This was not an unputdownable, edge-of-your-seat, “can’t go to sleep till finished” type of book, but it was enjoyable and it was worth definitely worth the read. All in all, a solid read if not life altering. But do we always need those? Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC opportunity !

Better late than never with this delightful and impressive novel that had me immersed fr9m the start. Engrossing and unusual, persuasive but also romantic, it’s the perfect kind of big, enjoyable read to take on holiday or a trip to Antarctica. Congrats.

Who, in their right mind, would want to spend significant time in a place that has an average temperature of -54°F and where there is no sunlight for half the year? No one ... in their <em>right</em> mind. That's the basic premise behind Ashley Shelby's comic novel (comic in the way Catch-22 or M*A*S*H is comic) <em>South Pole Station</em>.

Cooper Gosling is an artist and she's had a few set-backs recently. Enough to have her question what she's doing and where she's going in life. And with that, she applies for the National Science Foundation’s Artists &amp; Writers Program, and after completing a lengthy form, she is accepted to be one of a few people to live and work at the South Pole for the next year.

What Cooper discovers is that everyone working there has their own, not too dissimilar reasons for getting away from most of humanity and hiding out at the Pole. Whether it's as cook, scientist, or event he station manager, everyone seems to harbor a secret reason for being there.

Cooper goes through the motions, learning the unusual ropes for living as a 'Polie' - such as learning to pee in a bucket and emptying the bucket later (but being careful not to spill the contents of the bucket on fellow Polies), and the annual 'pairing-up' mixer when everyone chooses the Pole Mate ... followed by the women's meeting to discuss the pairings and to make sure that no one is moving in on someone else's Pole Mate (and to rate the men and their availability). But when a 'scientist' who is an affirmed climate-change denier comes to the Pole, he receives a cold welcome from everyone except Cooper.

Author Shelby has put together a comic novel full of interesting, quirky characters. In the tradition of the best of the comic novels, it is the characters who drive the story and the location becomes as much a character as the individuals. And of course each is as scarred and outcast as Cooper (including the climate change denier).

But Shelby walks a fine line here, giving us oddball characters who don't fit in 'normal' society, but at the same time we find something likable and something relate-able about these people, and it is this that pulls us in to the story in the early pages and has us eagerly reading through the chapters. As the book nears the end, the circumstances and politics that descend on South Pole Station come to a head and the comic aspects of who, what, where, and why all come together, making this truly a delightful read.

Looking for a good book? South Pole Station, by Ashley Shelby, is a truly enjoyable read and should forever be among comic novels such as <em>A Confederacy of Dunces</em>, <em>Catch-22</em>, and <em>Breakfast of Champions</em>.

PS Ashley Shelby - as a Minnesota taxpayer ... you're welcome.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

This is an interesting book, I really liked the parts about the South Pole, less about the people. I would read for about 10 minutes and then not again for weeks so keeping the characters straight was a chore. I would recommend this book to people who want an light engaging book..

SOUTH POLE STATION by Ashley Shelby plops an artist into a scientific community without an escape hatch. Eccentric hilarity abounds.

Cooper Gosling earns a fellowship as part of an artists and writers program to create a portfolio while living at the South Pole Station. Her father has always been obsessed with the South Pole, which rubbed off on Cooper and her twin brother David. Now she has the chance to live their dreams.

It doesn’t take Cooper long to realize there isn’t much to draw or paint when you’re looking at all white scenery. The people intrigue her. We meet a fascinating group of strange individuals who embody the spirit of exploration in a place near inhabitable for most life forms. Artists mingle with Scientists which is crazier than it sounds.

Cooper isn’t perfect either, which is why she was chosen for the program. It takes a certain type of individual and mental stability to endure these conditions. Even though Cooper is still dealing with her brother’s suicide, his mental condition part of the blame for his actions, the powers-that-be believe she’s stable enough to work through this.

There were time shifts in this novel that made me falter in my reading, mostly at the beginning and the end. They didn’t deflect my overall reading pleasure, but I did wonder why they were there because the transitions weren’t as smooth as I expected. This may be more of a fiction style that I’m not used to because I just didn’t get it sometimes.

The science detail is rampant and exquisite but I didn’t understand half of it without a formal science background. I related more to the artist. Cooper spoke to me and I connected with her heart and soul. Even though the science jargon was overwhelming at times, the characterization was so good that it drove me forward, anxious for their eventual happiness.

I laughed a lot at these characters. In the beginning, I wasn’t sure I’d finish this book because of the sexual connotations that sounded more like a man thinking than a woman. The contradiction made it difficult to understand the point and it often irritated me. But, the characters are quirky and fun, something I love, so I kept reading.

Now that I look back at the first few chapters, I don’t understand why I had such a rough time understanding this book in the beginning. The second time I restarted the book I felt it should have started at 4 percent in the digital format. This is one of those types of novels that’s so deeply researched that if you’re not a fan of this subject, then you’re going to be confused. Just go with it, because the overall affect is well worth it.

