What Have You Been Reading?

[chickenstrip]

I thought there had already been a thread about this a while ago, but I couldn't find it again, so:

Been reading anything good lately that you'd recommend?

I've just finished re-reading Heinrich Harrer's "The White Spider", a history of attempts on the North Face of the Eiger, having been reminded of it by another thread here recently, and having met Eric Jones, who (unbeknownst to me at the time) has climbed it himself.

So, I was looking for something else to read. I'm going to be moving house soon, and have decided that none of my actual books will be coming with me, as I've been using my Kindle for some time now, and would like to save the space wherever I end up next. So I was looking through them all, and deciding which ones I need to replace with e-versions.

Here are a few:

Chickenhawk, by Robert Mason; Vietnam Huey pilot story.
Legionnaire, by Simon Murray; an Englishman in the French Foreign Legion in Algeria, 1960s.
Eiger Dreams, by Jon Krakauer; a series of short mountaineering/climbing stories.
Touching The Void, by Joe Simpson; most people have heard of this one I think, since the film.
If they're the kind of things you like to read about, I highly recommend these.

Some new ones I haven't yet read:

Thin White Line, by Andy Cave; climbing/mountaineering.
Beyond The Mountain, by Steve House and Reinhold Messner; mountaineering.
Citadel: The Battle of Kursk, by Robin Cross; military history, the largest tank battle ever fought.
The First And The Last, by Adolf Galland; military history, Galland was one of Germany's top fighter aces during WW2.
Das Reich: The March of The 2nd SS Panzer Division, by Max Hastings; self explanatory. I have always found Hastings to be an excellent military history author.
In The Face of The Enemy, (A Battery Sergeant Major at war), by E. A. Powdrill; I confess, bought cos it was cheap, but sounds interesting - he fought in France in May 1940 to Dunkirk, and returned through Normandy in 1944.


As you'll have gathered, I'm a fan of military history (all periods), especially, but not exclusively, first-hand accounts from the battlefield. I also love good true-life adventure stuff, mountaineering, arctic/Antarctic travels and exploration etc. I love to read about people who put themselves through physical hardship, and how they cope with the situations they find themselves in, whether it be voluntarily, or forced upon them.

I always have a bit of a struggle to think of anything that I might like beyond these subjects, but at least there's always a lot to choose from here. Anything you can recommend?
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[Snipet]

Completely off your usual military genre of books but my favorite series of books is the 'Sword of truth' series by Terry Goodkind.

Closely follwed by the 'Dark Tower' series by Stephen King, and the 'Along came a spider' series by James Patterson.

All great reads and really draw you in to the story line, But all complety different genres.
Sword of Truth - Fantasy
Dark Tower - Fiction (ish)
Along came a Spider - Detective/Crime
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[chickenstrip]

I've always been a bit of a Stephen King fan actually, but haven't got around to the Dark Tower series yet. One of these days I will. I'm not really a great fan of horror generally though.

I'm not sure what else I'd go for fiction-wise. Whatever genre it was, it'd have to be well written, as the style is as important to me as the subject matter.
I think I might like some good "outlaw" tales; know of anything that might fit the bill?
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[Snipet]

The 'Dark Tower' arn't horrors by any means, more of a story about a man trying to reach this dark tower.
And all the problems and experiences inbetween. I supose you could put it under an outlaw kind of genre.
Has some great story twists and turns, and a great one at the end.
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First Bike: Pulse Rage 125cc Second Bike: Kymco KR Sport 125cc Third Bike: Kawasaki ZR7-S 750cc
Forth Bike Honda VFR 750cc Fifth Bike Honda NT650 Deauville Fifth Bike Suzuki GSX650F

[Suntan Sid]

Been wading my way through Stephen King's "Dreamcatcher", all a bit X-files so far.
I've recently re-read "Spycatcher", well worth a read if you haven't read it. Illustrates the shambolic machinations of the government and secret services of the time.
Before someone comes along and says "it all been refuted", well they would say that wouldn't they!
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"Everybody needs money, that's why they call it money!"

