Kiss, Marry or Kill: 56

The most enthralling non-fiction I've read in YEARS. Plus AI vs. human writing (how do you score?), a fun new word game, and is AI coming for your job?

This is my weekly series for subscribers only, where I’ll share things that caught my eye this week in a fun and flirty way (kiss), a sustainable way (marry), or a not-so-good way (kill). And yes, this trendy game is technically “f***, marry, or kill” but we run a family-friendly-ish show around here.

Kiss (things I like right now)

📖 Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage, Alfred Lansing (←read with my eyes)

This book was written in 1959, and is still considered the definitive account of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated 1914 expedition to the Antarctic. I have never been so on the edge of my seat. Also, I would never have believed this tale was real, had I not read about Lansing’s meticulous research. (He interviewed many of the surviving crew members, and used their personal diaries to piece together the full account.)

In 1914, Shackleton (an accomplished Antarctic explorer) led a party of 28 men, with a goal of being the first to cross the content of Antarctica. Their ship became stuck in ice floes (and eventually crushed) in the Weddell Sea—about 300 miles off the coast of Antartica, and described as “the most treacherous and dismal region on Earth.”

The book spans the next two years (!) as Shackleton and his men desperately try to survive in the most inhospitable environment you could imagine. I won’t share more, because I need you to read this book for yourself.

I have read some unbelievable tales of adventure and survival: Into Thin Air and Unbroken are two of my favorites. But Endurance tops them all (or at the very least, ties with Krakauer). This has sent me on a trek for more non-fiction historical adventure books; I’ve got at least three in my TBR pile as we speak. (Also, my fiction audiobook is vibing with my non-fiction read again this week! Standby for that review.)