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This Much Country
A memoir of heartbreak, thousand-mile races, the endless Alaskan wilderness and many, many dogs from one of only a handful of women to have completed both the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod.
In 2009, after a crippling divorce that left her heartbroken and directionless, Kristin decided to accept an offer to live at a friend's cabin outside of Denali National Park in Alaska for a few months. In exchange for housing, she would take care of her friend's eight sled dogs.
That winter, she learned that she was tougher than she ever knew. She learned how to survive in one of the most remote places on earth and she learned she was strong enough to be alone. She fell in love twice: first with running sled dogs, and then with Andy, a gentle man who had himself moved to Alaska to heal a broken heart.
Kristin and Andy married and started a sled dog kennel. While this work was enormously satisfying, Kristin became determined to complete the Iditarod -- the 1,000-mile dogsled race from Anchorage, in south central Alaska, to Nome on the western Bering Sea coast.
THIS MUCH COUNTRY is the story of renewal and transformation. It's about journeying across a wild and unpredictable landscape and finding inner peace, courage and a true home. It's about pushing boundaries and overcoming paralyzing fears.
In 2009, after a crippling divorce that left her heartbroken and directionless, Kristin decided to accept an offer to live at a friend's cabin outside of Denali National Park in Alaska for a few months. In exchange for housing, she would take care of her friend's eight sled dogs.
That winter, she learned that she was tougher than she ever knew. She learned how to survive in one of the most remote places on earth and she learned she was strong enough to be alone. She fell in love twice: first with running sled dogs, and then with Andy, a gentle man who had himself moved to Alaska to heal a broken heart.
Kristin and Andy married and started a sled dog kennel. While this work was enormously satisfying, Kristin became determined to complete the Iditarod -- the 1,000-mile dogsled race from Anchorage, in south central Alaska, to Nome on the western Bering Sea coast.
THIS MUCH COUNTRY is the story of renewal and transformation. It's about journeying across a wild and unpredictable landscape and finding inner peace, courage and a true home. It's about pushing boundaries and overcoming paralyzing fears.
337 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 5, 2019
117 people are currently reading
4346 people want to read
About the author
Kristin Knight Pace
1 book114 followersKristin Knight Pace, 35, was born and raised in Ft. Worth, TX. After graduating with honors from The University of Montana with a degree in photojournalism, she had several jobs in the publishing industry in Montana and Seattle. After a heartbreaking divorce, she moved to Alaska in 2009 with her two dogs. That winter, she took care of a sled dog team and a remote cabin in the Alaska Interior. She fell in love with dog mushing, and with a wonderful man, Andy, who had also moved to Alaska to heal from heartbreak. Together, the two of them started Hey Moose! Kennel, a long-distance racing kennel made up of 30 loving dogs on ten acres outside Denali National Park. Kristin has since finished both the Yukon Quest and Iditarod Trail 1,000-mile sled dog races. She also has become a mother to a rambunctious and spirited daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 252 reviews
March 11, 2019
I can’t pretend to be objective here, the author is my sister in law and most of the characters are my canine nieces and nephews and I love all of them and this book.
October 7, 2019
Kristin Knight Pace is my new superhero. She's a remarkable person and her memoir is inspiring and uplifting. There ought to be a line of KNP action-hero figures; I'd have one on my desk now. She's a true heroine, not one out of a Disney film, a real person who girls and boys and everyone older can look up to, admire and learn from, as she has spent her life learning everything she can from anyone she can. She is not a saint. She is a revelation.
So many memoirs by "regular" people focus on depressing things whether they end up in triumph or tragedy. KNP's does not. One reason is she's had a pretty great life. The other, which is one of her superpowers, is that when bad things happen, no matter how terrible or frightening, at first she reacts like anyone would: crying, swearing, railing at the universe...
...and then she quickly shifts gears and alchemizes adversity into opportunity. She faces even the most extreme challenges with confidence and calm that allow her superior problem-solving skills (another superpower) to take over. And so setbacks and adversities are overcome and become learning opportunities, bad experiences morph into life lessons and she literally rescues herself over and over. She's still young and her life so far has been jam-packed with adventure, challenge and joy.
The memoir gives much credit to her mother, whose second husband died suddenly and young, leaving her with a teenager from her first marriage, two toddlers (one of whom was Kristin), and pregnant with twins. KNP writes her mother is "a superwoman who finished 10ks in first place, pushing the twins in a stroller, while raising five children alone...She told me to make sure that whatever I chose to do in life, I could do it by myself." Her mom mourned but never stopped living and before long married a wonderful man who adopted the children. The story of the day they went to court for the adoption is beautiful.
"This Much Country" is packed with so much life and living. While in high school she met a man on the internet and after graduation she skipped out on a full college scholarship to be with him. In time they married. He broke her heart. Her parents, who only met him once, let her go with him to the backcountry of Montana. They had fear and misgivings but they gave her the freedom to set her own course. And when she was crushed they were there with pure loving support. In a world full of nonfiction and novels about bad parenting, these two are so refreshing.
