Adventure books!

Heineken Helen

Books about road trips or discovering the meaning of life are no longer enough for me it would seem :rolleyes:

Can anyone recommend some books about survival against the odds? About people in extreme conditions. I'm currently reading 'call of the wild' by Guy Grieves... while it really is a brilliant book, I'm really enjoying it, his experience was probably still a little on the 'safe' side. He had help from locals, tools to build his cabin, a DOG for Christ sake

Anyway, I'm not quite sure what I'm looking for... but I'm hoping some of you will . And nothing too hard... I've a very short concentration span :rolleyes:

soulsinging

into the wild
into thin air
alive

so i've heard. im not big on that genre. those movies always freak me out cos i know id be first one dead

thought this was going to be about fiction... ive been on such a huge hard-boiled detective kick lately...

Heineken Helen

soulsinging wrote:

into the wild
into thin air
alive

so i've heard. im not big on that genre. those movies always freak me out cos i know id be first one dead

thought this was going to be about fiction... ive been on such a huge hard-boiled detective kick lately...

hard boiled detective kick? Examples? Maybe I can help ya out with THAT one.

Into the wild cannot be found at ANY bookstore in Dublin right now :( cos I found these other ones when I was searching for it. I've ordered it though and they SHOULD have it next week. I think I'd like to buy something this afternoon though.

I like reading them so I WON'T be the first one dead . I now know how to build a log cabin... how spruce sap is a great healer... how a dog is ESSENTIAL in the wild... that bacon and beans is one of the best meals you could have... and several other stuff.

See... I'm almost ready

Collin

It's not really an adventure book, but it is about survival against the odds and a person in an extreme condition.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston. You've probably heard of him, he's the rock climber that had to amputate his own arm in order to survive and free himself.

I haven't read the book completely yet, but I've read huge parts. It is a remarkable story and he tells it in his own words, some parts were hard to read... (I don't have the book, but read quite a few extracts and some chapters when I was staying with rock climbers in NY).

Heineken Helen

Collin wrote:

It's not really an adventure book, but it is about survival against the odds and a person in an extreme condition.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston. You've probably heard of him, he's the rock climber that had to amputate his own arm in order to survive and free himself.

I haven't read the book completely yet, but I've read huge parts. It is a remarkable story and he tells it in his own words, some parts were hard to read... (I don't have the book, but read quite a few extracts and some chapters when I was staying with rock climbers in NY).

ooohh yes, I saw that one in the book shop the other day and I know the story alright.

Jeanie

Hels, I don't know if this is what you're looking for, but I cannot recommend highly enough the book Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts.

Here's the blurb from the inside cover:

Shantaram is a novel based on the life of the author, Gregory David Roberts.
In 1978 Roberts committed a series of robberies while addicted to heroin, and was sentenced to nineteen years' imprisonment. In July 1980 he escaped over the front wall of Victoria's maximum-security prison, in broad daylight, thereby becoming one of Australia's most wanted men for what turned out to be the next ten years.

His journey took him to New Zealand, Asia, Africa and Europe, but his home for most of those years was Bombay - where he established a free medical clinic for slum-dwellers, and worked as a counterfeiter, smuggler, gunrunner, and street soldier for one of the most charismatic branches of the Bombay mafia.

Shantaram deals with all this and more. It is an epic, mesmerising tale of crowded slums and five-star hotels, romantic love and prison torture, mafia gang wars and Bollywood films, and spiritual gurus and brutal battlefields. It weaves a seamless web of unforgettable characters, amazing adventures, and superb evocations of Indian life.

This remarkable book can be read as a vast extended thriller, as well as a superbly written meditation on the nature of good and evil. It is a compelling tale of a hunted man who had lost everything - his home, his family, and his soul - and came to find his humanity while living at the wildest edge of experience. Nothing like this has been written before, and nobody but Greg Roberts could have written it now.

Gregory David Roberts was born in Melbourne, and has lived in India, New Zealand, Germany, and Switzerland. He speaks four languages and has travelled widely in Asia, Africa and Europe. He is now a full time writer and lives in Melbourne.

Not sure if it's for you Hels, but I found it one of the best books I've read in a while. I was completely drawn in by it and laughed and cried and imersed myself in it for days until I'd finished it. Anyway, thought it might be what you're looking for.

small town beck

Collin wrote:

It's not really an adventure book, but it is about survival against the odds and a person in an extreme condition.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston. You've probably heard of him, he's the rock climber that had to amputate his own arm in order to survive and free himself.

