Good books to read

"Silk and Cyanide" is an excellent book based on true history during WWII but the beginning is a little far fetched even if it is all built on truths. Still, once you get past the beginning, it is a very good book.

There are a couple of good books based on true history with submarines, "Blind Man's Bluff" is one of them.

A very old good book that has been out of print for a long time, about the development of nuclear power is "We Almost Lost Detroit".

There is a book "The Taking of K-129" that is a good true history book.

And I will add a +1 on " Fate is the Hunter "

"The Week-End Pilot" is informative about the importance of having an IFR rating, and staying out of ANY IFR conditions if you are only VFR.
 
Last edited:
The Hunt for Red October was an excellent book IMO, as was Timeline by Michael Crichton.... or really anything else by him.

If you like fantasy/lore type stuff The Inheritance Cycle was excellent. It's more of a young adult type book, and the longest book is almost 900 pages, but I couldn’t put them down. Finished the last book in 4-5 days.

The Metro series (the video game is based off these) was pretty good.
 
“Six Frigates” - Ian Toll...epic founding story of the USN.
“The Making of the Atomic Bomb” - Richard Rhodes - a fascinating walk through science, geopolitics and history.
“When Genius Failed” - Roger Lowenstein - eye opening look into Wall Street.
“The Lost Fleet” six book sci-fi series by Jack Campbell. The story of Xenophon and the 10,000 set against an interstellar backdrop. A thoughtful study in leadership, character, and realistic space battles.

Anything, and I mean anything by Akhil Amar. A brilliant law professor at Yale with a fresh, detailed, nuanced understanding of the US Constitution. I’d read his books. Years later, I had a chance to hear him talk, and chat with him afterward. His genuine love for history, teaching, his students, and his passion for deeper understanding amazed me.
 
Astro14 said:
“Six Frigates” - Ian Toll...epic founding story of the USN.
“The Making of the Atomic Bomb” - Richard Rhodes - a fascinating walk through science, geopolitics and history.
“When Genius Failed” - Roger Lowenstein - eye opening look into Wall Street.
“The Lost Fleet” six book sci-fi series by Jack Campbell. The story of Xenophon and the 10,000 set against an interstellar backdrop. A thoughtful study in leadership, character, and realistic space battles.

Anything, and I mean anything by Akhil Amar. A brilliant law professor at Yale with a fresh, detailed, nuanced understanding of the US Constitution. I’d read his books. Years later, I had a chance to hear him talk, and chat with him afterward. His genuine love for history, teaching, his students, and his passion for deeper understanding amazed me.
Click to expand...
Richard Rhodes' book about the Manhattan Project is a great read. Still occasionally open it again for selected pages. I was nine years old and fast asleep five miles away as the Trinity Site bomb components passed through Albuquerque on their way south on US-85(Fourth St)
 
kschachn said:
"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage" by Alfred Lansing (then followed up by "Shackleton's Boat Journey" by Frank Worsley)
"The Man-eaters of Tsavo" by John Henry Patterson

Those are the two at the top of my list and you will find quite the cult following for anything Shackleton.
Click to expand...
From what I've read, Shackleton was very much a real-life James T. Kirk.

Alistair Maclean once had a character say, "When everything is dark and all hope is lost, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton."
 
53' Stude said:
Good evening folks. I have read most of my books I have at home. Anyone have any suggestions for new or old books I should lol into reading. I even read a few Earnest Hemingway books.
Thank You in advance
Click to expand...
'53, you've opened the Pandora's Box. I'll keep it simple, though:

Classic detective fiction: Ellery Queen (the "American Sherlock Holmes") and John Dickson Carr (the master of the "impossible" crime and locked-room murder story). EQ's work is available in e-format; not sure about Carr, but their books, hardcover and paperback, can be found on Abebooks.com. EQ's The Siamese Twin Mystery and Cat of Many Tails (an early serial killer story, but not gory) are dynamite, as is Carr's The Three Coffins.

Private-eye fiction: Someone mentioned Hammett and Chandler. You might also like the early Spenser novels by Robert B. Parker, a devotee of Chandler's. Parker also wrote Westerns and two other mystery series, set in the same universe as Spenser.

Science fiction: Anything by Larry Niven (Ringworld, Neutron Star), including his collaborations with the late Jerry Pournelle (The Mote in God's Eye, Lucifer's Hammer)..

Fantasy: Niven wrote some fantasy (The Magic Goes Away), but one of the classics in the field is Empire of the East by Fred Saberhagen. A sort of hardboiled Lord of the Rings, but much more compact and even more vivid.

Westerns: Jack Schaefer (Shane) and Loren D. Estleman (White Desert, The High Rocks).

Non-genre novels: John Steinbeck. He wrote more clearly than most of his contemporaries; you always have a story to follow. East of Eden is what I consider his masterpiece, but Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday are great as well, and quick reads. Also The Wayward Bus.
 
Last edited:
I read everything and all the time. Thousands and thousands of titles of every genre of fiction and non-fiction. I have one favorite book. It speaks to me for some reason. The movie they made from it was decent too.

Amazon.com: Rocket Boys (The Coalwood Series #1) eBook : Hickam, Homer: Kindle Store

Rocket Boys (The Coalwood Series #1) - Kindle edition by Hickam, Homer. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Rocket Boys (The Coalwood Series #1).
www.amazon.com
 
Been reading a lot of Stephen King lately...just finished the Dark Tower series and Joyland.

The Dark Tower was a long long ride. Joyland was a great short book (only 280 pages). Reading Insomnia, now.
 
doublebase said:
Been reading a lot of Stephen King lately...just finished the Dark Tower series and Joyland.

The Dark Tower was a long long ride. Joyland was a great short book (only 280 pages). Reading Insomnia, now.
Click to expand...
Darn -- I forgot all about Stephen King. His 11/22/63 is an incredible time-travel novel. And even if you don't like SF or horror, find the collection Different Seasons and read the originals of the movies Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption.
 
Benzadmiral said:
Darn -- I forgot all about Stephen King. His 11/22/63 is an incredible time-travel novel. And even if you don't like SF or horror, find the collection Different Seasons and read the originals of the movies Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption.
Click to expand...
Yeah I‘ve read Shawshank Redemption, it was excellent. It’s funny, I was just talking about 11/22/63...someone suggested it to me this week. And my wife and daughter watched the series (They loved it).
 
With the craziness in the world I figured it was a great time to re-read Orwell's "1984." Last time I read that was over 20 years ago in HS. Good choice for a classic! "War is Peace." :unsure:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

53' Stude
Detective books recommendations
Replies
16
Views
800
Yah-Tah-Hey
Tharber
How to interview and hire the right Realtor
2
Replies
21
Views
881
AZjeff
GON
  • Locked
SVB loss was the reason the technology-focused lender attempted a $2.25 billion stock sale last week using Goldman Sachs as an adviser
2 3 4
Replies
61
Views
3K
M56959
C
Need help with selling and shipping online
Replies
6
Views
435
alarmguy
GON
Misleading headline regarding home foreclosures; is there any integrity in media sources?
2
Replies
33
Views
992
BMWTurboDzl
Back
Top