Good Books?

House of Wax

House of Wax

Active member
Although i don't have nearly as much time to read as I'd like to, I do enjoy it when I have the chance.  Anybody have any books to recommend that they really enjoyed?
 
What genre?  I'm always reading a few different books.


 


Here are some current writers of Crime Fiction/thrillers, stuff ?most? guys might like (not in any particular order, not at all inclusive, just off the top of my head):


-John Sandford


-Chuck Logan


-Jonathan Kellerman


-Greg Iles (pretty literate for thrillers)


-Craig McDonald


-Lee Child


-Andrew Vachss (for thrillers with a message, he's one of the good guys)


-Stephen Hunter (best guys-with-guns, if only because he always gets the tech right)


-Philip Margolin (pretty literate for thrillers)


-James Ellroy (but some of his stuff makes you want to take a shower; his Blood's a Rover was his best IMO)


-Thomas Taylor (not really a good writer, but he *KNOWS* executive/personal security and IMO is worth a read if only for that info)


 


While these guys sure aren't writing High Literature, they aren't bad and won't insult your intelligence.  I'm usually reading/rereading something by one of them along with my "more serious" reading.  I just reread most of Sandford's canon and I'm currently rereading Kellerman's Billy Straight..it's not all that often that I find "schlocky modern fiction" good enough to revisit, but I'll reread stuff by all the above guys.
 
I always seem to be drawn more towards non fiction....military stuff, history, cars, sports, etc....stories always are more interesting to me when you know it actually happened
 
Ah, then how about Rick Atkinson's WWII trilogy?


 


Heh heh, that's leaving aside the question of whether nonfiction/history is really what happened ;)  I suspect that the vast majority of the "nonfiction" I read in my younger days sure deserved those scare-quotes.
 
Then I'm *certain* you'd enjoy those.


 


Oh, I'd mentioned Stephen Hunter- he wrote a (nonfiction) book called American Gunfight about the attempt to assasinate Harry Truman that I really enjoyed.
 
Guess I should throw in some stuff I've read and enjoyed as well:


 


Apache by Ed Macy


No Easy Day by Mark Owen


Lone Survivor


American Sniper by Chris Kyle


Seal Team Six by Howard Wasdin


In The Company Of Heroes by Michael Durant


Black Hawk Down


Iron Fist Lead Foot by Frank Moriarty
 
I'm somewhat of a history/ economics geek... I will list some books I thoroughly enjoyed over the past few years.  (I would give you a brief synopsis of each... but that's what Google's for, lol.)


 


The Wisdom of Crowds 


Liar's Poker


The Federalist Papers


The Sellout (Charles Gasparino)


 


*EDIT*  add one from WWII-  Helmet for my Pillow
 
Dellinger- I oughta read The Wisdom of Crowds some day...It's often referenced in [my various studies] but I've never actually read it.


 


Good for you, being familiar with The Federalist Papers!  Heh heh, silly us, thinking they're still relevent, huh?  ;)


 


Who wrote Helmet for my Pillow?  It sounds SOOO familiar!


 


You got me thinking how I failed to mention Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely.


 


(You also prompted me to italicize the titles!)
 
Accumulator:


 


The Wisdom of Crowds is good... definitely some thought provoking stuff there.  


 


Regarding The Federalist Papers, Yes, most relevant.  Truly some hard reading considering the English written/ spoken/ context of the era... but everything the United States has seen in the past/ is seeing today/ will see in the future... the authors already discussed.  Pretty brilliant if you ask me.


 


Helmet for my Pillow was written by Bob Leckie.  He was with the 1st Marine Division ("The Old Breed") on Guadalcanal and I believe was wounded at Peiliu.  (Personally am more interested in the Pacific Theatre than the European regarding WWII.)  I was prompted to pick up this book after watching the HBO series called The Pacific.  (Maybe you saw it?  I don't think it was nearly as stellar as Band of Brothers.)


 


Regards,


-Gabe
 
Huh, I'd heard of that Unbroken experience on some TV show but somehow the book slipped under my radar.  Thanks for mentioning it.


 


Dellinger- Yeah, my wife and I watch all those historical series shows (currently watching The Roosevelts ).  Yeah, I'd remembered that Helmet for my Pillow  was Pacific Theater, I think it's been referenced in some of my other reading.


 


dschribs- Gee, "best book I've ever..." huh?  That's some mighty high praise!
 
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