Red-Haired Ash Reads

Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing

I picked this book up randomly from my Libby app because it was being advertised under their nonfiction books in 2020. I was trying to push myself to read more nonfiction that year and so I was just trying different things.

This book is a fascinating one because it chronicles Shackleton’s journey to the South Pole, the ship being trapped, and then them making the journey by foot/small boat to safety. Its told from Shackleton’s journal entries and from other first hand accounts. Also, surprisingly, none of the men died.

This book got me interested in shipwrecks and their rediscoveries. I now read all the articles about new shipwreck discoveries, and I followed the discovery of the Endurance in 2022.

The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut’s Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt by Kara Cooney

I have always been interested in Ancient Egypt but fell off reading books about after my teenage years. This book reintroduced me to Egypt and presented a new perspective on the history, one not so male focused.

Because of this book, I felt a resurgence in learning about Egypt, especially with all the new perspectives being presented about this history and all the new discoveries that are happening now.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty

I came across Caitlin Doughty from a video recommendation on YouTube and then went down a rabbit hole of just binging her videos about death. They were so fascinating and I highly recommend checking them out.

When I found out she wrote a book, I instantly checked it out. This was my first book about the funeral industry and morticians. It introduced me to the death positive movement and made me rethink my own death and what I wanted to happen to my body.

I have since read quite a few books about death, morticians, and the funeral industry. I find it fascinating and I think if I had been more interested in anatomy as a teenager, I might have considered a job as a mortician.

Also I highly recommend her other books about death.

The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack The Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold

This book is about Jack the Ripper’s victims and their lives. It deep dives into who they were and how they ended up where they did. This book really made me rethink my views on true crime in regards to the victims, especially the women victims. It pushed me to think about the victims of serial killers and how they shown in the media.

It also further pushed me to avoid movies and shows about more modern serial killers and murderers because their victims families are still alive and we shouldn’t be glorifying and making money off their pain.

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

This book was the one that got me hooked on urban fantasy. I borrowed it from a friend in high school and instantly knew after a few chapters I needed my own copy. I remember scrapping together the money to buy the first three books, which were all that was out at the time. Now I reread this series every time there is a new release, which is about every other year.

After reading this, I really fell hard into urban fantasy and read whatever I could get my hands on, like the Night Huntress world and universe. This continues to be one of my go to genres whenever I don’t know what I want to read.