The O'Neal Reader: May 2022

Tuesday, May 3, 2022

parks and UNESCO sites

The next Books & Beyond meeting is on Tuesday, May 24th at 6:30pm (note: this date is a week before to the usual day) and the topic up for discussion is audiobooks! A selection is available to peruse on the Books & Beyond row of the Shelf Care page.

Recently we met to chat about US state and national parks and national monuments and UNESCO World Heritage sites. The full list of UNESCO sites is a wonder to behold. Visit the interactive map and prepare to spend some time!

Books:

Secrets of the National Parks: The Expert’s Guide to the Best Experiences Beyond the Tourist Trail by National Geographic
The iconic landmarks in America's national parks draw hundreds of millions of visitors every year, from Yosemite's famous Half Dome to Yellowstone's Old Faithful. But beyond these well-known wonders lies a world of hidden treasures--if you know where to look. This exceptional guide reveals these lesser-known gems, along with insider knowledge about the parks' main attractions.

Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness by Edward Abbey (interesting trivia: all new rangers working Arches National Park receive a copy of this book)
Desert Solitaire is not just a collection of one man’s stories, the book is also a philosophical memoir, full of Abbey’s reflections on the desert as a paradox, at once beautiful and liberating, but also isolating and cruel. Often compared to Thoreau’s Walden, Desert Solitaire is a powerful discussion of life’s mysteries set against the stirring backdrop of the American southwestern wilderness.

Ansel Adams in Yosemite Valley: Celebrating the Park at 150 arranged by Peter Galassi
Ansel Adams first visited Yosemite in 1916, at the age of fourteen, and returned every year throughout his life. It was in Yosemite that he fell in love with Western wilderness and became a photographer; he made more photographs at Yosemite than at any other place. Roughly 150 of Adams’ breathtaking images are exquisitely reproduced in this large-format clothbound book.

The National Parks: America's Best Idea, An Illustrated History by Dayton Duncan
In this evocative and lavishly illustrated narrative, Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan delve into the history of the park idea, from the first sighting by white men in 1851 of the valley that would become Yosemite and the creation of the world's first national park at Yellowstone in 1872, through the most recent additions to a system that now encompasses nearly 400 sites and 84 million acres.

Accessible Vacations: An Insider’s Guide to 10 National Parks by Simon Hayhoe
The National Parks of the U.S. are some of the most sought-after travel destinations in the world. But a visit to any one of them may seem daunting to someone with hearing, seeing, or other physical challenges. What many may not know is that the National Parks offer help to those with access needs. Here, Simon Hayhoe takes readers on a tour of ten National Parks and the accessibility options available to visitors and their companions.

Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park by Lee Whittlesey
The chilling tome that launched an entire genre of books about the often gruesome but always tragic ways people have died in our national parks, this updated edition of the classic includes calamities in Yellowstone from the past sixteen years, including the infamous grizzly bear attacks in the summer of 2011 as well as a fatal hot springs accident in 2000. In these accounts, written with sensitivity as cautionary tales about what to do and what not to do in one of our wildest national parks, Whittlesey recounts deaths ranging from tragedy to folly—from being caught in a freak avalanche to the goring of a photographer who just got a little too close to a bison. Armchair travelers and park visitors alike will be fascinated by this important book detailing the dangers awaiting in our first national park.

Happy Trail by Smartypants Romance (eaudio only, via Hoopla)
A man of few words, Great Smokey Mountains Park Ranger Jay Daniels prefers the company of birds and trees to people. He’d most definitely prefer a bird to the human-tornado hybrid that just blew onto his peaceful stretch of the Appalachian Trail. The path of true love never has run smooth for Olive Perry. After getting dumped and promptly abandoned in the middle of her multi-month hike, Olive swears off men. Determined to finish the long trek by herself, she doesn’t need a prince—or broody and taciturn ranger—to save her. Yet, when an early snowstorm threatens the mountains, and Ranger Daniels is charged with getting hikers to safety, that includes hot-tempered Olive Perry. Snowed in and forced to share an abandoned cabin, can Olive’s heated intensity melt Jay’s cool reserve? And if so, will this happy trail lead to true love? Or will their time together be just another bump in the road? Another entry in the series, Stranger Ranger, is also available on Hoopla.

TV:

Our Great National Parks (Netflix exclusive series)
Narrated by former President Barack Obama, this stunning docuseries shines the spotlight on some of the planet's most spectacular national parks.

The National Parks: America’s Best Idea (Ken Burns)
The National Parks: America's Best Idea is a 2009 television documentary miniseries by director/producer Ken Burns and producer/writer Dayton Duncan explores the United States National Park system and traces the system's history.

General Discussion: