What I Read While I Was Camping: The Reviews!

You've been listening to me talk about it for literal months now: our family's big summer of camping, taking place across four weekends through July and August this year. Now that our tents and tarps are packed away for good, I wanted to take a little time to expound upon those reads I dragged through the dirt and mud with me. 

(Well, maybe not that. I do take care of my books, after all. Any damage they may have accrued in this time is more likely in the vein of residual love from the Reese's Peanut Butter cups we use when we make s'mores.)  

From Camano Island to Deception Pass, to Kanaskat-Palmer to the Dungeness Spit, here are all of the books I read while camping this summer! 

Weekend #1: Camano Island State Park

(it was a million degrees, we spent a day at the beach, and took sunset shots at the pier)

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Flavia de Luce #1), Alan Bradley

This book is a little perplexing to consider, especially when attempting to gauge whether I really liked it or not. On one hand, the first 50 pages required three separate attempts to get interested; on the other, I finished the remaining 320 in almost one sitting. 

I found the exploits of the young Flavia - brash and brilliant - to be a lot of fun; on the flip side, the story was unmistakably constructed by an older man, one who rejoiced in obscure references, far beyond even what the most precocious of 11-year-olds could have declared. It really did remind me a lot of a classic Agatha Christie novel, in its lovingly-crafted perspective of small, rural British country villages, and the various people that inhabit them. 

It also had, like Agatha, some stunningly racist depictions that really didn't need to be there. The difference is that Christie wrote back in previous century: while this novel is set in the summer of 1950, it was published in 2009, at a time when such things as a blatantly racist "Chinese" magic trick should be recognized for what they are. 

That being said, the rest of the story - other than that glaring blemish, one that turned this title from a "must recommend" to a "hmm, maybe not"  - was pretty fun. At a certain point, the outcome gets a little obvious, but it's still enjoyable to follow along with Flavia's various hijinks. At some other point, I might consider picking up another in the series, but honestly, I'd rather do a Christie sometime soon instead. 

Dangerous Tides (Drake Sisters #4), Christine Feehan 

You don't get to hear about this one just yet... wait until my next batch of Paranormal Romance reviews! (You can read the last batch here!) 

Weekend #2: Deception Pass State Park, on Whidbey Island

(more beach time, camping hummus plates, lots of crosswords)

Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America, R. Eric Thomas

I can already tell you right now, that this is going to be one of my favorite books of the year. Not only did its words mean so much to me - especially in my current season of life - but they've lead me to others, too (poems, song lyrics), that honestly meant a lot to read, as well.

I appreciated R. Eric Thomas' perspectives on a myriad of topics - Blackness, especially in white spaces; gayness, especially in religious spaces - and I really credit his humorous, honest voice and style for serving as such a positive, engaging communicative tool. Even when discussing points of difficulty or vulnerability, he was sharp and conversational; even when detailing times of extreme sadness, he was clear and earnest. Memoirs are really at their best when they bring the reader into arenas of life they would never otherwise be able to experience, and Thomas was generous and welcoming when sharing his past.

In the end, it was actually the points in his life that connected us - generating an intense, close friendship at 17, and losing that person to suicide; recognizing that college carries with it opportunities that seem overwhelming, in part due to an unwillingness to give up the safely guarded labels that keep you protected - that really hit me at my core. He writes in such a way that feels personal and intimately friendly, and hearing similar circumstances I recognized communicated so frankly felt like talking with a friend. 

What an absolutely enjoyable experience. 

Disability Visibility: First Person Stories from the 21st Century, ed. Alice Wong

To be completely honest, I finished this book several days before I could even begin to consider how I felt about it. I think I avoided writing down my own personal thoughts on what was an engrossing, enthralling collection of first-person writing and anecdotes, because of how overwhelmingly difficult its subject matter is, and how much personal reflection was necessary in processing it completely. 

Granted, this book knows what its about. It doesn't mess around with palatizing difficult subject matter, and lists various topics such as eugenics, racism, bullying, suicide, and more in a rolling line of ticker tape that serves as a banner at the top of each story, as a kind of introduction. The discomfort is the point: a minority group of people used to binding themselves up, making themselves small, tucking the uncomfortable parts of themselves away as both a personal means of survival, as well as - at various points throughout history - a legal and public image legislative action, finally given the chance to voice their pain in a publicly consumed message, directed at both their fellow lonely, silenced group, as well as the public at large who has rendered them invisible. Its powerful, difficult stuff, and incredibly intersectional, as well. 

When I first decided to pick up this book, it had been at the recommendation of a handful of people who had called it "empowering" and "uplifting"; after reading it, I am forced to reconsider some of my perspectives of those people. It HURTS. It is draining, and upsetting, and overwhelmingly hard to process, especially for someone who doesn't have a large extent of experience in disability activist circles. It highlights problems and pain for which there is no current solution or means of rectification, and that absolutely sucks. But hopefully with the accessibility afforded through these pages, bringing firsthand perspectives to people who would otherwise never have seen the struggles, one can be generated. Maybe with more stories like this, some justice can be found. 

Weekend #3: Kanaskat-Palmer State Park, near the Green River

(the YURTS, hiking along the river, and did I mention the YURTS)

The Water Knife, Paolo Bacigalupi

You don't get to hear about this one just yet, either... after a pretty difficult reading experience that already yielded quite a bit of conversation with various family members, I decided to give this one a little more space and give myself a little more room to breathe. A longer review will be coming soon!

I Miss You When I Blink: Essays, Mary Laura Philpott

I am experiencing conflicting emotions about this book, and unfortunately I feel like it also has to do with conflicting emotions about my taste levels as a person.

I was drawn to this book, originally, because of the premise: a nonfiction account of a woman who, upon achieving the suburbanite dream list of husband, kids, house, etc, finds herself wanting to burn it all down and strike off fresh. THAT sounds appealing to me. The experiences she describes - depression, anxiety, hopelessness, resentment - are highly familiar, and I figured that her unspoken achievement in having been deemed important enough to write a memoir might give me some insight, in terms of potential solutions. 

Here's how she fixes it: she goes to a therapist, and is prescribed Zoloft. She leans on an understanding and kind husband for support. She stops signing up for the volunteering jobs she dislikes that keep her so busy, and instead, starts writing newsletters for a famous bookstore as a part of her freelancing career. She uses the three weeks her kids are at sleepaway camp to house-sit for a friend of a friend, and enjoys the quiet, as well as a ton of books, but realizes that she still misses her children and husband. Her family moves from Atlanta to Nashville, where she feels less encumbered by ambient stress, and the traffic is not so crippling. 

It all seems so... mundane. Expected. In a lot of ways, not exactly accessible. These modern problems she's describing feel so extreme, but the answers are also so completely upper-middle-class suburban. 

And it kind of felt like the book was just... a lot of those feelings. Mary Laura Philpott - who at other times in the memoir-slash-essays, is also deeply resonant and relatable - just struck me as a little bit out-of-touch, or basic. For instance, at a dinner with friends, she gets angry when small talk turns to preferred methods of making chicken salad, and name checks Bill Gates, Beyonce, and J. K. Rowling as being people she'd rather talk to, instead. Could there be a more generic answer to a question that could have pushed a lot deeper? But also, some people enjoy talking about chicken salad, so why can't you let them (/me) live? 

In total, there WERE passages in the book that did speak to me, but it also kind of felt like if one of the most surface-level people in your sorority grew up and started a well-written, occasionally-deep mommy blog. 

Weekend #4: Dungeness Spit Recreation Area

(mediocre weather, a nature hike along the water, bailing early)

Professional Troublemaker: the Fear-Fighter's Manual, Luvvie Ajayi-Jones 

This book is about how sometimes, humans let fear get in the way of enjoying the surplus of LIFE that is available to us every single day. Kind of like how sometimes a Savannah might let the required return date of a library book get in the way of enjoying what might otherwise have been an easy, reflective funny memoir-slash-self-help guide, instead of leaving it for the last twelve hours of its check-out period. 

(It's fine. Based on the advice of a friend, I switched my Kindle to airplane mode, and sped-read my way through the remaining 60% of the book. Is it a perfect system? Hell no. But what else is a woman supposed to do when she's still got a lot of Seattle Public LIbrary boxes to check off, and it's AUGUST?) 

This book was funny, and inspirational. It was also chock full of references to Ajayi-Jones' other work, which occasionally felt like I was missing pieces of valuable context, and that I needed to go look elsewhere: her numerous chart-topping TED talks, her blog and Twitter account, her previous book, etc. Like, we get it, you're prolific! But after a while, it kind of does feel like it's simply a networking/marketing tool for your previous material. 

Other quick notes: 

• This is the second book this year I've read that was written during Covid, and has felt the need to discuss it, which I am both for and against as a general practice. 
• Ajayi-Jones turns Blackness - especially Nigerian-ness, which I would say gets its own chapter, if it didn't already have prominent placement throughout the entire book - into a total superpower, and I was fully here for it 
• Out of everything else in this book, what I really, really loved, and what felt the most inspiring, was how she makes professional success sound inevitable. Like, if you're working, and working hard and fearlessly and especially working to lift other people up along with you, great things will happen for you. And I love that. 

What have been your favorite vacation reads so far this summer? How many books are still left on your Summer TBR for August? Let me know, in the comments below!

What I Read While I Was Camping, Weekend #4: Dungeness Spit

Well, it's been a summer full of shoving pillows into garbage bags, packing and unpacking sleeping bags, and being as minimally involved with the air-mattress-inflation situation as I can be while still considered "helping." While our final destination for family campouts this summer might not have shaken out like we'd originally planned it to, I think we were all still plenty happy with the result. 

And by that, I mean my brother and I are very happy not to have to go camping again until next year. My mother, on the other hand, has been eyeing if there are any extra spots at some of our favorite places this November.

Where we went: Dungeness Spit Recreation Area and Campground

About a two hour's drive away from our home in Tacoma, Dungeness Spit is also one of the only non-state park campgrounds we visited this year. Honestly, you can kind of tell: this area is managed by Clallam County, and there's a much more hometown feel to the way that the campgrounds are laid out. Big, sprawling campsites, ample room for navigation, and even a small playground for children... but also, smaller amounts of amenities, and a more narrow availability of things like spigots, or even hot water in the showers. 

There was a lot of ambient light at our campsite, which I enjoyed, and the trees do a decent job of breaking up any sound from neighboring sites, as well. A lot of the other campers we saw at this location came bearing RVs, campervans, and teardrops, because - again - the spots were quite large. 

