Are you reading
books from our list this summer? Or do you have your
own list? Click
here to let us know what you're reading.
|
|
|
|
| Adventure & Expedition |
It takes courage and an adventurous
spirit to traverse the world on danger-filled expeditions.
For those who prefer to get an adrenalin rush with
two feet planted safely on the ground, here is a selection
of books that take you from the South Pole to Mount
Everest to the Atlantic Ocean on real-life journeys.
|
| Have you read an adventure/expedition book you
want to share with other readers? Let me know at
Carol@bookreporter.com. |
ENDURANCE: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
by Alfred Lansing
In 1914, explorer Ernest Shackleton and his crew set
off to attempt one of the last great adventures of
the age of exploration --- crossing the Antarctic
continent on foot. Aboard their ship, Endurance,
they sailed to within 85 miles of the continent before
the ship was trapped in the frozen sea. Ice floes
crushed the Endurance, and what followed is one of
the legendary stories of survival. This true-life
tale of adventure will chill you to the bone.
|
Buy
It |
FATAL NORTH: Adventure and Survival Aboard the USS Polaris, the First
U.S. Expedition to the North Pole
by Bruce B. Henderson
In 1870, Arctic Pole enthusiast Charles Hall persuaded
the U.S. government that our country needed to be
first to plant our flag on the North Pole --- a feat
that had been attempted by many European countries
without success. The expedition failed to reach the
pole, nearly cost the lives of everyone involved,
and did result in Hall's death. An investigation resulted
in a government cover-up of mutinous actions by some
of the polar party, and in particular, the accusation
that Commander Hall had actually been murdered.
|
Buy
It |
FATAL STORM: The Inside Story of the Tragic Sydney-Hobart
Race
by Rob Mundle
The story of the yacht race that resulted in the largest
peacetime sea rescue in the history of Australia is
an incredible tale of man against nature. Readers
cannot help but remember that these sailors were on
a sporting expedition that hurled them into a race
for their lives.
|
Buy
It |
ICE BOUND: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival
at the South Pole
by Dr. Jerri Nielsen
ICE BOUND is an incredible memoir, as much as an adventure
story. By now, many readers probably know of Jerri
Nielsen, the courageous doctor who learns she has
breast cancer while working at the South Pole. This
book gives details of her story, while also bringing
readers insight into the stark barrenness of Antarctica,
which Nielsen clearly loves.
|
Buy
It |
THE ICE MASTER: The Doomed 1913 Voyage of the Karluk and the Miraculous
Rescue of Her Survivors
by Jennifer Niven
THE ICE MASTER tells the true story of a wrecked Arctic
exploring ship led off course by icebergs and brutal
winds, and the crew's dramatic year-long battle for
survival. It's an amazingly powerful and chilling
(no pun intended) tale as Niven meticulously details
their daily struggles for survival against temperatures
of 60 below, snowblindness, hypothermia, starvation,
liars, cheaters, and murderers.
|
Buy
It |
|
IN THE HEART OF THE SEA: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex
by Nathaniel Philbrick
In 1820, when the Essex set sail from Nantucket on a routine
whale hunt, the crew of 20 men had no idea that 15 months later
they would find themselves adrift in the vast Pacific at the mercy
of the elements and their own human failings. IN
THE HEART OF THE SEA was awarded the National Book Award in 2000.
|
Buy
It |
INTO THIN AIR: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest
Disaster
by Jon Krakauer
In 1996, Outside Magazine asked Jon Krakauer
to write an article on the commercialization of Mount
Everest, and he signed on as a member of Rob Hall's
climbing expedition. A freak storm suddenly sprang
up, trapping a number of climbers who were attempting
to summit the mountain that day. Krakauer's account
of the events that followed is both an inquiry into
the limits of human strength and a glimpse of his
own inner turmoil and guilt at his inability to help
save more people.
|
Buy
It |
ISAAC'S STORM: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane
in History
by Erik Larson
On September 8, 1900, a storm hit Galveston, Texas,
leaving horrific destruction in its wake. Erik Larson
weaves together history and science to tell the story
of this town, its people --- including local weatherman
Isaac Cline --- and the aftermath of the hurricane
that devastated them.
|
Buy
It |
THE PERFECT STORM: A True Story of Men Against the
Sea
by Sebastian Junger
In October 1991, on the Grand Banks off the coast
of Nova Scotia, the 72-foot swordfish boat Andrea
Gail turns west to begin its journey home to Gloucester,
Massachusetts. It's been a successful run and the
Gail's hold is full of fish, but disturbing
news over the radio puts Captain Billy Tyne on alert.
Storms are approaching and with a full hold the Andrea
Gail sits low in the water. What transpires over
the next few days forms the body of Sebastian Junger's
powerful and riveting story. Even if you saw the movie,
this book is well worth the read.
|
Buy
It |
|
TOUCHING MY FATHER'S SOUL: A
Sherpa's Journey to the Top of Everest
by Jamling Tenzing Norgay
Jamling Tenzing Norgay is the son of Tenzing Norgay Sherpa who,
with Sir Edmund Hillary, reached the summit of Mount Everest in
1953. Norgay was the Climbing Leader of the 1996 Everest expedition
that was filmed as an IMAX movie. This ascent took place during
the infamous 1996 disaster that is documented by Jon Krakauer in
INTO THIN AIR. Woven into this story are little-known facts of his
father's initial climb, as well as insight into how Everest is revered
and loved by his family.
|
Buy
It |
TRIAL BY ICE: The True Story of Murder and Survival
on the 1871 Polaris Expedition
by Richard Parry
In 1871, the Polaris, commandeered by
arctic explorer Charles Francis Hall sailed from New
York --- launching a historic journey to one of the
earth's final frontiers. At this time countries all
over the world were competing to reach the North Pole.
Seven months later, a handful of half-starved survivors
returned without their captain, but with a story that
shocked the entire nation.
|
Buy
It |
WRECK OF THE MEDUSA: THE TRAGIC STORY OF THE DEATH
RAFT
by Alexander McKee
In July 1816, the French frigate Medusa ran aground on a sandbar
off the coast of Senegal. Forced to abandon ship, 150 men and women
climbed onto a makeshift raft where the treachery of man became a
bigger battle than the tragedy of being shipwrecked.
|
Buy
It |
|