[Rogerborg]

Project Gutenberg science fiction bookshelf.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[chickenstrip]

Hmmm, not sure about SF. I don't know why, but I've always avoided it up til now. My only reading in the genre is H. G. Wells and Ray Bradbury, when I were't lad. If you had to pick just one SF book - or perhaps more realistically, one author - with a view to getting someone into the genre, what would you choose and why?
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[Boris the spider]

Read most of the books by James Patterson.

Now working my way through Ian Rankin.

Which is quite enjoyable being a cop in Edinburgh. Can relate to the stuff and know the areas he has in the books
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Yes I'm a pig....And yes... The working public do pay my wages. Tho I contribute to your benefits you lazy c##t. You do not pay my wages. So go fcuk yourself.

[Slacker24seve...]

Two Le Carre books:

The Spy that Came in From the Cold
His first spy novel and one of my favourite thrillers ever. Lying, double crossing, killing and plotting at the height of the Cold War. Absolutely superb and still wins awards now, the pacing and detail is phenomenal. A must read if you're even vaguely interested in spy novels or thrillers in general.

A Delicate Truth
Le Carré's most recent. Mixed feelings about it, overall it was good. However I saw the ending coming a mile off and it was all too clear who the goodies and baddies were from the start. What was really good however was the insight into how private companies are taking over aspects of our national security and how secrets are for sale.

Out of reading material now, will be making a trip to the library this week.
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Triumph Daytona 675 track bike + girlfriend's Honda Hornet 600
Selling a hack/winter bike for less than a grand? PM me.
Banger rallies are ace

[hellkat]

Been caning the Kindle recently, picking up cheap books (not any free Gutenberg ones, as yet, though) ... but I found a fab new author called Louis Maistros, writing about New Orleans. His latest is called The Sound of Building Coffins. It was pretty good, mostly about "po black folks" in late 19th century New Orleans. Had a sort of enchanting quality though, building a bit of the magic and mystery of New Orleans into it, by implying the story was also about the birth of Jazz, with a sort of constant percussive tone popping up now and then throughout the story.
https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51bY8T2aVCL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

Also, before that: Anarcho Grow, about an American guy growing weed in Costa Rica to support contras in Nicarag, but also how the CIA is on his tail. Pretty good, ending as to be expected.

https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61TYe7zuVqL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
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Not nearly as interesting in real life.

[nowhere.elysium]

[Slacker24seve...]

Chickenstrip: re: military history, the best military non fiction I've read this year was Churchill's Wizards. It's the story of the origins of deception, subterfuge, misdirection and camouflage since the beginning of the First World War. It's a little uneven but the detail fleshing out the people involved and their stories is great.
____________________
Triumph Daytona 675 track bike + girlfriend's Honda Hornet 600
Selling a hack/winter bike for less than a grand? PM me.
Banger rallies are ace

[chickenstrip]

[Rogerborg]

[GhostRider]

[Tracey Suntan-King]

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. Not sure what genre it falls into definitely not SF.

It was published in the 80's after a mother found the manuscript among her son's papers 13 years after his suicide.

I'd recommend it as it's very funny and before you ask, no, it's not about BCF.
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Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're probably right

[Suntan Sid]

[Clanger]

I tend to read crime thrillers.

The last book I read was Relentless by Simon Kernick, and the next one 'waiting to be started' is The Crime Trade by the same author.

I buy most of my books from the British Lion's bookshop, so its usually pot-luck as to what I end up reading. But I've only been disappointed by one of my choices, so far so good.
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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter won't mind - Dr. Seuss

[bamt]

In a similar vein to forgotten voices, "Voices from Chernobyl" by Svetlana Alexievich. It's an oral history of what happened when the plant went up.

Quite harrowing stuff, from survivors and their families about the disaster itself and the subsequent clean up - way beyond anything I'd seen or heard before.

Some truly brave people there, and also highlighting the difference between the Russian psyche and ours.

[swampy]

[moncada]

[GhostRider]

[chickenstrip]

[chickenstrip]

[chickenstrip]