The best books featuring stories of survival.
1

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4.26 avg rating — 570,016 ratings
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2

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4.39 avg rating — 999,471 ratings
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3

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4.46 avg rating — 166,607 ratings
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4

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4.02 avg rating — 1,195,052 ratings
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5

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4.17 avg rating — 119,201 ratings
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6

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4.23 avg rating — 64,771 ratings
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7

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4.14 avg rating — 82,144 ratings
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8

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4.15 avg rating — 20,895 ratings
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9

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4.38 avg rating — 1,367,302 ratings
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10

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4.37 avg rating — 26,811 ratings
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11

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4.12 avg rating — 119,169 ratings
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12

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4.07 avg rating — 12,265 ratings
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13

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4.23 avg rating — 75,878 ratings
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14

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4.20 avg rating — 4,202,386 ratings
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15

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3.85 avg rating — 23,708 ratings
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16

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4.33 avg rating — 23,609 ratings
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17

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4.34 avg rating — 101,088 ratings
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18

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4.24 avg rating — 21,935 ratings
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19

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4.16 avg rating — 25,143 ratings
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20

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3.94 avg rating — 14,501 ratings
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21

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4.06 avg rating — 13,217 ratings
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22

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3.87 avg rating — 46,896 ratings
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23

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3.89 avg rating — 13,168 ratings
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24

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4.34 avg rating — 15,900 ratings
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25

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4.14 avg rating — 461,325 ratings
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26

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3.98 avg rating — 12,338 ratings
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27

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4.48 avg rating — 357,667 ratings
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28

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4.30 avg rating — 5,708 ratings
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29

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4.44 avg rating — 47,560 ratings
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30

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4.11 avg rating — 1,036 ratings
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31

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4.03 avg rating — 9,695 ratings
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32

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4.10 avg rating — 29,185 ratings
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33

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4.01 avg rating — 72,173 ratings
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34

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4.09 avg rating — 10,681 ratings
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35

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4.09 avg rating — 2,761 ratings
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36

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4.19 avg rating — 11,371 ratings
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37

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4.13 avg rating — 162,132 ratings
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38

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4.27 avg rating — 1,426 ratings
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39

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4.30 avg rating — 12,687 ratings
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40

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4.40 avg rating — 10,342 ratings
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41

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4.34 avg rating — 21,783 ratings
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42

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4.21 avg rating — 77,840 ratings
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43

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4.13 avg rating — 6,420 ratings
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44

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4.36 avg rating — 54,382 ratings
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45

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3.98 avg rating — 26,449 ratings
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46

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3.99 avg rating — 18,397 ratings
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47

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4.06 avg rating — 554 ratings
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48

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3.88 avg rating — 350,287 ratings
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49

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3.66 avg rating — 6,555 ratings
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50

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3.87 avg rating — 1,649 ratings
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51

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4.25 avg rating — 158 ratings
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52

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4.38 avg rating — 27,882 ratings
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53

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4.57 avg rating — 46 ratings
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54

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4.07 avg rating — 304 ratings
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55

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4.32 avg rating — 1,090 ratings
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55

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3.90 avg rating — 220,519 ratings
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57

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4.31 avg rating — 786 ratings
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58

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4.20 avg rating — 3,258 ratings
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59

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4.18 avg rating — 529 ratings
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60

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4.25 avg rating — 80,635 ratings
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61

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3.94 avg rating — 333 ratings
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62

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3.98 avg rating — 109 ratings
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62

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4.29 avg rating — 17,805 ratings
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64

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4.19 avg rating — 5,038 ratings
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65

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3.75 avg rating — 871 ratings
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66

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4.28 avg rating — 1,094 ratings
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67

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3.88 avg rating — 1,758 ratings
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68

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4.06 avg rating — 24,694 ratings
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69

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3.99 avg rating — 3,913 ratings
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70

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4.05 avg rating — 72,634 ratings
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71

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4.06 avg rating — 396 ratings
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72

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4.07 avg rating — 869,225 ratings
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73

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4.16 avg rating — 624,802 ratings
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74

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4.03 avg rating — 7,326 ratings
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75

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4.14 avg rating — 1,019 ratings
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76

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3.61 avg rating — 8,224 ratings
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77

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4.33 avg rating — 9,597 ratings
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78

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3.88 avg rating — 5,120 ratings
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79

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4.08 avg rating — 1,960 ratings
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80

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4.27 avg rating — 11,751 ratings
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81

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4.50 avg rating — 2,438 ratings
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82

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4.28 avg rating — 72,703 ratings
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83

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4.12 avg rating — 225 ratings
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84

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4.40 avg rating — 2,054 ratings
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85

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3.57 avg rating — 54 ratings
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86

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3.98 avg rating — 2,661 ratings
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87

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4.07 avg rating — 1,636 ratings
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88

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4.67 avg rating — 12 ratings
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89

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4.11 avg rating — 3,876 ratings
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90

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4.12 avg rating — 5,418 ratings
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91

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4.25 avg rating — 39,116 ratings
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92

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4.11 avg rating — 311 ratings
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93

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3.48 avg rating — 845 ratings
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93

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4.17 avg rating — 398 ratings
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95

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3.95 avg rating — 5,376 ratings
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96

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3.62 avg rating — 1,867 ratings
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97

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4.07 avg rating — 61,976 ratings
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98

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3.74 avg rating — 4,099 ratings
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99

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4.53 avg rating — 5,680 ratings
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100

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3.87 avg rating — 476 ratings
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418 books · 542 voters · list created October 7th, 2009 by Rainey (votes) .
286 likes · 
Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.


