Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts

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Riverwalker’s Book Review - The Simple Survival Smart Book by Patrick Shrier



A former US Army Cavalry Scout, Patrick Shrier seeks to put the essential “need to know” items in a simple and easy to follow format. He places a lot of emphasis on survival planning (short and long term) and having the necessary items in your preparedness kits to facilitate your survival planning. He includes the steps of the decision making process to help you in planning for your survival.
                                                                                                               
In addition to information on planning and preparedness kits, Patrick includes a strong emphasis on first aid, map reading and navigation, and outdoor survival skills (acquiring food and water, making fire, and building shelter). He also includes a section on a variety of knots that can be very useful in a survival situation. He also includes an appendix on foodborne illnesses which could come in quite handy.

Patrick Shrier also includes a section on Combat skills that will probably have a greater appeal to ex-military or law enforcement than the average person but could still be handy in a worse case scenario. His section on map reading and navigation is one of the best I’ve seen in any survival book that is currently available. Of course, you would expect a former Cavalry Scout to be really good when it comes to being able to navigate any terrain in a proficient manner.

If you are looking to add a survival manual to your BOB, you might want to consider The Simple Survival Smart Book by Patrick Shrier.

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker


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Riverwalker’s Book Review - Tribes by John S. Wilson




“Tribes” is John S. Wilson’s prequel to his other survival novels Joshua and Traveler. In this latest edition, John manages to create some thought-provoking survival scenarios that are about as close to what can happen when the grid goes down and everything goes to hell. With a new set of characters, John has been able to create an entirely different set of circumstances to test his new main character, Tom, and his ability to lead a small group in his community as they struggle to survive.

From the paranoid to the psychotic to downright mean and sadistic characters, you will have a lot better understanding of what may happen should you face a similar survival situation.

Sometimes, survival isn't as easy as you may think.

Riverwalker gives ”Tribes”a thumbs up!


Got “Tribes”?

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker





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Riverwalker’s Book Review - Home Remedies


Home Remedies

In time when everyone had to be a lot more self reliant, home remedies where often the only way to treat many minor ailments. Alex Smith in his new book, Home Remedies, seeks to provide you with a guide to some of the more basic and best known home remedies in an easy to reference alphabetical format.
                                                                                                                          
Alex Smith also provides a glossary of some of the more common terms used in home remedies to provide further understanding for the different types of home remedies that are commonly used to treat various ailments. He also provides a fairly comprehensive list of the herbs and plants that are more commonly used in the making of various home remedies.

Although it doesn't include an index, at less than 125 pages it is still easy to find the home remedy you may be looking for due to the easy alphabetical format. The remedies for some of the more common ailments are available at your finger tips.

If you are looking for a quick reference guide to help treat minor ailments, Home Remediesby Alex Smith may be exactly what you need.

Got Home Remedies?

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker       


Disclaimer: Always consult a medical professional before using any type of new treatments,

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The Pocket Guide to Wild Mushrooms - We have a winner!



We have a winner of a free copy of The Pocket Guide to Wild Mushrooms. Susie in NY has been chosen at random as the winner and will receive a free copy of the book direct from the publishers. Susie will need to send an email to  riverwalker_texas@yahoo.com with her shipping address in order to receive her free book. Please respond within 72 hours, if possible.

Here is Susie’s winning comment:


Albert and Susie said...
I have NO experience in foraging for mushrooms or other edible food items in the wild. I absolutely LOVE mushrooms so it would be great to know which are edible. :)
Susie in northern NY

Congratulations to Susie for being chosen the winner of our free book giveaway.

You can also read my book review by clicking the link.

Got mushrooms?

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker


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Riverwalker’s Book Review and Giveaway - The Pocket Guide to Wild Mushrooms




Foraging for edible foods in the wild can be an important skill that everyone should learn in order to be more self-reliant. Unfortunately, many food items found in the wild can be deadly if you lack the proper knowledge about the items you are foraging. Wild mushrooms are one such item that require a good guide in order to determine if the mushrooms you find are safe to eat.

