Everyone loves a good epic, especially from the comfort of the La-Z-Boy. For a collection of hair-raisers, turn to Near Death in the Mountains: True Stories of Disaster and Survival ($14.95, randomhouse.com). Edited by Cecil Kuhne, this anthology draws from 12 vintage sources, including Felice Benuzzi’s No Picnic on Mount Kenya, Heinrich Harrer’s The White Spider, and Nando Parrado’s Miracle in the Andes. One notable piece centers on Nanda Devi Unsoeld (the daughter of mountaineer Willi Unsoeld), who, only 21, perished on her namesake mountain in 1976.