I haven't read the book completely yet, but I've read huge parts. It is a remarkable story and he tells it in his own words, some parts were hard to read... (I don't have the book, but read quite a few extracts and some chapters when I was staying with rock climbers in NY).

I enjoyed the book. What about Papillion(did I spell that right? ) ?

Jeanie

small town beck wrote:

I enjoyed the book. What about Papillion(did I spell that right? ) ?

Papillion by Henri Charriere is an excellent book!

I can also recommend Icing on The Damper by Marie Mahood, a different kind of adventure but still an excellent and exciting read. All about a family in the outback.

Oh and Tracks by Robyn Davidson. An amazing true story about this woman who rode her camels through the Australian outback.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robyn_Davidson

Heineken Helen

Jeanie wrote:

Not sure if it's for you Hels, but I found it one of the best books I've read in a while. I was completely drawn in by it and laughed and cried and imersed myself in it for days until I'd finished it. Anyway, thought it might be what you're looking for.

thanks Jeanie, that actually DOES sound like something I may be looking for... I'll have a look for it

chime

The first one I thought of was Touching the Void ... though you may have seen the film.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touching_The_Void

... and may be not quite the thing you're looking for but surviving drug/alcohol addiction which is part autobiographical and part fiction ... I really enjoyed (may be not the right word ... but I couldn't put the book down) A Million Little Pieces

polaris

the endless knot

Heineken Helen

Chime wrote:

The first one I thought of was Touching the Void ... though you may have seen the film.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touching_The_Void

... and may be not quite the thing you're looking for but surviving drug/alcohol addiction which is part autobiographical and part fiction ... I really enjoyed (may be not the right word ... but I couldn't put the book down) A Million Little Pieces

I saw touching the void in the book shop also... but I've never seen the film so that may be another one.

A million little pieces sounds familiar.

what's the endless knot polaris?

polaris

Heineken Helen wrote:

I saw touching the void in the book shop also... but I've never seen the film so that may be another one.

A million little pieces sounds familiar.

what's the endless knot polaris?

it's a recount of a really bad season on K2 (second highest peak - some, say the tougher climb) ... i think 7 died that season or something and its the story told by one of the survivors ... it also intertwines his passion and motivation for the mountain that gives a great insight into how mountaineers operate ...

http://www.amazon.com/Kurt-Diemberger-Omnibus-Summits-Secrets/dp/0898866065

crikey - i didn't know there were so many books with that title ...

tybird

Another vote for "Into Thin Air"......damn fine reading.

dunkman

Chime wrote:

The first one I thought of was Touching the Void ... though you may have seen the film.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touching_The_Void

i was just coming on to say this one... amazing moral dilemma story... really amazing

Heineken Helen

polaris wrote:

it's a recount of a really bad season on K2 (second highest peak - some, say the tougher climb) ... i think 7 died that season or something and its the story told by one of the survivors ... it also intertwines his passion and motivation for the mountain that gives a great insight into how mountaineers operate ...

http://www.amazon.com/Kurt-Diemberger-Omnibus-Summits-Secrets/dp/0898866065

crikey - i didn't know there were so many books with that title ...

ah yes, that sounds good. I saw another book yesterday when i was looking through amazon that sounded pretty similar, think it's simply called 'climb'. into thin air looks good too but I want into the wild to be my first krakeur book in case I don't like his style... but I think I will.

tybird

Heineken Helen wrote:

ah yes, that sounds good. I saw another book yesterday when i was looking through amazon that sounded pretty similar, think it's simply called 'climb'. into thin air looks good too but I want into the wild to be my first krakeur book in case I don't like his style... but I think I will.

If I am remembering correctly....The Climb was written by one of the guides from one of the expeditions spotlighted by "Into Thin Air." The fellow was either Russian or from one of the former Soviet republics. It wasn't too bad....just not as well written as "Into Thin Air."

Jeanie

Heineken Helen wrote:

thanks Jeanie, that actually DOES sound like something I may be looking for... I'll have a look for it

Cool! I reckon you'll like it Hels. Actually getting it out to type out the cover sleave blurb for you has me all keen to read it again!

There was talk a couple of years ago that Johnny Depp had bought the movie rights!

Heineken Helen

tybird wrote:

If I am remembering correctly....The Climb was written by one of the guides from one of the expeditions spotlighted by "Into Thin Air." The fellow was either Russian or from one of the former Soviet republics. It wasn't too bad....just not as well written as "Into Thin Air."

yep, that's what I read about it... I'll wait til I get into the wild next week hopefully... and then I'll get into thin air if I like it.

