There are many reasons you might be interested in reading non-fiction that deals with travels and adventure in general. For one, you can genuinely like it. But a second reason can be that you do your research for your own writing, especially in fields where you might lack the first-hand experience.
I have been reading for years this kind of non-fiction literature, and I’d do it anyway. In some cases, however, it might prove essential to write about things and make them plausible. Example: I can instantly tell when I read fiction dealing with underwater adventures whether the writer is somebody that has 1) his/her own diving experience and/or 2) he/she has done his/her research on the topic. As a technical diver of many years and several hundred dives, I can sniff the BS factor quick &easy, and it’s something that doesn’t endear me to the novel.
So I’d decided to provide, in this and following posts, some reading suggestions in different fields/areas. Some of them I have direct experience, in others, I am only an avid reader. Sometimes, I’ve come across interesting cases.
This week, I start with mountaineering -simply because it’s what I have been reading for the past two months. Essential if one or more of your characters take a climb somewhere, and enjoyable even if they don’t.
These are the books I would certainly recommend if you decide reading about the subject:
Graham Bowley, No Way Down: Life and Death on K2
Reinhold Messner, Everest: Expedition to the Ultimate
Pat Falvey, Pemba Gyalje Sherpa, The Summit: How Triumph Turned To Tragedy On K2’s Deadliest Days
Jon Krakauer, Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Everest Disaster
Anatoli Boukreev, The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest
Simone Moro, Cometa sull’Annapurna (in Italian)
Conrad Anker, The Lost Explorer: Finding Mallory on Mount Everest
Heinrich Harrer, The White Spider (PS. he’s the same of Seven Years in Tibet)
Mick Conefrey, Everest 1953: The Epic Story of the First Ascent Kindle Edition
Donnie Eichar, Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident
Thank you for your suggestions, Steph:). I hope you have a great weekend.
Now much better -I’ll be finishing your book 🙂
Thank you, Steph:)