Book Recommendations

[jslaker]

Just like the title says. Picked up a Kindle recently and figured I'd mine you guys for ideas on things to pick up for it. May as well make it a general book recommendation thread while we're at it.

Picked these two up just to give the Kindle a work out:

Kitchen Confidential - Anthony Bourdain (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002UM5BXW) - I'd been meaning to read this for a while since I'm a fan of his Travel Channel show. It's a quick, entertaining read that's an interesting blend of personal memoir, commentary on the restaurant business, and meditation on good food mixed in with a steady stream of tales of debauchery. Definitely recommended if you're a fan of the show, but probably still a worthwhile read for anyone who doesn't mind the unapologetically crass tone Bourdain tends to favor.

Pakistan and the Mumbai Attacks: The Untold Story - Sebastian Rotella (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004JU0QIS) - I picked this up mostly on impulse as a way of checking out the Kindle Singles offered by Amazon, which are shorter pieces that sell in the $1-2 range. Roughly 38 pages in length, and totally worth it. It reconstructs what's publicly known about the lead up to and execution of the terror attacks on Mumbai in 2008. It (unfortunately) has all the elements of a well-written thriller - the relatively obscure Lashkar-i-Taiba terror group, its involvement with the Pakistani ISI, an American jihadi performing reconnaissance around the world, ignored warning, and the story of a French judge who was one of the few people taking the group seriously prior to Mumbai. This one is also available free-of-charge on ProPublica's website (http://www.propublica.org/article/pakistan-and-the-mumbai-attacks-the-untold-story) and I'd certainly encourage anyone to take the time to read it.

ETA:

One more. I haven't read this one personally yet, but it's in my "to-read" pile on the recommendation of another member here (http://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?1241-The-Grooming-Cue&p=19990&viewfull=1#post19990): What Every BODY is Saying - Joe Navarro (http://www.amazon.com/What-Every-BODY-Saying-ebook/dp/B0010SKSTO)

[seabiscuit]

The Unforgiving Minute
Autobiography of a Rhodes Scholar and Army Ranger

With the Old Breed
Story of K/3/5 Marines in the Pacific

War on the Run
Story of Robert's Rangers in the French and Indian War

Into Thin Air
Great story of a tragic Everett climb, demonstration of what some men do in the face of death


Band of Brothers
If you don't know what this is... just go shoot.

Hornblower and the Hotspur
Fictional story of young British ship's captain in the Napoleonic Wars, great leadership lessons

[ACP230]

To Ride, Shoot Straight, And Speak The Truth and Fireworks by Jeff Cooper.

No Second Place Winner by Bill Jordan.

Fast And Fancy Revolver Shooting by Ed McGivern.

Quick Or Dead by William L. Cassidy.

The Snubby Revolver by Ed Lovette

and one novel that I re-read recently.

The Sea Runners by Ivan Doig.

[JDM]

The Average American Male by Chad Kultgen.

"I Heard You Paint Houses" by Charles Brandt.

[JHC]

"Unrepentant Sinner" - autobiography of Col. Charles Askins
"One Ranger" - Joachin Jackson

"Future Jihad" - Walid Phares (cannot recommend this highly enough)

"The Pentagon's New Map" - Thomas Barnett (a futurist hired by the Pentagon shortly after 9/11)

[Kyle Reese]

As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man's Escape from a Siberian Labour Camp and His 3-Year Trek to Freedom

The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom, by Slavomir Rawicz

Hell In A Very Small Place: The Siege Of Dien Bien Phu

The Case for Israel

The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War

The Picture Of Dorian Gray

In The Company Of Heroes, Michael Durant

Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters

Searching for Schindler: A memoir , Thomas Keneally

[WDW]

Undaunted Courage

Helmet for My Pillow

With the Old Breed

[da6dspanburg]

Grunts by John McManus*

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (Sci-Fi)

Neuromancer By William Gibson (Sci-Fi)
Count Zero by William Gibson (Sci-Fi) - Follow on to Neuromancer
Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson (Sci-Fi) - Conclusion? of the Neuromancer Trilogy


david

* - John is a good friend. He is also a great Military History author

[Jason]

Recently: John Adams by David McCullough

[rjohnson4405]

Surgical Speed Shooting, How to Achieve High Speed Marksmanship in a Gunfight (http://www.amazon.com/Surgical-Speed-Shooting-High-Speed-Marksmanship/dp/1581601433)

I just read it, nothing in there you probably don't already know from being on this website but this adds a lot of the why we do things, and how they're advantageous instead of just do it this way.

Short, to the point, with pictures, and relatively scientific.

