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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: oldbike54 on February 01, 2016, 02:20:26 PM
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We have some Winter coming to Okieland . Have been reading more lately , currently about 1/2 way through John Cleese's autobiography , an amazing insight into English culture in the 1950's and 60's so far . Any recommendations for lesser known books , any genre , well , except for conspiracy theory stuff :laugh:
Dusty
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No recommendations on a better read, but I do know that "My Hovercraft is full of Eels". Cracks me up every time I think about that Hungarian phrasebook sketch. Always been a fan, may have to pick up that book.
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The Golden Spruce"
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Heralded in the U.K. but pretty much unknown in the U.S. ... If you are enjoying Cleese's So, Anyway... for its cultural insights, you might also like Alan Johnson's This Boy: A Memoir of a Childhood. The fact that Johnson is a senior politician is beside the point that he writes beautifully about growing up in a London slum: http://www.amazon.com/This-Boy-Childhood-Alan-Johnson/dp/0593069641/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1454359395&sr=8-1
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In a similar vein,
A Field Guide to the British: the ANGLO FILES by Sarah Lyall http://www.amazon.com/Anglo-Files-Field-Guide-British/dp/0393334767/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1454362073&sr=8-1&keywords=A+Field+Guide+to+the+British (http://www.amazon.com/Anglo-Files-Field-Guide-British/dp/0393334767/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1454362073&sr=8-1&keywords=A+Field+Guide+to+the+British)
(funny, insightful, honest - and astonishingly, she's an American) (edit: don't attach any importance to the many negative reviews on Amazon - just a bunch of whinging Brits who don't like hearing the truth).
of course, (warning SPAM alert) not a patch on my own masterpiece :
Actually, I'm English: rediscovering my homeland on foot and by motorbike (link in signature below)
Nick
PS But if you just want a good read, it's hard to beat "The Road to Little Dribbling" by Bill Bryson
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The Wayward Bus. I think this is Steinbeck's best work.
Until the Sea Shall Free Them. A journalist's look at the sinking of the Marine Electric. A few errors of fact in there, but nothing that takes away from the power of the story. (I got off that ship a few months before she sank.)
One Man Against the World. A look at Richard Nixon. It's worse than you thought.
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oldie but a goodie: Trout Fishing in America. Richard Brautigan.
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there is a 10 volume set of books on the Revolutionary War if you are into that kind of historical documentary.
Prelude to Glory is the series, by Carter.
Excellent read.
author places fictional characters in the months leading up the War, and follows the War through these fictional characters. I sure learned how pitiful our history is taught in schools, and I have a minor in History.
anyway, very detailed and easy reading.
Old head
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The Third Life of Grange Copeland : Author: Alice Walker
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I read anything I can get my hands on by 2 Florida themed writers. Randy Wayne White's "Doc Ford" and "Hanna Smith" novels. Mystery and crime. Florida and Carribean settings. Also the madcap "Serge Storms" series by Tim Dorsey. More Florida madness about a serial killer with ethics and his stoner sidekick. (Soon to be a film series)
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:wink:
(http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag77/Penderic/Penderic047/flying%20story_zpsnmfgpvvb.jpg)
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I'm not sure that there is such a thing as an unheralded book that is worth reading, although there are lots of highly regarded books that are not widely read.
James Salter's A Sport and a Pastime is regarded by many as an American masterpiece, but how many people have actually read it?
Russell Hoban's Riddley Walker, which takes place in England after a nuclear war, is highly regarded (Anthony Burgess considered it a masterpiece), and apparently lots of filmmakers have tried (so far unsuccessfully) to turn it into a feature film, but how many people are prepared to read a book written in a made-up version of English, even if it's possible to figure out how it works after about 15 pages?
Richard Rhodes's The Making of the Atomic Bomb deservedly won the Pulitzer Prize and every other major US award, but who is aware of it today? His description of experimenting with the rods in a university gym in Chicago, and what happened in Japan, remain etched in my memory.
