Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 34

Thread: Book recommendations, please...

  1. #1

    Book recommendations, please...

    Hey guys...I'm leaving early next week for my annual trip to the Big Island of Hawaii. I'll be there six weeks...must be nice, huh?

    Indeed it is. While there, I do epic amounts of hiking, swimming, eating, backpacking and actually find time to sit on my ass and read books. I tend to prefer history and non-fiction, biographies and autobiographys...although fiction will work if it's really good.

    Before I cruise over to Barnes and Noble to walk around and look for something that may interest me, I figured some of you may have some recommendations...please indulge me. Thanks.
    Suddenly my feet are feet of mud
    It all goes slo-mo
    I don't know why I am crying
    Am I suspended in Gaffa?

  2. # ADS
    Circuit advertisement
    Join Date
    Always
    Location
    Advertising world
    Posts
    Many
     

  3. #2
    Endurance by Alferd Lansing
    It should be at the top of everyone's must read list.

    Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage https://www.amazon.com/dp/0465062881..._NL.cEb2AX44KB

    Climb-Utah.com

  4. #3
    Down the Great Unknown. About Powell's first Grand Canyon exploration. History non. Fun read. At the heart of the desert SW, for all of us canyon lovers.
    https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060955864..._jWkdEb9P6YXFG

    Side note: in my early canyon exploration days (around 2007 iirc), I found a wagon wheel tire in the East Fork of the Virgin on the Fat Man's loop. At the time I thought maybe it was from early explorers and got all excited. I went to see a Zion historian in her office in the park and showed her the location on a map. She was unimpressed, said it was probably debris washed down over the decades from some town.

    I've always wanted to go back and heft that out. But those pups weigh like 100-150 pounds.

  5. #4
    Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson. It's about deep sea divers and the group of men that found a sunken U-Boat off the coast of the northeastern US and the struggle to figure out what the boat's ID was.

    Honestly, any of Robert Kurson's books are great. I've read all of them. His Apollo 8 book and Shadow Diver are my favorite.

    Manhunt by James L. Swanson. It's about the Lincoln assassination and its aftermath.

    Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson is an excellent history of the Civil War

  6. #5
    Just finishing up The Ghost Mountain Boys by James Campbell. The Battle for New Guinea during WWII.

  7. #6
    Emerald Mile, In the Heart of the Sea, River of Doubt, We the Drowned (historical fiction). I'll Never get Out of This World Alive (fiction), Last of the Breed, Memoirs of a Gnostic Dwarf.

    Also get an e-reader. I use an Onyx and travel with an older Kindle (pre touch screen).

    Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk

  8. Likes rockgremlin liked this post
  9. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by diesel View Post
    Also get an e-reader. I use an Onyx and travel with an older Kindle (pre touch screen).
    Totally second this. The best part about an e-reader is you can use an app called Overdrive to connect to your local library (make sure you have your library card) and checkout books to your heart's content and not have to worry about a late fee.

    I use Overdrive to download audiobooks to my phone and ebooks to my tablet.
    Just 'cause it zips, don't mean it fits

  10. Likes rockgremlin liked this post
  11. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Iceaxe View Post
    Endurance by Alferd Lansing
    It should be at the top of everyone's must read list.

    Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage https://www.amazon.com/dp/0465062881..._NL.cEb2AX44KB

    Climb-Utah.com
    I knew you'd throw this one out...this book came up months ago here on this forum. It's fantastic...I'm actually going to take it with me for a reread.

    Thanks for the recommendations everyone. I appreciate it. I'll pick up a few of them and report when I get back if they were satisfying...they look good and aside from Endurance, I haven't read any of these others.

    Man, I've read a lot about the Civil War...and Lincoln. I don't know if I can do anymore of that. That U-boat one looks interesting, though...same with the Powell book.

    Can't do the e-reader...I'll be backpacked in the boondocks with no way to charge the thing for many days at a time...and that's the only place I'll sit and read. Look it up...it's called Halape on the Big Island...a beach in the National Park. Only 3 hours to hike in from where you park, so I'll bring in pineapples, bananas and stuff...backpacking like a king.
    Suddenly my feet are feet of mud
    It all goes slo-mo
    I don't know why I am crying
    Am I suspended in Gaffa?

  12. #9
    No worries with battery life on an e-reader. I use mine in Alaska hunting. I'm able to get 40 hrs of daylight reading on a single charge. An e-reader is not a tablet. And the money you invest will pay dividends on your eye care. My son and I code using an advanced type with high refresh rate (Onyx). I recommend an old kindle (~25$) model #D01100. You'd prolly need a new battery on something this old. Have fun and my latest book is Dead Mountain the untold true story of the Dyatlov Pass incident.

    Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk

  13. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by diesel View Post
    I recommend an old kindle (~25$) model #D01100. You'd prolly need a new battery on something this old.
    Update. My kid just read this and said it is a difficult, glued in battery, and a replacement isn't easy to locate.

    So just drop some cash on a new one that is a smaller, carryable format. Pay attention to usable non backlit battery life. You can store millions of pages of text.

    Sent from my LG-M210 using Tapatalk

  14. #11
    Diesel...I don't have time to get the e-reader for this trip, but I'll certainly pick one up after I return. Time to upgrade, no doubt...especially since the batteries last so long with those things. I had no idea, as I figured they'd conk out after a day or two like every other "device" I've owned.

