Summer Outdoor Reading

Do you have a summer reading list? Are you anxious to find some new books that will satisfy your appetite for wilderness adventures? Here’s a roundup of reviews for books about life in the great outdoors.

• The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America by Douglas Brinkley. Here historian Brinkley describes Teddy Roosevelt’s pioneering efforts at conservation and wildlife preservation and the lasting impact he has had on the landscape of America. This one is of particular note for fans of our national parks.
• Midnight Sun, Arctic Moon by Mary Albanese. In the new book category, this memoir chronicles an erstwhile schoolteacher’s journey into the Arctic Circle as part of a team of geologists. Her encounters with beautiful and severe Alaska make wonderful reading for any lover of the wild outdoors.
• Outdoor Survival Skills by Larry Dean Olsen (foreword by Robert Redford). This one has become a classic since it was first published in 1966. It assumes a crisis scenario and lays out strategies for survival in the wilderness without elaborate gear, based on ancient techniques and knowledge. A must-read for would-be survivalists.
• Full Creel by Nick Lyons. This book of reflections from essayist Nick Lyons captures a lifetime of fishing stories in a warm, readable collection.
• The Mindful Carnivore: A Vegetarian’s Hunt for Sustenance by Tovar Cerulli. Longtime blogger Cerulli here documents his transition to veganism as an ethical way of eating, then to hunting as a way of obtaining food. The one thread weaving his food life together is a desire to eat honestly and responsibly, and he is much admired by the hunting community for that effort.

Enjoy your summer! Let us know what’s on your to-read list.