While not strictly books, some of the survival magazines are a little hard to take. The problem is that unlike a novel, magazines have degenerated into shills for advertisers. I hate paying for the privilege of being bombarded with ads, most of which offer items I already have, can't use, aren't interested in, or are just plain overpriced junk. The actual articles are usually simplistic, redundant or written by contributors of dubious credentials. If I read one more article on "The Perfect BOB", I'm going to be sick. And yet, I just keep buying the damn things, hoping that there will be some small kernal of information that just might someday come in handy. The ones I won't buy are usually weapons oriented, with titles that generally read, "Home Defense". Usually there are a few initial pages of why you should be prepared to defend your home, accompanied with picture of guys in ski masks and flashlights peering into windows. The remainder of the magazine is usually hundreds of pictures of every type of firearm you should buy.
For the totally unfamiliar individual, new to the survival lifestyle, there may be some value in being presented with this "candy store" of things to save your bacon. I think, though, that there's a great deal of wasted money spent because of these publications.