And then there's Flann O'Brien's At Swim-Two-Birds, a novel that, when he died, was a failure, but had the support of Dylan Thomas and Graham Greene, now regarded as a masterpiece of English literature.
My favourite read in the last year? Don Quixote. Unquestionably one of the top five novels that I have read. Why do I mention it? Because, while celebrated, very few native English speakers have ever read it. Which is a pity. It is magnificent.
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"Blue Highways" by William Least Heat Moon
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The Perfect Vehicle by Melissa Pierson.
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"Blue Highways" by William Least Heat Moon
Like the other books referred to so far, highly celebrated when it was published, perhaps less well-known today.
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No recommendations on a better read, but I do know that "My Hovercraft is full of Eels". Cracks me up every time I think about that Hungarian phrasebook sketch. Always been a fan, may have to pick up that book.
We used to work that into every possible daily dialogue session when I took Czech in the Army:
vaše vznášedlo je plné úhořů...
A book? Find Del Vecchio's "The Thirteenth Valley" Simply heartbreaking. One of the very few novels which I've read more than three times.
"Never So Few" by Chamales - outstanding and so much better than the Sinatra vehicle.
"Warpath and Bivouac". Finnerty's tale of being "imbedded" before it was a "thing. From the Chicago Times - he was with Crook"s fascinating campaign following the events of 1876.
"Fup" and more - "Not Fade Away". Two fantastical tales from Jim Dodge. Easy and very, very fun reads.
Track down Andrew Vachss and start his "Burke" books from the first, "Flood". Dark anti-hero, he.
Todd.
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The Perfect Vehicle by Melissa Pierson.
"Blue Highways" by William Least Heat Moon
Both really good books :thumb:
Dusty
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Dust-man
This:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castles_of_Steel
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Dusty...if you're interested in the decline of the Brit aristocracy (1950's-1070's), you might like Julian Fellowes' "past Imperfect". a bit long but he's a great writer (Downton Abbey). Interesting book.
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Dusty...if you're interested in the decline of the Brit aristocracy (1950's-1070's), you might like Julian Fellowes' "past Imperfect". a bit long but he's a great writer (Downton Abbey). Interesting book.
I am interested in all manner of things . Amazing how a good writer can take a seemingly boring subject and make it interesting . Thanks for the replies folks , better get busy . Keep it coming .
Dusty
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that would be 1940 to 1970
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that would be 1940 to 1970
Kind of figured that :laugh:
Dusty
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Citizen Soldiers
Troops on the ground in Europe from D-day to VE-day.
Explains to me why Dad never talked about it. And why his collection of his few war souvenirs and his medals were nowhere to be found when my siblings and I cleaned up Mom and his house when they were both gone.
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Another heralded book that few people have actually read.
War and Peace.
Took me four tries. The trick is to get past the first 50 pages, chock full of Russian names, and not worry about any of them. Just plow through it.
Once I got that far, I couldn't put it down. It took over my life and I wound up reading it in a week.
Without doubt, the finest novel that I have ever read.
A week or so ago, the BBC started airing a TV serial version that is getting great reviews.
Which is great, but the novel is so powerful.
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Oh hell Rob , I've started W&P at least once a decade since high school . 30 pages, confusion sets in, the book gets away .
Dusty
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Oh hell Rob , I've started W&P at least once a decade since high school . 30 pages, confusion sets in, the book gets away .
Dusty
I so understand. Power through the first 50 pages and don't worry about who is who or what is going on. These pages aren't particularly important, and shortly after Tolstoy starts focusing on individual characters, and starts hitting the narrative, at which point the book (for me at least) is un-put-downable.
And if one has any interest in Napoleon, and what happened during that era, this is not just great writing, but essential reading.
Beyond that, make sure you use a translation that works for you.
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I have 172,000 books in my small library. Read several of them. (Liaison to Community Libraries for Yukon Territory).
You want fiction? Try on 'Bees' for a bit of Britain. My favourite recent book? 'Stealing Speed'. Yeah... that one. I'm buying a copy to put int the public collection.
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and for a lengthy Winter killing read; Thomas Mann's "The Magic Mountain" takes you to new heights. :laugh:
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Connie , no doubt I need to read Stealing Speed . Is it more about Walter Kaaden , or Degner and Suzuki ?
Dusty
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Setting Free the bears ---- A motorcycle adventure story set in Europe. Part in the sixties and a pre history set during WW2 in the Balkens. A sort of double story. One of my favorites.
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Gorkey Park
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Last Fall I was really smitten with The Fool's Progress: An Honest Novel, by Edward Abbey.
Strangely enough, I found it by googling "A Fool's Progress," which had come to mind as a title for a motorcycle adventure in my youth.
Any way, it's an end-of-life novel, and honest, and funny, and deeply moving, to me. If you have any history of adventures in the western U.S. of 50 years or so ago, you'd probably find it evocative of them, like I did.
Moto
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Burmese Days by George Orwell. Nothing like the two novels he is so well known for.
Burmese Days is set in the rubber plantations of colonial India..
If you didn't hate women before you read it, you will afterward.
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Perhaps more easily aquired would be either 'Accordian Crimes' or 'Postcards' by Annie Proulx.
Neither ends happily.
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Perhaps more easily aquired would be either 'Accordian Crimes' or 'Postcards' by Annie Proulx.
Neither ends happily.
Yeah , great writer , she penned The Shipping News , and Brokeback Mountain .
Dusty
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The Floating Opera by John Barth
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Connie , no doubt I need to read Stealing Speed . Is it more about Walter Kaaden , or Degner and Suzuki ?
Dusty
Come on!!! That would be telling. Let's just say it is a brandy snifter, warm fire, one evening read.
It isn't a thinking read. It is an enthusiasts read.
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Perhaps more easily aquired would be either 'Accordian Crimes' or 'Postcards' by Annie Proulx.
Neither ends happily.
A novel about a motorcyclist, a deer, and life in Hawaii.
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Dusty,
Here is one with a motorcycle theme (at least beginning of movie), British power at its best and worst, and plenty of sand and dust.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Pillars_of_Wisdom
The desert crossing alone is worth the read. Superb.
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I dare anyone. Try reading Moby Dick.
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The Awakining of Intelligence by J.Krishnamurti
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I dare anyone. Try reading Moby Dick.
I've read it. We shouldn't be killing these intelligent creatures..
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I dare anyone. Try reading Moby Dick.
That's my favorite novel, without question.
Moto
(But it's not unheralded!)
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Dusty,
Here is one with a motorcycle theme (at least beginning of movie), British power at its best and worst, and plenty of sand and dust.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Pillars_of_Wisdom
The desert crossing alone is worth the read. Superb.
Oh gawd....tried to read it several times as a kid and could not.
Found it again when cleaning our the house I grew up in and couldn't put it down. Wore it out with re-reads and own a couple of different copies now. You know all that IED warfare in that part of the world ? We taught them how to do that...on camels.
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Perfect by Lew Paper.
Chronicles inning by inning the perfect game Don Larsen pitched in the 1956 World Series (NY Yankees vs. the Brooklyn Dodgers). Lew provides a very compelling biography about every player in the game. Reads like a 'Who's Who' from the golden age of baseball. Amazing the players that were in that game: Roy Campanella, Billy Martin, Duke Snider, Mickey Mantle, Pee Wee Reese, Yogi Berra along with a host of other recognizable names.
Must read for even the most casual baseball fan.
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Connie , no doubt I need to read Stealing Speed . Is it more about Walter Kaaden , or Degner and Suzuki ?
Dusty
The first third of the book is Kaaden, the next part is their collaboration and the last third was Degner escaping with his family and Suzuki. More or less.
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Last Fall I was really smitten with The Fool's Progress: An Honest Novel, by Edward Abbey.
Strangely enough, I found it by googling "A Fool's Progress," which had come to mind as a title for a motorcycle adventure in my youth.
Any way, it's an end-of-life novel, and honest, and funny, and deeply moving, to me. If you have any history of adventures in the western U.S. of 50 years or so ago, you'd probably find it evocative of them, like I did.
Moto
my favorite Edward Abbey quote
"Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul"
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True Grit (better than the movie(s), which I liked a lot)
City of Thieves (St Petersburg WWII)
Little Big Man (also better than the movie, which I like a lot)
The Southpaw (best baseball fiction ever,prequel to Bang the Drum Slowly). If you love baseball try "The Glory of their Times" best baseball non-fiction.
If you like bicycling "A Dog in a Hat"
all lightweight and thoroughly entertaining
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The Billion Dollar Spy - David E. Hoffmann
Red Notice - Bill Browder
Killing Pablo - Mark Bowden
Lawrence In Arabia - Scott Anderson
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Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions.
This is an 1884 satirical novella by the English schoolmaster Edwin Abbott Abbott.
Describes what the world is like from the perspective of 2 dimensional creatures, and one dimensional creatures, while satirizing Victorian culture.
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Okie man of desiccated clay, quartz and perhaps feldspar:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(novel)
The best SciFi novel of all time, in my opinion. Desert power!!
Classic quote:
"I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
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Books, actually: The Border Trilogy by Cormack McCarthy - enjoyed them more than his more heralded and cinematized works.
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Okie man of desiccated clay, quartz and perhaps feldspar:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(novel)
The best SciFi novel of all time, in my opinion. Desert power!!
Classic quote:
"I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
Read the book when it came out then saw the movie later. They were close with the movie.
Dean
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Not an easy or fun read but still a good read is Neal Peart's "Ghost Rider". I could empathize much with the author after the death of my first wife just short if 23 years. Neal Peart is an interesting and talented person.
GliderJohn
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If you are into sailing
The Last Grain Race by Eric Newby
Hauling grain from Australia to England before WW2
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If you are into sailing
The Last Grain Race by Eric Newby
Hauling grain from Australia to England before WW2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2vej3ujosM
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Not an easy or fun read but still a good read is Neal Peart's "Ghost Rider". I could empathize much with the author after the death of my first wife just short if 23 years. Neal Peart is an interesting and talented person.
GliderJohn
It was a good book. Heartwarming. A guide to work your way out of grief. Being a garage band drummer and rider, it had lots of hooks for me. I am not a huge Rush fan but they're OK, seen 'em in concert. I couldn't read his other books after a few pages.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2vej3ujosM
Dean,
Wasn't it the Pamir that disappeared without a trace, I remember at the time the conclusion was she just powered herself to the bottom, they weren't known for slacking off in foul weather were they?
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Books, actually: The Border Trilogy by Cormack McCarthy - enjoyed them more than his more heralded and cinematized works.
Thanks. :thumb:
In sort of the same genre, when I was a kid we had a set of hard back books written by Will James. I read them all, and still have them.. one of the few things that survived my parent's foray into selling antiques. :) It's obvious that he has BTDT, and tells what it was really like to be a cowboy.
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Appropriately enough, given the date, I'll throw out a recommendation for Buddy Holly Is Alive and Well on Ganymede by Bradley Denton.
It's an odd but compelling story, set primarily in southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma, so you'll recognize a lot of the places described. Considerable British motorcycle content, too.
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Thanks Jay , I'm on it .
Dusty
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Books that help make sense of the Middle East and the conflicts the west are embroiled in (my other obsession is the history of conflict from the Great War onward).
"The Wrong Enemy - America in Afghanistan - 2001 ~ 2014" by Carlotta Gall
"Dirty Wars" by Jeremy Scahill
one of the bet books on the Iraqi war - " The Assassins Gate" by George Packer
and and explanation on the origin of the current mess "Kingmakers: the invention of the Modern Middle East" by Rory Miller
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James Hall (for the person who liked Randy Wayne White)
Stoner - John Williams
Anything by Harry Bingham (interesting female protagonist)
Ken Follett's early works around WWI
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Tongue in cheek suggestions:
The Adventures of Tintin (all of them)
All of the Asterix Series
More serious suggestions, not exactly favorites, but interesting ones:
The Imperfect Spy - the story of Vladimiro Montesinos...who worked with President Fujimori in Peru, incredible schemes of corruption, bribery and drug trafficking
In the Footsteps of Marco Polo - an easy read of 2 adventurers who retraced MP's steps...there was also a video documentary you can probably find online
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Books, actually: The Border Trilogy by Cormack McCarthy - enjoyed them more than his more heralded and cinematized works.
I second McCarthys books. His 'unheralded' earlier novels are also fantastic: Suttree and Blood Meridian. Also No Country for Old Men. He has a very spare writing style that I greatly enjoy.
Another author that I find mesmerizing, with fantastically intriguing stories is David Mitchell; Cloud Atlas, the Bone Clocks, and The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. The above encompass all of the best books I have ever read.
Thanks for starting this thread, Duaty. It has produced a wealth of great ideas for future reads.
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Check out his first books like Outer Dark and The Orchard Keeper.He also wrote some plays like The Stone Mason.
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I second McCarthys books. His 'unheralded' earlier novels are also fantastic: Suttree and Blood Meridian. Also No Country for Old Men. He has a very spare writing style that I greatly enjoy.
Another author that I find mesmerizing, with fantastically intriguing stories is David Mitchell; Cloud Atlas, the Bone Clocks, and The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. The above encompass all of the best books I have ever read.
Thanks for starting this thread, Duaty. It has produced a wealth of great ideas for future reads.
Yeah , Cormack McCarthy wrote some great stuff .
Anyone here familiar with Jack Chalker ?
Dusty
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Yeah , Cormack McCarthy wrote some great stuff .
Anyone here familiar with Jack Chalker ?
Dusty
I haven't read a lot of his stuff. But from my limited exposure, Chalker's books are typically a mixture of SF & fantasy, populated by interesting/quirky characters. A decent read if you're looking for entertainment and not a lot of hard science elements.
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If you like biographies, "Life" by Keith Richards is fantastic. There is also a really great one about Nikolai Tesla, but the title escapes me.
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"Dry Store Room Number 1" - Richard Fortey. Part memoir, part explanation, of life behind the secret doors of the Natural History Museum in London, by the worlds foremost "Trilobite Man".
"Abominable Science" by Daniel Loxton & Donald R Prothero - Origins of the Bigfoot, Yeti, Nessie and other famous cryptids. Really great book looking at whats behind these myths.
"Kokoda" - Peter Fitzsimons. Story of the first major campaingn defeat of the Japanese Army in WW2, on the Kokoda Track.
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Appropriately enough, given the date, I'll throw out a recommendation for Buddy Holly Is Alive and Well on Ganymede by Bradley Denton.
It's an odd but compelling story, set primarily in southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma, so you'll recognize a lot of the places described. Considerable British motorcycle content, too.
ever read the "One Eyed Mack" series by Jim Lehrer? Yes, that Jim Lehrer.
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"The Amazing Adventures Of Gladys Stoatpamphlet and her intrepid spaniel Stig, amongst the giant pygmies of Beccles; Part 2".
By Charles Dikkkens. Well known Dutch author.
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"The Amazing Adventures Of Gladys Stoatpamphlet and her intrepid spaniel Stig, amongst the giant pygmies of Beccles; Part 2".
By Charles Dikkkens. Well known Dutch author.
A Python fan I see :laugh:
Dusty
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Longitude by Dava Sobel
How a farmer changed the world with a clock that could keep accurate time at sea
Some great insight on how the English became masters of long range navigation and ruled the seas because of it.
Quick read.
