This great story of Andrew Stevenson's solo walk around the Annapurna Circuit captures a whole basket of wonderful things about Nepal and its People. My wife picked it up when I was halfway through and I didn't get it back till she was done - Andrew's stories of great connection with other terkkers, friendships with the local people, and explanations of the vistas of everyday life in the Annapurna region have set in concrete our plans to travel to Nepal for a trekking holiday in 2010.

• rossp
• January 16, 2009
• Annapurna Circuit - Himalayan Journey
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I've read a whole bunch of books on climbing Everest recently, the first being Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. I've read too many on the topic recently, so it was good to finish with The Climb which is Boukreev's rebuttal to comments made about him by Krakauer.

This was a good read and gave an alternative view of the events on Everest on the infamous May 10th 1996, and there is no doubt that Boukreev single handedly saved numerous lives that night. However the book rubs me up the wrong way because of two things:

1. It continues to push Boukreev's view and experience, almost to the exclusion all others. Given that it's his book this is to be expected to a degree, but it gave the impression that there was only one story on May 10th 1996 and that this was that story. Of ...

• rossp
• December 16, 2008
• The Climb
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An intriguing look into the dark past of David Carr. Whilst I found it fascinating, I couldn't help but feel towards the end of the book as if he's destined to live a life of relapse (or, on the edge of it) and I'm not sure whether it's safe yet to celebrate his sobriety with the publication of this book.

There are no doubts that for the most part Carr has turned his life around in an impressive way and has caused his life of substance abuse into one of success. What was probably most interesting about this book was the investigation and the resulting discovery that Carr was remembering what he wanted to remember, rather than what those around him remembered. This process of investigation must have been extraordinarily painful for Carr and his family to undertake, but it has resulted in a book that ...

• rossp
• December 4, 2008
• The Night of the Gun
• Reply

Like "Whatever you think, think the opposite", this is a fun little book that's quick to get through but offers some very insightful comments on pushing yourself, breaking down your boundaries and pushing ahead with ideas that most people would disregard.

Mostly aimed towards advertising due to Arden's experience in that industry, but it's easy enough to apply these concepts elsewhere.

• rossp
• November 30, 2008
• It's Not How Good You Are, Its How Good You Want to Be
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This is a good fun book that makes you think. Very short, as most pages only have a handful of words, but it's a book where you read a page then stop while you look into space and reflect a little on what you've just read. I've got other books by Paul Arden on my hold list at the library and am looking forward to them.

• rossp
• November 23, 2008
• Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite
• Reply

Another book about Everest's 2006 season, when David Sharp lost his life and Lincoln Hall came shockingly close. Reading this straight after Hall's book Dead Lucky meant that much of the information in the 2nd half of the book was somewhat duplicated, however a separate point of view not told as intimately as Hall's gave a slightly different perspective.

Overall I'd recommend Dead Lucky over this, however this one gives a great (if brief) history of Everest accomplishments and introduces some of the big players in commercial Everest expeditions including Russel Brice, who was involved in the Discovery Channel documentary "Everest: Beyond the Limit" (which is also a good watch, if you ignore the over-the-top commentary that seems to be de rigueur in some American shows when watched through non-US eyes).

• rossp
• November 19, 2008
• Dark Summit
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