What book are you reading at the moment?

[wanderingblade]

.........just started a Cussler (easy quick read)

Let me guess:

-Mysterious event set several hundred years in the past........
-Fast forward to modern day where an accident / natural disaster occurs....
-Our Hero is the only man able to investigate..........
-Evidence comes to light of a mysterious 'item' to be found..........
-More evidence comes to light of a dark, shadowy international conspiracy / organisation..........
-Hero saves the day and cracks some jokes while giving Cussler another opportunity to plant himself into the novel in yet another fit of ego.

Am I close?

 

[DMadden]

One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey - Richard Proenneke
Great book!

 

[Pandabean]

Reading through Tristian Gooley's Natural Navigation, seems a fascinating read so far.

Other than that I am reading over my essay on Mesolithic/Neolithic Orkney and will be reading the Bronze age soon for my next essay as well as reading bits from the Napier Commision for the family tree.

 

[Mesquite]

Let me guess:

-Mysterious event set several hundred years in the past........
-Fast forward to modern day where an accident / natural disaster occurs....
-Our Hero is the only man able to investigate..........
-Evidence comes to light of a mysterious 'item' to be found..........
-More evidence comes to light of a dark, shadowy international conspiracy / organisation..........
-Hero saves the day and cracks some jokes while giving Cussler another opportunity to plant himself into the novel in yet another fit of ego.

Am I close?

You forget the special collectible automobile the Hero drives in all Cussler books.

But that's what put me off them in the end... much the same as the Dan Brown books

 

[wanderingblade]

You forget the special collectible automobile the Hero drives in all Cussler books.

But that's what put me off them in the end... much the same as the Dan Brown books

The funny thing is, I have never read a Cussler novel - just read the blurb on the back of the ones the missus has!

 

[zorro]

Bill Bryson... A walk in the woods

Read that twice now, made me cry with laughing both times.

just finished an Ian M Banks (Matter)

One of my favourite authors.

Just started Charles Stross, "Halting State", had me hooked from the first line, "We know where you live, we know where your dog goes to school".

 

[Wayland]

The Sea Rovers Practice.

 

[Barn Owl]

Nothing actually at the moment but this has put me in the mood for something simple...

I've a couple of Alfred Hitchcocks 'The Three Investigators' I picked up at the car boot a few weeks back.
Loved those books when a boy.

Might delve into Jerry Aherns 'The Survivalist' books again.
I've got No's 1-17 lying in the shed.

 

[beachlover]

Tom Sharpe - The Midden
I have them all and just re-read them from time to time.

 

[DavidW]

I'm almost always reading more than one book at the same time. Currently:

South of Broad by Pat Conroy ( as in south of Broad St in Charleston, S.C. - location of the homes of the old families - where it seems you can be a sixth generation resident yet still be regarded as an outsider)

Chronicles of Border Warfare by Alexander S. Withers ( a history of early white settlement into western Virginia and the Indian wars and massacres )

The Burning Land by Bernard Cornwell - the most recent of the Saxon Tales series

Reinventing Collapse , the Soviet example and American prospects - by Dmitry Orlov

The Lively Art of Writing by Lucile V. Payne.

Common Sense, rights of man and other essential writings of Thomas Paine

lastly

Hammock Camping by Ed Speer

D

p.s. Someone mentioned the Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz. An interesting book which I read a few months ago. Today there were two shows on tv about Bigfoot, Sachsquatch, Yeti or whatever. The Long Walk came to be written because Rawicz was interviewed first because it was rumored he had seen a Yeti, which lead to the discovery of the more interesting story of his escape from Siberia. His groups encounter with the Yetis resulted in them taking another route out of the Himalayas which he believed cost the life of one of their group. Believe in them or not I wouldn't think he would not include this account if it caused doubt about his story unless he felt strongly in the reality of the encounter.

But this is something others have struggled with in telling their stories. In the book "The Third Man Factor" by John Geiger he reports on many early explorers who endured survival conditions during which sensing the presence of a third being , which they were reluctant to report about in their official accounts, but would sometimes discuss with close friends because of the power of the encounter. One of which was Ernest Shackleton, the antarctic explorer, who privately discussed his and his men's feeling of a third or additional being who urged them onward when they felt like giving in or giving up to the conditions an perishing.

 

[Eric_Methven]

For the umpteenth time,
One acre and security - Bradford Angier
Alas Babylon - Pat Frank
Earth Abides - George R Stewart

They kind of go round in a circle. I re-read them about once a year.

Eric

 

[Twodogs]

" Follow me " , A History of Israel's Military Elite by Samuel M Katz .
Twodogs

 

[Biker]

Good anology for the E.E Doc Smith books. They're still sitting on my shelf unread. I almost boot faired them but thought I'd give them a go... just haven't got around to opening the cover yet.

Harsh but fair about Cussler's books But I'd rather read his work than Matthew Reilly. Cusslers dips deep into over the top heroics, Reilly just takes the pi$$. I completed Seven Ancinet Wonders the other week and wanted to throw it on the fire, book burner I ain't but I could learn to be with his stuff.

Yeti. Hmmm I had heard that Rawicz was encouraged not to mention that encounter but went ahead with it as it was a "fact" of his long walk. I'd like to believe he saw what he saw, or at least thought he did. Given his circumstances I wouldn't knock him.


Eric you sound much like me I have a selection of books that do the rounds year in year out Heinlein being may favourite. I go through his books about every 3 years or so. However Stranger in a Strange land has only been read once. Just couldn't get my head around it. Whereas Time Enough For Love has been read 15+times.

Daniel DeFoe's Robinson Crusoe's pretty good and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is just superb, assuming you're adventurous enough to try the classics. I finished Around the World in 80 Days and found it OK but not exactly rivetting. I gave up on Journey to the Centre of the Earth. Might give it another go one day.

Dune's pretty good but very epic. L Ron Hubbard's Battlefield Earth is just amazing! Despite his "religeon's" bad weirdo rep.

Any other sci-fi'er's here?

 

[Mesquite]

Any other sci-fi'er's here?

Quick look at my book shelves and I can see books by Anne McCaffery, David Eddings, Kim Stanley Robinson, David Gemmell Frank Herbert, Robert Heinlen, Harry Harrison, Julian May, Iain M Banks. A real mixture of sci-fi and fantasy

Those are the ones I can see... delve a bit more and I'd turn up a load more authors. That's what you get for not wanting to throw books out

 

[Adze]

Terry Pratchet "Night Watch" (again)

 

[Biker]

Quick look at my book shelves and I can see books by Anne McCaffery, David Eddings, Kim Stanley Robinson, David Gemmell Frank Herbert, Robert Heinlen, Harry Harrison, Julian May, Iain M Banks. A real mixture of sci-fi and fantasy

Those are the ones I can see... delve a bit more and I'd turn up a load more authors. That's what you get for not wanting to throw books out

A gander at mine and it's Heinlein, Edmund Cooper, David Eddings, James. P. Hogan, Frank Herbert (only one) John Wyndham, Bob Shaw, Harry Harrison, John Norman (Gor Series) as well as a healthy sprinkling of assorted others. Inc Terry Nation's: Survivors. Edmund Hamilton's Star Kings. Bernard Cornwell's Medievel Archery series (Vagabond etc) Ted Simon's: Jupiter Travels.

So it sounds as though we're on the same wavelength. Nice to meet ya mate.

 

[Man of Tanith]

just read the three books by llone andrews-magic burns magic bites and magic strikes all lightweight but fun and gave me a breather after rereading robert of the rogers journals and finding your way without map and compass.
i too read books/series repeatedly usually the dark tower series by steven king
(though i feel the end was a cheat) and the gaunts ghosts collection which is always a firm favourite

 

[armie]

Any other sci-fi'er's here?

I've read lots of sci-fi, Jack Vance is a favourite.

 

[helixpteron]

Reading two at the moment,

the first is The Gift of Fear, by Gavin de Becker.

And for fun, one of my favorite vehicles (the original) Mini.

 

[Zingmo]

I am still struggling up PD James' Lighthouse!

Z