[GreatEscape2004]

I've noticed that there are quite a few folks on here who read, either a lot or even occasionally. I thought it would be nice to hear what people like, what the're reading now, something they read in the past and would recommend, etc.

For me, I like a variety of book/novel genre; detective stories, mysteries, spy stories, westerns, military technothrillers, things like that. I also like a biography if it is someone I find interesting (I've read biographies on Chuck Yeager, Gen. Norman Swartzkopf, Gen Colin Powell, recently read Doris Kearns Goodwin's excellent 'Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln' ). However, I am most partial historical novels; those books about real times and/or places with a fictional character to help tell the story. Those are the James Michener or Leon Uris type books.

I'll post this now to explain the topic in general, then I'll post another with my current readings. Feel free to post anything you want, whether to comment on a posting, or to talk about your own readings. Maybe you read to learn, maybe you read just for pleasure.

I hope folks enjoy the sharing. I love books (I have a hard time purging my own collections, much to my wifes chagrin), and have always been an avid reader, since I was little.

 

[GreatEscape2004]

To "prime the pump", here it what I'm currently reading.

I am currently reading books by a husband/wife team of archaeologists (Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear) that deal with prehistoric North America. The first ones I read 4 years ago, dealt with the ancient tribes of the southwest, the so-called "Anasazi". They are the people that built and lived in the cliff dwelling, like Mesa Verde. These people lived from approximately 1200 B.C. to A.D. 1300. The stories try to help us understand how they lived and possibly, how they felt about each other, others around them, and the world in general. There are 3 books in the Anasazi series (The Visitant, the Summoning God, and Bone Walker). I have now "rediscovered" the Gears, and am now reading my third book dealing with eastern North America. Each book deals not only with a different region, but usually also a different period in time. THe first one for me (and the most current from the Gears), was "People of the Weeping Eye", about the mississippean tribes of the Mississippi Valley and Tennessee, in about 900AD. I then found in a library yard sale, the book "People of the Nightland", dealing with Ontario, New York, and upper Pennsylvania, around 13,000BC, when most of what is now Canada and Newfoundland was still covered by glaciers. It describes how the people lived near (and sometimes in) the huge ice floes, and what events may have driven then out into the woodlands. Currently, I am reading "People of the Lakes", of the East-Central woodlands & the Great Lakes, around 100AD. It show a lot about early tribes trading goods from their different regions, and about developing earth-based religious beliefs, and how they evolved and sometimes clashed.

The stories are excellently written; very vibrant and alive characters, and the descriptions of cultures and the infrastructure of civilizations are done in a way that is relevent to the story line, without sounding like archeological textbooks.

There are 15 books in the new series, and they run about 500-600 pages, so I'll have to take breaks to read my other likes (I generally have a couple of books going at onece, but try to keep them of different types so as not to confuse my brain), but I'm looking forward to reading them all.

-Dave

 

[Dasha]

I'm a book whore ....always have been since I learned how to read.

Love all kinds of books......recently read The Shack by William P. Young......I highly recommend this book! Very thought-provoking. Last weekend I read My Sister's Keeper.....haven't seen the movie but since the book is always better, figured I'd read it. I enjoyed that one too and it was also thought-provoking. One of my favorite books is an autobiography by Booker T. Washington titled Up from Slavery. It just made me go WOW, what a man!!!!!!

I like true crime novels and of course, go crazy for children's and young adult literature! Some of my favorite authors are Phyllis Reynolds Naylor and Kevin Henkes.

The book I want to read next is called The Man Who Made Lists: Love, Death, Madness, and the Creation of Roget's Thesaurus by Joshua Kendall.

 

[stone]

Charles Dickens.

Daphne de Maurier.

**
Richard Steinbeck.

Bryce Courteney.

Issac Asimov

###

There are, other authors i am partial to.

I am flexible.

