Your favorite book

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mdlowry

New member
Can't pick just one

The Tomb by F Paul Wilson probably has to sit near the top of my list, along with the rest of the Repairman Jack novels. Some others I really like:

Watchers by Dean Koontz
Time Master by Robert L Forward, PhD
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A Heinlein
Enemy of the State by F Paul Wilson
The Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien

I recently pick up Unintended Consequences by John Ross, but I don't have that one anymore. I finished it in three days and had to pass it on. :)
 
N

NC-VT

New member
Off the top of my head:

Fiction: Watership Down; The Stand; Oh yeah, The Lord of the Rings

Non-Fiction: Into Thin Air; We Were Soldiers Once, And Young; Ah yes, The Prince

Hmm...

*Edited to add Lord of the Rings. Alright, someone else remembers Watership Down!
**Edited again, to add The Prince. Shoulda went back and read all the posts in the first place.
 
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Larry Wright

New member
For those of you that liked "Watership Down", try Shardik by Richard Adams, same author. Shardik is about a young, inexperinced man who befriends a bear and becomes involved in some wars of the sword and spear category. The bear under his direction becomes the "Goliath" for the provincial forces. It's basically about this young man's growth as he becomes more and more exposed to corrupting influences and other folks using him for their purposes.
 
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Spackler

New member
The Hunt for Red October - Tom Clancy
A Catskill Eagle - Robert B. Parker
Yeager - Chuck Yeager and Leo Janos
Without Remorse - Tom Clancy
Give a Boy a Gun - Jack Olsen
Nearly anything written by Arthur C. Clarke
Read a lot of Heinlein as a kid. I should go back and re-read some of his stuff.
 
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Stu Gotts

New member
favorite books

It is not easy picking a favorite, but you can not go wrong with anything by James Lee Burke or Stephen Hunter.
 
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Bill Barrett

New member
Right now I.m reading "Under Fire" by WEB Griffin, but my all time favorite is "Battle Cry" by Leon Uris.

I read it every few years and have since I was 15 (1965) or so.

I also like the Ashes series by William Johnstone and the Sharpe's Rifles series.
 
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LBC

New member
I just skipped to the end of the posts but I believe I may be repeating something here: since college, my two favorite books have been "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand and "The Razor's Edge" by W. Somerset Maughm. As a boy I loved "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London.
 
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Sierra

New member
Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer; Stilwell and the American Experience in China by Barbara Tuchman; Street Without Joy and Hell in a Very Small Place by Bernard Fall; Unintended Consequences by John Ross; Brute Force by John Ellis and Blackhawk Down are all exceptional.
 
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Jack19

New member
Lately, "Unintended Consequences" by John Ross. A must read for EVERY gun owner. Just finisned it.

"A Republic, Not an Empire" by Pat Buchanan.
 
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Penman

New member
Thanks for the reminders

of all the great books listed and not read in too long a time.

Moby Dick is worth it for one line alone: "It is not down in any map, true places never are."

Anyone who is interested in a admirably honest book about self discovery should look at: "Catfish and Mandala" by Andrew Pham. The author came to the US as a child, after his family escaped Vietnam. He returns with his bicycle, to cycle the length of the country and find himself.

For Sci-fi, "The Mote in God's Eye" by Niven and Pournelle is a favorite of mine.
 
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kjm

New member
I suppose that I couldn't narrow it down to one book. There are so many good ones. First I might say that the Bible is hard to beat if coupled with a basic religious education and a decent secular one too. The more I learn outside of religion, the more the Bible fascinates me on a secular level in addition to its spiritual value.

Secondly, I would say that it would have to be the book I'm on right now called "Hidden Order" by David Freidman. It is a laymans book of how economics works. It displays certain things in easy to understand terms. Fascinating reading. I plan on the Wealth of Nations next.

Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville is a good read too. The Federalist papers should be required reading as should the very best book written in the past 200 years: Common Sense by Thomas Paine. It makes you mad that somewhere, somebody threw away your inheritance of freedom and liberty. I hold that one particular generation in awe beyond any other. The WWII generation as much as they toot their horns don't come close. No generation of Romans could compare to the men assembled in the colonies in 1776-89. It is good reading written from a contemporary of themselves.
 
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bad_dad_brad

New member
Just my opinion, but if you want to read a chilling comentary on what the world could be without a free, informed, and armed populace, than read "1984" by George Orwell. This is my favorite book, because whenever I become complacent and docile, I read this, and I become angry, warry, and defensive.

"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on the human face -- for ever." - A quote from the book by O'Brien.