    Yeah..."We The Drowned", holy crap that thing is as thick as War And Peace! No way I'm backpacking that puppy. That one looked interesting, too. Later.

    Thanks again to everyone for all these other books...they'll keep me busy for hours during the downtimes. I'll be thinking of you all as I sit in my camp chair reading these while exfoliating my feet in the sand.

    Name:  EAAF49DF-8254-486B-BE86-16E30EF476D2.jpg
Views: 615
Size:  25.8 KBName:  603B7784-8451-4CB5-88B4-962CDCADF520_1_201_a.jpg
Views: 553
Size:  27.8 KB
    Suddenly my feet are feet of mud
    It all goes slo-mo
    I don't know why I am crying
    Am I suspended in Gaffa?

  15. #12
    Shadow Divers and Rocket Men are both excellent. You'll like them, I've read them both. Shadow Divers is probably on my top 10 ever list.

    Climb-Utah.com

  16. #13
    Don't know if you have read this but you may find it enjoyable.

    Name:  download.jpg
Views: 532
Size:  13.4 KB

  17. Likes twotimer, diesel liked this post
  18. #14
    ^^^just added it to my reading list as it sounds interesting.

    Climb-Utah.com

  19. #15
    Bogley BigShot oldno7's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    We're all here, because we ain't all there.
    Posts
    19,424
    Anasazi By Richard Wetherill

    But I would think that you have already read it.
    I'm not Spartacus


    It'll come back.


    Professional Mangler of Grammar

    Guns don't kill people--Static Ropes Do!!

    Who Is John Galt?

  20. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by oldno7 View Post
    Anasazi By Richard Wetherill

    But I would think that you have already read it.
    Believe it or not, I haven't. It's a biography of Wetherill by Frank McNitt. Rated high on Amazon.

    Darn it...I should have posted this thread a couple weeks ago! But then I'd likely be carrying 30lbs worth of books. I'm leaving tomorrow morning.

    There's only two bookstores on the Big Island...both of them sell mostly used books...one on the Kona side and one on the Hilo side. Both of them are large, housed in medium sized warehouses, but aside from a few gems here and there, it's a lot of junky reads. Lots of romance, mystery, crime and fiction...subjects I despise taking gambles on.

    But then again, sometimes you get lucky. For example, I'll sell these books I just bought to them...as there's no need to carry them back. Good books for someone that knows what to look for. But I'd bet a million bucks the Wetherill book won't be there...but maybe the Monkey God one? I'll look for it when I'm there.
    Suddenly my feet are feet of mud
    It all goes slo-mo
    I don't know why I am crying
    Am I suspended in Gaffa?

  21. #17
    Bogley BigShot oldno7's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    We're all here, because we ain't all there.
    Posts
    19,424
    I think you would really like the Wetherill book but some of what they did was un forgivable.

    You likely know the areas as well as or better than most.
    I'm not Spartacus


    It'll come back.


    Professional Mangler of Grammar

    Guns don't kill people--Static Ropes Do!!

    Who Is John Galt?

  22. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by oldno7 View Post
    I think you would really like the Wetherill book but some of what they did was un forgivable.

    You likely know the areas as well as or better than most.
    Yeah, a lot of what they dug out of there went to Europe...other stuff to private collections.

    The problem with the private stuff is that when it's owners die, those that inherit the goods may not know what the heck it is...I can't imagine how much of it ended up in the trash.

    I love Cedar Mesa and visit it at least once a year. I spent the 90s crawling all over that place...there's still some hidden gems around! However, it's a damn shame so many of the easier sites to visit have been trampled under foot...every little chunk of Anazasi whatever has disappeared into people's pockets. I remember when the area around Moonhouse was littered with potsherds. Not anymore. The Citadel was a secret. There was a sandal hidden under a rock at Seven Kivas...it's gone now.
    Suddenly my feet are feet of mud
    It all goes slo-mo
    I don't know why I am crying
    Am I suspended in Gaffa?

  23. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Goat View Post
    Totally second this. The best part about an e-reader is you can use an app called Overdrive to connect to your local library (make sure you have your library card) and checkout books to your heart's content and not have to worry about a late fee.

    I use Overdrive to download audiobooks to my phone and ebooks to my tablet.
    I will "third" this. I love reading hard copies with actual pages, but the convenience of an e-reader is really nice, especially if you're on the go a lot.
    It's only "science" if it supports the narrative.

  24. #20
    A guy at work brought up Heinlien today... If you've never read it - Stranger in a Strange Land... a 60's masterpiece revered by the counter culture.

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 0
    Last Post: 01-02-2015, 04:00 PM
  2. [Gear] Got any GPS recommendations?
    By slotseeker in forum Canyoneering
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 03-15-2014, 09:21 PM
  3. Recommendations for the Go Pro.
    By Chromag in forum General Discussion
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 02-02-2014, 04:00 PM
  4. car recommendations and map
    By balt charlie in forum Hiking, Scrambling & Peak Bagging
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 05-13-2009, 12:22 PM
  5. Book recommendations
    By Kent K25 in forum General Discussion
    Replies: 15
    Last Post: 06-27-2007, 12:59 PM

Visitors found this page by searching for:

Outdoor Forum

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •