It's taken me a few nights camped out on the trail and some late nights at home, but I've finally finished reading Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer. The book is a departure from Krakauer's prior writing that focused on adventure, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Under the Banner of Heaven is the true story of the gruesome murder of a mother and daughter by Mormon fundamentalists in Utah in 1984. Well written and exhaustively researched, Krakauer masterfully weaves a detailed history of Mormonism into the story that provides the perspective essential for the reader's understanding. It's a disturbing and controversial book, but well worth the read if you've enjoyed Krakauer's other books: Into Thin Air, Into the Wild and Eiger Dreams.

Next on the winter adventure reading list: Good Morning Midnight by Chip Brown. It's the story of longtime New England conservationist and author Guy Waterman, who committed suicide on top of New Hampshire's Mount Lafayette on a sub-zero February night several years ago.