Looking back at our past Book Spotlight choices, we seem to lean a little heavily on political choices. We also seem to send you to the Powell’s website for each book we pick, and the reviews are almost invariably from the Powell’s website as well. But now it’s summer, so it’s time to relax and shake stuff up a little. This month we picked a non-political book, wrote the review ourselves, and will point you to an altogether different book store. So let’s strike out into unexplored territory with this month’s Book Spotlight…
“Camp Free in the Mount Hood National Forest” by Don Reichert
(review by Charles Letherwood) Our family loves camping, but we’re procrastinators. We aren’t good at planning our trips months in advance, so when we get a free weekend it can be hard to find a last-minute official site. If we’re lucky enough to find one it means paying money to be right on top of the folks next to us and being about as far away from nature as it’s possible to be in a forest. That’s why we were so excited to find Don Reichert’s book. Camping anywhere in the National Forest is legal, but this book points out specific campsites you can try. Reichert defines a campsite as a place with a fire ring and at least enough flat space to pitch a tent, and he’s searched the Mt Hood Forest to find over 200 beauties. Each one has specific location, size, access, and amenity information along with a detailed description and directions. We’ve been trying a different site on each trip, and haven’t been disappointed yet. No crowds, no money, new adventures… rarely can you find so much packed into one book, and this one should be standard issue for any Oregonian bookshelf. You’ll find yourself turning to it again and again over the years, and finding something new each time.
Julie keeps things running at Wallace Books
Another reason we were excited by this book is that we discovered it at a local Sellwood bookstore, Wallace Books, which is the kind of bookstore that gives other bookstores a good name. Julie Wallace has turned a small Sellwood house into a bookworm’s paradise, with old and new books stacked to the ceiling and wedged into every nook and cranny. There’s even a $1 bargain rack on the front porch! If you’re interested in this month’s Book Spotlight, or really any other book you can imagine, we think you’ll love this local, independent business as much as we do.
