'War and Peace' by Leo Tolstoy

War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy (4.0)

Re-reading this book was a real pleasure. I’m sure when I read it in my 20’s, I skimmed the ‘war’ philosophic discussions, Tolstoy’s musings on whether or not Napoleon was a genius. With more time and wisdom (?) I really enjoyed his take on the realities of war versus historians’ interpretation. While the ‘peace’ sections can be quite melodramatic – the scene of Nicholas Rostov nearly fainting at seeing the Tsar in person comes to mind – the characters were compelling enough to keep one interested through a 1000+-page book. Since Tolstoy wrote this just 50 years after the war, his take on the attitudes of the nobility were believable. Their lack of concern with war on their doorstep is frightening and telling. I’m not sure I’m ready for the 4-hour movie and certainly not ready for Henry Fonda as the stout, bookish Pierre, but I do want to read more about Napoleon and particularly his battles with Russia in 1812.

'Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage' by Alfred Lansing

Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage, Alfred Lansing (5.0)

Wow, it would be hard to find a book that packs more adventure into ~350 pages and is a true story! I’ve heard of many tough experiences, but to endure so many repeatedly was quite remarkable. Lansing has used Shackleton’s and other’s diaries and written the tale as if he was there every step of the way. A bit of a spoiler, but I was hard pressed to find the most amazing survival bit – crossing the treacherous Drake Passage in a 22 foot boat, hiking in the snow over multiple 5k ft passes on Saint George’s island (with no sleep, dehydrated and virtually no food), or the >500 days of cold with constantly wet clothes and sleeping bags. I’m not sure any modern day person, given our wealth of comforts, could survive. While I can understand our forbearers crossing the Atlantic to find the New World, I am harder pressed to understand why one would choose to undergo this type of ‘adventure’, just to have done it, but I can marvel at the story.