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2015-02-02 10:01 AM

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Subject: Book Recommendations?

Getting ready to go on a seven-day cruise and have a $50 Amazon gift card to download some books on my Kendle.  Suggestions?

Mark



2015-02-02 10:07 AM
in reply to: RedCorvette

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Subject: RE: Book Recommendations?

About a million

What sort of stuff are you interested in? Fiction? Non-fiction? Adventure? Horror? Comedy? Literature?

2015-02-02 11:47 AM
in reply to: ratherbeswimming

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Champion
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Sarasota, FL
Subject: RE: Book Recommendations?

Originally posted by ratherbeswimming

About a million

What sort of stuff are you interested in? Fiction? Non-fiction? Adventure? Horror? Comedy? Literature?

I like historical bios, techno spy stuff, sports-related.  Also enjoy re-reading some of the classic literature that I was 'forced' to read when I was in school.    

I downloaded 'Iron War', last night.  Been meaing to read it for a long time. 

Mark

2015-02-02 11:50 AM
in reply to: RedCorvette

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Champion
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Brooklyn, NY
Subject: RE: Book Recommendations?
I'm about 2/3 of the way through "The Boys in the Boat". It's about the 1936 US rowing team and their journey towards the gold medal race in Hitler's Berlin Olympics. It's sort of "Seabiscuit" meets "Hoosiers" and it's one of the best pieces of nonfiction I've ever read. It's like "Unbroken" in the sense that you read it and think, "I can't believe this is true and that I've never heard this story before!"

The aforementioned "Unbroken". If you haven't read it, you should, especially if you saw the movie, which didn't come close to doing the book justice.

As for fiction:
I just finished "The Goldfinch" which I really liked, and which was really popular. I also loved "The Art of Fielding".

If you're into that kind of thing, I enjoyed the Magicians trilogy. It's kind of like Harry Potter for grownups, but it's really edgy and smart.

"The Passage" and the follow up "The Twelve" from Justin Cronin-- post-apocalyptic series with a bit of a different feel than the usual zombie/plague story.
2015-02-02 1:07 PM
in reply to: RedCorvette

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Subject: RE: Book Recommendations?

Originally posted by RedCorvette

Originally posted by ratherbeswimming

About a million

What sort of stuff are you interested in? Fiction? Non-fiction? Adventure? Horror? Comedy? Literature?

I like historical bios, techno spy stuff, sports-related.  Also enjoy re-reading some of the classic literature that I was 'forced' to read when I was in school.    

I downloaded 'Iron War', last night.  Been meaing to read it for a long time. 

Mark

Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors

Lone Survivor

Into the Wild

Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster

Shadow Divers

On my to-read list:

Unbroken

Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa

 

2015-02-02 1:13 PM
in reply to: 0

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Chatham Ontario
Subject: RE: Book Recommendations?
Originally posted by ratherbeswimming

Originally posted by RedCorvette

Originally posted by ratherbeswimming

About a million

What sort of stuff are you interested in? Fiction? Non-fiction? Adventure? Horror? Comedy? Literature?

I like historical bios, techno spy stuff, sports-related.  Also enjoy re-reading some of the classic literature that I was 'forced' to read when I was in school.    

I downloaded 'Iron War', last night.  Been meaing to read it for a long time. 

Mark

Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors

Lone Survivor

Into the Wild

Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster

Shadow Divers

On my to-read list:

Unbroken

Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa

 




How was shadow divers? I have had the opportunity to dive with both the divers from the book. Can't say they impress me on a personal level aside from there accomplishments and their way of glorifying everything.

But I am betting it is still a decent book. Hopefully better written then "The Last Dive" Which covers the father son team that really did all the diving on the Uboat in this book. And did the majority of the work trying to identify the Uboat properly.

Cutting edge kind of dives in that time frame of technical diving.

Edited by Techdiver 2015-02-02 1:17 PM


2015-02-02 2:22 PM
in reply to: Techdiver

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Subject: RE: Book Recommendations?