I’m glad I persevered through what made me question and some of the over-the-top technicalities that had me ponder what was going on. There were some overly vivid situations that made me wonder what surprise the author had for us next. I can’t say I enjoyed all of them, but it was riveting. I did love the alternative theories about how the world began and the debate on climate change, which will make this book something to discuss with your friends. It’s the eccentric group of people working in the worst conditions who make light of their intelligence and abilities that make this novel a keeper.

I highly recommend SOUTH POLE STATION by Ashley Shelby to all quirky individuals. You will find something familiar to laugh at and enjoy the eccentricities that make each of us so unique. Ashley Shelby is a gifted writer with enthusiasm for the geek within us.

Review by Dorine, courtesy of The Zest Quest.

I found South Pole Station to be a captivating look at a unique social dynamic, as well as a story of interesting characters in a highly unusual situation. Add in politics and scientific discoveries and artwork, and it's one book that really doesn't fit any of the usual fictional trends or tropes.. Definitely recommended.

From the battery of tests our heroine takes to qualify for time at the South Pole, to the myriad of motives and personalities she encounters on arrival, South Pole Station delivers the entertainment. I thoroughly enjoyed my escape to the dysfunctional land of the South Pole and the glimpse into interpersonal relationships and lives therein. Ashley Shelby writes quite conversationally and she strikes a great balance between quirky and endearing.

By one-fourth of the way through this book, I was beyond certain that the South Pole would never be for me. The characters were interesting but a bit annoying at the same time. It is not a bad book. It is simply not for me.

Escape to a totally different climate is involved in SOUTH POLE STATION by Ashley Shelby. Set around 2004, this novel involves a community of eccentric characters (another review labels them as "brilliant misfits" or "nerds and oddballs") who are literally forced to spend time with each other at a scientific outpost at the South Pole. There is plenty of debate about climate change and the value of science vs. art since a main character, Cooper Gosling, is at the station due to a National Science Foundation grant for Artists and Writers. Thirty year-old Cooper is mourning her brother and trying to re-ignite her painting. Varied motivations exist for the other community members but debut author Shelby aptly (and often humorously) describes the claustrophobic, insulated atmosphere and the many rituals involved in surviving in such an isolated place. This work made me think of another debut novel, Bleaker House (although that is set in the Falkland Islands, it also involves an artist/writer finding herself), and about a young adult novel, Up to This Pointe (a coming of age story which is set at the South Pole). SOUTH POLE STATION received a starred review from Library Journal and seems particularly timely given all of the recent news about icebergs breaking away from Antarctica.

Links in live post:
http://www.npr.org/2017/07/04/534768605/south-pole-station-takes-a-cool-look-at-a-hot-topic
http://treviansbookit.blogspot.com/2017/03/on-language-and-writing.html
http://treviansbookit.blogspot.com/2016/01/up-to-this-pointe-by-jennifer-longo.html

'It's not "running from something." It's turning aside.' Tucker thought for a moment. 'Or looking askance. Looking askance at civilization. If you apply to go to Pole because it seems "cool" or because you're looking for "adventure," then you'll crack up when you realize it's not a frat party. If you don't fit in anywhere else, you will work your ass off for us. This has been proven time and time again.'"

This book is about as far removed from my real-life as is possible, but I enjoyed the well-written opportunity to try on the life of being thousands of miles from home, in a spare and hostile climate, with total strangers, while seeking the purpose of one's existence. This story centers around an elite cadre of scientists who willingly live in the farthest regions of the world for six months at a time. An undercurrent of scientific discord between climate change believers and deniers winds through the human character exploration, making an enjoyable story overall.

I really wanted to like this book. As it is, I'm not even finishing it. There's honestly nothing wrong with it but it just doesn't hold my attention. There are interesting aspects but it seems like the author introduces these and then just lets them go. I hate the emails between the MC and her sister. They're pointless, honestly. And the author is acting like there's big mystery about the brother. Yeah, I've figured it out already. I'm in the minority on this one, so if you're on the fence, do give it a try. I wish you better luck than I've had.

"You think Antarctica is going to be the purest place in the world— like the last pure place on earth—and you get here and it’s like Akron.”

I love the summer, hot weather, and warm nights but for whatever reason I love stories of all kinds that take place in frigid climates - the Arctic, Antarctica, Alaska, the Yukon, Minnesota, and on and on. This story was quite different than I expected. There was a lot about the Station and the South Pole but there was also a LOT that read like a physics textbook with a lot of politics added.

Cooper Gosling, painter/artist, is accepted by the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Artists & Writers Program, and soon finds herself a FINGY (effing new guy) at Amundsen- Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica in 2004. She and her brother were long obsessed with South Pole, following in the footsteps of their father's obsession. After her brother's suicide, she is trying to make sense of what happened to him and hopes to find some answers at South Pole.

