Newly Published: Recent Books that Have Come Across Our Desk
The following are newly published books that have come across our desk. Note that we are not doing complete reviews here. Rather, we're letting you know that they have been published and are available. At the end of each year, we look over these books and the entries in the National Outdoor Book Awards and put together our "Best Books of the Year" list.
2011 - Books that have come across our desk . . .
Pub Paddles: The Best Short Canoe Trips in the South of England. By Peter Knowles. Rivers Publishing, Keswick, Cumbria, UK. ISBN 9780955061417.
Can there be a better way to explore southern England? Not if you love water and tranquil rivers! With this colorful and superbly done guide, you can enjoy some of England most famous tourist attractions from the seat of a canoe, kayak or rowboat: paddle past royal palaces, castles and country houses; slip quietly under ancient stone bridges; and stop for refreshments at pubs and tea houses along the way. Don't have a canoe? No problem. Author Peter Knowles provides information on where you can rent boats for the trips - some liveries will even deliver and pick up boats for your trip. Whether you live in the UK or you're visiting from elsewhere, this book is just the ticket. Guides don't get any better than this. Well done Peter Knowles!
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Brook Trout and the Writing Life: The Intermingling of Fishing and Writing in a Novelist's Life. By Craig Nova. Eno Publishers, Hillsborough, NC.. ISBN 9780982077146.
Craig Nova is a novelist of note, having written twelve fictional works and one autobiography. This book is a little bit about trout fishing and a lot about his writing life and family. Throughout the book, these three subjects intersect at times, diverge and intersect once again. Nova has a nice way with words: they tumble out over the page, soothingly and revealingly, like water flowing over a stony river bed.
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Murder on Mt. McKinley: A Summit Murder Mystery. By Charles G. Iron and Ronald J. Watkins. Irion Books LLC, Phoenix, AZ. ISBN 9780984161836
Let's see. In this murder mystery, we have two oil executives who for some obscure reason decide that a climb of Mt. Mckinley might be a suitable place to conduct business. They each drag along an aide-de-camp both of whom it appears have never climbed before and one of whom seems to have an endless supply of bottles of booze stuffed in his pack allowing him to get plastered every night on the climb. We also find an environmental group on the mountain at the same time which we learn earlier in the book has tortured a pipeline worker and hung the body scarecrow-like along the highway. They are clearly a tough bunch of enviros, some of whom don't bath on regular basis. On McKinley, of course, no one is bathing. Not satisfied with pipeline workers, the environmental group is out for bigger fish and they use dynamite to start avalanches in an attempt kill off the oil executives. When that doesn't work, a knife fight ensues at 19,400 feet. Yep. You're absolutely right. The whole premise is so silly that the book almost seems like a farce - which, perhaps, it is.
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2010 - Books that have come across our desk . . .
Idaho Paddler: Whitewater Gems: A Rafters and Kayakers Guide. By Sean Glaccum. Distributed by Payette River Company, Ketchum, ID. No ISBN.
The realm of whitewater possibility continues to expand as attested by this new guide on Idaho rivers. Idaho Paddler is primarily oriented to steep creeks, big rapids and falls, but it also includes short descriptions of selected play waves and one-page summaries of traditional runs like the Middle Fork of the Salmon and the Selway. It's notably sparing on text, but visually pleasing with lots of color photos. You can also purchase a companion DVD.
To purchase a copy of the book or DVD, visit the Payette River Company's website
Murder on Elbrus. By Charles G. Irion and Ronald J. Watkins. Iroin Books, Phoenix. ISBN 9780984161829
This is the third in a series of mountain murder mysteries. (Abandoned on Everest and Murder on Everest are the two previous books and are reviewed below.) Prudent authors learn from their mistakes, and Irion and Watkins are prudent. They haven't repeated the same mistake as their first book and this is a substantial improvement. Murder on Elbrus, their newest installment, is an engaging diversion for a rainy day. Mount Elbrus is in Russia, located in the western Caucasus range, and at 18,510 feet is the highest peak is Europe. Mountaineer Scott Devlon reappears from the previous book and is suddenly in trouble when Russia's Deputy Prime Minister is murdered on Elbrus. It's all there, played out against the backdrop of the Caucasus: the beautiful Natasha, the head-strong Tarja, CIA agent Fowel with rumpled suit and creaky knees, the dapper mobster Pyotr with a penchant for fast cars, and the Russian army in hot pursuit.
