#lynne cox

[cultivating-wildflowers]

2024 Reading - March

By now it is clear that I will not achieve my arbitrary goal of reading 100 books this year, and that's fine. My overall progress so far is what I really care about. I am confronting my TBR, I've already read a good number of nonfics, and for the most part my reading has been enjoyable.

While I do have some large books coming up on my list, I am hoping to set aside a little time in April to get to a couple of anticipated rereads (finally) because I'm starting to crave a change of pace into something more familiar.

Total books: 4  |  New reads: 4   |   2024 TBR completed: 5 (2 DNF) / 9/36 total   |   2024 Reading Goal: 11/100

February | April

potential reading list from March 1st

#1 - Dorothy and Jack: The Transforming Friendship of Dorothy L. Sayers and C. S. Lewis by Gina Dalfonzo - 4/5 stars (audio)

After the whole Thing with The Mutual Admiration Society, I went into this book with no small amount of trepidation.

I was immediately put at ease.

This was a surprisingly cozy little book that accomplished what it set out to do. It wasn't horribly deep, but it was thorough and heartwarming. And I found myself cheering when I discovered that Sayers and I apparently have the same opinions about a certain aspect of Paradise Lost, so that was fun.

It does lose a star for spending what felt like too long on the Charles Williams scandal. I think the writer was trying to make a point but I'm a bit lost on what it was.

Notes: 1) Do not get the audiobook if you are at all put off by poor pronunciation and enunciation. The narrator couldn't even say "Pevensie" correctly. 2) I have to be objective, since I kicked up such a stink with the last Sayers-adjacent nonfic I tried, and say there is a bit of bias to this one, with the writer coming from an Evangelical background. It's not overpowering but I would say it informs Dalfonzo's approach. (Which...is how writing works. Whatever.)

#2 - Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik - 5/5 stars ('24 TBR)

"There are men who are wolves inside, and want to eat up other people to fill their bellies. That it what was in your house with you, all your life. But here you are with your brothers, and you are not eaten up, and there is not a wolf inside you. You have fed each other, and you kept the wolf away. That is all we can do for each other in the world, to keep the wolf away."

I haven't had much luck with Novik in the past. I read Uprooted probably six years ago and remember it struck me as kind of bland and disjointed. When A Deadly Education was released I picked it up, excited by the premise, but didn't make it through the first chapter. I was starting to think Novik's style just wasn't for me.

Then while chatting with Elsabet (@eddis-not-eeddis), she mentioned how much she loves Spinning Silver and urged me to give it a try, so here we are.

Friends.

I did in fact enjoy it quite a lot.

The standout aspect for me is how Novik writes relationships. Any kind of relationship. Even the little ones that barely get a paragraph's mention. And then we get to see how those relationships build bonds, build links, make their own kind of magic, and I'm sold. This is how you flesh out characters. And this is how you make me care about them and connect with them.

Novik still has a very distinct style that sometimes trips me up, but it works.

(side note: I always forget Novik helped found AO3, and every time I'm reminded I go "oh yeah! good for her!)

More like this: "The Bear and the Nightingale" by Katherine Arden; "Anya and the Dragon" by Sofiya Pasternack (middle grade but the same sort of vibes); "Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow" by Jessica Day George.

#3 - A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan - 4/5 stars ('24 TBR, audio)

Fantastically written, well-paced, with an engaging narrative and a solid cast of characters. However, it works well as a stand-alone and I’m not sure whether or not I’ll continue the series. There was something in it that was lacking for me personally. I would definitely recommend it, though!

More like this: the Emily Wilde series; the Frontier Magic trilogy by Patricia C. Wrede.

#4 - South With the Sun: Roald Amundsen, His Polar Explorations, and the Quest for Discovery by Lynne Cox - 3/5 stars ('24 TBR)

If you’re looking for a book that's strictly about Roald Amundsen, don't start here. This book is half a general history of 19th century polar exploration leading up to Roald Amundsen; and half a recounting of some of Lynne Cox’s swimming accomplishments, which were largely inspired by Amundsen's work and travels.

