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Very engaging story of the ambitious idea of creating a fur trading colony on the relatively unknown and unexplored West coast of America. Little did they know, the hardest part would be to get there.

Steinbeck makes you really feel that you are on the battlefield. Some of his descriptions were repetitive, but I almost think that was on purpose... as the soldiers likely felt that way. The infantrymen very much felt they were small cogs in a large machine that just needed to keep moving without knowing where the machine was going. Some of the dialog was a little hard to follow, with the accents and slang.

The humor reminded my a little of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". I enjoyed the story and the crazy characters.

There were a few parts of this book that I really enjoyed (mostly those that described how well math describes the world around us). But, for the most part, I felt like I was slogging through most of it. Maybe some of it was over my head, or I just don't like reading dry facts. In any case, if you are interested in the history of mathematics, I can recommend reading this book. Otherwise, probably not worth the effort.

Wonderful writing to remind us humans that we don't own nature. Nature is a gift from Mother Earth, and we need to appreciate it, and care for it rather than use use it.

I'm very envious of Ms Houston's ranch. It sounds like the most beautiful place in the world! Her descriptions of the world around her are very insightful. Her love of the natural world is addicting.

Very entertaining read! I really don't understand why characters in books and movies need to swear so much. But, regardless, enjoyable read.

Informative read for those of us that are new to backpacking.

Some very interesting history. But at times extremely boring. Definitely reads more like a text book, which, I guess it kind-of is. While I definitely learned some things that I hadn't known about the Templars, I can't say that I enjoyed reading the book.

I picked this up on a whim at the library, and actually liked it. The old woman in the book turns out to be inspirational, as well as funny.

Suspenseful, with King's usual good character development, and an interesting story.

Very informative read. I expected more humor from Mr. Bryson. But, I really enjoyed learning about the body, and the history behind medical discoveries, and how much we still don't know.