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Today I am thrilled to announce the newest book festival in the Backdoor Survival lineup: Book Festival 7. Once again, I am bringing you an amazing assortment of books and authors plus giveaways across the board. As the seventh book festival in the series, I have tried to bring together an eclectic selection of books including fiction, non-fiction, instructional guides, and books for children.
Before I start, let me give you a brief rundown on Backdoor Survival book festivals and how they work.
What the Heck is a Backdoor Survival Book Festival?
BDS Book Festivals are a showcase of some of the best books and authors in the survival, preparedness, and self-reliance niche. The way they work is that once a week, and sometimes twice, I feature book giveaways coupled with exclusive, one on one author interviews.
To enter each book giveaway, I ask a question and request that you provide an answer in the comments section of the article. I typically will provide a way to make multiple entries so you will want to watch for those bonus opportunities. Winners of the book giveaways are selected at random and the winning book is sent out directly by the author or the publisher.
That is basically how it works. I have personally screened each book and with just a few exceptions, provide print copies for the giveaway. Sound good? Okay then; let’s get started.
Here is the list of Book Festival 7 books and their descriptions. There are a lot of them!
Book Festival 7 – Non-Fiction
The Ultimate Situational Survival Guide: Self-Reliance Strategies for a Dangerous World
Situational survival means being ready for whatever life throws at you. That said, the most important “tool” in your emergency preparedness kit is a solid mindset cultivated around survival.
This book covers creating home safety plans, dealing with natural disasters, planning for transportation issues, identifying urban threats and dealing with them, financial preparedness, being prepared for terrorist attacks and other man-made disasters, and coping with disease in many of these scenarios.
In it you will find:
fresh, real-life approaches to survival in the 21st century–not revised material taken from government websites
a practical preparedness approach to everyday life including home safety, vehicle preparedness and financial security
techniques and skills needed to survive criminal and violent attacks along with hostage and active shooter situations
What are you willing to do to guarantee your survival? What lengths are you willing to go to guarantee your family’s survival? This book will help you get started and will keep you on track after that.
Author: Robert Richardson
Urban Emergency Survival Plan: Readiness Strategies for the City and Suburbs
This book will not advise you to flee the city and set up a homestead to avoid potential disasters. With many other survival-planning resources emphasizing that approach, urban dwellers that plan to stay put in the city, no matter the circumstances, have been overlooked.
This book delivers a common-sense approach to urban survival planning rather than advocating that city survivalists need to figure out a way to grow an acre of food, raise goats, and build an underground bunker.It includes:
Packing lists for get-home bags, everyday carry items for adults and kids and bug-out bags
An overview of threats that face an urban area and instructions for planning safe travel during and after disasters, as well as how to plan a temporary escape
Instructions for sheltering in place at work
Chapters on food storage and water procurement in urban areas with emphasis on limited space and budget
A detailed chapter on security options in urban areas
A detailed chapter on sanitation, first aid and shelter
Ideas for how to respond and cooperate with government disaster plans
Photos of important survival gear
Discover the skills you’ll need to weather any storm, whether you live in an apartment, townhouse, condominium, single-family home or any other urban setting. With planning and practice, you’ll gain the confidence to always feel safe in the city.
Author: Jim Cobb
The Practical Preppers Complete Guide to Disaster Preparedness
The world we live in is an unstable one. From natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods of biblical proportions to concerns about the economic downturn and government shutdown, the hits just keep on coming.
At the same time, the power grid is incredibly fragile. Our dependency on widely distributed long distance systems for power, medicine, and food makes our society susceptible to attack, whether by foreign or domestic enemies, or the weather. No matter the concern, the solutions are the same.
With this book, anyone can learn how to:
Secure a water source—even in an urban area
Grow and preserve food
Set up an alternative energy supply
Maintain a comfortable shelter –including alternative cooking and sanitation methods during a long power outage
Bug out—what to include in your bug out bag and how to leave
Prepare for medical issues
Deal with security concerns
Preparing for disruption of services in an emergency is a noble venture which gives peace of mind. This book will empower readers of all skill levels and resources to survive and achieve an independent, sustainable lifestyle.
