CMichael, if you like C.S. Forester you should check out Patrick O'Brian. Boarders away! 
http://www.wwnorton.com/pob/pobhome.htm
http://www.wwnorton.com/pob/pobhome.htm
Books
- Thread starter Ian Sean
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ialevy
Member
I highly suggest anything by David Morrell.
He wrote First Blood (Rambo), after all.
His new book, The Protector is great, will be out soon. Nice REALISTIC use of knives/guns (he likes SIGs). The cover will have an emerson tactical folder on it!
Just finishing up The Brotherhood of the Rose - great. Really good writing about spy tradecraft, special ops, etc.
He wrote First Blood (Rambo), after all.
His new book, The Protector is great, will be out soon. Nice REALISTIC use of knives/guns (he likes SIGs). The cover will have an emerson tactical folder on it!
Just finishing up The Brotherhood of the Rose - great. Really good writing about spy tradecraft, special ops, etc.
Chris Rhines
Member
Dan -
I rented it, read the first couple of chapters, and returned it to the library. My inital impression was, "Ok." I might rent it again eventually.
- Chris
I rented it, read the first couple of chapters, and returned it to the library. My inital impression was, "Ok." I might rent it again eventually.
- Chris
Michael, boring is my middle name. I think I have read all but one of O'Brian's 20 or so Aubrey/Maturin books, so I guess you could say I like him. I think I particularly like the details, the historical accuracy and the way he uses the language to give colour to the stories.
But it's possible I'm not your average reader. A couple of years ago I met an American English teacher (now that's an oxymoron ). She made a couple of comments like "Where does a foreigner learn a word like that?" I told her read quite a bit of English, to which she said "Read what? You sure as heck don't pick up language like that from reading Clancy" (an assumption on her part). I told her as an example that I had just re-read Cooper's Leatherstocking tales - the whole series. She looked at me in stunned silence for several seconds, which is a very long time to be silent for Americans in general and this lady in particular. Then she said: "Voluntarily?" A natural reaction from a high school English teacher, I guess!
But it's possible I'm not your average reader. A couple of years ago I met an American English teacher (now that's an oxymoron
). She made a couple of comments like "Where does a foreigner learn a word like that?" I told her read quite a bit of English, to which she said "Read what? You sure as heck don't pick up language like that from reading Clancy" (an assumption on her part). I told her as an example that I had just re-read Cooper's Leatherstocking tales - the whole series. She looked at me in stunned silence for several seconds, which is a very long time to be silent for Americans in general and this lady in particular. Then she said: "Voluntarily?" A natural reaction from a high school English teacher, I guess! Jack T.
Member
I just finished up Hell, I was there by Elmer Keith. Dang good book. . .300 BIG pages full of stories. . .Good read from somebody who has been there and done that.
Edit: Speaking of which, If anybody has a copy of the Colt .45 Shop Manual Volume 1 by Kuhnhausen laying around they want to get rid of ( without wanting a small fortune for it ), please let me know.
Edit: Speaking of which, If anybody has a copy of the Colt .45 Shop Manual Volume 1 by Kuhnhausen laying around they want to get rid of ( without wanting a small fortune for it ), please let me know.
Fudgie Ghost
Member
"Misfire" by William Callahan. Get it. Read it. Respond to it on this forum.
"What's So Great About America" - Dinesh D'Souza
-Pretty much done; just a few pages left.
"Illiberal Education" - D'Souza (Haven't read it yet; only first chapter)
On my wish list:
As many Greek Classics as possible. I already have (but have not yet read): Prometheus Bound, Plato's Republic, Homer's Illiad & Odyssey.
I also have some other books on the history of Greek philosophy and thought that I want to read.
I am going to work on seriously limiting my computer time in favor of reading real books.
Wish list continued:
"Guns, Germs and Steel" by Jared Diamond
"Book of Five Rings" Miyamoto Musashi
"The Art of War" - Sun Tzu
Marxism: Philosophy and Economics
by Thomas Sowell
Code of the Samurai: A Modern Translation of the Bushido Shoshinsu
by Yuzan Daidoji, Oscar Ratti (Illustrator), Thomas Cleary
Basically (in case you couldn't tell) I'm *very* interested in the classics.