In The Pocket Guide to Wild Mushrooms by Pelle Holmberg and Hans Marklund, the authors have created a condensed version of their larger book on foraging for mushrooms. This smaller and portable version contains a guide to many of the more common mushrooms found in the wild. It includes excellent pictures of the various types of edible mushrooms that are generally found in the wild. Cutaway views of the mushrooms are also included in order to help you further properly identify your wild mushrooms.



Amazingly, this is one pocket guide that actually fits in your pocket, even if it is a little tight. This makes it a lot easier to keep handy when you are out foraging for edible mushrooms. The guide also offers some helpful tips on cleaning and cooking your mushrooms properly. There is also a small reference section for more extensive information on mushrooms in the wild along with a handy index section for quick reference.

The only drawback of this guide is there isn't very extensive information on where the different edible mushrooms can be found. The guide does reference basic regions and areas where edible mushrooms are found but you may need a larger and more detailed guide for specific varieties of edible mushrooms in your area. This guide does include a very extensive section on beginner mushrooms that can help to get you started in the proper foraging of edible wild mushrooms.

Pockets guides are not meant to be a definite source and while not all inclusive, this is an excellent pocket guide for both beginners and experienced foragers to use when hunting edible wild mushrooms.

The Giveaway

A lucky reader will also win a free copy of The Pocket Guide to Wild Mushrooms direct from the publisher. Just leave a comment about your experience (or lack of) in foraging for mushrooms or other edible food items in the wild. If commenting anonymously,  please leave an identifier in your comment. A winner will be chosen at random from the comments left on this post. The winner will be announced in a separate post on July 31st.

Got pocket guide for wild mushrooms?

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker



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Book Review Winner - Good Clean Food



We have a winner in our book review giveaway. Selene has won a free copy of Good Clean Food direct from the publisher.

Here is Selene’s winning comment:

Anonymous said...

This year we planted a larger garden.
Most of it was washed away in heavy rains. We replanted it. Because of health concerns, we feel it is very important for us to grow as many of the vegetables we eat as we can.
We have tomatoes, peppers, squash, peas, beans, radish, kale all doing well now.
Getting ready to plant some more veggies for fall harvest too.
Selene
July 9, 2013 at 6:11 PM

Selene, in order to claim your prize, please send me an e-mail with your shipping address so the publisher can send you your free copy of Good Clean Food.

Congratulations Selene!

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

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Riverwalker’s Book Review - The Wayward Journey




What would you do if you found yourself a long ways from home when all hell breaks loose? In his first book,The Wayward Journey , Nathan Hale Jefferson reveals how the problem of being separated from family can have a profound effect on everyone. From the perspective of the main character, John, a number of scenarios are examined that reveal John’s determination to get back home. With limited resources and even more limited options, John battles numerous obstacles in a determined struggle to return home and be reunited with his family.

Through the characters in his book an attempt is made to offer solutions and insight into the possible problems one might face in this scenario and the efforts that may be required to persevere through these extreme circumstances in order to survive. It does make you stop and think “what if” this should happen to you.

Nathan Hale Jefferson also keeps you up-to-date on the situation at home and offers a real life view of the deteriorating conditions in John’s neighborhood. This includes the main bad guy, Garrett, who seeks to empower himself through his own devious efforts, as well as the misfortunes of others. This gives you a lot of insight into who your real friends are and who is really the enemy. He also offers insight into how things might change on a global basis if the worst should happen.

The book is a quick and easy read which will make you think about things from a different perspective. With only a couple of places where the editing could have been better, you will find this book very thought-provoking. This is a very good first effort and there is a sequel in progress (The Fires at Home) which should be just as good, if not better.

Got Wayward Journey?