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Fifty Classic Ski Descents of North America: A Visual Tribute to North America's Finest Ski Descents. By Chris Davenport, Art Burrows and Penn Newhard. Capitol Peak Publishing, np. ISBN 9780982615430
This book was one of our "Book of the Year" choices. You'll find a complete review under Best Books of 2010
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Every Natural Act: Five Seasons of Open Air Parenting. By Amy Lou Jenkins. Holy Cow Press, Duluth, MN. ISBN 9780982354513
This book was one of our "Book of the Year" choices. You'll find a complete review under Best Books of 2010
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The Ascent: A Novel of Survival. By Ronald Malfi. Medallion Press, St. Charles, IL. ISBN 9781605420677
Miserable after the death of his wife, the protagonist of the story heads off on a climbing expedition to the Himalaya, and everything goes wrong. One problem is the equipment: flannel sleeping bags, canvas packs, pick-axes (yes, pick-axes instead of ice axes), and an obvious dearth of mountaineering knowledge. One experienced mountaineer on the trip brags about an Alaskan expedition he organized in which they climbed to 26,000 feet. (Which would be quite a feat since the highest summit in Alaska is a 20,320.) But back to our protagonist. Can he and his team climb and claw (mostly claw) their way into the Canyon of Souls where no man has been before? And if they make it, will they escape from the hell that is waiting for them? Unlikely. Highly unlikely, considering that the climbers — and the author who divined them — know nothing about mountaineering.
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Mountain High. By Paul J Brach, Peter G. Bushnell, and Harry M. Sauerhafer. Lulu.com, np. ISBN 9780557508792
This is largely a series of trail and climbing reports told in a third person manner. The reports mostly center in the Adirondack Mountains, but included also are side journeys to Newfoundland, Mt. Rainier and Nepal.
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Knowing Yellowstone: Science in America's First National Park. Jerry Johnson, ed. Taylor Trade Publishing. Lanham, Maryland. ISBN 9781589795228
This book was one of our "Book of the Year" choices. You'll find a complete review under Best Books of 2010
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Abandoned on Everest: A Summit Murder Mystery. By Charles G. Irion and Ronald J. Watkins. Irion Books, Phoenix, AZ ISBN 9780984161812
This is the open salvo of a series of mystery books about murder on the highest mountains in the world. The first two books are about the murder of the fictional character Derek Sodoc on Mt. Everest. In this first volume, Abandoned on Everest, we are told in the preface that the story is authored by tabloid journalist Quentin Stein. Stein is a fictional character. Yet, for someone perusing the shelves of a book store, it appears they are buying a book about a true story about true people and true events. The book's cover shouts disingenuously "True Story of Derek Sodoc's Death." And while I can forgive the authors (and publisher) for playing a harmless trick to entice people to buy the book, I can't forgive them for the inanely written story within its pages. The short of it is: don't bother.
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Murder on Everest. By Charles G. Irion and Ronald J. Watkins. Irion Books, Phoenix, AZ ISBN 9780984161805
This is the second installment in the mountain murder series which began with the above clinker. Better news on this one. Clearly the authors have improved, and while this is not top tier stuff, it's not too bad. In this story, the wealthy Michael Sodoc finances an expedition to recover the body of his son Derek who died high on Everest. Did Derek die from exhaustion and exposure, or was it . . . murder?
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2009 - Books that have come across our desk . . .
The Coolest Race on Earth: Mud, Madmen, Glaciers and Grannies at the Antarctica Marathon. By John Hanc, Chicago Review Press, ISBN 9781556527388
If you're a runner, you're going to love this book! Put away any of those ideas that a book on running is dry. Not this one. Not in author John Hanc's hands. Hanc knows the craft of writing, and he knows how to keep a book moving along at a good clip. You'll quickly find yourself keeping pace, running with him in one of the craziest, most adventurous marathons ever.
