Island of the Lost: An Extraordinary Story of Survival at the Edge of the World

Island of the Lost: An Extraordinary Story of Survival at the Edge of the World by Joan Druett tells the tale of the Grafton's shipwreck on the Auckland Islands, 285 miles from New Zealand in the year 1864.

Two businessmen in Sydney came up with the idea of a crew sailing to an uninhabited island in the frozen ocean south of Australia and New Zealand, find a rumored mine and fill the ship with wealth. Captain Musgrave, one of the men's nephew, and Francoise Raynal set about finding a small ship and a crew.

Joined by a cook and two seaman, the ship consists of men from 4 nations (England, France, Azores, and Norway), they embark on a get-rich-quick scheme that has them sailing some of the most dangerous waters on the planet.

Making it safely to the chosen island, there is no sign of a mine. To make up some of the revenue expended, the Musgrave and Raynal decide to stop in the Aucklands to hunt seals - something none of them has any experience with - to fill the ship.

A storm dashes them into the rocks of an island made of cliffs - scoured year round by wind and rain. Luckily, the ship remains partially intact, allowing them to make is safely to shore and take some supplies. What follows is a harrowing tale of survival accomplished by putting aside rank and focusing on needs, starting with building a shelter.

Told from survivor journals, and including the history of the Auckland Islands, the tale of the Grafton crew's two years on an inhospitable island is fascinating. The ingenuity of the crew and the ability to scavenge from the ship for materials to alter into tools is incredible. One of the best survival stories I have read.

Druett, Joan (2007). Island of the Lost: An Extraordinary Story of Survival at the Edge of the World. Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books.

The Last Astronaut

The Last Astronaut by David Wellington is a thriller set in space.

After the 2034 disaster, manned space flight was stopped by NASA. Mission Commander Sally Jansen made it back to Earth, but lost a crewmember. She was flayed in the press. Now she lives in Florida, a state mostly underwater, working on a salvage crew. Diving is the closest she can get to the feeling of a spacewalk.

Years later: Sunny Stevens, an employee of a private space firm, comes to NASA with evidence of a projectile flying toward Earth. It is not a meteor, because it has slowed down, putting it on a trajectory for Earth's orbit.

Now NASA is in need of astronauts to meet the possible ship that is hurtling toward Earth. And Sally Jansen is the only hope for a commander.

Joined by Sunny and two others - a scientist and a military officer - Sally must face her fears and fly toward the alien ship. But the company Sunny worked for also has a ship on its way to intercept.

Wellington has written a scifi monster story containing all of the elements necessary for a fun read.

Wellington, David. (2019). The Last Astronaut. New York: Orbit.

Freshwater

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi is a fictionalized novel based on her life, a quasi-memoir, of living as a plural person.

Ada, born in southern Nigeria, is a trouble prone child due to the ogbanje or spirits to share her body. As is typical of Nigerian parents, Ada is sent abroad for college. She moves to United States.

At college a traumatic event leads to one of the ogbanje taking over Ada's body. Asughara protects Ada but also revels at having a physical body to do with as she pleases.

Written with lyrical prose this difficult tale is moving and beautiful. It is the story of loss and reconciliation, of heartbreak, and of merging the disparate parts into harmony. Emezi is a powerful writer who choses words carfully - resulting in sentences that stop your reading in its tracks so you can savor them. I will read everything they write.

Emezi, Akwaeke. (2018). Freshwater. New York: Grove Press.

The Clockmaker's Daughter

The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton is a beautiful mystery / ghost story.

In 1862 a group of artists spend the summer at a house in the countryside on the Upper Thames, a house called Birchwood Manor. What is supposed to be a time of creativity is ruined by a murder and disappearance.

150 years later an archivist, Elodie Winslow, receives a satchel found in a closet. It contains a sketchbook and a sepia photo of a beautiful woman. The two do not seem to be related and the satchel is from a later era. One of the sketches in the book is of a house that looks exactly like the house is a story Elodie's mother told her as a child.

Weaving together the two time periods, Morton weaves a tale of mystery, family secrets and a beautiful manor by the river. This is a beautiful story, read it today.

Morton, Kate. (2018). The Clockmaker's Daughter. New York: Atria Books.

4 3 2 1

4 3 2 1 by Paul Auster is four stories in one - how one decision could lead to four possible lives for Archie Ferguson.

Born in 1947 in New Jersey, and with twentieth century American history as a backdrop, each of the possibilities branch from one night when Archie is a still a boy when something happens at his father's appliance store. In each version the night is slightly different and branches out from there.

In each version there are overlapping people - family and friends who play a role. In each version Archie chooses a different path based on how his life changed that night. One night that alters how he sees the world.

Auster is a master of a beautifully told story. This one is wonderful to contemplate as it is being read. Read any of his books and you will want to read all of the others.

Auster, Paul. (2017). 4 3 2 1. New York: Picador.