Non-Fiction Review: The Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel

"The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit" by Michael Finkel
First published in 2017
203 pages
My rating: 3.5 out of 5

The Short Of It:
An interesting, readable non-fiction story about, as the cover says, a man who very well might be the last true hermit.

The Long Of It:
When he was 20, Christopher Knight decided to leave civilization behind and live in a tent in the woods of Maine. He never lit a fire, he spoke just one word to another human being -- "Hi" -- in nearly three decades, and he subsisted entirely through petty theft.

For years "The Hermit," as he was known, frightened a small Maine community as their homes -- and a summer camp for the mentally disabled -- were repeatedly broken into, with food, clothing, propane tanks, batteries, books, magazines and even mattresses taken. Eventually, in 2013, he was caught in the act, arrested, and forced to give up his seclusion.

The sheer dedication to living a solitary, humanity-free life is astonishing. Knight would literally rather have frozen to death in the middle of a frigid Maine winter than light a fire and risk discovery. Too, he admits to feeling deep shame for stealing, but he continued to do it for years and years and years. I was baffled by his commitment to isolation, and of course I wanted to know why -- and I had assumed that was the whole point of the book. Unfortunately, despite Finkel's best efforts to get that answer, he doesn't really have one and apparently Knight can't articulate it either. It seems likely that he falls on the autism spectrum, or has something called schizoid personality disorder, but that's not exactly a definitive explanation. So, while the story was interesting, it felt a little purposeless -- and like it could've been much shorter than 200 pages.

I can't fault Finkel for this, but I just could not warm up to Knight. He comes off as prickly and arrogant. I couldn't grasp his motivations, and I couldn't abide the decades of theft. Why not hunt or fish or start a vegetable garden? It was sort of like he was cheating at being a hermit, because even though he didn't want to be a part of society he still wanted to partake of its spoils. (I try hard not to be judgy, but I definitely fell short while reading this book!)

And something I was really craving throughout was photos! Photos of the camp, photos of Knight. Of course, I turned to Google, and I think I understand why Finkel didn't include any: when Knight was arrested, he was pale and pudgy with desperately out-of-date glasses -- the same ones he was wearing when he decided to live off the grid in 1986. Then, after months jail -- the chaos of which must have seemed like absolute hell to him -- he's gaunt and has a Grizzly Adams beard. And the fact of the matter is, an old, pasty, balding, sorta creepy-looking guy -- who's also odd and misanthropic -- is a little harder to empathize with.

Despite its faults, "The Stranger in the Woods" is still worth a read -- and it's super-quick. If I hadn't had such a hectic week when I read it, I would've had it done in two days. I did like Finkel's writing, and while I definitely didn't like Knight, his story bizarre was certainly interesting and thought-provoking.

I Judge Books By Their Covers: Golden Hill

Hi, my name is Lindsay, and I judge books by their covers. 

It's time for another cover battle! This time we're comparing "Golden Hill" by Francis Spufford, a novel that came out earlier this month and is set in 1700s New York City. It's definitely on my to-read list! Here's a bit of the blurb:

"New York, a small town on the tip of Manhattan island, 1746. One rainy evening in November, a handsome young stranger fresh off the boat pitches up at a counting-house door in Golden Hill Street: this is Mr Smith, amiable, charming, yet strangely determined to keep suspicion simmering. For in his pocket, he has what seems to be an order for a thousand pounds, a huge amount, and he won't explain why, or where he comes from, or what he can be planning to do in the colonies that requires so much money."

U.S.  //  U.K.

Oh my, what a glorious dilemma: I actually like both covers for once! While they're pretty different overall, they share black, pale blue and golden tones, plus images of people and old buildings. To me, they both look suitably historical, though I do like how the U.S. cover proclaims it "A Novel of Old New York." I also like the three obviously different but still cohesive pictures and the torn-pages look. But... I find the sort of wacky illustration on the U.K. cover so intriguing, and I like the font used for the title (though not so much the boring serif font used for the author's name). Such a tough choice!

In the end, I'm going with the U.S. cover by a nose. It just fits slightly better with the whole "one rainy November evening in 18th century Manhattan" vibe -- it looks like something I'd want to grab a cup of tea and curl up with.

Do tell: which cover do you prefer?

