Reservoir Year: A Walker’s Book of Days

by Nina Shengold

On the eve of her sixtieth birthday, Nina Shengold embarks on a to walk the path surrounding the Catskills’ glorious Ashokan Reservoir every day for a year, at all times of day and in all kinds of weather, trying to find something new every time. Armed with lively curiosity, infectious enthusiasm, and renewed stubbornness, she hits the path every day with all five senses wide open, searching for details that glint. As Shengold explores the secrets of this spectacular place, she rediscovers the glories of solitude and an expanded community, both human and animal. Step by step, her reservoir walks rekindle connections with family, strangers, and friends, with a landscape she grows to revere, and with a new sense of self. Like the writings of John Burroughs, Annie Dillard, and Barry Lopez, Shengold’s reflections on her personal journey will resonate with outdoor enthusiasts and armchair hikers alike. Quietly transformative, Reservoir Year encourages readers to find their own ways to unplug and slow down, reconnecting with nature, reviving old passions and sparking some new ones along the path.

Genres: Memoir

246 pages, Hardcover

Published July 1, 2020

Reviews

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about what Ms Shengold observed on her daily walks but I was turned off when she started interjecting her personal political opinions into her book. The area around the reservoir sounds like a beautiful place and she's lucky to have this area. I do admire her perseverance in making it the who year. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

[Richard Derus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3 generous stars of five

The Publisher Says: On the eve of her sixtieth birthday, Nina Shengold embarks on a challenge: to walk the path surrounding the Catskills' glorious Ashokan Reservoir every day for a year, at all times of day and in all kinds of weather, trying to find something new every time.

Armed with lively curiosity, infectious enthusiasm, and renewed stubbornness, she hits the path every day with all five senses wide open, searching for details that glint. As Shengold explores the secrets of this spectacular place, she rediscovers the glories of solitude and an expanded community, both human and animal. Step by step, her reservoir walks rekindle connections with family, strangers, and friends, with a landscape she grows to revere, and with a new sense of self. Like the writings of John Burroughs, Annie Dillard, and Barry Lopez, Shengold's reflections on her personal journey will resonate with outdoor enthusiasts and armchair hikers alike.

Quietly transformative, Reservoir Year encourages readers to find their own ways to unplug and slow down, reconnecting with nature, reviving old passions and sparking some new ones along the path.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: I am the author’s age, I am always interested in nature-centered books, and I LOVE the Catskills.

I should’ve loved this book. I did not. It took me a year to get to the 34% mark in my DRC, and then I forgot I even had the book. The writing is perfectly fine, nothing awful, nothing glorious. I love the idea of this kind of book. The quiet, gentle quality of this iteration ended up feeling soporific to me.

If Annie Dillard is too tendentious, and Barry Lopez is too strident, for your present mood, this book is a godsend for you. Treading the same paths they do in Hush Puppies instead of sneakers or boots, the stories will offer you solid value.

The ebook is steep at $24.95, but the library ought to have it.

[Laura Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exquisite chronicle of the author walking around the Ashokan trails in rain, sleet, snow and by moonlight. Some of the best walks are by night and in terrible weather. This inspiring account may lead even the armchair naturalists and hikers out to discover the unexpected. Meeting bear cubs, odd duck people and watching eagles soar are only a few of the many thrills. Thoroughly riveting !

[Bill Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author spent a year observing the Ashokan Reservoir in upstate New York. She weaves an insightful memoir with her daily wanderings. An outstanding blend of the interior and exterior. Highly recommended.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author blatantly ignores Leave No Trace principals. She gets a DEC pass under false pretenses and then gives a forest ranger a hard time when she gets called out. This is why city people get a bad name.