August RandomCAT: Let's Go to the Mountains

August is vacation month, and for my vacation this year, I'm escaping to the cool of the mountains. So let's all travel to the mountains together in books! For this month's challenge, choose a book that is about the mountains or has a mountain setting (any mountain anywhere). Have fun with this and don't forget to update the wiki.

Some suggestions for your reading this month:
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
Alive by Piers Paul Read
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Lost Canyon by Nina Revoyr
Descent by Tim Johnston
Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta
A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash
The Cove by Ron Rash
Guests on Earth by Lee Smith
The Silent Land by Graham Joyce
The Hunger by Alma Katsu
Ararat by Christopher Golden
The White Road by Sarah Lotz

>1 sturlington:, What a gorgeous cougar picture!

For me, I was already planning on reading Gray Mountain by John Grisham for the ColorCat next month, so that will be a perfect fit :) And, with any luck, I'll find a second one to fit in also!

This will be a perfect opportunity to read a freebie book I was given at last year's Bouchercon: Beneath the Mountain, by Luca D'Andrea.

For a complete non-climber, I seem to have read a number of mountainous books!

For a different perspective on mountain life, I'd like to recommend Touching my father's soul. It's written by Jamling Tenzing Norgay, the son of Tenzing Norgay, who was (with Edmund Hilary) first to reach the summit of Everest and return. It's a lot more than a technical book about climbing, it's a lot about the Sherpa culture and is a hymn to the mountains they live in.

Or, if you're in for a long read, Into the Silence is a comprehensive history of the post WW1 expeditions to Everest. For a generation of young men who had spent the war risking their lives, life at home was rather tame, what else do you do but risk your life trying to climb an unclimbable mountain? Somehow it does make sense. I wouldn't do it, mind.

Great idea! I just picked up The Mountain Between Us at the FotL book sale, so I think I will read that.

The only book I can think of that I own that would fit is Cold Mountain, but having seen the film already so I know the story, I'm pretty sure I'm not in the right headspace for that particular book. I think when I get back from my holiday I'll have a look in the library and see what they've got.

I'm certain I own several books set in or about the Smoky Mountains needing to be read, but I may end up picking one of the Louis L'Amour books set in the mountains (and owned by my library) so I can kill two birds with one stone, freeing me up to read more historical mysteries for the MysteryCAT.

I read Educated in June. I really liked it and the mountain of the author's childhood home was a fully fleshed out character in its own right. I recommend it for those who might not know this fact as I believe it would work well for this challenge. But, for me, this is a great challenge because so far I haven't found a book on my TBR list that will work. I love the hunt so I'll be watching this thread closely for more recommendations!

>8 beebeereads: Ooh now I do have that one on my TBR, and was itching to get to it! That might be me sorted then - thank you!

>4 Helenliz: For a complete non-climber, I seem to have read a number of mountainous books!

Ditto! Not even a little bit risky that way, but love to read about Everest and other dangerous climbs! Will be back to list a few options for this...

Everest the Hard Way by Chris Bonington
The Other Side of Everest: Climbing the North Face Through… by Matt Dickinson
No Way Down: Life and Death on K2 by Graham Bowley
Following Atticus: Forty-Eight High Peaks, One Little Dog,… by Tom Ryan
Ghosts of Everest by Jochen Hemmleb
Dead Lucky: Life after Death on Mount Everest by Lincoln Hall
The Mountain: My Time on Everest by Ed Viesturs
Above the Clouds: The Diaries of a High-Altitude… by Anatoli Boukreev

I might have to try the "Atticus" one, just for something a bit different! (If my library has it!)

I am going to read a couple of books that will fit this theme. The U.P. Trail by Zane Grey is about the Union Pacific linking the east to the west by building through the mountains in Wyoming. Round Mountain by Castle Freeman Jr. is a book of linked short stories set in and around the Green Mountains of Vermont.

I'm not sure what I'll read, but I just finished a book that fits: The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride by Daniel James Brown, author of The Boys in the Boat. It's not always easy reading, but I found it it very well written and not at all sensationalized.

I think about the nearest I've got is Three Cups of Tea, which somebody gave me a couple of years ago but I haven't really been interested in reading. This will give me a push to at least start it.

I have two under consideration: Climb to Conquer: The Untold Story of WWII's 10th Mountain Division Ski Troops by Peter Shelton and Paths of Glory by Jeffrey Archer a novel inspired by the life of mountaineer George Mallory. I might be able to read both, we'll see how it goes!

I've a few that will fit but I'll choose Above All Things by Tanis Rideout, which was one of my Thingaversary buys in May.

I've got a couple to choose from: Running to the Mountain by John Katz or And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini.