It's located an easily navigable distance from both the Dungeness Spit, as well as other trails along the bluffs you can use to get a glimpse of the water. Also, as was ascertained by my sister with the help of Google Maps, Canada! 

What I packed:

I'd like to think I've learned at least one or two things from a summer full of packing a duffel every other weekend or so. Have I finally read Emperor Mage, like I've been threatening to do for literal weeks now? (Like I did here, here, and here!) No. But at least I'm not at the same place I was last year while camping, which meant stuffing four or five books into my bag for a three-day trip. 

This time, I only packed one hardcover copy, and my Kindle! 

Professional Troublemaker: the Fear-Fighter's Manual, Luvvie Ajayi-Jones (on Kindle)

Trick Mirror, Jia Tolentino

What I actually ended up reading:

So, here's the deal: we left early. Like, way early: after arriving and setting up shop on Friday afternoon around 530pm, us kids - my brother, my sister, her girlfriend, and I - had convened around the post-breakfast not-a-campfire (because the Washington State burn ban is still in effect through September, at a minimum) on Saturday morning to discuss what we were going to tell the parents.

The weather coming up off the water led to a night that was chilly and uncomfortably clammy, while the morning had already brought sprinkling rain, with a forecast that was showing threats of more across the afternoon. Again, the burn ban meant we couldn't have the normal, warming campfire we're used to, and huddling around a singular propane burner didn't exactly yield cozy rewards. 

Was it all that bad? Not really. We've camped plenty of times in too-cold temperatures... memorably once when there was still snow on the ground in late June. We've camped in rain plenty of times, too. But after a summer that had already seen three full weekends of camping?

Instead, we all went home, went out to eat at a local Italian place we love, had an actual firepit - complete with a large propane burner - in our backyard, and stayed up watching some YouTube, before going to bed in a spacious, cozy queen-sized bed. 

I got half of the way into Professional Troublemaker before we called it quits.

Trip Highlights:

That wasn't to say that it was all bad, though! There still managed to be some nice moments in the midst of the not-ideal temperatures. After all, there's no easier way to have fun, than spending time with family. 

We made up for a less-than-cozy nighttime temperature with a walk along the bluffs, which led to a really gorgeous sunset view. Then, my sister rigged up a mini-propane stove around the structure of our campground's fire, so we could end the day with at least a little bit of light.

I refused to leave without having at least a little time to hike out on the Dungeness Spit... it was the reason we'd chosen this campsite, after all! We only made it a little ways down the surf and sand, but there was still plenty to see, including wildlife - and wildlife remains, as you can see here - as well as a whole lot of bull kelp. And we got to breathe in a little bit of the salt air coming off the ocean, which is always good for the soul!

What I finished up at home: 

Professional Troublemaker, obviously! It took a little bit of time back at home... but when you've only got less than four hours before your library ebook copy is due back, and you've got two hours left in the ebook itself, there's a little more pressure to wrap things up. 

Well, that's it for camping trips this summer... but it's not the end of camping content! Keep an eye out for full reviews of everything I read while camping to come soon, as well as a few more posts I've had lined up for a while... like the full haul from my bloggoversary thrifting adventure! 

Did you camp at all this summer? Are there any more vacations left for you before schools start back up again in August? Let me know, in the comments below!

What I Read While I Was Camping: Weekend #3, at Kanaskat Palmer

Alright, already. We get it. Your family loves camping to the point where you're willing to do it four times in one summer. Enough! 

I'll admit, even we get sick of all of the trappings and trimmings of what a camping experience typically entails. The tents, with their confusing, interconnected pole placement. The tarps, which have to be spread out underneath the tent. The camp stove and it's mini propane hookups, the meal planning and its various picky-eater hangups. It's a lot to handle, especially back-to-back-to-BACK across the course of one summer.

Which is why for this particular adventure, we decided to forgo some of that particular baggage, and proceed with as minimal effort and maximum trunk space as possible. 

Oh yeah. I'm talking yurt camping. 

Where we went: Kanaskat Palmer State Park

Kanaskat Palmer State Park is located only about an hour from Tacoma, traveling the route along Highway 18 towards Covington and Enumclaw. It's not too far of a distance during the less crowded times of day - for instance, about a half an hour - but when things get a little stuffier, like during rush hour, the drive shakes out more towards about fifty to sixty minutes. 

The park itself is pretty far out from much by way of civilization. Sure, there's about a fifteen minute drive towards Four Corners Plaza in Covington - with a much-recommended assortment of restaurants, including a Farelli's Pizza - but the park is only located past a few sparse ranch-style houses. Most importantly of all: this is the first camping trip we've gone on so far this year which has yielded absolute zero cell reception... we're talking no 5G, no bars, no nothing. 

Which is a fair trade off for what you get: spacious, well-shaded campsites, decent coverage from the road, and a selection of well-constructed, well-maintained yurts, as well as regular campsites. 

I truly can't tell you enough about the yurts... they each come complete with a bunk bed (twin on top, double on bottom), and a futon that easily collapses out into another double bed, sleeping a total of five guests. They also have their own radiant heaters, ready for your use, overhead lighting by way of electrical outputs as well as a skylight, and a series of outlets to charge your electronic devices on. Again, the phone coverage isn't going to leave you much to do with your smartphone, but as a big fan of podcasts and picture taking, I definitely got my use out of them. While my brother and I conspired to spend at least an hour watching The Vampire Diaries on his tablet, we never got around to it... but it was nice to know that the option was there.