Book Review: Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

"Into the Water" by Paula Hawkins
First published in 2017
386 pages
My rating: 3.5 out of 5

The Short Of It:
This book was totally different from "The Girl on the Train" and had a few issues, but overall I enjoyed it.

The Long Of It:
With her sophomore effort Hawkins -- wisely, in my opinion -- didn't attempt to replicate the ubiquitous "The Girl on the Train." Instead, "Into the Water" is much more of a traditional mystery -- no unreliable narrator, no big twist at the end -- and that was perfectly fine with me because, with a few exceptions (like "The Girl on the Train" and "Gone Girl"), I've come to terms with the fact that psychological thrillers are usually a disappointment for me.

"Into the Water" is set in a small English town whose central feature is a river -- and that river, wrapped in tales of witches and curses -- has been the site of several suicides and drownings over the centuries. Two women died there in just the past few months, and it is with the potential -- mysterious -- suicide of the second woman that the story begins.

The book is told from several points of view, from the teenage daughter and estranged sister of the dead woman to one of the detectives on the case to the town psychic and more. Slowly, the truth unravels to reveal sinister motives, buried secrets and hidden connections.

There's not really any edge-of-your-seat pages-flying action; it's more of a slow burn of a book -- and as I said, I'd classify it as a mystery rather than a thriller. It reminded me a lot of the British TV show "Broadchurch," which revolves around a small English village and a dead boy found on the beach; in the course of the investigation, it turns out the residents of the quaint little seaside town are hiding all kinds of secrets. (It's a really good show, and it stars David Tenant!)

Something major that was missing for me, though, that "The Girl on the Train" did have, was connection to the characters. I was totally invested in Rachel and, oh my gosh did I tear through that book to find out what happens to her. I think here the story suffers from too many narrators and too little background on each. And the multiple-POVs made the story confusing and hard to get into at first -- I was at least 100 pages in before I really got hooked by the plot, though once I finally was I had a hard time putting the book down.

I had really been looking forward to "Into the Water," but then all the mediocre 3-star reviews started rolling in and I almost didn't pick it up after all. I'm glad I did, though -- it wasn't perfect, and it wasn't "The Girl on the Train," but it was a decent read. I went into it with fairly low expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The Last 10 Non-Fiction Books I Added To My To-Read List

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic is a fun one -- the last 10 books of X genre we added to our to-read lists. I read so many different genres of fiction that I'd have had to go back pretty far to get 10 historical fiction, or sci-fi, or mystery, and I've been on a bit of a non-fiction kick lately (or, at least, a kick of adding non-fiction to my to-read list!) so that's what I went with.

Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace and Second Chances by Leland Melvin

Added to my TBR: May 27

How I discovered it: BookRiot non-fiction e-mail -- couldn't resist the NASA portrait with dogs!

From Goodreads: In this revelatory and moving memoir, a former NASA astronaut and NFL wide receiver shares his personal journey from the gridiron to the stars, examining the intersecting roles of community, perseverance and grace that align to create the opportunities for success.

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore

Added to my TBR: May 15

How I discovered it: I'd heard of it, but I added it to my to-read list after covering the new copy we got in at the library

From Goodreads: As World War I raged across the globe, hundreds of young women toiled away at the radium-dial factories, where they painted clock faces with a mysterious new substance called radium. Assured by their bosses that the luminous material was safe, the women themselves shone brightly in the dark, covered from head to toe with the glowing dust. With such a coveted job, these “shining girls” were considered the luckiest alive -- until they began to fall mysteriously ill. As the fatal poison of the radium took hold, they found themselves embroiled in one of America’s biggest scandals and a groundbreaking battle for workers’ rights.

The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich

Added to my TBR: May 9

How I discovered it: it's everywhere!

From Goodreads: Before Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich begins a summer job at a law firm in Louisiana, working to help defend men accused of murder, she thinks her position is clear. The child of two lawyers, she is staunchly anti-death penalty. But the moment convicted murderer Ricky Langley’s face flashes on the screen as she reviews old tapes―the moment she hears him speak of his crimes―she is overcome with the feeling of wanting him to die. Shocked by her reaction, she digs deeper and deeper into the case. Despite their vastly different circumstances, something in his story is unsettlingly, uncannily familiar.