Back to the Cozy Corgis mysteries, all set in the mountains. I have number 6, the newest in the series, and have read all the others. I started Chaotic Corgis on my Kindle reader when we were flying to Alaska, and then did not have time to get back to it. I will have to start over because I cannot remember most of the beginning of the book--luckily, I am only 15% into the story, so I can skim and scan the beginning to get started again.

This ended up being a case of perfect timing. I had just looked up to see what books I had on my TBR with mountain in the title and saw a few on my wishlist. Shortly after looking I was browsing the Kindle book deals for the day and lo and behold there was one of the books on sale! I'll be reading Jade Dragon Mountain for this challenge.

Nothing on my TBR immediately sprang to mind for this theme, so I searched my LT library for the word "mountain." Both Kristin Cashore's Graceling and Tamora Pierce's Trickster's Choice came up, so I'm hoping one of them will have a mountainous setting!

>15 clue: I recommend Paths of Glory by Jeffrey Archer. Although fiction, he stays closely with the true story of Mallory. My choice, Above All Things is also about Mallory so it will be interesting to compare.

I'd forgotten about Paths of Glory, which is surprising because I got my audio copy solely on the basis of its narrator (Roger Allam, aka Chief Inspector Thursday on "Endeavour").

This is a very convenient RandomCAT theme. Not only do I have a fondness for Appalachian Noir, but David Joy is coming out with a new book, The Line that Held Us.

>23 RidgewayGirl: Kay, thank you for reminding me about the Appalachian Noir aspect, I have a fondness for it also. I have an unread Ron Rash, The Cove. Or if I don't go the noir route, I also have The Ballad of Frankie Silver.

>21 VivienneR: Thanks for the tip, I'll go with the Archer first.

Since I just started working at WSU two weeks ago and am now a Cougar, I love that topper! And this is a fun challenge for the RandomCAT. I need to peruse the bookshelves....

>8 beebeereads: I received Educated: A Memoir as a going away gift from a colleague at my prior institution so perhaps I'll fit that in for August.

I've collected my pick for this month To a Mountain in Tibet has the necessary mountain in the title and on the cover. It should be an interesting read.

I've completed The U. P. Trail by Zane Grey, a lively adventure story set in and around the Laramie Mountains of Wyoming, as the original survey work for the Union Pacific Railroad was being done.

I've finished All Mortal Flesh by Julia Spencer-Fleming, one of the books in her series about an Episcopal priest set in a small village in the Adirondack Mountains in New York.

I finished To a Mountain in Tibet which was interesting.

I've finished Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident by Donnie Eichar.

This is the story or an ill fated winter mountaineering trip in the Soviet Union in 1959 and the fascination the mystery surrounding the events holds for many Russians and one U.S. documentary film maker.

Nine experienced student adventurers, on a well planned trip into the Ural Mountains in February, all die. It appears that one night, for no apparent reason, they go out of their tent into tremendous winds and sub-zero temperatures while only partially dressed, and scatter. Before morning, six are dead of hypothermia and the other three of blunt force trauma. Wild theories have abounded, but Eichar comes up with something new that is quite plausible.

There wasn't quite enough substance to this book, but I was interested all the way through, regardless. I recommend it, particularly for the window it opens into a remote area in Soviet Russia during the era known as "the Thaw."

>31 Dejah_Thoris: Wow, that sounds really interesting! I've read plenty about Everest and a few other mountains, but nothing set in the Urals. I think this is a BB for me!

>32 LibraryCin: My reaction to it was really quite odd - I kept thinking that there should be more to it, but my attention didn't waiver and I really wanted to know what happened to those experienced, well prepared, (mostly) young people.

I should warn you, though, there isn't that much about the Urals themselves and the incident happens before they attempt any summits.

ETA: Part of the attraction for me, too the setting.

>33 Dejah_Thoris: Ok, thanks for the warning. I'll likely give it a try, anyway!

Finished Chaotic Corgis in the Cozy Corgis series, set in Colorado in the mountains. Lots of quirky characters, and several great storylines set up for the next novel in the series.

Following Atticus / Tom Ryan
3.5 stars

The White Mountains in New Hampshire have 48 peaks over 4,000 feet. The author, Tom Ryan decided to raise money for cancer by hiking these peaks in the winter with his little miniature schnauzer, Atticus. This is their story.

I listened to the audio (read by the author). He does have an accent, which took my mind off what I was listening to occasionally to spell the word in my head (i.e. park = pawk), though mostly it wasn’t a big deal. (Oh, but for the life of me, I could not figure out the town he lived in (though that wasn’t the accent)! All I could hear was “Newb Report”; I looked it up and it was Newburyport. Say that fast (or even a normal speed!) and it sounds like Newb Report, which sounded like a very odd name for a town!) Anyway, I liked Atticus and they sure had a wonderful connection. The story just didn’t “wow” me, but it was enjoyable.

