Books #66

My goal for 2022 was to read 113 books. I didn’t make that goal, not surprising! New baby and all. But I did do a good chunk of reading! I read 82 books this year and I was glad I read so many good ones. Lately I am into reading books of poetry. Maybe I like it because it’s less of a time commitment (which is good with a baby that needs me) but I have found so many good books of poetry lately. I will probably write a post just for that soon.

1 – Eruption: The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens by Steve Olson

I lived in Seattle for half of my life. I was 5 months old when Mount St. Helens erupted. My mom told me stories of sitting in the kitchen feeding me and hearing the boom and then ash covering their car. I’ve been to Mount St. Helens a few times in my life. I’ve heard the details but I really didn’t KNOW much about it. This book was an excellent informational about the famous eruption.

The book covers the history of National Parks/Federal land and how that whole thing came to be. It described early environmental conservation. It told the history of the Northwest and Gifford Pinchot National Forest–which I hadn’t known!

The big revelation for me, was the history of logging and Weyerhaeuser. Growing up in the NW you hear that name but probably don’t think much about it. But there is a lot of information about the logging company.

“By 1980, almost all of the old-growth forests more than two hundred years old were gone, with newer forests growing in their stead. All around the mountain, Weyerhaeuser and other companies were logging right up to the tree line on soils so thin that trees would never grow back.”

The book also described in detail the people who perished in the blast AND people who survived! I had no idea there were survivors! Also–had the eruption happened during the week, the death toll would have been monumental because of the loggings working near the blast zone.

“The blast cloud reached him before he could put the key in the ignition. The car windows facing the volcano blew out. The Volvo quickly filled with burning hot ash. Blackburn tried to breathe, but the blast cloud contained little oxygen. His nose, mouth, and lungs filled with ash. Ash from Mount St. Helens tastes like chalk dust mixed with metal; it smells like a dry field stirred by the wind on a hot day.”

The book talked about the after effects, the attempt at clean up and scientific study.

““Somebody said it looked like a moonscape, but the moon looks like a golf course compared to what’s up there. . . . The ash is several hundred feet deep. There are tremendous clouds of steam coming up. There are enormous icebergs, big as a mobile home. A lot of them are melting, and as the icebergs melt . . . the ash caves in and creates enormous craters. There are a few fires about, on the edge of the ash flow, where logs are still exposed. . . . It’s an unbelievable sight.””

The book was compelling, fascinating and informative. I really recommend it!

2 – Cultish: The Language of Fantaticism by Amanda Montell

I enjoyed this book a lot! It was thorough and interesting and covered topics that I’ve always felt were a “cult”–things like MLMs and crossfit.

“SoulCycle and CrossFit among the groups giving America’s youth a modern religious identity. “It gives you what religion gives you, which is the feeling that your life matters,” Ultimately, the needs for identity, purpose, and belonging have existed for a very long time, and cultish groups have always sprung up during cultural limbos when these needs have gone sorely unmet. “

It did cover actual cults and it was interesting to read about the methods of how they convince people to follow. I wish the author had spent more time on Scientology. Also, I enjoy her podcast about this topic!

3 – The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls by Mona Eltahawy

This is how the book started: “I WROTE THIS BOOK with enough rage to fuel a rocket.” And YES. And I could totally relate. The anger in this book is righteous and it’s relevant, especially now. Quick trigger warning: sexual assault is discussed a lot in this book, but not in detail.

Fuck the Patriarchy is the main theme and it’s well researched, well written and compelling.

“I don’t want to be protected. I just want patriarchy to stop protecting and enabling men. I don’t want to be protected. I want to be free.”

“What would the world look like if girls were taught they were volcanoes, whose eruptions were a thing of beauty, a power to behold and a force not to be trifled with? What if instead of breaking their wildness like a rancher tames a bronco, we taught girls the importance and power of being dangerous?“

“We must teach boys that girls do not owe them time, attention, affection, or more; that the bodies of girls belong to girls, and that assaulting or abusing girls is wrong. Full stop.”

This book was really good and kept me thinking (and angry) long after I read it. In light of the horrific news and changes in law this year, I hope to god this is accurate:

“Angry women will change the world.”

4 – A Death in Door County by Annalise Ryan

This was a weird book. Weird premise, weird topic, very unusual but somehow I couldn’t stop reading it! I stayed up way too long to finish it. Think Lock Ness monster but in Michigan…The book needed a little editing but other than that, it’s a “cozy” mystery with a fun plot and I really enjoyed it. I liked that it set up a sequel to maybe delve into the main character’s tragic past. (No Spoilers)

5 – The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon

This book was so good! I loved it. There are two storylines, one happening in the 1920s and one in current times. Both stories were really good and fascinating, which is often hard to do.

Jackie is a social worker, working with kids, when she gets new that her sister, Lexie, has died. Lexie is complicated, and bipolar and when Jackie returns home she finds the madness of mania everywhere in the house. Lexie was apparently doing some experiments, all revolving around the pool on their land that has magical properties. The story in the 1920s delves deeper into the history of the pool and it’s magic–and it’s haunting.

The book was so well done and I loved the way the story unfolded. The ending was great–I had to read the last two chapters twice — no spoilers. Read this book!

6 – Shutter by Ramona Emerson

Rita is Navajo, with a talent for photography and also, seeing ghosts. She’s haunted by the ghosts that realize she can see them. They are spirits that aren’t ready to go on to the next place, often it’s the souls of murdered people she takes pictures of as a crime scene photographer. This time, Rita gets mixed up in a murder conspiracy and needs to shake these angry ghosts.

The story is unique and a compelling read. I liked the characters and I liked the Navajo traditions woven throughout. It was a really good book.

Happy reading!