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Showing posts with label Midge Raymond. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Midge Raymond. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Top Ten Tuesday: A Thanksgiving S.O.S.
1:36 PM
I love Thanksgiving, so I always make a point not to decorate for Christmas or even listen to carols until after the turkey's been eaten. While I was taking my Sunday nap the other day, however, my husband set up our Christmas tree (ostensibly to see if the new lights he bought for it looked good or if he needed to return them—uh huh). With the tree up and lit, I've had to succumb(ish) to the start of the Christmas crazy (I do love Christmas, just not too early), so I'm officially changing over to the holiday Top Ten Tuesday banner. It's festive and fun, so there you go.
Today's TTT topic—Books to Read If You Love/Loved X (X can be a genre, specific book, author, movie/TV show, etc.)—is one I've been looking forward to, even though it's had me wracking my brain for the perfect topic. The one I came up with is a little...grim, especially considering we're in the season of gratitude, merrymaking, comfort, joy, and so on. Still, it's one that always appeals to me for some strange reason. Call me morbid, but I'm going to go with Top Ten Books to Read If You Love Stories About Maritime Disasters. Honestly, I don't know why I'm so fascinated with this subject. Something about catastrophe striking in the middle of the sea and people trying to survive in such desperate circumstances just intrigues me.
Before we get to that, though, I encourage you to join the TTT party. It's a fun way to spread some love across the book blogosphere, discover new sites, and—of course—get some great reading recs. Click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the info.
Top Ten Books to Read If You Love Stories About Maritime Disasters
1. The Watch That Ends the Night by Allan Wolf—Of the many books I've read about the Titanic, this is the one that stands out most in my mind. It's a haunting novel-in-verse that's engrossing and memorable.
2. Dead Wake by Erik Larson—One of my favorite reads of 2021, this non-fiction account tells the story of the Lusitania from the perspectives of not just its passengers and crew but also from that of the operators of the U-boat which torpedoed the ocean liner.
3. Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood—I recently reviewed this middle-grade book, also a verse novel, which is about the S.S. City of Benares, a luxury ship that was torpedoed while ferrying young WWII evacuees out of London.
4. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys—I'd never heard of the M.S. Wilhelm Gustloff—a re-purposed German pleasure cruiser that was packed with civilian war refugees from East Prussia when it was attacked by a Soviet sub in 1945—until I read this gripping YA novel.
5. The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White—This dual-timeline novel features three intriguing narrators, two of whom are passengers on the Lusitania when it sinks. It's an engrossing, twisty, and absorbing read.
6. On a Cold, Dark Sea by Elizabeth Blackwell—Told from the alternating perspectives of three women who are huddled together on Lifeboat 21 watching Titanic sink, this novel is more about their lives before and after the disaster. Still, it tells an intriguing tale.
7. My Last Continent by Midge Raymond—When a marine biologist doing research in Antarctica receives a distress signal from the boat carrying the man she loves, she launches a rescue mission that will require her to risk everything in order to save him.
8. Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan—Although I didn't love this novel, I did find it interesting. It concerns Pulaski, a luxury steamship that runs into trouble when an onboard explosion interrupts its journey from South Carolina to Maryland. I'd never heard of this 1838 disaster before, so the book made for interesting reading.
9. The Midnight Watch by David Dyer—Another Titanic story, this novel focuses on the Californian, which was positioned only a few miles south of Titanic when she went down. Although crew members saw the doomed ship's distress rockets and subsequently woke their captain assuming he would order them to go to her aid, the man simply returned to bed. Could he have saved hundreds of lives if only he had acted instead of going back to sleep?
10. Endurance by Alfred Lansing—Okay, this is a cheat since I haven't actually finished Endurance. Yet. I started listening to it on audio, but soon realized it was so detail-filled that I wanted to read it instead of listening so that I wouldn't miss anything. I'm hoping to tackle it soon as I find the story of the Endurance, which became trapped in polar ice in 1915 stranding its crew in deadly circumstances, absolutely fascinating.
There you have it, ten (well, nine) books about maritime disasters that I enjoyed and highly recommend. How about you? Do you enjoy reading these kinds of books? Which would you suggest I check out next? What's on your TTT list today? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
Tuesday, May 11, 2021
Top Ten Tuesday: I Will Survive!
