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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore
Minor: Vomit, Medical content
adventurous
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
adventurous
fast-paced
I loved this book! It was hilarious and highly entertaining. Gary is a very interesting man and a wonderful story teller. It is maddening the adventures he had before and during the Iditarod. It was like "man vs. dog" and later later "man becomes dog". And just like his wife, who laughed at Gary throughout the book, I did too... Hahahahaha! It was a jolly good time.
I was looking for a book to scratch an itch I had with an upcoming snowfall; you know, something I could read inside while watching the snow fall outside. I ran across this book in the library catalog and from the description it seemed to be exactly what I was looking for. Boy did the description not at all do justice to what is contained between the covers of this book!
The first few chapters of the book had me laughing so hard I was crying. I was forced to read aloud to my wife who was worried that I was having some sort of fit. As I continued reading, the words kept shifting between hilarious and nearly tragic. I still have mental images stuck in my head of what it must have been like to have been standing next to the author.
I found it hard to put the book down but with every turn of the I knew that the end was coming. There were times I would just sit, holding a page mid-turn, and just savor what I had just read, not wanting to rush the book along. I think I'll put this book on my 'required reading' list for the start of every winter season.
The first few chapters of the book had me laughing so hard I was crying. I was forced to read aloud to my wife who was worried that I was having some sort of fit. As I continued reading, the words kept shifting between hilarious and nearly tragic. I still have mental images stuck in my head of what it must have been like to have been standing next to the author.
I found it hard to put the book down but with every turn of the I knew that the end was coming. There were times I would just sit, holding a page mid-turn, and just savor what I had just read, not wanting to rush the book along. I think I'll put this book on my 'required reading' list for the start of every winter season.
I'm wavering between 3.5 and 4 stars. I read this after I read his junior non-fiction book about training the dogs and his first Iditarod run. I enjoyed this one more, mostly because it felt like a more coherent story to me from beginning to end. That being said, I really didn't love the last chapter -- it gave me a whole different feeling about why he wrote the book and how his attitude towards running dogs may have changed.
Still, I'd totally recommend this to anybody interested in wilderness/survival stories in general or the Iditarod in particular. It's fast-paced, has a nice blend of philosophical reflection and real-life storytelling, and can be pretty funny. I think it would appeal to no-nonsense practical people.
Still, I'd totally recommend this to anybody interested in wilderness/survival stories in general or the Iditarod in particular. It's fast-paced, has a nice blend of philosophical reflection and real-life storytelling, and can be pretty funny. I think it would appeal to no-nonsense practical people.
The ultimate armchair travel book -- all the horror and fascination of the Iditarod without ever having to leave the warmth of your bed. Paulsen's writing is spare and perfect.
Listened to the audiobook on a long drive.
This was a truly amazing book. I knew almost nothing about the Iditarod prior to reading, but even if I did I would still take a lot away from this book. Paulsen's journey into dogsledding is so fun to read about. There are parts that are sad, absolutely, but every part is worth reading.
This was a truly amazing book. I knew almost nothing about the Iditarod prior to reading, but even if I did I would still take a lot away from this book. Paulsen's journey into dogsledding is so fun to read about. There are parts that are sad, absolutely, but every part is worth reading.
I was motivated to read this after a colleague suggested it when I was telling her about my new puppy, a Siberian Husky, who is unlike any dog I've ever owned-we've nicknamed her "The Beast" and "The Destroyer." After reading about the dogs in this book I consider myself lucky. My dog is a model of good behavior in comparison to Gary's brood. The actual race though arduous really takes a back seat to the story of the preparation and training for the race. I haven't laughed so hard in ages while reading a book. Besides hilarious antics of man learning about dogs and becoming a dog there is some serious thoughtful zen/introspection into the relationship between man and animal. Plus it's a great adventure yarn. I'm going to buy this one. It's a keeper.