Stephanie Morrissette
Stephanie Morrissette is an avid naturalist and is a Library Assistant at the Reference and Local History Department at CDPL.
The coming of winter brings some outdoor enthusiasts inside for a few months. But not all is lost. CDPL is offering a winter book club this season to keep those of us who would rather be hiking busy using our armchairs for adventures. This series of books will prove to keep your mind active as the snow begins to fall.
The program will include four pre-selected, non-fiction books with a nature-and-hiking theme, to run November-March. Each month we will explore a new title, then meet to discuss the book. At the time of the conclusion of one book, we will move on to our next challenging book.
The first book will be Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. This is the author’s account of high-altitude climbing on Mount Everest, and the tragedies and heroism that take place on the mountain when a massive storm beats down on the climbers. The author relives the harrowing trials he experienced on the mountain that has claimed so many lives.
The second book is titled A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. This book is also an author’s account of attempting to through-hike the Appalachian Trail as an older man in order to reconnect with himself and his life’s purpose. He manages to convince a friend to make the journey with him, and together they fight their age and the rocky Trail.
The third book is Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed. In this book, the author recounts hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and coming to terms with the remnants of her personal life, and finding a way to move forward. Her journey of self-discovery leads her to find peace with the death of her mother, the estrangement of her family, the divorce from her husband, and her drug addiction. The physical, emotional, and spiritual awakenings occur as she hikes.
Finally, we will read The Adventurer’s Son: A Memoir by Roman Dial. The author uses his experience as a biologist and explorer to offer his personal account of losing his son, an avid hiker, to the rainforests of Costa Rica in the Corcovado National Park, and his hunt to bring his son home. The famed adventurist goes on a two-year expedition to recover his missing son from the jungles of Costa Rica. When his son disappeared, the author struck out to discover where his son went missing, why he failed to return from his hike, and what could have happened to him. Was it murder by drug smugglers? A fated fall down a ravine or off a cliff into the Pacific Ocean? Or did he simply walk away from his life?
For a calendar of dates and times, please check out our website for more information. Books will be provided and there is limited space available. Join us as we offer the first non-fiction winter book club, Books and Boots – Grab your water bottle, and a healthy snack, and curl up in your reading nook to enjoy the adventures in these books. We don’t need our hiking boots literally, but definitely figuratively. So while the temperatures drop and the snow flies, pick up a good book and explore. Our bookish adventures await!
Interested in joining our book club? You can find information on our website (www.cdpl.lib.in.us). If you stop by, we will be happy to assist you with registration. You may also call us with your questions at 765-362-2242, ext. 117, or send us an email at ref@cdpl.lib.in.us.