It all depends on my mood.

~~~~

This can vary from science fiction, thrillers, adventure, plus including mystery and anything historical.

I also enjoy, giving hobby magazines a perusal.

##

Magazines i am partial to are:

"Scale model trains" as in, the hobby Camus is pursuing.

" Amateur Radio". Kenwood, Icom, Alinco and Yaesu. :thumb:

" Computer" magazines.

" Photography" magazines. :drool:

*********

 

[Ajax]

I really like Tom Clancy's "Jack Ryan" series of books (the same ones they made movies out of, including The Hunt for Red October, Clear and Present Danger etc etc) but, as Dasha says, the books are always better than the movies. Some of Micheal Crichton's (R.I.P.) books are excellent, including one of his last, State of Fear, which not only tells a slightly unbelievable adventure story but shows his views on the environment and society, complete with a essay and bibliography at the end! I very highly recommend this book.

Recently I've been browsing through the front of the bookstore, with all the clearance books and picked up an interesting historical book, The Most Evil Men and Women in History. 13 chapters I think, one for each person including Caligula and Nero, emperors of Rome, Torquemada, the Spanish Inquisitor, Ivan "the Terrible" all the way up to Pol Pot and Idi Amin ("star" of the Last King of Scotland, a very good movie). A very interesting read.

 

[Colleen]

I love to read too, and usually have a book going most of the time. I also agree that the book is always better than the movie. :thumb: Dave, I can relate when you say you have a hard time getting rid of books. I have boxes and boxes of them.

My favorite authors include: James Patterson, John Grisham, Stuart Woods, Patricia Cornwell, etc.
One of my favorite books of all time is: A Woman Of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford, and the sequel, Hold The Dream.
I used to get into Stephen King and Dean Koontz back in my younger days. I am always looking for recommendations on good books.

Recently read books include: The Shack, recommended by Dasha. Real good book. Also just read The Associate by John Grisham. It is about a young lawyer who is being blackmailed by something that took place back in his college days. Real good page turner.

I am currently reading: Swimsuit by James Patterson.

Btw, GREAT idea for a topic, Dave !!! :thumb:
Edit:
Just finished Swimsuit. Awesome book !!! It starts out with this model being abducted and then she is eventually killed. This is apparent within the first few pages so I'm not giving anything away. It turns out that the guy who killed her is a serial killer. Fast paced and action packed. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Started it last night and finished it up tonight.

Now I'm going to read Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson. A love story. :thumb:

 

[futameca]

Good Thread! :clap:

Three Cups of Tea was good.

Of course the wifey read the Twilight books so I had too. :bag:

I read alot of Clive Cussler and his Dirk Piit hero books. Adventure on the high seas... save the world sort of thing.

Read alot of other books, but nothing note worthy.

 

[GreatEscape2004]

I'm glad people are responding positively to this thread!! If your not reading anything at the moment, let us know about your favorite books, even if there are more than one (like me; to many to chose from).

Good Thread! :clap:

Three Cups of Tea was good.

Of course the wifey read the Twilight books so I had too. :bag:

I read alot of Clive Cussler and his Dirk Piit hero books. Adventure on the high seas... save the world sort of thing.

Read alot of other books, but nothing note worthy.

futameca, the "nothing note worthy" books are the best! I also have read most of Cusslers Dirk Pitt books. Loved them all and the history events he weaves into them. I have heard good things about "Three Cups of Tea"; I'll have to look into it.

I'm a book whore ....always have been since I learned how to read.

Love all kinds of books......recently read The Shack by William P. Young......I highly recommend this book! Very thought-provoking.

Dasha, it was your recommendation of this book and Colleen's response that suggested the idea for this thread. Thanks for the inspiration.

Speaking of inspiration, my wife just finished, and highly recommends a book called "Still Alice", by Lisa Genova. It is a novel concerning early onset Alzheimer's disease, and tries to give an insight into this frightening disease. The book is a novel, not a biography, but the author does an excellent job portraying the confusion, then fear, of how it robs you of your identity. While the book is about early onset, my wife got it to help her try to understand the changes her mother has gone through (she is 85). It is not always an uplifting book, but that is the reality of how it works.