They haven't endured because they are no good!
-Pretty much done; just a few pages left.
"Illiberal Education" - D'Souza (Haven't read it yet; only first chapter)
On my wish list:
As many Greek Classics as possible. I already have (but have not yet read): Prometheus Bound, Plato's Republic, Homer's Illiad & Odyssey.
I also have some other books on the history of Greek philosophy and thought that I want to read.
I am going to work on seriously limiting my computer time in favor of reading real books.
Wish list continued:
"Guns, Germs and Steel" by Jared Diamond
"Book of Five Rings" Miyamoto Musashi
"The Art of War" - Sun Tzu
Marxism: Philosophy and Economics
by Thomas Sowell
Code of the Samurai: A Modern Translation of the Bushido Shoshinsu
by Yuzan Daidoji, Oscar Ratti (Illustrator), Thomas Cleary
Basically (in case you couldn't tell) I'm *very* interested in the classics.
They haven't endured because they are no good!
Dionysusigma
Member
Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury, Dune by Frank Herbert...the list goes on and on. Mostly sci-fi stuff.
451, however, is definately my favorite. Depressing (especially if you pick up all of the symbolism), but it helps to remind me that along with the 2nd Amendment, the 1st is also at risk, although through much more cleverly disguised means. If you haven't read it, I seriously recommend it.
451, however, is definately my favorite. Depressing (especially if you pick up all of the symbolism), but it helps to remind me that along with the 2nd Amendment, the 1st is also at risk, although through much more cleverly disguised means. If you haven't read it, I seriously recommend it.
sm
member
Besides the required reading. These just finished:
The Custom Government model Pistol- Layne Simpson.
A Collection of Essays-George Orwell
Up Country – Nelson DeMille
“…So, I’m having lady problems in a hostile country halfway around the world, people are trying to arrest me or kill me, and its 4 a.m., and I need to see the cops in the morning, then make a possibly dangerous rendezvous at noon. And yet, for some reason, none of this bothered me. In fact the entire Highway One ordeal, including killing two cops, and the flashbacks, and all the rest of it, didn’t bother me.
I recognized this feeing for what it was: survival mode.
Life was no longer complicated. It all came down to getting home one last time.â€
-Up Country- page 425.
The Custom Government model Pistol- Layne Simpson.
A Collection of Essays-George Orwell
Up Country – Nelson DeMille
“…So, I’m having lady problems in a hostile country halfway around the world, people are trying to arrest me or kill me, and its 4 a.m., and I need to see the cops in the morning, then make a possibly dangerous rendezvous at noon. And yet, for some reason, none of this bothered me. In fact the entire Highway One ordeal, including killing two cops, and the flashbacks, and all the rest of it, didn’t bother me.
I recognized this feeing for what it was: survival mode.
Life was no longer complicated. It all came down to getting home one last time.â€
-Up Country- page 425.
Jason Demond
Member
I just got done with:
Why Didn't You Get me Out, Betrayal in the VietCong Death Camps
By Frank Anton
Good book, it's worth a read.
Why Didn't You Get me Out, Betrayal in the VietCong Death Camps
By Frank Anton
Good book, it's worth a read.
Hkmp5sd
Member
Someone re-awoke this thread, eh......
An absolute MUST read:
The Death of Right and Wrong by Tammy Bruce
For those with a strong stomach and fans of fiction:
Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton
Yes, I read this book. Since she does refer to her "conversations" with Eleanor Roosevelt, this book should actually be listed in the Science Fiction or at least Fantasy category. Has nothing to do with actual history.
Off With Their Heads: Traitors, Crooks & Obstructionists in American Politics, Media and Business by Dick Morris
And, beginning in about 4.5 hours......
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K.Rowling.