Originally posted by Techdiver
Originally posted by ratherbeswimming

Originally posted by RedCorvette

Originally posted by ratherbeswimming

About a million

What sort of stuff are you interested in? Fiction? Non-fiction? Adventure? Horror? Comedy? Literature?

I like historical bios, techno spy stuff, sports-related.  Also enjoy re-reading some of the classic literature that I was 'forced' to read when I was in school.    

I downloaded 'Iron War', last night.  Been meaing to read it for a long time. 

Mark

Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors

Lone Survivor

Into the Wild

Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster

Shadow Divers

On my to-read list:

Unbroken

Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa

 

How was shadow divers? I have had the opportunity to dive with both the divers from the book. Can't say they impress me on a personal level aside from there accomplishments and their way of glorifying everything. But I am betting it is still a decent book. Hopefully better written then "The Last Dive" Which covers the father son team that really did all the diving on the Uboat in this book. And did the majority of the work trying to identify the Uboat properly. Cutting edge kind of dives in that time frame of technical diving.

No idea if it's better. Listened to it on a long drive a few years ago, but remember being sort of fascinated and frustrated with the attempt to identify what they found

2015-02-02 2:59 PM
in reply to: ratherbeswimming

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Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Subject: RE: Book Recommendations?

My recent books I read;

The Martian

Escape from Camp 14

The Coldest War

Farside

They were all good.

 

2015-02-03 8:10 AM
in reply to: #5089668

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Subject: RE: Book Recommendations?
Last 2 books I read were

Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer (first hand account of the 1996 Everest disaster)

Trizophrenia, Jeff Mallet (humorous book about the mind of a triathlete)

I recommend them both. Up next I think will be The Climb, which is basically a response to Krakauer's book challenging parts of it, and the book by Beck Weathers about being left for dead on the mountain.
2015-02-03 11:25 AM
in reply to: braciole

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Subject: RE: Book Recommendations?

I loved Into Thin Air. I read it more than 15 years ago and loved it.  

I also really enjoyed Bill Bryson's 'Walk in the Woods' - i read it on a sunny vacation and was laughing out loud. 

I've read several WW1 history books lately - all good but a little depressing for vacation. 

And I am not sure how into the other stuff i've read you would be.  Teen lit is always good reading for vacation - did Hunger Games, Divergent, etc. 

2015-02-03 1:10 PM
in reply to: juniperjen

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Stevens Point, Wisconsin
Subject: RE: Book Recommendations?

Originally posted by juniperjen

I loved Into Thin Air. I read it more than 15 years ago and loved it.  

I also really enjoyed Bill Bryson's 'Walk in the Woods' - i read it on a sunny vacation and was laughing out loud. 

I've read several WW1 history books lately - all good but a little depressing for vacation. 

And I am not sure how into the other stuff i've read you would be.  Teen lit is always good reading for vacation - did Hunger Games, Divergent, etc. 

What World War 1 books have you read?  I love war history books and am always looking for a new one.



2015-02-03 1:56 PM
in reply to: Justin86

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Subject: RE: Book Recommendations?

Originally posted by Justin86

Originally posted by juniperjen

I loved Into Thin Air. I read it more than 15 years ago and loved it.  

I also really enjoyed Bill Bryson's 'Walk in the Woods' - i read it on a sunny vacation and was laughing out loud. 

I've read several WW1 history books lately - all good but a little depressing for vacation. 

And I am not sure how into the other stuff i've read you would be.  Teen lit is always good reading for vacation - did Hunger Games, Divergent, etc. 

What World War 1 books have you read?  I love war history books and am always looking for a new one.