I also wouldn't recommend this as a starting-off point for people who aren't familiar with the details of Lynne's story, since she ties so much of that into Amundsen's story.

Overall, it was a decent enough read. Lynne's passion and enthusiasm are plain all throughout the story, but her writing voice is lacking and parts of the book--especially those focusing on Amundsen's various expeditions--were clumsily written and difficult to follow. Amundsen finally crossing the North Pole received a grand total of one paragraph and was so unclear that I had to read it twice and then google the details of the endeavor to understand the significance of the dates listed. The last hundred pages are a proper muddle.

DNF

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern ('24 TBR) - Another book that was strongly recommended by a tumblr mutual! I wanted to like this one, and not just for Jules's sake. I gave it about 15% but it wasn’t clicking and I kept getting lost. Some reviews say the first part is rough, so maybe I’ll give this another try later. Don’t hate me, Jules 😅.

A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher ('24 TBR) - I will not apologize for not finishing this one. I'm straight-up ticked off.

The story started out strong (despite me being pathetic and having to really power through the stressful parts). It set a good pace AND the story was straight-forward and compelling. The first red flag was the writing style because my. stars. Did we have to get ominous, melodramatic, foreshadow-y asides practically every single chapter? Could be my fresh-from-DNFing self talking, but the whole voice came off as pretentious trying for profound. [Edit from after browsing 1- and 2-star reviews: it's not just me.]

I decided to put up with it because I honestly did want to know how the story would end. But it just dragged on and on with no direction. Stuff just...happened. And I got bored.

So I looked up reviews. And found spoilers. And rage-skimmed the last few chapters.

Friends. If you can get to the half-way mark in the story you're telling without even a hint of setting up for a stunt like that ending, you're doing it wrong.

Don't read this book. It's dumb.

Currently Reading:

Recorder by Cathy McCrumb (reread)

[newyorker]

Under the Sea: A Reading List

In summertime heat, our minds drift to the ocean—and, this week, we’re bringing you stories about exploration, danger, and discovery on the high seas. In “The Squid Hunter,” David Grann sets sail with the marine biologist who will brave any storm to sight a living giant squid; in “Secrets of the Deep,” John Colapinto investigates the dispute over a vast sunken treasure that may be the largest ever found. The long-distance swimmer Lynne Cox describes swimming the Northwest Passage in “A Dip in the Cold,” and, in “The Crossing,” Alec Wilkinson meets an eccentric adventurer determined to undertake a trans-Pacific voyage on a homemade raft. Elizabeth Kolbert explains what it will take to save the world’s coral reefs in “Unnatural Selection,” and, in “Her Deepness,” from 1989, Wallace White profiles Sylvia Earle, the intrepid marine botanist and deep-sea diver who—after living in an underwater laboratory and visiting the ocean floor in an experimental diving suit—became the first woman to hold the position of chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. We hope that you enjoy these voyages beneath the waves.

—David Remnick

[the-gloomth]

Lynne Cox

  Lynne Cox is an American competitive open-water long distance swimmer. She was the first person to swim successfully from the USA to the Soviet Union across the Bering Straight, as well as setting numerous records during her career.

The black and white photo above was taken when she was about 14 and in her peak competitive shape. This is not some photo of her years post retirement.

We’re often…

View On WordPress

[theresabookforthat]

#FRIDAY READS: SWIMMING!

Refresh yourselves! There’s no better time for swimming than in Summer so we’ve got some great books to dive into this weekend all about the joys of being a swimmer – the weightless, meditative quality of being in the water. Other than for escaping the heat, swimming is one of the best things you can do for your health and we hope these novels, memoirs and manuals provide inspiration.

 SWIMMING HOME: A NOVEL by Mary-Rose MacColl

“The lone swimmer, turning over now to switch to a perfectly executed back crawl, wasn’t Oxford or Cambridge, wasn’t a man. It was a woman, a girl. It was Catherine. Of course it was Catherine.”

