Demon Copperhead is a coming of age novel set in modern-day Kentucky. Barbara Kingsolver uses the David Copperfield novel as the framework for the storytelling, but it is set in the poorest District in the USA in the midst of unemployment and widespread opioid addiction. Damon is orphaned , unwanted, and neglected. He suffers a series of setbacks, including addiction. … Continue reading →
When summer arrives we have some hikes we do each year, enjoying the wildflowers, pollinators, and explosion of new growth on the south-facing hillsides of Mount Dufferin. At the start of summer, the grasses are still green, sagebrush and rabbit brush is showing new growth and the first wildflowers give way to the dryland varieties like shaggy fleabane, phacelia, thistles, … Continue reading →
Walking Home: Common Sense and Other Misadventures on the Pacific Crest Trail is a memoir from a 6 month through hike, backpacking from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail. There are a number of books available (A review of The Trail is found on this website), each with its own storyline about hiking 2650 miles over the mountains … Continue reading →
While we were in Courtney we hiked the trails in Nymph Falls Nature Park. There are lots of trails on both sides of the Puntledge River. We hiked down to the foot of Nymph Falls, then turned and went upstream. The river is dammed between the falls and Comox Lake. We hiked upstream past wetlands. The west coast forest has … Continue reading →
Lethal White is the fourth book in the Cormoran Strike series by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling). It picks up right where the previous book A Career of Evil ended. A mentally unstable man tells Strike he witnessed a child being strangled and even though there is no payment for following up, he starts asking questions. Soon afterward, a government … Continue reading →
Hiking the Giant Firs Trail from Doug Smith on Vimeo. A Stake Lake trail…
Continue reading →The Trespasser is the sixth book in the Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French. Whereas most detective/crime/mystery series follow the same narrative style, Tana French never does. Each story is told from a different point of view and more than that, feels unique and somewhat daring. This story is told by Antoinette Conway, a tough detective who does not … Continue reading →
We stayed on Denman Island and hiked trails on Denman, Sandy, and Hornby Islands. In the central part of the island are a number of adjoining parks, including Denman Island Provincial Park, Central Park, and a Conservancy. We started a loop route on Pickles Road and hiked forested trails, with several marshy spots, an open ridge, and some multi-purpose trails. … Continue reading →
We hiked from the Red Plateau Forest Service Road over to Castle Butte on the Escarprment overlooking the Dewdrop Range. Along the way we spotted some interesting features, a few of which are shared here. This large volcannic boulder stands at the trail’s edge. Since it is on top of the plateau nowhere near a hill and it is not … Continue reading →
On a summer weekend we took the grandkids for a hike on the McQueen Lake Trails. We started at the southwest corner and worked our way past Clay Lake and Griffin Lake, looping back past McQueen Lake. We steered away from the Day Center and stuck to the trails. There was no one else on the trails. Our route was … Continue reading →
Remarkably Bright Creatures is a delight from the first page to the last. The three main characters (a senior, an octopus, and a young man) have all suffered from losses in their lives and cope on their own, but their lives intersect, and they find each other and themselves in the process. This book will not win any literary awards, … Continue reading →
The Trail is a story of a young man who is lost in his life in life in Los Angeles and an older man who is at the end of his life. Through family connections, they set out to backpack the John Muir Trail, a rugged and difficult route in the Sierra Nevada. Gil has lost his father, his job, … Continue reading →
Fred Lake is a small lake in the forested area between Lac le Jeune and Ross Moore Lake. We can drive backroads to an area above the lake, but the last kilometer is on a narrow, rough road. Fishermen mostly access it by quad or by walking in. On a warm summer day, I put my folding kayak on my … Continue reading →
A Sight for Sore Eyes is a compelling but disturbing psychological thriller written by master storyteller Ruth Rendell. She has written about 70 books and over the years I have read about 1/3 of them. Every one has been engaging, providing deep insights into characters that are reflections of ourselves and the people we know. Like Stephen King, she asks … Continue reading →
Black Lake is located in Roche Lake Provincial Park. It is reached by a 1km rough road. I have hiked that road many times, but i have been reluctant to drive it, but I also wanted to paddle the lake, On a warm summer morning, I put on my kayak pack (a backpack with a folding kayak), and carried my … Continue reading →
A Question of Blood is a Scottish crime novel by Ian Rankin, part of the John Rebus series. Rebus is a bit of an incorrigible character that gets the job done, but he can be hard-to-get-along with and prone to repeated bad habits and poor communications. The plot involves a school shooting and the suspect seems obvious, but the motive … Continue reading →
