A book set in the wilderness

[Ashley]

I've been wanting to read Annihilation for years and it just dawned on me that it might fit this task - any thoughts or feedback?

[Megan]

Ashley wrote: "I've been wanting to read Annihilation for years and it just dawned on me that it might fit this task - any thoughts or feedback?"

I just started reading Annihilation yesterday and I think it fits the wilderness prompt. I am using it for genre/subgenre I have never heard of before. I saw it classified as New Weird.

[Ashley]

Awesome, thanks for the reply Megan!

[Sabrina]

Anyone know if Catching Fire would qualify for this? I haven't read the book or seen the movie before and I'm wondering if it will qualify for this prompt. All the descriptions I can find don't give very many clues for the setting and I'm trying to avoid any spoilers.

[Elyse]

Sabrina wrote: "Anyone know if Catching Fire would qualify for this? I haven't read the book or seen the movie before and I'm wondering if it will qualify for this prompt. All the descriptions I can..."

Well, they are in a forest for the Hunger Games Quarter Quell. I'd count the first book and this book.

[Sabrina]

Elyse wrote: "Sabrina wrote: "Anyone know if Catching Fire would qualify for this? I haven't read the book or seen the movie before and I'm wondering if it will qualify for this prompt. All the de..."
Great, thank you. I read the first book but I didn't know what to expect for the second.

[Nadine in NY]

Sabrina wrote: "Anyone know if Catching Fire would qualify for this? I haven't read the book or seen the movie before and I'm wondering if it will qualify for this prompt. All the descriptions I can..."

I wouldn't count it. The quarter quell, just like the first hunger games, takes place in a faux wilderness that is completely controlled by the game makers, and they are watched constantly on TV.

[Julie]

Would Life of Pi work for this? With the majority of it taking place in the middle of the ocean without a lot of resources, I think it probably fits the "uncultivated, uninhabited, inhospitable region" definition of wilderness. I've been having difficulty finding something I'm really interested in, and Life of Pi is already on my TBR list.

[Carla]

Pretty sure The Mountain Between Us would work. I read it earlier this year for another challenge so I'm going to count it here too.

[Laura]

Julie wrote: "Would Life of Pi work for this? With the majority of it taking place in the middle of the ocean without a lot of resources, I think it probably fits the "uncultivated, uninhabited, inho..."

Yes, definitely count Life of Pi for this prompt.

[Emily]

Down the Long HillsThis was the first Louis Lamour book I ever read (which I picked up in middle school because my dad loved Louis Lamour). I LOVE this story; it's about two children who were traveling on a wagon train that is attacked by Indians. They escape with Hardy's (the young boy) horse and have to survive winter. Highly recommend and definitely worth a reread.

P.S. Spoiler Alert: they don't die.

[Emily]

Another book from childhood that would fit this category: Trouble River by Betsy Byars. A family is living on the frontier, and the parents go to the large town to sell their crops/livestock. The young son, grandmother and dog are left behind. Grandma is sure that Indians are lurking about. When the young boy finds one trying to break into their house, the boy and grandma escape on a raft the boy has made. Funny little story.

A classic young adult novel: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

(so glad I read this thread to get my juices flowing, because I was stumped!)

[Gina]

I just read The River at Night for this prompt.

[nx74defiant]

Nadine wrote: "Sabrina wrote: "Anyone know if Catching Fire would qualify for this? I haven't read the book or seen the movie before and I'm wondering if it will qualify for this prompt. All the de..."

I wouldn't count it. The quarter quell, just like the first hunger games, takes place in a faux wilderness that is completely controlled by the game makers, and they are watched constantly on TV.

I would count it, it is a wilderness, the dangers are real to the contestants who have no control.

[Keri]

I just finished a true story, The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel. A quick read, thought provoking and not too bad.

[Lashanda]

Would Into the Forest fit this category?

[Carrie]

Deliverance.

[Priya]

I guess Lyrebird could work, one half of the book is set in the wilderness

[Kirsten]

You know, nowadays, any place without wifi or cell phone service probably qualifies as a wilderness!

[Nikki]

I'm planning to read At the Edge of the Orchard by Tracy Chevalier. From the reviews, a large part takes place in the wilderness (it's a historical novel). And, for those of you who live in Ohio, may I recommend The Trees by Conrad Richter. It's the first book in his The Awakening Land trilogy and will take you back to the time when Ohio was wilderness. (The Chevalier book is set partly in Ohio in Johnny Appleseed's time, and partly in the Wild West.)