>36 LibraryCin: I enjoyed that one when I read it a few years ago, too.

I started Above All Things today and so far it is quite enjoyable.

I planned to read Above All Things by Tanis Rideout but in the end decided on the chunkster Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest by Wade Davis.

I'm about a quarter of the way into the book and Mallory and the Everest expedition is just beginning to be mentioned.

Above All Things by Tanis Rideout



I very much enjoyed this fictionalized account of George Mallory's last attempt to reach the summit of Everest. Told from the perspectives of Mallory, his wife, and Sandy Irvine, the novice climber who made the last push with Mallory in 1924. Rideout's imagining of what happened on Everest is gripping. Her exploration of Ruth Mallory's experience waiting for her husband to return once again was less compelling than I had hoped for. Still, it was an engaging and worthwhile read and it has piqued my interest in the legends of Everest. 3.5 stars.

>38 VivienneR: I just looked back at my review of that one, and it looks like I enjoyed the last 1/3 of the book MUCH more than the rest! ...if you can stick it out. :-)

>40 LibraryCin: I'll definitely get to it, but maybe not this month. The reason I put it off was that my husband was reading it. He didn't have any comments to make, which could mean anything.

Wade Davis started off great but he includes every single detail he can find. Considering he's combining relevant material from the Great War there is a lot of information. I'm still not on the mountain yet.

I found Die Molkenkur on my e-reader, a beststeller from 1812 where a retired Army officer is sent to Switzerland by his doctor to take a whey cure. His niece and her maid come along, they explore the countryside, take excursions into the mountains of Appenzell and make friends, and at the end the maid is married and the niece engaged. Charming.

Finished Westward the Tide by Louis L'Amour set in the Big Horn Mountains.

>43 thornton37814: I'm going to try to read To the Far Blue Mountains by the end of the month.

>44 fuzzi: Good luck on that! I'll try to read my Irish Author Challenge book next, and then I probably ought to read an ARC from GoodReads after that.

The September theme is Happy Birthday

Just finished Into the Silence: the Great War, Mallory and the Conquest of Everest by Wade Davis that was excellent, but a major undertaking to read! Review posted.

Earlier this month I read Daughter of the Stars by Phyllis A. Whitney, a mystery which takes place in Harpers Ferry, WVA, and the surrounding hills/mountains. Yesterday at our nearest public library branch I heard a slide illustrated talk by Lauralee Bliss (trail name Blissful) about her hiking the Appalachian Trail both south to north (with her teenaged son) and then north to south (alone). I then read her book Mountains, Madness, & Miracles: 4000 Miles along the Appalachian Trail, which was a quick read. Reading the book was a different experience from hearing her talk. There were very few illustrations in the book, and these were black & white whereas her slides were colored. The book emphasized her hike as a spiritual experience; she made numerous references to God, which she really played down in her talk.

I read Thin Air by Michelle Paver for this challenge.

I originally thought this was set on Mount Everest, but it's actually set on Kanchenjunga, so I got to learn about a new mountain and the attempts to conquer it. Although her story is fictional, Paver does include some true mountaineering history in the back story, and it's quite eerie.

In the 1930s, an expedition sets out to summit Kangchenjunga, the third tallest mountain in the world, following in the footsteps of a previous ill-fated expedition, in which all but two men died. Once they get on the mountain, they discover that a restless spirit may be shadowing them. This was an atmospheric, chilling (pun intended) ghost story culminating in a frightening night spent in a storm on the mountain. Like Paver's other ghost story, Dark Matter (which was set in the Arctic), I appreciated her attention to historical detail and the perils of exploring remote places.

>50 Jackie_K: Funnily enough, only last night I was listening to a podcast interview with Michelle Paver, where she was talking about the research that she does for her books (she did an 8 day trek in the Himalayan foothills for this one, and was expressing regret that she didn't suffer altitude sickness!). It was very interesting (although I am a total wimp and wouldn't sleep for weeks if I read any of her ghost stories!).

I finished Paths of Glory by Jeffrey Archer a novel based on mountaineer George Mallory. It was interesting to read about those early Everest attempts. I was surprised about the controversy over whether using oxygen was cheating.

For this month's theme, I started listening to Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier, read by the author, but did not like his narration so couldn't finish it. So, I ended up counting The Play of Death by Oliver Potzsch instead. I chose this one for the MysteryCAT. It turns out most of the story takes place in the mountain village of Oberammergau, Germany. The mountains were not necessarily the main focus of the book, but they were important to the overall story.

To the Far Blue Mountains by Louis L'Amour

In this sequel to Sackett's Land we find our protagonist trying to escape his native England in order to return to the American wilderness that he loves. On the way he makes friends, defeats enemies, and has several adventures.

I liked this installment a little better than the first, but both are enjoyable and engaging reads.