An absolute MUST read:
The Death of Right and Wrong by Tammy Bruce
For those with a strong stomach and fans of fiction:
Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton
Yes, I read this book. Since she does refer to her "conversations" with Eleanor Roosevelt, this book should actually be listed in the Science Fiction or at least Fantasy category. Has nothing to do with actual history.
Off With Their Heads: Traitors, Crooks & Obstructionists in American Politics, Media and Business by Dick Morris
And, beginning in about 4.5 hours......
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K.Rowling.
Lately I've been on a classics kick, and finally read The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Believe it or not, I'd never seen the Disneyfied movie version and didn't know the story, so I enjoyed it.
I've just started reading Jane Austen's Emma, but am not enjoying it so far. I'll finish it, but the title character has so far managed to do little but irritate the snot out of me. I've never been fond of girls' books and don't know why I dove into this one. Maybe because I enjoyed Sense and Sensibility and was hoping for more of the same.
On the non-fiction side, I've been rereading Deborah Tannen's That's Not What I Meant! and find it just as insightful as when I first read it a few years back. It seemed time for a refresher course was all.
Chris -- if you still haven't read Atlas Shrugged, get to it~!
CMichael -- for a very updated version of CS Forester, try the Seafort Saga by David Feintuch (Midshipman's Hope, Challenger's Hope, Fisherman's Hope, Prisoner's Hope[/i], and Voices of Hope). Easy, enjoyable SF reads with a very Foresteresque feel to the characters and settings.
DrJones -- mix in some of the lighter stuff to keep yourself motivated in reading some of the Greek classics. I was really, really amused by Lysistrata.
Oh, gun related? Sigh. Nothing in awhile, unless you count reloading manuals and an occasional skim through books like Effective Defense to look something up for reference. Recommendations are appreciated.
pax
The best books are the ones you still haven't read. -- Allan Cole
I've just started reading Jane Austen's Emma, but am not enjoying it so far. I'll finish it, but the title character has so far managed to do little but irritate the snot out of me. I've never been fond of girls' books and don't know why I dove into this one.
Maybe because I enjoyed Sense and Sensibility and was hoping for more of the same.On the non-fiction side, I've been rereading Deborah Tannen's That's Not What I Meant! and find it just as insightful as when I first read it a few years back. It seemed time for a refresher course was all.
Chris -- if you still haven't read Atlas Shrugged, get to it~!
CMichael -- for a very updated version of CS Forester, try the Seafort Saga by David Feintuch (Midshipman's Hope, Challenger's Hope, Fisherman's Hope, Prisoner's Hope[/i], and Voices of Hope). Easy, enjoyable SF reads with a very Foresteresque feel to the characters and settings.
DrJones -- mix in some of the lighter stuff to keep yourself motivated in reading some of the Greek classics. I was really, really amused by Lysistrata.
Oh, gun related? Sigh. Nothing in awhile, unless you count reloading manuals and an occasional skim through books like Effective Defense to look something up for reference. Recommendations are appreciated.
pax
The best books are the ones you still haven't read. -- Allan Cole
tricia_s37
Member
Wow - I'm a book reader if there ever was one. Since I can't spend money buying a book everyday I've re-read just about all of the books I have(I know - let me play you the world's smallest violin).
Anyways, I'm still in the middle of "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy. I'm more than halfway through it - but it's getting tiring.
But, to appease myself, I have been reading Harper's. Sure it's a magazine, but a pretty good one.
Next on my list: I'm pretty sure Stephen King is coming up with two new books for his Dark Tower Series. I've found the series pretty good and can't wait until more of it comes out on the shelves. And hey - the main character is a "gunslinger".
Anyways, I'm still in the middle of "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy. I'm more than halfway through it - but it's getting tiring.
But, to appease myself, I have been reading Harper's. Sure it's a magazine, but a pretty good one.
Next on my list: I'm pretty sure Stephen King is coming up with two new books for his Dark Tower Series. I've found the series pretty good and can't wait until more of it comes out on the shelves. And hey - the main character is a "gunslinger".
Owen
Moderator Emeritus
I've been reading "The Gulag Archipelago" in fits and starts. The USSR was a prety screwy place...makes Monty Python look perfectly reasonable.
