Favorite Reads

[H2S]

I'm looking for something sci-fi, dystopian, cyber punk or military related. Any suggestions?

Dystopian...FRANK HERBERT...The Dosadi Experiment.
Cyber Punk...assuming you've read everything WILLIAM GIBSON has written (Neuromancer - on)...one you might get a kick out of is JOHN BRUNNER'S The Shockwave Rider.
Military...JOE HALDEMAN'S The Forever War.

 

[H2S]

Douglas Adams

Whoever hasn't read ADAMS' uber-hilarious 5-book 'Trilogy' should be force fed Vogon poetry for 10 minutes.

I've carried a towel in my trunk for over 30 years.
no shit.

 

[threelittleturds]

1st, the well known favorites.
H.G. Wells: The Time Machine, The Island of Dr. Moreau, When The Sleeper Awakes
Michael Crichton: Eaters of the Dead, Congo, Rising Sun, Timeline
Frank Herbert: The dune series
Charles Dickens: A tale of two cities, Great Expectations.

I would guess the lesser known.
Hannibal: Theodore Ayrault Dodge
Ghost Soldiers: Hampton Sides
Hagakure: Yamamoto Tsunetomo
Book of Five Rings: Musashi Miyamato
The Wendigo: Algernon Blackwood
The man-eaters of Tsavo: John Henry Patterson

 

[H2S]

bummer day...

went to the Book Nook looking to find anything by WINGROVE, TURNEY, CROMWELL, CHILD or LEGUIN. nothing! nada, nil, jack shit...fucking Book Nook.

probably coulda saved $8 in gas by going amazon.

 

[olympicoscar]

Live in the Southwest? You're missing one of the great joys of life if you've not read MICHENER'S Texas/1985 and Mexico/1992.
Northeast? Centennial/1974 and Chesapeake/1978.
Northwest? Alaska/1988.
Anywhere? Hawaii/1959, Space/1982, Caribbean/1989.

I've reveled in them all (and more) since I was a kid...listening to mom read Hawaii and Tales of the South Pacific/1947 to me at bedtime. James Michener is unparalleled at blending captivating stories with fascinating history. His best work, the most interesting, imo, is also one of his least known works: The Source/1965...if you've never read Michener, try The Source first - if you don't like it, you probably won't like any of the others (even if you live in Texas.)

Read just about everything that Michener wrote. Centennial was my favorite, but Texas was great also.

 

[olympicoscar]

I prefer historical fiction. Currently about 2/3 done reading the 30+ works of Wilbur Smith (When the Lion Feeds is my all-time favorite work of fiction) simultaneous to reading the James Clavell Asian Saga (6,500 pages). Just finished Taipan on Monday.

I've read a lot of Clavell. Taipan was really good. Can't remember the names of others. It's probably been at least 15 years since I last read him. Yes, I know he's dead.

 

[olympicoscar]

My favorite genre of books is right wing espionage fiction. I read as much as possible. Tom Clancy was of course the king of the genre. He's got one more book come out in hardback in Dec or so I hear.

My other favorite authors, in no order, is Brad Thor, Daniel Silva, Vince Flynn, Dale Brown, and Stephen Coonts. I also like David Baldacci, Michael Connelly, Patricia Cornwall, John Grisham, Brad Meltzer, Scott Turow, and Ken Follett.

I also read presidential bios, loved the one on Truman, Washington, and currently reading a bio of Andrew Jackson.

 

[rfjeff9]

I'm looking for something sci-fi, dystopian, cyber punk or military related. Any suggestions?

I do not read much sci fi, but if you haven't read Frank Herbert's Dune series, you really should give it a shot. Also Orson Scott Cards Ender's Game series is excellent. There's good news - both are available to watch. Enders game is out in the big screen now, and Dune is out on DVD, not the real shitty one from the 80s, but the newer one from 2000.

I want to give you a zinger here. Pick up "The Black Company" by Glenn Cook. It's a first in a fantasy series about a mercenary military unit that hires on with the bad guys. This is the one series that got me hooked on Dark Fantasy, and spoiled me to the "Everyone comes out Alive and Ok in the end" fallacy.

And why not try Fantasy anyway? Check out Nine Princes in Amber, Malazan Book of the Fallen, or Game of Thrones series. Also out there is The Wheel of Time series. Try the Sword of Shannara series, pretty good for the first seven or so stand alone books.

Dragonriders of Pern, anyone? Excellent story, and can fall into both Fantasy or Sci Fi.

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn fantasy series is good also.

