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I'm a bookaholic. Can't stand to be without a good read. What are some of your favorite books? Not necessarily outdoor related. Some of mine are:

OUTDOOR - GENERAL:

The Final Frontiersman: Heimo Korth and His Family, Alone in Alaska's Arctic Wilderness. This guy was one of the last trappers who set up a cabin and ran traplines while raising a family in the northern Brooks Range. By the time he left the wilderness, the U.S. government had passed regulations which made his lifestyle impossible to repeat. A very good read on living in the wilds of Alaska.

http://www.amazon.com/Final-Frontiersma ... 896&sr=8-1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Grizzly Years: In Search of the American Wilderness, Doug Peacock

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/searc ... 46-5208749" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This guy went into the grizzly country of Montana for several years after returning from Vietnam, to clear his head. He has some very close calls with grizzlies along the way. The book is a very good read with lots of depth.

Spirit Bear: Encounters with the White Bear of the Western Rainforest, Charles Russell

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/de ... ce&s=books" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This guy found the elusive White Bear of the British Columbia rainforest (today, the Great Bear Rainforest preserve). These rare bears clued him in to some of the least known secrets of life. Great read.

Grizzly Seasons: Life with the Brown Bears of Kamchatka, by Charles Russell and Maureen Enns

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/searc ... 46-5208749" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Another amazing read, by a guy who went to Siberia's Kamchatka region, which has (or had) the highest concentration of grizzly/brown bears in the world. Had some amazing encounters with bears who had never seen a human before.


VIETNAM WAR:

15 Months In Sog: A Warrior's Tour , by John Plaster.

http://www.amazon.com/15-Months-Sog-War ... pd_sim_b_2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Recondo: LRRPs in the 101st Airborne, by Larry Chambers.

http://www.amazon.com/Recondo-LRRPs-Air ... pd_sim_b_3" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

SOG: The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam, by John Plaster.

http://www.amazon.com/SOG-Secret-Americ ... gy_b_img_b" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good to Go: The Life And Times Of A Decorated Member Of The U.S. Navy's Elite Seal Team Two. It's an outstanding account of a Seal Team member's experiences in Vietnam.

http://www.amazon.com/Good-Go-Times-Dec ... pd_sim_b_4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This last one is especially good. For example, on his first mission in Nam, he misinterpreted a signal from his team leader as a command to slit an approaching VC's throat. So he did. And once he got the hang of it, he utilized this noise reduction technique on several other ambushes as well. If you're interested in the experiences of the dedicated soldiers in special forces units such as the Rangers/LRRPs, MACV-SOG green berets, and Navy Seals, these books are among the very best.

Just finished Ed Viesturs new book "K2", "No Shortcuts to the top", and "Touching the Void." Now I'm reading "High Exposure" by David Breashears and next "The Last of His Kind" By David Roberts.

"Blue Highways" by William Least Half-Moon, and "In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex" by Nathaniel Philbrick

Basically anything travel, history, or mountain related works for me, with some occasional fiction thrown in.

Currently reading "Endurance", the story of Ernest Shakleton's ill-fated expedition to the Antarctic.

+1 on The FInal Frontiersman. Great book. Just got thru Viesturs' K2; now reading Alaska Memories by John McGoldrick.

Presently reading
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
Doris Kearns Goodwin
http://www.amazon.com/Team-Rivals-Polit ... 152&sr=1-2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I really enjoyed
The Killer Angels: A Novel of the Civil War
By Michael Shaara
About the Battle of Gettysburg. The movie Gettysburg was based on this novel.
http://www.amazon.com/Killer-Angels-Nov ... 260&sr=1-1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Recently read
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
Greg Mortenson
http://www.amazon.com/Three-Cups-Tea-Mi ... 617&sr=1-1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith
Jon Krakauer
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_0_16? ... the+banner" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Final Frontiersman sounds great. It has been added to my to-read list which also currently has Ed Viesturs new book on it, K2. I also just picked up "Touching the Void" today and although I've seen the movie, I will read it next.

Currently reading: "A Long Way Gone - Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah. True story about Ishmael's childhood in Sierra Leon.

Favorites - anything Pat Conroy (Beach Music is the best); Donald Miller (intend to pick up his new one soon too "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years"; "Lone Survivor"- if you like true war stories, this one by Marcus Luttrell is awesome! So is "Ghost Soldiers" by Hampton Sides... anything about the outdoors.

"In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex" by Nathaniel Philbrick
+1

Also good: Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks and I always have an adolescent lit book going (a guilt-free pleasure as a reading teacher): The Crazy Horse Electric Game by Chris Crutcher

I just finished Fight Club, which was excellent. I've also been obsessed with anything by Dostoyevsky lately.

Just finished "born to run" great book about running ultras, persistance hunting (running down game by foot) and how modern running shoes cause injury

One of my favorites is The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho. I just finished Reading Lolita in Tehran, which was excellent. I'm now attempting to read Demian by Hermann Hesse, so we'll see how that goes. It's been sitting idle on my bookshelf for a few years now, and I finally decided to dust it off.