August RandomCAT: Camping

When I was growing up, my family went camping in Oklahoma the first week of August. Our destination was a church-related family camp. A lot of the same families attended year after year, and I made friends from many states. Surprisingly, I’ve actually stayed in touch with many of these friends over the years. The first year we attended, we had a tent (and cots). It rained most of the week so we were thankful our cots kept us off the floor. The next year we had a small pop-up camper that really only offered sleeping. We then got a pop-up that had a stove, sink, table, and sleeping wings. We graduated from that to a travel trailer. Eventually my parents owned several different motor homes over the years.

As a tribute to the memories of camping in August, the RandomCAT for August 2016 is to read a book, fiction or non-fiction, about camping or in which characters go camping. They can camp in a tent or in an RV or even in a camping cabin or bunkhouse. It just needs to have a tie-in to camping.

Children's and YA literature abounds with camping stories, but they are a bit harder to locate in adult literature. Non-fiction also works and is a bit easier to locate. Here are a few ideas to get you started on your "camping" adventure.

A few of the numerous Children’s and YA Titles
Curious George Goes Camping by H. A. Rey
A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen
S Is for S’mores: A Camping Alphabet by Helen Foster James
The Bobbsey Twins Camping Out by Laura Lee Hope
The Moon by Night by Madeleine L’Engle
There’s a Bat in Bunk Five by Paula Danzinger
I Want to Go Home by Gordan Korman
When I Go Camping with Grandma by Marion Dane Bauer
The Fear Place by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Fiction
The Middle of Somewhere by Sonja Yoerg
Maxie and Stretch series by Sue Henry
The Bear by Claire Cameron
Back of Beyond by C. J. Box
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
In the Woods by Merry Jones
The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton Disclafani
Burnt Mountain by Anne Rivers Siddons
The Inverted Forest by John Dalton
Shadow Creek by Joy Fielding
The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
Hunted Past Reason by Richard Matheson
The Shack by William P. Young
Gone Camping by Gail Sattler
The Troop by Nick Cutter
Evidence of Life by Barbara Taylor Sissel
A Second Chance at Murder by Diana Orgain
The Wild Inside by Christine Carbo
The Dead of Summer by Mari Jungstedt
The Dead Season by Donna Ball

Plays
Camping with Henry & Tom: A Play in Two Acts by Mark St. Germain

Poetry
Survival of the Fittest: Poems about Camping and Hiking by Steve Kissing

Some non-fiction
Under the Stars: How America Fell in Love with Camping by Dan White
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
Glamping with MaryJane by MaryJane Butters
The Tabernacle: Camping with God by Stephen F. Olford

Cookbooks
Gourmet Camping by Joan Wilcox Osborne
Four Women: Camping Across the United States in 1930 by Mildred Walk Lowe

I have a book that will fit in my TBR stash - Down By the Riverside. It's set at a campground in West Memphis, Arkansas. I might pull out the audio of Three Men in a Boat as well.

>2 cbl_tn: - Oh, I didn't realize that Three Men in a Boat involved camping. Just bought that book so it would be perfect to read.

This sounds like the perfect time to read one of my Hardy Boys novels. The Viking Symbol Mystery is set in the Northwest Territories.

I'm going to see which ones are actually available at my library before I decide which ones to add to the wiki. I have several on my wish list that fit the bill.

I did a search for camping as a tag, and on page 11 found a book that's been on TBR for a while. Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl.

Oh, good! This should work (GeoCAT also works for this) for a reading game I'm playing! I am planning to read:
Wild / Cheryl Strayed

for the game, so this will work for this, as well! Perfect!

>7 LibraryCin: I would like to hear more about this reading game. Intrigued.

I'm not sure I have anything on my TBR that will fit, but I did read a book earlier this year that I enjoyed and would work for this theme: Lost Canyon by Nina Revoyr. Worth checking out. It's a thriller.

I already have Burnt Mountain by Anne Rivers Siddons in my TBR pile so I think that is what I'll read.

>8 sturlington: It's a team game and teams are already assigned, but you could probably play along individually if you'd like.

It's an Olympic themed game (and tied to countries and the medals they win). It's from a blog, and the "rules" are here:
https://thereadersroom.org/challenges/2016-reading-olympics/

In short: "Each sport is matched to a book category. Teams will work together to select countries to represent each sports category. Individual participants must then decide which categories to read and select an appropriate book to read that: a) fits the category and b) is set in or written by an author from the country their team as selected to represent that category. "

>10 LibraryCin: To add, our team spent this week researching medal winners and top contenders to choose a country for each sport, and also to find books that might fit. I had hoped to find more that fit with my tbr, but I only found two that work that way. I will be reading at least three more not from my tbr. It's tricky to get books that match some of the countries with the book theme/genre in some cases!