KNP was a dog lover with two pet dogs and after mourning the end of her relationship, she picked herself up as she always does, accepting a job taking care of sled dogs in Alaska. She would fall in love with the dogs and the sleds and Alaska and another man, her soulmate Andy, and this reader fell in love with them alongside her.
She went from knowing nothing about sled dogs and having never been on a sled to opening up a kennel with Andy and running races culminating in the Iditarod. Along the way she used another superpower, the desire and ability to learn from everybody she could whether friends, the finest experts or random people. Everyone and everything presents a learning opportunity for Kristin. In time she would use the years of accumulated knowledge and practice to run the big one, the Iditarod. She wasn't the first woman but women weren't common, and she finished in an especially challenging year when a lot of other racers scratched.
Throughout, she found herself in seemingly impossible situations which are amazing and often harrowing to read about. And always KNP would collect herself, shove away fear, doubt and blame and think her way out of every new problem and peril.
It's fascinating to read about the life of a sled dog handler and musher, all the challenges. Like everyone else, she would go hours without seeing another human, responsible for the welfare of the sled and the dogs whose lives depended on her competence. There was no one to pull her out of a frozen river, get her team of dogs back when they took off without her, fix whatever part of the sled broke during her many wipeouts, handle it when the dogs attacked one of their own or any of the many other perilous things that come with the territory. Over and over one reads how Kristin made mistakes or ran into bad ice and trees, all kinds of things and always she rescued herself and you know reading her memoir she always will.
I am a cat person and I fell in love with the sled dogs as well as their three pet dogs. She brings the reader into a sled dog's house when new future mushers are born and to the vet when they're injured, along every inch of trail, up vertical mountains and down steep hills. And always she faces life with fortitude and infectious exuberance. The way it's written the reader celebrates with her, cries with her, is witness to the love and joy, the beauty and the harrowing danger.
There is what some people consider foul language but I would encourage parents of children who can read at that level to let them. Or read it with them and explain some things as you go along. She's so unusual and such an inspiration it would be a shame to let some well-earned effs keep anyone away from her. Young girls can always use real people as well as characters to admire in books, and young boys need female heroines even more.
This is a very special book written by an extraordinary woman who gets back on that sled when her boots are too frozen to get into because she left them in the wrong place, who when she has to, eats with dog poop under her fingernails and who also writes beautiful passages describing the landscape of Alaska, the trees, Northern Lights, breathtaking frozen landscapes, alpenglow and backcountry beauty everywhere. Her life with Andy is wonderful. The photographs are beautiful. Throughout the book I was captivated and full of awe and think you will be too.
Now, Kristin, having finished reading your memoir I know you can do anything you put your mind to so may I please have my Kristin Knight Pace superhero figurine? Because adults need more heroes too. I know I do.
So many memoirs by "regular" people focus on depressing things whether they end up in triumph or tragedy. KNP's does not. One reason is she's had a pretty great life. The other, which is one of her superpowers, is that when bad things happen, no matter how terrible or frightening, at first she reacts like anyone would: crying, swearing, railing at the universe...
...and then she quickly shifts gears and alchemizes adversity into opportunity. She faces even the most extreme challenges with confidence and calm that allow her superior problem-solving skills (another superpower) to take over. And so setbacks and adversities are overcome and become learning opportunities, bad experiences morph into life lessons and she literally rescues herself over and over. She's still young and her life so far has been jam-packed with adventure, challenge and joy.
The memoir gives much credit to her mother, whose second husband died suddenly and young, leaving her with a teenager from her first marriage, two toddlers (one of whom was Kristin), and pregnant with twins. KNP writes her mother is "a superwoman who finished 10ks in first place, pushing the twins in a stroller, while raising five children alone...She told me to make sure that whatever I chose to do in life, I could do it by myself." Her mom mourned but never stopped living and before long married a wonderful man who adopted the children. The story of the day they went to court for the adoption is beautiful.
"This Much Country" is packed with so much life and living. While in high school she met a man on the internet and after graduation she skipped out on a full college scholarship to be with him. In time they married. He broke her heart. Her parents, who only met him once, let her go with him to the backcountry of Montana. They had fear and misgivings but they gave her the freedom to set her own course. And when she was crushed they were there with pure loving support. In a world full of nonfiction and novels about bad parenting, these two are so refreshing.
KNP was a dog lover with two pet dogs and after mourning the end of her relationship, she picked herself up as she always does, accepting a job taking care of sled dogs in Alaska. She would fall in love with the dogs and the sleds and Alaska and another man, her soulmate Andy, and this reader fell in love with them alongside her.
She went from knowing nothing about sled dogs and having never been on a sled to opening up a kennel with Andy and running races culminating in the Iditarod. Along the way she used another superpower, the desire and ability to learn from everybody she could whether friends, the finest experts or random people. Everyone and everything presents a learning opportunity for Kristin. In time she would use the years of accumulated knowledge and practice to run the big one, the Iditarod. She wasn't the first woman but women weren't common, and she finished in an especially challenging year when a lot of other racers scratched.
