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.