[SmokeJumper]

Hunting al Qaeda- Anonymous

Hell, I was There- Elmer Keith

Beyond Band of Brothers- Major Dick Winters

The only thing Worth Dying for- Eric Blehm

No Angel- Jay Dobbins

Where Men Win Glory The Odyssey of Pat Tillman- Jon Krakauer

The Gargantuan Gunsite Gossip and #2- Jeff Cooper

[TGS]

My suggestions focus mainly on military stuff......unless you want some scuba diving/cave exploration reads :)

The Village, by Bing West. Excellent read on a USMC Combined Action Platoon and their living within a Vietnamese village. I was on edge for most of the read. It is very detailed, you feel like you know the guys, and is a metric shit ton of "oh shit....." emotions. Without a doubt one of the best books I've read, and a great piece of PME.

House to House by Staff Sergeant David Bellavia. The title explains it all, but Bellavia was awarded the Silver Star for single handedly clearing an entire house and killing 5 insurgents. Have you ever thought about what it would be like to have someone leap out of a closet and across a bed on you, only to have to chase him through the house into a room filled with proprane tanks? This is an oft forgotten account of the street fighting in Iraq. Here's a primer;

“Never in a million years would I expect something to devolve into such an animalistic fight,” Bellavia said.
It ended when Bellavia took a Gerber knife from his belt and stuck it into the man’s collarbone.
“He did the creepiest thing at the end of it,” Bellavia said. “He took his hand and caressed my face. It was really creeping me out because he was almost forgiving me in a sense.”

If that doesn't tip off your spidey senses, I don't imagine any book will evoke emotion for you..........

[JHC]

"House to House" by David Bellavia. An incredible account of an Army platoon from the 3rd ID in the battle of Fallujah in Nov '04 I think it was?

Total bad ass ass kicking by the ultimate urban warfare unit = Mech Infantry. Superb CQB skills backed by the integrated BIG GUNs from Bradleys and Abrams. Absolutely riveting.

[TGS]

"House to House" by David Bellavia. An incredible account of an Army platoon from the 3rd ID in the battle of Fallujah in Nov '04 I think it was?

Total bad ass ass kicking by the ultimate urban warfare unit = Mech Infantry. Superb CQB skills backed by the integrated BIG GUNs from Bradleys and Abrams. Absolutely riveting.

Lol. The whole mech infantry/combined arms thing isn't what got me. Going hand-to-hand in a conflict thought to be almost totally devoid of actual fighting by the general public got my attention way more. More on that, not only going hand-to-hand, but using your SAPI plate as a weapon is probably the most USDA Grade A BAMFtastic form of field expediency/weapon of oppurtunity I've ever heard of. Eat your heart out, Gurkhas......

Video from the Military Channel about said incident. Caveat: Graphic recreation. Don't watch with your kids around...
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=david+bellavia&view=detail&mid=CD6BD0B6291CFDD61BFFCD6BD0B6291CFDD61BFF&first=0&FORM=LKVR1

Well, I can see this going off on a tangent, so I'll stop there. Good book.

[Joe in PNG]

The Dogs of War by Frederick Forsyth.

[Ray Keith]

Into Thin Air
Great story of a tragic Everett climb, demonstration of what some men do in the face of death


If you like this book, you might like Anatoli Boukreev's account vs Krakauer's' account. IMHO Krakauer's version is suspect but...?

The Climb
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (July 16, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780312206376
ISBN-13: 978-0312206376

[JHC]

Video from the Military Channel about said incident. Caveat: Graphic recreation. Don't watch with your kids around...
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=david+bellavia&view=detail&mid=CD6BD0B6291CFDD61BFFCD6BD0B6291CFDD61BFF&first=0&FORM=LKVR1

Well, I can see this going off on a tangent, so I'll stop there. Good book.

Great linked video. Thanks. And btw, I confess to a bit of hyperbole about the "ultimate" urban warfare thing.


Back on topic: "Thriving on Chaos" by Tom Peters is IMO the finest business book every written.

[dookie1481]

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (Sci-Fi)

Neuromancer By William Gibson (Sci-Fi)
Count Zero by William Gibson (Sci-Fi) - Follow on to Neuromancer
Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson (Sci-Fi) - Conclusion? of the Neuromancer Trilogy


Yes. Along with Stephenson's The Diamond Age and Cryptonomicon.

[TAZ]

Kill bin Laden
The Mission, The Men and Me
Not a Good Day to Die
One Second After ( if you're into TEOTWAWKI kind of reading)
The Only Thing Worth Dying For

[ToddG]

Holy crap. I may shut the whole damn forum down in shame.

Not a single one of you mentioned Cooper's Principles of Personal Defense (http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Personal-Defense-Jeff-Cooper/dp/0873644972). I'm far from a Cooper worshipper, but POPD has to be one of if not the defining work on fundamental self-defense for the pistol-carrier.

[ACP230]

Well, it was nice while it lasted.

