corner corner Surviving Galeras

Medium

Surviving Galeras
by Stanley Williams | Science
Registered by starbookz of Charleston, South Carolina USA on Saturday, August 07, 2004
Average 8 star rating by BookCrossing Members 

status (set by judygreeneyes): to be read


17 journalers for this copy...

Journal Entry 1 by starbookz from Charleston, South Carolina USA on Saturday, August 07, 2004

This book has not been rated.

This was a donation to our shelf that I am registering. Thank you so much, to the donor, and thank you to the reader of this note. If you are new to bookcrossing, please consider journaling on this book to help keep track of its journey. You may keep the book, give it to a friend, return it to the Starbookz shelf, or set it free somewhere else. It's all up to you!

You may also consider joining bookcrossing. It is a great internet community of world wide readers.

This book looks very exciting- the first hand account of a volvanic eruption and its aftermath.

entry by bookczuk
 

Journal Entry 2 by wingbummawing from Charleston, South Carolina USA on Saturday, September 18, 2004

This book has not been rated.

My daughter-in-law, visiting Folly Beach, picked this up at Starbucks. We had alerted her to the bookshelf. I found it while visiting her and got to read the first chapter and was enthralled. She promised to hand it down to me.
she finished it before she left and gave it high marks. I am a "rock collector" and can hardly wait to finish it. This may take some time because I am known to reread books I love. 

Journal Entry 3 by wingAnonymousFinderwing on Thursday, September 30, 2004

10 out of 10

this is one of the best books I have read in a long time.Ever since I saw the vocanoes on the Big Island in Hawaii, have kept my eyes peeled for accounts of eruptions in our times.
this book is fascinating because it describes an eruption of Galeras,(in Columbia) talks about volcanologists, the history of this volcano, profiles of the people who survived or died, some eruptions that were very large from Vesuvious in Pliny the elder's time to Mt St Helen in my time .

stanley Williams talks about his experience with the volcano,his recuperation,( has taken at least ten years), how his life has changed. It's a must read..
I will pass it along to bookczuk and hope she and herguys read it.

Bumma 

Journal Entry 4 by wingbookczukwing from Charleston, South Carolina USA on Friday, October 01, 2004

This book has not been rated.

Into my stack of To Be Reads this goes.

When I'll get to it, nobody knows

But hopefully, BEFORE Mt St Helens Blows

Link to the
Mt St Helen's VolcanoCam 

Journal Entry 5 by wingbookczukwing from Charleston, South Carolina USA on Wednesday, December 29, 2004

This book has not been rated.

Am sending this off on loan to morpha, who was a grad student in geology at ASU the year before this tragic event happened and knows some of the people involved.

Ironically, Mr czuk and I know a vulcanoligist who was also linked with this event.

I still have it on my TBR pile, so it might as well go traveling till I can get to it! 

Journal Entry 6 by morpha from Astoria, Oregon USA on Sunday, January 16, 2005

9 out of 10

This came in the mail two days ago, I have already gobbled it up. Crunch, crunch. Yum, yum.

It turns out that I was at ASU 3 years before this happened, don't know anyone that was there, but do know two people who are only mentioned in passing. I somehow thought this all happened in '91, but my memory is incorrect.

I just had to bookmark the link to the St. Helens Volcanocam. What fun!
By the way, ASU hosts a volcano listserver which was set up by Stanley Williams. I don't have the link, but it's well worth searching out, you will get email when any volcano in the world erupts or has unusual eruptive behavior.

Okay, about the book:
I couldn't help but compare Surviving Galeras to Krakauer's Into Thin Air (a much better book).

Stanley Williams is one arrogant man. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this book. At first, it was irritating to be switched back and forth from Williams' story of the ill-fated field trip to Galeras to historical eruptions and profiles of other volcanologists, both historic and contemporary. Then I became used to the pacing of the book and enjoyed it more.

This is a good book that points out the hazards of living near a potentially active volcano and the need for better eruption prediction science. It also touches on the group of scientists who are sometimes known as Volcano Cowboys for their sometimes dangerous field work on active volcanos. I believe that before the Galeras eruption, Stan Williams was a Volcano Cowboy, a risk-taker who led a group of people on a "Volcano Cowboy" field trip without properly researching the potential dangers of entering the crater of a volcano that was not well understood.