Heineken Helen

So last night I bought into thin air AND the climb... to get both sides of the story... started into thin air last night (cos it came first, right?) and it's fooking BRILLIANT. I'll probably be finished it before I even get home tonight... I didn't wanna get off this bus this morning cos it's getting to THE part now.

Jeanie

Heineken Helen wrote:

So last night I bought into thin air AND the climb... to get both sides of the story... started into thin air last night (cos it came first, right?) and it's fooking BRILLIANT. I'll probably be finished it before I even get home tonight... I didn't wanna get off this bus this morning cos it's getting to THE part now.

Awesome! Let me know what you think Hels. I love a good read!
Especially if I know that somebody else enjoyed something! I'll wait for your review!

tybird

Heineken Helen wrote:

So last night I bought into thin air AND the climb... to get both sides of the story... started into thin air last night (cos it came first, right?) and it's fooking BRILLIANT. I'll probably be finished it before I even get home tonight... I didn't wanna get off this bus this morning cos it's getting to THE part now.

Glad to hear that......two sides of the story is an accurate description.

Heineken Helen

Jeanie wrote:

Awesome! Let me know what you think Hels. I love a good read!
Especially if I know that somebody else enjoyed something! I'll wait for your review!

I'd definitely recommend it. Although I don't recommend reading it in public. I was reading it on the bus home Friday evening and it was soooo hard to stop the tears at a couple of points

Excellent read.

tybird, that's what I was thinking... I'll be starting the climb this evening.

Jeanie

Heineken Helen wrote:

I'd definitely recommend it. Although I don't recommend reading it in public. I was reading it on the bus home Friday evening and it was soooo hard to stop the tears at a couple of points

Excellent read.

tybird, that's what I was thinking... I'll be starting the climb this evening.

I guess I'd better shoot off to the bookstore then.

Heineken Helen

Jeanie wrote:

I guess I'd better shoot off to the bookstore then.

Yep, I started another thread about the two books... if you can I'd seriously recommend buying into think air AND the climb... read into thin air first. They're both different points of view of the same story and both absolutely fascinating reads.

Jeanie

Heineken Helen wrote:

Yep, I started another thread about the two books... if you can I'd seriously recommend buying into think air AND the climb... read into thin air first. They're both different points of view of the same story and both absolutely fascinating reads.

I'm so not up to speed lately Hels, must have missed them. But yeah, I'll definitely hunt them out. I'm hanging out for a good read. I've got 4 books on the go at the moment and I can't seem to get into any of them.

Heineken Helen

Jeanie wrote:

I'm so not up to speed lately Hels, must have missed them. But yeah, I'll definitely hunt them out. I'm hanging out for a good read. I've got 4 books on the go at the moment and I can't seem to get into any of them.

I go through phases like that too... actually before the past couple of weeks I don't think I'd finished a book in months :eek:

The climb is written by Anatoli Boukreev, he was one of the guides on a different team on the same expedition that Krakeur writes about. He felt Krakeur was blaming him in his book for what happened so The Climb is basically a response firstly to Into Thin Air... it's also much more than that.

Jeanie

Heineken Helen wrote:

I go through phases like that too... actually before the past couple of weeks I don't think I'd finished a book in months :eek:

The climb is written by Anatoli Boukreev, he was one of the guides on a different team on the same expedition that Krakeur writes about. He felt Krakeur was blaming him in his book for what happened so The Climb is basically a response firstly to Into Thin Air... it's also much more than that.

Well I managed to concentrate on the final Harry Potter but that was weeks ago and now I'm just adding to the pile beside the bed.

I take it they climbed Everest? Anyway, sounds interesting, might be just what I need. Thanks.

Heineken Helen

Jeanie wrote:

Well I managed to concentrate on the final Harry Potter but that was weeks ago and now I'm just adding to the pile beside the bed.

I take it they climbed Everest? Anyway, sounds interesting, might be just what I need. Thanks.

No probs... well, this isn't a spoiler, it's on the back of both books. Yep they climbed everest and it was one of the worst days in the mountains history... 9 people died. Krakeur was actually IN the team where the most people died and Boukreev was in another team.

Jeanie

Heineken Helen wrote:

No probs... well, this isn't a spoiler, it's on the back of both books. Yep they climbed everest and it was one of the worst days in the mountains history... 9 people died. Krakeur was actually IN the team where the most people died and Boukreev was in another team.

Aaah. I think I remember something about this now. How excellent that they've both written about it!

Heineken Helen

Jeanie wrote:

Aaah. I think I remember something about this now. How excellent that they've both written about it!

Yep I wonder if more of the survivors did... cos I'm determined to get to the bottom of it now

It's tough reading though when you know what's coming for some of them... and that they're real people, not just characters in a book.