Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Liked the Nature Bit. Disliked the Mother Daughter Bit

Heartwood by Amity Gaige

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Rating: 3 Stars In a nutshell: Valerie goes missing while hiking the Appalachian Trail. The story of her search is told through her eyes, the eyes of the lead searcher Lt Bev, and an older woman Lena, who lives in a nursing home somewhat far away. Best for: Folks tired of stories focused on the relationships between fathers and sons and wishing more were about mothers and daughters. Those who enjoy mystery but also nature writing. Quote that made me think: “He was, like many […]

Lost in the woods

Heartwood by Amity Gaige

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Heartwood (2025) by Amity Gaige is yet another book that I originally saw on NPR’s Favorite Books List. It is about a woman who goes missing on the Appalachian Trail (AT) and the search to find her. Heartwood sounded like something I would like, so I got it from my library back in December. But I was about to do some solo backpacking and camping, and I wisely decided I didn’t want to read a book about a missing hiker while I was sitting alone […]

Mothers & Daughters, and the Wilderness

Heartwood by Amity Gaige

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Just a few days away from completing the Appalachian Trail, through-hiker Valerie Gillis has gone missing. Beverly, a Maine State Game Warden with an impeccable track record for finding missing persons, is lead on the case. She knows that the first few days after someone goes missing are the most crucial, and so she coordinates search parties, aerial surveillance, and scent dogs in a race against time to find Valerie alive. Valerie is well and truly lost in the Maine woods, and we learn about […]



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