isawtman
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Camino Frances, 2022
Ice Age Trail, 2014, 2019
Since my previous post called 4 Camino Related Books was such a hit,
I decided to do another post like it.
Su Camino, doing the Camino Frances in 20 days by Brien Crothers
Nice book with good resources such as key phrases in Spanish, Packing list, etc. But the actual account of the trip is fairly plain. At one point he says they spend an enjoyable evening listening to the stories of an English Pilgrim named Eddy. That's nice, how about relaying one of those stories. Also, the writer was an adventure racer earlier in his life and is in shape much better than a normal person. In other words, what he is doing is pretty much unrealistic to an average pilgrim. I didn't find anything offensive about the book but I didn't find anything that overly inspired me, either. The resources at the end of the book are good, but you can find the same stuff in almost every guidebook. 2 out of 5 stars
The Way of the Wind by John Pearson
John Pearson must have had some sort of score card to keep track of all the people he met on the camino. At one point in Santiago he recognizes and congratulates a pilgrim he met one time 30 days earlier on a train going to St Jean Pied de Port. Nice story with lots of details. In the middle of the book, right when the account gets to be a little redundant, he wakes us up with a personal story from his past. Many photos but I wish he would put captions on them. 4 out of 5 stars
I’ll Push You by Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck
Generally considered one of the best books about hiking the camino. A guy with a debilitating disease wonders whether the Camino could be done in a wheel chair and his best friend says “I’ll push you.” A special wheelchair is made and a few people decide to join in the quest, such as Ted, the guy they refer to as “Team Ted” for is great abilities to pull the wheelchair with a harness. Patrick and Justin take turns writing the book. At the end it starts reading like the bible where they each start saying how much better they can be as men. Sounds like they are pretty good already to me. I liked watching the movie after reading the book. I like the movie because they have interviews with many more people than just Patrick and Justin. 4 out of 5 stars
On the Ignation Way, by Jose Luis Iriberri and Chris Lowney
A series of essays by different authors on different subjects relating to the Way of Ignatius. The Way of Ignatius is a Camino that basically goes the opposite direction than the Camino Frances. The Camino retraces the actual route that Ignatius did in 1522. It starts in Basque Country at the boyhood home of Ignatius. It goes south to Navarette, where Ignatius received some money owed to him by the Duke of Navarre, then he goes east through Logrono, Zaragoza, Frago, Llieda to Monserat. Then he finally settles in Manressa. The 6 miles between Navarette and Logrono coincide with the Camino Frances except going the opposite way. The book has a series of essays related to either Ignatius or being a pilgrim, but there is very little actual accounts of hiking the actual camino. Chapter titles (essays) include “Ignatius of Loyola, the History of a Pilgrim,” “A Way of Healing, My Ignation Way,” “Pilgrimage as an Instrument of Personal Transformation and Growth,” and many more. The second half of the book contains the daily prayers using the Spiritual Exercises written by Ignatius. This book contains fairly dry writing and may not be what the average pilgrim is looking for. Plus this is a seldom-walked Camino. But if you really like St Ignatius, it’s good. 3 out of 5 stars
Finding Myself on the Way, by Micheal Burnett
It should be noted that I bought this book directly from Micheal Burnett when we were both at a Camino Event here in Wisconsin. The book has a really good description of him meeting people and hiking the Camino Frances in the early parts of the book. Then the 50 year old author meets a 25 year old lady who was volunteering at an albergue. She sets him off by indicating that she is interested in him. The only problem is that she bused backward to volunteer at the albergue and now she is busing forward to continue her Camino. Micheal starts hiking the camino like a madman with very long days and big miles to catch up to her. He finally catches up to her and their camino grinds down to a snail's pace as he has sex with her every night. In the First Edition of this Book the sex was so graphic that Micheal had to re-edit the book due to complaints. 3 out of 5 stars
Note, Micheal Burnett went on a pilgrimage this last spring and may be writing another book.