Author: Scott Hunt
The Art of Eating through the Zombie Apocalypse: A Cookbook and Culinary Survival Guide
When the zombie apocalypse tears down life and society as we know it, it will mean no more take out, no more brightly lit, immaculately organized aisles of food just waiting to be plucked effortlessly off the shelves. No more trips down to the local farmers’ market. No more microwaved meals in front of the TV or intimate dinner parties. No, when the undead rise, eating will be hard, and doing it successfully will become an art.
This is a cookbook and culinary field guide for the busy zpoc survivor. With more than 80 recipes (from Overnight of the Living Dead French Toast and It’s Not Easy Growing Greens Salad to Down & Out Sauerkraut, Honey & Blackberry Mead, and Twinkie Trifle), scads of gastronomic survival tips, and dozens of diagrams and illustrations that help you scavenge, forage, and improvise your way to an artful post-apocalypse meal.
Whether you decide to hole up in your own home or bug out into the wilderness, whether you prefer to scavenge the dregs of society or try your hand at apocalyptic agriculture, and regardless of your level of skill or preparation, The Art of Eating will help you navigate the wasteland and make the most of what you eat.
Author: Lauren WIlson
Developing a Personal Preparedness Plan (PrepSmart)
This book has been written to help individuals plan for life’s unexpected emergencies through a practical, attainable, and individualized process. The principles in this book will enable preppers to match their abilities, situation, and needs to realistic threats specific to that person. It teaches the reader about “normalcy bias” and provides solutions to the challenge of preparing for the worst in the midst of plenty. The result of going through this process will be a road map for satisfying your needs in a realistic and rewarding manner.
The PrepSmart book series offers instruction on the principles of personal preparedness. The books help save time and money by moving preppers’ thinking from an object-driven, purchase-based approach to one that focuses on personal circumstances, priorities, and abilities. They distill the conventional wisdom on how to prepare down to focused and manageable concepts and topics. Readers can readily choose which subjects they want to learn about without having to sift through useless and uncoordinated information. The books are based on the notion that one should not just prep, but PrepSmart!
Author: Bruce Funk
Survival Guns: A Beginner’s Guide (PrepSmart)
Survival Guns is the first firearms book in the PrepSmart series that covers the basics of building a basic firearm battery. Steve Markwith, the author, takes the reader through the process of selecting and buying firearms and accessories through a planned process that meets your needs and budget. He outlines some underlying principles to work toward the goal of building a coordinated battery, beginning with just a short list of “essential systems” that constitute a baseline inventory.
The book’s premise is built on starting with a clean slate. While some readers may already own guns and pursue the tendency to weave what they already own into the mix, those end results may be less than ideal.
Steve also takes the reader through a logical approach to building a planned but practical collection that will suit a variety of needs. While this book is written for beginning-to-intermediate users, those familiar with firearms will also find the content of value. The information contained within is detailed, covering far more than just a firearm itself, leaving the reader confident in his/her plan to acquire guns and accessories in a reasoned, logical way.
Author: Steve Markwith
5 Acres & A Dream The Book: The Challenges of Establishing a Self-Sufficient Homestead
What does it take to become a successful homesteader?
Based on her popular homesteading blog, 5 Acres & A Dream, Leigh Tate shares how she and her husband Dan are facing the challenges of trying to establish a self-sufficient homestead; from defining their dream, finding property, and setting priorities, to obstacles and difficult times, to learning how to work smarter, not harder.
She shares what they’ve learned about energy self-sufficiency, water self-sufficiency, and food self-sufficiency for themselves and their goats and chickens too. Included are copies of their homestead master plan plus revisions, homegrown vitamins and minerals for goats, and several of Leigh’s favorite homestead recipes.
Author: Leigh Tate
Ultimate Dehydrator Cookbook, The: The Complete Guide to Drying Food, Plus 398 Recipes, Including Making Jerky, Fruit Leather & Just-Add-Water Meals
The dehydrator is an incredibly useful tool for long-term food storage and making the most of your garden harvest. The Ultimate Dehydrator Cookbook contains everything you need to know to get the greatest value from a home dehydrator.
Includes tips on selecting a dehydrator, as well as proper sanitation, storage, and rehydration techniques
Individual entries on how to dehydrate all manner of berries, fruits, vegetables, greens, herbs, and edible flowers include information on how to prep, dehydration temperatures, and times
Includes recipes for making your own teas, herb blends and rubs, flavored oils, instant baby food, jerky, and fruit leathers
Includes nearly 400 recipes for cooking from your dehydrator pantry. There is an entire chapter dedicated to slow cooker recipes using dehydrated ingredients and one on dehydrated meals for backpackers and campersAuthors: Tammy Gangloff, Steven Gangloff , and September Ferguson
Preppers: History and the Cultural Phenomenon
The word ‘prepper’ seems to have burst onto the scene within the last 10 years, and has increasingly become associated with “fringe” extremists. They have been labeled by some as “domestic terrorists.”
