Looking for good books to read...

[StreetScooby 5]

Going on vacation for a week, and looking for some good books to read. Anyone have suggestions? Thanks.

We are all engines of karma

[shropshire 0]

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[kallend 1,623]

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[dreamdancer 0]

'sirens of titan' by kurt vonnegut jr...

stay away from moving propellers - they bite
blue skies from thai sky adventures
good solid response-provoking keyboarding

[freethefly 6]

Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25439

I read it for the first time back in the 70s. I'm currently reading it again. Great book.

For a synopsis:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looking_Backward

"...And once you're gone, you can't come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black."
Neil Young

[AggieDave 6]

Are you looking for a fun fiction series to escape with or a political thriller? Or something non-fiction?

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[StreetScooby 5]

Quote

Are you looking for a fun fiction series to escape with or a political thriller? Or something non-fiction?

I'm pretty much open to anything. As long as someone thinks it's a good book, I'm going to take a look at it. I've never really been big into fiction. As soon as I perceive it violating the first law of thermo, invariably I lose interest

We are all engines of karma

[billvon 2,395]

>I've never really been big into fiction. As soon as I perceive it violating the first law
> of thermo, invariably I lose interest

In that case I'd recommend John J Nance. He writes aviation fiction and is a professional pilot; his fiction is remarkably accurate.

[Andy9o8 0]

Shalimar the Clown, by Salman Rushdie.

The plot reads like a fantasy/adventure story, Rushdie's prose is brilliant, and it's not too long - perfect for a "vacation book". Most public libraries should have it, if you don't want to buy it.

Here's Wiki review; but spoiler alert! - don't read the end of the review. The element of surprise is important throughout the story.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shalimar_the_clown

--------------------
Lincoln by Gore Vidal is excellent, too, if you like historical fiction. I can personally attest it does not violate the First Law of Thermo.

[AggieDave 6]

Quote

Quote

Are you looking for a fun fiction series to escape with or a political thriller? Or something non-fiction?

I'm pretty much open to anything. As long as someone thinks it's a good book, I'm going to take a look at it. I've never really been big into fiction. As soon as I perceive it violating the first law of thermo, invariably I lose interest

Vince Flynn, the Mitch Rapp series is a lot of fun.

I'm a huge fan, they are quick reads and a nice distraction.

Although recently I've been on a big zombie kick, alternating a fiction between every other non-fiction or so.

For that I would recommend starting with Day By Day Armageddon.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[BIGUN 1,051]

Flyboys: A True Story of Courage by James Bradley

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[1969912 0]

I've been rereading some Russian favorites lately.

Crime and Punishment by Fyoder Dostoyevsky is really good, but kind of a long slog.

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn is a very good short novel.

"Once we got to the point where twenty/something's needed a place on the corner that changed the oil in their cars we were doomed . . ."
-NickDG

[piisfish 135]

Any novel by Marcinko

scissors beat paper, paper beat rock, rock beat wingsuit - KarlM

[Skyrad 0]

Born to run. Great book regardless if you run or not.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Born-Run-Hidden-Ultra-Runners-Greatest/dp/1861978774/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313482158&sr=8-1

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[Skyrad 0]

Snap!! Haha! (I posted before seeing what everyone else had posted)

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[shropshire 0]

Great minds think alike ..... and fools seldom differ


Hi J - how ya doing?

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[StreetScooby 5]

Thanks for all of the suggestions!

We are all engines of karma

[Belgian_Draft 0]

Quote

The Art of Racing i the Rain

by Garth Stein.
I've read it three times just to be sure i like it.

HAMMER:
Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a
kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the
object we are trying to hit.

[Kennedy 0]

Born to Run

Any of the first seven Mitch Rapp books by Vince Flynn

Marcinko's Seal Team Six book. (not the fiction sequels)

Marine Sniper (about Carlos Hathcock)

Starship Troopers

Freakonomics

Gang Leader for a Day

Wingnuts

Idiot America

Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity

The Ten Things You Can't Say in America

(haven't read but have heard good things and they're on my amazon list)
Free Lunch
Perfectly Legal

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[Skyrad 0]

Born to run, great book. Marine Sniper very good interesting book.

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[maxwellman23 0]

The Bible

I am ALIVE!

[skydiver30960 0]

For a long but easy and fun read: Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. The plot is good but nothing out of the ordinary, other than the fact that it (mostly) takes place in Mumbai, India. What makes me read this book again and again and again is how incredibly he describes the Indian culture and people. I've never before read a book that makes me want to ditch everything, buy a backpack and go spend a year slumming in India. Simply awesome. And it's a thick book so it'd probably last you the whole week.

Another good read, but probably too short to be of value on a trip: The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. It's an commentary on the Vietnam War written in 1975 (IIRC), presented as first-rate, make-no-excuses scifi.

A book (and author) that I love but would not recommend for the faint of heart: Choke by Chuck Palahniuk. VERY graphic WRT sex and the human condition; but this guy writes with a style you just won't find anywhere else. Don't say "I saw Fight Club and it sucked." Trust me, this author is definitely his own animal.

Elvisio "keeper of the archives" Rodriguez

[Belgian_Draft 0]

Quote

The Bible

Kennedy already suggested that one. (Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity)

HAMMER:
Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a
kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the
object we are trying to hit.

[Kennedy 0]

Zing!

witty subliminal message
Guard your honor, let your reputation fall where it will, and outlast the bastards.
1*

[lost_n_confuzd 0]

Gates Of Fire - Steven Pressfield

Any book from the Sean King and Michelle Maxwell series by David Baldacci

Maybe not your cup of tea, but On Combat by Dave Grossman is a good read.