For myself, I finished my latest Prehistoric North American novel that I described earlier, so now I'm going to read something a little different. I went to the library and got 2 books, Andrew Greeley's "Irish Gold", a suspense novel with 2 heroes, a student from Trinity College in Dublin, and a young man from Chicago, who goes to Ireland to learn more about his Irish immigrant grandparents. I haven't read Andrew Greeley for quite a while, and it appears he has made a series around this couple (kind of a Thin Man relationship, I think) and there are 12 books currently, so if it is any good, I guess I'll have to read them all!

Colleen, you mentioned James Patterson; i have recently become a fan. I read "Beach House" and "Beach Road" back in the spring, and last week picked up two more from the library book sale, "Judge and Jury", and "Honeymoon". They are on my futures list.

Happy reading everyone!

 

[Colleen]

Hi Dave :hi:

Please let us know how Andrew Greeley's series goes. I love it when authors carry characters throughout their books. Nice to hear that you are getting into James Patterson. I recall reading all of the books that you mentioned with the exception of Beach Road. Hmmm......how did I miss that one? I normally grab his books as soon as they hit the shelf. He has written a number of books with the Character, Alex Cross. I do have quite a few of his books that I have purchased but have not gotten around to reading yet. In my opinion, he is an exceptional writer. He grabs and takes hold of your attention often from the very first page. Not a good idea to read one of his books before bedtime unless you are not in a hurry to go to sleep. His books have often kept me up until the wee hours of the morning. :lol:

 

[CrashNburn]

tom clancy is awesome!!

the last books that i read were called On Combat, and On Killing. they are written by a psychologist who is ex military. he explains how we pretty much made it easier for us to kill each other. and on combat tells about how training has evolved in the military to make better smarter faster and more reactive soldiers.

 

[Dasha]

Dasha, it was your recommendation of this book and Colleen's response that suggested the idea for this thread. Thanks for the inspiration.

No prob!!!

 

[megascape]

a great read from a new author is called http://www.amazon.com/Ashes-Rise-Novel- ... 54&sr=8-26
quickest read i ever had if you like military/fiction novels. A few type O but it's awesome.

 

[GreatEscape2004]

Colleen, I started reading Patterson because his books that I've read are based around the Long Island ritzy communities (at least the one's I've read so far). I'm also a fan of Nelson Demille, and two of his books ("Gold Coast" and it's sequel "The Gatehouse") are also about that region. I enjoyed them so much that I am always on the lookout for similar stories. I've never been there (well, did an overnight business trip once, but not to that area), but years ago I read Tom Wolfe's "Bonfire of the Vanities" and it hooked me on that lifestyle. By the way, Nelson Demille is also a favorite author; wide ranging subjects that are deeply researched. His book "Up Country" is a fascinating spy story based in post-war VietNam. I also recommend "Charm School" about a Soviet spy school, "Plum Island" about the world of bio-research and terrorism, and "The General's Daughter" about the abuse of power in the career-military (also a good movie with John Travolta).

Megascape, I read the reviews on the book link you posted, and it is definitely on my short list now. I am originally from Michigan, so I was immediately attracted to that aspect. Thanks for the lead. BTW, Amazon recommended that people who bought that book also bought Cormac McCarthy's book "The Road". I read that last summer and it was great, and very different. It is about a father and young son, who's names are never mentioned, who make a post-apocalyptic trip cross-country, trying to find a rumoured surviving community. Very creepy, but an excellent read.

C&B, I read many of the early Tom Clancy books, and my favorites are still "Hunt for the Red October" and "Red Storm Rising". I love the technology part of his books because I spent 25+ years working for a company heavily involved in military technology. Have you ever read Dale Brown? He wrote some books similar to Clancy, but with an Air Force spin. Look for "Flight of the Old Dog", about a B-52 that is used as a test bed for the latest in stealth technology. Remember that it was written before F-117, F-22, or F-35 (FYI, I've worked on parts of those last two planes).

-Dave

 

[megascape]

"The Road" that will be my next book. i think they are making a movie based on that book with Danzel Washington called "the book of Joe" it will be out 1-1-10. i read a review about it last year and said to myself, it sounds worth seeing it on the big screen
thanks for the recommendation Dave..

 

[latan]

We've been watching the tv series Bones and found the novel Bare Bones by Kathy Reichs that the series is based on. Currently half way through it and it is good so far. Will have to check what other novels the library has by Kathy Reichs.