[Chrissie]

I'm considering The Lost World of the Kalahari for this prompt, but I'm not sure if it would count?

[Kirsten]

Chrissie wrote: "I'm considering The Lost World of the Kalahari for this prompt, but I'm not sure if it would count?"

Kalahari seems like the wilderness to me.

[Tobi]

I'm thinking of reading The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon for this one. Has anyone read it, would recommend it, or know if it works for this category?

[Caity]

Tobi wrote: "I'm thinking of reading The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon for this one. Has anyone read it, would recommend it, or know if it works for this category?"

It 100% works, given that it takes place in the Amazon rainforest. I've seen a few people who loved it and it's actually my pick for this task, as well.

[Baroness Ekat]

Tobi wrote: "I'm thinking of reading The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon for this one. Has anyone read it, would recommend it, or know if it works for this category?"

I just did this as my "book made into a movie in 2017" as it's doing limited release this month. I loved it and it VERY much would fit this category.

the categories it works for are: book set in the wilderness, book becoming a movie, book set in two time periods

[Kelly]

Keri wrote: "I just finished a true story, The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel. A quick read, thought provoking and not t..."

I'm currently reading this one! Definitely an interesting read :)

[Kirsten]

Great idea!

[Tobi]

Tobi wrote: "I'm thinking of reading The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon for this one. Has anyone read it, would recommend it, or know if it works for this category?"

Just finished it, and it's really good and fascinating! If haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it!

[Tobi]

Caity wrote: "Tobi wrote: "I'm thinking of reading The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon for this one. Has anyone read it, would recommend it, or know if it works for this c..."

Tobi wrote: "I'm thinking of reading The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon for this one. Has anyone read it, would recommend it, or know if it works for this category?"

Just finished it, and it's really good and fascinating! If haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it!

[Monnie]

Nadine wrote: "Patricia wrote: "I believe that "Wilderness" needs a specific definition as it relates to this challenge. I have some interesting "Western" themed books that would be interesting to read. I just wo..."

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon would work if you are a Stephen King fan.

[Ruth]

Kirsten *Make Margaret Atwood Fiction Again!" wrote: "You know, nowadays, any place without wifi or cell phone service probably qualifies as a wilderness!"

Unless you're reading historical fiction, or Fantasy set in a pseudo-historical time. I've read books taking place in London or New York or fictional cities without electricity at all!

[Ruth]

I just finished reading "The Bear and the Nightingale. It takes place in Russia several hundred years ago. The main characters are an upper-class landowning family. While in Moscow, others refer to their lands as "the wilderness" and parts of the story take place in the large forest they own. But most of it takes place in their home
(large for the time but snug by modern day standards) and there's mention of local villagers, though I'm not sure if their house is in the village proper or slightly outside of it.

I'm wondering if this could count for the Wilderness prompt, or if I should just use it for the "published in 2017 prompt" instead. ( I don't want to "double dip" books unless I find that I haven't met all the prompts by mid-December.)

I'm also currently reading Hunted by Megan Spooner, which is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and this version has Beauty's family living in a hunting cabin near the woods, a several days' journey from the nearest city, and at least half a day's journey from the nearest inn. When I finish the book, I'll know how much of it takes place in the forest itself- though the small family living in an isolated cabin may be "wilderness" enough anyway?

Thoughts on how well either of those books fit into this prompt?

[Tytti]

Ruthla8 wrote: "While in Moscow, others refer to their lands as "the wilderness" and parts of the story take place in the large forest they own."

IMO, wilderness cannot be owned. I have been in many forests and I wouldn't call any of them "wilderness".

[Nadine in NY]

Ruthla8 wrote: "I just finished reading "The Bear and the Nightingale. It takes place in Russia several hundred years ago. The main characters are an upper-class landowning family. While in Moscow, others refer to..."

I read that book (loved it!) and I think it counts. A big part of the story is what happens in the woods around her house.

[Emanuel]

I read Uma Aventura na Amazónia set in the amazonia.

[Wendy]

I mentioned this one in the Cat covers too, but The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival is a gripping non-fiction that would work.

