Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad
“He has a theory: When we travel, we actually take three trips. There’s the first trip of preparation and anticipation, packing and daydreaming. There’s the trip you’re actually on. And then, there’s the trip you remember. “The key is to try to keep all three as separate as possible,” he says. “The key is to be present wherever you are right now.” This advice, more than any, stays with me.”
Between Two Kingdoms
Follow Suleika’s journey through the heartbreak and healing process of living through and surviving leukemia in her early 20s.
Sin Killer by Larry McMurtry
This Western novel is a page turner, as McMurtry bounces from the ongoing pursuits of engaging character after engaging character. His characters pull you in in a way that few authors can. I read an interview with Larry McMurtry where he said his best novels were The Berrybender Narratives. Being a huge fan of Lonesome Dove, I knew I had to read this series.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
“Where the Crawdads Sing” is a riveting story about a young girl who grows up alone in the marshes of North Carolina. It is a murder mystery wrapped around this young girl’s growing up and navigating through the struggles of her family. She becomes educated through observing the wildlife and nature surrounding her and survives through hunting, scavenging, and selling to a local shopkeeper. The timeline jumps around in a way that keeps you on the edge of your seat, wondering who was behind this mysterious murder in the swamplands.
Butch Cassidy: The True Story of an American Outlaw by Charles Leerhsen
This book recounts the true life of the iconic and captivating Butch Cassidy, from beginning to end, in all its speculated details and mysteries. It is full of train heists and bank robberies that characterized the Old West. I would highly recommend this read, especially if you enjoyed the movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”
“It was easy,” Charles Leerhsen says “to be smitten by Cassidy…”
60 Meters to Anywhere by Brendan Leonard
A gift of a 60-meter climbing rope alters the path for Brendan Leonard. He is recently sober from alcohol and lost in purpose and drive. After being in jail at the age of 23 for his second DUI, he finds himself in a healthier obsession. This memoir relays his thoughts and struggles through alcoholism at such a young age, finding a new direction, and the reflection that climbing grants.
“I am a climber and a writer and a dreamer, and already there isn’t time enough for all of it. There are mountains and sunsets, miles of trails and rivers, grizzly bears and marmots. Smiles and heartbreak, and love and loss and want. I want to take it all head-on, to go for that next handhold, even when I don’t know if I’m going to stick the move or take a wicked screamer down the face of the rock.”
60 Meters to Anywhere
Jordy Mack Art 