One of my favourite authors is Dr Karl Kruszelnicki - though his books are science books, rather then fictional. I've just finished reading his latest book "Science is Golden". Topics in this included "Will the Large Hadron Collider destroy the Earth adn the Universe? Is the purpose of the peacock's tail to attract females? And in the unlikely event of a plane crash, are some seats safer than others?
If you like Mythbusters, I'm sure you will enjoy his books. Some of his topics from his earlier books have been done on Mythbusters which has made me wonder if he was the inspiration to the series.

Otherwise I get to read plenty of childrens books - the 3 little pigs is a favourite at the moment with my daughter and a Deigo Animal Rescuer with my son.

 

[Colleen]

Finished Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson a while back. This book is just so so. Not one of his better ones in my opinion. Took a break from reading in order to study for tax tests.

I am currently reading South of Broad, by Pat Conroy. Just started it ( on chapter 2) but I feel that this is gonna be a good one !! The setting is Charleston, SC, one of my favorite places.

 

[GreatEscape2004]

Hi Dave :hi:

Please let us know how Andrew Greeley's series goes.

Well Colleen, I finished the Andrew Greeley book a few weeks ago; I hate to have to report it, but I didn't enjoy it. I suppose it is a good book (was Book of the Month Club Main Selection when it came out), but it just wasn't what I thought it was. More like a Nora Roberts book, more romance than thriller. And he spent too much effort trying to write the West Irish accent. The female lead was from there, and the Chicago born Irish-American guy kept trying to talk like here throughout the book. I don't think I'll be reading any of the other 12 in this series.

On the plus side, I discovered a book with a new twist. I love cheesy westerns and I love mysteries, and I discovered an author named Steve Hockensmith, who has wriiten 3 (up to now) books referred to as the "Holmes on the Range" mysteries (also the name of the first book), about two red-headed brothers in around 1894-95, how are dollar-a-day cowpunchers, but would like to become detectives,like their serialized hero, Sherlock Holmes, that they read about in the magazines. Gustov/Old Red (the oldest brother) and Otto/Big Red (the younger brother, and narrator) commence to "deducifyin' " after a murder occurs on the ranch where thay are working, The characters are great, the mysteries are provoking, and the stories are written with humor in the dialog. I've already read three books, and am trying to find the fourth (and most current). Guys (and gals), if you like westerns, I highly recomend these.

 

[Colleen]

Hi Dave :hi:

Please let us know how Andrew Greeley's series goes.

Well Colleen, I finished the Andrew Greeley book a few weeks ago; I hate to have to report it, but I didn't enjoy it. I suppose it is a good book (was Book of the Month Club Main Selection when it came out), but it just wasn't what I thought it was. More like a Nora Roberts book, more romance than thriller. And he spent too much effort trying to write the West Irish accent. The female lead was from there, and the Chicago born Irish-American guy kept trying to talk like here throughout the book. I don't think I'll be reading any of the other 12 in this series.

.

Hate that for ya, Dave ! Guess it goes with the territory......we all get stuck reading books that are not up to par from time to time. I hope your next one is a good one!!!

I'm still reading South Of Broad by Pat Conroy. Haven't made much headway with it yet (on page 64 of 500....and tiny print), but from the sounds of our weekend weather forecast I should be able to knock a pretty good dent in it and possibly even finish it. We shall see.
Oh, and I must say that so far it is a very good book. :yes: I just haven't done too much reading this week.

 

[Colleen]

South Of Broad by Pat Conroy was one of the best books that I have read in quite some time. The book is centered around Charleston, SC, a place that I so love and enjoy visiting on a yearly basis. The streets and landmarks of Charleston and surrounding cities mentioned in the book are all familiar to me.
The book is about a group of close friends and their lives as children on through adulthood. This book and its characters totally engrossed me and I hated to see it end. It is 512 pages of very fine print. When it ended I was a little sad and hope that there is a sequel. The book contained a little bit of everything; action, mystery, comedy, romance…..
I would highly recommend this book. Dasha, I know that you will love this book. GE, I feel that you would like it too. If anyone decides to read this book, please let me know what you think.

Just finished the book Run For Your Life, by James Patterson. Very fast paced page turner about a serial killer. I thought it was very good. :thumb:

The book that I plan to read next is The Choice, by Nicholas Sparks. I will probably start it today.

 

[jonas1022]

I have The Quickie, by James Patterson.

Two copies actually, one paperback and one hardback. I won't be reading them. Anyone interested? Give me a PM.