Reading right now 'A Mad Catastrophe' by Jeffry Wawro about the war on the eastern front, particularly about the collapse of Austria-Hungary

Have read most of and awaiting it again from the library: The War that Ended Peace by Margaret McMillan - mostly about the geo-politics leading up to WW1.   (her other book Paris 1919 is good, have you read it? )

I guess that's just two - leading up to that I read about the War of 1812 in Pierre Berton's books (Canadian perspective but written in an engaging way)

2015-02-03 2:00 PM
in reply to: juniperjen

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Subject: RE: Book Recommendations?

Oh that's a misspelling on my part - it's Margaret MacMillan - not Mc

2015-02-03 2:02 PM
in reply to: juniperjen

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Subject: RE: Book Recommendations?

Originally posted by juniperjen

Oh that's a misspelling on my part - it's Margaret MacMillan - not Mc

Oh and to add - i really liked the Secret Race - by Tyler Hamilton. If you haven't read it already.  Fascinating look into the world of doping in cycling. 

2015-02-03 4:04 PM
in reply to: juniperjen

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Subject: RE: Book Recommendations?
I just started "In the Kingdom of Ice" and am really enjoying it so far. If you'd prefer South Pole instead of North Pole adventure, "The Worst Journey in the World" is excellent.

For more along the outdoors/adventure line, I've found the National Geographic 100 Greatest Adventure Books of All Time list to be a great place to go for book recommendations (a few have been mentioned already in previous posts): http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0404/adventure_books_1-...

I'll endorse the previous Krakauer & Bryson recommendations.

Erik Larson is one of my favorites for entertaining non-fiction...his newest comes out next month.

Mary Roach books are good for humorous/entertaining explorations of science.

Historical bios were mentioned...if you are okay with biographical novels, Irving Stone has plenty of good ones. John Jakes for American historical fiction.
2015-02-03 9:36 PM
in reply to: RedCorvette

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Minnetonka, Minnesota
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Subject: RE: Book Recommendations?
The fiction list can be huge. I am currently reading a historical fiction The Century Trilogy, by Follet, and on the last book. They are all long. It is interesting and probably good if you like Follet. I would only give it an OK. I really liked 11/22/63 by Stephen King.

Non-fiction: Many great selections above. I second that Bryson is a great vacation read, very funny.

If you haven't read Doris Kearns Goodwin's, "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln", I would highly recommend it.

Others:

Freakonomics and Super Freakonomcs, if you have never read them are interesting, as is

Outliers, and others by Gladwell.

The Omnivores Dilemma is really good.

Hawking: A Brief History of Time


2015-02-04 6:58 AM
in reply to: braciole

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Subject: RE: Book Recommendations?
Non-Fiction - A Higher Call by Adam Makos: WWII story about a German fighter pilot who escorts a wounded US Bomber to safety. Incredible story about told both from the American and German side.

Touching the Void by Joe Simpson: Similar to Into Thin Air, but a story of survival ni the Andes mountains.

The Boys in the Boat is on my read list too.

Fiction - I'm all about the terror fighting heroes, like Dewey Andres, Mitch Rapp, Scot Harvath and the like.
2015-02-04 9:53 AM
in reply to: Boilermaker

Extreme Veteran
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A'ali, Bahrain
Subject: RE: Book Recommendations?

Originally posted by Boilermaker I just started "In the Kingdom of Ice" and am really enjoying it so far. If you'd prefer South Pole instead of North Pole adventure, "The Worst Journey in the World" is excellent. For more along the outdoors/adventure line, I've found the National Geographic 100 Greatest Adventure Books of All Time list to be a great place to go for book recommendations (a few have been mentioned already in previous posts): http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0404/adventure_books_1-... I'll endorse the previous Krakauer & Bryson recommendations. Erik Larson is one of my favorites for entertaining non-fiction...his newest comes out next month. Mary Roach books are good for humorous/entertaining explorations of science. Historical bios were mentioned...if you are okay with biographical novels, Irving Stone has plenty of good ones. John Jakes for American historical fiction.

Thanks for the link Boilermaker.  It look like a great list.  I would add my recommendation to theirs for The Long Walk, by Slavomir Rawicz.  A page turner.