I only listed two Cooper books cause I had some others come to mind.

[Prdator]

The Gift of Fear, by Gavin D Beker ( just ignore the anti gun slant)

Shooting from Within, Plaxco

Fighting Smarter, Tom Givens

On Combat and On Killing, Grossman

[JHC]

"House to House" by David Bellavia. An incredible account of an Army platoon from the 3rd ID in the battle of Fallujah in Nov '04 I think it was?

Total bad ass ass kicking by the ultimate urban warfare unit = Mech Infantry. Superb CQB skills backed by the integrated BIG GUNs from Bradleys and Abrams. Absolutely riveting.

I can't edit old post but must make a correction: Not 3rd ID. It was the 1st Infantry Division. Very sorry.

[TGS]

On Combat and On Killing, Grossman

I'd be careful with these two. Lots of bogus gouge to jumble up the good gouge, IMO(and many others' opinion's). I do still reference On Killing for certain aspects, though.

[LOKNLOD]

Shooting from Within, Plaxco

Not to be confused with "Shooting from Within Your Pants" by Plaxico Burris. Worst treatise in AIWB ever.

[da6dspanburg]

Yes. Along with Stephenson's The Diamond Age and Cryptonomicon.

LOVED Crytonomicon. If you have any interest in Crypto, read this book. I may have to go read it again. It's been awhile.......

[ToddG]

Three good ones that have been mentioned so far:

Surgical Speed Shooting, by Andy Stanford
Fighting Smarter, by Tom Givens
Shooting from Within, J. Michael Plaxco
And also one of the most influential books in the history of practical shooting, Practical Shooting: Beyond Fundamentals by Brian Enos.

[irishshooter]

The Gift of Fear, by Gavin D Beker ( just ignore the anti gun slant)

+1 on this and Joe Navarros, What Everybody is Saying.....

[dookie1481]

The Mission, The Men and Me


FANTASTIC book. Many of the lessons go far beyond warfighting...

[unclestevie45]

Not a lot of fiction listed here, but if that is what you are looking for, then anything by Marcus Wynne. I think all his work is listed on Amazon.

[LOKNLOD]

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, with special attention to "Screwtape Proposes a Toast" which is a good skewering of many of the ills of our modern culture.

[seabiscuit]

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, with special attention to "Screwtape Proposes a Toast" which is a good skewering of many of the ills of our modern culture.

+ 1

[jslaker]

This is a weird connection for my brain to make, but Screwtape Letters made me think of Screw-Jack by Hunter S. Thompson and thus Fear and Loathing: On The Campaign Trail '72, which I honestly feel should be required reading for anyone with any interest in American politics, even if you disagree with the good doctor's personal politics. Many of the things Hunter observed as being broken in our political system 40 years ago remain equally so today. It's the American political system laid out as only HST could.

[NickA]

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand- follows an Olympic runner who probably would have been the first 4 minute miler if WW II hadn't started. He was stranded on a life raft for 40-something days, and it went downhill from there. A great mindset moment- when the sharks start actually trying to get in the boat he decides they've broken the deal so f@ck 'em, they're now on the menu.

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[sshbiker]

Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield

Leadership and Training for the Fight by Paul Howe

[peterb]

The official USMC reading list has some good ideas.
http://www.marines.mil/unit/tecom/mcu/grc/library/Pages/mcrl.aspx
Among others, I read "The last stand of Fox Company", the story of a brutal small-unit action during the retreat from the Chosin reservior.

On the lighter side, some of Terry Pratchett's Discworld stuff is great fun. I'd start with "Guards! Guards!", the first book in the City Watch plotline.

"Structures: Or why things don't fall down" by J.E. Gordon. A fun introduction to basic structural engineering. Reads like being in a pub with a mildly eccentric British professor.

"Here if you need me" by Kate Braestrup. The author is a chaplain for the Maine (game)Warden Service, and writes about dealing with death and loss in that capacity, as well as the death of her state-trooper husband. It may sound like an Oprah book, but it gave me some useful perspective for my volunteer EMT work.

Rudyard Kipling. Sure, he romanticized war, but he's a great storyteller. "The Day's Work" and "War Stories and Poems" are good collections. And if you only know the Disney version of "The Jungle Book" you should read the original -- there's far more about death and honor than jokes and games.

Anything by Peter Egan, who writes for Road & Track and Cycle World. The "Leanings" collections are about motorcycling, the "Side Glances" are about cars and driving. "Peter Egan on the Road" is a collection of great road-trip stories.

[TommyG]

In the Zone by Peter Petterfield - Several true stories of survival following mountaineering accidents. Good discussion of the kind of mindset and determination it takes to make it out when you are way past screwed.

If you have not read any of P.J. O' Rourke's books, you are missing out on some fun. Easy and entertaining reading. If you don't like potty mouth, pass on these.

