The Resurgence of Choose Your Own Adventure

Netflix has done it again, leaving their indelible mark on popular culture and making us long for a forgotten relic from a bygone time. With the release and subsequent popularity of Bandersnatch, the Black Mirror movie where you call the shots and your decisions lead to different scenes and scenarios, Netflix has sparked a wave of nostalgia for the originators of the genre: Chooseco and The Choose Your Own Adventure books.

Originating in the mid-1970s, the Choose Your Own Adventure books became not just a staple of children’s literature, but some of the best selling books of the 70s, 80s, and 90s, with an estimated 250 million books sold between 1979 and 1998 once publication began through Bantam books. The books were a gateway into the creativity and imagination of many a young reader, but their popularity waned in the age of video games and the internet.

Thanks to Bandersnatch, however, Netflix has rekindled what seemed to have been a forgotten love for the books, this despite Chooseco’s trademark infringement legal challenge against the streaming service.

The world lost R.A. Montgomery back in 2014, as one of the co-creators, key contributors, and authors of the Choose Your Own Adventure series he revolutionized the way children approached books, reading, and indeed, imagination.

Looking for more action and adventure? Visit our online library at www.cagebook.com for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more. Accessible anytime, anywhere, from your favorite devices, and sure to leave you on the edge of your seat.

Polar Adventure Books the Experts Read

Some time ago adventurer Alastair Humphreys interviewed fellow adventurers and asked them about their favorite books in their particular field of expertise. When it came to polar adventures, Alastair chose to interview Alex Hibbert, a world-record holding arctic expedition leader and photographer. Here are Alex Hibbert’s five favorite adventure books.

1. Polar Obsession – Paul Nicklen: the Polar Regions are overwhelmingly visual places and so it is right and proper that I include a photo book from one of the best.

2. Polar Attack – Richard Weber and Misha Malakhov: a wonderfully honest and matter-of fact-account of one of the all-time great polar journeys.

3. The Worst Journey in the World – Cherry Apsley-Garrard: to some perhaps a bit heavy, but a gripping account of survival under horrific conditions in the infancy of polar travel.

4. The Horizontal Everest – Jerry Kobalenko: a perfect reminder of two things – that the Poles are a tiny, tiny part of the Polar Regions and also about the value of experience and full ‘immersion’ in the environment.

5. Give Me My Father’s Body – Kenn Harper: a harrowing account of one the most shameful episodes in early polar exploration – a must-read for those who want a deep knowledge and it is written by the ex-husband of an Eskimo lady I spent much time with last winter.

Looking for an adventure? Visit our online library at www.cagebook.com for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more, accessible anytime from your favorite devices and sure to get you going!