It is at once a political satire, yet a poigniant love story, and a stinging commentary on man's inhumanity to man. To see the definitive movie version, skip the vanilla fifties version, with the feel good ending, and go with the gritty film actually made in 1984 staring Richard Burton in his last role as the evil O'Brien. You will never forget his interogating sneer. William Hurt is the perfect Winston Smith. Read the book, watch the movie, then clean and load your weapons.

I detest Ayn Rand by the way. She goes too far in deifying the individual. I agree that original ideas spring from individual creativity, but it takes team work to bring the idea into reality.
 
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trapshooter

Moderator
Here are some:

Sci/Fi -
Heinlein - Just about anything, but in addition to 'Starship Troopers' try 'Glory Road', 'Citizen of the Galaxy', 'Podkayne of Mars', 'Beyond This Horizon', and 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress'.

Was it Asimov who wrote the 'Foundation' series?

Also, E.E. 'Doc' Smiths 'Lensman' series is fun, as is stuff by A. E. Van Vogt.

Doomsday type books -

'Alas, Baylon' by Pat Frank. Best of it's kind. Pretty 'friggin scary in the early sixties. Real believable back then, too.

War - (fiction or not)

'Das Boot' (The Boat), by Lothar-Gunther Bucheim is the most realistic book about submarine warfare ever written. 'The Last Battle' by Cornelius Ryan, the taking of Berlin.
'War in the Shadows, the Guerilla in History', Col. Robert Asprey. (really should have been 'Warfare in History, and How We Keep Doing It').

Strategy, Combat, War, Business -

One book has it all, the 'Go Rin No Sho' (Book of Five Rings, in English), by Miyamoto Musashi. How to win. Pay attention, it's not just about swordfighting. But, "Look out for the darkside, young Skywalker".

I could go on for a long time, but one very interesting book I have is 'The Tao of Physics' by Fritjof Capra. Very unique perspective on science and religion. (They aren't mutually exclusive, by a physicist, no less!) For after you finish The Bible a couple of times.

I liked 'Cryptonomicon', too. And 'The Hunt For Red October', etc., etc. 'The Old Man and the Sea'.
 
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Dagny

New member
1st and above all - TIME ENOUGH FOR LOVE by Robert Heinlein (and FRIDAY too)
"Tale of the Adopted Daughter" is the best (and even has a place where Dora helps defend her family by shooting a two-legged predator and yes, the geese at the end brings me to tears even now as I remember)
2nd - ATLAS SHRUGGED by Ayn Rand (and WE THE LIVING too)
note that Dagny doesn't flinch in her rescue of John Galt - she gives the guard an ultimatum, then shoots him when he refuses.

FOUNTAINHEAD was an exercise in self-flagellation

I'd also put both the DUNE series and the DRAGONRIDER series up near the top (and their recent prequels)
 
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mnealtx

New member
I'm a science fiction fanatic!

Asimov... yeah....

Heinlein.... OH yeah...

McCaffrey's Pern books are great reads, too.

With all the science fiction fans, I'm surpised nobody's mentioned:

David Weber
5th Imperium series: Mutineer's Moon is the starting book.

Path of the Fury: Still waiting for the sequel or prequel.

Honor Harrington series: Great space opera, a lot of historical referents, not to mention the lead character using a .45 to take care of some business at one point, and this in the umpeenth-how-many-years-ahead future. On Basilisk Station is the series starter. Bated breath waiting for the next book.

Lois McMaster-Bujold:
The Vorkosigan series: 'nuff said, in my mind - and probably in the minds of most people that have read them. Shards of Honor and Barrayar are lead-in prequels, and The Warrior's Apprentice starts the main character. Eagerly awaiting the next book.

Elizabeth Moon
Paksenarrion series: Good sword and sorcery type of series, didn't care for the ending of it, though. I'm still hoping that she'll write a couple more. Sheepfarmer's Daughter is the first book.

John Ringo: Good alien-invasion series, enjoyable light reading. Decent discussion of tactics. A Hymn before Battle starts the series. Another one that I'm eagerly awaiting the next book.

Steven R. Donaldson's:
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever - STILL cant believe that nobody mentioned these. Good fantasy books. The initial books are very heavy on 'world-making' - lots of description of the lands and peoples. Lord Foul's Bane starts the series.

I'd recommend any of these series to anyone that has an interest in science fiction or fantasy.
 
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45WORKS

New member
Three books by Carsten Stroud "Deadly Force: In the Streets with the U. S. Marshals", "Iron Bravo: Hearts, Minds, and Sergeants in the U.S.Army", and "Close Pursuit" are superb reads.

I do miss Wambaugh and his perfected art of cynicism. I hope he publishes something in the next five years.

I'm still working my way through Atlas Shrugged. Tell me she picks up the pace after the first 100 pages.
 
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