Cat Croteau’s book review in Women’s Adventure Magazine May 28, 2014

Story of Life At A Russian Research Station

The Antarctic Book of Cooking and Cleaning, by Wendy Trusler and Carol Devine

excerpt: “Sometimes a book is just a book and sometimes a book is an entire experience in itself; it can cross several different senses before even being consumed by the mind. The Antarctic Book of Cooking and Cleaning is one such book. Upon receiving and opening the parcel from the authors Wendy Trusler and Carol Devine I was struck by the book’s Soviet-era textbook feel, I was instantly geeking out! For full disclosure, I’m a reader who loves to be transported to faraway lands but I’m also looking for that comforting smell, the feel of the weft of the page, the texture on the cover, and the sound of the spine as it cracks when you open the book. I crave a full body experience when I’m reading, and The Antarctic Book of Cooking and Cleaning delivered.

Part diary, part cookbook, part history lesson, part photo album wrapped in the visage of a military textbook, The Antarctic Book of Cooking and Cleaning is the story of a Russian-Canadian clean-up project in the summer of 1996 at Bellingshausen, a Russian research station in Antarctica..

Much of the book is written in short and to-the-point diary entries sprinkled with captivating photographs, from both current and past excursions to Antarctica. Trusler and Devine take turns with their entries giving the reader a glimpse into how they are individually affected by the trip and by the people they encounter along the way. There is an ebb and flow to their passages, offering details when they’re appropriate and necessary but leaving them out when more info would have been too much. Their book is a practice in reading meditation, which allows the beauty of the words to sink in…

The Antarctic Book of Cooking and Cleaning is a testament to how important it is for humankind to work together and that no matter how much we think we matter, humans are in fact such a small part of the whole.”

Thanks Cat! Now we also want to be part of the Women’s Adventure book club!

Cat’s bio:

Cat Croteau is an avid hiker, yogi, and mom to 4. Currently residing in South Dakota with her soul mate, Cat loves exploring the Black Hills with a baby on her hip and her family by her side.

Cat is a key member of the Women’s Adventure book club. Join her and almost 600 women from around the world as we read and discuss an adventure book each month here.