It's summer reading time! (no not in Spanish, sometimes I just have a desire to speak in Spanish and have to find some kind of outlet) I LOVE reading especially when I find a book that is so awesome that I cannot put it down. Summer time is great for this hobby especially since I am in school and usually have to read what someone else tells me to read. These books are sometimes good and sometimes not but rarely are they so good that I cannot put them down.
I have such fun memories of when I was a kid in the summer time. We would go to the public library and check out lots of books for each week. My mom only allowed us so many a week and then each day we would have reading time. I also remember getting that button from Pizza Hut that you put stickers on for each book you read and when you filled it up you got a free personal pan pizza or something like that. Was that just in Oklahoma or everywhere?
So this summer's reading got kicked off with Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. He is also the author of Into the Wild that was recently made into a movie. He is kinda an outdoorsy guy who writes about that stuff. This book was about his attempt and success at climbing Mt. Everest with the purpose of writing an article in an outdoor magazine about the commercialization of the mountain. This has occurred because the use of supplemental oxygen has made it easier to climb (still not easy but easier than like Sir Edmund Hillary had it). Another major reason for the commercialization is because of guides. You can pay a professional to guide you up the mountain so pretty much all you have to do is the hiking. They know exactly how long to stay at each camp to get you acclimated to the altitude and have Sherpas who carry up all your gear, set it up and cook for you. Crazy!
Anyways Krakauer made it to the top and back down but 12 people died during that one summit day and the season amounted to the most deaths to that year. Krakauer recounts his experience and all the little mistakes that were made that lead to this devastating event that continues to haunt Krakauer.
The book for me was fascinating in its descriptions of the effects of extremely high altitude and the extreme personalities changes that occurred because of the lack of oxygen to the brain. I was also very impacted by the fight for life that many people put up just to climb this mountain that is littered with trash and oxygen tanks. Rarely in the book does Krakauer remark about the beauty around him or the amazing views. It is just another accomplishment for most people that takes so many lives. I think 1 in 4 people die climbing Everest.
Sound like a depressing book? Well in some ways it was but Krakauer does an amazing job of explaining the drive that people have to climb this mountain and their backgrounds that led them to it. He really helps you to understand all the different people he encountered and makes it clear how mentally altered they were on this mountain that led to so many deaths. I laughed and cried and decided that I NEVER want to go that high. I would LOVE to see Everest but that is as close as I want to get. And yet look at this picture. Such a gorgeous and fierce mountain just calls out to be climbed. Whatever you think you should read this book because I could seriously go on and on about it.
I started book two today and it is The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers. I would not say she is the best author in the world but for any woman interested in a Christian author she is the one for you. She writes in all time periods (not just the wild west like most female Christian authors do) and reaches lots of different ages groups. So far this book is gut wrenching! It is about abortion and you just cant help but cry for the characters that are in so much pain. I am not to far in but it makes me wonder how I would handle such an awful situation.
The next book I want to read is the second and third books in the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman. What is this series? Well does The Golden Compass sound familiar? Gasp! A Christian who dares read these heretical books. Yup that's me! I decided to read them when I was driving to Abilene and back from Colorado and it was on sale on itunes. So I listened to the first one and I really enjoyed it. And although I can see where the series is going, so far there is little talk about the church or God. It is just an awesome story written by someone with an amazing imagination. It is less magical as something like Harry Potter but definitely in that same arena. I am excited to read the next books and see what happens because it really leaves you in a cliff hanger!
The last books I hope to read are the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. I have read a couple of them but never seem to finish the series. And every time I read them I start at the beginning and then manage not to get to the end. So it may not happen this summer because these are a lot of books to read but I am going to try hard. Plus I have a week on the river with my family that mainly consists of sleeping, eating, swimming, playing games and reading. Cant wait! So I will let you know if/when I accomplish this awesome reading list for my summer.