I understand that perhaps there is a need for this sort of research, that "Cowboy" research advances scientist's knowledge of pre-eruptive behavior and may help them predict eruptions, thus saving lives.

Not all volcanologists are "Cowboys" however, and Williams perhaps should not have taken non-cowboys along on a field trip that was really a cowboy research expedition.

There are two books want to read now, No Apparent Danger: The True Story of Volcanic Disaster at Galeras and Nevado del Ruiz; in part, a rebuttal of Williams' book. The other book is Volcano Cowboys. 

Journal Entry 7 by wingbookczukwing from Charleston, South Carolina USA on Wednesday, February 09, 2005

10 out of 10

Has arrived home!

Just thought you might appreciate the Valentine's Day card I am making for my 4 year old nephew (the only person in the family for whom I am getting a card.) He is a huge volcano fan (see the picture for his Halloween costume made by my multi talented sitere in law.)

The punch line is "We LAVA you"!

Hard to add more to the book than previous readers did. It was truly a memorable read. A good friend of ours is a volcanologist, and was on the team described here, but came home early because of a family crisis. He had the feeling of being given a second chance at life for missing the eruption, but also that he missed out on the experience of a lifetime.  

Journal Entry 8 by wingbookczukwing from Charleston, South Carolina USA on Wednesday, February 09, 2005

This book has not been rated.

And here's the volcano erupting! 

Journal Entry 9 by wingbookczukwing at Atlanta, Georgia USA on Saturday, April 24, 2010

This book has not been rated.

Released 2 yrs ago (4/24/2010 UTC) at Atlanta, Georgia USA

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Given to Cordelia-anne when we met during JordanCon.
A book Bumma loved deserves a special new reader.

Pictured The bellydancing workshop cordelia-anne and I took at JordanCon. No lava, but a lot of hips flowing from side to side!

To the finder of this book:

Welcome to BookCrossing, a unique community of book lovers, sharing their libraries with the world. This book is now yours to read, enjoy, keep or pass on to another reader. The BookCrossing ID, which you entered in the "Enter a BCID" box on the website, is unique to this copy of this book. If you make a journal entry (either anonymously, or as a BookCrossing member) all previous readers of this actual book will be notified by email, and can follow the book as it travels. BookCrossing is free to join, completely confidential (you are known only by your screen name and no one is ever given your e-mail address) and a heck of a lot of fun. Be on the lookout for other books left in the "Wild"!

PS And if you find yourself liking BookCrossing, there may be local BookCrossers who meet regularly in your area. Come join us! 

Journal Entry 10 by wingcordelia-annewing from Decatur, Georgia USA on Saturday, April 24, 2010

This book has not been rated.

I'm really delighted to have this book. It looks fascinating and the journal entries, information and pictures that go with it are priceless! That volcano costume is amazing and there are other wonderful journal entries, including recommendations for further reading. A recent trip to marvelous Hawaii made me admire the work of volcanos. These forces of nature often destroy but they create beauty too. Of course, this was a themed release for bookczuk as she's flying to Europe which has been travel-locked as far as air traffic is concerned by the recent volcanic explosion in Iceland. May her trip be safe and serene. It was a pleasure to meet. 

Journal Entry 11 by wingcordelia-annewing at Decatur, Georgia USA on Monday, November 08, 2010

This book has not been rated.

