Over the past 5 years, I have read over a hundred books. I love to read and am always looking for new experiences. My drive into work is considered a mega-commute having spent four hours per day in transit for nearly a decade. Audiobooks have been my savior on those long, soul-sucking drives.

Some of my favorite books are accounts of exploration and discovery. If you were born with the wanderlust and love adventure here are some gripping tales for you to lose yourself in.

Book #1: Endurance (by Alfred Lansing)

I first read this book after a colleague at work, who had traveled to Antarctica on a scientific mission, recommended it during his 'vacation slideshow' recounting his experiences on the trip.

This is a gripping story of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton and his team in their daring race to cross the Antarctic continent from shore to shore via the south pole. The story is reconstructed from the journal entries of the crew members who took the harrowing journey. It describes with great emotional depth and gritty details the extreme conditions they endured and the trials they overcame through the eyes of several team members. Although the book focuses almost exclusively on the trials of their journey, it has very powerful lessons about the leadership of Ernest Shackleton and his ability to bring every, single member of his team home alive from this death-defying adventure.

Book #2: Into Africa (by Martin Dugard)

This was the very first audio book I ever purchased. It's still one of my favorites. The narration by John Lee is particularly apt with his Scottish burr, which lends an air of authenticity to the listening experience.

"Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" Some of the most famous and iconic words ever committed to print that still reverberate in the vernacular today. This book recalls the epic adventures of New York Herald reporter Morgan Stanley's journey to locate the lost Scottish Explorer Dr. David Livingston in the heart of Africa. The tale introduces the two men separately and jumps back and forth between their two parties moving over great distances and time towards each other. Many dangerous, harrowing and some comical adventures are had by Morgan Stanley as he arduously makes his way towards Dr. Livingston, who is in no particular hurry to be found (or to leave his beloved Africa). It's a great perspective on the history of British, Dutch and American exploration of the African continent.

Book #3: The Martian (by Andy Weir)

Even if you've seen the movie starring Matt Damon, you should still read the book. There's always so much more story in the book than the movie has time to include.

This book was nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS' The Great American Read, and for good reason. It's an engrossing tale where the author, Andy Weir, has done a significant amount of his science homework to create a credible and plausible story of how one man can use his resourcefulness to survive when left behind on the planet Mars. He faces seemingly insurmountable odds time and time again, but never gives up. It's truly an inspirational story of the power of steadfast determination and human ingenuity.