So if glamping's your game, this is certainly the campsite for you! 

What I packed: 

I've got a confession to make: remember how in my last two installments, I kept talking about how I was going to eventually read Emperor Mage? I decided what I really wanted to do, was spend time with it at home... and then proceeded to not bother picking up ANY BOOKS AT ALL for two weeks straight. Seriously, the last book I read was Disability Visability, which I talked about in my last installment! I know, I know... I'm pathetic (and remember when I said that I wanted to read TEN books this month? Puh-lease). 

So, I decided to put that book away altogether, and focus in on something different. More specifically, I mean other boxes on my Summer Book Bingo sheet: "Essays," "Cli-Fi," and "AAPI Author," more specifically. 

I Miss You When I Blink: Essays, Mary Laura Philpott

The Water Knife, Paolo Bacigalupi (on Kindle) 

The Ghost Bride, Yangsze Choo 

What I actually ended up reading: 

I spent the better part of a day working through The Water Knife. 

So, not only were we taking it easy glamping, but as it turns out, my parents were planning on having an even easier time of it: after arriving Friday evening, they bailed early Saturday morning to go home and shower. It was for a good cause - two events, both a wedding reception, and a memorial service - and they arrived back shortly before dinner on Saturday... which left me plenty of time to read through The Water Knife that afternoon. 

It's definitely not a new favorite genre, or style of writing, and it inspired some pretty tense campfire talk with other members of the family about certain habits and tropes of male writers in Science Fiction I find morally repugnant. But even with the difficult subject matter, difficult conversation, and honestly, me just banging my head against a wall trying to simply make it through to the end,  I ended up clocking in with more than enough time for lunch, an hour-long river walk, and a few rounds of crossword puzzles with my brother. Which, after this particular novel, was sorely needed. 

I got about a third of the way into I Miss You When I Blink.

Which is pretty impressive, when you consider that I only spent a little over an hour working my way into it, on Saturday night while making best use of our yurt's overhead lighting. 

Easy to get into, conversational, and friendly, this book is so funny and cleverly written that I probably would have managed to get even further into it, had I not been pausing quite so often to read a certain selection or paragraph for my brother. 

It's enjoyable, and engaging, and I know for certain that I could have finished it in even half the amount of time that The Water Knife took, had I used it. Instead, we decided that on Sunday morning - with a checkout time of 11am - to enjoy some oatmeal and conversation, practice some Words of Affirmation, and roll on out of there, in the hopes of getting unpacked and showered before noon. 

Trip Highlights: 

I think the major draw for Kanaskat Palmer - as a State Park - is absolutely its access to a gorgeous water system; more specifically, a series of various rapids systems through which you can sail a kayak, raft, or more. Unfortunately, this summer's heat snap has made things a little more difficult for anyone who enjoys the rivers and lakes of Washington, as the water levels have gotten more shallow. 

In truth, we didn't see anyone making use of any kind of watercraft, but they found plenty of other ways to enjoy it: fishing, sunbathing, and splashing were all frequent activities by families we spotted along the water as we took a river walk trail past some of the public areas for day use. 

 Hands down, one of my favorite takeaways from this camping trip, was playing a hotly competitive game of Trivial Pursuit, well until after it got dark.

What I'll finish off before the last trip: 

I'm absolutely stoked that I finished a square I was dreading quite as much as Climate Fiction, and am excited to quickly put that particular read out of my mind. 

Also, I'm really enjoying making my way through I Miss You When I Blink, so when I get a free afternoon, I'm really just planning on queueing up some ambient pop music, pouring some cold rose in a glass, and taking some time to read. 

Of course, eventually, I'm eventually going to make my way through Emperor Mage. Hopefully sooner rather than later, right? 

Have you gone camping yet so far this summer? Where are your favorite places to go? Let me know, in the comments below!

What I Read While I Was Camping: Weekend #2, at Deception Pass

So, quick query for you: when I mentioned that I was going camping two weekends in a row, did you believe me? Well, here I am, back in Tacoma and all the better for half-an-hour's worth of scrubbing off dirt and grime in the shower, following the promised three days spent out in the middle of the forest in a campground in North Whidbey. 

While we originally were planning on making it a four-day trip, we made the impulsive decision on Sunday, July 4th, that we might as well be home for Independence Day: at least that way, I wouldn't have to worry about my poor cat being spooked by all the fireworks! Granted, we made this decision at like 4 o'clock in the afternoon, so it's not like we were deprived of a beautiful, full day of hanging out in nature... and of course, getting another book in. 

Here's where we went, what we did, and how much I managed to read along the way! 

Where we went: Deception Pass State Park

Located on the northern half of Whidbey Island, WA, Deception Pass State Park is easily accessible by bridge, which means that despite my best attempts, I was once again deprived of a summer day ferry ride. Boo! 

But while the island itself is fairly easy to find, the state park itself was a little more difficult. Recommendation: follow your Google maps directions to the best of your ability, but once you start getting closer, keep your eyes peeled for some of the brown signs that designate the natural area. Your final turnout will be thanks to a nondescript brown street sign, at a random busy intersection. Make sure you don't miss it... and furthermore, make sure you're not trying to find your campground at night! 