But is prepping a new phenomenon? Or is it a manifestation of a growing collective psyche that has learned, from traumatic events throughout our history, that preparedness is critical to human survival? For new preppers who think the worst is yet to come, this book offers a walk through history that shows the worst has been here before.
For those who wonder why so many people are concerned about being prepared, this book will show that when the worst has made an appearance, those who weathered it best were those who were prepared. For those already familiar with history’s worst who think, “THAT will never happen again!”—this book offers a reminder of the Wall Street adage: “Past performance is no guarantee of future results.”
For those who wonder what a prepper is, this book offers a look at what they used to be—and what they are today.
Author: Lynda King
Book Festival 7 – Fiction
Liberators: A Novel of the Coming Global Collapse
When looting and rioting overwhelm all the major US cities, Afghanistan War vet Ray McGregor makes his way from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to his parents’ cattle ranch in Bella Coola, British Columbia, in remote western Canada. Joining him is his old friend Phil Adams, a Defense Intelligence Agency counterintelligence case officer based in Washington State.
Reckless banking practices, hyperinflation, and government negligence have led to an unprecedented socioeconomic collapse in America that quickly spreads throughout the world. Lightly populated Bella Coola is spared the worst of the chaos, but when order is restored it comes in the form of a tyrannical army of occupation. Ray and Phil soon become key players in the resistance movement, fighting the occupiers in a war that will determine not only their own personal survival, but also the future of North America.
Liberators depicts a world that is all too conceivable and terrifyingly familiar.
Author: James Wesley Rawles
77 Days in September (The Kyle Tait Series Book 1)
On a Friday afternoon before Labor Day, Americans are getting ready for the holiday weekend, completely unaware of a long-planned terrorist plot about to be launched against the country. Kyle Tait is settling in for his flight home to Montana when a single nuclear bomb is detonated 300 miles above the heart of America. The blast, an Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP), destroys every electrical device in the country, and results in the crippling of the power grid, the shutting down of modern communications, and bringing to a halt most forms of transportation.
Kyle narrowly escapes when his airplane crashes on take-off, only to find himself stranded 2,000 miles from home in a country that has been forced, from a technological standpoint, back to the 19th Century. Confused, hurt, scared, and alone, Kyle must make his way across a hostile continent to a family he’s not even sure has survived the effects of the attack. As Kyle forges his way home, his frightened family faces their own struggles for survival in a community trying to halt its slow spiral into chaos and anarchy.
77 Days in September follows Kyle and his wife, Jennifer, as they are stretched past their breaking point, but find in their devotion to each other the strength to persevere.
Author: Ray Gorham
Daunting Days of Winter (The Kyle Tait Series Book 2)
Kyle Tait, having survived the harrowing, cross-country journey home to his family, must now struggle for existence in a post-EMP world that no one could have imagined just three short months prior. Each day brings new challenges – how to fight the bitter cold, where to scavenge food for the table, how to best fend off intruders and keep their community safe.
As the cold, dark days of winter begin the slow transition to spring, the Tait family is faced with a challenge that dwarves all others and threatens to shatter their already precarious grip on sanity. Kyle and Jennifer are once again forced to endure a trial that threatens the survival of each member of their family.
Follow Kyle, Jennifer, and the citizens of Deer Creek, MT as they plumb the depths of their resourcefulness, strength, endurance, and humanity while struggling together to survive the daunting days of winter.
Author: Ray Gorham
Good Crazy (Leaving The Trees Journey Volume 2)
Good Crazy, the much-anticipated sequel to Leaving The Trees is finally here!! Readers of the first novel in this trilogy of suspense novels will now finally be able to continue their exciting journey in this second novel.
Questions such as: What ultimately caused the final breakdown of society? How did the separate Bridger and Bozeman camps first form to survive? What was the final showdown between Scott Alvarez and Anne Brennan over control of their new society?
