Book Cellar

As I've mentioned in a previous post, I use both nonfiction and fiction books to develop my self-reliant knowledge and thinking. I've also tried to post reviews and recommendations for some of the books that we've found useful in that way. However, I've had some requests for a single list of book recommendations, so I've established this page for quick and easy reference.

Wherever available, the titles below are linked to our review of them. In many cases, I haven't gotten to a full review of that title yet (but I will). Nevertheless, my including a title on this list means that it has something worthwhile to make it worth recommending. Basically, this means that each of these books would score four stars or higher on my five-star scale.

As mentioned above, I don't yet have reviews for several of the following titles. For books without a review, I've linked to the relevant page on Amazon.com so that you can check them out and see others' reviews. Of course, if you planning to buy the book, we'd appreciate your doing to while you're on the Amazon website.

A final note: this list is very much a work in progress. Over time, I will grow the list and add more reviews, so please check back regularly!



Self-Reliant and How-To Nonfiction

• Forgotten Skills of Cooking by Darina Allen
• All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew
• Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey
• Pet First Aid: Cats & Dogs by American Red Cross
• Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence by Vicki Robin, Joe Dominguez, and Monique Tilford
• Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times by Steve Solomon
• The Homesteading Handbook: A Back to Basics Guide to Growing Your Own Food, Canning, Keeping Chickens, Generating Your Own Energy, Crafting, Herbal Medicine, and More by Abigail R. Gehring
• The Back to Basics Handbook: A Guide to Buying and Working Land, Raising Livestock, Enjoying Your Harvest, Household Skills and Crafts, and More by  Abigail R. Gehring
• Storey's Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance by John Storey and Martha Storey
• Gene Logsdon's Practical Skills: A Revival of Forgotten Crafts, Techniques, and Traditions by Gene Logsdon and Barbara Field
• The Big Book of Self-Reliant Living: Advice and Information on Just About Everything You Need to Know to Live on Planet Earth by Walter Szykitka
• The Art of Shen Ku: The First Intergalactic Artform of the Entire Universe by Zeek

Emergency Preparedness Nonfiction

• Emergency Food Storage & Survival Handbook by Peggy Layton
• How To Survive The End Of The World As We Know It by James Wesley, Rawles
• Just in Case: How to be Self-Sufficient when the Unexpected Happens by Kathy Harrison and Alison Kolesar
• When All Hell Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need To Survive When Disaster Strikes by Cody Lundin, Russell L. Miller and Christopher Marchetti
• Build The Perfect Survival Kit by John D. McCann
• The NEW Passport To Survival: 12 Steps to Self-Sufficient Living by Rita Bingham and Clair C. Bingham
• When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability, and Surviving the Long Emergency by Matthew Stein
• Making the Best of Basics: Family Preparedness Handbook by James Talmage Stevens

Self-Reliance Fiction

• Once Upon a River: A Novel by Bonnie Jo Campbell

Post-Apocalyptic Fiction (solo books)

• One Second After by William R. Forstchen
• Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank
• Earth Abides by George R. Stewart
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy
• I Am Legend by Richard Matheson
• Lucifer's Hammer by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven

Post-Apocalyptic Fiction (series)

• World Made by Hand: A Novel by James Howard Kunstler
• The Witch of Hebron: A World Made by Hand Novel by James Howard Kunstler
  
  
• Last Light by Terri Blackstock
• Night Light by Terri Blackstock
• True Light by Terri Blackstock
• Dawn's Light by Terri Blackstock
  
  
• Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
• The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
• This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer
  
  
• Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse by James Wesley, Rawles
• Survivors: A Novel of the Coming Collapse by James Wesley, Rawles
  
  
• Dies the Fire: A Novel of the Change by S. M. Stirling
• The Protector's War: A Novel of the Change by S. M. Stirling
• A Meeting at Corvallis: A Novel of the Change by S. M. Stirling