Throughout, she found herself in seemingly impossible situations which are amazing and often harrowing to read about. And always KNP would collect herself, shove away fear, doubt and blame and think her way out of every new problem and peril.
It's fascinating to read about the life of a sled dog handler and musher, all the challenges. Like everyone else, she would go hours without seeing another human, responsible for the welfare of the sled and the dogs whose lives depended on her competence. There was no one to pull her out of a frozen river, get her team of dogs back when they took off without her, fix whatever part of the sled broke during her many wipeouts, handle it when the dogs attacked one of their own or any of the many other perilous things that come with the territory. Over and over one reads how Kristin made mistakes or ran into bad ice and trees, all kinds of things and always she rescued herself and you know reading her memoir she always will.
I am a cat person and I fell in love with the sled dogs as well as their three pet dogs. She brings the reader into a sled dog's house when new future mushers are born and to the vet when they're injured, along every inch of trail, up vertical mountains and down steep hills. And always she faces life with fortitude and infectious exuberance. The way it's written the reader celebrates with her, cries with her, is witness to the love and joy, the beauty and the harrowing danger.
There is what some people consider foul language but I would encourage parents of children who can read at that level to let them. Or read it with them and explain some things as you go along. She's so unusual and such an inspiration it would be a shame to let some well-earned effs keep anyone away from her. Young girls can always use real people as well as characters to admire in books, and young boys need female heroines even more.
This is a very special book written by an extraordinary woman who gets back on that sled when her boots are too frozen to get into because she left them in the wrong place, who when she has to, eats with dog poop under her fingernails and who also writes beautiful passages describing the landscape of Alaska, the trees, Northern Lights, breathtaking frozen landscapes, alpenglow and backcountry beauty everywhere. Her life with Andy is wonderful. The photographs are beautiful. Throughout the book I was captivated and full of awe and think you will be too.
Now, Kristin, having finished reading your memoir I know you can do anything you put your mind to so may I please have my Kristin Knight Pace superhero figurine? Because adults need more heroes too. I know I do.
April 3, 2019
This Much Country! Alaska! Have you been? ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
I have, and it's my favorite place I've traveled. I'd go back in an instant. The last frontier brought out a sense of adventure I had no idea I possessed.
This Much Country is an exciting and adventurous memoir that reads like fiction. Kristin Knight Pace goes through an emotional divorce and decides to live in a cabin outside Denali National Park, taking care of her friend's sled dogs for a few months.
She survived the winter and found herself, an inner strength, a love for sled dogs and running with them, and met an also broken-hearted man who came to Alaska to heal.
Kristin goes on to complete the Iditarod, one of only a few women who have done so. There's a reason this book has an over 4.5 rating on GR. Many reasons. I LOVED THIS BOOK! Everyone should read it, and dog lovers can't miss it!
I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
I have, and it's my favorite place I've traveled. I'd go back in an instant. The last frontier brought out a sense of adventure I had no idea I possessed.
This Much Country is an exciting and adventurous memoir that reads like fiction. Kristin Knight Pace goes through an emotional divorce and decides to live in a cabin outside Denali National Park, taking care of her friend's sled dogs for a few months.
She survived the winter and found herself, an inner strength, a love for sled dogs and running with them, and met an also broken-hearted man who came to Alaska to heal.
Kristin goes on to complete the Iditarod, one of only a few women who have done so. There's a reason this book has an over 4.5 rating on GR. Many reasons. I LOVED THIS BOOK! Everyone should read it, and dog lovers can't miss it!
I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
November 26, 2018
I fell right into Knight Pace's honest memoir of her 20s and 30s. This is her fascinating story of finding her way to Alaska, getting into dog mushing and finding love. She has completed the two 1,000 mile dog sled races: the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod. I knew these were feats, but I had no idea how incredible until I read her accounts of what she went through on the trails. Her degree is in journalism, so this is very readable. I read this in two days, feeling cozy in my warm Minnesota house while reading about her life in the Alaskan wilderness. Highly recommended if you like books about Alaska and wilderness, or if you are a big dog lover.
January 28, 2023
This was a very different read for me. It kind of reminded me of "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed or "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer in the sense that it takes the reader through the author's personal journey.
In that aspect, I don't think many people have a pack of dogs that they race with to be able to truly relate to those personal struggles.
However, this author writes about a very different lifestyle for many and I think that's why it can make for an intriguing memoir. It was eye opening in the sport of dogsled racing. It was also an incredibly emotional read for me to read about some of the dogs.
***Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
In that aspect, I don't think many people have a pack of dogs that they race with to be able to truly relate to those personal struggles.
However, this author writes about a very different lifestyle for many and I think that's why it can make for an intriguing memoir. It was eye opening in the sport of dogsled racing. It was also an incredibly emotional read for me to read about some of the dogs.
***Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
June 28, 2019
4.5 stars rounded up. This one really captivated me. Sometimes I found the language a bit flowery and dramatic (but that’s probably my black cynical heart talking) but otherwise I was completely swept up in this memoir, and I ugly cried (more than once!). Highly recommend.
