Becoming Odyssa - Jennifer Pharr Davis

Sub-title: Adventures on the Appalachian Trail

I picked this up on the library's "Get Outdoors" shelf.  My husband has hiked the trail to various lengths for several years and I was interested in reading another person's account.

Before reading, I knew nothing about the author.  The jacket told me she'd become a record holder in hiking the trail in the fewest number of days.  This story is about her first hike at the tender age of 21 after finishing college.  She was naive and inexperienced and sheltered and the hike changed her life.

I enjoyed the fast pace of the story, with each chapter beginning with an introduction to the next stretch of the trail and then her experiences traversing that stretch.  She chose to hike alone for most of the way, reflecting on her reactions, her thoughts and her ability to persevere.

As my husband, who also read the book, pointed out, everyone hikes their own hike.  Just like life; we all have our own view of how we experience our existence and those with share it with.

Published:  2010  Read: March 2016  Genre: Adventure, auto-biography

Lobster Chronicles - Linda Greenlaw

Sub-title: Life on a very small island

This is a little gem I picked up in the used bookstore.  The author grew up on a small island in Maine, worked many years as a fisherman and then captain of a fishing boat in the ocean and in this story returns to her hometown to try lobster fishing.  She's real and honest and loving of her neighbors, family and friends.  The life of a lobster-woman is the backdrop to the relationships of the people of the tiny island.  A quick read from a spunky gal.

Published:  2002   Read: June 2015  Genre: Auto-biography