Wednesday, March 15, 2017

A bookish confession...

I love disaster/survival books, both fiction and non-fiction. Reading about how ordinary people manage to survive in impossible situations from plane crashes to blizzards to massive power outtages has always fascinated me. Each story makes me wonder if I'd be able to survive something similar, and how I would go about doing it. So when I saw Jim Cobb's book Prepper's Survival Hacks:  50 DIY Projects for Lifesaving Gear, Gadgets and Kits at the library, I couldn't resist checking it out. And it's awesome!

Did you know a child's crayon can be used as a candle? Or that with a little Vaseline and some cotton balls you can make your own firestarters? Or did you know you can build a buddy burner out of some corrugated cardboard, melted wax and an empty tuna fish can? There are SO many cool DIY projects in this book; I want to try them all! I've been working on my own personal Bug Out Bag all week (which is just your basic 72-hour emergency kit packed in a backpack), and I think this weekend I might  try turning an empty Altoids tin into a candle. Or maybe my own small survival kit. So if you're secretly a prepper at heart like me, give this little book a read.
"Fair warning, though:  Not only can this stuff be fun, 
it can be downright addicting."

Happy Prepping!

Some of my favorite survival stories:
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
One Second After by William Forstchen
Stranded by Melinda Braun
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank
Trapped by Michael Northrup
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

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19 comments:

  1. jenclairMarch 15, 2017 at 11:25 AM

    :) I'm a fan of dystopian and survival books, too. My first one was Robinson Crusoe when I was a kid. My father gave me Robinson Crusoe and my brother got Black Beauty. At first, I was so frustrated--he should have know I wanted Black Beauty! But I fell in love with the ways and means of Crusoe's survival on the island and was hooked. There is a course offered in NC, I think, that gives people all kinds of survival techniques. Fascinating details for people who are accustomed to electricity and grocery stores! I've read One Second After and Alas, Babylon, but the other books you mention are new to me. Will check them out. Oh, and Ted Koppel's Lights Out is fascinating nonfiction.

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    1. Lark March 15, 2017 at 2:44 PM

      I just barely finished reading Lights Out and I agree, it's very fascinating, and a little troubling. I still need to read Robinson Crusoe...it is, after all, one of the first survival books. :)

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  2. jenclairMarch 15, 2017 at 11:26 AM

    Known, not know. I should edit better.

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  3. JennyMarch 15, 2017 at 12:00 PM

    Sounds like some fun projects to try. I'm not much of a survival/camper/outdoorsy girl but I'm always fascinated to learn what can be used for what in case of an emergency.

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    1. Lark March 15, 2017 at 2:42 PM

      I don't much like camping either...I'm not a fan of dirt, bugs or non-flushing toilets. :)

      Delete
  4. MelodyMarch 15, 2017 at 4:53 PM

    For some reasons I'm not much of an adventurous person, but I do love reading about survival theme books and the more if they are thrillers. :) This book sounds like both a fun and informative read.

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    1. Lark March 16, 2017 at 1:27 PM

      Yeah, I love that combination of survival and thriller in a book, too. :)

      Delete
  5. JaneGSMarch 16, 2017 at 9:37 AM

    I love stuff like this too! Fantasizing about surviving is not an insignificant pastime of mine.

    I take it you still need a wick for the crayon candle... :)

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    1. Lark March 16, 2017 at 1:27 PM

      I'm glad I'm not the only one. :)
      And for the crayon candle, you don't need a wick...just break the tip off the top so the paper wrapper is a little higher than the wax and light a match.

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    2. JaneGSMarch 21, 2017 at 3:03 PM

      Have you tried it yet? :)

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    3. Lark March 21, 2017 at 5:44 PM

      I did, and while it was a little tricky to get it to light at first, once I got the outside paper to light my little crayon produced a very nice flame. :) Crayon candles, who knew?

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  6. SusanMarch 16, 2017 at 3:54 PM

    I love survival stories, too. The tenacity of the human spirit in hopeless situations always inspires me. As for real life situations, though, I would probably be the first to die as I have no survival skills whatsoever! Maybe I should read this book and get some :)

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    1. Lark March 17, 2017 at 4:46 PM

      It's a fun little read because all the ideas in it feel very doable, and also affordable. :)

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  7. Unruly ReaderMarch 16, 2017 at 8:31 PM

    I can't get enough of survival stories -- even though I'm pretty sure I'd just perish due to lack of skills. (Even with a helpful book of tips... I'm pretty hopeless. So: I stay in safe zones. A lot.)
    : )

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    1. Lark March 17, 2017 at 4:45 PM

      Ha! I hear you on that. I'm not sure I have any real survival skills in me either...but it is fun to read about! :)

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  8. Jen | Book DenMarch 19, 2017 at 5:23 AM

    I do know about DIY options for firestarting. I have a fire pit, and I never like to use any chemical firestarters. That's probably all that I do know when it comes to DIY survival stuff. I bet that's a neat book.

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    1. Lark March 19, 2017 at 4:59 PM

      The book is definitely a fun one. And kudos on knowing how to start a fire! That's probably the most important "prepper" skill to have. :)

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  9. Wilfredo RoderickDecember 19, 2019 at 11:47 AM

    nice way to share knowledge about emergency survival

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