Other ideas:

Annapurna: A Woman's Place is about an all-women team climbing one of the word's highest mountains, and it's on the "500 great books by women" list.

The Golden Spruce: A True Story of Myth, Madness, and Greed -- another book by the author of Tiger, set in the Canadian forest wilderness, about the logging industy.

Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors, a true story about the rugby team that survived a plane crash in the Andes mountains. There's a more recent book about the same incident called Miracle in the Andes.

I've heard good things about Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival set in the Sahara desert in 1815.

I love mountaineering books! If you like Into Thin Air, try:
- Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season
- Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains
- Buried in the Sky: The Extraordinary Story of the Sherpa Climbers on K2's Deadliest Day
- And cave exploration should totally count! Blind Descent: The Quest to Discover the Deepest Place on Earth

ETA: These books all work for the "books with subtitles" category too, I just realized :)

[Wendy]

I read Bear and Nightingale too and really enjoyed it, but I don't think it counts for wilderness. I used it for the mythology task, because it expands on Russian mythology.

[Elyse]

Wendy wrote: "I mentioned this one in the Cat covers too, but The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival is a gripping non-fiction that would work.

Other ideas:

[book:Annapurna: A Woman's..."

Great suggestions!

[Melody]

I read Cloven Hooves by Megan Lindholm (aka Robin Hobb). It's an old school fantasy book about a woman who grew up in the wilderness of Alaska and became best friends with a little faun who lived there. The second half of the book turns into a fantasy romance, which isn't much my style, but it was definitely well written and a large portion of it definitely takes place in the wilderness.

[Toni]

Still Life With Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen is great.

[Jammin Jenny]

Monnie wrote: "Nadine wrote: "Patricia wrote: "I believe that "Wilderness" needs a specific definition as it relates to this challenge. I have some interesting "Western" themed books that would be interesting to ..."

I love that book!

[Jill Johnston]

I read Far North by Will Hobbs since I never read it growing up. It's set in the wilderness of Canada. It's a book geared toward middle school students, but I enjoyed it as an adult!

[Juliebean]

Sisa wrote: "Has anyone read Clan of the Cave Bear? Is that set in the wilderness?"

I've read Clan of the Cave Bear. I would say yes. I am not strict with the prompts and I suppose some people might say that it's modern people learning the wilderness - but I would definitely count it. It talks about how to fish and make medicines, etc. That makes it sound boring, which it isn't.

[Ellen]

Rebecca wrote: "I'm gonna go with some old stuff. Gene Stratton-Porter. Limberlost is a classic, she has many others. Gene Stratton-Porter

Also I picked up "A Lantern in Her Hand on..."

The Harvester

[Kathy]

Julie wrote: "Sisa wrote: "Has anyone read Clan of the Cave Bear? Is that set in the wilderness?"

I've read Clan of the Cave Bear. I would say yes. I am not strict with the prompts and I suppose some people mig..."

Julie wrote: "Sisa wrote: "Has anyone read Clan of the Cave Bear? Is that set in the wilderness?"

I've read Clan of the Cave Bear and a couple of the series. I would say it is wilderness. It sounds like a boring premise, but it is a fascinating read. I highly recommend it.

I've read Clan of the Cave Bear. I would say yes. I am not strict with the prompts and I suppose some people mig..."

[Nancy]

Juanita wrote: "The Call of the Wild? The Revenant? Help me with this one. Would A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail qualify?"
I read "A Walk in the Woods," and it was a fun choice. I live fairly close to the southern end of the trail and have day-hiked in some of the areas he described, so it was both a good choice for the prompt and somewhat of a "been there, done that" pick, which can be fun.

[Rachel]

I just finished reading Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy

[Lyndsay]

I was having a difficult time coming up with a book for this category. Not many books in the wilderness appeal to me. I found a middle grade fiction book, Connect the Stars. It's told from the perspective of 2 kids who are sent to a 6 week wilderness camp. It was a good story.

[Ray]

Wild by Cheryl Strayed is a good one. Also The Last of the Mohecans and Cold Mountain.

[Pioup]

Has anyone read In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson? I'm guessing it's not 100% wilderness (they do have towns in Australia I hear ;) ) but I'm wondering if there is a significant portion of the book taking place in wilderness? (That book would obviously work for the travel category but I have this covered already.)