March 17, 2019
This book has me so emotional.
I immediately liked Kristin and found her experiences so interesting. From trail building in Montana to house/dog sitting in Alaska. Its a dream of mine to visit Alaska (a place so different than my sweltering Georgia home) and Kristin really brings you there to the brutal beauty. Not to mention the absolute love and connection she makes you feel for the beautiful dogs.
While reading I actually went online to look at Hey Moose! Kennels website to see pictures of the dogs. The first picture I saw was of Solo and I started crying. It was like seeing an old friend after years of being apart.
I recommend this book for people interested in dog mushing, the Alaskan homestead lifestyle, and empowering stories abut women who work hard for their dreams.
I immediately liked Kristin and found her experiences so interesting. From trail building in Montana to house/dog sitting in Alaska. Its a dream of mine to visit Alaska (a place so different than my sweltering Georgia home) and Kristin really brings you there to the brutal beauty. Not to mention the absolute love and connection she makes you feel for the beautiful dogs.
While reading I actually went online to look at Hey Moose! Kennels website to see pictures of the dogs. The first picture I saw was of Solo and I started crying. It was like seeing an old friend after years of being apart.
I recommend this book for people interested in dog mushing, the Alaskan homestead lifestyle, and empowering stories abut women who work hard for their dreams.
August 25, 2019
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: reading female-perspective adventure memoirs hit me like nothing else. And Pace's debut is no exception.
The reason for my obsession with this genre isn't just because of the delicately descriptive language used to bring you into her world, or the pulse-quickening adventure. It's about why we push ourselves, where we find our peace, and the answers that we're all just so desperately searching for. It's about overcoming the inevitable pain of heartache and life, by demonstrating to ourselves how powerful we truly are.
This Much Country was a treat to spend time in. It made me homesick, and hungry all at once. And I mayyyyy have browsed cabins for sale on the buy and sell more than once while reading.
Kirstin's story is one of healing, of living a big life, and magic that is the unwavering and constant love from dogs. Each four-legged relationship us readers are privileged to get a glimpse of was heart warming, and at times heart breaking. I could feel the those judgemental looks our dogs give us, and the moments where the two have perfect understanding without even speaking a word.
I am so thankful to be brought into her world, and feel her strength and determination, for not just her homestead life, but in the strive for how each of us define the good life.
The reason for my obsession with this genre isn't just because of the delicately descriptive language used to bring you into her world, or the pulse-quickening adventure. It's about why we push ourselves, where we find our peace, and the answers that we're all just so desperately searching for. It's about overcoming the inevitable pain of heartache and life, by demonstrating to ourselves how powerful we truly are.
This Much Country was a treat to spend time in. It made me homesick, and hungry all at once. And I mayyyyy have browsed cabins for sale on the buy and sell more than once while reading.
Kirstin's story is one of healing, of living a big life, and magic that is the unwavering and constant love from dogs. Each four-legged relationship us readers are privileged to get a glimpse of was heart warming, and at times heart breaking. I could feel the those judgemental looks our dogs give us, and the moments where the two have perfect understanding without even speaking a word.
I am so thankful to be brought into her world, and feel her strength and determination, for not just her homestead life, but in the strive for how each of us define the good life.
December 3, 2019
So good! I mean, I was kind of bound to like this one.
Great descriptions of the Alaska wilderness and what it’s like to run two 1000 mile dogsled races, the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod. And just...a lot about dogs and how wonderful and amazing they are, and also how they’re total assholes sometimes.
My only complaint is that it completely broke my heart and made me cry in the break room at work. Also at home in my dinner. Ugh! I hate that!
But in the end, it was worth it. I really loved this view into Kristin Knight Pace’s life. It’s a kind of life I’m fascinated with, but that I don’t think I could survive for more than a week.
Anyway, five stars!
Great descriptions of the Alaska wilderness and what it’s like to run two 1000 mile dogsled races, the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod. And just...a lot about dogs and how wonderful and amazing they are, and also how they’re total assholes sometimes.
My only complaint is that it completely broke my heart and made me cry in the break room at work. Also at home in my dinner. Ugh! I hate that!
But in the end, it was worth it. I really loved this view into Kristin Knight Pace’s life. It’s a kind of life I’m fascinated with, but that I don’t think I could survive for more than a week.
Anyway, five stars!
April 28, 2019
This is so good, very reminiscent of Wild and reading it you realize what a person is capable of, what the body can endure if your mind is determined. I said to a waitress today as I was reading this at brunch and she asked me, that people are crazy! But still, to finish the Iditarod is just incredible and she has such a beautiful way of writing about it and everything that led her to that point.
May 6, 2019
I loved the parts of this book that talked about training, and running the Yukon Quest and Iditarod. I found the details about her relationships with her husbands too personal and also boring. I love dogs too, but I found the anthropomorphizing of her dogs off putting as well .
August 17, 2023
I enjoy reading about experiences I will never choose to have - whether it’s a female cab driver in Manhattan, a group of kids on the intense science fair circuit or in this case - a woman living in remote Alaska and competing in 1,000 mile long sled dog races.
