Stay Active, Stay Vigilant

Study leader and UBC professor Julian Dierkes likes murder mysteries that are set at a travel destination.

 

This summer Julian will be digging into acclaimed thriller author Fritz Galt's action-packed and perilous puzzler Murder in Mongolia. This is book 2 of 3 in his Jake Maguire FBI Mystery Series. Fun fact: the author’s wife was the US ambassador to Mongolia some years ago!

 

 

If this sounds intriguing, Julian further recommends Alex Walters’ The Shadow Walker, first in his three-book series. Set in the later 2000’s Mongolia, The Shadow Walker is a gripping thriller that introduces Inspector Nergui of the Mongolian Serious Crime squad. This was a time of uncertainty in terms of the directions that Mongolia might take. The main characters are caught in some bureaucratic spiderwebs in addition to the investigations they’re pursuing. While they travel to the countryside over the course of the investigation, the narrative remains focused on the capital, Ulaanbaatar.

 

A robust and entertaining first novel.’ (The Age)

 

 

If these readings get you thinking about travel to Mongolia, you can join Julian in Western Mongolia on a Fatbike and Hiking Expedition, August 15 – 28, 2022. Learn more here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

See more Active & Wellness suggestions from walk leader Marisa Mae with faves from the hilarious to the inspirational.

 

Walk Leader Marisa Mae creates and leads programs, workshops, and workouts for UBC Faculty of Medicine Department of Paediatrics and BC Children’s Hospital employees/staff in Vancouver, BC.


Wide Open: A moving experience on the Camino Portugues to Santiago by Leslee Watt (2019)

I’m getting ready to walk the Camino with the alumni UBC Travel Club in 2022 and I want to be prepared. This is memoir/travelogue, journeying alongside the author as she navigates the Camino Portugues, a story of what’s possible when one walks a path with an open heart.

 

You are a Badass: How to stop doubting your greatness and start living an awesome life by Jen Sincero (2013)

This is probably one of my favourite books of all time. I rarely re-read books, but this one is an exception. Once a year it gives me the kick in the pants and massive dose of confidence that I need. It’s an entertaining how-to guide from a success coach with bite-sized chapters full of inspiring stories, sage advice, and easy exercises (plus the occasional swear word!)

 

Bossypants by Tina Fey (2011)