This state park is equipped with towering old growth trees, several sprawling beach areas, a rentable ampitheater area, and great views of the waters around Whidbey. The campsites we stayed at were great, with a lot of room and tree cover, but not all of them are built the same way, so make sure you do a little Internet (or in-person) reconnaissance before you reserve your spot! 

Across the Fourth of July weekend there were a LOT of families present, with a lot of rambunctious kiddos, and a lot of noisy dogs. If you're looking for a quiet, tucked away campground, this probably isn't the fit for you, but if you're looking for a fun environment to take the family, it's a good match!  

What I packed:

Emperor Mage (The Immortals / Daine #3), Tamora Pierce

Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America, R. Eric Thomas

Disability Visibility: First Person Stories from the Twentieth Century, ed. Alice Wong 

You might recognize Emperor Mage from my camping list last weekend. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to read it over the course of the week, like I had originally intended, so I packed it along for the ride again this time! Here for It and Disability Visibility are - as you could have probably guessed - two more titles I plan on using to fulfill some squares on the Seattle Public Library Summer Book Bingo ("Black Joy" and "Activism / Social Justice," respectively), and I was absolutely in the mood for some memoir action, so those made the journey too. 

What I actually ended up reading:

I completely finished Here for It, by R. Eric Thomas, in less than 24 hours!

 It was only about 10pm on Friday night, and my parents were ready to go to bed. Thanks to the debilitating heat wave that closed out June, and what we were told by the rangers was a regional shortage of firehouse workers, there's a full burn ban in effect on state park lands through September, so any hopes we had of s'mores and campfire stories was absolutely shot; plus, with the relatively cold nights out there next to the water, they were looking to head to bed early to escape the cold. But for someone whose brain is hardwired to get tired sometime after or around 2am, that wasn't going to be in the cards for me. Instead, I decided to do a little bit of reading, in the hopes that my horizontal body position and limited access to my phone would trigger the insomnia-ravaged parts of my brain to say it was sleepy-time mode. 

Did it work? Absolutely not. I am a notoriously poor sleeper on camping trips, and for all my efforts, I received what I realized after the fact was an intense 3:30am panic attack in my sleeping bag, instead. But at least I got about four chapters into my book! 

I finished it all the next day, shortly after lunch, and in spite of the fact that one of my younger siblings drove in to join us for a day of hiking, beach walks, and camping hummus. 

I was able to tackle Disability Visibility, by Alice Wong, in about two sittings. 

Because Saturday had been such a successful day of reading for me, I was excited to jump into my next book right away. But, I ultimately decided to save the rest of the day for hanging out with my sister and enjoying a little bit of family time, especially when it came to spending some time by the water. 

So, Sunday dawned bright and early - because, again, I did not sleep, and the sun woke me up at my usually ungodly hours of 7am - and I got to reading as soon as my brain had decided to boot itself up again. 

What I didn't realize when packing these two books, was that I had inadvertently chosen two different, difficult kinds of personal testimony: Here for It details Thomas' personal journeys of being black in white spaces, and being gay in religious spaces, while Disability Visibility is a collection of firsthand accounts of various forms of abledness, and the ways they intersect with personal reflections on heteronormativity, cisgenderness, race, politics, and more. 

While both were engaging for different reasons, I tore through Disability Visbility with fairly singular-minded focus. With only a short break in the middle for a hike around the campgrounds, scouting out other enviable campsites with my mom, I quickly returned for the finish. In total, I read this in about two sittings. 

Trip Highlights:

There's never going to be a point in my life where my primary direction doesn't point towards the dinner table, and this trip had some of my favorites: hummus plates have rapidly become a part of my family's camping staples - because of their low amount of cooking time and exceptionally delicious payoff - and while we didn't take a lot of time for patriotic reflections during the weekend (because we banned our mom from packing a surplus of American flags with which to ring the campsites) I did make some Rice Krispies treats with colorful sprinkles on top. 

Something else to note: the campgrounds for this state park are absolutely crawling with various kinds of wildlife. During our stay we saw repeat instances of robins and crows, chipmunks, and as you can see in the picture below, plenty of rabbits! They were relatively avoidable campground buddies, and didn't cause much commotion around the tents, but it might be worth noting to cover up food that you have on the table, lest some particularly adventurous birds seek some sustenance of their own. 

Hands down one of the funniest animal interactions I had during this trip, involved a very unusual noise: while awake around 5am during one of the mornings on our trip - again, I am not a good sleeper - I heard what I thought was a large pig grunting. I couldn't believe that there would just be wild hogs venturing through an area that's as well-populated as Whidbey Island, state park or not, so I shot up in my sleeping bag and immediately zipped down the window. I couldn't see anything! But I knew what I had heard... so in the light of morning, after breakfast, I decided to do a little internet sleuthing, and found out that apparently, the Brandt's Cormorant - which are native to waterways and islands around the PNW - has a unique birdcall that sounds like an oinking pig! Sure enough, while down at the water around sunset that day, we saw a huge group of them clustered together around a partially-submerged rock a little ways out from shore. Not quite as fun to look at as baby rabbits - again, look at the tiny thing! - but still a very cool animal interaction. 