Just 12 days ago Indonesia's Mount Merapi, a volcano of the Pacific "Ring of Fire," violently awoke. Over 135 people have been killed in a series of eruptions that have become more and more violent. Almost 100 of the deaths have come in these past three days as clouds of noxious gas, burning ash and incinerating volcano debris have overcome people, animals and homes. The scenes of the massive evacuations of those who've been lucky enough to survive have played out here on my computer in films that always cut to shots of the hauntingly beautiful Mount Merapi, poetic as an Asian painting. It's hard to reconcile the grace of the volcano that I see here on the screen with its terrible violence. So I was drawn to this deeply informative book that looks at the lives of volcano scientists and examines their science. Like bumma, I found myself enthralled. With Fen Montaigne, a highly accomplished science and nature journalist, volcanologist Stanley Williams tells the tale of his horrible encounter with Galeras in South America. When Williams was in Columbia leading a conference on volcanos in January of 1993, he and several local and international scientists were killed and injured when Galeras spontaneously erupted as they studied it. Williams offers the stories of those who died, suffered or were at the scene of the eruption and of his personal recovery from devastating brain and orthopedic injuries. In the final chapters, he actually says that he hopes the book will be a sort of exorcism of all the woes that Galeras wrought that day in January 1993. The history of volcanos and their study are a compelling backdrop. From Vesuvius' famous eruptions in antiquity to Galeras and the currently active volcanos of South America, the stories of volcanos and of their "lovers" and victims fascinated me. I did not realize that the eruptions of Iceland's Laki in the late 18th Century caused a minor ice age in America and Europe that was the source of the Irish Potato famine and much of the movement of populations in the early 19th Century. Europeans came to America and America moved to its Western frontiers. New Englanders, hardest hit by the ecological disaster, moved in force to places like Indiana. I'm grateful to whoever left this book in Charleston and to bumma, morpha and bookczuk who passed it along to me. I hope that Surviving Galeras will continue its journey here in bookcrossing and find many more enthusiastic readers. 

Journal Entry 12 by wingcordelia-annewing at Decatur, Georgia USA on Tuesday, November 09, 2010

This book has not been rated.

The little ones grow so fast. Now, bookczuk's nephew must be at least 9 and guinaveve's baby is 8! Where does the time go! They grow up overnight. With this book, I'm sending along the volcano book that I got for my 13!!!!!!!!! year-old-nephew sometime ago when he was just a wee lad. He hasn't picked it up for a while. So Surviving Galeras will continue for now as part of a mother-son reading venture. It's weirdly timely as President Obama is in Indonesia where he lived as a lad. And Merapi is a major influence on his travel plan. After stopping in Ohio, Surviving Galeras will eventually reach ETMadrid's bookshelf in London and other destinations yet unknown. If you would like to join this book's informal bookray, please PM cordelia-anne. I'll put you on the list. 

Journal Entry 13 by wingcordelia-annewing at Mason, Ohio USA on Saturday, November 27, 2010

This book has not been rated.

Released 1 yr ago (11/27/2010 UTC) at Mason, Ohio USA

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

This book is finally on its way to the next reader. It will be a bookray. I'm not sure of the order yet but ETMadrid in London will be another one of the readers. We are open to queries for the book. I hope it will be enjoyed for many more reads in memory of bumma. I live relatively near Stone Mountain, one of the largest monadnocks in the world. Monadnocks are essentially giant rocks, mostly igneous. Igneous rocks are rocks formed from heated lava. We don't have any threatening volcanos here in Georgia but much of our landscape was formed millions of years ago by volcanos. Nearby Panola Mountain is another example. My fascination with these places and their distinctive beauty helps me to understand the volcano cowboy inclination. I'm ready for another trip to Hawaii right now! 

Journal Entry 14 by guinaveve at Mason, Ohio USA on Monday, November 29, 2010

This book has not been rated.

This came today in the mail. I look forward to reading it. I love that it is a well journalled book already! 

Journal Entry 15 by guinaveve at Mason, Ohio USA on Friday, December 10, 2010

This book has not been rated.

I enjoyed the personal narratives of the volcanologists- their family life, their histories, and how they came to be in their field of study.
I remember learning about volcanoes in grade school, but their potential widespread destructive forces really stood out after reading this.
I found the Williams to be very egotistical which is probably accurate considering he professed to this trait in the book. His ordeal was horrid and his recovery amazing though at the time of publication, he was still suffering consequences from the injuries.
Thanks for sharing this with me. 

Journal Entry 16 by guinaveve at Post Office in Sent by mail, a fellow bookcrosser -- Controlled Releases on Thursday, December 23, 2010

This book has not been rated.

Released 1 yr ago (12/23/2010 UTC) at Post Office in Sent by mail, a fellow bookcrosser -- Controlled Releases

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Enjoy! 

