Reading Lists

[Fudgie Ghost]

Ok people--it's that time of year again. Vacation time. And in the FG household that means books!

So, let's get some of your favorite reads listed, especially, but not exclusively, some more recent books. I'm partial to non-fiction--military history, true crime, bios. etc.

So, uh, I'll start:

I just read "Howard Hughes--The Untold Story". Bio of the "Aviator" himself. Can't remember the authors (there were two). Fascinating, but ultimately sad story of a gifted, but tragically flawed individual. Recommended.

"How to Alienate People and Lose Friends" by Toby Young. Funny, gossipy, but also smart, observant, and dare I say, insightful book about the world of New York glossy mags, and our celebrity obsessed culture, the difference between London and New York (author is a Brit), and other things not usually discussed on this board. Good beach read.

"Under the Red Sea Sun" (can't remember the author) this obscure book was recommended by someone in an earlier "what are you reading" thread. A great story about someone doing their best in an out of the way place in thankless and difficult work: Navy salvage . With the right director and cast this would make a terrific movie. Inspiring.


So, what's some good books you've read recently?

 

[sfhogman]

"John Adams", "1776" both by David McCullough.

 

[Nick1911]

I’m told that both Unintended consequences and Enemies Foreign and Domestic are fantastic, but haven’t found the time to read either of them.

 

[enfield303]

Wheel Of Time by Robert Jordan
Really need to work some Non-Fiction into the mix.

 

[Cosmoline]

"Gun Notes Vol 1-2" by Elmer Keith

 

[TheGoodLife]

The Burden of Bad Ideas: How Modern Intellectuals Misshape Our Society
by Heather MacDonald

I'm enjoying this book right now. The author states in the Introduction:

My purpose in these essays is to hold up reality in the most unvarnished way possible before the reader, to try to dispel the obfuscation that today's mainstream journalism, and today's elite ideology, has spread over it. I have tried, too, to take the reader into the institutions that generate and broadcast the new orthodoxy, and make him see just what constitutes wisdom there. I have tried to show how ieas that seem obviously dismissable nevertheless are molding the thought and actions of the next generation of lawyers, teachers, public health officials, and policymakers. The consequences fall upon the poor most directly; but insofar as the poor affect the whole of a city or a nation--in terms of crime or lost productivity or welfare costs--the consequences fall upon the rest of us, as well.

Check out the reviews at Amazon.

Another book I'm enjoying is

How to Dethrone the Imperial Judiciary
by Edwin Vieria

You can find some of his writings, a strong 2A defender, at www.newswithviews.com. He has also written a massive two volume work on money found here, http://www.piecesofeight.us/PofE.html

And something new for me, I also started getting some audio books from audible.com to listen to. I got several on their recent $9.95 sale. Here is the one I'm listening to right now, and wow, it is interesting to find out the background on how Hitler came to power.

Defying Hitler: A Memoir (Unabridged)
Author: Sebastian Haffner

"This is a gem of a book, with as much intellectual force as, say, The Diary of Anne Frank has emotional force....Essential reading about that fearsome era." (Booklist)
"[A] masterpiece...A series of vignettes that vividly convey the texture of life under an emerging totalitarian regime." (The New York Times Book Review)
"A vivid examination of just how Hitler's ascension affected an ordinary German....This intimate self-portrait stands with Victor Klemperer's two-part memoir, I Will Bear Witness, as evidence that the personal can offer insight into the political tragedy of Nazism." (Publishers Weekly)


When the famous German author Sebastian Haffner died at the age of 91 in 1999, a manuscript was discovered among his unpublished papers. The book was begun in 1939, but with the advent of World War II, Haffner had set it aside. His family made the decision to publish it, and the book became a best seller in Germany in 2002. Spanning the period from 1907 to 1933, it offers a unique perspective on how the average educated German grappled with the rise of Hitler, the growing influence of Nazism, and a rapidly changing society.
Haffner's astute and compelling eyewitness accounts provide a broad overview of a country in a constant state of flux. He examines the pervasive influence of groups such as the Free Corps and the Hitler Youth movement that swept the nation. His own family's financial struggles illustrate the disaster that befell many of Germany's citizens during the apocalyptic year of 1923 when inflation devastated the country. The later peaceful but dangerously uninspiring Stresemann years contributed still further to Hitler's rise to power. This is an invaluable chronicling of day-to-day changes in attitudes, beliefs, politics, and prejudices.

A major best-seller in Germany now available for the first time in English, Defying Hitler is an illuminating portrait of a time, a place, and a people.

 

[Sharps Shooter]

"Flyboys" by James Bradley. It's a non-fictional account of quite a number of flyers, including George H.W. Bush, and their involvements in the air war in the Pacific.

 

[canaan]

Enemies Foreign and Domestic was very good.

Also try reading anything by Claire Wolfe.

If you're a bit massocistic (sp) you can try ATLAS SHRUGGED by Ayn Rand, or some of her shorter works.

Robert Heinlein also has some rather Libertarian books.

The Sixth Column was an interesting book of his.



further the respondeth sayeth naught.

 

[280PLUS]

Flyboys was good. GHW came within a hair of being chow. Some of you may have heard me talk about my uncle that served in New Guinea. He hated the Japs until the day he died. I could never understand why until I read this book. A lot of what's in it hasn't been common knowledge until now.

