Recommend a Book to Read

[LadySkinsFan]

The Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove

 

The Civil War meets science fiction.  An interesting book and a fun read.

 

The story deals with a group of time-travelling Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging members who supply Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia with AK-47s and small amounts of other supplies (including nitroglycerine tablets for treating Lee's heart condition), leading to a Southern victory in the war.

 

 

 

 

So I got this book and am about 2/3 of the way through it.  It is fascinating!  I recommend it for any Civil War enthusiast.

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

Uncommon by Tony Dungy changed my life.

[PF Chang]

If you like a dark fantasy, the kind without shiny heroes, Joe Abercrombie's The First Law. First book is The Blade Itself. Logen Ninefingers is as memorable a character as there has ever been in the fantasy genre.

 

Second this. As Logen would say, "that's a fact." 

[StillUnknown]

Just finished The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch. Its the 3rd book of The Gentleman ****s Sequence. I've enjoyed all three books so far.

[The Evil Genius]

If you like graphic novels, I'm on Volume 8 of the Preacher Series (there is 9 volumes).

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preacher_(comics)

 

It's very adult..but it will go down as one of my top 5 all time (provided the ending doesn't blow) of all graphic novels.

 

As for books, Ive been on a Neil Gaiman kick since I read American Gods..started his latest but got sidetracked by this Preacher series.

[StillUnknown]

If you like graphic novels, I'm on Volume 8 of the Preacher Series (there is 9 volumes).

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preacher_(comics)

 

It's very adult..but it will go down as one of my top 5 all time (provided the ending doesn't blow) of all graphic novels.

 

As for books, Ive been on a Neil Gaiman kick since I read American Gods..started his latest but got sidetracked by this Preacher series.

 

Seth Rogen is adapting Preacher for a series on AMC

[Destino]

Just finished The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch. Its the 3rd book of The Gentleman ****s Sequence. I've enjoyed all three books so far.

Meh. Locke was a victim the whole book and Lynch forgot to give us a reason why anyone, including Locke, should like Sabetha. The previous childhood infatuation didn't work with the now fully grown characters IMO.

[The Evil Genius]

Seth Rogen is adapting Preacher for a series on AMC

 

Yeah, I saw that a few months back and it's the reason I picked it up. Plus, it fits into my niche of fiction that I like.

 

 

This fits into teen fiction - but I just picked up Dorothy Must Die for the Kindle...I'll probably read it before jumping back into the Gaiman world.

 

 

 

I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.

 

But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?

 

Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but even that's crumbling.

 

What happened?

 

Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe.

 

My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.

 

I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked.

 

I've been trained to fight.

 

And I have a mission:

 

Remove the Tin Woodman's heart.

 

Steal the Scarecrow's brain.

 

Take the Lion's courage.

 

Then and only then—Dorothy must die!

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

If you like history at all, I HIGHLY recommend Colleen McCullough's "Masters of Rome" series.

The first book in the series is "The First Man in Rome". The series starts right before Caesar and then covers Julius and Octavius. I'm a history fanatic but I much prefer more recent history (20th Century--Cold War specially). That said, I can't deny greatness and "Masters of Rome" is ****ing outstanding. Think that HBO series "Rome". McCullough just kills it. Probably the best historical fiction series I've ever read. By a lot. And that's saying something.

Wiki link to the first in the series:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_First_Man_in_Rome_(novel)

[Dan T.]

I just finished Twelve Years a Slave.  This is the original narrative published in 1853 by Solomon Northrup, the free black citizen of New York who was kidnapped and sold into slavery.  The movie is based on his book.  

 

It's a harrowing tale, told in a fairly straightforward manner.  His courage and resolve are remarkable.  And it should be a must read for people like Fox News' Andrew Napolitano who argues that slavery wasn't so bad and that Lincoln should have just let it die out rather than prosecute the Civil War.

[LadySkinsFan]

Dan, I have this book too, and it's on my list next to read.

[Dan T.]

Dan, I have this book too, and it's on my list next to read.

 

 

Well worth the read.  An unblemished, first hand look at what a slave's life was like, at least on the plantations of Louisiana.  And it's also a remarkable tale of survival.

[zoony]

If you're into crime, look no further:

 

http://www.amazon.com/American-Desperado-Life-From-Soldier-Government/dp/0307450430

 

If you've seen the Cocaine Cowboys documentary, this is the same guy that was featured heavily, Jon Roberts.  It's chilling, absolutely hysterical and fascinating.  It's certainly not good literature but it's ****ed up story after ****ed up story of mafia violence, Vietnam violence, 80's Miami violence, drug smuggling, sex and excess.  One of the best parts is when OJ Simpson just barges into his house and spends a few days loading up on cocaine and Roberts has to put him on a plane back to Buffalo in time for kickoff.

 

You can read a better book, but you can't read a more entertaining book.  There are a lot of footnotes so I suggest reading it on a tablet or something so you can easily click on the footnotes rather flip pages back and forth constantly.

Awesome thank you. You have great taste in entertaining reads, I think it was you who recommended The Dirt to me several years back

[HogNose]

The Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove

 

 

 

So I got this book and am about 2/3 of the way through it.  It is fascinating!  I recommend it for any Civil War enthusiast.

Glad you're enjoying it.     Yeah it really is fascinating and makes you think what if.

[Old Bay]

Zoony actually recommended this book to me:

 

Empire of the Summer Moon. 

 

Non-fiction about how bad-ass Comanche indians were. 

 

I took him up on that recommendation, too.  Well worth it, great read.

The Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove

 

The Civil War meets science fiction.  An interesting book and a fun read.

 

The story deals with a group of time-travelling Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging members who supply Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia with AK-47s and small amounts of other supplies (including nitroglycerine tablets for treating Lee's heart condition), leading to a Southern victory in the war.

 

 

If you like this one try his Southern Victory Series, starts with How Few Remain.  South wins the war at Antietam and then it goes from there up until after World War II. 

 

I've got a reccomendation for you Don't Taze Me Bro.  The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher.   It's a combination of fantasy and noir mystery set in modern day Chicago. 

[G.A.C.O.L.B.]

Glad you're enjoying it. Yeah it really is fascinating and makes you think what if.

It's been at the top of my "to read" list for awhile now. Heard nothing but good things.

[visionary]

Almost tempted to check out some more Turtledove books to see what he's up to these days.  

I used to read a ton of his stuff, but got a bit tired of it after a while.

 

For those who haven't read much of his work yet, I'll mention some of his less well known stuff that I loved.

 

Two of his stand alone novels I really liked were Agent of Byzantium, and Ruled Britannia.  

The first is a book about a spy during the time of the Byzantium Empire, and the second is a novel set in a reality where Spain has conquered England and Shakespeare is something of a revolutionary against Spanish rule.

 

Justinian and Household Gods are good too, but darker.

The first one's about a brutal emperor from the p.o.v. of his closest servant/soldier and the second is about a modern day female lawyer who ends up in the Roman Empire.

 

Of Turtledoves series' one I really enjoyed was the War Between The Provinces series which is a fantasy version of the Civil War.  

I loved a lot of Turtledove's stuff, but this one was a bit more entertaining to me than the others.  

 

 

 

Oh and someone mentioned the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, which I love, so I'll add that his Codex Alera series is fantastic too (though I'm only like halfway through it so far).

[Old Bay]

Yeah, I got tired of Turtledove's style, it was very methodical and formulaic after a while.  But all that said, I still enjoyed it.  I haven't read the Codex Alera but it's on my list of books.

 

Rest of my shortlist:

Investigator Routledge Series ((WWI era Scotland Yard mystery) -RL Stine recommended it in an Entertainment Weekly and I figure I'll give it a go)

Catching up on the Anglo Saxon Series by Bernard Cornwell (everything I've read by him so far has been good)

[Zazzaro703]

I loved that series. Have you read Sanderson's two Stormlight Archive novels?

 

Not yet. I have the first one and was going to make it my beach reading last summer but decided to hold off. Ive read too many series lately (Game of Thrones, Wheel of Time) where I've had to wait years between books and it's just a pain in the ass. Wheel of time almost didn't get finished too after 10 one thousand page books if Sanderson hadn't stepped in and finished it. It's also now at the point where when the next game of thrones book comes out ill probably have to reread the last two books because everything is sort of hazy. So i think ill hold off on Stormlight Achive until he is at book 4 or 5. It's supposed to be his huge epic novel series so it's going to take a decade or more to reach a conclusion. I really like Sanderson's stories though so i have no doubt ill like this series.

[Zazzaro703]

Is it medieval fantasy or futuristic? 

Hmm id say it's neither. The way they have balls and the rich are above the poor it's sort of the like the early 1900s in an alternate dimension. But it's neither medieval or futuristic really i would say but even my previous sentence doesnt really do much for the sort of age it is set in.

[HogNose]

I took him up on that recommendation, too.  Well worth it, great read.

 

If you like this one try his Southern Victory Series, starts with How Few Remain.  South wins the war at Antietam and then it goes from there up until after World War II. 

 

 

Thanks, I'll check it out! 

[The 12th Commandment]

If you like history at all, I HIGHLY recommend Colleen McCullough's "Masters of Rome" series.

The first book in the series is "The First Man in Rome". The series starts right before Caesar and then covers Julius and Octavius. I'm a history fanatic but I much prefer more recent history (20th Century--Cold War specially). That said, I can't deny greatness and "Masters of Rome" is ****ing outstanding. Think that HBO series "Rome". McCullough just kills it. Probably the best historical fiction series I've ever read. By a lot. And that's saying something.

Wiki link to the first in the series:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_First_Man_in_Rome_(novel)

Have to thank you for suggesting these, they are great!    And there's so much to read.  Nothing I love so much as a hugely long book or series from an author whose writing style I enjoy.  I'm going to be busy with these for some time.

[zoony]

Great thread peeps keep it rolling

Gladwells new book David and Goliath is very good. Learn why a very large portion of entrepreneurs and successful people are dyslexic. Learn why Goliath never stood a chance against David. Learn why going to the most prestigious colleges can hinder your education. In typical Gladwell style take what you know and have been told your entire life and learn an entirely new point of view, one I guarantee you had not considered

[TheGoodBits]

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy was great. 

[pointyfootball]

Would love to see more posts with suggestions. 

 

Couple of recent books I've read that I really liked:

 

Horses don't fly (Libby), nonfiction. 

 

- Real-life-cowboy-turned-WWI-fighter-pilot's memoirs for first 20-some years of his life.  I thought the writing style fantastic.

 

The Rickover Effect (Rockwell), nonfiction.  http://www.amazon.com/The-Rickover-Effect-Made-Difference/dp/0595252702/ref=pd_cp_b_0

 

- Father of nuclear Navy, written by his former technical director, so maybe a bit biased, but an excellent read, especially for engineers, project managers, etc.  I've actually used some of the quotes at work, which is something I hardly ever do.

 

PF