 Another camping trip, another state park... another beachfront sunset! This one was about as well-attended as Camano Island's, but had the distinct benefit of having a substantial amount more coastline from which to take in the view. My favorite places to watch weren't even along the rocky-sand coastline - the position most of the other observers took - but actually from some of the rocky cliffside trails afforded by the park. 

This was actually a fairly routine activity during our first camping trip, as well, but was much more often put into practice during our time on Deception Pass: what do you do when you deprive a lot of trivia-loving nerds a television and internet access across a weekend of camping? Get massively competitive about tackling crosswords. Handwriting be damned, my brother and I battled over who would serve as scribe during morning, afternoon, and bedtime bouts of crossword clues, and overall the experience has done perfectly well to put us back into practice after about a year of not doing any crosswords at all. 

What I'll finish off before the next trip:

I'm so happy that for the second weekend in a row, I was able to cross two more books off of my Summer Bingo sheet! After a less-than-auspicious start in June, I was glad to check off two titles before the fifth of the month... especially because - don't tell anyone - but I'm actually trying to see if I can get through TEN titles total in July. I know it sounds like a crazy attempt, but if I manage to keep up my track record for the next couple of weeks, with two books a week, I might just get it done, or at the very least, put myself in a decent position for August. 

Thankfully for my personal sanity and sleeping habits, we've got a bye-week from camping for next weekend, which I'm planning on using to spend time NOT confined to a tent with my parents and younger brother in the middle of nowhere. Instead, I'll try to do my best to not only tackle the much put-off Emperor Mage, but also tackle the fourth book in its series, Realm of the Gods, as well! 

That way, maybe I'll be able to pack a Romance or Fantasy or two for my next bout of camping, just to keep myself on a good schedule. After all, I'll need something engrossing to read during all that time I'm not sleeping. 

Any camping trips planned for your summer vacation? What have you been reading so far this summer? Let me know, in the comments below!

What I Read While I Was Camping: Weekend #1, at Camano Island

I, like any other PNW-born-and-bred human being, love a good camping getaway. And why wouldn't I? I'm also a big fan of kombucha, family members with REI memberships, and very large trees.

But even so, when my mom announced to the family early last Fall that her marathon of early-morning campsite procurements had yielded not one or two, but FOUR family reservations planned across the course of Summer 2021, I have to admit... I felt a little intimidated. 

Until I remembered, of course, that my all-time favorite summer past time - just ahead  of Camping - is Reading as Many Books as Possible. That's when I realized that this was actually an opportunity for a very unique blog series. 

So while the world is opening up again in a joyous middle-finger at the (hopefully, blessedly) retreating back of a global pandemic, I figured I'd keep you up to date on where I'm going, and what I'm reading while going there, especially if said places I'm going are the kinds of places with a fire to roast mallows and a home with several (years-old, broken) poles holding up its duct-taped tarp walls. 

And the first trip I took, took place just this past weekend. 

Where we went: Camano Island State Park

The view of the water, just across a road from our campsite. Not only did this view provide for small moments of serenity throughout the weekend, but it also was the perfect place to view the Strawberry Moon!

Camano Island is a little North of Seattle, and around a two-and-a-half hour drive from Tacoma. Coming home was even easier, at two hours, and that's including the I-5 closure that had us pivoting to take 405 instead. Contrary to what you might think, this excursion doesn't require a ferry ride, as you can easily drive the full distance.

The Island has plenty of things to do, including ziplining, axe throwing, and a highly-regarded brewery. A local cafe also serves what we were told were some of the best cinnamon rolls in the whole state of Washington. The campgrounds themselves, though, not only feature densely-packed trees and views of the water, but also a day-use area with plenty of space to park and spread out along the rocky beach for some wading. 

Recommendations: stay away from the too-steep, too-thin trails that run down to the water, and just take your car... not only will you be sparing yourself a potential twisted ankle, but you're also going to want to be able to haul some kind of awning, a few camp chairs, a cooler, and whatever water accessories you need. 

Unfortunately, because this weekend saw record highs throughout Washington, we didn't get all that much done beyond the campgrounds: sitting in the shade and spending time at the beach made for the perfect ways to beat the heat! 

What I packed:

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Flavia de Luce #1), Alan Bradley

Emperor Mage (The Immortals/ Daine #3), Tamora Pierce

Dangerous Tides (Drake Sisters #4), Christine Feehan 

All three of these books were chosen with a purpose: two are specifically to fill spots in my Book Bingo - "Mystery / Crime" and "One of Two Books in a Series," the first two respectively - and the Romance is one of many from my big box of Paranormal bad boys. I figured that after a bit of a lagged start, I should actually pay a little more attention to all those plans I made back in May, and try to get some of those to-do list items checked off! 

What I actually ended up reading:

I actually finished Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley

Okay, so to be clear, I've attempted to start this read at least three separate times sometime in the last year. I liked the writing style, I liked the characters, I'd even liked how directly it jumped right into the conflict. And yet, it kept getting shunted aside in favor of other novels that managed to hold my attention just a bit more completely, until as a result of three separate attempts, I'd only managed to make it to about page 50. 

And then, wouldn't you know it? After taking it on this camping trip, bound and determined to give it a fair shake for real, I finished it all in just about one sitting. It was a good time, and an immersive read, that reminded me a lot of other kinds of Mystery novels I've enjoyed in the past.

