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131st out of 214 books
—
235 voters
Ghost Trails: Journey...
Ghost Trails: Journeys through a lifetime
by
Jill Homer (Goodreads Author)
Most sports become inspirational when extraordinary people excel at ordinary things. In ultra-endurance racing, ordinary people must excel at extraordinary things. "Ghost Trails" is the true story of an ordinary person - timid, nonathletic, raised in the suburbs of Salt Lake City - and her unlikely route to one of the most difficult bicycle races in the world, a 350-mile e...more
paperback, 186 pages
Published
2008
by Lulu
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I received this book as a First Reads winner. I was beyond excited to start reading this book. I of course had heard of the Iditarod Trail and the dog racing but I had no idea that there was ultra endurance event across the same trail. Reading about Jill's experience traveling the 350 miles by bike through the snow of the Iditarod Trail was amazing. I particularly enjoyed the alternating chapters of her race experience with the background of how she got to place in her life where she decided to...more
Review first published on my blog: http://memoriesfrombooks.blogspot.com...
Ghost Trails is a story of a journey - physical and emotional. Jill Homer is an ultra-cyclist, participating in extreme bicycle race events. This book is the story of Jill Homer's journey on a 350 mile race along the Alaskan Iditarod Trail. Yes, a 350 mile bicycle race across the frozen Alaskan wilderness! This book is also the story of how she came to that sport and that race.
I have not followed her blog. Nor am I famili...more
Ghost Trails is a story of a journey - physical and emotional. Jill Homer is an ultra-cyclist, participating in extreme bicycle race events. This book is the story of Jill Homer's journey on a 350 mile race along the Alaskan Iditarod Trail. Yes, a 350 mile bicycle race across the frozen Alaskan wilderness! This book is also the story of how she came to that sport and that race.
I have not followed her blog. Nor am I famili...more
In _Ghost Trails_, Jill Homer alternates a linear narrative of her bike race on the Iditarod trail with stories from further back in her past. The Iditarod story is gripping, in the same way that Jack London stories are. Outdoor memoirs have a certain disadvantage in terms of suspense–obviously the author survived–but Jill keeps you fascinated. The other, more autobiographical narrative is equally compelling, with each moment left more on its own. Jill resists the memoirist’s pitfall of explain...more
This book is like Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing met Pickets and Dead Men and a fistfight ensued. A gritty and gripping account of Homer's first attempt at the Iditarod Trail Invitational (350 miles across Alaska on a bike), each grueling chapter in Alaska is interspersed with chapters detailing how Homer went from a non-athlete to an uber-distance girl. It's also the story of her relationship with her then-bf, an ultrarunner.
A little overwrought in a few places but all in all a well-told tale...more
A little overwrought in a few places but all in all a well-told tale...more
Jill knows how to set a scene, recreate the complexity of an emotionally numb decision, and carry the reader from the comfort of the reading chair (most likely in climate controlled comfort) to the barren landscape and solitude of Alaska's Iditarod race. She's so honest (at times painfully honest) with the reader, that by the end of the story, you feel as though it is a friend who has been confessing doubts, fears, and moments of joy for the length of the book.
I look forward now to her story ab...more
I look forward now to her story ab...more
I bought this book from Lulu before it his amazon based on reading Jill's blog. It's an excellent book. She describes her first Iditarod mountain bike race. Not even being aware that people did this, I was just amazed. She interchanges other "adventure" experiences she has had throughout her life with the story of the race. Great writing and fascinating story that gives a strange, vicarious thrill to the reader.
I really enjoyed this. Great story of adventure and personal growth. and even more than that, many "adventure" books share the author's trials and uncertainties throughout the process. But with Homer, I felt like I could actually be in her place. Her grudging pursuit of adventure, despite not being a natural athlete, is so familiar and encouraging.
I read, and really enjoy Jill's blog. Her writing has always drawn me in and I feel like she is a modest superwoman. It was just like reading an extended blog entry.
This is one of those page-turners that is hard to put down. Having had similar experiences, albeit on a much smaller scale, I can sympathize with Jill as she goes through her trials and tribulations on her many adventures and journeys. Beautifully written, never boring, always inspiring.
One of my favorite bloggers. Jill is an amazing endurance athlete, even if she doesn't quite believe it.
May 08, 2013
Mary Ellen
marked it as to-read
Apr 19, 2013
Mike Casey
marked it as to-read
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