Journal Entry 17 by wingcordelia-annewing at Decatur, Georgia USA on Wednesday, December 29, 2010

8 out of 10

The book is safely back in my hands here in the land of igneous rock. The ray has not completely come together, though I do have interested people. I had a Galerian experience right before Christmas. On December 20, about 10 hours before the lunar eclipse on the morning of the winter solstice, I was happily making my way on a rural Georgia highway to visit with friends. Suddenly, I was struck head on by someone who was confused and driving in a big car very fast. Unfortunately I was going about 55 and he seemed to be going 80. I was able to walk out of the car, which alas is no more. But the important and merciful thing is that I am here to tell the tale, healing again from yet another one of those terrible volcanic explosions of life. Perhaps Sister Moon was somehow protecting us as there was not a human bone broken in this catastrophe. As the tow truck operator said: "a wreck without death is a good result and we CAN have a Merry Christmas!" I did and I hope you all did, dear bookcrossing friends. Sorry to break this news to you this way, especially bookczuk and guinaveve. I guess I should look at what Miss Manners has to say about wrecks. I know one does not send out wreck announcements. I'm happy to have this book back and will configure a path for it soon. I uploaded a picture of the moon over city hall in Athens, Georgia, about 40 miles away from the scene of the accident. After taking some painkillers, I was asleep when the moon turned red above me as it was overshadowed by the earth. David Manning of the Athens Banner Herald took this haunting picture. You can find it on Athens Online. Many blessings of the coming year to all the readers of this book. Have happy journeys and remember to keep your seat belts buckled.
 

Journal Entry 18 by wingcordelia-annewing at Rome, Emilia Romagna Italy on Friday, December 31, 2010

This book has not been rated.

Released 1 yr ago (12/31/2010 UTC) at Rome, Emilia Romagna Italy

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

I can't resist attaching this portrait of lovely Emma, Lady Hamilton by British painter George Romney as I'm now sending SURVIVING GALERAS to Italy. Emma rose from being a maid and a courtesan in her native England to her marriage to Sir William, who was then British envoy to Naples. She later became the mistress of Lord Horatio Nelson, one of the great military heros of the 18th Century. Lord Hamilton is one of the "volcano lovers" described in Williams' book and the ménage à trois he, Emma and Nelson formed continues to fascinate historians and artists. Movie actress Vivian Leigh, who played Scarlett, Atlanta's own scandalous, fictional character, also stared as Lady Hamilton with her love, the actor Lawrence Olivier, as Lord Nelson. Of course the volcano Lord Hamilton loved was the infamous Vesuvius, which among other things incinerated Pompeii, a high living ancient town. One of the great volcano lovers of antiquity, Pliny the elder, was there. He didn't survive Vesuvius.  

Journal Entry 19 by wingHayes13wing at Roma, Lazio Italy on Thursday, February 17, 2011

This book has not been rated.

Arrived this morning. Thank you! Will get to it as quickly as I can. 

Journal Entry 20 by wingHayes13wing at -- By post or by hand --, Greater London United Kingdom on Tuesday, March 22, 2011

This book has not been rated.

Released 1 yr ago (3/23/2011 UTC) at -- By post or by hand --, Greater London United Kingdom

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Oops... I deleted the previous JE by mistake... I think I should go to bed...
----------------

What a fascinating trip into the world of volcanoes. I confess, I had to skim through the part when he talked about his rescue... it gave me heart palpitations. I don't know how he managed to live through it.

Thank you for sharing this with me.

Off it goes to London!

PS: bookczuk, I just love your nephew's volcano costume! 

Journal Entry 21 by wingETMadridwing at London , Greater London United Kingdom on Sunday, March 27, 2011

This book has not been rated.

It's here already - thank you Hayes13! (Have just recommended the San Clemente church to my sister-in-law who is headed for Rome!) 

Journal Entry 22 by wingETMadridwing at London , Greater London United Kingdom on Friday, May 06, 2011

8 out of 10

I finished reading this last week sometime. Found it very interesting. I was in Colombia a few months before this volcano exploded, though didn't know anything about it either before or after this tragedy. Another reason I found this so interesting was the number of references to Unzen, the volcano in Japan that killed the French photographers, among others. I could on a clear day see it from the town I was living in, two years after it exploded. I was glad that I was not living any closer, as friends who did couldn't hang out their washing as the ash was so present in the air. I did know that people had lost their lives, and once drove past the remains of the buried houses, but more often I drove to visitor centre near the top. The threat that these live volcanoes pose had not sunk in till reading this book. I might think twice before heading up one again!

cordelia-anne who is next on the bookray? 