I am not outdoorsy and the idea of living in remote Alaska with no electricity and 2 hours from the nearest store is totally foreign to me. The closest I will come is reading this book - while snuggled under a cozy blanket on my cozy couch in my warm apartment with electricity and hot water and all manner of convenience available just a few minutes away.
But even though our lives are so different - I was *right there* with Kristin through it all. At the start of the book - I wasn’t sure the writing style was for me but I wanted to stick with it to see the story. By the second half - I didn’t even realize I was reading words on a page, I was just living the story by her side.
There were times it seemed I held my breath for whole chapters. I will also confess at one point there were tears - and I don’t mean a single dainty tear, no this was full on “Claire Danes crying”.
I recommend reading this book - and hugging your dog if you have one. 😊 Thank you so much to Grand Central Publishing for the free review copy in exchange for my honest review.
I am not outdoorsy and the idea of living in remote Alaska with no electricity and 2 hours from the nearest store is totally foreign to me. The closest I will come is reading this book - while snuggled under a cozy blanket on my cozy couch in my warm apartment with electricity and hot water and all manner of convenience available just a few minutes away.
But even though our lives are so different - I was *right there* with Kristin through it all. At the start of the book - I wasn’t sure the writing style was for me but I wanted to stick with it to see the story. By the second half - I didn’t even realize I was reading words on a page, I was just living the story by her side.
There were times it seemed I held my breath for whole chapters. I will also confess at one point there were tears - and I don’t mean a single dainty tear, no this was full on “Claire Danes crying”.
I recommend reading this book - and hugging your dog if you have one. 😊 Thank you so much to Grand Central Publishing for the free review copy in exchange for my honest review.
December 3, 2021
Winterdance was my favorite book and favorite dog sledding book.... until this one. It feels great to have Kristin Pace share her personal story with us. What I found so nice, her personal growth and thoughts however, may be a distraction from those who just want to hear more about the experiences in the respective races of the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest.
I think the landscape of Alaska and the aloneness of dogsledding lends itself to wax poetic and Zen-like, but she does it I think better than other authors that share the country and sport of dogsledding. It is a book I look forward to reading again.
She also seems to do the speak the words for her dogs better than anyone. Most of the time those made me laugh out loud.
Overall a great book.
I would be interested in people's take on which they liked more, this book or Winterdance. I know my memory fades over time, and the latest amazing books looms larger than previous amazing books, so interested in what other people think, and always appreciate recommendations on other amazing books :-)
I think the landscape of Alaska and the aloneness of dogsledding lends itself to wax poetic and Zen-like, but she does it I think better than other authors that share the country and sport of dogsledding. It is a book I look forward to reading again.
She also seems to do the speak the words for her dogs better than anyone. Most of the time those made me laugh out loud.
Overall a great book.
I would be interested in people's take on which they liked more, this book or Winterdance. I know my memory fades over time, and the latest amazing books looms larger than previous amazing books, so interested in what other people think, and always appreciate recommendations on other amazing books :-)
April 19, 2020
This was one of those Alaska books that was clearly written by someone who wasn't from Alaska and was so obsessed by the idea that everything within the state became larger-than-life. The passages about the wilderness and vastness of Alaska itself were fun to read and experience, but there was so much unnecessary emotional turmoil. I would've liked it more with less personal relationship details and more details about the technical aspects of racing dogs and loving remotely.
Also, change the names of the people you write about in books. Alaska is a small place and we all know each other. (Something that the author seemed enamored by in writing but apparently didn't genuinely believe? I'm not sure.)
As my dad put it, "A little sappy + hot messy in places, but I thought you might enjoy the descriptions of dog team and arctic Alaska."
Also, change the names of the people you write about in books. Alaska is a small place and we all know each other. (Something that the author seemed enamored by in writing but apparently didn't genuinely believe? I'm not sure.)
As my dad put it, "A little sappy + hot messy in places, but I thought you might enjoy the descriptions of dog team and arctic Alaska."
July 13, 2019
Just finished This Much Country. It was hard to put down. I laughed, I cried, I was amazed at the courage of distance dog mushers as I ever shall be. Kristin Knight Pace writes like she's telling her story to an old friend. This one is well worth reading.
August 6, 2019
When it is 90 degrees outside and too hot to sleep, I enjoy reading books about surviving in the winter in Alaska.
July 10, 2019
Oh, this book.
We ALL know better than to read books about dogs, right? I mean, we learned that the hard way in elementary school when we read "Where the Red Fern Grows," right? But we just can't help ourselves.
When I was a kid, I think I read "Woodsong," by Gary Paulsen, (a young-adult story about his experiences running the Iditarod) at least a dozen times. I also had a math teacher who was fascinated by the race and used it in her teaching. It's one of those things (like the word "pail") that loomed large in my childhood life, but then faded out of sight as I grew up.
That's a long preamble to say that I really enjoyed this book: it hit all the right notes for me. It tickled those those shelved memories and fascinations and was a perfect summer diversion.
