What are you reading

[Profpointy]

I haven't read Game of Ghosts. How was that one? I think it is an account of various climbs and adventures/misadventures of him and friends of him- right?

Another mountaineering book I found very interesting was "Buried in the sky", which recounted the K2 disaster in 2008, but with the primary focus on the lives and experiences of two of the sherpa climbers involved.

Game of Ghosts - I think his 2nd one after touching the void. More philosophical than the seat of pants adventure of void, but (even) better writing, really interesting and quite revealing.

John Krakenauer has written a couple of good mountaineering related books - Eiger Dreams, and into thing air.

If you've not already read it you MUST read "South". Shakelton's own account of being trapped on the ice for 2 winters. Now that's an adventure - all understated as if the desperate straits they were in was merely having soggy sandwiches at a oicnic.

 

[Starchivore]

Game of Ghosts - I think his 2nd one after touching the void. More philosophical than the seat of pants adventure of void, but (even) better writing, really interesting and quite revealing.

Thanks, I'll get a copy of it.

John Krakenauer has written a couple of good mountaineering related books - Eiger Dreams, and into thing air.

I haven't read any of his but have been fascinated by the debate about his account of the Everest incident vs Anatoli Boukreev's. I read a lot about that online, on climbing forums and articles and whatnot. Although I personally expect he never meant what he said about Anatoli to be really harsh criticism and it just got picked up and inflated by other people. But that's my opinion as an armchair explorer.

I have Walt Unsworth's book on Everest, which details the various attempts made at it and is pretty dense but a good read also. I haven't read all of it though. It's a chunky volume. It gave me a proper sense of just how many attempts and how much effort and planning had been done before Hillary and Tenzing eventually managed it.

If you've not already read it you MUST read "South". Shakelton's own account of being trapped on the ice for 2 winters. Now that's an adventure - all understated as if the desperate straits they were in was merely having soggy sandwiches at a oicnic.

The film was well watched in my house when I was a bit younger. I'll look into that book too, thanks.

 

[Profpointy]

Thanks, I'll get a copy of it.



I haven't read any of his but have been fascinated by the debate about his account of the Everest incident vs Anatoli Boukreev's. I read a lot about that online, on climbing forums and articles and whatnot. Although I personally expect he never meant what he said about Anatoli to be really harsh criticism and it just got picked up and inflated by other people. But that's my opinion as an armchair explorer.

I.

Krakenauer very heavily praises Boukreev's Herculean rescue efforts, albeit questions some of the earlier judgements. I don't know the ins and outs of it, but I don't think Krakenauer says anything out of order, nor particularly nasty to be fair

 

[Starchivore]

Krakenauer very heavily praises Boukreev's Herculean rescue efforts, albeit questions some of the earlier judgements. I don't know the ins and outs of it, but I don't think Krakenauer says anything out of order, nor particularly nasty to be fair

I haven't read the book, I've only read other people discussing "the controversy" in detail. It seems like it was stirred up between them by other people.

I think he basically just said that he thought Boukreev was irresponsible to climb without oxygen and questioned him going down ahead of his clients- Boukreev countered that he was safer without relying on oxygen and that it had always been part of the plan that if there was any trouble he would descend ahead of the clients in order to get supplies for them and get ready to launch a rescue if needed. Boukreev had a book about it too.

I think people jumped on what Krakenauer wrote in order to create a controversy which is a real shame, especially with Boukreev dying not too long after.

Do you know if the film they did recently was any good?

 

[Profpointy]

I haven't read the book, I've only read other people discussing "the controversy" in detail. It seems like it was stirred up between them by other people.

I think he basically just said that he thought Boukreev was irresponsible to climb without oxygen and questioned him going down ahead of his clients- Boukreev countered that he was safer without relying on oxygen and that it had always been part of the plan that if there was any trouble he would descend ahead of the clients in order to get supplies for them and get ready to launch a rescue if needed. Boukreev had a book about it too.

I think people jumped on what Krakenauer wrote in order to create a controversy which is a real shame, especially with Boukreev dying not too long after.

Do you know if the film they did recently was any good?

I don't know about any film of this. I also got the impression the "row" was stirred up by others. Krakenauers beef if such it was, ws more about the Everest "industry" rather than the decisions of a particular mountaineer, who K clearly regarded very highly. It' a long time since I read it, but the gist seemed to be "might have been better if x had been done", rather than "what an idiot, he should have done x".

 

[Profpointy]

On a lesser level of "mountaineering" in Scotland, "mountain days and bothy nights" is a brilliant read. It's a collection of stories, yarns, anecdotes about hillwalking / climbing in Scotland in (I guess) the 60s or 70s. Funny, poignant, and rather moving stories about an era only just past.

And for adventure generally, I can also recommend "Beneath the Mountains" - a very well written account of Oxford University's caving club's expeditions to Northern Spain in the early 80s. I think the pdf version is freely downloadable, but the book's likely cheap enough. Also the late Jim Eyre's caving memoirs - "The Cave Explorers" - alternately hilarious and terrifying as Jim and his pals get into ludicrous scrapes as well as frightening themselves silly.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Cyclechat - it's basically the innane ramblings of a load of nobbers, every now and again you do come across a real gem though.

 

[Goggs]

I'm reading Hellfire by Karin Fossum. Not bad thus far.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Just finished Touching Distance and have opened Pavel is a Geordie.

I'd rather read about the Toon than watch them play in the Championship.

 

[John the Monkey]

Cyclechat - it's basically the innane ramblings of a load of nobbers, every now and again you do come across a real gem though.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Bought the (new-ish) David Millar book, 'The Racer', yesterday, from the Waterstones in Wakefield

Will probably take it to work, for when I finished re-reading Stuart Maconies 'Hope & Glory'

 

[John the Monkey]

Witchcraft in Early Modern England (James A. Sharpe)

After having my read rudely interrupted at page 85 by a library recall, I have this back on my shelf again, ready to read the remaining 60 or so pages.

 

[Stephenite]

Just finished George Mahood - Operation Triathlon. It has to be a classic in sports literature. Very funny and, occasionally, moving throughout. Don't want to give too much away, but the next time i go swimming i'm going to have to try the 50 pence piece in the buttcrack method - might just be the key.

 

[John the Monkey]

[QUOTE 4457957, member: 259"]I usually call on the Lord Beelzebub and his Various Hosts to remind me off stuff like this. Or at least a post it on the hall calendar.[/QUOTE]
Brimstone is so rough on the hall carpet though.

 

[Dayvo]

Just re-read The Solitude of Thomas Cave by Georgina Harding.

To win a wager, Thomas Cave has to stay in total isolation over a long 6-month winter as the whaling ship and its crew sail south back to England.

He is tortured not just by the cold, blizzards, darkness, isolation, monotony etc., but also his own mind and memories of an earlier life.

The story, when based on the Arctic island, is gripping, and you freeze and suffer with him. But when he eventually returns to civilisation (Suffolk!? ), the pace and narrative become tedious (IMO) focusing more on mental anguish and loses its atmosphere.

On the whole, an enjoyable read. 6/10.