Book review: When All Hell Breaks Loose by Cody Lundin

With topics such as starting fires, purifying water, finding/catching/preparing food, first-aid, shelter, hygiene, proper burial among many other covered. It’s a very thorough book, topic-wise. It was almost too overwhelming for a noob to read. It’s my own fault for trying to read it from beginning to end as it were fiction. This is more of a reference book really and should be read as such.

I love that it’s written in a straight-forward manner that any average civilian could understand – you don’t have to be a hard-core survivalist to comprehend any of its content. His overall tone is pretty laid-back and fun which made it a quick and easy read for the most part. It’s peppered with humorous illustrations throughout as well (which was sometimes distracting). The best part about this guide is how it’s not focused on buying cool camping and survival gear. The projects he mentions are usually low-budget or no-budget at all (you may already have the materials in your home).

I came across Cody Lundin’s name after scanning for books to review for this site – he has a survival show (available on Netflix) which I’ve been meaning to watch. If I’m going to learn from someone, it might as well be from an expert who lives, breathes, and teaches this way of life.

Tons of info here for those seeking out a starting point. I actually read the e-book version of this which is perfectly fine, but I think this is one of those books that would be better off sitting in your shelf as a reference.

You’d probably get more enjoyment and use out of this if your preparedness and survivalist skillset is in the beginner or intermediate. Also good for the casual read.

Definitely a great addition to any prepper library. 4 out of 5 stars.

Earth Abides Book Review

This  book is one of the many that I have in my to-read pile strictly for Apocalypse Hub and while I’ve finished it over a month ago, I’m just now getting around to write a quick and dirty book review on it. 

This was supposed to be one of the inspirations for Stephen King’s The Stand. How can one resist, right?

The story is told from the POV of Isherwood (Ish) Williams. It begins with him suffering the effects of a rattlesnake bite and wakes up to a world whose population has been pretty much wiped out by a plague. 

It’s a beautifully written epic tale that spans many generations after year zero. 

The thing about Ish was that he didn’t mourn humanity in general. He almost seemed to enjoy being alone in the early years after the pandemic (he does meet people during his travels). I think that the way he coped with the situation is how most people would have probably handled it.   

With no one to sustain agriculture, industries, the law, and government – it was back to square one for those who made it. I especially enjoyed the moments where he realized the importance of self-sufficiency and rebuilding. Opening tin cans of food would only last him and the others so long until it either ran out or became unsafe for consumption. With topics such as the structure of family, community, and culture covered, this book could have easily been part of a trilogy. 

Having read reviews of this book, I was aware that some readers were distracted about the antiquated references (it was written in 1949). In my case, however, I do believe that it added to its authenticity. It painted a very genuine and vivid picture of that era which enhanced the reading experience despite the racist and sexist overtones. There are parts that were dull and tedious in its description of day to day life but I had to remind myself that the story is being told from the eyes of a man who was more of an observer than a doer and one who lived through generations after the collapse of civilization as he/they knew it. It’s less of a sprint but a marathon, paced to see you through to the end. 

This is one of those books that only gets better after you’ve reread it and I’m actually surprised that it hasn’t been made into a feature film yet. I don’t think the Hollywood machine is up for such a challenge. 

Overall, a fascinating and engaging read. Highly recommended. 4 out of 5 stars. 

Book Review: Prepper's Pocket Guide

My prepper library mostly consists of ebooks stashed away in an SD card and cloud storage. This is an absolute must for all of us urban preppers since storage space is somewhat lacking. Don’t get me wrong, print books are still my preferred material but we have to be selective about what we acquire at the moment.

The Prepper's Pocket Guide: 101 easy things you can do to ready your home for a disaster is ideal for new preppers since you can use it as a  quickie reference guide. The chapters are well organized and the information easily digested.  For the seasoned preppers the information in the book will definitely be too basic but for noobs like myself, it’s  a handy tool to keep on the shelf (it doesn’t take much room either). 

Topics include budget food stockpiling and storage, water, hygiene, bug out bag,  how to assemble an emergency dental kit (I actually need to do this), learn to make a gel pack (on my ‘need to try’ list), teaching children about prepping, etc.

I’m essentially going to be using this as a checklist of sorts.  It’s easy to miss the most obvious details at times and this helps me figure out what aspects of preparedness I need to devote more time on. It doesn’t go into a whole lot of depth, so if you’re looking for something that is loaded with details then this is not the book for you.

This book is ideal for: new preppers, younger readers, busy people (it’s a quick read!), and all of you book nerds who are always looking to expand your prepper home library.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars: Appropriate content for what it is – it’s a prepper pocket guide. Don’t expect an encyclopedia of knowledge. It’s a great pocket guide.  The design and layout of the book is also quite appealing.  An attention-grabbing cover, some b/w illustrations inside,  and fonts (yes, fonts are important) all work well together to make it into a cohesive package.

Note: I have a quickie video review of this which still needs to be edited. Will update this post with the video embed when it's ready. =)

Book Review: Living Off The Grid by David Black

Hey everyone, I decided to write a quickie review of this. I finished the book a few weeks ago and have been wanting to post this so here goes. The book is Living off the grid by David Black.

I was excited about reading this book since I've never really read anything on the subject of off grid lifestyle so I dove right in.

Right off the bat, I found the generalizations distracting. Distracting enough to highlight it (yes, the Kindle app is awesome like that) and write notes on it.

Here are samples:
On Fifth Wheel Trailers - "There's usually a cab-over, containing an entertainment center, a stash of hunting rifles and beer, or a couple of repulsive youngsters making faces and flipping off passing motorists."

(This was a damn kids, get off my lawn segment of the book apparently)


Here's another:
"The majority of RVers are upple-middle-class kids looking for cushy digs in their cosmic conquests."

I continued reading the book
a) because I like to finish what I started
b) because I wanted to give it a chance, the subject matter interests me
c) because I honestly thought it was going to get better

I was partly right in the fact that it had parts that were good and informative. The ideas overall are pretty basic. The only topic that was in depth was the one on electricity / power source. That chapter just went on longer than it needed to be, too advanced for most.

I was expecting more of a practical, DIY for beginners type of book I suppose.

At least I didn't have to pay for it. It was being offered for free for promotional purposes on Amazon for a little while.

So for my first foray on off grid books, I'll have to give this a 2/5 stars. 

I'll keep it as a basic reference guide for now until I find something more suitable to take its place.

Go have a look see if you're still curious about it. If you have any recommendations on self-sufficiency / living off grid type books let me know.