Books like Beyond the shining mountains by Doris Shannon

After graduating college, journalist Jon Krakauer traces the true story of Christopher McCandless, a young adventurer who abandoned possessions, took the name Alexander Supertramp, and ventured into Alaska’s wilderness, where he met his untimely death.

Bill Bryson humorously chronicles a two–person hike along the Appalachian Trail, mixing lively anecdotes with insightful looks at its history, ecology, and the people who live along the route.

A 16‑year‑old must survive an annual, grueling walking contest in a totalitarian America, where victory is life and failure means death.

After an October blizzard, Laura's family retreats from their claim shanty to the nearby town, confronting a harsh winter that a Sioux Indian prophesied will last seven months of relentless bad weather.

Explore the life and work of environmentalist and writer Edward Abbey, who spent the 1950s as a park ranger in the American Southwest.

Brenda, a strong‑willed survivor of her pioneer family, finds herself caught between vengeance and unexpected love when a fierce Ojibwa warrior enters her life.

Journeying through Nepal’s Dolpo highlands, Peter Matthiessen and biologist George Schaller track the elusive snow leopard while exploring Buddhist spirituality and Himalayan wilderness.

Summer Storm, a woman as tempestuous as a desert thunderstorm, must overcome her warrior chief matchmaker.

In the New Mexican frontier, 21‑year‑old Rowena Dangerfield, a spirited Englishwoman, seeks her birthright and finds herself drawn to Lucas Cord, a half‑Apache outlaw whose fierce charm threatens to tame her wild heart.

Cheryl Strayed chronicles her 1,100‑mile solo hike on the Pacific Crest Trail, a journey that confronts grief, self‑discovery, and resilience after her mother's death.

Samantha Eggersley leaves her dreary life behind for a romance with an English lord, only to find herself battling loyalty and mystery at an abandoned gold mine on the American frontier.

In the rugged frontier of Idaho, Alexis Ashmore trades her Virginia plantation past for love, wealth, and a perilous battle to regain the man who first stole her heart.

In the 19th‑century bayous of Louisiana, Dana O’Malley rises from a squalid farm to wealth, fame, and the attentions of four men, all while searching for the truth of her birth and defying Southern expectations.

A young rancher falls for Erin Sterling, the spirited stepdaughter of a reviled slave‑merchant, but their love threatens to expose a secret lineage that could spark scandal in a rough frontier town.

Abigail Cabot, a brilliant astronomer with little social polish, attends a White House gala where she meets charismatic Sen. Jamie Calhoun, who initially befriends her for political gain but finds himself drawn into unexpected love. Their journey blends romance, politics, and a shared longing to reach the stars.

In Firestorm, Storm Bragg leaves rugged Texas to debut in San Francisco society, where she finds herself irresistibly drawn to the enigmatic, self‑made entrepreneur Brett D’Archand. Their passionate, scandal‑ridden romance forces a tempestuous union that tests love and reputation.

After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake devastates her city, a determined girl named Nora, who works as a companion to a wealthy socialite, rescues a young man suspected of robbery and falls in love with him, hoping to prove his innocence amid the city’s rebuilt dreamscape.

Stranded in a frigid mountain wilderness after a plane crash, a gifted surgeon and a young magazine writer are forced to rely on each other for survival while confronting painful truths about their personal lives.

A young woman accused of murder flees to the Wild West, where she confronts danger and passion while a ruthless gunman and the victim’s enigmatic brother pursue her.

Julie vows to move on from Captain Derek Arnhardt, but a westward wagon train forces both to confront past memories and rekindle a fiery romance amid the wilderness.

A newlywed woman’s wedding night is shattered when a rugged stranger abducts her, forcing her into a dangerous and tender confrontation with her captor, testing the limits of love, trust, and survival.

Famed naturalist John Muir (1838-1914) came to Wisconsin as a boy and studied at the University of Wisconsin. He first came to California in 1868 and devoted six years to the study of the Yosemite Valley. After work in Nevada, Utah, and Colorado, he returned to California in 1880 and made the state his home. One of the heroes of America's conservation movement, Muir deserves much of the credit for making the Yosemite Valley a protected national park and for alerting Americans to the need to protect this and other natural wonders. The mountains of California (1894) is his book length tribute to the beauties of the Sierras. He recounts not only his own journeys by foot through the mountains, glaciers, forests, and valleys, but also the geological and natural history of the region, ranging from the history of glaciers, the patterns of tree growth, and the daily life of animals and insects. While Yosemite naturally receives great attention, Muir also expounds on less well known beauty spots.

A restless trader, Austin Wells, heads to Fort Benton in 1852 to join the American Fur Trading Company, where he must prove himself amid treacherous rivals and a formidable Indian warrior, Eagle's Shadow Woman, whose power and beauty captivate him.

A passionate romantic tale set in the Minnesota River Valley, following Audrina Harris as she navigates duty and desire alongside Dakota chief Wild Hawk.