Why am I passionate about this?

I am a survival expert and outdoor professional with over ten years of experience in outdoor recreation and survival. Recently, I became the winner of Season 9 of the survival TV series Alone after surviving for 78 days with just ten items in the unforgiving wilderness of Labrador. I have lived for six months in the boreal forest with my fiancée, foraging to complement our meager rations, and I have also spent one hundred days foraging in solitude during the Canadian winter. Currently I’m building an off-grid homestead that I hope one day will turn into an off-grid community.


I wrote

Thrive: Long-Term Wilderness Survival Guide

By Juan Pablo Quiñonez,

Book cover of Thrive: Long-Term Wilderness Survival Guide

What is my book about?

Thrive is the ultimate guide to wilderness survival for extended periods. This no-nonsense modern survival guide covers the essential knowledge…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

The books I picked & why

Book cover of 98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive

Juan Pablo Quiñonez Why did I love this book?

I highly recommend this book because it lays the basic foundation for wilderness survival.

The book is written in a funny, straightforward style, and it’s perfect for beginners. Its unconventional approach focuses on the core necessities, rather than covering many topics and skills that are often irrelevant in short-term survival situations.

This book serves as a stepping stone into the world of wilderness survival and points the reader into an approach to survival that is realistic and grounded.

In the area of wilderness survival there are many uncertainties and different approaches, making the subject a bit ambiguous, but I feel this book provides a clear and well-founded view of the essential survival principles.

By Cody Lundin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked 98.6 Degrees as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Cody Lundin, director of the Aboriginal Living Skills School in Prescott, Arizona, shares his own brand of wilderness wisdom in this highly anticipated new book on commonsense, modern survival skills for the backcountry, the backyard, or the highway. This is the ultimate book on how to stay alive-based on the principle of keeping the body's core temperature at a lively 98.6 degrees.

In his entertaining and informative style, Cody stresses that a human can live without food for weeks and without water for about three days or so. But if the body's core temperature dips much below or above the…


Book cover of The Survival Handbook: Essential Skills for Outdoor Adventure

Juan Pablo Quiñonez Why did I love this book?

This book contains the topics you would expect inside a survival manual, such as navigation, fire, shelter, food, water, and so on.

What I really like about it are the colourful, realistic illustrations, and the easily digestible layout of the information. It covers a very wide range of topics related to wilderness survival and overall it provides a well-balanced approach. It comes in multiple editions and some formats are more suitable as field books than others.

It is a solid book that I would recommend to anyone wanting a classic-style survival manual to use as reference at home or in the field.

By Colin Towell,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Survival Handbook as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From planning an expedition, to packing essential kits, to discovering what to do on a trail, The Survival Handbook is an invaluable tool when you're in the great outdoors.

Among a myriad of outdoor skills, it teaches readers how to make shelters, find water, and spot, catch, and cook wild food. And if there's an emergency, it shows which essential first-aid techniques to use when, how to mount a rescue, and even how to get yourself found. Now in Paperback!


Book cover of SAS Survival Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Anywhere

Juan Pablo Quiñonez Why did I love this book?

There is no doubt that this book belongs on my list.

As a young child I browsed this book constantly, fantasizing about using some of the many techniques and contraptions depicted in it. This book is jam-packed with useful information on wilderness survival in various climates. For instance, you’ll find information on survival at sea and in the desert.

Although the illustrations are a bit dated and sometimes unclear, it continues to be one of the most popular survival books in the world for a reason. It is the classic survival book. Something that I really like about this book is the sheer amount of diverse topics and the different climates that it covers.

By John 'Lofty' Wiseman,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked SAS Survival Handbook as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"A classic outdoor manual [that] addresses every conceivable disaster scenario. Don’t leave home without it”--Outside magazine

The ultimate guide to surviving anywhere, now updated with more than 100 pages of additional material, including a new chapter on urban survival

Revised to reflect the latest in survival knowledge and technology, and covering new topics such as urban survival and terrorism, the multimillion-copy worldwide bestseller SAS Survival Handbook by John "Lofty" Wiseman is the definitive resource for all campers, hikers, and outdoor adventurers. From basic campcraft and navigation to fear management and strategies for coping with any type of disaster, this complete…


Book cover of Survival Wisdom & Know How: Everything You Need to Know to Subsist in the Wilderness

Juan Pablo Quiñonez Why did I love this book?