:-)
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Finished the John Cleese autubio a couple of days back , pretty interesting read , not much Python content . It does give some insight into the difference between celebrity in England and celebrity in America . The stories about Peter Sellers , David Frost , and some other British iconic figures were funny and informative , and the impression left by Cleese is one of a basic decency , not only regarding himself , but many others in the entertainment business in England .
Dusty
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"Empire Of The Clouds - When British Aircraft Ruled The World" - by James Hamilton-Patterson. Brilliant book I can't praise highly enough, I must have read it 4 or 5 times now. How Britain was at the cutting edge of aviation technology in 1945, and then gave it all away through government meddling, company lassitude and complacency, and just plain stupidity.
"The Quick And The Dead" by Bill Waterton. What it was REALLY like to be a company test pilot in the 1950s. Decidedly not glamourous.
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For light reading, Douglas Adams' Hitchiker's Guide series.
2 Years Before the Mast. It'll give you a completely different insight into sailing and California's early history. Also, author Dana's history is sad and interesting.
As mentioned before, not unheralded but what good books are?
Dusty, if you are interested in WWII Submarine stories, I have a nice little library I'd share.
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For light reading, Douglas Adams' Hitchiker's Guide series.
2 Years Before the Mast. It'll give you a completely different insight into sailing and California's early history. Also, author Dana's history is sad and interesting.
As mentioned before, not unheralded but what good books are?
Dusty, if you are interested in WWII Submarine stories, I have a nice little library I'd share.
We need to discuss that .
One of my favorite books was written by Richard Bach , Illusions , the Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah .
Dusty
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James Hall (for the person who liked Randy Wayne White)
Stoner - John Williams
Anything by Harry Bingham (interesting female protagonist)
Ken Follett's early works around WWI
I ordered some of James Hall's early stuff on fleabay, thanks!
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"The Road to Serfdom" by economist and philosopher Friedrich Von Hayek.
Tobit
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We need to discuss that .
One of my favorite books was written by Richard Bach , Illusions , the Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah .
Dusty
He's done many. Jonathan Livingston Seagull was the one that made him famous.. and wealthy. He suddenly found he could afford about any antique airplane that he wanted, so he started buying them. After a while, he realized that not only was he having to pay someone to maintain them, he was having to pay someone to keep them exercised. (!) What's the point?
Remembering his advice has kept my motorcycle collection in check. :) :)
His son, Rob, flies to the national and midwest antique airplane fly ins, and hops rides.
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The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. A wonderful surreal romp through the high strangeness of conspiracies everywhere and human loonacy weakness and strength. Funny as anything I have ever read, and with underlying meaning.
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The best book I've read in a really long time. It puts the history of the southwest in an entirely new context.
Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History
http://www.amazon.com/Empire-Summer-Moon-Comanches-Powerful/dp/1416591060
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I just finished A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. I'm not sure if it would qualify as unheralded. A terrific read though. Briefly it's about a curmudgeonly older man interacting with and recoiling from society as it changed around him, and, indeed, became involved with him despite his best efforts. It was surprisingly enticing, regardless of my crappy description. That and I didn't want to give too much away.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1476738025/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=96686193989&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9222740365729229205&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=t&ref=pd_sl_75uptx860o_b
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I just finished A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. I'm not sure if it would qualify as unheralded. A terrific read though. Briefly it's about a curmudgeonly older man interacting with and recoiling from society as it changed around him, and, indeed, became involved with him despite his best efforts. It was surprisingly enticing, regardless of my crappy description. That and I didn't want to give too much away.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1476738025/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=96686193989&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9222740365729229205&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=t&ref=pd_sl_75uptx860o_b
Hmmm.. Dorcia's book club is reading that as we type. Maybe I'll give it a go..
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Has anyone tried any Gutenberg project books?
They are free to download, usually books that are now old enough to be free.
On a motoring front I did discover there some works by CN & AM Williamson on the joys of touring by motor vehicle in the 1900s. almost completely forgotten now but the husband and wife team (think she actually did most of the writing, he was an editor of I forget what newspaper or magazine, we're talking 190?) were a popular read.
