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I just recently finished "Endurance" (the story of Ernest Shakleton's ill-fated expedition to the antarctic), and I'm nearly done with Mark's ("Oman") new book "Halfway to Heaven"... This latest book has been a particularly fun read for me, seeing as it mentions a lot of our very own 14'ers.com members!
Oman wrote:
And if you have boys at home, you have to get Backyard Ballistics by William Gurstelle. How to blow up potatoes and other stuff with common goods from Home Depot.
Mark, as much fun as your book has been for me to read, I think I'm really going to have to invest in a copy of "Backyard Ballistics" next. Best part is, I don't even have children!
coloradokevin wrote:I just recently finished "Endurance" (the story of Ernest Shakleton's ill-fated expedition to the antarctic),
That was mind boggling that Shackleton and crew could ever make that adventure and come out alive! I can't imagine floating on an iceberg as it melts- and all they went thru was just unbelievable!
I agree, it was an amazing story, and really shows you what humans are capable of surviving! These days we talk of survival situations when someone spends a few days lost in the woods... Shakleton's crew spent well over a year marooned in the most hostile environment on this planet, with equipment we wouldn't even imagine using these days.
For the mountaineering side of things, it sounds like their eventual crossing of South Georgia Island was pretty noteworthy in its own right!
Most recent mountaineering book: Moj Pionowy Swiat or My Vertical World by Jerzy Kukuczka, Polish mountaineer who was a close second to Reinhold Messner to climb all fourteen eight-thousanders in the world. He did it without Messner's incredible resources: excellent equipment, sponsorship, money, or hype. You gotta love communist Poland
My last complete read was "14er Disasters" by Scott-Nash. It was riveting, hard to put down, and I finished it in just a few nights.
I picked up Abbey's "Desert Solitaire" to read while on vacation in Hawai'i. I was hooked until I read the chapter titled "Polemic..." and then just lost interest. Maybe it was the sandy beach and a Mai Tai with my name on it. The first few chapters were engaging so I will return to it later.
In the meantime, I picked up Viesturs' book "No Shortcuts to the Top" and started in it last night. I finally had to put it down to get some sleep but I am hooked.
A buddy loaned me Bear Grylls' book "The Kid Who Climbed Everest" so that's in the queue with "The Betrayal of Liliuokalani, Last Queen of Hawai'i" and "Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain."
It is the story of George Mallory that may have climbed Mt. Everest in 1924. It has a lot of fiction in the story, but based on history. I loved the book.
Just Finished "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy and "The Call of The Wild" by Jack London
Have been reading some Sherlock Holmes short stories and will start another novel shortly, maybe "Robinson Crusoe" or "The Jungle", depends on what kind of mood I am in when I start it.
"We want the unpopular challenge. We want to test our intellect!" - Snapcase
"You are not what you own" - Fugazi
"Life's a mountain not a beach" - Fortune Cookie I got at lunch the other day
Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card Twinkie, Deconstructed - Steve Ettlinger Buddhism without Beliefs - Stephen Batchelor
The "What are you reading?" thread on 14ers.com
coloradokevin wrote:I just recently finished "Endurance" (the story of Ernest Shakleton's ill-fated expedition to the antarctic),
I agree, it was an amazing story, and really shows you what humans are capable of surviving! These days we talk of survival situations when someone spends a few days lost in the woods... Shakleton's crew spent well over a year marooned in the most hostile environment on this planet, with equipment we wouldn't even imagine using these days.
What most impressed me was Shackelton's leadership. He didn't lose a man. He displayed sound judgment under the most trying and seemingly hopeless of conditions, consistently, for over a year.
and Pursuit Of Honor by Vince Flynn 