Bring Back the King: The New Science of De-Extinction by Helen Pilcher

Added to my TBR: May 5

How I discovered it: friend recommendation

From Goodreads: Helen Pilcher is uniquely qualified to explain the cutting-edge science that makes the resurrection of extinct animals a very real possibility, while acknowledging the serious and humorous aspects of giving a deceased animal a second chance to live. If you could bring back to life a person or animal, what would you choose?

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing

Added to my TBR: April 16

How I discovered it: a friend recommended it while we were chatting about exploration books

From Goodreads: The astonishing saga of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton's survival for over a year on the ice-bound Antarctic seas, as Time magazine put it, "defined heroism." Alfred Lansing's scrupulously researched and brilliantly narrated book has long been acknowledged as the definitive account of the Endurance's fateful trip.

American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Oppression in the West by Nate Blakeslee

Added to my TBR: April 16

How I discovered it: Library Journal pre-pub e-mail (it comes out in October)

From Goodreads: Before men ruled the Earth, there were wolves. Once abundant in North America, these majestic creatures were hunted to near extinction by the 1920s. But in recent decades, conservationists have brought wolves back to the Rockies, igniting a battle over the very soul of the West. With novelistic detail, Nate Blakeslee tells the gripping story of one of these wolves, a charismatic alpha female named O-Six for the year of her birth. Uncommonly powerful, with gray fur and faint black ovals around each eye, O-Six is a kind and merciful leader, a fiercely intelligent fighter, and a doting mother. She is beloved by wolf watchers and becomes something of a social media star, with followers around the world. But as she raises her pups and protects her pack, O-Six is challenged on all fronts: by hunters, who compete with wolves for the elk they both prize; by cattle ranchers who are losing livestock and have the ear of politicians; and by other Yellowstone wolves who are vying for control of the park's stunningly beautiful Lamar Valley.

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

Added to my TBR: April 11

How I discovered it: added it after deciding to read "The Lost City of Z"

From Goodreads: In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe. Then, one by one, they began to be killed off. As the death toll surpassed more than 24 Osage, the newly created FBI took up the case, in what became one of the organization’s first major homicide investigations. But the bureau was then notoriously corrupt and initially bungled the case. Eventually the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including one of the only Native American agents in the bureau. They infiltrated the region, struggling to adopt the latest modern techniques of detection. Together with the Osage they began to expose one of the most sinister conspiracies in American history.

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot

Added to my TBR: April 7

How I discovered it: I've had this book in the back of my mind forever, but just finally added it to my to-read list

From Goodreads: In "All Creatures Great and Small," we meet the young Herriot as he takes up his calling and discovers that the realities of veterinary practice in rural Yorkshire are very different from the sterile setting of veterinary school. Some visits are heart-wrenchingly difficult. some are lighthearted and fun, and yet others are inspirational and enlightening. From seeing to his patients in the depths of winter on the remotest homesteads to dealing with uncooperative owners and critically ill animals, Herriot discovers the wondrous variety and never-ending challenges of veterinary practice as his humor, compassion, and love of the animal world shine forth.

Down the Garden Path by Beverley Nichols

Added to my TBR: April 7

How I discovered it: Instagram -- that cover totally caught my eye, plus it was first published way back in 1931 but is still in print!

From Goodreads: "Down the Garden Path" has stood the test of time as one of the world’s best-loved and most-quoted gardening books. From a disaster building a rock garden, to further adventures with greenhouses, woodland gardens, not to mention cats and treacle, Nichols has left us a true gardening classic.

The Natural World of Winnie-the-Pooh by Kathryn Aalto

Added to my TBR: March 19

How I discovered it: shelving books at work

From Goodreads: "The Natural World of Winnie-the-Pooh" explores the magical landscapes where Pooh, Christopher Robin, and their friends live and play. The Hundred Acre Wood -- the setting for Winnie-the-Pooh’s adventures -- was inspired by Ashdown Forest, a wildlife haven that spans more than 6,000 acres in southeast England. In the pages of this enchanting book you can visit the ancient black walnut tree on the edge of the forest that became Pooh’s house, go deep into the pine trees to find Poohsticks Bridge, and climb up to the top of the enchanted Galleons Lap, where Pooh says goodbye to Christopher Robin. You will discover how Milne's childhood connection with nature and his role as a father influenced his famous stories, and how his close collaboration with illustrator E. H. Shepard brought those stories to life. This charming book also serves as a guide to the plants, animals, and places of the remarkable Ashdown Forest, whether you are visiting in person or from the comfort of your favorite armchair.

