike Campbell - Fantastic

[susanjoypaul]

I *just* finished A History of Heavy Metal by Andrew O'Neill. Loved it. If you ever wondered about the differences between thrash, black, death, deathcore, glam, gothic, grindcore, grunge, groove, rap, metalcore, retro and even vegan straightedge metal (oh yeah, it's a thing!), this is your book.

Jazzed to be seeing some of the bands the author loves this year (Metallica, Pantera, Suicidal Tendencies, Judas Priest), some he seems to respect but probably doesn't listen to (Deftones, Ghost, Nine Inch Nails, Bring Me the Horizon, Corrosion of Conformity), and a few that he despises, too (Dream Theater [yes, I know, same night as Bring Me the Horizon, WTF, Susan?], Limp Bizkit, hed (P.E.), Linkin Park... Man, does this guy hate Linkin Park, and all nu-metal, for that matter!). I wonder what the author would think of Falling in Reverse. Or Sleep Token. I mean, he says there will never be another Metallica...

Just started Black Tooth Grin: The High Life, Good Times, and Tragic End of "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott by Zac Crain last night. Starts off with his murder. Well written, sucks you right in immediately. Also, it looks like Stephen King's latest, Never Flinch, just downloaded onto my phone. So I have that to look forward to later tonight.

The pile on my nightstand grows too fast and never seems to shrink. I guess there are worse addictions (see "peakbagging"). Okay, I guess that's a good one, too!