There is quite a motley crew at the Station, from construction workers, maintenance, cooks, a doctor, scientists, other recipients of the NSF grant - and all combine personalities into a sometimes funny, sometimes melancholy tale of misfits and reprobates.

I liked the story but didn't love it and probably wouldn't read it again. But if you're a real nut about Antarctica, give it a try. There are quite a few tidbits of info about the Station and enough dark humor to make it worth a read.

I received this book from Picador USA through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

This is a first novel and it shows somewhat - one weird pacing decision and a few startling flashbacks (too infrequent to make much sense,) too much infodumping with science at times, and it could have been shorter and told the same story - but overall I enjoyed this story about Polies working at "Pole." It starts out focused on Cooper, an artist who has been given a grant, working a the South Pole in hopes it will inspire her art after the death of her brother. Sometimes the focus shifts to another character and the tone changes to how that character thinks, and I enjoyed those parts, although I felt they could have been more methodically spread throughout the book. There is some commentary here on art vs. science, climate change, but more than anything I liked getting to know the types of characters you would find in such an isolated, difficult place.

I don't really have much to say here. I quite liked this book in the beginning with all the details of getting to and living at South Pole (told through the story of an artist on an NSF art grant running from her grief over her brother's suicide). There were really interesting insights on art, science, politics, sociology, psychology... Not much happened exactly, but it was interesting. And then in the last half or third or so, I just totally lost interest. I think it got way too political and melodramatic. Kind of ironic that I was enjoying the non-action and then once the action started I got bored, but there you go. While this ended up not being the book for me, it's definitely the book for somebody. Pretty unique, often insightful.

Ashley Shelby's captivating South Pole Station may have been written before the current political "climate" but it will be released into it and has a lot to say about science, climate change and the people who winter over in the furthest, coldest corner of the world proving it exists...or, in some cases, that it doesn't.
South Pole Station is a place you have to pass a psychological test before being allowed to spend time there. Cooper Gosling, a former art prodigy, hopes to find inspiration in the place she has heard about all her life. Her father, fascinated by arctic explorers, brought up Cooper, her twin brother and their sister on the survival stories of those expeditions.
A family tragedy propels Cooper into applying for a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Artists & Writers Program. This grant will take her far from home and away from her problems there and into the midst of a dynamic group of South Pole residents or Polies, that includes scientists, carpenters, engineers, cooks and a lifestyle lived on the edge.
Will Cooper be inspired by the men who lived and died making their way to this isolated spot? Will she be accepted by the teams inhabiting the Station? Find out for yourself in this smart, funny and completely original story that will keep you reading, laughing and even yelling "What! Oh no!" at your kindle. This might very well be the Recommender's favorite book of the year! 5 stars! Thank you, NetGalley, for the DRC!

I felt like some of the scientific jargon was a bit too technical for the novel's overarching audience. The book could've been shortened by a good 100 pages without losing quality. But, the story was otherwise well-scripted and engaging, and took readers on a journey to one of the coldest, most desolate places on earth. It certainly allowed for an interesting change of scenery...although I spent most of my reading time safely underneath a warm blanket!

4 stars

Cooper Gosling wants to go to the South Pole to paint. Recovering from the recent suicide of her twin brother, she takes tests and answers hundreds of questions.

Finally making it to the land of Amundsen and other famous and not-so-famous explorers, she immediately gets sick. She begins to meet the other “polies” in a war versus the scientists – and everyone else it seems.

She befriends a young man whose aim is to take core samples to disprove the theory of global warming. The other scientists tease him, and play practical jokes (some a lot more serious than others), on him. They basically make his life miserable.

Inter-relationships between people are very important when during the winter it is dark all the time and in the summer the temperature is about minus 31 degrees F.

Witnessing the harsh conditions that people have to live in, it makes one wonder just how in the heck people survived all those years ago. Our polies have all the modern conveniences, like thermal underwear and reliable heating, whereas years ago they had layers of clothes and a fire to sit by. Just wow!

The pole is both beautiful and forbidding; the descriptions of the landscape are very stark and wonderful.

I want to thank Net galley and MacMillan-Picador for forwarding to me a copy of this great book to read.

To me this novel didn't have substance. It didn't go anywhere and I didn't feel part of the 'Pole' experience

South Pole Station by Ashley Shelby. Every time I thought of putting this down, the author wiggled out just enough bait to draw me back in.




The first section, focusing on the main-main character, felt inexpertly done-- it didn't have the right balance of what to share and what to keep secret. But the info dole evened out, and I was surprised at how much I liked the secondary characters who got to speak in first person for a bit. Their voices were surprisingly unique and had enough depth to not be charicatures.




There are a few characters who are called only by their descriptors throughout the book. They have the same or more on-page time, and the same or more lines than other characters who got names. I don't know if this is supposed to be some kind of subtle message-- the two are artists while everyone else is a scientist or a technician or a blue-collar staffer-- or if this is some weird oversight, or something else. Although they have plenty of lines, the two are probably the thinnest, most-charicature-like characters.