Knight Pace is a great storyteller who has lots of good stories to tell. She walks the balance beam of emotion and self-reflection versus action and events perfectly. Her writing is clear, highly readable, and clearly benefits from her experience as an editor and journalist. She's also fun to be around - the personalities (and voices!) she attributes to her dogs, her no-nonsense humor, the way she can be tough and completely vulnerable/relatable at the same time - she's the type of person I want to spend time with when I read, and also aspire to be more like.
If you're inclined to read it, have a tissue around for the last half (#uglycrying #dogbook). Also stick around for when the lady dog gets her chance to shine. The book does a great job highlighting the strength of women (of all species!) and has some lovely things to say about female friendship. This ramps up as the book goes on and it's perfect.
We ALL know better than to read books about dogs, right? I mean, we learned that the hard way in elementary school when we read "Where the Red Fern Grows," right? But we just can't help ourselves.
When I was a kid, I think I read "Woodsong," by Gary Paulsen, (a young-adult story about his experiences running the Iditarod) at least a dozen times. I also had a math teacher who was fascinated by the race and used it in her teaching. It's one of those things (like the word "pail") that loomed large in my childhood life, but then faded out of sight as I grew up.
That's a long preamble to say that I really enjoyed this book: it hit all the right notes for me. It tickled those those shelved memories and fascinations and was a perfect summer diversion.
Knight Pace is a great storyteller who has lots of good stories to tell. She walks the balance beam of emotion and self-reflection versus action and events perfectly. Her writing is clear, highly readable, and clearly benefits from her experience as an editor and journalist. She's also fun to be around - the personalities (and voices!) she attributes to her dogs, her no-nonsense humor, the way she can be tough and completely vulnerable/relatable at the same time - she's the type of person I want to spend time with when I read, and also aspire to be more like.
If you're inclined to read it, have a tissue around for the last half (#uglycrying #dogbook). Also stick around for when the lady dog gets her chance to shine. The book does a great job highlighting the strength of women (of all species!) and has some lovely things to say about female friendship. This ramps up as the book goes on and it's perfect.
January 22, 2021
I was capitvated from the start. Knight Pace's honest memoir of her 20s and 30s is a great story. It dose not read like a traditional memoir its just a great story being told. She tells us about her fascinating story of finding her way to Alaska, getting into dog mushing and finding love after some loss and heartbreak. It's almost hard to beliveve she is a real person that completed the two 1,000 mile dog sled races: the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod. She writes so well you forget its her personal story. She writes with so much amazing description and emotion and her reflections on life are very profound yet dont make the book too emotionally weighty. She gets the right amount of sentementality with truth and grace. her descritions of the secnery and life in alaska are very accurate.
And her relatuonship with her dogs brought me to tears. We read it as a book club book and it did not dissapoint. It could be a good quick beach read if you want but I recommend trying to savor it a little because she has some really thoughful points to ponder on life, love, loss and triumph. I highly recommend it.
And her relatuonship with her dogs brought me to tears. We read it as a book club book and it did not dissapoint. It could be a good quick beach read if you want but I recommend trying to savor it a little because she has some really thoughful points to ponder on life, love, loss and triumph. I highly recommend it.
April 13, 2019
This resonated with me on several levels -- Pace's story about love, heartbreak, and love again demonstrates her resilience, her willingness to push beyond her comfort zone is inspiring, and the exquisite writing about the beauty, ruggedness, and isolation of Alaska is breathtaking. I loved reading about her connection with her dogs and her experiences running her sled teams in the Yukon Race and the Iditarod.
October 13, 2019
Honestly, I don't know how this book ended up on my list, but I'm grateful that it did. The author was a writer before she became a musher and this story is beautifully described and detailed.
I am neither a lover of dogs or cold weather, yet I was mesmerized by Kristin's adventures. This book does what I love most, it takes me to a new place and allows me to live there.
I am neither a lover of dogs or cold weather, yet I was mesmerized by Kristin's adventures. This book does what I love most, it takes me to a new place and allows me to live there.
June 15, 2019
I thought I knew something about living in the cold, snowy northland...nope.
I thought I knew something about living with husky dogs...nope.
I thought I knew something about the pain and suffering of endurance sports...nope.
This book reveals so many levels beyond what I thought I knew. Wow.
I thought I knew something about living with husky dogs...nope.
I thought I knew something about the pain and suffering of endurance sports...nope.
This book reveals so many levels beyond what I thought I knew. Wow.
November 9, 2019
“All that lonesome time on the trail was everything a lifetime could throw at me - heartbreak, defeat, exhaustion, injury, failure, but it was also renewal, disbelief, beauty beyond imagining.” 💕
January 22, 2021
A beautiful memoir that will make you want to move to rural Alaska & start a sled dog kennel. This is one I'll gift to friends & always have a copy of in my home.
October 29, 2020
I would never last in Alaska, but I love reading stories about people who thrive there. This story is wonderful and Kristin is a champ!