12:09 PM
I love a beautiful nature scene, even if I'm more of an indoorsy person than an outdoorsy one. Book covers often feature lovely landscapes, showcasing sparkling seas, vibrant flowers, lush forests, and so on, but I still couldn't come up with enough to make a decent list for today's TTT prompt, Top Ten Books With Nature on the Cover. Even though I'm pretty wimpy, especially when it comes to nature-y things like hiking and camping, I do love me a tense, gripping survival story. (Hu)man vs. nature tales, especially true ones, always captivate and inspire me. So, for today's list I'm going to feature Top Ten (Hu)man vs. Nature Survival Books. I'm going to start with five favorites (in no particular order), then five I am looking forward to reading.
If you want to join in the Top Ten Tuesday fun (and you do!), just hop on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.
Top Ten (Hu)man vs. Nature Survival Books
1. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer—This popular account chronicles the author's climbing of Mt. Everest in 1996 during a terrible storm that led to the deaths of five climbers. He uses his own harrowing experience as a framework to discuss the history of mountain climbing, famous climbers, what it takes to scale Everest, survival techniques, and so on. It's an epic, unparalleled book that is can't-look-away compelling.
2. My Last Continent by Midge Raymond—In this slow burn of a novel, a marine biologist is in Antarctica studying penguins. Her boyfriend, whom she only sees on these annual expeditions, has not arrived as expected. When she learns he is on a nearby ship that is sending out a frantic distress signal, she panics. How can she save the man she loves in such a harsh, unforgiving landscape?
3. The Watch That Ends the Night by Allan Wolf—I've read tons of books about the Titanic tragedy, but this one is the most unique and memorable. Told in verse, the novel is lyrical and haunting.
4. I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall—This YA novel concerns a teenage girl who's living with her estranged survivalist father in Canada after her mother's death. When he's shot by intruders, she runs into the wilderness, where she's forced to both hide and survive.
5. The Canyon's Edge by Dusti Bowling—Another novel in verse, this middle-grade offering revolves around a grieving father and daughter who go for a rock climbing adventure in the Arizona desert. Things go awry, the two get separated, and a young girl is left alone to save both herself and her dad. It's a riveting, fast-paced read.
6. To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey—This historical novel stars Colonel Allan Forrester, who's charged with leading an expedition into the uncharted wilderness of Alaska Territory in the winter of 1885. He keeps a journal of his adventure that he hopes will reach his pregnant wife in the likely event that he does not return.
7. A Map for Wrecked Girls by Jessica Taylor—Also a YA novel, this one is about a trio of troubled teenagers who get stuck on a deserted island. It's been on my radar for awhile, I just haven't gotten around to reading it. Yet.
8. Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood—Based on a true, Titanic-like event, this middle-grade novel tells the story of the doomed SS City of Benares, a ship full of children being evacuated from England to Canada during World War II.
9. Avalanche by Melinda Braun—This YA offering features two sets of teenagers. One group is trapped in a remote cabin during a snowstorm. The other is their only hope of rescue.
10. Instructions for the End of the World by Jamie Kain—Yet another teen book, this one is about Nicole, a girl whose prepper father moves his family to a remote area in the Sierra Foothills. When living like a pioneer becomes too much for Nicole's mother, she leaves, prompting Nicole's father to chase after her. When neither one returns, Nicole is left to figure out how she and her younger sister will survive in the wilderness.
There you go, ten books about surviving in the wild in the wake of disaster. Have you read any of these? Which books in the genre would you recommend? Which nature covers did you choose for your list today? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
Friday, January 06, 2017
Atmospheric and Addictive, Antarctic Survival Story Definitely Worth the Read
9:15 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
"In Antarctica, every decision is weighty, every outcome either a tragedy or a miracle" (29).
A professor of marine biology at University of Oregon, Deb Gardner lives for the few months out of the year when she heads south to study penguins. The 39-year-old feels more at home in the harsh Antarctic climate researching her favorite creatures than she does anywhere else. For the past few years, her trips have had an added bonus: Keller Sullivan. It's during these annual trips that they rekindle their romance, a relationship that doesn't leak into their real lives in the U.S.