All are answered in Good Crazy. This thrilling suspense novel is full of twists, turns and surprises as the characters learn to trust each other, experience deception and betrayal and ultimately seek their final revenge. If you enjoy provocative thinking about the current challenges facing our society today and the possible outcomes, this fast paced book is for you!
Author: Richard Earl Broome
Point of Crisis (The Perseid Collapse Post Apocalyptic Series Book 3)
The epic post-apocalyptic series continues… In the aftermath of the brutal attack on his family compound, Alex Fletcher embraces his rapidly expanding role within the New England Regional Recovery Zone (RRZ). Fueled by a limitless drive to protect his family and a rekindled sense of duty, he enlists the reluctant aid of a local militia commander–to ease the public’s fears of a federal government takeover.
As Captain Fletcher digs deeper into the government’s plans, he starts to question the federal government’s intentions–and ability to stabilize the situation in New England. With the region’s critical infrastructure destroyed and the nation’s electrical grid crippled by a suspected EMP attack, he foresees a human cataclysm, with several hundred thousand desperate refugees marching further north through Maine.
The bad news doesn’t end there. Alex discovers that Eli Russell has rebuilt his militia–with the intention of hastening the Regional Recovery Zone’s downfall. Obsessed with stopping the deranged psychopath that attacked his family, Alex scours the back roads and rural towns of southern Maine to find him–unaware that Eli’s plans are far more personal.
Alex will face his most difficult decisions ever, as the world unravels in the aftermath of the “event.”
Author: Steve Konkoly
Avalon: The Retreat (The Avalon Series Book 1) Avalon: Beyond the Retreat (The Avalon Series Book 2)
This is a compelling account of how one group of survivalists endures the worst event the world has ever known – a Nuclear World War. It incorporates real survivalist skills to help prepare you for that fateful day when catastrophe strikes.
In the first installment of the Avalon trilogy, there is a great cast of characters recovering from the devastating effects of a nuclear invasion of the United States. Their survival skills and advance preparation demonstrat that there can be survival after holocaust.
In book two of the series, the same great characters move on to the next step, establishing sense and order out of the chaos left behind from two devastating attacks on the United States. While this struggle seems hard enough, there are new and unprecedented challenges. Amoral gangs form. With their mission to rape and pillage the remains of the country and its survivors, incredible acts of human ignominy run rampant. Add the nightmare of an incurable plague, with all of its consequences, and the going just gets tougher.
Punctuated with poignant personal stories, the Avalon survivors are personalized, and share their fears, hopes, and souls with the readers.
Author: L. Michael Rusin
Rebellion in Northwoods (The Northwoods Trilogy Book 2)
Penn and Cesswi, the teen survivors of a brutal northern Minnesota work camp, escape to the Greater Albertan Federation, only to become unwilling recruits in a deadly civil war.
The Albertan camp is riddled with dark undercurrents, and sabotage that strike close to Penn and his dearest friends, leaving them disillusioned with the supposedly “better” life. But Penn’s girlfriend, Cesswi, sees only wild conspiracy theories.
The harsh winter has turned into an early spring, meaning Penn and Cesswi’s six month fugitive exile from the oppressive Northwoods work camp is drawing to a close. Deportation looms if they don’t accept Albertan citizenship, giving the teenaged couple a life-changing decision to make. Penn is set on returning home to Winnkota, but Cesswi is not so sure. When the opportunity presents itself in the form of an unexpected uprising, they attempt their perilous escape.
They survived their flight from the Northwoods camp, and must now brave the bullets once again for another chance at freedom, while caught up in a bloody rebellion that could drive them apart forever.
Penn and Cesswi’s better life seems further away than ever. Can Penn bring his scattered crew together again, and lead them all home to safety?
Author: Chris Bostic
Prepper Pete’s Twelve Days of Prepper Christmas
Another original Prepper book for kids! Prepper Pete works very hard to keep his loved ones safe by preparing for events that may happen in the future. His family decides to thank him by giving gifts based on a longstanding tradition… with a Prepper twist! Children (and you’re whole family!) will love singing this adapted version of a well-known classic!
Note: Teaching kids the importance of being prepared doesn’t have to be harsh or scary. Regardless of why you (or someone you may know) prepare, remember that the single most important thing you can teach your kids is how to think! All the preps in the world don’t mean a thing if people don’t know how to think clearly.
Teach useful skills to all of the kids you know, to include critical thinking, problem solving, and the most important one of all – how to be resourceful!
Author: Kermit Jones Jr.
