Book review: The end of oil by Paul Roberts

I like to think that I have a clue about global politics. I was shocked at how little I knew about global oil trade and its affect on world politics.The end of Oil is a must read for anybody that has an interest in these types of large issues that push and pull on world economics and politics.

There is also a fair amount of coverage on the environmental impacts of oil. These sections were fairly straight forward. No real surprises in the direct and indirect impact of oil on the environment but there was good overall coverage of the topic.

I definitely recommend this book. It is a good read and an important subject.

Book Review: Lipsmackin' Vegetarian Backpackin'

I bought my copy of Lipsmackin' Vegetarian Backpackin' a couple of months ago in the Fundy National Park bookstore. I'm REALLY liking it! Great recipes and the format of the book is perfect. If you are a backpacker, whether of not vegetarian, you need this book.

All of the recipes are broken into the steps that are required beforehand and then the steps that are required on the trail.

Many of the recipes use dehydrated ingredients or your own dehydrator.

So far I've tried:
Spaghetti sauce - Loved it
Brunswick Stew - Loved it
Coleslaw - I'm not sure if something went wrong but it tasted terrible
Tofu jerky - Loved it
Chili - Made it with the scouts and they loved it

Book Review: Edible Wild Plants

I got a copy of Peterson Field Guides Edible Wild Plants 3 years ago for Christmas. This was my wife's response to my request for an edible wild mushrooms book. Apparently eating wild plants is much less scary than mushrooms.

I must say that this is my all time favorite pastime while camping or hiking these days. I take it on most hikes and trips. There is nothing more satisfying than going for a hike and bringing back a bag full with your next meal. Grant it, sometimes these plants really don't taste very good. Other times, however, they are great. In response to this we have come up with our own "ass-factor" scale that describes the plants flavor in relation to ass. I've started rating each plant as I try it.

The book makes identifying plants fairly easy. Although in most cases you need to have a flower available for easy identification. Winter identification is much more challenging.

I recommend this book whole heartily to anyone who is a little adventurous in what they eat.

Book review: Around the world in 18 years

I was at the Moncton Boat Show yesterday and happened upon Hubert Marcoux's booth. He's written a great book about his adventures sailing around the world. It is a really nice, easy read. It kept me up late last night.

A great book for those of us who aspire to do a similar trip.

He also had some great advice when I asked him "How do you get started on a trip like that?",because I am having inertia problems. His response was, "Just start. Don't worry about getting the little details worked out before you start."

He did a speech as part of the boat show as well. A good summary of what he's been doing to get his boat fixed up following a nasty encounter with Hurricane Yuan.

I would normally have a hard time bringing myself to spend $30 on a book (yes, I'm cheap) but I don't hesitate to lay out some money to support someone doing what I'd like to be doing. You should too.

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Update: Hubert Marcoux was lost at sea in November of 2009. I haven't been able to find a story about the final result of the search though. Hubert's story was one that appeals to arm chair sailors like myself and I felt sadness when I heard that he was lost.  He seemed like a true adventurer when I met him. Not for the glory but for the adventure, for the lifestyle.