Journal Entry 23 by wingETMadridwing at Bermondsey, Greater London United Kingdom on Friday, June 03, 2011

This book has not been rated.

Released 11 mos ago (6/3/2011 UTC) at Bermondsey, Greater London United Kingdom

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

I'm so sorry that I have sat on this for long. I am now beginning to emerge from a very chaotic couple of months. It's on the move again. 

Journal Entry 24 by wingstarflashwing at Crawley, West Sussex United Kingdom on Friday, June 10, 2011

This book has not been rated.

Arrived at work earlier in the week,been reading it in my lunch hour-the style is frustrating me a bit: a little about the day of the eruption, a bio of someone on the mountain, a little about the day.........only on page 88 though, be patient! 

Journal Entry 25 by wingstarflashwing at Crawley, West Sussex United Kingdom on Monday, June 27, 2011

This book has not been rated.

Released 11 mos ago (6/27/2011 UTC) at Crawley, West Sussex United Kingdom

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Off to vekiki with another book: this book continued to be frustrating, once I got near the end I realised why-it was cathartic for the author. Nothing wrong with that, but it made an odd read.  

Journal Entry 26 by wingVekikiwing at -- somewhere in Greater London --, Greater London United Kingdom on Friday, July 01, 2011

This book has not been rated.

recieved, thanks :) 

Journal Entry 27 by wingVekikiwing at -- somewhere in Greater London --, Greater London United Kingdom on Friday, July 08, 2011

This book has not been rated.

I couldbn;t really get into this one to be honest - the science all seemed a bit surface level and i wasn't a fan of teh writing style. Flicked through it too see if I could find a reason to perserve but eventually decided to move it along 

Journal Entry 28 by wingVekikiwing at -- somewhere in Greater London --, Greater London United Kingdom on Friday, July 08, 2011

This book has not been rated.

Released 10 mos ago (7/8/2011 UTC) at -- somewhere in Greater London --, Greater London United Kingdom

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

popped in the post to the next reader in the ring 

Journal Entry 29 by wingvedranasterwing at Zagreb: Donji grad (city centre), Zagreb City Croatia on Friday, July 15, 2011

This book has not been rated.

Arrived today, thanks Vekiki.

Am a bit swamped at the moment with work and one and a half ray/ring books that arrived before this one, but will get to this one as soon as possible.

Isn't it weird how rings and rays often like to bookswamp you all at the very same time. For a couple of months no rings or rays arrived in my mailbox, and now four books in two weeks. :)

 

Journal Entry 30 by wingcordelia-annewing at Decatur, Georgia USA on Sunday, August 21, 2011

8 out of 10

vedranaster reminded me of our bookray today. She's just about to begin reading. In the meantime, more people have expressed interest so I'm working up a schedule for the ray. The latest was this:

vedranaster Croatia
goldenwattle Australia
PJLBewdy Australia
penelopewanders Switzerland
drjenny88 UK (next reader as of January 2012)

After drjenny88, the book will return to the US. judygreeneyes and easterngirl71 are interested. I do believe the book needs to return to the Pacific region after that. There's an interested reader in New Zealand.

Since then judygreeneyes in the USA and another European reader have expressed an interest. So there will be a little revision toward the end of our list after I contact some of our far-flung bookcrossers.
 

Journal Entry 31 by wingvedranasterwing at Zagreb: Donji grad (city centre), Zagreb City Croatia on Monday, August 29, 2011

8 out of 10

I was afraid that the scientific lingo might get to heavy, but found myself turning page, after page, after page, enjoying the book more and more. It has definitely turned out to be one of my favourites this year! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful book! :)

After entertaining my brain with a no-brains-needed book called 31 Dream Street which was borderline-romance (eeek! - but I did enjoy it), I then dove into this one, which is definitely more brainy, but still a very readable book, and connected to a topic I have lately been rediscovering my love for - volcanoes. Some of the terminology I was already familiar with, some I had to look up, and some I simply ignored, the meaning being approximately understandable from the context. It did not detract from the book for me, nor make the book unreadable.

I love the writing style. I love how the authors seamlessly mix the volcanology with the narration of the January 1993 events and the stories about the life of each of the scientists involved in the events. I would have loved it even more if one or two photos of the location were included so the picture in the mind's eye was more precise and even more vivid. I did the next best thing - I googled. *grin*

The description of various ways and reasons why/how volcanoes kill dispels the usual human attitude that if you're at a "safe" distance, you can't come to any harm. With volcanoes you just never know what distance actually is safe distance.