Prepper Pete’s Gun of a Son: A Gun Safety Book for Kids
Prepper Pete works very hard to keep his family safe. When his son Charlie becomes old enough, they enroll in a gun safety class together. Join our hero, his son, and their friends in this fabulously illustrated book as they explore many of the important aspects of gun safety.
Note: If knowledge is power, then in the case of firearms, “knowledge is safety.” Familiarity with guns for kids often helps avoid the “forbidden fruit” syndrome, which can create a safer environment. When they are an appropriate age, work with your kids to familiarize them with firearms, and always stress the importance of gun safety!
Author: Kermit Jones Jr.
The Final Word
I often lament about the burden of truth and knowledge. In doing so, the knowledge I refer to is knowing that our world is a mess and that we are a society in transition. Put another way, these are crazy, scary times and recognizing the potential for the collapse is at times overwhelming the psyche.
On the other hand, having the knowledge, skill, and mindset to prevail is invigorating and not a burden at all. Survival and prepping books, both fiction and non-fiction, provide a platform for learning. Through our reading, we learn to think critically and formulate personal strategies to prevail during real-life events.
Once again, I would like to extend a big thank you to the authors and their publishers for submitting their books for inclusion in the Book Festival 7. This is going to be fun!
Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye
If you enjoyed this article, consider voting for me daily at Top Prepper Websites!
Spotlight: No list of books would be complete without my own book, The Prepper’s Guide to Food Storage. It is available in print as well as an eBook for the bargain price of only 99 cents!
The Prepper’s Guide to Food Storage will provide you with everything you need to create an affordable food storage plan, including what to buy and how to store it. Nothing scary and nothing overwhelming – you really can do this!
Bargain Bin: For your reference and convenience, here is a handy list of all of the books in the current book festival. There is lots to choose from so enjoy the read!
21 Responses to “Backdoor Survival Book Festival 7”
Gaye, thank you for the time you spend finding us all of these good resources, reviewing them and presenting them honestly to us. And a big thank you as well to all the suppliers and authors that donate items to the giveaways. I appreciate all you do for us. Thank you!
Thank you for the information & the opportunity of winning copies of these books! I am confident that we could ALL use them as no one can ever have enough information on these subjects. Good luck to everyone, stay safe & have a Happy New Year!
Thank you for reviewing books for us and then sharing that information and also for giving away copies of books that you review! I have gotten great information from your articles and emails! Thank you so much!
Thank you for your common sense approach to prepping. I was raised in a family where having a week’s worth of food and water on hand was just what you did (snow storms and tornados were yearly occurrences), but as an adult I’m trying to look at the bigger picture of SHTF scenarios. Your advice helped me to build up our food and water supply and create get home bags–all without feeling overwhelmed. Thanks!
Gaye Levy
21 Responses to “Backdoor Survival Book Festival 7”
Gaye, thank you for the time you spend finding us all of these good resources, reviewing them and presenting them honestly to us. And a big thank you as well to all the suppliers and authors that donate items to the giveaways. I appreciate all you do for us. Thank you!
I am looking forward to winning any of the books listed, I”m new at the survival game, but feel that we will need all the help out there!!!!
Wow I am a fussy reader but those fiction books are something I want to read to find out what happened to all those people. Happy reading and writing!
Thank you for the information & the opportunity of winning copies of these books! I am confident that we could ALL use them as no one can ever have enough information on these subjects. Good luck to everyone, stay safe & have a Happy New Year!
T
Thank you for reviewing books for us and then sharing that information and also for giving away copies of books that you review! I have gotten great information from your articles and emails! Thank you so much!
Thanks so much for you matter of fact approach and, of course, your book lists! I really appreciate your time and effort in helping the rest of us!
Thank you for your common sense approach to prepping. I was raised in a family where having a week’s worth of food and water on hand was just what you did (snow storms and tornados were yearly occurrences), but as an adult I’m trying to look at the bigger picture of SHTF scenarios. Your advice helped me to build up our food and water supply and create get home bags–all without feeling overwhelmed. Thanks!
Thank you for the kind words, Jodi. Feedback from readers such as yourself always make my day!
Thanks, Gaye, for your work on compiling the new book list and all the coming contests!
Thank you for taking the time since there are so many books. I already have The Practical Prepper and I’m glad to see this on your list.
I love to read – both fiction and non-fiction – I would lie to learn –