Climbing Mount Everest was the biggest mistake I've ever made in my life. I wish I'd never gone.  I suffered for years of PTSD, and still suffer from what happened. I'm glad I wrote a book about it. But, you know, if I could go back and relive my life, I would never have climbed Everest.

Krakauer is forthright about everything he felt on his journey—from excitement to determination to horror to guilt to despair.  Because of that, Into Thin Air is more than just a recitation of facts about the infamous disaster of which Krakauer was an indelible part; it's an intensely personal, deeply affecting commentary that is as mesmerizing as it is memorable.  I watched Everest—the movie version of this book (of which Krakauer is extremely critical, by the way)—in 3D and although it was visually stunning, it's the images Krakauer painted in Into Thin Air that have really stayed with me.  I have zero interest in rock climbing, but this book is truly jaw-dropping and incredible.  It's a must-read for Everest aficionados as well as armchair travelers like me who are fascinated by the mountain's dazzling, deadly allure.

(Readalikes:  I haven't read any other true accounts of climbing Everest, but Into Thin Air reminded me of Bones on Ice, an Everest murder mystery by Kathy Reichs.)

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Jo Montfort is an atypical girl living an average life—at least for a wealthy society girl in the Gilded Age.  The 17-year-old is beautiful, cultured, and expected to marry a man whose blood is as blue as her own.  Although she's practically engaged to her best childhood friend, Bram Aldrich is a man who "inspired admiration rather than passion" (103).  Jo knows she would have a comfortable, happy life with him.  Still, she longs for excitement, for freedom, for something more than the banality of endless tea parties, balls, and child rearing.  She yearns to be a reporter, to make a difference like her hero, Nellie Bly.  Of course, such desires are entirely inappropriate for a well-bred woman.  Jo will never voice them; instead, she'll wed Bram, bear his children, and settle into married life with grace, just like every other young woman with whom she associates.

Then, Jo's world shatters utterly and irrevocably.  Her beloved father, the successful owner of several prominent New York businesses, accidentally shoots himself while cleaning his gun.  When Jo overhears Eddie Gallagher, a dashing young reporter, call it suicide, she's outraged.  Charles Montfort would never do such a thing!  Jo begs the handsome newspaperman to help her find the truth about her father's death, never suspecting just how big of a mess she's getting herself into.  To find out what really happened, she'll have to cavort with the city's seediest residents, combing its slimy underbelly for clues no one wants unearthed.  Being spotted in public without a chaperone, let alone with a low-class reporter (or worse) could mean the permanent ruin of Jo's reputation.  And yet, she can't help herself.  She must clear her father's good name—because no matter what, no matter what she finds, she has to believe he still has one.  Jo can't be wrong, she just can't.

The closer Jo and Eddie come to finding the truth, the riskier their partnership becomes.  Not only are their movements being tracked by goons with murderous intentions, but the damning eyes of society are always on them.  As Jo's own eyes are opened to the realities of life outside (and inside) her gleaming world, she begins to understand what she really wants and— most dangerous of all—what she doesn't.

Can Jo uncover the truth about her father's death?  Was it really an accident?  Suicide?  Or murder?  And after her Nellie Bly-ish pursuits, can she return to her gilded life?  Will she ever be the same again?

There's so much to love about These Shallow Graves, Jennifer Donnelly's newest YA novel.  Tense, atmospheric, and compelling, it's a page turner that will leave you breathless.  I literally (yes, literally) could not put it down.  Jo is a brave, sympathetic heroine, one whose ignorance and subsequent awakening feels realistic.  The minor characters are likewise complex, making the whole cast intriguing.  While I did guess some of the story's turns, several of the twists caught me by surprise.  All of these elements combined to make a thoroughly enjoyable novel, one of my favorite reads of the year so far.  Trust me, you don't want to miss this one.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't really think of anything.  Can you?)

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