Some books that I've enjoyed recently

I feel like I've been reading a lot over the last few weeks! And I've really been enjoying what I'm reading too - I started the year with an almost empty to be read pile and so I've been filling it up with books that I've either received as gifts, borrowed, or bought myself.

Something that I'm a bit obsessed with recently is books about Mount Everest, so I spent some time researching interesting sounding books that I wanted to read. Many of them are a bit niche or out of print, so I've been buying them from World of Books, which I always find is a great value place to buy secondhand books. 

So here are some of the books that I've really enjoyed reading recently:

No Shortcuts to the Top - Ed Viesturs. This book isn't just about Everest, it's about Ed Viestur's successful attempt to climb the 14 Peaks - all 14 mountains that are higher than 8000 metres - without supplementary oxygen. I was very pleased to discover that World of Books had sent me a signed copy! I found this book a fascinating read, with plenty of information about how to prepare for this level of mountaineering, and interesting details about logistics like clothing, food and equipment. The subject matter sounds as though it would be quite dry but it really wasn't, there was a good balance between personal stories - which included his female conquests as well as the mountaineering ones, and the dismaying reality that many mountaineers die while indulging in the hobby that they love.

Dark Summit: The Extraordinary True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season - Nick Heil. An account of the 2006 climbing season on Everest, in which 11 people died while attempting to reach the summit. A particular focus of the book is not just the number of people that died (because many years do see a similar number of deaths) but the fact that two climbers in particular were ignored by many other groups of climbers while they lay near death. Although I'm never going to come anywhere near climbing Everest myself it's an interesting moral dilemma to grapple with - if you put yourself in a situation in which no-one can safely rescue you, should you expect people to risk their lives and those of others to try and help?

Everest Inc.: The Renegades and Rogues Who Built an Industry at the Top of the World - Will Cockrell. My particular interest in Everest is about the companies that take money to guide clients to the summit, and the problems that this can cause for both individuals and the mountain as a whole. This book was a great source of information about the history of climbing Mount Everest and how the industry started and continues today.

Photo credit Surya Singh via Unsplash

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. I had been wanting to read this for a while after it won many literary awards a few years ago. It didn't disappoint - I found it to be a gripping and engaging read. It's a retelling of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, and it tells the difficult story of a young boy who is born to a teenage mother with a drug addition and grows up in a variety of different foster homes. It wasn't an easy read in places but I enjoyed the slow pace of the story and all the descriptive details.

Cleopatra and Frankenstein - Coco Mellors. After loving Blue Sisters by the same author, and Goodreads reviews telling me that this book was better, I had high expectations and luckily they were met! A story of disastrous impulsive marriage, I found it to be a very readable book, quite sad in parts, with characters and their stories that really hooked me in.

As always, you can see what I've been reading and enjoying by having a look at my Goodreads profile.