2015-02-04 10:53 PM
in reply to: RedCorvette

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Bellingham, Washington
Subject: RE: Book Recommendations?
the recent Jack Reacher novel.
2015-03-15 6:38 PM
in reply to: BellinghamSpence

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Expert
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Timmins, ON. Canada
Subject: RE: Book Recommendations?
Some Historical fiction for you

The Orenda - by Joseph Boyden, great story about the interaction between the European and Native North American culture in the begining.

best book I have read in a while
2015-03-16 10:40 AM
in reply to: braciole


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Subject: RE: Book Recommendations?
I tend to like the classics...John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, etc.

I read a book a few years ago 'Man's Search for Meaning,' by Victor Frankl, and it's still by far one of the best books I've ever read. Life changing, in fact. But, deep...not sure if you're looking for deep or not.


2015-03-16 10:54 AM
in reply to: justinfss

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Subject: RE: Book Recommendations?

Originally posted by justinfss Some Historical fiction for you The Orenda - by Joseph Boyden, great story about the interaction between the European and Native North American culture in the begining. best book I have read in a while

And it won Canada Reads last year, didn't it? 

I haven't read any Joseph Boyden books but i've never heard anyone say anything negative about his books. My SIL was raving about two others of his. 

2015-03-17 3:08 PM
in reply to: juniperjen

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Subject: RE: Book Recommendations?
Originally posted by juniperjen

Originally posted by justinfss Some Historical fiction for you The Orenda - by Joseph Boyden, great story about the interaction between the European and Native North American culture in the begining. best book I have read in a while

And it won Canada Reads last year, didn't it? 

I haven't read any Joseph Boyden books but i've never heard anyone say anything negative about his books. My SIL was raving about two others of his. 




I am not sure if it won, I always mean to read all the books and follow the program, but then life gets in the way.

Of Boyden I have read three fiction and one book of short stories, all were amazing.
2015-03-24 12:07 PM
in reply to: 0

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Tejas
Subject: RE: Book Recommendations?
Originally posted by jmk-brooklyn

I'm about 2/3 of the way through "The Boys in the Boat". It's about the 1936 US rowing team and their journey towards the gold medal race in Hitler's Berlin Olympics. It's sort of "Seabiscuit" meets "Hoosiers" and it's one of the best pieces of nonfiction I've ever read. It's like "Unbroken" in the sense that you read it and think, "I can't believe this is true and that I've never heard this story before!"

The aforementioned "Unbroken". If you haven't read it, you should, especially if you saw the movie, which didn't come close to doing the book justice.

As for fiction:
I just finished "The Goldfinch" which I really liked, and which was really popular. I also loved "The Art of Fielding".

If you're into that kind of thing, I enjoyed the Magicians trilogy. It's kind of like Harry Potter for grownups, but it's really edgy and smart.

"The Passage" and the follow up "The Twelve" from Justin Cronin-- post-apocalyptic series with a bit of a different feel than the usual zombie/plague story.


I really enjoyed Boys in the Boat, thanks for the heads up. Unbroken, still working on. I finally worked my way through to the liberation of the POWs. Amazing what the human body can endure, triathlon doesn't even come remotely close to pushing the human animal to it's limit. I couldn't imagine enduring the liferaft ordeal, never getting to recoup and then getting tossed into a POW camp! I must say it took me a while to work my way through the prisoner part. I found the the sheer brutality of it depressing and difficult to read at times. I also think the writing is a bit choppy, but i imagine that is due to the actual timeline being a blur of concussions!

Edited by mdg2003 2015-03-24 12:07 PM
2015-03-26 2:57 PM
in reply to: RedCorvette

, Virginia
Subject: RE: Book Recommendations?

When Graveyards Yawn by G. Wells Taylor. Its the first book of a trilogy. Not really my type of book but I got hooked. Very different.

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