[HCM]

"Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War" by Robert Coram - The story of the man who gave us the OODA loop - why speed and training matter

"Training at the Speed of Life" by Kenneth R. Murray - THE guide to reality based training

"Terror at Beslan: A Russian Tragedy with Lessons for America's Schools" by John Giduck

Plus one for "With the Old Breed" and "Principles of Personal Defense"

"Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History" by S.C. Gwynne - great analysis of the effects of mindset, tactics and equipment on the course of history.

Fiction: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" by B.T. Traven - The film is great, but the book is better.

[JAD]

I'll repeat, or really bump, Todd's recommendation of Jeff Cooper's Principles of Personal Defense. Further, I like Gregory Morrisson's Modern Technique of the Pistol; Jim Cirillo's Guns, Bullets, and Gunfights; and Combat Handgunnery by Chuck Taylor (not of the shoes).

[jetfire]

The Book of Five Rings - Miyamoto Musashi.

I've read B5R at least four times, and I'll get something new out of it every time.

[HCM]

Jim Cirillo's Guns, Bullets, and Gunfights - You beat me to it !

Also anything by Charles "Skeeter" Skelton.

PS On the look out for a a 5" barrel S&W Model 27 .........

[Jac]

To add to the Stephenson recommendations, Reamde was fantastic.

[l8apex]

Suicide of a Superpower. Great book on the current state if our nation.

[Mjolnir]

THE GRAND CHESSBOARD by Zbigniew Brzezinski


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[Coyotesfan97]

I have a "short" list. I love threads like this.

Fiction
Dirty White Boys and The Day Before Midnight by Stephen Hunter
Sympathy for the Evil and Night Dogs by Kent Anderson
The New Centurions and The Choirboys by Joseph Wambaugh
Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer

Non Fiction
"Officer Down, Code Three" by Pierce Brooks
The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer
Sniper on the Eastern Front: The Memoirs of Sepp Allerberger by Albrecht
Curahee!, The Road to Arnhem, 7 Roads to Hell, and Beyond the Rhine by Donald Burgett
Reflections of a Warrior by Franklin Miller/Elwood Kureth. Miller served 6 tours in Vietnam. 3 in SOG. Awarded MOH on his last tour
In the Gravest Extreme by Massad Ayoob
Green Eyes Black Rifles by Kyle Lamb
Training for the Fight and The Tactical Trainer by Paul Howe
Death in the Silent Places by Peter Hathaway Capstick

And since we're two days away from the anniversary of the OK Corral The Illustrated Life of Wyatt Earp by Bob Boze Bell.

+1 on Jim Cirillo

[bigslim]

Fearless by Eric Blehm

Dead Six by Larry Correia

i've got a bunch so more to follow.

Mike

[EMC]

The Red Circle - Brandon Webb
Lost in Shangri-La - Mitchell Zuckoff (fascinating WWII rescue story)
Facing Violence - Rory Miller

+1 to Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (Another outstanding WWII survival/rescue story)

[Carraway]

Make sure to check out the free ebook collection on Amazon and what's available at http://www.gutenberg.org . You can get a lot of classics which are in the public domain. For example:

Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
The Iliad and The Odyssey, Homer
Dubliners, James Joyce. (All of Joyce's work is available, but it's probably not to everyone's liking)
Moby Dick, Herman Melville
Walden and On Civil Disobedience, Thoreau
The Republic, Plato
Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoevsky
War of the Worlds, HG Wells
An assortment of Shakespeare, Keats, Poe, as well as Hemingway, Faulkner, Woolf and Fitzgerald as their works become public domain.

I'm realizing this could go on infinitesimally, but this should give an idea of what's available.

[Chris_S]

I didn't see it mentioned and, if it was, it bears repeating: Read Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy.

[LHS]

"Bartleby the Scrivener"?

[NickA]

I didn't see it mentioned and, if it was, it bears repeating: Read Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy.

And The Road, but fair warning- I read it 4 years ago and am still depressed :(

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[bigslim]

figured I should add links

Dead Six http://www.baenebooks.com/p-1472-dead-six.aspx

Fearless http://www.amazon.com/Fearless-Undaunted-Ultimate-Sacrifice-ebook/dp/B006ZAZ31U/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1344000407&sr=1-1&keywords=fearless

Five Years to Freedom: The True Story of a Vietnam POW http://www.amazon.com/Five-Years-Freedom-Vietnam-ebook/dp/B004G5ZYEW/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1344000502&sr=1-1&keywords=five+years+to+freedom

[Dave J]

+1 on Nick Rowe.

"A Rifleman Went to War" by H.W. McBride is also among my favorites.

[Nik the Greek]

+1 on The Mission, The Men, and Me and House to House. Both excellent.