I'm going to be updating things with a full-length review later on, but for now, I'll say I absolutely enjoyed this one, and my only detractions come from something small and dumb and unnecessary that really yanked me out of the story somewhere in the middle. Just a small anecdote shared by one of the characters, which could have easily been omitted or swapped for something different, that really just set off alarm bells for me in a moment. 

But like I said, more on that later. 

I got approximately halfway through Dangerous Tides, by Christine Feehan. 

Out of all of the books in my Paranormal Romance box, this one came out as almost absurdly daunting, for a pretty singular reason: a mass-market paperback with about 360 pages in it isn't all that rough from jump... unless, of course, the font being used is among the smallest I've ever seen. I even checked my paperback of Scott Lynch's Lies of Locke Lamora, and I think the fonts between the two are pretty on par. Especially because some of the Romances I've read most recently were pretty short, the denseness of this one kind of sent me for a loop.

I think if I had chosen a Romance that was a little shorter, I absolutely could have finished it this weekend: I had a couple of hours on a beach that were only spent reading, and with a more simple novel, I would 100% have made it through. That being said, the parts that I did read, I 100% enjoyed, and I've been making pretty good time reading it back at home, too. 

In terms of how the actual novel is doing, I think this is the first series from the box so far, for which I have looked up other titles in the series with the intent to purchase. Maybe once I'm done with the box, I will... I'm really enjoying reading about the Drake sisters, and would love to peruse more of their stories later on. Even if I think the two main characters in this one are pretty insufferable. 

Trip Highlights:

Honestly, getting a book and a half under my belt before the tail end of June was probably the highlight for me. I essentially was able to finish Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie in the first morning we spent at the campsite, and had I not been in such a hurry to get home, I have no doubt that I might have been able to tackle the rest of Dangerous Tides, as well! 

I love family reading time, and especially due to the ever-present heat, some of my favorite bits of this camping adventure came from just sitting around the campsite with my family, everyone with a different book in hand, quietly spending time together while wrapped up in our own little worlds. 

But with the sun and great company, there were plenty of options to have a great time on this trip, despite the heat and nearly ever-present mosquitos.

Poke fun all you want, but our family's first-night runs to Subway are some of my favorite small moments of camping. After being stuck in Seattle traffic for the drive up, simply being able to get to the campsite, take out the food, and eat before we even unpacked anything was a total win. 

Granted, some fam members needed to take a break halfway through to apply some bug spray - the mosquitoes were really digging on the humid, hot atmosphere - and I definitely wolfed down my sandwich in approximately five minutes, but it's an easy, small way to start off a camping adventure: eating at a table, all together. 

Nothing feels more like quintessential camping than breaking out a game to play with siblings, especially when accompanied by an array of snacks.

The four of us kids snuck away on our second night there, to catch the sunset at the rocky beach we'd spent a couple of hours at earlier that day. Clearly, other people had the same idea: the shore was lined with contented spectators, most of whom had left by the time the sun had made its final splash below the horizon of water.

What I'll finish off before our next camping trip:

Couldn't be more pleased about getting through Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, and I'm soaring through the rest of Dangerous Tides within the next day or so, if I have anything to say about it... but that still leaves Tamora Pierce's Emperor Mage, which I'm also hoping to finish off before some of the fam embarks on our next camping trip this Friday! If not, it will also be making its way along with me, as well as a couple of more titles, in order to keep checking those boxes off of my Book Bingo and Romance reading challenge. I've been gunning for some really solid nonfiction lately, so maybe a couple of selections from that arena? Granted, I had three library books come in this past week alone, so maybe a bit of a Kindle workout is in order... Whatever I end up reading, I know that it will be worth it just to have some time by the water, in the woods, and in the myriad of other beautiful places tucked throughout my home state. 

Have you been able to do any traveling this June? Do you enjoy camping? What sort of reads have you been starting your summer with? Let me know, in the comments below!

The Novel and the Movie: Wild

I hope you've got your popcorn ready, because here's another match up of best-selling books, and their movie adaptation counterparts! (Check out my past posts in this series, with The Maltese Falcon, and Bridget Jones' Diary!)

Today, we're doing something a little different... simply because the book we're discussing ISN'T A NOVEL. (So all of you who are tempted to leave that comment down below, don't worry: I'm already well aware!) Why should only fiction have all the fun?

Wild, by Cheryl Strayed, follows one woman's account of her journey - emotional and spiritual, as much as physical - while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from California to Oregon, as well as the events in her life that lead her to that point. It's a favorite of my sister, Delaney - the kid who worked in Yellowstone National Park the whole summer - and she had been begging me to read it for quite some time, so I finally tackled the tome while home for Winter Break. Of course, we had to follow up immediately with the movie (unsurprisingly, another one of her favorites).

Which left me to ponder, which medium - the book or the movie - really depicted Cheryl's journey at its most raw and realistic? 

THE BOOK

Filled with descriptions of luscious nature scenes, interactions with wildlife and fellow hikers, and the struggles that had pushed Strayed into such an extreme situation, the book has been highly rated on Goodreads and touted by the likes of Oprah for the past couple of years. It was actually a Goodreads Choice Winner way back in 2012, the year it was published!

To be honest, I didn't really love it. I ended up giving it 3 stars on GR, and even reflecting on it, I'm still left feeling like it was a little lackluster.

