Reccomend us some books to read

[Carbon]

Shall we create a AO book repository for book worms?

Quite honestly i've relegated my reading to tech manuals periodicals on esoteric subjects like paintball and graphic design and motrorcycles. Its been awhile since read a real book.

Pls reccomend me some books on anthropology, specifically technology and how its changed culture.

also: military books about recent events, gulf war, terrorism, pro war & Anti war books, war memoirs ect.

The last good war/millitary book i read was With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa
by E.B. Sledge

some sci fiction would be nice too if you have any. The last one I read was Phili k. Dick's
Do androids dream of electric sheep.

[FactsOfLife]

Go look up Bruce Catton's Civil War stuff. Glory Road, Stillness at Appomattox etc etc. You will not be disappointed.

I also liked his other books on Americana, and growing up in western Michigan at the turn of the century.

[iambored]

Brave New World, Paradise Lost, Inferno, Heltor Skeltor, The Black House, Sphere, Harry Potter Books, Faust (If you read German or find a translation), Call of Cthulhu
There are some good religious books out there: Pistis Sophia, etc.

[CaptaiN_JacK]

Check out any book by Clive Cussler...mainly the ones he wrote in the 80's and 90's, they're the best imo. Best seller material, not exactly intellectual stuff, but they're really good nonetheless. Remember the movie Sahara? Based off one of his books. Like always, the book is 10x better than the movie.


I'm about to start reading the Harry Potter series...I'm finally caving in. I'm pretty excited, I hear they're amazing books, and I'm a big fan of fantasy books (mainly just R.A. Salvatore though).

[Altimas]

I agree with the Captain, I've read all of Clive Clussler's books and I loved them. They really put a slight spin on history that makes you think and want to find out what really happened.

[Thordic]

Clive Cussler is an absolutely awful writer but he somehow manages to pump out entertaining books. You almost get mad at yourself for enjoying something that awful. I own most of his books, sadly :)

You want to check out some great modern authors?

Chuck Palaniuk
Brett Easton Ellis
Alex Garland
Nick Hornby

I own all their books, and they are all great.

If you like WWII, and you like military books, you might want to check out W.E.B. Griffin. He has a couple good series out there. The Corps is 10 books long, and goes from pre-WWII to Korea. They are character-driven books set in the military, there isn't much action in them. They are just a good read. I think I own almost all his books as well.

I spend way too much money on books...

[Pneumagger]

Last book I read was pretty good.

Parker-Hannifin ORD 5700 Oring Handbook.

[Warwitch]

The Secret Teachings of All Ages - Manly P. Hall

Awesome compilation of the worlds ancient philosophies, religions, alchemy, Rosicrucian, etc. Its not coffee table reading. Very in depth and hands down the most comprehensive text on the subject. Its in print as a softback now so it isnt as hard to find. I have an original copy and its huge (20" x 15" probably). The highly detailed pics are kind of tough to see in the softback editions :( Very rare, very valuable. If you can even find one try getting somebody to sell one is highly unlikely. Took me 5 years to get my copy.

If this sort of thing interests you its a must read.

[Carbon]

wow! thanx doods.

this is some good stuff.

More info would be great.

[Warwitch]

I agree with the Captain, I've read all of Clive Clussler's books and I loved them. They really put a slight spin on history that makes you think and want to find out what really happened.


Dont they all :(

[Mikey B]

Anything by Michael Crichton is in my top. Andromeda Strain is my favorite by him. Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth is also really good.

[rkjunior303]

A Midnight Clear
The Last Templar

I encourage anyone to read the entire Hitchhikers Guide..

[Warwitch]

I encourage anyone to read the entire Hitchhikers Guide..


QFT One of the most entertaining series I have ever read.

[Mescalito]

Days of Love, Nights of War: Crimethinc for Beginners

[bjjb99]

Pls reccomend me some books on anthropology, specifically technology and how its changed culture.


I don't know if it's exactly what you're looking for, but I enjoyed "Guns, Germs, and Steel" by Jared Diamond.

BJJB

[gimp]

I encourage anyone to read the entire Hitchhikers Guide..

I was going to say the same thing. I read the first one a while back and I just got the whole thing to read again. Very entertaining.

[wetwrks]

For good fantasy look to
The Black Company novels (Glen Cook) - merc company in a fantasy setting
The Amber Chronicles (Roger Zelazny) - sci fi/fantasy politics
The Royal Assassin (The Farseer trillogy by Robin Hobb) - psychalogical warfare
The Magicians' Guild (Trudi Canavan) - Harry Potter for older "kids"


For Good Sci Fi look to
Any Bolo novel - uber tanks (including sentient tanks)
Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card) - raising the child commander
anything by Philip K. Dick

[iambored]

Oh yeah, I forgot about Beowulf. Good fantesy/epic legend. If you read find a translation or learn old English. About a guy killing a monster, the monster's mother then a dragon as he rises to become a glorious king.

[wjr]

Oh yeah, I forgot about Beowulf. Good fantesy/epic legend. If you read find a translation or learn old English. About a guy killing a monster, the monster's mother then a dragon as he rises to become a glorious king.

Read the translation by Seamus Heany. It's the mist recent translation and supposedly the best.

For Sci-Fi books, you're not going to get any better then the Lord of the Rings trilogy (as well as the Silmarilion and other notes) and the Dune series. Only read the Dune books Frank Herbert wrote- the ones written by his son are utter crap.

[WaffleBaron]

1984
Make Love! The Bruce Campbell Way (Only $5!)
If Chins Could Kill

[Eagle]

Flight of the Old Dog by Dale Brown. a B-52 bombs the crap out of a Soviet SDI facility. Kind of Clancy-ish, but isolated to mostly the Air Force angle.

The Lessons of Terror by Caleb Carr. A history of terrorism
Sputnik by Paul Dickson. Lead up and the resulting historic, political, military, and scientific ramafacations

[rkjunior303]

Ender's Game was a great one.

[Thordic]

The Lessons of Terror by Caleb Carr. A history of terrorism


I havn't read this one, but now I need to. Caleb Carr is a pretty good writer.

[Pacifist_Farmer]

Do yourself a favor, go download the list of Hugo and Nebula award winning books/stories, and read them all.

Quickest way to find a good book in my opinion.

[Empyreal Rogue]

Can manga count? :ninja:

[robnix]

Anything by Alistair Reynolds. Century Rain is a good place to start.

[Caboose]

I enjoy Oliver North books as well as C.S. Lewis.

[Soopa Villain17]

in all seriousness , read Mein Kampf if you want something non-fiction.

[SCpoloRicker]

in all seriousness , read Mein Kampf if you want something non-fiction.

For the Godwin. :rolleyes:

/wrote a 50 page thesis on Hitler
//so I'm getting a kick out of this reply

[Soopa Villain17]

For the Godwin. :rolleyes:

/wrote a 50 page thesis on Hitler
//so I'm getting a kick out of this reply


well for once im not trying to be a wiseguy , im just reccomending a good book. :cheers:

[tech-chan]

Ender's Game was a great one.

Yes, that is my favorite book of all time.
Jack Whyte is a great author too.

[Jonneh]

The best book I've read in a while was Pirates! in an adventure with scientists (http://www.amazon.com/Pirates-Adventure-Scientists-Novel/dp/0375423214/ref=pd_sim_b_2/102-8606534-3047332?ie=UTF8&qid=1181863793&sr=8-1).
It is pretty short, and extremely funny.

[Will Wood]

Blind Mans Bluff
ghost Soldiers
1776

[FIST2CUFF]

I know that it may not fit your subject matter but I noticed that no one has mentioned a certain book. Everyone loves a book that deals with winning/coming out on top/the good guys save the day and so do I...but I have stumbled upon one that has turned out to be my very favorite. Now I really LOVE WW2 history and this one shows a side that is very interesting. The book is "The Forgotten Soldier" by Guy Sajer. It is a very frank view of a losing army. If you want I can send you my copy. Right now my brother has it. Let me know.

[Carbon]

i read parts of mein kampf, kinda boring and whiney. Hitler was pretty emo.


I know that it may not fit your subject matter but I noticed that no one has mentioned a certain book. Everyone loves a book that deals with winning/coming out on top/the good guys save the day and so do I...but I have stumbled upon one that has turned out to be my very favorite. Now I really LOVE WW2 history and this one shows a side that is very interesting. The book is "The Forgotten Soldier" by Guy Sajer. It is a very frank view of a losing army. If you want I can send you my copy. Right now my brother has it. Let me know.

cool, i'll have to check that one out. its available at amazon.

[91Foxtrot]

The Takeshi Kovacs trilogy by Richard K. Morgan for some Sci-Fi/cyberpunk. The first is called "Altered Carbon". IMO, the quality goes down a bit as the books progress, but they are all good.

I am also listening to "You Suck" by Christopher Moore. Hilarious. The reader is one of the best I've heard, which I'm sure is part of the reason I like it so much. I also just got finished listening to "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal" also by Moore. Sacrilicious.

"Heart-Shaped Box" by Joe Hill (Stephen King's son) was a great suspense/horror novel.

Anything by Neil Gaiman for fantasy. His book "Stardust" was made into a movie that is coming out this year. Read "American Gods" before "Anansi Boys" which is a sort-of sequel.

That covers most genres. Oh, Stephen Ambrose for military history. And "The Killer Angels" by Shaara is a must-read.

[FooTemps]

If you're into space/scifi...

Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov
Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons

both have long lists of books/short stories in their series (actually Foundation/Empire is ridiculously long) and are good reads since they are some of the more well-known series I can think of. I'd recommend not reading the WHOLE foundation series since it's so tedious.

The list of series/books in Foundation I'd recommend...
1. Foundation trilogy
2. Foundation's Edge
3. Foundation and Earth

in order... If you want to expand more then go crazy, there's 10 more books/short stories that deal with the whole foundation universe.

[Kloki1971]

Demon in the freezer- about small pox
hot zone - about ebola
both by richard preston


Dies the fire series by s.m. sterling

of course the Dark Elf series by salvatore

Endurance- by Alfred Lansing (about a failed attempt at the south pole)

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick (the true Moby Dick story)

[behemoth]

Arent you blonde with blue eyes?

He's the polar opposite of the master race.

[Lee]

a trilogy by John Varley:
Titan
Wizard
Demon
has sex, violence, critters and the downfall of earthly society on a world that is itself alive. don't get no better than that.
read them years ago and was enthralled.

Lucifers Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle- asteroid hits, world goes to pot. good read.

again by Larry Niven w/ Stephen Barnes and Jerry Pournelle: The Legacy of Heorot- trials and tribulations of colonizing a distant planet.

[olinar]

i realy loved chris chrutcher books as a child. back then i coulnt really understand most of the problems but they had great stories. if i get back into independent reading thatll be the first author i reach for.(after i finish the harry potter books that are most recent)

[Thordic]

Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons


Ack, where is the Do Not Want! dog. God Hyperion was awful, I think I left it on the train halfway through. Simmons should stick to horror.

[FooTemps]

Ack, where is the Do Not Want! dog. God Hyperion was awful, I think I left it on the train halfway through. Simmons should stick to horror.

Really? I didn't think it was too bad... then again I read it when I was a kid so maybe I didn't really care.

[Thordic]

Theres a ton of godawful scifi out there that is popular for some reason (Fantasy as well).

It usually takes me about 5 pages to realize that a book is going to be a load of crap. I won't stop there, but usually I already know.

I have a real problem with authors who don't know how to edit their writing. Its great that authors have a billion detailed ideas for their world, but we don't need to hear them all. It distracts from the book. Most of the fiction I tend to like is minimalism, books should be crafted, not crapped out onto the pages. You can spew all your ideas down onto paper, but then you need to edit it into a workable, cohesive, and well-written story.

Also, I hate when authors assume their readers are idiots. I don't need a detailed description of everything you talk about. Assume that we, as the reader, have half a brain and can figure things out on our own.

Sometimes these kinds of novels can be fun to read, but are FAR from what should be considered "good books".

Maybe I'm just a snob but there are way better scifi books out there.

[FooTemps]

Theres a ton of godawful scifi out there that is popular for some reason (Fantasy as well).

It usually takes me about 5 pages to realize that a book is going to be a load of crap. I won't stop there, but usually I already know.

I have a real problem with authors who don't know how to edit their writing. Its great that authors have a billion detailed ideas for their world, but we don't need to hear them all. It distracts from the book. Most of the fiction I tend to like is minimalism, books should be crafted, not crapped out onto the pages. You can spew all your ideas down onto paper, but then you need to edit it into a workable, cohesive, and well-written story.

Also, I hate when authors assume their readers are idiots. I don't need a detailed description of everything you talk about. Assume that we, as the reader, have half a brain and can figure things out on our own.

Sometimes these kinds of novels can be fun to read, but are FAR from what should be considered "good books".

Maybe I'm just a snob but there are way better scifi books out there.

I said good reads not good books. I just remember enjoying both series and recommended it based on that. Hell, I don't even really remember much about either series anymore since I read them in grade/middle school...

[Lakeview Bulldog]

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King is excellent. Sabriel, Lirieal and The Abhorsen are excellent fantasy books. Also 1984 is a must read, I can say that it literally changed my life. Fareinheit 451 is an amazing book also. Anyhthing by Isaac Aisimov is worth reading too, the man is still ahead of his time and most of his books were written 50+ years ago. I like Harry Turtledove for so interesting, if not longwinded reads.

[robnix]

Shall we create a AO book repository for book worms?

Quite honestly i've relegated my reading to tech manuals periodicals on esoteric subjects like paintball and graphic design and motrorcycles. Its been awhile since read a real book.

Pls reccomend me some books on anthropology, specifically technology and how its changed culture.

also: military books about recent events, gulf war, terrorism, pro war & Anti war books, war memoirs ect.

The last good war/millitary book i read was With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa
by E.B. Sledge

some sci fiction would be nice too if you have any. The last one I read was Phili k. Dick's
Do androids dream of electric sheep.

Here's another suggestion, the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik. Excellent alternate history combining dragons and the Napoleonic wars.

[robnix]

Theres a ton of godawful scifi out there that is popular for some reason (Fantasy as well).

It usually takes me about 5 pages to realize that a book is going to be a load of crap. I won't stop there, but usually I already know.

I have a real problem with authors who don't know how to edit their writing. Its great that authors have a billion detailed ideas for their world, but we don't need to hear them all. It distracts from the book. Most of the fiction I tend to like is minimalism, books should be crafted, not crapped out onto the pages. You can spew all your ideas down onto paper, but then you need to edit it into a workable, cohesive, and well-written story.

Also, I hate when authors assume their readers are idiots. I don't need a detailed description of everything you talk about. Assume that we, as the reader, have half a brain and can figure things out on our own.

Sometimes these kinds of novels can be fun to read, but are FAR from what should be considered "good books".

Maybe I'm just a snob but there are way better scifi books out there.

Not really a snob. I've read books that were great stories, but violated my sense of literary taste with either:

a) terrible dialog.
b) poorly planned endings.
c) environment over plot.
d) flat characters.

terrible dialog is my biggest pet peeve, and the one thing I simply can't get past when reading.

[SCpoloRicker]

I'm a huge literary snob; so I'm getting a kick out of a lot of these replies...

[kruger]

Robert Jordan Wheel of Time series. The first 8 books are good reads, then they taper off a bit.

My all time favorite book is Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard. I dont beleive in his Dianetics theory, but he does write a great Sci-fi story. Also, by Hubbard, the Invasion Earth series. I laffed my *** off on those books. Excellent read and very entertaining. Nearly got divorced trying to get thru those. There are ten of them.

[conbon]

Marine Sniper. Follows a sniper through nam, till he gets in an accident at the end and.....Oh wait, I don't want to spoil anything.