This thread has expanded my reading list by about a dozen books already. Going to start with Cooper's Principles of Personal Defense.

I recently wrote an email to an associate who was looking for good books, mostly sci-fi and fantasy, to read. Why waste all that effort when I can just copy/paste it here?

George RR Martin - The Song of Ice and Fire stuff is phenomenal, better than the Game of Thrones show. If you're into this kind of writing, and you haven't checked these out, they're worth your time.
Patrick Rothfuss - The Kingkiller Chronicles Great read.
Neil Gaiman - Anything cept the kid books. His short story compilations are his best work imo.
Douglas Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
Frank Herbert - Dune
Richard K. Morgan - Altered Carbon
Neal Stephenson - Snow Crash
Hugh Howey - Wool Really cool, thoughtful post-apocalyptic sci-fi.
John Scalzi - Old Man's War

World War Z - Fun fact: written by Mel Brooks' son, Max Brooks.
Jim Butcher - The Dresden Files This is pretty much pulp, but it's fun, easy to read pulp with likeable characters. Set in the modern world.
Christopher Moore - He actually wrote a few pretty good books, Practical Demonkeeping, Blood Sucking Fiends: A Love Story, Island of the Sequined Love Nun, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. He's got a wonderfully juvenile sense of humor.

Haruki Murakami - Kafka On The Shore I can't exactly pin down what I like about Murakami, but I enjoy reading his books. You might too.
Charlie Huston - Caught Stealing This guy writes everything in kind of a hard-boiled classic noir pulp style I really like. He's got some contemporary crime fiction out, and every one would make a great movie. Weirdly, he also wrote some vampire books which aren't too bad. They're more interesting the usual vamp trash going around, anyway.

[LHS]

Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire" is easily my favorite series. To me, it's finally eclipsed Tolkien as the premier fantasy saga of all time. The complexity of the characters, the endless shades of grey, and the all-too-familiar scenario of power-mad idiots squabbling over each other while the true enemy prepares to invade, all of these speak to me.

I read the first two of Rothfuss' books (is the third even out yet?), and I liken them to a high-end cheese pizza. There's nothing inventive or special about them, but they are the basic themes of the genre executed very very well. The writing is very good, and it kept my interest.

World War Z was surprisingly good. I liked the format, and the writing. I've read several other items from Brooks, and he needs to get his head on straight regarding some things (he says the M1 Carbine = best anti-zombie weapon ever, but the AR15 is a jam-o-matic with hard-to-find ammo? WTF?), but overall it's a fun read.


+1 on The Mission, The Men, and Me and House to House. Both excellent.

This thread has expanded my reading list by about a dozen books already. Going to start with Cooper's Principles of Personal Defense.

I recently wrote an email to an associate who was looking for good books, mostly sci-fi and fantasy, to read. Why waste all that effort when I can just copy/paste it here?

George RR Martin - The Song of Ice and Fire stuff is phenomenal, better than the Game of Thrones show. If you're into this kind of writing, and you haven't checked these out, they're worth your time.
Patrick Rothfuss - The Kingkiller Chronicles Great read.
Neil Gaiman - Anything cept the kid books. His short story compilations are his best work imo.
Douglas Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
Frank Herbert - Dune
Richard K. Morgan - Altered Carbon
Neal Stephenson - Snow Crash
Hugh Howey - Wool Really cool, thoughtful post-apocalyptic sci-fi.
John Scalzi - Old Man's War

World War Z - Fun fact: written by Mel Brooks' son, Max Brooks.
Jim Butcher - The Dresden Files This is pretty much pulp, but it's fun, easy to read pulp with likeable characters. Set in the modern world.
Christopher Moore - He actually wrote a few pretty good books, Practical Demonkeeping, Blood Sucking Fiends: A Love Story, Island of the Sequined Love Nun, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. He's got a wonderfully juvenile sense of humor.

Haruki Murakami - Kafka On The Shore I can't exactly pin down what I like about Murakami, but I enjoy reading his books. You might too.
Charlie Huston - Caught Stealing This guy writes everything in kind of a hard-boiled classic noir pulp style I really like. He's got some contemporary crime fiction out, and every one would make a great movie. Weirdly, he also wrote some vampire books which aren't too bad. They're more interesting the usual vamp trash going around, anyway.

[Johnny Thujone]

I'll play.

If you're a military buff, first and foremost comes Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein. If you served and haven't read this book, you're wrong. (Unless you are/were and officer, then i might ruffle your fragile sensibilities.)

The Culture series by Iain M. Banks is some of the best Sci/Fantasy to date. Use of Weapons is a good starting point for the series.

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman does fantastic things with space/time. Really neat writing in here.

The Hyperion Quintet by Dan Simmons, which starts with Hyperion, is incredibly engrossing. Each book's as thick as a bible, and impossible to put down.

