Some of your favourite or current books

[Kjesse]

Within the last year, my favorite was:

Blown for Good, by Marc Headley

This book is an account written by someone who was recruited by Scientology, ended up working at their headquarters, and eventually left... but it wasn't easy. Its not the best written book I've read in the last year, but I find the subject matter fascinating, it was a real page turner, and an eye-opener.

The year before, my favorite was:

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, by Alfred Lansing

Its a great fact-based account of a famous attempt to reach the south pole in the early 1900's. I read it while holed-up in a trapper's cabin in -20 degree weather (which added to the ambiance of the book), but this is a book anyone interested in exploration, the human spirit, or leadership, should read. I was sure they would all die in the end when I was reading it... of course, the tale has been told which means at least ONE person lived.... read it....it was first published in 1958, and some other books about the same trip have since been written, but start with this one.

[Redliner]

Tamar by Mal Peet is another good one for those who enjoy the WWII genre. It's marketed as a book for young adults but I'm in my mid-30's and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

In keeping with the military theme, Romeo Dallaire's Shake Hands with the Devil is a discouraging but essential read. Some of the statistics he provides are staggering, and the accounts of atrocities committed during the genocide are truly sickening, and made worse by the knowledge that it isn't just a story - it's real.

[JohnnyB]

+1 for Theo Fleury's book. I thought it was an excellent read and very worth picking up whether or not you were a Fleury fan.

Also, I know this post is months old, but I couldn't help noticing while looking through the start of the thread

Originally Posted by ResAlien

Tao Te Ching - Lao Tzu - greatest book I've ever read. Period.

Great thing to read, but such a strange selection for a 'best book' thread. It's the one that just doesn't fit with anything else in here, like a book of quotes or a how-to guide. Anyone who considered picking this up as a good story to read would not get what they're looking for.

[d_phaneuf]

I really liked "The Drunkard's Walk" by Leonard Mlodinow

its technically a book on statistics but it is told without numbers or anything off putting and more with stories about how random everything is and how chance plays probably the most important part in our lives

[Rhettzky]

Just read Shutter Island by Denis Lehane and it was awesome. Really hard to put this one down while reading. I think I'll have to check out Mystic River next.

[Coys1882]

If you're into historical fiction there are a couple of authors and series I'd like to recommend.

Conn Iggulden
He has two epic series:
One about Caesar and his rise to power.
The other is about Ghengis Khan

Bernard Cornwell
One of my favorite series I've ever read is the Saxon series - it's all about the Danish viking raids and occupation of England.

The other is the Grail Quest series - this one is about the search for the grail at the time of the 100years war.

[icarus]

Originally Posted by coaster

Lastly a Nobel winner by Canadian born author Saul Bellow called "Humboldt's Gift"

Really? Why? I read it when I was a teenager and I don't think I understood it all.

[Resolute 14]

A friend got me into the Deverry series by Katherine Kerr. Currently on the third book The Bristling Wood. Only 12 1/2 books to go to finish the series...

[puffnstuff]

I think he was mentioned before, but Lee Child and his Jack Reacher character are a good read. In the same vein, author John Sanford with the Prey series with Lucas Davenport, and now Virgil Flowers. Another series is written by Brian Haig (son? of former US bigwig Alexander Haig) has caught my reading time too in the past.

Another author mentioned here that I like reading is Neal Stephenson... Cryptonomicon was great, the Baroque cycle too and his last one Anathem? I think.
George RR Martin has an amazing series...that he needs to finish!!!

One I didnt see mentioned here is Wilbur Smith and some of his epic novels about Africa. His latest novels are not up to previous standards but he is...80? years old now, so I can cut him some slack.

[troutman]

The CP Lit Draft:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?k...y_h-SEBMq3wVDw

[habernac]

I am reading Todd Denault's excellent biography on Jaques Plante right now, very much enjoying it.

Anyone read Krakauer's Pat Tillman book yet?

[flip]

Originally Posted by Coys1882

If you're into historical fiction there are a couple of authors and series I'd like to recommend.

Conn Iggulden
He has two epic series:
One about Caesar and his rise to power.
The other is about Ghengis Khan

I'm always weary to call a book or set of works historical fiction. As I feared Iggulden has a tendency to completely re-write history for the purposes of more interesting story and such.

One thing I love about Imperium is that Harris tries to VERY closely resemble the true history, while making it interesting. Although Harris does use a lot of guesswork, he doesnt' intentionally (as far as I can tell) rewrite history to make it more interesting.

Iggulden on the other hand, completely ignores and changes history for the purposes of storytelling.

I've always thought there should be limits on what is considered "based on a true story" or "historical fiction". As far as I'm concerned if you are going to do nothing but use real names and a few real events and make up everything in between it shouldn't be allowed to carry such a label.

That is not to say they aren't interesting books you suggested. Only that much like movies like Frost/Nixon, Gladiator and dozens of others, the use of "based on a true story" or "historical fiction" are complete bulls***. They are totally made up. Only a few details are correct, and yet people read them or see them and believe the stories are true.

[peter12]

Gore Vidal is the master of historical fiction. Julian is a work of modern art. So is his stuff on Lincoln.

[flip]

Originally Posted by peter12

Gore Vidal is the master of historical fiction. Julian is a work of modern art. So is his stuff on Lincoln.

I love that sort of dedication to being as historically accurate as possible.

[Kswiss]

Highly Recommend Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach...nothing is impossible...

[metallicat]

Originally Posted by Rhettzky

Just read Shutter Island by Denis Lehane and it was awesome. Really hard to put this one down while reading. I think I'll have to check out Mystic River next.

You won't be disappointed. As stated earlier in this thread, that is one of my favorite books. Fantastic book, amazing movie.

[troutman]

Best SF and Fantasy of 2009:

http://www.sfsite.com/yearsbest01.htm

[PyramidsofMars]

Favorite screenplays:

Double Indemnity (Raymond Chandler)
Withnail & I (Bruce Robinson)
The Big Lebowski (Joel & Ethan Coen)
The Royal Tenenbaums (Wes Anderson & Owen Wilson)
Rushmore (Wes Anderson & Owen Wilson)
The Squid and the Whale (Noah Baumbach)

Favorite novels:

The New York Trilogy (Paul Auster)
Breakfast of Champions (Kurt Vonnegut)
Ulysses (James Joyce)
Blood Meridian (Cormac McCarthy)
The Comfort of Strangers (Ian McEwan)
House of Leaves (Mark Z. Danielewski)
Infinite Jest (David Foster Wallace)
The Robber Bride (Margaret Atwood)
Salem's Lot (Stephen King, yes, really)
Pale Fire (Vladimir Nabokov)
Swag (Elmore Leonard)
White Noise (Don DeLillo)
Einstein's Dreams (Alan Lightman)
The Deptford Trilogy (Robertson Davies)
Heavy Weather (P.G. Wodehouse)
Beautiful Losers (Leonard Cohen)
The Long Goodbye (Raymond Chandler)
The Atrocity Exhibition (J.G. Ballard)
The Raw Shark Texts (Steven Hall)

[Kybosh]

I just started reading the English translation of Battle Royale. I'm only 50 pages in so far, but it is already very shocking yet interesting. I'm hooked. I've also never seen the movie.

[amorak]

I've begun reading an enrapturing piece of work by a son of German immigrants named Theodor Seuss Geisel, it's a very intersting take on life, to be sure.

Is anyone else reading Mr. Geisel's work?