The way Strayed told her story was incredibly emotional, but also came off as somewhat self-aggrandizing, which raised the question for me as to whether she padded any of her experiences for the sake of a good story.

It was also a bit of a bummer for visualization's sake: I couldn't picture the scope of what this kind of undertaking would entail, because I couldn't really see it. And descriptions of the beauty of nature are all well and good, and appropriately given some space in book form; however, there was still a feeling of disconnect.

What I will say about the book, was that it gave a lot of context to her personal experiences and just how far she'd sunk from who she wanted to be. It really served as a great example of finding power by putting things into your own words, and owning the story.

Notes from the Field

• Ew. Ew. Ew. 
• God, and I think it's bad when I go camping for a three-day weekend. 
• Not testing out equipment beforehand seems unsafe. 
• Doing all of this alone seems unsafe. 
• Unsafe, unsafe, unsafe!!! 
• EWWWWW... 

THE MOVIE

The movie, both starring Reese Witherspoon as Strayed - both as a teen and as a twenty-something, throughout the chronological course of the book - as well as utilizing her as a producer, premiered to positive reviews by both viewers and critics alike back in 2014. The Rotten Tomatoes score for this movie stands at 90%, with audiences reporting 75% approval ratings as well!

The movie, in my opinion, did a much better job at demonstrating the emotional core and physical exertion of the book. Overall, I think it just gave better representation to the story, because even though the book allows the author to express things in their own words, Witherspoon really brought her acting A-game to this role: seeing the tragedy of Strayed's life, and the temerity she displayed in attempting this feat, was just better represented.

Besides, you can't beat the vastness of a blissfully filtered panorama shot with a paragraph of description. A lot of it comes down to the intensely visual nature of depicting such physical acts and surroundings: It's one thing to read about the places within the novel, and quite another to actually visualize the beauty of it.

Additionally, the artsy editing and exceptional soundtrack options helped lend more translatable emotional meaning, too. I definitely cried, multiple times. It was gross.

Notes from the Field

• God, Reese Witherspoon is just so gorgeous. Also, potentially immortal. 
• Hey, Laura Dern!
• I want to know what Instagram filter they filmed all this footage in. 
• So, they just got rid of the sister? 
• I think I'm going to hate this song by the time this movie is over. 

THE VERDICT

Shock and awe! For the first time in this blog series, I have to say that I thought the movie was much better than the book! I still wasn't 100% on board with the story, and definitely can't quite measure up to the kind of love my sister has for it, but the movie just did a better job at conveying the emotional distress, physical stress, and grandiose surroundings that much more effectively. (Also, I love Reese Witherspoon.) 

Have you seen or read Wild? Which would you say was better? What book and movie team should I tackle next? Let me know, in the comments below! 

Outdoors

Seeing as though later today I'm leaving for a camping trip (3rd one of the summer!), I thought about which books in my "To Be Read" Pile are coming with me. While sorting through various titles and covers, it led me to think, what are my favorite books I've brought with me in the past? Which are my favorite books to go camping with?

After some deliberation, I've come up with my Top 3. All deal with the outdoors, though in different ways, and all are books I'd highly recommend. Though you may think that one or two of them are more for a younger set, I believe that if you haven't read them yet, screw the age limit, and read them anyways. They're that good.

BOOK 1: THE VARIOUS BY STEVE AUGARDE

I read this entire book nestled up in a chair in my backyard in the sixth grade, and only when the sun was setting. I felt it lent the book a certain magic. This book isn't about the outdoors the same way the other books are, in the way that it deals with a girl, rather than a boy, and involves mythical creatures, like pixies and sprites and fairies, instead of the all-too-real dangers of the actual world. However, the story does include the woods behind this girl's house, so I feel it is worthy to make this list. The story always reminds me that there are things lurking in the trees that we don't know exist, and that nature has secrets of its own. Perfect things to remember when it's two o'clock in the morning, you're stuck in your tent with only a flashlight and a sleeping bag, and you can't remember which path leads to the camp bathrooms.

BOOK 2: MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN BY JEAN CRAIGHEAD GEORGEI love this book. I originally got it in the second grade, read it, and promptly decided I was going to run away into the woods like the main character, leaving this shallow world behind for a natural lifestyle. The only reason my plans were thwarted were because a) I didn't know where to find any woods, and b) my parents are too observant. These crushed dreams haven't stopped me from revisiting this book series many times in my life, and wishing I could live like Sam. This is a perfect book for anyone going on a camping trip, especially if they are in elementary or middle school. How I envy anyone reading this book for the first time. And do you want to know a secret? Up until last year, I buried this book at the bottom of my camping kit every trip, just so I could use it as a sort of manual if I ever got lost in a forest.

BOOK 3: INTO THE WILD BY JON KRAKAUERIf assigned reading during the school year has the power to ruin books for high schoolers forever, you'd think that a book assigned for summer reading would only double the destructive power. However, this book was assigned to me last year, and it changed my life forever! This book is amazing. Everyone should be required to read this spectacular nonfiction book, the doomed journey of Chris McCandless into nature. This is an incredibly powerful one and I'm only repeating how fantastic it is because I feel like I have to really get the point across. Just, please, please, please, read it.

So there are my Top 3. All three great, and all have journeyed onto campsites with me sometime in the past. Now I've still got to find which books are coming with me this time...