You'll find a more complete review under Best Books of 2009
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Wild Moments: Adventures with Animals of the North. Edited by Michael Engelhard. University of Alaska Press. ISBN 9781602230484
Wild Moments is an anthology of writings by 33 contemporary writers and naturalists. Each writer describes their encounter with a particular species such as snow geese, wolverines, musk oxen, mountain goats, and more. It's quite a nice approach to a nature book, and you'll find much to enjoy in your own encounter with Wild Moments.
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The Trail to Table Mountain: A Location Based Guide to 186 Plants Found in the Teton-Yellowstone Region. Written and Illustrated by Kelley Coburn. Black Timber Press. ISBN 9780615218946
This is a guide to the plants found along the trail leading to the top of Table Mountain. The mountain lies on the west slope, or the Idaho side, of the Tetons near the town of Driggs. Before I sat down with the book, I thought I might read a chapter here and there, skipping throughout until I got a feel for it. But from the first few pages, I was completely taken in by Coburn's soothing voice, his well chosen words, and the way in which the book is ordered and arranged. I found myself totally absorbed. All in all, this is a superb guidebook
Available from: Dark Horse Books in Driggs, Idaho (phone: (208) 354-8882 / email: dhbooks@tetonvalley.net)
Whitewater Wanderings by Chuck Hines, AuthorHouse ISBN 9781434385369
In the later decades of the 1900s, Chuck Hines was very much the kayaking world's impresario. It came from his work with the YMCA, a career that spanned 40 years. Early in his professional life, he developed aquatic programs for "the Y," and in later years, he created and managed the YMCA's national kayaking program. His influence was felt far beyond the YMCA, and he was very active in the competitive kayaking scene: coaching athletes and volunteering for the Atlanta Olympics. In his book, Hines reflects back on a full life of wanderings and adventures.
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South Crop Forest. By Lorne Rothman, iUniverse. ISBN 9780595495887
This self published fictional work for pre-teen, teens and adults is an interesting combination of fantasy and natural history. The story revolves around a legendary creature who embarks on a quest to save the forest's greatest treasure from destruction.
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Alaska/Yukon/Arctic Light: Gifts of the Wild. By Kathleen M. K. Menke. Crystal Images, Haines, AK. ISBN 9780976426110
This is a beautiful, new photographic book on Alaska's wildlife. Menke has a sharp eye for just the right combination of light and shadow. The book is graced by photographs taken along the Yukon River, Denali and Kluane National Parks, and Tetlin and the Arctic National Wildlife refuges.
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Whitewater Philosophy. By Doug Ammons. Water Nymph Press, Missoula, MT. ISBN 9780976158011
Doug Ammons always has something up his writer's sleeve, always something thoughtful to say about his kayaking experiences. In this book he zeros in on philosophy. Philosophy? Here's how Ammons describes it: "I chose the word philosophy because every essay here is about our values and beliefs and expresses the ways in which the river becomes an intimate and important part of our lives. It is a set of themes about adventure sports, because all of them in their own way confront us with the critical problem of how a weak, awkward human is able to fit into the natural world, and live with its sharp edges and awe-inspiring powers."
Available from the author: http://www.dougammons.com/
2008 - Books that have come across our desk . . .
The Accidental Explorer: Wayfinding in Alaska By Sherry Simpson. Sawquatch Books, Seattle, WA ISBN 9781570615375
An literate and insightful collection of outdoor writings by an outstanding Alaskan author.
This one gets our nod for the one the best books of the year. You'll find a more complete review under Best Books of 2008
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The Milepost: Alaska Travel Planner Kris Valencia (ed). Morris Communications Company, Augusta GA ISBN 9781892154248
Can it be? Yes, it's the 60th edition of this well-known, mile-by-mile travel guide to the Alaska's highways and roads.
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Search for a Perfect State of Colorado By William Hood. Bauu Press, Boulder, CO ISBN 9780972134972
A self-published volume of a little of everything: hitch-hiking and backpacking, marriage and family, history and politics, rain and religion, job loss and job gain.
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