I have lately found myself gravitating toward a set of obsessions reading-wise. It's not that we all don't do this to some degree (if you like cozy mysteries then you read a lot of cozy mysteries) but a pattern is forming of late that is, in retrospect, rather interesting. Here's what I'm way into lately:

1. Intrepid lady explorers/scientists. These are usually ladies of the 19th and early 20th century who set out for various destinations for the purposes of learning either about people, places or some scientific purposes (paleontology, archeology, etc.). This group includes famous women like Karen Blixen but also woman that a lot of people may not have heard of like Dorothea Bates, Mary Anning, Ella Maillart and Charmian Kittredge (otherwise known as Mrs. Jack London). I never heard about any of these women when I was in school - not even in college. (Betsy Ross and her fictional flag, yes; Freya Stark in the Middle East, no. Sigh.) What's interesting is that beyond the obvious nonfiction that this obsession leads me to (like the upcoming title The Fossil Hunter on Anning that I mentioned yesterday), there's also a good deal of fiction I read about them. In fact, it was because of the intrepid lady angle that I was first attracted to both The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate and Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone. Both are clearly "adventurers in training" (Petronella actually has a rather big adventure in her book which looks to be the first in a series - I hope) and I was interested to see how a writer creates an "intrepid young woman". Both are great - both will be in the July column. (June is coming-of-age, July is "choose your own adventure", August is "road trips" and September looks to be "fly me to the moon" - in honor of the anniversary, of course.)

What intrigues me about the real women is not what they did once they got wherever they were going (of after they made their discovery like Anning or Bates) but what prompted them to go look for something in the first place. You grow up in a time and place that does not encourage big moments of bravery (or craziness) so why do these particular women go? Some of them went alone, a few with men (that was the case with Blixen and Johnson) but even that is surprising. What makes a woman choose a man who will take her far far away for questionable reasons (as in adventure)? I mean I get the romantic appeal of the wild boy and all that but let's be real - crushing is one thing, marrying the guy and leaving home with him is a whole other deal. It's a puzzle and I know there is a different answer for every woman and that might be part of the appeal of this subject for me. All of them did something extraordinary for their own reasons - and all of them are collectively extraordinary. I love trying to figure out why or sometimes, just thinking about why.

Ever heard of Margaret Fountaine? I hadn't until just recently. She's awesome. I totally need to get my hands on the book on her life.

[Post pic of Osa Johnson. Her book "I Married Adventure" was the first book about an adventurous lady I read. I found it in a used bookstore in my hometown about ten years ago - it has an zebra patterned cover so it stood out on the shelf. I actually passed it by at first (because I never heard of her) but went back and bought it a day later. The bottom pic is her and husband Martin - he was killed in an airplane crash. Aren't they beautiful?]