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My wife (who albeit is 36) has really enjoyed some of the Krakauer books--Into the Wild, Into Thin Air, etc.

For something with a civil justice component, I thought A Civil Action was absolutely riveting (about a large toxic tort/pollution case). Way more interesting that the topic would suggest. I'm a pretty picky reader and it's easily one of the better nonfiction title I've read in the last 10 years.

For some light reading, it's hard to go wrong with 19th century adventure lit: Count of Monte Cristo, Treasure Island, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I'm reading The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle right now (adventurers discovering dinosaurs in South America) and it's a great read.

I agree with Chief's recommendation of the book on Shackleton. While my next three suggestions may not be award winning, they're good, quick reads and have lessons to teach:

Fall of the Phatom Lord, by Andrew Todhunter
Between a Rock and a Hard Place, by Aron Ralston
A Test of Will: One Man's Extraordinary Story of Survival, by Warren MacDonald

On the Edge of Nowhere, by James Huntington
There's no climbing in it, but if your coworker is a general adventurer, it's a completely captivating read and is a bit of a cult classic in Alaska. Huntington, his Athabascan mother, and some of the other amazing characters he writes about lived along the Koyukuk River.

And +1 for Endurance. My wife's favorite book.

Blue Highways. . .

Just wanted to say I'm impressed with the quality of the suggestions. Good job SPers!

A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains - Isabella Bird

Banner in the Sky - J. R. Ullman

Some great reads: The Razor's Edge by S. Maughan, The Last Blue Mountain by R. Barker,
The Road Less Traveled by S. Peck, The Virginian by O. Wister.

The Journals of Lewis and Clark........by Bernard DeVoto...... amazing

Colin Fletcher

Fletcher published a total of 10 books between 1964 and 2001, which included 4 editions of the The Complete Walker. His first book was The Thousand Mile Summer (1964) recounting his 1958 hike along the entire eastern edge of California. His second book was The Man Who Walked Through Time (1968), in which Fletcher was the first person to walk a continuous route through Grand Canyon National Park in 1963.

http://www.summitpost.org/phpBB2/viewto ... tart=14567

I'm a beginner climber but have found "Climb (Stories of Rock, Snow, and Ice)" to be a good read. It's an anthology of essays by a lot of famous climbers. They're really good.

Once again, since she seemed more interested in boats than climbing:

"Two years before the mast" by Dana. It's a real adventure story of sailing and perseverance in the face of illness.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Years_Before_the_Mast

Couple of books about river running, that not only rafters would enjoy:

Lost in Mongolia: Rafting the World's Last Unchallenged River by Colin Angus - hilarious account of rafting from Mongolia thru Siberia to Arctic sea, highly recommend even for non-rafters or non-adventurers

River : One Man's Journey Down the Colorado, Source to Sea by Colin Fletcher