From the author of the international bestseller In Falling Snow, a beautifully-written, heartwarming novel of a young woman swimmer in 1925. Swimming Home is a perfect pick for a poolside book club party, so Penguin Books has created a fun book club kit with cocktail recipes and snack ideas for your summer book club meeting.

 THE SWIMMER’S WORKOUT HANDBOOK: IMPROVE FITNESS WITH 100 SWIM WORKOUTS AND DRILLS by Terri Schneider

Just out in June and with 100 of the best swim workouts for all experience levels, The Swimmer’s Workout Handbook is a complete guide to escaping the routine of pool swimming with varied training workouts to keep you challenged and engaged, and improve your performance.

 SWIMMING by Nicola Keegan

Born in a landlocked town in the center of Kansas, Pip is tall, flat, smart, funny, and supernaturally buoyant. On land, she has her share of troubles: an agoraphobic mother, a lost father, and a school full of nuns who just want her to sit still. But in the water, Pip is unstoppable. Swimming her way from a small Midwestern team to the Barcelona Olympics, Pip’s journey is the story of a young girl with an unsinkable spirit, struggling to stay afloat in the only way she can.

SWIMMING STUDIES by Leanne Shapton

Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, Swimming Studies is author and artist Leanne Shapton’s lyrical and revealing illustrated memoir about the competitive pressures and meditative calm found in the sport she trained for as a teenager.

 FIND A WAY: THE INSPIRING STORY OF ONE WOMAN’S PURSUIT OF A LIFELONG DREAM by Diana Nyad

Legendary athlete Diana Nyad gives us the story of pursuing her dreams, mastering the 111-mile swim from Cuba to Florida at age 64—and demonstrating what is possible when we refuse to give up.

 OPEN WATER SWIMMING MANUAL: AN EXPERT’S SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR TRIATHLETES AND OPEN WATER SWIMMERS by Lynne Cox

Lynne Cox has set open water swimming records across the world, and now she has focused her decades-long experience and expertise into this definitive guide to swimming. Cox methodically addresses what is needed to succeed at and enjoy open water swimming.

 SWIMMING IN THE SINK: A MEMOIR by Lynne Cox

 Also by open-water swimming legend Lynne Cox, this stunning memoir of life after loss tells of facing the one challenge that no amount of training could prepare her for: heartbreak.

 SWIM TO ME by Betsy Carter

 At two, Delores’s mother dropped her into the shallow end of a lake, trusting instinct would teach her daughter to swim. From then on, the water is where Delores Walker feels most at home. Now, nearly seventeen, she’s boarding a Greyhound bus leaving the Bronx for sunny Weeki Wachee Springs, a tacky roadside attraction in the shadow of Walt Disney’s new Florida phenomenon.

 For more on these and other refreshing titles, visit Swimming.

[9to5buzzcom]

On Aug 7, 1987, Lynne Cox set a new record by swimming 2.7 miles (4.3 km) from Alaska to Siberia in a swimsuit.

[turtleislandhistory]

August 7, 1987

Lynne Cox of Boston, Massachusetts becomes the first person to swim the Bering Strait.

[freshlybrewedbookreviews]

Grayson by Lynne Cox

I first heard about the encounter between Lynne and Grayson the whale on the podcast "This Is Love." I remember getting really choked up listening to Cox talk about the brief relationship she had with a little gray whale. While the book admittedly was much less moving to me (and a little too self-focused, in ways that are hard to define but felt like they were taking me out of the experience of the encounter), Cox did have an amazing encounter, and it is an extremely interesting story to read about. I might have enjoyed it more had I not heard the story before, but it's still a worthwhile read.

[freddielove]

I think sometimes when things are really difficult for people, if you're just there with them, if you just walk beside them, it makes all the difference in the world. So much of life can be lonely, but if you know someone is nearby it changes everything.  I think we have understandings that go beyond words all the time.

Lynne Cox via The Spark File, episode 20