January 7, 2021
A witty and beautiful memoir about humans & dogs, Alaska & sled racing. Loved the style and humor (dog voice) :)
January 22, 2021
Enjoyable and inspiring. Made me want to drive to Alaska for an adventure!
March 13, 2025
"It turned out the middle of nowhere was actually somewhere amazing..."
How can you rate a story of someone's life? Especially someone who has a life that is so badass? You can't. I have to rate the actual book and how it was written. Because Kristin's actual life is 5 stars.
The book starts with Kristin, a teenager, meeting her first husband through (I'm assuming) dial up internet on the website Hot or Not. For the younger generation... this was a website where you posted a picture and rated each other. As a 90s/2000s child myself... this was horrifying and could have been any of us if we didn't have strict parents.
I would have preferred a shorter introduction, leaving more room for the more captivating parts of the story. Kristin ends up in gorgeous, rugged Alaska, working with sled dogs. After seeing this crazy sport, she is determined to one day be a musher in the Iditarod. Freaking awesome! The book gets good here.
She, at times, seems unprepared. She doesn't even know the qualifications for the Iditarod. I like that she isn't afraid to tell us readers the mistakes she made. I honestly doubted her ability many times. But this chick is tough as nails, stubborn, and is not afraid. I could have read hundreds of pages more about the races and the dogs and the fellow mushers. I feel like she sped over some of the things that seem truly insane to me. You sleep for 1.5 hours? How do you use the bathroom in the cold with all those clothes? How do you drink water?
Things I liked:
- The dogs... obviously. I wish we would have gotten to know the dogs and their personalities more. Oh my gosh... she could write from the dogs POV... a little Call of the Wild 2.0.
- The anecdote with Littlehead. I was cheering her on. Her personality reminded of my crazy mutt dog (who has seen snow once in her whole life and cannot even walk on a leash appropriately).
- I loved the cabin descriptions and the reading about the Alaskan way of life. The refilling of the water story was interesting. No running water and no power? Unfathomable. Wild. Tell me more!!
- Loved hearing about the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest. Especially the other mushers like Lance Mackey. The comradery was so beautiful. It seems like it isn't even a race against each other. It was like everyone was racing together against themselves.
- One of my favorite sections is where Pace describes the excitement of hearing the mushers coming through the small towns. The people pile out of their homes to cheer on these wonderful athletes human and canine.
There were TONS of quotable moments!
"For us, it would never be the easier of two ways. Hadn't I learned by now that nothing worth doing was easy?"
"Sometimes the fear won't go away, so you'll have to do it afraid."
"I didn't yet understand that hard-earned accomplishments have a way of getting under your skin and enticing you to go back and try them again."
"But when I stepped inside that house, it was a breath of fresh air. The snow that fell outside that house fell for me. The dogs that howled out in the yard howled for me. The birds that alighted on birdhouse strung along the eaves were for my eyes only, and I savored all of it..."
"... but right there in that place I had found the root of myself. A seed had grown from the pit of my stomach and out through the rest of me. Branches sprouted from my ears and head and chest. Roots drove down deep into the dirt through the soles of my feet. To uproot would surely feel like tearing out my own heart."
"Underneath the big parkas and frozen ruffs, we were all one thing: dog mushers. And with our well-trained teams lined out before us, panting quietly, ears picking up our commands, we were all equally in the paradise we had made for ourselves. In that yawning expanse that cared nothing for human constructs - our gender roles, our customs, our pain and suffering - we were all equals."
How can you rate a story of someone's life? Especially someone who has a life that is so badass? You can't. I have to rate the actual book and how it was written. Because Kristin's actual life is 5 stars.
The book starts with Kristin, a teenager, meeting her first husband through (I'm assuming) dial up internet on the website Hot or Not. For the younger generation... this was a website where you posted a picture and rated each other. As a 90s/2000s child myself... this was horrifying and could have been any of us if we didn't have strict parents.
I would have preferred a shorter introduction, leaving more room for the more captivating parts of the story. Kristin ends up in gorgeous, rugged Alaska, working with sled dogs. After seeing this crazy sport, she is determined to one day be a musher in the Iditarod. Freaking awesome! The book gets good here.
She, at times, seems unprepared. She doesn't even know the qualifications for the Iditarod. I like that she isn't afraid to tell us readers the mistakes she made. I honestly doubted her ability many times. But this chick is tough as nails, stubborn, and is not afraid. I could have read hundreds of pages more about the races and the dogs and the fellow mushers. I feel like she sped over some of the things that seem truly insane to me. You sleep for 1.5 hours? How do you use the bathroom in the cold with all those clothes? How do you drink water?
Things I liked:
- The dogs... obviously. I wish we would have gotten to know the dogs and their personalities more. Oh my gosh... she could write from the dogs POV... a little Call of the Wild 2.0.
- The anecdote with Littlehead. I was cheering her on. Her personality reminded of my crazy mutt dog (who has seen snow once in her whole life and cannot even walk on a leash appropriately).
- I loved the cabin descriptions and the reading about the Alaskan way of life. The refilling of the water story was interesting. No running water and no power? Unfathomable. Wild. Tell me more!!