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

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Upcoming Survival Guide Review and Gear Giveaway


On May 22nd, I will be doing a special review of a new survival guide that is being released. Two lucky readers will have a chance to win a copy of the new survival guide along with an additional survival gear package.

More details later.

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

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Riverwalker’s Book Review - Fight Flight or Hide - The Guide to Surviving a Mass Shooting



Here is an excerpt from Fight, Flight, or Hide. The Guide to Surviving a Mass Shootingthat really explains our responsibility in order to survive a mass shooting.

“The simple fact is that we, as a populace, need to become the solution to the problem.”

John Forsythe gives common sense advice on the actions that we can take as individuals to survive a mass shooting. He gives relevant and meaningful advice of how and when you should take cover, flee or take the fight to your attacker. Whether you are seeking to avoid being a victim, determining the proper actions to take as a guardian or quite possibly be an unintended hero, John gives simple, common sense advice that can be an invaluable part of helping you to become a part of the solution to the problem. You will also have a significantly better chance of being a survivor.

No matter your level of expertise, good advice is always useful. This book provides the good advice necessary to increase your chances of surviving a mass shooting. If you find yourself with the time to read only one book, it should be this one.

Riverwalker gives Fight, Flight, or Hide. The Guide to Surviving a Mass Shootinga thumbs up!

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker


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Riverwalker’s Book Review - Traveler by John Wilson




What would you do to survive in a world with dwindling resources and desperate people? In Traveler by John Wilson, this is the ultimate question you will be asking yourself. The book is a thought-provoking look at the harsh realities of survival and the things that you may be required to do in order to survive.
                                                                                   
Would you pretend to be something you’re not? Or take your chances with the truth, only to be disappointed by the harsh realities of a changing world. A changing world in which the only difference between friend and foe may be your only chance for another meal or a warm place to sleep.

In his book, John Wilson examines the moral dilemma of what’s right or wrong. True reality becomes blurry at best and it becomes extremely difficult to see who the real threat to your survival is and the difficulty of choosing the path you must take for survival.
                                                                                                        
Here are a couple of brief excerpts from the book:

“Rob’s smile was suddenly gone. “Okay, kid, I won’t destroy your delusions. But it’s obvious to anyone paying attention that we’re on the down side of the slope. Resources are getting scarcer every year...people are getting more desperate... more vicious. It doesn’t take a fortune teller to see which way this world is going.”

The girl honestly asked ”So you don’t think the old world will ever come back?”

“Nope...” A few years from now they’ll all be extinct, they’ll be as dead as the dodo, but people like me will still be here.”

If you want to read a book that examines the concept of “survival of the fittest” and what it truly takes to survive, perhaps it’s time for you to read “Traveler” by John Wilson.

Got Traveler?

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

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We have a composting book winner!




We have a winner! A lucky reader has won a free copy of The Mini Farming Guide to Composting: Self-Sufficiency from Your Kitchen to Your Backyard. Here is the winning comment:

TMM said...
I tried composting, I built one of those rotating barrels out of a 55 gal plastic barrel. Spent hours making that thing. even had an aeration tube down the center and all. Put all the clippings in it, rotated it regularly.. and after an entire year, I had stinky mushy clippings... 

Then I did the metal can in the ground with holes for worms to go in and out.. tossed in the kitchen scraps for a few months and then let it sit for a year.... ended up with stinky mushy kitchen scraps! 

Guess composting is not my specialty :(
March 5, 2013 at 9:27 AM

TMM please send me your shipping address via email to riverwalker_texas@yahoo.com
and your free copy of The Mini Farming Guide to Composting: Self-Sufficiency from Your Kitchen to Your Backyard will be sent to you direct from the publisher.

Please respond within 72 hours to receive your prize or an alternate winner will be chosen.

Congratulations to TMM.