In between chunks of the above, I have been reading piles of sf. I recently discovered Philip K. Dick. I think I have read all of the Ben Bova books in the Venus, Jupiter, Rock Rats series.
At work, during lunch, I am plowing through "Modern Exterior Ballistics" with help from a Calculus and a differential equations book (its really tough going).
In between chunks of the above, I have been reading piles of sf. I recently discovered Philip K. Dick. I think I have read all of the Ben Bova books in the Venus, Jupiter, Rock Rats series.
At work, during lunch, I am plowing through "Modern Exterior Ballistics" with help from a Calculus and a differential equations book (its really tough going).
Dannyboy
Member
I just finished Ivanhoe this past weekend...again. I'm about to start The Persian Expedition, commonly referred to as The Anabasis.
Chris Rhines
Member
Gainful employment has cut into my reading time a little bit, but I'm still making some headway...
- A couple of (dozen...) CAD/CAM references.
- Still working on Feynman's Lost Lectures. Worth reading.
- Duncan Long's CZ-75 - The Ultimate Comabt Handgun.
- Sara Douglass' Axis Trilogy - Sci-fantasy, a bit more evolved than the traditional Tolkienian sword-and-sorcery novels. I also (upon my brother's insistence) broke my word and started Robert Jordan's tenth Wheel of Time novel. It's actually not bad.
- Edward Abbey's The Monkeywrench Gang. Yes, that Edward Abbey. I'll refrain further comment until I finish it, but it's not nearly as obnoxious as I thought it would be...
More to come!
- Chris
- A couple of (dozen...) CAD/CAM references.
- Still working on Feynman's Lost Lectures. Worth reading.
- Duncan Long's CZ-75 - The Ultimate Comabt Handgun.
- Sara Douglass' Axis Trilogy - Sci-fantasy, a bit more evolved than the traditional Tolkienian sword-and-sorcery novels. I also (upon my brother's insistence) broke my word and started Robert Jordan's tenth Wheel of Time novel. It's actually not bad.
- Edward Abbey's The Monkeywrench Gang. Yes, that Edward Abbey. I'll refrain further comment until I finish it, but it's not nearly as obnoxious as I thought it would be...
More to come!
- Chris
Justin
Moderator Emeritus
I've really fallen down on the job as far as reading lots of books. I've just started reading again after taking a hiatus. (I love the internet. You don't need any attention span to read it!)
Anyway, I just finished reading Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon. Absolutely fantastic, I recommend it with no hesitation.
Next up will be The Art of War.
As for 1984 and Fahrenheit 451, those are both great books and I sorta kinda consider those two as part of a triumverate that also includes Brave New World by Adlous Huxley.
Anyway, I just finished reading Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon. Absolutely fantastic, I recommend it with no hesitation.
Next up will be The Art of War.
As for 1984 and Fahrenheit 451, those are both great books and I sorta kinda consider those two as part of a triumverate that also includes Brave New World by Adlous Huxley.
Kamicosmos
Member
I am always reading 2 or 3 books at once when I'm not playing computer games.
Currently:
Just starting Vol 3 of The War of the Spider Queen series, Condemnation. (all you rpg geeks, if you like Drow, check these out!)
Also just starting Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days by Alastair Reynolds (hard core Sci fi, 2 novellas related to a trilogy he is currently writing)
After these two:
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, by Heinlein
re-read of Atlas Shrugged.
Then
probably a re-read of the Bob Lee Swagger books.
Currently:
Just starting Vol 3 of The War of the Spider Queen series, Condemnation. (all you rpg geeks, if you like Drow, check these out!)
Also just starting Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days by Alastair Reynolds (hard core Sci fi, 2 novellas related to a trilogy he is currently writing)
After these two:
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, by Heinlein
re-read of Atlas Shrugged.
Then
probably a re-read of the Bob Lee Swagger books.
Almost done "In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex" by Nathaniel Philbrick. The events and people described will break your heart but I highly recommend it. It's the true story that helped inspire "Moby Dick."
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