I will always recommend "The Desert Column" by Ion L. Idriess. It is an abridged compilation of the 20,000 pages of notes he kept during his four years as an Australian Light Cavalryman during WWI in the trenches around places like Gallipoli. It is the only know account of that campaign written by an enlisted man. Very powerful. He wrote about 50 books in his lifetime. Another Idriess I would recommend is "Drums of Mer" if you REALLY want to get the poop scared out of you. Most of his books are out of print and some command a fair price. Check EBAY or www.abebooks.com
Here is a couple examples of another title of his:
http://dogbert.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=ion+l+idriess&tn=cyaniding+for+gold&sortby=1
Note the second two copies listed are FACSIMILES, the first is an original.

Lastly try "Jude the Obscure" by Thomas Hardy. It was banned in Europe when it came out (late 19th century IIRC) and due to that fact Hardy never wrote another book. It's got a chapter in there that will make your jaw drop for sure! Any of his stuff is good.

 

[carebear]

"1794"

"The Year that saved the Republic." I believe is the sub-title.

 

[Fudgie Ghost]

Terrific---I've got 'Jude the Obscure', and "Defying Hitler" on order at my local library.

Keep 'em coming!

 

[John G]

Back in February, I decided to read the entire Louis L'amour "Sackett Family" series. Eleven down so far. Great stuff, if you like westerns and historical fiction.

Currently I'm reading "The Black Jacobins" by C.L.R. James. It's about the Hatian slave revolt.

 

[trickyasafox]

so i take it i am the only one who pre-ordered harry potter 6?

 

[mattw]

Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills

A novel based on Carlos Hathcock and his experiences in Vietnam. Awesome book, read it 3 times!

 

[Tokugawa]

Try "The Feathermen" by Ranoulph Fienes (I know I spelled his name wrong but forgive me please.) You may recognize him as the ex SAS guy who has done some remarkable polar exploration and adventure. He served in Oman, and the book is related to his service and the repercussions many years later.
For anyone interested in military topics, it is a truly fascinating read. A real life "James Bond" type story, on the English nonfiction bestseller list at one time. It seemed so hard to believe I took the time to dig up his much earlier book on Oman to check for accuracy.

 

[Flyboy]

V for Vendetta, by Alan Moore and David Lloyd.

Also, I've not yet read it, but I've had The Creature from Jekyll Island, by G. Edward Griffin, recommended to me.

 

[english kanigit]

38 North Yankee by Ed Rugero
Very awesome book, written by a former infantry officer. Fictional war in Korea results in a mass mobilization of US assets; the light infantry gets there first.


Jarhead was also pretty good. I'm picking up Unintended Consequences and Enemies: Foreign and Domestic at the next gunshow....

 

[Preacherman]

I've just finished the five-book Belisarius series by Eric Flint and David Drake. Possibly the best alternate-history SF/fantasy series I've ever read, and highly recommended. A lot of military strategy and tactics for those interested in such things. See here for more information.

Also, of course, the new Harry Potter novel, and the preceding 5...

 

[TNGO]

Just finished Castles Of Steel: Britain, Germany, and the Winning of the Great War at Sea by Robert K. Massie. An engrossing, comprehensive narrative about the strategies, tactics, technology and personalities of the First World War at sea. I highly recommend this book.

Currently reading Patton: A Genius For War by Carlo D'Este.

 

[only1asterisk]

Second: 1776 (Very different, but excellent)
EFAD (Well done)
Sackett (Just started rereading myself)

Add: Red Storm Rising (my favorite Clancy

Man of the Forest, Riders of the Purple Sage, The Light of the
Western Stars, Majesty’s Ranchero, Knights of the Range (Zane Grey)

The Daybreakers, The Sackett Brand and Sackett (Louis L'Amour)

The Complete Book of Rifles and Shotguns (O'Conner)

And 1000 others

 

[Morgan]

Why the West Has Won, by Victor Davis Hanson. Excellent book on why Western culture has risen to dominate the world today. Hanson uses nine battles between Western and other cultures, starting with Salamis in 480 BC, ending with Tet in 1968. He even uses Western losses to show how the exceptions prove the rule. I've learned a lot about battles and times I knew little about, and this book will, I'm sure, prove a gateway to more study.

On a lighter note, Old Man's War, by John Scalzi. Very engaging, a real page turner. I'm not a huge SF fan, but I quite enjoyed this book, to the point of recomending it to friends who (like myself) typically read non-fiction.

 

[280PLUS]

After reading this I think I'll pick up "Defying Hitler"

The Hardy will probably start out slow but you'll get to a point where it'll be a "page turner" too!

Happy reading!

 

[Rich K]

I am picking up arry Potter #6 tonight,and also have just started"Theodore Roosevelt,Jr-The Life of a War Hero".Also readingDante's Inferno,and Grimm's Fairy Tales.Not all at the same time of course.

 

[johnmcl]

Good Reads

Hey,

Theodore Rex by Morris. This is one of the best books I've found on Teddy Roosevelt's 8 years in the Oval Office. Its a great read about a great American.

If you are into SF, try the Skystone series by Jack Whyte. These are in paperback now and are a five volume set presenting a plausible case for Arthur's England. This guy did a lot of research to make these characters come alive. (Hint is that Arthur is more Roman than anything...)

Citizen Soldiers by Stephen Ambrose remains an all time favorite. I liked it better than Band of Brothers.

Marked more by his passing than anything is the huge three volume set on the Civil War by Shelby Foote.

More than Money by Neil Cavuto followed by the second Sean Hannity book, who's title escapes me.

Enjoy...

 

[KadicDeshi]

Enfield303 +1

I've just finished the latest book in the Harry Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. Pretty good fantasy series. I have The Art of the Rifle by Jeff Cooper on order from Amazon at the moment.

Barrett