January 2026 Reading
I'm late with my reading from last month because I was in the middle of updating my entire blog setup and didn't want to have extra posts to import. Here's a look at my reading from January:
Death from the Skies! - Phil Plait
I like Phil's conversational approach to science writing. He tells stories and paints really clear pictures of what is happening in the deepest parts of the universe. This was a little bit of extra fun because each chapter starts with a small vignette setting the scene for the horrible thing heading toward the earth.
Trail of the Lost - Andrea Lankford
I really enjoy travel/wilderness survival stories, so I grabbed this while browsing at the library. The book follows a multi-year search for three hikers who all disappeared from the Pacific Coast Trail around 2016 and 2017. The author is a nurse and former National Parks ranger and has years of experience in wilderness search and rescue. At first, I thought the book was mainly a vent at official search and rescue protocols, and in some ways it is. She's frustrated with the bureaucracy and secrecy around missing persons in the national and state parks. At the same time, the book details stories of volunteer searchers also needing rescue because they're inexperienced and run into trouble.
In the end, the book walks through three families searching for lost sons. The official outlets are stretched and unofficial groups are often shut out, leaving a weird middle-ground where you cannot make progress. Community and the care of strangers brought together by common cause helps everyone involved keep looking when there is little hope left.
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