Shit, this is why I requested a Book Forum. I have so much to share and one thread doesn't do it.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

My favorite genre of books is right wing *espionage fiction. I read as much as possible. Tom Clancy was of course the king of the genre. He's got one more book come out in hardback in Dec or so I hear.

*My other favorite authors, in no order, is Brad Thor, Daniel Silva, Vince Flynn, Dale Brown, and Stephen Coonts. I also like David Baldacci, Michael Connelly, Patricia Cornwall, John Grisham, Brad Meltzer, Scott Turow, and Ken Follett.

I also read presidential bios, loved the one on Truman, Washington, and currently reading a bio of Andrew Jackson.

* No mention of Graham Greene? Are you not familiar w/ him, or of his works in that genre?

 

[H2S]

I do not read much sci fi, but if you haven't read Frank Herbert's Dune series, you really should give it a shot. Also Orson Scott Cards Ender's Game series is excellent. There's good news - both are available to watch. Enders game is out in the big screen now, and Dune is out on DVD, not the real shitty one from the 80s, but the newer one from 2000.

I want to give you a zinger here. Pick up "The Black Company" by Glenn Cook. It's a first in a fantasy series about a mercenary military unit that hires on with the bad guys. This is the one series that got me hooked on Dark Fantasy, and spoiled me to the "Everyone comes out Alive and Ok in the end" fallacy.

And why not try Fantasy anyway? Check out Nine Princes in Amber, Malazan Book of the Fallen, or Game of Thrones series. Also out there is The Wheel of Time series. Try the Sword of Shannara series, pretty good for the first seven or so stand alone books.

Dragonriders of Pern, anyone? Excellent story, and can fall into both Fantasy or Sci Fi.

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn fantasy series is good also.

Shit, this is why I requested a Book Forum. I have so much to share and one thread doesn't do it.

I understand your disappointment and share your desire re: book forum. Until then? thanks for stopping by and sharing. You're right...one thread doesn't do it...but...neither does one post. I, for one, would like to see, at least, a few more.

 

[JDM]

I'll think about it and write up a couple at some point. Maybe by category? I know the total I've read is in the thousands, at least (though not high enough. Reading gets tougher with a packed schedule).

 

[olympicoscar]

* No mention of Graham Greene? Are you not familiar w/ him, or of his works in that genre?

Familiar, but haven't read any of his books.

 

[olympicoscar]

Someone was looking for good book on the military.

Matterhorn by Karl Malantas is the best book I've read on the Vietnam War.

 

[Tai Chi≈Surfing]

Familiar, but haven't read any of his books.

some of his better known....and all are great reads.
The Confidential Agent
The Third Man
The Quiet American
Our Man in Havana
The Human Factor

 

[H2S]

I'll think about it and write up a couple at some point. Maybe by category? I know the total I've read is in the thousands, at least (though not high enough. Reading gets tougher with a packed schedule).

jebus!

take what time you need.
your acreage far exceeds mine.
look forward to seeing your opinions.

 

[JDM]

I don't remember specifics all that well. I take what I find of value of the book and lose the rest fairly quickly. There are some that I will pore over but a lot get read once, I take what I take, and I move on. It will take some thinking honestly.

 

[H2S]

I don't remember specifics all that well. I take what I find of value of the book and lose the rest fairly quickly. There are some that I will pore over but a lot get read once, I take what I take, and I move on. It will take some thinking honestly.

interesting. you sound like a latent synthesist. when you get around to it, I'll read your book.

 

[Clayton]

Someone was looking for good book on the military.

Matterhorn by Karl Malantas is the best book I've read on the Vietnam War.

Yeah, Im always looking for good military reads.

Someone else mentioned John Brunner and Ill be reading The Traveler in Black next which I partially blame on Dr Who and the Ender's Game movie which I just saw the other night

 

[JDM]

One that's a little random and out there (and uncompleted) is a fan fiction calledHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality. It follows roughly the plot line of the originals (which I actually have not read all of) and the original Harry is replaced by one that is trained in Bayesian Analysis and the scientific method and tries to study the magic. Like I said, a little out there, but it actually provides rough overviews of all kinds of bias, other errors of thinking, some math/physics concepts, and other analysis type skills. The author actually has a website which teaches a lot of the math and other concepts available for free as well, which I have also read a lot of. I won't pretend he is perfect because no one is, but he really provides an interesting read on how one person may approach analysis of his life.

 

[JDM]

interesting. you sound like a latent synthesist. when you get around to it, I'll read your book.

I haven't heard that term. I may look around at some point.

I do learn the details fairly easily for things I use regularly. I'm a computer science guy so things like code and math are firm in my memory.