Rainey 692 books
44 friends
Phillip 5201 books
138 friends
Catherine 1490 books
5145 friends
Lobstergirl 5802 books
157 friends
Ziwzih 593 books
3 friends
Joanne 151 books
475 friends
Dana 1234 books
239 friends
Clayton 405 books
5 friends

More voters…


Comments Showing 1-21 of 21 (21 new)

dateUp arrow    newest »

message 1: by Jamie (new)

Jamie Lord of the Flies is not a True Survival Story!


message 2: by [deleted user] (new)

Neither is Battle Royale!


♥ Marlene♥ and neither is Oryx and Crake. They should be removed in my opinion.


message 4: by JKH (new)

JKH Agree with above :)


message 5: by Jamie (new)

Jamie So, how do we get them removed?


message 6: by ♥ Marlene♥ (last edited Jun 23, 2012 04:46AM) (new)

♥ Marlene♥ No idea. I can edit the list description but that is about it. Well, I checked if i was able to remove books of my own list. he one I started but I could not find the way.
I do recall that people said, I deleted it, like books where there were 2 on one list.

Okay I did it. I removed. Battle Royale which is not a true story. Onyx and crane and Lord of The Flies.


message 7: by Jack (new)

Jack Hi everyone,

I have created a new group called Goodreads All Sorts and I'd love for people to join it or just even just give it a look. It's a group that discusses anything and everything. There will be monthly group reads, movies, and music. There is a folder for everything you could think of. I'd really like if people could spread the word because I'd love for the group to be a success. Here is the link to the group:

http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/9...

Thanks very much,
Jack :-)


♥ Marlene♥ Removed a Stephen King books. The stories must be real not fiction.

This is still my favourite GR list and the one I have most books of.


message 9: by [deleted user] (new)

The Camel Club tied for #58 is fiction as well.


message 10: by ♥ Marlene♥ (last edited Feb 05, 2014 03:31AM) (new)

♥ Marlene♥ Derek wrote: "The Camel Club tied for #58 is fiction as well."

Thanks Derek. You are right. I removed it.

Only non fiction please.

You've read 29 of these books and 13 are on your to-read shelf. (Yay still a lot of good books to go)


message 11: by Tony (new)

Tony Vlachos How about "Young Men and Fire" and "Blackhawk Down". Two of the best. Also "Flyboys".


message 12: by ♥ Marlene♥ (last edited Apr 04, 2015 05:39AM) (new)

♥ Marlene♥ Tony. I only see your reply now but you can add them yourself. I checked young men and it seems like an excellent story. The Good nurse is not a survival story because then you can add all true crime books to the mix. It is a true crime book.

I see there are a few books that I consider more American history aka travel and adventure books. sorry I want to be strict even though this is not my list but I love it and I think you guys have voted for so many great books I want to keep it like that.


message 13: by Ruth (new)

Ruth Here's a useful link that I thought I'd share on an article that lists 100 things you'd need in case of an emergency.... there's several on there that I din't even think of until reading it http://survivaloutfitter.co/u/66/100-...


message 14: by Andrea (new)

Andrea There are a lot of random books on this list. I deleted a whole bunch (including The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Before I Go to Sleep and a history of the horseshoe crab), but I'm sure there are more that don't belong here.


message 15: by Scott (new)

Scott A I would like to recommend

Ada BlackJack: A True Story of Survival in the Arctic
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

and

Death Valley in 49
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Both books describe in agonizing detail the fight for survival against opposite kinds of elements. It was hard to put either of those books down after ending each chapter.


♥ Marlene♥ Books from Keith Richards and Lance Armstrong are not true survival stories but memoirs


message 17: by BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) (last edited Mar 19, 2021 04:10AM) (new)

BookLovingLady (deceased Jan. 25, 2023...) @Rainey
Should The Diary of a Young Girl (#15) be on here? Anne Frank didn't survive, did she... (and the title says 'Best True Survival Stories')


message 18: by [deleted user] (last edited Oct 06, 2021 09:35PM) (new)

Pretty sure that #270 The Reckoning (Darkest Powers, #3)
by Kelley Armstrong (Goodreads Author) is YA Fantasy and #305 The Devil Wears Prada (The Devil Wears Prada, #1)
by Lauren Weisberger is categorized under contemporary, realistic fiction, not true story survival....


message 19: by Andrea (new)

Andrea I deleted The Devil Wears Prada, The Reckoning, The Help, a JD Robb novel, Queen Bees and Wannabees, and a bunch of self-help books about "surviving" everyday life.

I'm sure there are more to be deleted, but I don't have a lot of time right now, will have to make time to look later.


message 20: by Voyt (new)

Voyt Useful selection ! Thanks 🤓


message 21: by Georgina (new)

Georgina Warren Add this book when it gets published. It's a first hand account from a released Israeli hostage that survived Hamas captivity:

Hostage - Eli Sharabi


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