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Every now and then I like to read some #nonfiction Into Thin Air is one that I have been wanting to read for a very long time. I finally found it in the library.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Mount Everest is a concept indicative of achievement, yearning, and enormous audacity. And such is life, and disaster. Dixon and brother Nate set out to become the first Black American males to summit. Through alternating timelines, Outen lays out the Everest story and what follows. Dixon‘s literal, and figurative, descent was much more than expected. A very thoughtful debut!

Krakauer was on an assignment to Mt Everest, to write an article for Outdoor Magazine. He joined a guide led by Rob Hall. A mix of weather, inexperience among climbers in the group, poor decisions and a lack of communication, mostly due to lack of oxygen, the trek became fatal.
Date nite to Royal Spice, a local Nepalese/Indian restaurant. I had Newari Khaja with goat, naan, and Nepalese rice pudding. #FoodandLit

Let‘s be clear, this is not a horror story. It‘s a thriller. Try climbing the world‘s highest mountain when you are being chased by killers. Jake Perry writes his memoir about his epic climb in 1924. It reads like nonfiction as he goes through the details of planning for the climb, and the narrator is perfect for this task. But the “thrilling” part of the book starts about halfway through it when gruesome murders start happening. I found the ⬇️

I read this book for #Nepal #foodandlit. When the book is set, 1924, Nepal was a “forbidden nation.” So the mountain climbers couldn‘t try to summit Mt. Everest from Nepal. So that sent me to Google to find out why. Nepal was ruled by the Ranas in the 1800s, who closed Nepal‘s borders to foreigners (except sometimes the British, Chinese, and Tibetans). Following a democratic movement that overthrew the Ranas, Nepal‘s borders were opened in 1951.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ In the 1996 Everest disaster, Dr Beck Weathers was discovered so near death, it was not wise to risk more lives for a fruitless rescue attempt. Hours later, he miraculously arrived at camp. These are the details he recalls. It‘s an incredible story of perseverance, and a bold, selfless rescue. It‘s also very much about his flailing marriage and the part mountaineering played in his often being an absent father / husband.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ One of the most elite mountaineers in history tells his account of the 1996 Everest disaster. As a guide for Seattle-based Mountain Madness, his was to ensure the safety of their clients. Jon Krakauer is a bit critical of Boukreev‘s decisions, as is documented in Into Thin Air, so this is Toli‘s version. Another fantastic Everest memoir. I won‘t take sides. They both had traumatic experiences and valid memories. The epilogue made me cry.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ What started as an article for Outside Magazine turned into the deadliest day on Everest (at that point), and a totally different experience ensued. The article expanded into this incredible memoir, perhaps as an act of catharsis. I first read this 14 years ago and loved it just as much now. Harrowing, sad, and incredible.

Highly recommend all of Krakauer‘s books! His “Under the Banner of Heaven” is what got me interested in cults.

A re-read for me, but perfectly timed for when it‘s cold and the wind is howling. This is the book that started my love affair with high altitude climbing stories and it still holds up almost 30 years after publication.

Which of my lovely gifted books should I read first? Decisions are hard.