June 2016 Wrap Up (Kind of...)

My month of reading adventure novels has drawn to a (sort of) close.  I say that because I'm currently making my way through The Count of Monte Cristo, so I'm going to be a little bit late moving onto my next theme.  I still wanted to write my wrap up post on time though, so I will come back and edit once I've finished with The Count.

This month turned out differently than I expected.  I had this vague idea in my head of adventure novels being full of dashing heroes and thrilling situations.  You know, Indiana Jones-style.  What I discovered was that the word "adventure" is actually really vague.

An adventure could be:
-Solving a murder mystery in the town you live in
-A quest for revenge after a deep betrayal
-Surviving a voyage to discover the North Pole
-Trying to establish a new home in space
-Magic, dragons, wishes and folklore
-Surviving a work camp in Siberia

There are so many possibilities of what an adventure could be that it's impossible to accurately define the word! I read some great books and some stinkers this month, but what they all had in common was that the characters, real or fictional, all had a drive to keep on going, despite some truly awful situations.  I suppose adventure is courage in the face of danger, and the motivation to live, no matter what obstacles get thrown into your way.

Books Read

A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Revenant by Michael Punke
In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides
Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Best of the Month: In the Kingdom of Ice
Worst of the Month: Seveneves

Weird Coincidences:

-Both The Revenant and In the Kingdom of Ice feature characters surviving on pemmican, a survival food made from a mixture of meat, fat, and berries.  I'd never heard of it until this month, and to see it described twice within a matter of weeks was kind of funny.

-Both In the Kingdom of Ice and Between Shades of Gray feature people suffering from scurvy in Siberia.

-A Study in Scarlet, The Revenant, and The Count of Monte Cristo feature plot lines based on revenge. 

Books I didn't get to, but am saving for later:
S. by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst
I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

New Favorites:
In the Kingdom of Ice

As I'm still working on The Count of Monte Cristo, my month of adventure reading isn't quite done yet.  I'll be back once I've made my way through that for some final thoughts, and then it will be onto the next theme!