- Loved hearing about the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest. Especially the other mushers like Lance Mackey. The comradery was so beautiful. It seems like it isn't even a race against each other. It was like everyone was racing together against themselves.
- One of my favorite sections is where Pace describes the excitement of hearing the mushers coming through the small towns. The people pile out of their homes to cheer on these wonderful athletes human and canine.
There were TONS of quotable moments!
"For us, it would never be the easier of two ways. Hadn't I learned by now that nothing worth doing was easy?"
"Sometimes the fear won't go away, so you'll have to do it afraid."
"I didn't yet understand that hard-earned accomplishments have a way of getting under your skin and enticing you to go back and try them again."
"But when I stepped inside that house, it was a breath of fresh air. The snow that fell outside that house fell for me. The dogs that howled out in the yard howled for me. The birds that alighted on birdhouse strung along the eaves were for my eyes only, and I savored all of it..."
"... but right there in that place I had found the root of myself. A seed had grown from the pit of my stomach and out through the rest of me. Branches sprouted from my ears and head and chest. Roots drove down deep into the dirt through the soles of my feet. To uproot would surely feel like tearing out my own heart."
"Underneath the big parkas and frozen ruffs, we were all one thing: dog mushers. And with our well-trained teams lined out before us, panting quietly, ears picking up our commands, we were all equally in the paradise we had made for ourselves. In that yawning expanse that cared nothing for human constructs - our gender roles, our customs, our pain and suffering - we were all equals."
June 18, 2022
In der ersten Hälfte geht es sehr detailliert um das Scheitern der ersten Ehe der Autorin, das hat mich weniger interessiert. Aber die zweite Hälfte handelt von Schlittenhunden und Schlittenhunderennen. Ich hätte mir noch mehr technische Details gewünscht, aber so war es auch schon ganz gut. Es kommen überraschend viele Frauen vor ("Alaska: Where men are men and women win the Iditarod") und die Autorin führt das, was sie da ganz ohne Selbstzweifel macht, auf ein Outdoorfähigkeiten-Sommercamp für Mädchen zurück, an dem sie als Kind jeden Sommer teilgenommen hat.
November 28, 2024
This book is easily one of my new favorites, and one I won’t forget. I could have read Kristin’s story forever. It was so beautifully written, and I quickly became immersed in it all. This book has heartbreak, resiliency, hope, joy, anger, fear, and everything in between. HIGHLY recommend 🐾 ❄️
Littlehead reminded me so much of my Lemon 🥹
Littlehead reminded me so much of my Lemon 🥹
September 21, 2020
Non-fiction has always been a tough genre for me but this book has not only become my favorite non-fiction read of the year so far but my favorite book overall. The beautiful human/canine relationships that are presented are so uplifting and endearing, allowing the reader to truly experience the respect the author has for the dogs and what they have brought to her life. While there are tearjerker moments, they never feel as though the author is using the reader's emotions against them; they are instead a natural response to the beauty and love that is shown in this amazing book.
Along with being a tribute to the love a human can have for their animals, the book also paints a wonderful picture of both the wilderness and community that the state of Alaska is steeped with. It maintains a sense of realism for the reader, never hiding the harshness of nature and living in the back country, but also portrays such a sense of beauty that most of us will never be able to see or experience for ourselves. The reader is easily transported into the life of the author, with all its heartbreak, challenges, and joys, and it becomes so difficult to leave it when the book comes to its fulfilling end.
Another thing that I have to note is how great the sense of community in Alaska is displayed. It lines up with everything I have ever heard about Alaska but really hammers in the fact of how willing people are to ask and receive help in that area and provides a glimpse into a better humanity than we may be used to. For all the challenges the wilderness of Alaska may provide, one can't help but always have a "grass is always greener" point of view when looking in on it from the outside.
I really hope more people read this book, it is a journey that uplifted my soul in so many ways and was a breath of fresh air in my reading life. I doubt I will ever happen upon a book that summarizes my love for dogs and the role they play in our lives so succinctly.
Along with being a tribute to the love a human can have for their animals, the book also paints a wonderful picture of both the wilderness and community that the state of Alaska is steeped with. It maintains a sense of realism for the reader, never hiding the harshness of nature and living in the back country, but also portrays such a sense of beauty that most of us will never be able to see or experience for ourselves. The reader is easily transported into the life of the author, with all its heartbreak, challenges, and joys, and it becomes so difficult to leave it when the book comes to its fulfilling end.
Another thing that I have to note is how great the sense of community in Alaska is displayed. It lines up with everything I have ever heard about Alaska but really hammers in the fact of how willing people are to ask and receive help in that area and provides a glimpse into a better humanity than we may be used to. For all the challenges the wilderness of Alaska may provide, one can't help but always have a "grass is always greener" point of view when looking in on it from the outside.
I really hope more people read this book, it is a journey that uplifted my soul in so many ways and was a breath of fresh air in my reading life. I doubt I will ever happen upon a book that summarizes my love for dogs and the role they play in our lives so succinctly.
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