>7 LibraryCin: Wild by Cheryl Strayed was the first one I thought of too. But I still have to check Mount TBR.

I'll add a recommendation for C. J. Box's Blue Heaven. The incident that the book hinges on takes place at a campsite.

>13 cbl_tn: That one's on my tbr! Thanks for the suggestion.

I probably should have included the RandomCAT wiki link so you can record your intended and completed reads: http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/2016CC_RandomCAT#August:_Camping

I read (listened to the audio actually) a good one last year called On the Road.....With Kids about an Australian family travelling around Europe in a motorhome. It was funny and entertaining. I gave it 4 stars.

I'm reading Gypsy Horses and the Travelers' Way: The Road to Appleby Fair by John S Hockensmith. I've read several books this year that had a connection to Gypsy's and while I was browning in library stacks this caught my eye. There are Gypsy's in my area but they aren't horse people anymore. The tie to camping is that the Gypsies travel to Appleby Fair every year and camp for several days.

I'll be reading Swallows and Amazons, which has children camping on an island in the middle of a lake in the English Lake Country.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel would work, too.

One of the books I have in process right now (and won't finish this month, anyway) will fit: Above All Things by Tanis Rideout. Although camping at base camp on Mt. Everest is much cooler than Oklahoma camping in August!

>19 countrylife: Although camping at base camp on Mt. Everest is much cooler than Oklahoma camping in August!

That's for sure!

I thought this one was going to be really tough to find a book on my shelves that fit - and just realized I have the perfect Virago Modern Classic for it: The Caravaners by Elizabeth von Arnim.

And this also fits All Virago/All August - I plan to read quite a few Virago Modern Classics in August, and I'm going on vacation (but no camping!), so should get a lot of reading done!

I found a book called Gone Camping by Gail Sattler in our library's Overdrive collection (e-book format) that I'm going to read. If I can find the Maxie and Stretch book in whichever box it's in, I'll also read it.

Just realized Wilderness Tips by Margaret Atwood qualifies for this Cat. That's another option for me as I have it on the shelf, unread.

>23 VivienneR: Glad you mentioned that one! I have that waiting on the shelf, unread, as well.

For anyone doing Viragos in August (or with an interest in good mid-century lit), the "picnic" in Ann Bridge's Peking Picnic is actually a multi-day camping trip to visit a Chinese temple. So it would fit this challenge.

I checked the tag "camping" for the books in my TBR and was surprised at the variety that I have. I have decided to join in with the others that are going to read Three Men in a Boat and also True Sisters by Sandra Dallas, which is about the Mormon Trek of 1856 and, I'm sure, will involve camping.

I've begun Lonesome Dove and I'm wondering if it would fit the CAT? It involves taking a herd of cattle from Texas to Montana, and the cowboys are certainly sleeping outside. Would that count as camping, or is that a bit of a stretch?

>27 RidgewayGirl: I think I'd count it.

>27 RidgewayGirl: Sounds fine to me.

>27 RidgewayGirl: Me three.

>27 RidgewayGirl: One of my all-time favorite books. I think if you're eating beans and bacon under the stars, you're definitely camping!

>27 RidgewayGirl: I've got a couple books that probably have cowboys or ranchers "living outside" at times, so I think I can count them as well...thanks!

I'm going to read Gypsy Horses and the Travelers' Way: The Road to Appleby Fair by John Hockensmith. This is a nonfiction book and a large part of it is about the Appleby Fair in England. The gypsies drive caravans pulled by horses to the location of the fair and camp there while they hold competitions and celebrations. I love the looks of this book, fantastic photos.

I finished my first challenge book for the month: Ethel M. Dell's The Way of an Eagle. The first part of the book involves the hero and heroine roughing it in the Indian wilderness while hiding from rebels, and the promise of a future camping trip in Nepal plays a major plot role later on. The rest of the book is full of overly dramatic emotional conflict on the part of the heroine both in India and back home in England, but there is camping at the beginning and camping at the end. If you like questionable Edwardian novels, this is definitely for you (plus, for those doing the Virago challenge, it's a VMC).

I finished the very funny Three Men In A Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. A lovely read.