 

Journal Entry 32 by wingvedranasterwing at Zagreb, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- Croatia on Monday, August 29, 2011

This book has not been rated.

Released 9 mos ago (8/29/2011 UTC) at Zagreb, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- Croatia

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

The book is now in the care of the Post Office, on its way to goldenwattle in Australia. It's going as media mail, but airmail instead of surface, as surface might take months.

Enjoy! :)

 

Journal Entry 33 by winggoldenwattlewing at Canberra, Australian Capital Territory Australia on Monday, September 05, 2011

This book has not been rated.

I found this book waiting in my letter box when I arrived home from work. Thank you Vedranaster for posting it. The package made good time - seven travelling days from Croatia. I have added my contribution to the volcano photographs.

Photograph: The active volcano, Big Ben, on Heard Island in the sub-Antarctic, 2,745 metres high. Big Ben is the highest mountain in Australian Territory. 

Journal Entry 34 by winggoldenwattlewing at Canberra, Australian Capital Territory Australia on Saturday, September 10, 2011

8 out of 10

An enthralling read; the story of Stanley Williams’ survival on the volcano Galeras, trapped on it when it erupted. This book is also a memorial to the other people who died on the volcano that day. I did wonder about the use of imperial measurements throughout the book though. Stanley Williams is a scientist, working with scientists from many countries and the imperial measurements seemed out of place, and possibly will date the book. But still a great read.

Photograph: Dormant volcanos in Australia. They last erupted 4,500 years ago. There are no active volcanos on the Australian mainland.  

Journal Entry 35 by winggoldenwattlewing at Canberra, Australian Capital Territory Australia on Saturday, September 24, 2011

This book has not been rated.

Released 8 mos ago (9/24/2011 UTC) at Canberra, Australian Capital Territory Australia

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

I have PMed PJLBewdy.

Photograph: Extinct volcano Mt Warning, NSW, Australia.
Today the caldera valley is over 1000 meters deep and has a diameter of over forty kilometres. When the volcano finished it's eruptions about 20 million years ago, the volcano had risen to a height of over 2 kilometres. Layers of ash and lava had been deposited over its outward slopes, to a diameter of about 100 kilometres. From: The Caldera of the Tweed Volcano

26/9/2011: I posted the book to PJLBewdy today.

This book is released for:
2011 Keep Them Moving Challenge 

Journal Entry 36 by wingPJLBewdywing at Smiths Lake, New South Wales Australia on Thursday, September 29, 2011

This book has not been rated.

Ah the joy of receiving an interesting and well travelled book. Thank you very much for sending it on goldenwattle 

Journal Entry 37 by wingPJLBewdywing at Smiths Lake, New South Wales Australia on Tuesday, October 25, 2011

This book has not been rated.

Released 7 mos ago (10/26/2011 UTC) at Smiths Lake, New South Wales Australia

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

For anyone who has been involved in a situation with horrendous consequences for the participants Williams' account rings true -
* none tells the same story
* nobody is the same afterwards
* there was a lot of hubris all round and more care should have been taken

I found Williams' story interesting and compelling - he will have to be the judge of his own culpability and I have no doubt that he has been his own judge. The technical volcano stuff was interesting. Australians don't have a lot of involvement with volcanos.

Off it goes to Switzerland as the next leg of the Ray> Hope you enjoy it! 

Journal Entry 38 by wingpenelopewanderswing at Hasliberg, Bern / Berne Switzerland on Tuesday, November 08, 2011

This book has not been rated.

This arrived behind a few other rings here in the Swiss Alps. I hope to get to it soon but I try to take rings in their order of arrival, and this is a busy time for me workwise. Thanks so much for sending and making available.  