In exchange for passage to her research site, Deb is playing tour guide on the Cormorant. Keller is supposed to be on the boat as well. When he doesn't show, Deb starts to worry. Then the Cormorant receives an emergency signal from a nearby cruise liner in trouble. She soon discovers that Keller is on board—that's when she starts to panic. In such a perilous, unforgiving landscape, the Australis—along with her passengers and crew—is surely doomed.
A researcher turned rescuer, a desperate Deb will do anything to save the man she loves. Will their romance end before it even really begins? What will happen to the panicked people stranded in frigid waters far from any hope of salvation? Can life prevail at the frozen edge of the world?
The premise behind My Last Continent, a debut novel by Midge Raymond, hooked me immediately. I enjoy survival stories set in remote locales where characters must battle extreme weather and other impossible obstacles in order to triumph. This story certainly offers that, but it's not as flashy a tale as I expected. Which is a good thing. The slow-building plot appealed to me. It helped me really understand the book's complex characters, intriguing location, and cautionary themes. The animal/Antarctic facts added to the story, giving it depth but never bogging it down. Most of My Last Continent's action comes at the end, which is perfect because, by then, the reader truly cares what happens to Deb, Keller, and their associates. The tension all comes to a head in the book's taut, terrifying conclusion. An engrossing, atmospheric novel, My Last Continent is definitely worth the read. I loved it.
(Readalikes: Reminds me [at least thematically] of Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (a handful of F-bombs, plus milder expletives), violence, blood/gore, and sexual content
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
TTT: 2016 Must-Read Releases
7:42 AM
In the meantime, I thought today's Top Ten Tuesday topic sounded fun. Last time I made a TTT list, back on December 1st, it had to do with 2016 debut books I was excited to read. This week's prompt is similar: Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases For the First Half of 2016. I'm still stoked about the debut novels I listed previously, but I'm also excited to see what these ten are all about:
1. Passenger by Alexandra Bracken (January)—There's been a lot of buzz about this seafaring adventure. I know I'm not the only one who's waiting anxiously for its release.
2. Stars Above by Marissa Meyer (February)—The Lunar Chronicles is one of my favorite YA series. Although I haven't read Fairest or Winter yet (shame on me!), I'm still looking forward to this collection of prequel stories set in the Lunar Chronicles world.
3. Riders by Veronica Rossi (February)—I loved Rossi's Under the Never Sky series and can't wait to read the author's newest. This one is about a boy who dies and wakes up with a new destiny and identity as War, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.
4. Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan (February)—This Rapunzel retelling sounds like another fun YA read.
5. Hanging Mary by Susan Higginbotham (March)—Stepping away from YA fantasy, this adult historical sounds intriguing. The novel concerns Mary Surratt, a widow who went to the gallows after being suspected of helping with the plot to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Fascinating.
6. Living Color by Jodi Picoult (2016)—I'm a big Picoult fan and always wait eagerly for a new novel from her. This one, which is supposed to release in 2016, concerns a black nurse who intervenes on behalf of a white baby, even though the infant's Skinhead father has forbidden her to touch him. When the child dies, the nurse finds herself on trial for murder.
7. The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman (March)—This novel about two sisters-in-law and their fractured relationship sounds intriguing to me.
8. My Last Continent by Midge Raymond (June)—Set against a harsh Antarctic backdrop, this love and survival story concerns two scientists on two different ships—one of which is sinking.
9. The Hunt by Megan Shepherd (May)—I read The Cage, the first book in Shepherd's series about human teenagers becoming exhibits in an alien zoo, earlier this year. The sequel comes out in a few months—I'm interested to see where the story goes next.
10. Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies by Lindsay Ribar (June)—I'm super excited about this supernatural YA novel, which has been described as Twin Peaks meets Stars Hollow.
There you go—ten 2016 releases I can't wait to read. What do you think? Do we have any picks in common? What other great titles should I look for in the new year? I love getting suggestions from you, so please leave me a comment on this post with a link to your TTT list and I'll happily stop by to look at it. Happy TTT, everyone!
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