This to me is the encyclopedia of wilderness survival.

It features content from various books and authors related to survival and wilderness living, and it’s a very good reference book due to the vastness of the topics covered.

The first time I browsed it I was immediately surprised by how comprehensive it was. I feel that this book complements very well the other books on my list. The fact that it contains sections from multiple authors means you get a diverse and well-rounded perspective of the many skills and techniques covered.

This book also has some long-term, expedition, and bushcraft angles, rather than a strictly survival approach.

By The Editors of Stackpole Books,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Survival Wisdom & Know How as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Survival Wisdom is a large-scale practical guide, jam-packed with information on every aspect of outdoor life and adventure.Survival Wisdom & Know-How is the most complete, all-in-one volume on every aspect of outdoor adventure and survival ever, from orienteering to campfire cooking to ice climbing and beyond. Culled from dozens of respected books from Stackpole, the industry's leader in outdoor adventure, this massive collection of wilderness know-how leaves absolutely nothing to chance when it comes to surviving and thriving in the wilderness-and appreciating every minute of it. Topics include Building Outdoor Shelter, Tracking Animals, Winter Camping, Tying Knots, Orienteering, Reading the…


Book cover of Bushcraft: Outdoor Skills and Wilderness Survival

Juan Pablo Quiñonez Why did I love this book?

This book is the bushcraft classic. Although it focuses on northern bushcraft, most of the information in it is very useful in other areas of the world.

Many important techniques and skills are covered in this book that are applicable to wilderness survival and wilderness living. The legendary author was one of the most well-respected survival instructors in the world.

I personally cherish this book due to the level of detail and depth of the subjects covered. Whenever I read it I can always feel that a great deal of experience and research stands behind what is written.

By Mors Kochanski,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Bushcraft as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Longtime wilderness educator Mors Kochanski has dedicated his life to learning and teaching about the lore of the forest. With clear instructions, extensive use of diagrams and a color photo supplement, this comprehensive reference includes all the practical skills and knowledge essential for you to survive and enjoy the wilderness: * Lighting and maintaining a fire * Chopping wood and felling a tree * Creating a shelter and keeping warm * Safe use of the axe and bush knife * Plants and animals important for survival * Food, water and outdoor cooking * Wilderness first aid. * This bestseller should…


Explore my book 😀

Thrive: Long-Term Wilderness Survival Guide

By Juan Pablo Quiñonez,

Book cover of Thrive: Long-Term Wilderness Survival Guide

What is my book about?

Thrive is the ultimate guide to wilderness survival for extended periods. This no-nonsense modern survival guide covers the essential knowledge needed to live in the wild. It features over four hundred illustrations on a comprehensive range of topics such as advanced bushcraft, hunter-gatherer skills, mental resilience, and last-resort first aid techniques.

What is unique about Thrive is that it focuses on long-term survival as oppposed to the seventy-two-hour focus of nearly every survival book out there. This is the book to have if you venture into the wild.

Book cover of 98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive
Book cover of The Survival Handbook: Essential Skills for Outdoor Adventure
Book cover of SAS Survival Handbook: The Ultimate Guide to Surviving Anywhere

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,206

readers submitted
so far, will you?

You might also like...

Book cover of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

Mimi Zieman Author Of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Mimi's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctor—and only woman—on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.

The team attempts a new route up the East Face without the use of supplemental oxygen, Sherpa support, or chance for rescue. When three climbers disappear during their summit attempt, Zieman reaches the knife edge of her limits and digs deeply to fight for the climbers’ lives and to find her voice.


By Mimi Zieman,

Why should I read it?

26 authors picked Tap Dancing on Everest as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The plan was outrageous: A small team of four climbers would attempt a new route on the East Face of Mt. Everest, considered the most remote and dangerous side of the mountain, which had only been successfully climbed once before. Unlike the first large team, Mimi Zieman and her team would climb without using supplemental oxygen or porter support. While the unpredictable weather and high altitude of 29,035 feet make climbing Everest perilous in any condition, attempting a new route, with no idea of what obstacles lay ahead, was especially audacious. Team members were expected to push themselves to their…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in survival, wilderness survival, and dystopian?

Survival 203 books
Dystopian 618 books