Journal Entry 39 by wingpenelopewanderswing at Hasliberg, Bern / Berne Switzerland on Thursday, December 01, 2011

8 out of 10

Here as a ring.
This is an ARC edition - I can't help wondering if there are photos in the "real" book - I would have loved to see some, as this was all quite new for me.
Towards the beginning I was sometimes a little irked as I felt like the author had a story to tell and maybe because he worried it wouldn't suffice to make a book had to intersperse the action with related volcano lore. As all that lore was relatively new to me (I think we studied volcanoes in a seventh grade science class? maybe?) I found it interesting, but would have liked it more if I didn't feel it was there as filler. Maybe it was just the transitions that were awkward?
I was fascinated by the explanation of how volcanic eruptions have affected climate in the past - as noticed by Benjamin Franklin!
I found the ending also slightly strange - it was good that Williams get his mea culpa out, but just as he describes an intellectual shift before and after the eruption (and his brain injury), so too does his personality as narrator seem to shift. From the careful planner, buddy to all, he gradually sounds more and more defensive. I felt like I was hearing less about the actual volcanic event and more about the politics and jockeying for position amongst the scientists.
Despite this I found it a very interesting read, and was glad of the opportunity to read it.
I've PMed for the next address but have yet to hear back. 

Journal Entry 40 by wingcordelia-annewing at Decatur, Georgia USA on Friday, December 02, 2011

This book has not been rated.

Thanks penelopewanders. It's wonderful how this book is moving around the world. Though Surviving Galeras may not be a completely satisfying read to everyone, it opens a whole new interest. Anyway, we need to fit two new readers into the ray so I'll PM drjenny as well to let her know about the new readers. We will have to make a few adaptations. 

Journal Entry 41 by wingpenelopewanderswing at Hasliberg, Bern / Berne Switzerland on Monday, December 19, 2011

This book has not been rated.

Hmm, somehow I don't seem to have the option to release this book now, maybe because cordelia anne journalled it after me? Anyway, after a long break in the Alps, this is now travelling to the UK. The snow finally arrived here - it's been snowing since just before the weekend, so this may need to sled out of here... anyway, it's now finally on its way. My husband ended up picking this up and took longer to read it than I'd hoped. We both enjoyed it, anyway, thanks so much for making it available! 

Journal Entry 42 by wingpenelopewanderswing at Hasliberg, Bern / Berne Switzerland on Monday, December 19, 2011

This book has not been rated.

Released 5 mos ago (12/19/2011 UTC) at Hasliberg, Bern / Berne Switzerland

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Once I re-jounalled I was able to "release" this. Anyway, it's still on its way! 

Journal Entry 43 by drjenny88 at Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire United Kingdom on Tuesday, January 10, 2012

7 out of 10

I was sent this book as part of a bookring and was intrigued by the premise - the tale of Stanley Williams' survival of the Galeras volcanic eruption - but wary of being overwhelmed by scientific jargon.
Whilst there are some technical phrases included (to be expected in a book that covers not only this particular eruption but also some of the history of volcanology), these are introduced slowly and in a story-like context, allowing you to take them on board at your own pace and ensuring the reader doesn't get bogged down in jargon.

The story itself is a thrilling, moving tale of not only exploration of the natural world and scientific endeavour, but also of the human condition. Through his analysis of his experience, Stanley Williams has been forced to examine himself and his colleagues, bringing to the fore a volley of characters that help to shape his version of what happened on Galeras (for, of course, memory is a tricky thing...)

What I liked best about this book was that Williams leaves it to the reader to piece together the puzzle of what led to and what happened during the eruption. He sets out his recollections, but also brings in those of other survivors and eyewitnesses, so that a full picture can be garnered.

I hope the next reader finds it as fascinating and enthralling as I have.
I will be posting it off to the next bookcrosser in the ring ASAP.

Edit: Have contacted the next person in the bookring several times now, but no response - do I keep trying or skip to the next person? 

Journal Entry 44 by drjenny88 at San Diego, California USA on Sunday, April 15, 2012

This book has not been rated.

Released 1 mo ago (4/12/2012 UTC) at San Diego, California USA

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Posted to judygreeneyes, continuing the bookray. 

Journal Entry 45 by wingjudygreeneyeswing at San Diego, California USA on Friday, April 20, 2012

This book has not been rated.

I just received this book yesterday in the mail - thanks for sending it across the pond!! This book has surely done some travelling! I'm looking forward to reading it soon. I have quite an interest in volcanoes and have been to the site of the Mt. St. Helens eruption 3 times. 



remove ads?

Are you sure you want to delete this item? It cannot be undone.