Guestbook

The past few years, I have taken up reading as a hobby.  I read exclusively non-fiction books, mostly adventure stories. I am most interested in mountain climbing, Arctic and Antarctic adventures and tales of survival.  Below are some of the best books I've read in order starting with the best.

Into Thin Air - by Jon Krakauer.  This is probably the best book I've ever read. It is the story of the 1996 disaster on Mount Everest. The book gives an astounding first hand account of the calamity and death that befell the two American climbing teams as they tried to summit Everest and return to safely to high camp.  Krakauer is not only a writer, but also an elite mountain climber who was asked to join the team and write about it.  I had a difficult time putting this book down, and actually re-read the last few chapters several times.

We Die Alone - by David Hawarth. One truly astonishing tale of survival and endurance.  It defies the will to live and shows the strength of the human spirit in my opinion.  This is the story of a Norwegian soldier who escapes a Nazi ambush of his boat in the North Sea. He makes it to shore of the Arctic waters where he is shot by the Nazis.  He proceeds to skirt the Nazis who mercilessly chase him through the arctic regions of northern Norway. I simply could not put this book down and finished in in four days. I doubt I will ever read story more unforgettable than this one.

Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea - by Gary Kinder  This is one of the most amazing stories I have ever come across. A young scientist named Tommy Thompson spends most of his life in pursuit of a sunken steamship known to have been carrying several tons of gold aboard.  The only problem is that it is at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean at a depth of over 8000 feet. He invents several deep sea exploring units which he uses to locate the ship and bring the gold to the surface. This is a most fascinating story of American perseverence.

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - by Alfred Lansing   This is the story of Ernest Shackleton and his failed expedition to the South Pole in 1915. His ship gets iced in off the coast of Antarctica and is eventually destroyed by the shifting ice. He and his crew spend two years wandering and drifting aimlessly at the bottom of the world. This is another book I had a difficult time putting down.

When Pride Still Mattered - by David Maraniss   This book is recognized as the best biography of Vince Lombardi. The author spent several years gathering facts to write this book.  Any Packer fan should read this book.

Working on the Edge - by Spike Walker  A book about the perils of crab fishermen in Alaska.  Like Krakauer, Spike Walker is a writer who was also a crab fisherman.

North to the Night - by Alvah Simon   An arctic adventure book about a couple who purchase a boat and sail it as far north as they can and deliberately ice themselves in for the winter near NW Greenland.  An unexpected family emergency leaves Alvah Simon there alone where he faces 5 months of darkness, blizzards, blindness and subzero temperatures. 

In the Heart of the Sea - by Nathaniel Philbrick  This is a remarkable tale of survival. A whaling boat is destroyed by a sperm whale in 1819, leaving the crew drifting around in the south Pacific where the eventually run out of food and water.  Only a few of the crewmembers actually survive this 96 day odyssey.

Yukon Alone - by John Balzar   Another book where the author takes part in the activity in which he writes about. Balzar documents the Yukon Quest sled dog race (which is run a month before the Iditarod in colder weather).  He really brings the essence of the sport and relationships between team leaders and their dogs to the reader. 

High Exposure - by David Breshears   Another book about mountain climbing. This is more of an autobiography of Breshears' life, but I liked the parts when he is on Everest where he did the IMAX movie.

Eiger Dreams - by Jon Krakauer   A book of mountain climbing stories by Jon Krakauer. 

Into the Wild - by Jon Krakauer    Another Krakauer book about a young man who travels to Alaska and tries to live there alone off the land.  I read this book on the plane when I flew to England in 1998.