Tod Olson

I've heard that the true test of a mountaineer isn't Everest - it's K2. After reading this book, I finally understand why that is (although I will likely never understand why people would risk their lives to stand at the top of a mountain... That's an adrenaline rush I personally do not need.

Olson does a good job of sharing the facts while still paying close attention to the human emotions behind the constant and varying struggles. I found myself moved to tears, and I'm also driven to read show more more books about other mountaineering attempts - failed or otherwise. show less

Yikes. I’ll admit that going into this book I had a couple of concerns:

Didn’t Shackleton die on one of these voyages? Was this the one?

70 dogs on board? I’m feeling worried for them.

1 cat? That doesn’t sound good, it is too cold for cats.

I think my knowledge of historical explorations needs expanding.

This is my favorite type of nonfiction book as it reads like a novel and since I woefully lack in historical knowledge on this front, it proved to be a page turner for me. I was only show more going to start it before bed and ended up staying up late to read the entire book.

As it turns out, this was his third expedition, and the Endurance ends up getting locked up in the ice. The men have to abandon ship and go a pretty long way on the ice before being able to get their lifeboats into open water. It had me on the edge of my seat.

Goodreads tells me that there are two other books in this series and I’ll be adding them to our TBR lists here at home.

Overall a thumbs up, lots of detail where there should be and the sad kind of parts are treated as the matter of fact survival situation that these men were in. show less

The title alone will grab students! "How to Get Rich in the California Gold Rush: An Adventurer's Guide to the Fabulous Riches Discovered in 1848 by Yours Truly, Thomas Hartley" is a witty book about the Gold Rush that still manages to sneak in a lot of important historical information. When describing the emotions one experiences at the diggings, a fictional Thomas Harley writes " In addition to elation, there is frustration, exhaustion, disillusionment, loneliness, disappointment, and show more regret. And we mustn't forget pain. Quite a lot of pain." Students will probably wonder if this book is true because it certainly LOOKS authentic, with actual period photographs, bona fide Gold Rush personalities, and a genuine-looking ledger where our gold-seeker keeps an account of his income and expenses. This light-hearted look at a serious event in California's history is solid gold. show less

Lost in Outer Space taught me a lot about the Incredible Journey of Apollo 13. Tod Olson attempted to weave what the family of Jim Lovel was going through as the space saga unfolded. It was VERY interesting, sometimes confusing, and included many details I never knew or thought about. It would be excellent for kids and adults who are VERY interested in space exploration. There would be a small group of readers who would read this book to the end.