Explore this Nonfiction

The Brief Blog
I've got the in-a-hurry-but-not-quite-done feeling about October's Exploration theme. I'm in a hurry because it's November and I'm behind again, but I'm not quite done with October. In fact, I'm still looking forward to a guest blog on October's theme--so in the meantime, I'm going to add in my suggestions for adult exploration reads.

The Books
I love finding nonfiction that grips and propels me through the book--something I expect in fiction but which surprises me in nonfiction. Here are three engaging, relatively short "exploration" reads:

Longitude, by Dava Sobel: Longitude recounts the late 18th century race to find a reliable way for sailors to determine their longitude, thus preventing the frequent tragedy and economic loss that stemmed from ships perpetually being lost. John Harrison, an English clockmaker, found a solution but then had to battle the academic establishment for decades to gain recognition for his accomplishment. I couldn't put it down.

The Wild Muir, edited by Lee Stetson: Tales told in John Muir's own words of his adventures and explorations from sliding down an upper-story slate roof in his childhood Scotland to riding an avalanche in the Sierras. One of my all-time favorite books.

http://www.johnmuirlive.com/

Gift from the Sea, by Anne Morrow Lindbergh: Written by Charles Lindbergh's wife, this is a must-read for women. With its gentle allegory of the ocean, the book illuminates how to find balance between personal fulfillment and external obligation...definitely falls in the "internal exploration" category. I reread it whenever I need grounding.

The End! (for now (: )