I was looking at classic books for something to read and I came across "The Mysterious Island" by Jules Verne. I had never read it, and it was free as a Kindle book on Amazon, so I got it.

It turns out to be about several men castaway on a remote island. When they got there all they had was the shirts on their backs. The story is mainly how they survived using just what knowledge they had and items they could find on the island. It came to me that others on this forum may also find this an interesting read, and if you have a Kindle it is free. Even if you don't have a Kindle, you can get the free Kindle software to run on PCs, and smart phones.

I am only about halfway through the book, but so far I am enjoying it. I hope others find it enjoyable too.

One of my favorite books. I won't mention any spoilers, but there is a twist near the end, especially if you are a fan of Verne's other works.
There have been 1 or 2 movies made of this book, but neither really as good as the book.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

p.s.
Side note: if you are looking for other older classic free books, try
Project Gutenberg:
http://www.gutenberg.org/
or
wikisource:
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Main_Page
(this one is a bit cumbersome to use, but it works)

and to translate various e-book formats into other formats for your reader, try:
http://www.convertfiles.com/convert/ebook/EPUB-to-MOBI.html

No association with any of the above, just would rather read the classics for free.

I read that book cover to cover several times when I was a kid. What these guys did over several growing seasons put Swiss Family Robinson to shame. The opening of the Grotto, smelting metal, growing crops, et al was all catnip for this guy!

I am a huge fan of the older classics. I get the movies and the audio books so I can introduce my kids to them. There are a great many that talk about survival skills and pre-modern technology and techniques. They are great entertainment and introduce people to some good information. Just in case someone here may not have heard of them, here are some titles that are good for the kids, my kids loved them:

My side of the Mountain

Call it Courage

Island of the Blue Dolphins

Good book, nice twist (slightly predictable though).

I prefer Hatchet for that 10-12 age group, though all of Vern is good. I still thumb through them.