Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
An amazing journey, and funny the whole way through. Much like a Bill Bryson book.
Usually when I finish a book, I have something to say about it. Now's one of the times I can't form sentences to describe what is one of the most beautiful books I've ever read.
I cried, I laughed, and I sat on the edge of my seat, scared, hopeful, nervous. Gary Paulsen wrote well, and I mean really well, and his emotions bled through the pages.
Running the Iditarod is insane. That I've always known. But I hadn't before realized just how driven and determined the people running it are.
Edit. I was sobbing when he described the bond between the human and the dogs, how loyal the dogs are, and how bloody the history of sled dogs is.
I cried, I laughed, and I sat on the edge of my seat, scared, hopeful, nervous. Gary Paulsen wrote well, and I mean really well, and his emotions bled through the pages.
Running the Iditarod is insane. That I've always known. But I hadn't before realized just how driven and determined the people running it are.
Edit. I was sobbing when he described the bond between the human and the dogs, how loyal the dogs are, and how bloody the history of sled dogs is.
adventurous
funny
informative
Pros:
Story
Humour
Narrator
Able to connect with author & specific dogs
Educational
Cons:
Cut off quickly/oddly at the end
Fav Quote (cut down from full paragraph):
"I did a quick head count, came up with nine and laid back to resume sleep....I closed my eyes, started to doze and even when it came to me I thought I was dreaming. I only had eight dogs with me."
Story
Humour
Narrator
Able to connect with author & specific dogs
Educational
Cons:
Cut off quickly/oddly at the end
Fav Quote (cut down from full paragraph):
"I did a quick head count, came up with nine and laid back to resume sleep....I closed my eyes, started to doze and even when it came to me I thought I was dreaming. I only had eight dogs with me."
adventurous
funny
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
This is a really cool insight to dog sledding and distance sports. While I'm not a dog person, there were small things I could relate to from my own experiences of horseback endurance racing - the way animals change when you bring them into a routine and real fitness, the kind of obsession and hypnotism that repetitive motion brings, how everything you do begins to center around the animal - but there were many parts that shocked me and convinced me that dog sledders must be some of the craziest athletes in the world, because while an overtly fit horse might be difficult to handle and a challenge to manage, I've never feared that one would eat me or another riders horse and I've rarely felt truly out of control (even in unforeseeable circumstances, horses tend to defer to a riders judgement before acting alone). The dogs on the other hand were running loose and unstoppable for more than half of the novel and this seemed to be a very normal occurrence, which begs the question, if mushers can't stop their dogs then how are they checking feet and applying boots or ointment every 30 minutes? It seems almost irresponsibly dangerous, but the narrator makes it abundantly clear that he was ignorant and bumbling throughout the experience so maybe that isn't the norm at all. (And I do acknowledge that they're working at 15 to 1 while my experiences are all 1 to 1. That said, I'm not about to hook up 15 fit horses without any means of controlling them but my voice either.)
Overall the book was really interesting, well written, and funny. My only complaint is how heartbreaking that final chapter is. I wasn't at all prepared, and maybe that's the point, to try to convey exactly how it felt for the narrator, but damn dude. I hope he was able to still find happiness.
Overall the book was really interesting, well written, and funny. My only complaint is how heartbreaking that final chapter is. I wasn't at all prepared, and maybe that's the point, to try to convey exactly how it felt for the narrator, but damn dude. I hope he was able to still find happiness.
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
adventurous
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
funny
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced