Posted on 07/25/2008 3:01:11 PM PDT by Stephanie32
(My first thread, hope I'm doing this right!)
The one book I think every American should read is the Pulitzer Prize winning book, Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 by Steve Coll
The Aubrey/Maturin series, by Richard O’Brian.
It will consume your life until you finish it. Seriously.
Gideon’s Spies- The secret history of the Mossad by Gordon Thomas
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Time and Again by Jack Finney
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
The Living Lincoln, Angle & Miers
In keeping with the recent Canteen threads on the Berlin Airlift, I’ll recommend Armageddon, by Leon Uris.
It's a really fast read, but it's incredibly touching and laugh-out-loud funny. The notes in the back indicate it's Twain's love letter to his wife.
If you want to feel better about yourself, read “My Life: In and Out of the Rough”... by golfer John Daly! :-)
Pillars of the Earth is excellent, as is the sequel, “World Without End”.... but, both books are also “without end”... clocking in at 1000 pages EACH!
If you want a thrill... try the series of books written by Vince Flynn that starts with, “Term Limits”. Now, THERE’s some good reading!
Have fun..
My Grandfather’s Son by Clarence Thomas was an excellent read.
You’re doing well. ‘Great’ is in the mind of the reader.
If you like baseball. Just finished an oldie Summer of ‘49 about the Yankee - Red Sox rivalry. If you are a young ‘un the names will not be familiar!
You will probably get a lot of suggestions. We are very good here at giving advice here. {;-) PS It will be good.
Men who have no courage, pride or self-esteem, men who have no moral sense of their right to their money and are not willing to defend it defend their life, men who apologize for being rich -- will not remain rich for long. They are the natural bait for the swarms of looters who stay under the rocks for centuries, but come crawling out at the first smell of a man who begs to be forgiven for the guilt of owning wealth. They will hasten to relieve him of the guilt - and of his life, as he deserves.”“Then you will see the rise of the men of the double standard - the men who live by force, yet count on those who live by trade to create the value of their looted money -- the men who are the hitchhikers of virtue. In a moral society, these are the criminals, and the statutes are written to protect you against them. But when a society establishes criminals-by-right and looters-by-law --men who use force to seize the wealth of disarmed victims -- then money becomes its creators’ avenger. Such looters believe it is safe to rob defenseless men, once they have passed a law to disarm them. But their loot becomes the magnet for other looters, who get it from them as they got it. Then the race goes on, not to the ablest at production, but to those most ruthless at brutality. When force is the standard, the murderer wins over the pickpocket. And then that society vanishes, in a spread of ruins and slaughter.”
“Do you wish to know whether that day is coming? Watch money. Money is the barometer of a society’s virtue. When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion - when you see that in order to produce, you need permission from men who produce nothing - when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors -when you see that men get richer by graft and pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you - when you see corruption being rewarded and honest becoming self sacrifice - you may know that your society is doomed. “
By the character Francisco d’ Anaconia in Ayn Rand’s book Atlas Shrugged
From a conservative perspective the must read book is “America Alone” by Mark Steyn. Does an excellent job of desribing the nature of the Isamic threat and the unique and civilization saving role of the USA.
They were written to sell the Constitution to the public. They argued a strong central government was good for trade and national defense.
They're part of our national history and used in Supreme Court decisions.
“Rise and Fall of the Third Reich” by William Shirer. Many eerie parallels to today’s events.
I enjoyed the two about the American Revolution (The Glorious Cause and Rise to Rebellion), the Mexican American War (Gone for Soldiers)and the the three about the Civil War (Gods and Generals, Killer Angels, Last Full Measure)
I have yet to read the WWI or II books he has written, but they are on my list.
Start with One For the Money....
Are you KIDDING me? Are you on the write forum? This is FR, not the Church of Oprah.
One set of historical novels/mysteries I enjoyed was the Benjamin January series by Barbara Hambly. These books take place in antebellum New Orleans. January, a free black man, was trained as a doctor in Paris, but can only earn a living as a musician in N.O. He plays a role in solving murders with the local police chief.
Next is the Amelia Peabody mystery series by Elizabeth Peters (aka Barbara Michaels). Peabody, her archaeologist husband, and young son travel to Egypt each season to conduct digs. On their travels they are involved in solving antiquities thefts, murders, etc. The series starts in the 1880's and runs through WWI. There's quite a few books in this series.
I'm also enjoying reading Tony HIllerman's Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee mystery series. They're Navajo tribal policemen. I just started reading the Charlie Moon mystery series by James D. Doss. Charlie Moon is a Ute police officer in Grant Creek, Colorado.
The last mystery series I've been reading is The Knights Templar Series by Michael Jecks.
Psalms - read daily
Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (get the old english unabridged edition if you can)
When I don’t Desire God - Fighting for Joy - John Piper
I second that recommendation.
I found his Berlin Diary on sale and read it this spring. Very interesting reading, but it would help to know some of the players beforehand.
The Prize, a Pulitzer Prize awarded, is a history of the petroleum industry from the Drake Well to the development of Prudhoe.
Biographical sketches of the main characters (many are characters, indeed), and how oil has affected the players in the world.
Try Crytonomicon by Neal Stephenson. I read it 5-6 years ago and just started to reread it.
Any of the Nero Wolfe books by Rex Stout. They are older but very entertaining. I have read them all about five times. Never get boring.
“Lobscouse and Spotted Dog”
‘Which it is a gastronomical companion to the Aubrey/ Maturin Novels’
by Anne Chotzinoff Grossman and Lisa Grossman Thomas
“Preserved Killick, none so pretty”
Stephanie32 would like to know if anyone's read any great books lately.
Sorry 'bout the ads on the side of the page, but it's a free page, so I can't do anything about it.
By the way, it isn't up to date. I finished Ender's Game; gave up on Triplanetary; moved on to Legend and The King Beyond the Gate.
Yes, nothing like Patrick O’Brian.
Best to start with Master and Commander, but any will do.
If you’re in the mood for something darkish, the epitomy of fine pulpfiction and noir, go for Jim Thompson. Books that punch you in the plexus. “Pop. 1280” - a good start. Short but intense.
I am listening to Clive Cussler’s ‘Plague Ship’. I have started reading a series of mysteries by Valerie Wolzien.
"Some Danger Involved" by Will Thomas
Private investigator in London, late 1800s. Kind of Sherlock Holmesian with a bit more violence and humor.
"Dissolution" by CJ Sansom
Henry VIII is confiscating the land, churches and valuables of the Catholic church. Murder is afoot. The best hunchbacked dwarf lawyer in England, Matthew Shardlake, (who works for Oliver Cromwell) is sent to investigate.
"The Religion" by Tim Willocks.
The siege of Malta, 1575 ad., The Knights Templar v. Suleiman the Magnificent. Very violent and bloody. Had that "wow" factor for me.
A friend of mine started a small imprint called Hard Case Fiction. He recycles forties-fifties lurid crime novellae and mixes them with new writers. Pretty good stuff.
A really good long read is the Berlin Noir trilogy by Phillip Kerr (March Violets, The Pale Criminal & German Requim). They are available in one volume. The series covers a Berlin detective pre-war, war years and post war in a dirty, dangerous Berlin. It's his best work by far. I take it off the shelf every four years or so and am constantly surprised by it still.
I got that for my grandson. We drove to Dallas to see/hear Justice Thomas. My grandson was thrilled, and loved the book. He wore his Gitmo t-shirt under another shirt and jacket.
I think Plague Ship was written by Jack DuBrul....just using Cussler’s characters. I read it last month.
Lonesome Dove.
Shogun.
By Robinson I really Liked Shark Mutiny, Barrcuda 945 and Scimitar SL-2 they are about Terrorism, Iran, China, Oil they are similar to Clancy but not so technical.
By Stuart Woods
I liked The Short Forever, Two Dollar Bill, Dark Harbor which revolve around a former cop Stone Barrington they are kind of like James Bonds meets Robert Parkers Spenser
and also by Woods a book called Beverly Hills Dead which I liked because it takes place in the late 40's and mixes in fiction and old hollywood so the detective might be out to dinner and at the next table was like Errol Flynn or some other actual person that was alive at that time although it is still fiction.
Fiction:
The “Flashman” series by George Macdonald Frasier;
The “Polesotechnic League” series by Poul Anderson;
Anything written by Robert E. Howard;
“Dune” by Frank Herbert;
The “Eric John Stark” stories and novels by Leigh Brackett; and
“Dorsai” by Gordon R. Dickson.
Nonfiction:
“Foreign Devils on the Silk Road” by Hopkirk, Peter.
“Jesus of Nazareth” by Pope Benedict XVI. One of the best books of all time, and the best book on Jesus that I’ve ever read, and I’m not Catholic.
DuBrul is listed as co-author. I like his books, too.
Since you’re a woman, if you’re tired of the leftist indoctrination in most fiction today, you’ll enjoy some classics in women’s fiction by Mary Stewart, 1960’s, especially “Airs Above the Ground.” There’s also an Arthurian trilogy.
And there’s always “Rebecca” by Daphne DuMaurier. She was a great writer.
You’ve probably read “The Shell Seekers” by Rosamunde Pilcher. If not, DO.
I wish more women would respond to your question because I’m just about read out on the good books.
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