And i'll throw out a +1 for Scalzi's Old Man's War. I'm about halfway through it, and it's very well written. Easy, you breeze through it, and highly entertaining. Scalzi's got a sense of humor that translates well over to type.

[NETim]

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
Shane
The Last Stand of The Tin Can Sailors
The Last of The Mohicans
For Whom The Bell Tolls
The Book of Two Guns

And those darn subversive Matthew Bracken books, beginning with: Enemies: Foreign and Domestic

[Joe in PNG]

Some Sci-Fi series with a bit of a hard edge that I've recently discovered:
Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds
The Expanse- Leviathan Wakes & Caliban's War by "James Corey" (Daniel Abraham & Ty Franck)

I've also finally read The Forever War and found it amazing.

Another good one by Dan Simmons is Illum/ Olympos. He has a way of writing a series where, by the time you get to the second book, you have a hard time answering when asked what it is about.

And one can get the complete works of HP Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard on Amazon for next to nothing.

[MDS]

I've hesitated to post in here because, I mean, where to begin? And everyone else has had great suggestions. Recently, though, I re-discovered a book I read as a kid - the book that got me started with science fiction (sneaked it out of the adult section of the library with the help of a rogue librarian. :cool:) So I just wanted to put out here some of the classics that I read early in life and that shaped much of my reading - and more of my thinking - for most of my life:

Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game (http://www.amazon.com/Enders-Game-Ender-Book-1/dp/0812550706/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344969503&sr=8-1&keywords=ender%27s+game) - kids kicking ass
Isaac Asimov, Foundation (http://www.amazon.com/Foundation-Novels-Isaac-Asimov/dp/0553382578/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344969565&sr=8-1&keywords=asimov+foundation) - if you're going to play a game, play the biggest game you can envision
Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle, The Mote in God's Eye (http://www.amazon.com/The-Mote-Gods-Larry-Niven/dp/0671741926/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1344969694&sr=8-4&keywords=pournelle) - Rise and Fall and Repeat
Robert Heinlein, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (http://www.amazon.com/The-Moon-Is-Harsh-Mistress/dp/0312863551/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344970673&sr=8-1&keywords=the+moon+is+a+harsh+mistress) - Founding Fathers... in spaaaaaace
Stephen R. Donaldson, The Gap Cycle (http://www.amazon.com/Real-Story-Gap-Into-Vol/dp/000647019X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1344971189&sr=8-2&keywords=gap+cycle+donaldson) - you can always push (or be pushed) further
Vernor Vinge, The Peace War (http://www.amazon.com/The-Peace-War-Vernor-Vinge/dp/0765308835/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1344971546&sr=8-5&keywords=vinge) - creative tinkering > centralized innovation

I only put sci fi in here, because I read a lot of it as a kid. I also read fantasy and historical non-fiction, but the best sci-fi is what shaped me most. I used to be a giant Heinlein fanboy. These days I fawn less over the author, and try harder to be like his best heros. Lots of good entry points to Heinlein, I choose Mistress here because it mirrors a lot of the patriotic themes we discuss on this board. Donaldson's Covenant series is more famous, but it's harder to get into. Niven and Pournelle are both prolific, with lots of good stuff, but IMO Mote is the best single example of sci fi ever. Ender's Game still makes me think we don't give kids nearly enough credit... and whether it isn't for the best that we don't. And Vinge is hardest to choose a book for. I picked the one with the most obvious libertarian overtones, but his real magic is in the depth of his thinking about the underlying cause-and-effect in his novels, especially around the idea of technological singularities.

And Asimov... I mean, what else is there to say? His writing looms over my early life like a father figure, even if it's been 20 years since I've read most of it. Of all his writing, Foundation made me think the biggest thoughts.

Enjoy, and thanks to everyone with recommendations here!

[bigslim]

I just finished reading "The Degüello The A-Team that started a War" http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006HU166O/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title

It's about the first group of Green Berets from the decorated 5th Special Forces Group to enter the GWOT shortly after 9/11. It doesn't read like your typical war novel and I really enjoyed it.

[Default.mp3]

Frank Herbert - Dune

Heh, I see you didn't list anything beyond the first book. I think the Dune series is worth reading up to Children of Dune; the rest just go off into the deep end, with Chapterhouse: Dune being just straight up bad.

Some personal favorites of mine are:
The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien
All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque (translation by Arthur Wesley Wheen)
Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda, by LGen Roméo Dallaire
Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the Tenth Dimension, by Michio Kaku (a bit dated, but still damn mind blowing; perhaps subbing in one of Kaku's newer books would be better)
The Dark Tower series, by Stephen King

[LHS]

The Dark Tower series, by Stephen King

I'm torn on this. I think Wizard and Glass was one of King's best novels ever, but the series is all over the place. Book 3 was just boring, and 5 6 and 7 felt rushed. I absolutely hated the ending (the portion after King warns the reader not to continue). I still think Roland is a compelling character, but King needs to get back on the sauce to write him well.