Sorry - I've been on a research trip with little online time. Yes, camping out under the stars counts!

I read a Faulkner book that involves camping earlier this year -- Go Down, Moses. It is really a set of loosely connected short stories and is relatively straight-forward (not stream of consciousness such as in some of his more famous books).

I started Schroder yesterday. And it all started with a camping trip!

ETA: Finished this book in big gulps. 5 stars!!!!

I read a western that I'd had on the shelves for a while, Appaloosa, by Robert B. Parker. There was a portion of the book where the good guys were trailing the bad guys, for days, and so had to "camp" every night.

BTW, the book is recommended.

>39 fuzzi: I too enjoyed Appaloosa. I had a Westerns category in my category challenge a few years ago and that was one of many suggestions I was given.

>40 rabbitprincess: they have a Western challenge in the TIOLI group this month, "Read a Western".

That was easy!

>41 fuzzi: Ooh, if I need more ideas for Westerns, now I know where to go :)

>42 rabbitprincess: I posted a list of recommended Westerns in the TIOLI thread, but can repost them here if anyone is interested.

I'm halfway through Wild: from lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed and loving it!

I've completed Gypsy Horses and the Travelers' Way by John Hockensmith. The book is about the Gypsy gathering, Appleby Fair, held in Northern England in June every year. Centuries old, the Fair give Gypsies a chance to celebrate their traditions including trading their special breed of horse. Many of the Gypsy families travel to and from the Fair by a horse drawn wagon. They may travel days, weeks or even months camping along the way and also at the Fair. One thing I thought was amusing is each time the author (an American) mentioned the campfire, he called it a "stick fire". No Coleman stoves used here!

>44 VivienneR: I will also be reading that one this month! I had hoped it would be next up, but an ebook came in that I'd had on hold for months, so I need to fit that in, as well, so I'm reshuffling the planned order of books. Hopefully I'll get to it sometime next week!

>45 clue: I read a book (fiction) years ago with gypsies as characters and have been wanting to read some nonfiction about them since. This sounds interesting.

I read Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry for this challenge and it was fantastic. I would not thought a book of that size about a cattle drive would have been so riveting, but it was, and I highly recommend it.

>48 RidgewayGirl: that is a good book, I recall.

Last night I started Come Home, Brumby, and the main character is trailing a herd of wild horses, so he's CAMPING out, even in the snow!

Funny how it works, sometimes, that a book you decide to read fits a challenge that you'd not considered.

I have finished A Far Off Place by Laurens van der Post, which was an exciting adventure and survival story.

I finally began reading Gone Camping yesterday. I really didn't want to put it down. It's not great literature, but it is the perfect brain candy for me at the moment. It's about a woman who broke up with the boss's son after he cheated on her, so she got fired. She went on a camping trip with friends and appears to be well on her way to falling for the park ranger. I'm not done yet, but I'll probably finish before I go to bed tonight or in the morning.

I finished The adventures of Huckleberry Finn and enjoyed it very much. Except for that pesky Tom Sawyer almost ruining things with his embellishments.

I finished Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta about a young boy who witnesses a crime. To hide from the professional killers chasing him, he joins a survival camping expedition for teenage boys in the Montana mountains. Good summer thriller.

I think that I might reread Mrs. Pollifax on Safari for the GeoCAT -- would a safari count as camping?

I finished The Caravaners yesterday; doesn't make me want to go camping with a group of people that I don't know very well. The narrator was so obtuse. Just...wow.

I don't know if I have anything suitable, so I may end up skipping this month, but I'm enjoying everyone's inclusions! Meanwhile, I've got my eye on my tbr mountain, looking around...

I hadn't originally thought of this one, but he does sleep outside during his trek.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry / Rachel Joyce
3 stars

When Harold Fry learns (via a letter) that a former coworker he hasn't seen in 20 years has terminal cancer, he plans to mail a letter back. On the way to the mailbox, he decides to walk to her – all the way from Southern England to Northern. He leaves his wife Maureen behind, and they both think about where their marriage went wrong.

I preferred reading the chapters from Maureen's point of view to reading about Harold's walking. For some reason, I just didn't find his hike very interesting. I did get annoyed when he had that entire group of people join him for a while. I liked the end and Maureen's portions, but overall, I'm giving it an “ok”, 3 stars.

I finished Gone Camping. It's not great literature, but it was good "brain candy" read if you enjoy romances.

