Review: Firestorm

Firestorm by Nevada Barr
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Anna, Anna, Anna. You continue to surprise me.

On an assignment from Mesa Verde to assist with the firefighters in Northern California, and she uncovers a killer. Don't worry, my boy Fredrick Stanton attempts to ride in on his white horse, but Anna doesn't need that. She's still not sure what she needs. She's a marshmallow inside, sure, but she's walnut hard on the outside.

Anyway, everyone's a suspect and they all seem shady, except Harold Black Elk who just seemed awesome. And Anna solves the case, puts herself in harm's way, and makes it home mostly in one piece. Can't wait to read book 5. Stanton, I'm pulling for your quirky self.

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Review: Ill Wind

Ill Wind by Nevada Barr
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

New book, new park. Anna's at my old location, Mesa Verde, so I loved reading this one. I sold a ton of this book in my stores when I worked there. It's interesting to be able to visualize each location while you are in the park. Minus the dead bodies, of course.

Shoved into seasonal housing, prickly Anna is winning friends and influencing people, as usual. But she starts to settle in, and quickly gets embroiled in sabotage for the pipeline threatening to ruin one of my favorite parks, and then murder. I have to admit I thought I had it figured out a couple of times, but was wrong. And then our old Fed Stanton comes, and Anna is off to the sparring races. I'm interested to see where they take this quasi-partnership in book 4.

I love this series because Nevada Barr allows us to armchair travel to our National Parks. They are my among my favorite places. Take care of them, visit them, and leave no trace.

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Review: A Superior Death

A Superior Death by Nevada Barr
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Road trip time! Pack your backpacks, kids, because we are headed from Guadalupe Mountains National Park to Isle Royale.

My favorite park ranger, Anna Pigeon, has been relocated from Texas to the cold shores of Lake Superior. She's enjoying the solitude, making a few friends, and still holding people at arm's length. But it's cool, because she's her own woman. Love her. She gets to drive boats around, do some shipwreck diving, and, best of all, no snakes in this one! A good mystery to unravel and same old Anna you know and love. 3 stars.

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Review: Two Winters in a Tipi: My Search for the Soul of the Forest

Two Winters in a Tipi: My Search for the Soul of the Forest by Mark Warren
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love soul-searching, back to nature stories. While this didn't necessarily scratch that itch for me, it was a decent read.

Imagine losing everything, and I mean nearly everything, in a house fire. That novel you were working on? Gone. Your clothes? Gone. Your beloved books, trinkets, and keepsakes? Gone. Mark Warren lost everything, and rather than go into debt trying to replicate his old life, he rebuilt it from the ground up. An outdoorsman and educator by trade, he built a tipi and lived in it while he connected with the land and reconnected with himself and what was most important.

A bit preachy and new-agey in places, it was still a satisfying read. 3 stars.

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Review: The Troop

The Troop by Nick Cutter

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book was scary and gross. Definitely a good one to recommend to horror fans.

Basically you take a scout troop and strand them on an island alone with their Scoutmaster to earn some survival badges. An infected man comes and hilarity ensues. (Not really, I was crying in my pillow I was so scared. And grossed out.) Did I mention not to eat while reading this book? Go ahead, do it. See what happens.

The characters aren't very likable but I think that adds to the horror. 3 1/2 stars.



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Review: A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America Along the Appalachian Trail

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America Along the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Follow Bryson and his friend down the A.T. Watch them hike, out of shape and unprepared. Listen to them bicker and moan about hunger. And learn a little bit about the history of the trail and environmental issues as you traverse the US.

Mostly interesting, I found some parts to be boring, a few exceedingly so, but still a good read. If Bryson's goal was to get my old butt to want to get back on the trail and connect with nature, then mission accomplished. Three stars.

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The Old Man and the Sea

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Reading my way through the classics and thought I would dive into my first Hemingway. I can't say I was disappointed.

We journey to Cuba to fish with Santiago, the old man of said title, and go with him out to the sea. Santiago has had a bit of a dry spell, not catching anything for 84 days. 84 days! What is this poor old man living on? Well, nothing but the kindness of Manolin, his sometimes apprentice. Determined to turn his luck, Santiago heads far out to search for a big catch.

Part man vs.nature, part reflections from an old man on a long life, this final book by Hemingway has many layers. I liked it. 3 stars.



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