Gah! Forgot one! Rather than squeeze it in and delete one, I'll just tack number 11 on the end:

From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death by Caitlin Doughty

Added to my TBR: April 16

How I discovered it: Library Journal pre-pub email (Doughty's first memoir, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory" is one of those books that's really stuck with me!)

From Goodreads: Fascinated by our pervasive terror of dead bodies, mortician Caitlin Doughty set out to discover how other cultures care for their dead. In rural Indonesia, she observes a man clean and dress his grandfather’s mummified body. Grandpa’s mummy has lived in the family home for two years, where the family has maintained a warm and respectful relationship. She meets Bolivian natitas (cigarette-smoking, wish-granting human skulls), and introduces us to a Japanese kotsuage, in which relatives use chopsticks to pluck their loved- ones’ bones from cremation ashes. With curiosity and morbid humor, Doughty encounters vividly decomposed bodies and participates in compelling, powerful death practices almost entirely unknown in America. Featuring Gorey-esque illustrations by artist Landis Blair, "From Here to Eternity" introduces death-care innovators researching green burial and body composting, explores new spaces for mourning and reveals unexpected new possibilities for our own death rituals.

Monday Musings

My week: I definitely enjoyed my Memorial Day off work! I took the opportunity to clean out and reorganize my closet. Sometimes purging stuff just feels so good! Wednesday I finally made it to the beach, and it was fantastic and relaxing and much-needed. And Sunday I went hiking with some of my co-workers. It was fun but, as are most Hawaii hikes, pretty muddy!

Reading: I finished and enjoyed "A Twist in Time," book two in a time travel/historical mystery series. Plotwise, I liked this book better than the first, and I'll definitely read the third book when it comes out next spring. The books are set in early 19th century England and I love all the historical details the author includes.

Now I'm reading a non-fiction book a friend recommended, "Bring Back the King: The New Science of De-Extinction," which is a fun look at the very real possibility of bringing extinct animals back into existence.

I'm also skimming "Maybe in Another Life," the June book club book for work. I read it back in December and really enjoyed it, but unfortunately my book club co-facilitators didn't like it! I sure hope the patrons in the club have more positive reactions.

Watching: We watched "The Girl With All the Gifts" this week and it was decent. I loved the little girl they chose to play Melanie. And I got totally sucked into this new show, "The World of Dance" on NBC. I don't really watch competition shows these days but Jarrod was working the night the premiere came on and I was exhausted and just needed to stare at the TV... and of course, I was hooked and will now be tuning in every Tuesday!

We also watched a random episode of "Full House," which was fun! We always put something on the TV for Alohi when we leave, and Jarrod left the TV on Nickelodeon when we went out to eat the other night. When we came home, "Full House" was on and, oh, the nostalgia! And the '90s clothes!

Making: The new wall display in the kids' section at work. Our summer reading program kicked off on Saturday and this year's theme is STEM, so I made a giant volcano with books spewing out the top -- Hawaii-related, science-y and bookish!

Eating: Chocolate-chip banana bread (literally, right now as I type this!).

Craving: A burger and fries!

Blogging:
Monday Musings
8 Exciting Books Coming in the Second Half of 2017
10 Things... I'm Looking Forward to This Summer
16 Intriguing June 2017 Book Releases
Turning the Page on May 2017
Book Review: American War by Omar El Akaad

Looking forward to: One of my favorite shows, "Grantchester" on PBS/Masterpiece, comes back on in two Sundays!

I'm linking up with Kathryn of Book Date for It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Book Review: American War by Omar El Akkad

"American War" by Omar El Akkad
First published in 2017
333 pages
My rating: 4 out of 5

The Short Of It:
An intriguing premise -- the second American civil war -- and pretty good execution.

The Long Of It:
In 2074, the United States of America looks very different thanks to climate change: parching heat, terrifying storms and rising water levels. Vast swaths of the coast are underwater, Florida is completely submerged, and the federal government has relocated to Columbus, Ohio.

Amid high tensions, the U.S. is about to enter into its second civil war, the catalyst for which is a ban on fossil fuels; a handful of southern states refuse to cooperate, once again pitting north against south. Worse yet, the 20-year battle will be followed by a horrific plague that'll wipe out 100 million citizens.