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"Earth Abides" by George R. Stewart. Post apocalyptic novel inked in 1949 that takes place in the 1940s in California, USA. Holds up well even now. 373 pages. Notable for it's detail as a small band of survivors attempt to rebuild civilization as they knew it. Books scope spans several decades.
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What a GREAT thread , who is the OP :grin: Seriously , what an amazing list of books , seems we are a well read group :bow:
Dusty
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Try not to break your arm, patting yourself on the back, Dusty.. (stupid emoticons still aren't working with Chrome) but picture a grin with beer.
Yeah, it's been good for me, too.
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The Long Walk or The Way BAck...both stories about the same events...
A group of Prisoners escapes from a Soviet Gulag in Siberia...and walk to India, thru Siberia, Mongolia, over the HImalayas and into INdia.
There was also a movie made...gripping story...although there is some doubt about its complete veracity, it makes for a compelling read and movie.
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A New Kind of Science - Stephen Wolfram
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my monthly issue of midget wrestling monthly is really about all I need. The photos are really awesome!
Oh, and MAD Magazine. What me worry?
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although I have no need for the mud wrestling I think MAD is pretty good.
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I just finished A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. I'm not sure if it would qualify as unheralded. A terrific read though. Briefly it's about a curmudgeonly older man interacting with and recoiling from society as it changed around him, and, indeed, became involved with him despite his best efforts. It was surprisingly enticing, regardless of my crappy description. That and I didn't want to give too much away.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1476738025/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=96686193989&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9222740365729229205&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=t&ref=pd_sl_75uptx860o_b
Read that. Wonderful book! Put it on your lists.
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Its an SF collection of stories, but "Apeman:Spaceman" contains some of the finest SF short stories ever written! IIRC in there are;
Surface Tension
The Man Of The Year 1 Million
A story about a bigfoot like creature playing american football
Not Final!
Goldfish Bowl
The Omnualingual.
and many more of superb quality.
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Shantaram, a powerful and descriptive story set in the underworld of Mumbai and the Middle East. A true story of an Aussie jail escapee by Gregory David Roberts. Also came to mind, Titus Groan and Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake, dark fantasy somewhere between Tolkien and Harry Potter. And then there's ...........
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I just finished A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. I'm not sure if it would qualify as unheralded. A terrific read though. Briefly it's about a curmudgeonly older man interacting with and recoiling from society as it changed around him, and, indeed, became involved with him despite his best efforts. It was surprisingly enticing, regardless of my crappy description. That and I didn't want to give too much away.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1476738025/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=96686193989&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9222740365729229205&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=t&ref=pd_sl_75uptx860o_b
I just finished this last night. If Ove was a motorcyclist, he'd definitely be a Guzzi Guy. :smiley: I really enjoyed it.. thanks!
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"Under The Skin" by Michael Faber. Its chilling.
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The new BBC production of War and Peace, which has received very positive reviews, can be downloaded for GBP 9.99. Dirt cheap.
Clive James's impressive essay in The Guardian about how it measures up to the novel and earlier film versions: http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/feb/13/clive-james-bbc-war-and-peace-measure-up
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The Early 70's version of War & Peace with Anthony Hopkins was excellent...I remember watching that series as a kid with my family...really well put together. Boris & Natasha and Pierre came to life on the screen as if they were in our living room!
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The Early 70's version of War & Peace with Anthony Hopkins was excellent...I remember watching that series as a kid with my family...really well put together. Boris & Natasha and Pierre came to life on the screen as if they were in our living room!
You should read Clive James's essay, which is free to read in the link that I gave. He talks about that and all the other film versions. It's a really good essay (not a review, it's a long form piece by someone who knows what he's talking about).
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You should read Clive James's essay, which is free to read in the link that I gave. He talks about that and all the other film versions. It's a really good essay (not a review, it's a long form piece by someone who knows what he's talking about).
Cool... Will do!