That's all for now, Todd
I decided to do another post like it.
Su Camino, doing the Camino Frances in 20 days by Brien Crothers
Nice book with good resources such as key phrases in Spanish, Packing list, etc. But the actual account of the trip is fairly plain. At one point he says they spend an enjoyable evening listening to the stories of an English Pilgrim named Eddy. That's nice, how about relaying one of those stories. Also, the writer was an adventure racer earlier in his life and is in shape much better than a normal person. In other words, what he is doing is pretty much unrealistic to an average pilgrim. I didn't find anything offensive about the book but I didn't find anything that overly inspired me, either. The resources at the end of the book are good, but you can find the same stuff in almost every guidebook. 2 out of 5 stars
The Way of the Wind by John Pearson
John Pearson must have had some sort of score card to keep track of all the people he met on the camino. At one point in Santiago he recognizes and congratulates a pilgrim he met one time 30 days earlier on a train going to St Jean Pied de Port. Nice story with lots of details. In the middle of the book, right when the account gets to be a little redundant, he wakes us up with a personal story from his past. Many photos but I wish he would put captions on them. 4 out of 5 stars
I’ll Push You by Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck
Generally considered one of the best books about hiking the camino. A guy with a debilitating disease wonders whether the Camino could be done in a wheel chair and his best friend says “I’ll push you.” A special wheelchair is made and a few people decide to join in the quest, such as Ted, the guy they refer to as “Team Ted” for is great abilities to pull the wheelchair with a harness. Patrick and Justin take turns writing the book. At the end it starts reading like the bible where they each start saying how much better they can be as men. Sounds like they are pretty good already to me. I liked watching the movie after reading the book. I like the movie because they have interviews with many more people than just Patrick and Justin. 4 out of 5 stars
On the Ignation Way, by Jose Luis Iriberri and Chris Lowney
A series of essays by different authors on different subjects relating to the Way of Ignatius. The Way of Ignatius is a Camino that basically goes the opposite direction than the Camino Frances. The Camino retraces the actual route that Ignatius did in 1522. It starts in Basque Country at the boyhood home of Ignatius. It goes south to Navarette, where Ignatius received some money owed to him by the Duke of Navarre, then he goes east through Logrono, Zaragoza, Frago, Llieda to Monserat. Then he finally settles in Manressa. The 6 miles between Navarette and Logrono coincide with the Camino Frances except going the opposite way. The book has a series of essays related to either Ignatius or being a pilgrim, but there is very little actual accounts of hiking the actual camino. Chapter titles (essays) include “Ignatius of Loyola, the History of a Pilgrim,” “A Way of Healing, My Ignation Way,” “Pilgrimage as an Instrument of Personal Transformation and Growth,” and many more. The second half of the book contains the daily prayers using the Spiritual Exercises written by Ignatius. This book contains fairly dry writing and may not be what the average pilgrim is looking for. Plus this is a seldom-walked Camino. But if you really like St Ignatius, it’s good. 3 out of 5 stars
Finding Myself on the Way, by Micheal Burnett
It should be noted that I bought this book directly from Micheal Burnett when we were both at a Camino Event here in Wisconsin. The book has a really good description of him meeting people and hiking the Camino Frances in the early parts of the book. Then the 50 year old author meets a 25 year old lady who was volunteering at an albergue. She sets him off by indicating that she is interested in him. The only problem is that she bused backward to volunteer at the albergue and now she is busing forward to continue her Camino. Micheal starts hiking the camino like a madman with very long days and big miles to catch up to her. He finally catches up to her and their camino grinds down to a snail's pace as he has sex with her every night. In the First Edition of this Book the sex was so graphic that Micheal had to re-edit the book due to complaints. 3 out of 5 stars
Note, Micheal Burnett went on a pilgrimage this last spring and may be writing another book.
That's all for now, Todd
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