[Default.mp3]

I'm torn on this. I think Wizard and Glass was one of King's best novels ever, but the series is all over the place. Book 3 was just boring, and 5 6 and 7 felt rushed. I absolutely hated the ending (the portion after King warns the reader not to continue). I still think Roland is a compelling character, but King needs to get back on the sauce to write him well.

Well, IMO, King's always had a knack for making his ending to be extremely... unfulfilled, to say the least. Really sad how often he relies on a deus ex machina to end a story, considering how good a storyteller he is on all other points. As for the books being boring/rushed, can't say I agree, but meh, de gustibus non est disputandum. Either way, I find the series as a whole a very interesting attempt at universe creation, particularly how he ties in the rest of his books. Which reminds me, I need to get a hold of The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole.

[LHS]

Well, IMO, King's always had a knack for making his ending to be extremely... unfulfilled, to say the least. Really sad how often he relies on a deus ex machina to end a story, considering how good a storyteller he is on all other points. As for the books being boring/rushed, can't say I agree, but meh, de gustibus non est disputandum. Either way, I find the series as a whole a very interesting attempt at universe creation, particularly how he ties in the rest of his books. Which reminds me, I need to get a hold of The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole.

I really enjoyed the endings of IT, Salem's Lot, and a few others, but he does have a tendency to have quirky endings.

[Sheep Have Wool]

I really enjoyed the endings of IT, Salem's Lot, and a few others, but he does have a tendency to have quirky endings.

If you read his book, On Writing , I think it's pretty clear this is a function of his method. Some authors plan things out, he just writes. I actually liked the very end of the Dark Tower series, but agree the last book felt rushed.

[Nik the Greek]

Heh, I see you didn't list anything beyond the first book.

Ayep. I think it works well on its own.

So, as an interesting footnote, I read Cooper's principles of self defense, and I kept thinking to myself "This is all incredibly familiar." The same philosophies and principles he espouses directly drove my Krav Maga training. Right down the line.

I thought that was pretty cool. Gonna check out To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth next.

[NETim]

Ayep. I think it works well on its own.

So, as an interesting footnote, I read Cooper's principles of self defense, and I kept thinking to myself "This is all incredibly familiar." The same philosophies and principles he espouses directly drove my Krav Maga training. Right down the line.

I thought that was pretty cool. Gonna check out To Ride, Shoot Straight and Speak the Truth next.

All three volumes of "Gargantuan Gunsite Gossip" are a good read too.

And yes, I'm a fan of the Colonel. Yeah, he certainly had his shortcomings (as do we all) but damn if the man wasn't right about a great many things.

[LittleLebowski]

The sequel to Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel is out (http://www.amazon.com/Bring-Up-Bodies-Novel-ebook/dp/B00779MU6O/ref=kinw_dp_ke)!

Wolf Hall is in my top 5 and I'm tearing through Bring Up the Bodies with pleasure.

[Odin Bravo One]

The Red Circle - Brandon Webb

I have it from a reliable source that many of the events in this work did not happen the way it is told/represented, essentially classifying it as "fact based fiction" to a degree. Lots of taking credit for other people's work.

[EMC]

I have it from a reliable source that many of the events in this work did not happen the way it is told/represented, essentially classifying it as "fact based fiction" to a degree. Lots of taking credit for other people's work.

Bummer, seemed like a stand up guy when he was editor of kitup and now sofrep.

[Odin Bravo One]

Bummer, seemed like a stand up guy when he was editor of kitup and now sofrep.

It is a bummer. Sorry to be the bearer of the news.

[F-Trooper05]

Just finished No Easy Day (http://www.amazon.com/No-Easy-Day-Firsthand-Account/dp/0525953728/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346900981&sr=1-1&keywords=no+easy+day). There wasn't much in it that I didn't already know, but just being able to get a feel for what was going on inside the guys' heads before, during, and after the operation was pretty fascinating.

Also, there's a part in it where he describes how the DEVGRU armory has a sign above the door that says "If you can dream it, we can build it." I'm not gonna lie, that gave me a boner.


ETA: Here's Dalton Fury's take on 'Mark Owen' writing the book... http://sofrep.com/11041/a-former-detla-force-commander-speaks-out/

[LHS]

There's a three-volume set of the un-edited Robert E. Howard Conan the Cimmerian stories on Amazon. I grew up reading my dad's worn-out Ace paperbacks, which were heavily edited by deCamp and Carter, and loved them. Once I read Howard's unedited works, though, I was amazed at how much deCamp PC'd them up. If you like classic escapist fiction, where men are men and enemies are meant for killing, I highly recommend the unedited Conan.

