Books you have enjoyed reading

billandamy

New Member
Oct 22, 2007
3,043
Southwest CT
Boat Info
2008 205 sport. MonsterTower wakeboard tower.
Engines
5.0 mpi (260 hp) alpha one drive with 19p ss prop.
I am a book hound, and devour a good amount per year. Most of them are along the lines of fantasy/sci fi.

My favorites in the last year or so have been:

"His Dark Materials" series by Philip Pullman (The Golden Compass movie is based on the first of the 3 books) which is simply an incredible read. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Dark_Materials

Stardust by Neil Gaimann was a cute little novel that I found interesting. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stardust_(novel)


Ok, laugh if you will, but finally the Harry Potter series is still among my favorite series of all times, almost equal to the LOTR series (including the Silmarillion and Unfinished tales)
Anyone else read the series? I am currently reading through the entire Harry Potter series again (3rd time now) and am on the Order of the Phoenix.

LOTR of course is my all time favorite, including all of the books before and after the main story.

So what books do you enjoy? Which do you find you read again and again?
 
My favorites recently have been in the non-fiction, revisionist history vein. '1421' is a book by an English amatuer historian (and former British nuclear sub captain) that delves into how the Chinese may have made maps/charts of their global voyages prior to the European explorers. The book presents 'evidence' that Columbus, Magellan, Vaso de Gama and others had these maps/charts (or copies of them) that 'led' them to their 'discoveries'. A fascinating book.

Another non-fiction bit of more mainstream history is '1491' (1492 being the year Columbus discovered the New World). The gist of 1491 is what the Americas and the American Indians (Native Americans?) were like before being 'discovered'. The new thinking on that front is nothing short of amazing.

The third one that I found so fascinating is "Where Troy Once Stood". That book, by a Dutch amatuer historian, puts forth the idea that the Trojan wars were not in ancient Greece and ancient Turkey, but were in fact in England and the Channel. Further, that the "Oddesey" was not in the Mediterrean, but in the Atlantic and Caribbean. Fun to contemplate.
 
Text books for MBA program.....Ohhhhnevermind...just saw you said "enjoy"
 
Text books for MBA program.....Ohhhhnevermind...just saw you said "enjoy"

I enjoyed getting my MBA.

The only fiction book that I have read more than once (next reading will be number 8) was The Count of Monte Cristo. Kind of a dark book.

I average 40 to 50 books a year, mostly fiction along the lines of the John Sanford "Prey" series.
 
agree highslice but there is a LOT to read in short times. I am enjoying it for sure
 
i'm a non-fiction reader myself. Adventure

some of my favs
"Into Thin Air" -story of the mount Everest disaster by a writer on the expedition.
"Shadow Divers" - story of some divers that found a German U boat off the coast of NJ.
"Into the Wild" - written by the same guy that wrote into thin air.
"In the Heart of the Sea" - Story of the whaling ship The Essex

that's what I read this year. I can't read too many good books because I can't put them down until I finish, and work suffers.
 
I read dozens of books a year. Easy to do since I don't watch television or movies, so I have the time. Keeping on target with boats... Nelson Demille's Plum Island Lots of water, a few boats in it, but no Sea Rays.

And as pure wishful fantasy, Vince Flynn's Term Limits. Mmm. Just thinking about someone cleaning up the pork barrel politicians in D.C. gives me a nice warm feeling. Writing is only fair, but I really like the idea!

Best regards,
Frank
 
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Most books I read are IT books and they are not cheap kinda like boating. The only other book I've read recently was Florida Firearms Law, Use & Ownership by Jon H. Gutmacher, Esq. but that is just because the crime around here seems to be getting worse and more violent so the admiral and I have decided to arm our selves
 
"In the Heart of the Sea" - Story of the whaling ship The Essex

Aha...I actually have this in my car. A friend of mine and I traded some books, that is one of the titles among the trade. He said it was one of his favs ever. I read the first couple of chapters so far to see if I would be into it. Looks like a very interesting read.

As soon as I am done with the HP series again, that is my next book.
 
I spent a whole weekend on the boat reading that damn book. I couldn't put it down.
 
I have always enjoyed Carl Hiaasen's and Dean Koontz, though Koontz get's a little to far out there for me at times.
 
Techno-thrillers (Clancy and other military writers) and sci-fi fantasy are my favorites. I try to read 1 book per weekend. Frank..great authors and great titles. Loved Demille's "Charm School" If you like sci-fi fantasy try James Rollins. He tells a great tale and I've enjoyed everyone of his books.

Starting James Paterson's Sailing this weekend.
 
Sci-Fi and Fantasy for me, too. Trouble is, if I find a good book I can't put it down and nothing gets done until I finish it, so have to limit my reading. Hanging out on the hook is a great time for reading.

Favorites are Anne McAffrey, Larry Niven, Orson Scott Card, David Eddings, and of course Arthur C. Clarke.
 
I really enjoyed reading Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet. Its a little bit lengthy (about 1000 pages) but is a terrific novel set in medieval England.
 
I really enjoyed reading Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet. Its a little bit lengthy (about 1000 pages) but is a terrific novel set in medieval England.

Good book, but a little short on boating fun. On the other hand, Follet is a good story teller. If you liked Pillars of the Earth then you should also read World without End.


Best regards,
 
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I read Pillars this summer. . .an excellent book. Have the reviews for "World" been good?
 
I also read the LOTR series multiple time when I was younger. I still have them somewhere, along with all the other Tolkein stuff. THAT was a man with imagination!!

Like Frank, I also watch (almost) no TV or movies, so I've always got a book going. I read to be entertained, and my taste runs to military stories, espionage and mysteries. I've read everything I could get my hands on by W.E.B.Griffin, Steven Coonts, Tom Clancy, Ken Follet, Jack Higgins and Robert Ludlum. I have also consumed a number of James Mischner's (sp?) epics. It's a sorry commentary on the state of my brain, but I read so much that the titles all seem to blend together after a while!!
One book that stands out is Leon Uris' "Exodus". As a guy who wasn't much into history when in school, reading that really opened my eyes as to the complexities and background of the Israeli/Palestinian situation, and because it was written like a novel it didn't hurt a bit!

So many more to list, but I've already rattled on too long. Great to know that so many of my fellow CSR-ers share my love for reading. Now, If I could only break the 1st mate of her DVD habit..........

Cheers,

Bill
 
I've been reading: Blue Latitudes: Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before by Tony Horwitz. This book explores the genius of Cooks navigation and charting skills and the impact his discoveries had on native societies. The author visits many of Cooks ports. An excellent, intelligent and yet humorous read.
 

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