Best Books

[smoggy]

Evening All

I read recently that one of the ways our boys in Afghanistan are coping with the off duty periods is by setting up a book club. Apparently, it's been a great success. So, it's got me thinking; what do tough fellrunners read in the periods when they are 'off duty' between training and races? Don't be shy, let's have your recommendations for a good read. It could be something that's inspired you in your running or it might be a book that you've simply enjoyed. So come on forumites, whether you're a lover of Dean Karnezes' 'Ultra Marathon Man' or Jane Austen's 'Sense and Sensibility' let's get a popular thread going here. Here are a couple of mine to get you started:

The obvious one - Feet In The Clouds / Richard Askwith. Turned me from a fellwalker into a fellrunner. Totally inspirational.
South / Ernest Shackleton. Beyond belief what these guys went through and Shackleton's motto is what I use as a mantra when I'm suffering in a race - 'By endurance we conquer.'
Wuthering Heights / Emily Bronte - the most passionate description of Pennine moorland ever.

Cheers

Smoggy

[stumpy]

Another obvious one - 'Touching the Void', Joe Simpson. An ispirational and un-put-downable tale of just what is survivable!

The best book about Shackleton's epics I've read (and there are many good uns to choose from!) is 'Shackleton's Boat Journey 'by F A Worsley, totally gripping and wholly atmospheric - made my armchair feel very cold and wet!!

Another more recent running related read for me that was a bit of an eye opener is 'The Running Man' by Gilbert Tuhanboye - an interesting examination of what is both truly horrific and truly remarkable about the human spirit.

[abd]

Ok, submission #1:
Ran Fiennes "Mad, Bad and Dangerous to know"
Ran Fiennes "Captain Scott"
Mike Stroud "Survival of the Fittest"
John Krakaur "Into thin Air"
Tolstoy "Anna Karenina"
Steven Covey "The 7 Habits of highly effective people"
Michael Crichton "Swarm"
Lord of the Rings
Lance Armstrong "Its not about the bike"
Ellen MacArthur "taking on the World"

I'll come back soon to add to this list!

[Bobster]

Highly recommend, 'Century on the Crags, by Alan Hankinson - a history of climbing in the Lakes.

[jumbly]

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running - Haruki Murakami
Into The Wild - Jon Krakauer
Scott's Diaries (a good read even though you already know how it ends)
Ghost Trails - Jill Homer

A few I've read recently and really enjoyed.

[ShortFatHairyLegs]

The Wild Places, Robert Macfarlane.
Gorgeous book. Captures the essence of those special moments when you find your own bit of wilderness. One of my favourite reads in years. Made me want to just get out there and explore. Spot on.

[noel]

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running - Haruki Murakami

I've bought this and will be reading it after my current book (Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds). I'll let you know what I thought in about 8 months' time - I'm not a very dedicated reader.

Scott's Diaries (a good read even though you already know how it ends)

Terry and June is eventually shelved after 65 episodes

[MorganW]

Highly recommend, 'Century on the Crags, by Alan Hankinson - a history of climbing in the Lakes.

If you have a copy of this, you can find a picture of a well-known Forumite climbing something at E4 6a.

He was a bit thinner in those days and had hair.

[Pinchy]

John Krakaur "Into thin Air"

The Krakaur book is excellent, as is Anatoli Boukereev's version of the same tragic events in "The Climb"

"The Long walk" by Slavomir Rawicz is a good read although I have my doubts that it's a true story

[abd]

The Krakaur book is excellent, as is Anatoli Boukereev's version of the same tragic events in "The Climb"

but don't bother with Dick Beck's book again of the same events.