Cast On, Kill Off
There's been another murder in Fort Connor and the folks who hang out at the local yarn shop are caught up in it again. Kelly does more sleuthing while drinking tons of coffee and all turns out well in the end.
I do like this cozy series, but this particular entry is a bit of a low point so far. The running jokes/tropes are wearing a little thin. *shrug*

I read Gray Mountain for this challenge, and it ended up being particularly relevant--the book deals with the issues surrounding coal mining and strip mining in Appalachia, taking place (for the most part) in a small mountain town. I really enjoyed it, honestly. There's a full review written, too, though I admit I let it turn a bit into a mini-rant about some other reviews I'd read...

>55 whitewavedarling: Of course when you said "rant," I had to click over and read your review! I gave it a thumbs up. I haven't read any books by Grisham in a while, but this one has piqued my interest.

>55 whitewavedarling: Thank you for your review. I haven't read any Grisham in a long time, but after reading your review, this one intrigues me. >56 sturlington: Just read your comment and I am almost word for word with yours. Guess >55 whitewavedarling: reached us on the same wavelength.

I read The Guns of Navarone which I am counting for this as much of the action involves scrambling around mountainsides hiding from the Nazis (plus the big scaling of cliffs!).

>58 leslie.98: oh, that's a good one. The sequel is good, too.

>55 whitewavedarling: I have made a point of NEVER reading other people's reviews before writing my own, as I would probably rant as well! :)

>56 sturlington: and >57 beebeereads:, I'm glad lol.

>59 fuzzi:, You know, I'm the same way--I almost never read reviews before reading a book by an author I'm already familiar with, either before or after reading the book. I can't remember what made me do so with this one, truth be told!

>60 whitewavedarling: I don't want a review to "spoil" my read, that's the main reason I avoid them. I wonder why you read it this time?

I don't usually read reviews, but I do look at the rating here on LT to see if I seem to be in line with others opinions of the book. If I'm not then I read a few to see if there was something I missed while reading the book (good or bad).

>61 fuzzi:, I honestly have no idea lol. The only thing I can think of is that I may have gone on to Goodreads to see if there were more books in the series, and if so, what order they came in--it's the one thing that I find easier to figure out navigate there rather than on LT--and maybe drifted into reading reviews without thinking about it, just sort of wandering? Otherwise, I haven't a clue! I avoid reading them for your reason also, as well as because I don't want them to influence me or distract me as I'm reading.

>62 dudes22:, I'm the same way. Especially when I love or hate a book, or if I feel like I heard really good things and was left unimpressed, I'm always curious about the reviews here on LT. I trust reviews here far more than the ones on Goodreads (which were the ones I was specifically mentioning in my review btw).

I also check out the reviews AFTER I submit mine, and am sometimes amazed at how differently the other reviewers felt about the same book I read...really?

I've piddled a bit at GoodReads, but never really did anything substantial there. As much as I love photos and pictures, I prefer the more literal setup here on LT...I just love words!

I also look at reviews... usually after.

If I've read the reviews to help me decide whether or not to put them on my tbr, it's usually so long in between then and when I get to it, that it's not a problem. I tend to read reviews in certain groups and from certain people who I know don't put spoilers in their reviews, or at least they mark them, if they do.

I'm less likely to read a review if I know I'll be reading the book soon, though.

But, I will often read them after, to see how what I thought compares to what others though.

>63 whitewavedarling: - I usually use fantasticfiction.com for seeing what books are in a series and the order. I've never really tried Goodreads as I can barely keep up with LT sometimes.

I usually read reviews after I've posted mine so as not to be influenced. But I will sometimes make an exception for book club books, especially if I thought it was rather a mehhhh book.

>67 Robertgreaves: I agree. I've purposely read reviews to see if anyone else felt the same way about a popular book that I didn't like.

I tend to read the reviews that gave a book a "meh" rating, as I think they are often more informative. Those that rave or rant about it tend not to be very balanced, they can only see the good or the bad, there's little space for nuance. While the people who thought it was OK tend to go into what was good and what they did not enjoy, meaning there is sometimes more balance and thought in an OK review than a good or bad one.

But I'm not above reading the bad reviews of a book I hated, just to make sure it wasn't just me >:-)

Sorry for this late update, but I did finish a book set in the mountains. This was The Grey King, the 4th book in Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising sequence. It's a work of fantasy, but it features a real setting, the mountain Cader Idris in Wales.

>66 dudes22:, I'll have to try that! I'm not a fan of Goodreads, but have found it's been easier than LT for figuring out a series' order. It's the ONLY thing I like about it better than LT, though. I spend 99.9% of my social media time here and on twitter, and the half a percent of time that's left is split between facebook and goodreads, with goodreads getting short shrift by far!