lazy fest 2016 + a book review
Seriously, y'all. I'm beat. After cooking for two of our three Thanksgiving feasts (the final one is tomorrow), I'm tired. For real.
As much as I love Thanksgiving, I equally love the day after Thanksgiving. Not because it's Black Friday. You guys can have fun with that...I'm OUT! I love it because, after weeks of planning and preparation for the big meal(s), I usually don't do a single thing the day after. Today was no exception. And it was glorious.
Today was filled with three things: books, soft blankets, and the Gilmore Girls revival on Netflix. While I generally prefer books over television or movies, I completely cop to binge-watching the entire special today (however, don't even get me started on my feelings about it...so confused!). Regardless, I'm happy I watched it and am even more happy that I got a day off in my comfy bed and fuzzy socks. I'm still exhausted, but my little inner introvert is a happy camper.
isaac's storm by erik larson
As you've already read, I'm a big fan of Mr. Larson's work. Though nonfiction isn't my favorite genre, the author has a way of compiling the history of seemingly innocuous and random events and making them pivotal to the story he's sharing.
The full name of the book is Isaac's Storm: A Man, A Time, and The Deadliest Hurricane in History. It's a bit of a mouthful. Like his other books, the author intersperses eyewitness and historical documentation with an almost clinical, "hindsight is 20/20" type narrative. The results is often humorous and educational. However, this book is one of Larson's earliest works and seems to be missing some of the storytelling style his more recents books have illustrated.
The storyline is set in turn of the century Galveston. The time was an ambitious one, with Galveston and Houston vying for an opportunity for expansion as the Texas shipping port. That competition, combined with the hubris of the era of burgeoning discovery, left Galveston vulnerable to disaster.
Part of the problem was the difficulty in understanding hurricane systems. Weather forecasting and the science behind it was in its relative infancy. At the time, many thought it to be something of a "snake oil" practice. More often than not, the weather bureau got it wrong, much to the chagrin of its illustrious (and often pompous) administration. The other part of the problem was the public's reliance on outside factors: the strength of their homes, trust in government agencies, the fact that a storm would "never" come to Galveston.
Larson shows how all of these separate events managed to build into a perfect storm (for lack of a better phrase). The 1900 Hurricane decimated the city at a critical turning point, leaving many people dead and many more jaded. However, tragedy often breeds innovation and new techniques. The events after the hurricane were no exception.
My only mistake regarding this book was that I chose to listen to it on Audible. In addition to the narrator rarely changing voices/intonations to differentiate characters, there were many numbers and scientific concepts which would have been easier for me to grasp had I seen them. However, the story was interesting but has, unfortunately, been forgotten by many.
Be sure to stay tuned over the next few days. I'l be sharing photos of our THREE Turkey Day feasts. Though, I must admit...at this point, I'm beyond tired of the traditional food. But another piece of pie sure sounds good about now. Happy Lazy Fest, everyone!
