A Million Steps

I felt like a little bit of "trail magic" was gifted to me with this book as it had been on my wish list for several months. When I got serious about purchasing it, I realized that for a few days, it was a free Kindle download. So before I review the book, I would like to thank Mr. Koontz for his generosity.I hesitated to write a review of this book because it conjures up emotions from my high school days when I felt my English teacher was grading me instead of my writing and I imagine it's a difficult undertaking to put into words the heart of a defining moment such as a pilgrimage.I appreciated the travelogue aspect of A Million Steps. Seeing how Mr. Koontz's 28 day pilgrimage was organized and having an account of the weather, the hiking conditions and descriptions of the albergues was helpful information that I will return to when I plan my own pilgrimage. I also appreciated his recounting each day's events as well as his sharing spiritual insights he gained during his walk as well as how he grew and changed during this trip. With that being said, I finished the book feeling confused . . . because it was a little bit travelogue, a little bit journal and a little bit personal/spiritual insight. I was left with the feeling that it was a difficult task to put such a monumental experience into words. I completed this book over a couple of days, which in and of itself was disappointing to me. I wanted reading about such an epic journey to feel like an epic journey to me, the reader. I ended my time on Mr. Koontz's pilgrimage wanting to have spiritually experienced more of it; to have made a deeper spiritual connection.Writing about personal journeys and experiences is a brave thing to do and I appreciate Mr. Koontz inviting us to experience his camino. I would rather not assign "stars" and would rate it a "10" based solely on the courage it takes to share personal stories. However, I am assigning 4 stars because I would like to encourage him to go deeper if he ever invites us on another journey with him. Don't be afraid to be even more vulnerable with your thoughts and feelings and lessons learned. All in all, I would definitely recommend this book to others.

As a would-be pilgrim immersed in planning my own Camino, I've been thirsty for others' accounts of their own journeys along the road to Santiago de Compostela. So far I've read Bill Bennett's "The Way, My Way," Hape Kerkeling's "I'm Off Then: Losing and Finding Myself on the Camino de Santiago," Dave O'Brien's "The Camino Will Provide," and Shirley MacClaine's "The Camino: A Journey of the Spirit." Up until now, Bennett's book was my favorite, for its pacing, humor, and honesty. Now "A Million Steps" has officially joined the ranks as a top favorite in my small, but growing, library of Camino memoirs.I found "A Million Steps" to be a delightful read. Although it follows much the same format as all of the other Camino memoirs I've read thus far - a chapter for every day's adventure - the value in reading multiple books within this genre is getting to know the author's personality, and in essence experience just a bit of his or her journey. Koontz did a great job of sharing feelings and stories that obviously hit close to his emotional roots. He took a chance in letting readers examine his flawed past and current insecurities, and reading this, it felt like the "reveal" was just as much of a healing journey as the walk, itself.Although the Kindle version had a few typos, it was still a wonderful book. His personality shone through on every page, and I found myself hoping that I can have the luck to meet pilgrims as thoughtful, kind, and individualistic as he on my own trip. In fact, this individuality makes itself known in a few little "extras" that Koontz includes at the end of the book. Most of the accounts I've read thus far pretty much end when the author reaches Compostela. This story continues after the culmination of the physical pilgrimage, giving readers a brief rundown of what life was like in the days after Koontz returned home to Idaho. It really helped build him out not only as the author, but also a person with a life (and continuing story) away from the road. The sweet little Camino playlist at the end of the book was a fabulous touch, as well. I say, well done!

This book was very interesting to me, and well written. I felt like I was walking the trail along with the author. Being able to see many pictures describing locations and events was very enjoyable as well. I would highly recommend the book to anyone.

I have been interested in the Camino since I met a German lady in 1986 at our summer camp in Illinois who was biking around America. She told me about it and got me looking into it. The author did a good job of taking the reader along with him on his journey. Some things were my opposites such as I'm short, he is tall, he's retired young and I'll probably never retire. His perspectives were really helpful in getting a feel for his experience. I loved how he talked about the relationships that developed and the international unity between the pilgrims. His writing is just ok. I guess I'm spoiled by reading Bill Bryson.

A very entertaining, easy to read and informative book. Unlike other books I have read on the Camino, A Million Steps does not take the history of the Camino and then bash the reader over the head with it in an attempt to fill out chapters. Instead, the chapters are short and too the point. Kurt Koontz is brief, focusing instead on how the Camino affected him emotionally and telling us about the people he met and how their stories impacted on his views of life and love. The history of the Camino is only touched upon when major historical landmarks are encountered (such as the monument to Roland, the bridge where a knight fought off 300 oponents over 30 days as an act of love, or the Bishops palace designed by Gaudi), and only where these things relate to the authors life (dedication to something, the love the author feels for a particular person, his appreciation for art etc).This is also the first book I have read that discusses the accomodation along the route rather than the (seemingly) obligatory "I stayed at such and such a place" and then leaving it at that. Prices are discussed. The simple joy of having a bottom bunk with the ability to stretch out is revealed. The joy of finding both a washing machine and a dryer. The best places to get a meal (or to get the ingredients to prepare one for yourself) are shown. Overall, five stars to Kurt Koontz for his first ever book. Bravo

A very well written account of the authors journey along this wonderful route through northern Spain. I first read this book before my own Camino adventure in 2015 and have finished my second reading as I had noted how much I enjoyed it the first time. It is an uplifting account of his journey and the mix of people he met on his travels. This author certainly gained from his Camino experience big time,and anyone reading this book will also enjoy his fantastic walking journey. A must read for any age group considering walking the Camino or indeed for those that would love to walk the Camino but for whatever reason cannot, this book will take them there.

I enjoyed reading this book. I have recently walked the Camino Frances myself. This book helped me to relive my own experiences on the camino especially when the author wrote about places that we had stayed in ourselves. I found myself really wanting to know what happened to the authors relationship with his girlfriend after the camino so had to keep reading to find out! I have a Kindle Touch and sometimes find that photos do not show up very well on it. They are not in colour so it depends on how distinctive the shades of grey or black and white are on the photos. I decided to look at the ipad version hoping to see the photos better there; however, I found that they were not there at all. There was just a picture of a camera with an exclamation mark. I am not sure why that would be as other people's camino books contain photos that do show up in the ipad version.

This was an interesting read of one person's journey along the Camino Way, the ups and downs in every sense of the word, and a useful pre-read for anyone thinking of walking all 800kms. It is tougher in reality than one might suppose before tackling it. I recently did 116km of the Camino Way. I'm fit and walk well but I would not have wanted or been capable of keeping to the timescale in this book. For most people the 800km takes around a month of daily walking and that does not generally allow for any problems preventing walking during that time. Periodically stopping overnight at a hotel is a good idea too - allowing for real relaxation and a good nights sleep, which may not be possible in a dormitory situation.

I found this a simple read and maybe at times simplistic but don't let that put you off. I guess it might not be that relevant to people who have walked the Camino and there is no factual assistance in terms of route or places to stay/eat really for those who might do so. However I found it a really enjoyable easy read - some insights are lovely and the people he meets are so varied and interesting so for me it was a rewarding read.