The vastly changed geographic and political landscape is presented to readers in the very first pages -- complete with a helpful/scary map of the country's new geography. And all that chaos serves as the backdrop for what the book really is: a character study of a fiery protagonist, Sara Chestnut, and how the war shapes her childhood and the woman she becomes. The entire war is seen through the lens of her often horrible experiences and her take-no-prisoners, brook-no-bullshit personality.

Too, the book is not so much about the ins and outs of this war, but war in general -- or even, in an allegorical way, the war we're fighting right now, rife with suicide bombers and homegrown terrorists and the lingering fear of biological weapons. It paints a scary picture of how a person who started off good could be pushed to the edge of doing something unthinkable.

There were a lot of things I liked about this book, but there were also a lot of times I felt the pacing was too slow and I just wanted the book to hurry up and get finished. And I do wish there had been a little more focus on the war itself, because the idea of it is at once fascinating and scarily plausible.

Turning the Page on May 2017

It was a bit of a hectic month here, mostly due to Jarrod having some crazy ridiculous hours at work, leaving me to entertain a 5-month-old very energetic puppy on my own. Not a lot got done around the house, I'll say that much!

Luckily things finally settled down, and on the very last day of May I made it to the beach for the first time in months! It was warm and peaceful and lovely, and I simply must get back into going every week or two like I did pre-puppy!

Books read: 9

"A Conjuring of Light" by V.E Schwab (4.5 stars)

"Saga" vol. 7 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (4 stars)

"Umentionable: A Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners" by Therese Oneill (3 stars)

"Maisie Dobbs" by Jacqueline Winspear (4 stars)

"The Lost City of Z" by David Grann (4 stars)

"Waking Gods" by Sylvain Neuvel (4 stars)

"American War" by Omar El Akkad (4 stars)

"The Stranger in the Woods" by Michael Finkel (3.5 stars)
"Into the Water" by Paula Hawkins (3.5 stars)

Currently reading: "A Twist in Time" by Julie McElwain (book 2 in the Kendra Donovan historical mystery/time travel series).

Favorite book: Definitely "A Conjuring of Light." What a fantastic ending to the Shades of Magic trilogy! If you haven't yet met Kell and Delia, I highly recommend this fun fantasy series. (The first book is called "A Darker Shade of Magic.")

Biggest let-down: "Unmentionable" wasn't horrible, and I did learn a few things about Victorian life, but the author's sarcastic, snarky tone started to wear on me pretty quickly.

June release I'm most excited about: "The Essex Serpent" by Sarah Perry.

Book I'm most excited to read in June: So many! June is going to be a month devoted to reading backlist and books I already own -- something that's been sorely lacking this year. I've read almost entirely new releases, and that's probably why I've yet to award any book 5 stars.

Books added to to-read list: 10 (not bad!)

Most intriguing TBR addition: "Artemis" by Andy Weir. I'm so excited to finally read another book by the author of "The Martian"!

Here's part of the Goodreads blurb: "Jazz Bashara is a criminal. Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you've got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent. Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down. But pulling off the impossible is just the start of her problems, as she learns that she's stepped square into a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself -- and that now, her only chance at survival lies in a gambit even riskier than the first."

Favorite bookstagram: This picture has some of my favorite things: historical fiction, a cup of tea, flowers, and a yummy dessert (apple cake!). Find me on Instagram @knittinglindsay.

I actually did a little bit of knitting this month! My best friend at work is getting ready to move from Hawaii to Virginia (that's the way the military goes -- you make a friend and one of you moves away!) so I whipped up a hat for her as a going-away gift. I used the Slouchy Copycat Hat pattern, which I used once before to make a hat for my Bookish Secret Santa swap partner, and it came through for me a second time. I think this hat looks good on everyone!

I also splurged and ordered a kit of absolutely gorgeous hand-dyed merino wool from Tanis Fiber Arts to knit the So Faded sweater, which I'm hoping to cast on soon!

Favorite post: 10 Beautiful Night Sky Book Covers. I love book covers, and it was so fun looking back through my Goodreads lists to compile the post.

Book reviews:
Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
The Lost City of Z by David Grann
Unmentionable by Therese Oneill