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

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Riverwalker’s Book Review and Bonus Giveaway - The MiniFARMING Guide to Composting


Probably one of the least understood things when it comes to gardening is being able to make compost. Knowing a few basic techniques can help you enrich your gardening experience and make your plants a lot happier. Brett Markham in The Mini Farming Guide to Composting: Self-Sufficiency from Your Kitchen to Your Backyard can help you achieve your goal of better gardening through the use of composting.

While not a technical manual on composting, Markham manages to provide a basic and simple understanding of what is required to be successful when composting. He also provides an explanation of several ways to make a compost bin including a simple plan using a five gallon bucket to make a small composting bin. This would even be a great project that would allow urban dwellers with minimum amounts of space to benefit from composting as well. He also gives very good instructions on how to make compost tea in simple and easy to understand terms. Just don’t use one of your wife’s good pillowcases or you could wind up in the doghouse.

Even if you are an experienced gardener, there are numerous tips and tricks throughout his book that can help make your gardening efforts more successful through the use of proper composting techniques. A little compost can go a long way in making your gardening efforts a success.

As an added bonus, one lucky reader will win a free copy of The Mini Farming Guide to Composting: Self-Sufficiency from Your Kitchen to Your Backyard. Just leave a comment telling us of your composting experience. Feel free to include any tips or tricks you think others may find useful. A winner will be chosen at random on March 15th and the winner will receive their free book directly from the publisher.

You might also want to check out Brett Markham’s other books including Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre.

Got compost?

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker



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Riverwalker’s Book Review - SAS Guide to Desert Survival



From the introduction to the final page with the Five Golden Rules of Survival, the SAS Guide to Desert Survival by Barry Davies covers the major factors that can affect your survival. This is a compact guide to surviving not only in a desert environment but a comprehensive guide that covers all the basic items and more that will be needed for your survival.

The contents are broken down into not only the basic requirements for shelter, water, food, and fire but also include helpful tips about the equipment you will need, medical priorities, and survival medicine.

It’s also compact enough to fit easily in your backpack or bug-out bag but where space may be at a premium. With over 150 pages of comprehensive information, it is presented in a useful format that allows anyone to access needed information quickly and effortlessly. This is one item that should be included in every backpack.

While the book gives many useful and worthwhile tips for survival in an extreme desert environment (or Texas summers), it also contains a wealth of additional survival information that is suitable for both the novice and the more experienced outdoorsman. This is information which could play a critical part in your survival.

From knots to fire-making techniques, the SAS Desert Guide to Survival is full of useful tips and plenty of illustrations to guide you in your quest for survival. It’s also available at a very affordable price that won’t wreck your budget or break your piggy bank.

Got heat?

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker


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Riverwalker’s Book Review - Getting Home


An excellent book for the beginning prepper is Alex Smith’s Getting Home. This book isn’t about a survivalist battling zombies to get to his family. It is a decent non-fiction guide to putting a plan of action into motion that will allow you to get home safely in a crisis. In his book he covers EDC (everyday carry) items and how to choose a GHB (get home bag).  He makes excellent points on EDC items you should have and covers options for items needed both at your work environment and things you should keep in your vehicle.

Alex also stresses the importance of redundancy (two is one and one is none) in your EDC and your GHB. He also has some excellent tips on choosing the right type of pack to fit your physical profile. This is extremely vital information for those who have done relatively little hiking or backpacking, which is completely different from the “car camping” many persons utilize in their outdoor endeavors. The information about choosing the proper type of pack is worth the cost of the book itself.

He also gives tips on firearms for EDC. While decent recommendations, most seemed to be based on his personal experience and preferences when it comes to firearms. The book also includes several helpful tips in regards to your transportation that the beginning prepper may not think of or may not be familiar with in their experience. Several of these tips are found throughout his book and you need to read it carefully so as not to miss them.

Alex’s book is well written and would make a good addition to your survival library. Several of his tips would also make it worthwhile to the more experienced prepper. I even found a few tips that will be useful to me. RW gives Getting Home a thumbs up!

Got GHB?

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker


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