The Armchair Wanderer: A Late-Summer Reading List from the Wanderlust Crew

Whether you find yourself lakeside, nestled in a camping chair with a summer brew in hand, or indoors, camped out by an oscillating fan or an open window, summer is a great time to kick back with a good book. Around here, when we're not having our own adventures, we love stories of exploration, survival and the natural world.

From the classic (Louis L'Amour, The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe) to the obscure (Inuit folklore, a transcendentalist graphic novel), here are some of our favorite summer reads, to be enjoyed indoors or out:

Dave
The Trees In My Forest by Bernd Heinrich
Blending scientific analysis with lyrical memoir, Heinrich explores his forested stomping grounds in western Maine, offering experiences, observations and scientific insights about forests and trees.

Fremont: Explorer for a Restless Nation by Ferol Egan
A biography of the often controversial Western explorer John C. Fremont, who made expeditions through Nevada, California and Oregon in the 1840's.

The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World by Wade Davis
What can different cultures teach us about life? Will globalization shortchange us in the end? Davis explores the worldviews of several indigenous cultures, from Polynesia to Borneo to the Aboriginal Dreamtime.

James
Surviving the Extremes by Dr. Kenneth Kamler
From the doctor who treated Beck Weathers, the climber left for dead at the summit of Mt. Everest, Kamler's book looks at the human body's ability to survive extreme situations.

The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
One of the original survival tales, Robinson Crusoe tells the story of an adventurous Englishman who spends 30 years shipwrecked on a deserted island.

The Snow Walker by Farley Mowat
Delve into the mysterious Arctic world with this folkloric collection of short stories, fables and legends from native Arctic-dwellers and Inuit people.



Chase
Long Way Down by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman
The true account of two actors, two motorcycles, and the people, places and incidents on their 15,000 mile north-to-south adventure from Scotland to South Africa.

Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales
A psychological look at survival and real-life survival situations. What differentiates a survivor from a non-survivor? What steps does a survivor take in life and death situations?

The Man Called Noon by Louis L'Amour
A well-crafted mystery from the bestselling western novelist, The Man Called Noon tells a tale of lost memory and half a million dollars' worth of buried gold (with a healthy dose of saloon brawls, gunfights and romance thrown into the mix).



Megan
Thoreau at Walden by John Porcellino, from the writings of Henry David Thoreau, illustrated by the Center for Cartoon Studies
Thoreau's collection of essays on living simply in the Massachusetts wilderness seems a strange candidate for a graphic novel, but the result is an intriguing mix of transcendentalist wisdom and high-quality illustrations from the folks at the Center for Cartoon Studies. Excerpts from Walden are seemed together into a narrative, and Thoreau emerges as the veritable superhero of the natural world.

Plenty: Eating Locally on the 100-Mile Diet by Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon
The authors chronicle their 365-day journey of seasonal eating around Vancouver, B.C., exploring the ins and outs of local produce, canning, grinding wheat into flour, and what the heck to eat during a Canadian winter.

Rosing from the Dead by Paul J. Willis
Along with poems about names, lost fingers and family life, Paul Willis writes about the natural world, including a few Central Oregon landmarks.