Ghosts of Everest: The Search for Mallory & Irvine

I happen to think climbing 8000 meter peaks is a foolhardy undertaking...

I offer as proof this story which started with the death of two climbers attempting to be the first reach the summit of Mt Everest in 1924. Mallory and Irvine were last seen "climbing with alacrity" toward the peak...and were never seen or heard from again. Their fate was unknown, until a 1999 expedition was mounted to solve the mystery, find the climbers' bodies, and determine if they reached the summit. The 1999 expedition was partially successful, but you'll have to read the book to learn precisely in what way. Ghosts of Everest is not only a captivating account of two mountain climbing adventures set 75 years apart, it is also a detective story.

Roadside Picnic

Written by the Brothers Strugatsky - Arkady and Boris...

Roadside Picnic was the basis for the film Stalker by Andrei Tarkovsky. I couldn't afford a copy of the book so I read the Cryptomaoist Editions PDF of it using the Bookman PDF reader app on my iPhone.  Spooky, evocative, heart-felt science fiction.