6 'Flashlight Worthy' Books About Natural Disasters And Why You Should Read Them (PHOTOS)

We started Flashlight Worthy Book Recommendations -- a website filled with hundreds of topical lists of great reads -- to help people find the next book that was going to keep them up way past their bedtime. Little did we know that not only the high quality of the books we recommend would result in late nights... but the occasional terrifying nature of the books as well. Case in point? The following book list by M.L. Malcolm, author of the historical novel Heart of Lies.

Ms. Malcolm takes on a tour of the fires and floods and tornadoes and volcanoes that wreaked havoc on civilization for the last few centuries. Who needs BP in the Gulf when we have Mother Nature wiping humanity from the face of the earth in such a myriad of ways?

If you choose any of Ms. Malcolm's selections, we suggest two things. First, you read with a stiff drink in hand. Second, take the edge off with a few of the titles on our list of The Best Children's Books for Grownups. While we offer almost 500 lists -- across 50 categories that range from Book Club Recommendations to Beach Reads -- we feel that these sweet tales of childhood are just the right counterbalance to an incipient volcanic eruption.

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"F5: Devastation, Survival, and the Most Violent Tornado Outbreak of the 20th Century," Mark Levine

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This book documents the "Day of Days" in meteorological history when, on April 3, 1974, a gigantic storm raged through the Southern and Midwestern United States and spawned almost 150 separate tornadoes, a half dozen of which reached the "Finger of God" category of "F5," meaning they had sustained winds of over 260 miles per hour (illustrating the meaning of the word "smote" in what must have been its original biblical context). Hundreds of people were killed, and the loss of property was estimated in the billions, back when a billion dollars was still a lot of money. The author tells a gripping tale and incorporates some intense personal narratives, although he does go a bit overboard trying to pull in certain political events to create some sort of mystical connection between the weather and human existence. Nonetheless, it's pretty riveting stuff. Read more about the books here.

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This book documents the "Day of Days" in meteorological history when, on April 3, 1974, a gigantic storm raged through the Southern and Midwestern United States and spawned almost 150 separate tornadoes, a half dozen of which reached the "Finger of God" category of "F5," meaning they had sustained winds of over 260 miles per hour (illustrating the meaning of the word "smote" in what must have been its original biblical context). Hundreds of people were killed, and the loss of property was estimated in the billions, back when a billion dollars was still a lot of money.

The author tells a gripping tale and incorporates some intense personal narratives, although he does go a bit overboard trying to pull in certain political events to create some sort of mystical connection between the weather and human existence. Nonetheless, it's pretty riveting stuff.

Read more about the books here.

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