I just realized that True Sisters by Sandra Dallas would fit this theme. This was an excellent read about the tragic Handcart Trek of the Mormons in 1856.

Rewatched Stand by Me last night and realized if someone were looking for a short read with camping, The Body by Stephen King would be a good choice.

I've finished Burnt Mountain by Anne Rivers Siddons which has "camping" in a summer camp kind of way.

>61 dudes22: I'm so glad to discover so many new "camping" titles.

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail / Cheryl Strayed
4 stars

Cheryl had an abusive father until her mom took her and her two siblings away when she was 6. She lost her mom to cancer when Cheryl was in her early 20s and, just before the events of this book (four years after the loss of her mom), she had just gotten a divorce after she'd been cheating on her husband for a while. She slept with men, did heroin – her life was a bit of a mess when she decided to spend a few months hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. The PCT starts at the Mexican border and goes just into Canada. Cheryl hiked from southern California to the Oregon/Washington border (skipping a section that had too much snow).

I really liked this. No, I often didn't like Cheryl, and like many others have said (and so did she!), she really wasn't prepared like she should have been. But, I still really enjoyed the journey. I was amazed at how nice people were (for the most part) – other hikers, as well as others along the way in villages and such. Especially with the other hikers, it seemed, there was a great camaraderie.

I'm in the midst of packing to actually GO camping, and deciding what books to take. Not sure what camping related books I have in Mnt TBR.

I just finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows by J. K. Rowling. There is a lot of camping as the threesome are on their quest.

I finished Strange Gods, an okay historical mystery set in colonial Kenya. A key plot element is that a certain character is unavailable for investigators because he is away on safari; therefore, the heroes have to go out and find him, which involves some camping of their own.

I have just read the only book on my TBR shelves which slightly involves camping: Herbert Hoover's Hideaway: the Story of Camp Hoover on the Rapidan River in Shenandoah National Park by Darwin Lambert. In the pre-air-conditioning times Hoover wanted to get out of Washington at times during the summer; he had a camp built at his own expense to use as the summer White House. He had specific requirements for its placement: within 100 miles of Washington and at an elevation of 2500 feet to be above the mosquito line. He choose a site in the Blue Ridge Mountains. This book is a history of that camp where Hoover went to relax, but often ended up doing a tremendous amount of presidential work. Hoover left the camp to the government hoping that other presidents use it. FDR went there once, but never used it as a summer White House since he had to be carried to the cabin and back. Through 1983 when the book was written, only Jimmy Carter had been there although his vice president, Walter Mondale, enjoyed going there. The camp was also used by the Boy Scouts for approximately 20 years. When we visited in the early 1990s, it was still being used for some government functions.

>67 sallylou61: That one sounds interesting. The history of the place certainly is.
ETA: I looked it up on Worldcat. One of the libraries nearest me that has the book is the Jimmy Carter Library in Atlanta.

My final book for August, wild by nature: From Siberia to Australia, Three Years Alone in the Wilderness on Foot by Sarah Marquis. The author, National Geographic Explorer, from Switzerland has circumnavigated the globe on foot. She has done this alone and in the book she shares her love of solitude and nature. This trip took he from Siberia to Australia. From the jacket cover inside; one woman, 10,000 miles on foot, 6 countries, 8 pairs of hiking boots, 3000 cups of tea, 1,000 days and nights. Needless to say, she did a lot of camping in her tent.

>69 Kristelh: Needless to say, she did a lot of camping in her tent.

Having just spent the last three nights sleeping in a lovely tent, sung to sleep by crickets and serenaded by owls at 4 am, I am happy to be spending tonight in my own bed. Camping is a blast, three nights at a time for me.

Back at In the Woods to go when I left. The first night I crawled into my sleeping bag with my flashlight and read about the main character crawling into his sleeping bag across the world in Ireland. So it turned out to be a good choice.

>68 thornton37814: Although the edition of Herbert Hoover's Hideaway which I purchased in 1993 gave the date 1971 on the title page, and was copyrighted that year, in very small print on the title page verso, it says reprinted 1983 without mentioning new content. The last chapter which mentions Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale using the camp states that Reagan had not yet come as of 1983, "the time of this writing." p. 142.

>69 Kristelh: What did you think of it, Kristel? It sounds really good!

>71 sallylou61: Interesting the new chapter wasn't mentioned.

I want to thank everyone for participating in the camping challenge this month. You all found so many titles. I managed to pick up a couple of titles for my TBR list.