[Chemsoldier]

Just finished No Easy Day (http://www.amazon.com/No-Easy-Day-Firsthand-Account/dp/0525953728/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346900981&sr=1-1&keywords=no+easy+day). There wasn't much in it that I didn't already know, but just being able to get a feel for what was going on inside the guys' heads before, during, and after the operation was pretty fascinating.

Also, there's a part in it where he describes how the DEVGRU armory has a sign above the door that says "If you can dream it, we can build it." I'm not gonna lie, that gave me a boner.


ETA: Here's Dalton Fury's take on 'Mark Owen' writing the book... http://sofrep.com/11041/a-former-detla-force-commander-speaks-out/

I have also recently finished the book. I enjoyed it. I can see why the PTB are pissed, there are some details that are certainly embarassing, probably a few that are best not put in a popular book (though most have been compromised in other sources that can be found by those looking).

Personally, as a person who tends to read SEAL books I find it refreshing to read a book that doesnt talk about the author's experience at BUD/S and particularly Hell Week. I know it is a pivotal event in the SEAL's life but I have read accounts of people who have gone through it from the 50s to the post 9/11 world and I am looking more for details on operational training than that. So for me I appreciated the concentration on Green Team training and stuff on life in DEVGRU and his perception of the Bin Laden raid.

Probably not worth the hype, but worth your time.

[Chemsoldier]

I have it from a reliable source that many of the events in this work did not happen the way it is told/represented, essentially classifying it as "fact based fiction" to a degree. Lots of taking credit for other people's work.

You definitely get the impression reading The Red Circle that he is trying to get into the training biz and is selling himself to an extent. He name drops like crazy.

Brandon Webb's "The Red Circle" and Chris Kyle's "American Sniper" both suffer from a self-indulgent style where the author presents his own viewpoints as natural and common sense and protrays his antagonists as perplexingly stupid and wrong headed. There are no differences of opinion in those books, just their way and idiots. It doesnt keep their books from being an interesting read, but it makes the author look very self-serving.

Webb's most interesting bits were his descriptions of certain aspects of SEAL sniper school. When he first went through the school as a student he speaks of the Army Marksmanship Unit coming in for the first week and teaching classic rifle shooting utilizing iron sighted M14s. I had never heard that and thought it was kind of cool. He said this practice has ended and the SEALs run their sniper program 100% with internal instructors. Additionally he talks about the school bringing in former AMU shooter Lanny Bassham (multiple medal Olympic rifle shooting champion) to teach his mental management system to the SEAL sniper students. That was interesting.

Kyle's book was a bit of an eye opener in how SEALs were used in Iraq. While they did do targeted raids and other things that qualified as "Special Operations", most of the deployment where he got the majority of his kills his platoon was utilized as...to borrow a term, "hyper conventional" troops. They were plugged into a conventional unit's operations and used as people that were super super good at doing the same things as the Marine infantry was already doing. To an extent it sounded more like they used SEALs for conventional operations (not a dig on Marines, they are awesome) than because the operation really needed Special Operations Forces as a part of it.

[YVK]

The sequel to Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel is out (http://www.amazon.com/Bring-Up-Bodies-Novel-ebook/dp/B00779MU6O/ref=kinw_dp_ke)!

Wolf Hall is in my top 5 and I'm tearing through Bring Up the Bodies with pleasure.

You mentioning these two books pretty much paralyzed my life. My wife thinks something wrong with me cause I am not watching the US Open..

[Odin Bravo One]

Kyle's book was a bit of an eye opener in how SEALs were used in Iraq. While they did do targeted raids and other things that qualified as "Special Operations", most of the deployment where he got the majority of his kills his platoon was utilized as...to borrow a term, "hyper conventional" troops. They were plugged into a conventional unit's operations and used as people that were super super good at doing the same things as the Marine infantry was already doing. To an extent it sounded more like they used SEALs for conventional operations (not a dig on Marines, they are awesome) than because the operation really needed Special Operations Forces as a part of it.

That was a very small aspect, for a small group of specific people, for very short and specific periods of time. I would not use Kyle's book as the benchmark for "How seals were used in Iraq". There were many, many other things going on.

I suppose someone will probably end up writing a book about them.

[MDS]

All this talk of military tell-all stories reminds me of the only military-oriented book that really had a lasting day-to-day impact on me: McRaven's Spec Ops about his theory of special operations. "A simple plan, carefully concealed, repeatedly and realistically rehearsed, and executed with surprise, speed and purpose." That book totally transformed how I did my day job, and influenced much of how I address my personal life, too. All without the ego, public flapping about of dirty laundry, or distasteful grandstanding that seems to plague some of the other military-oriented books I've read or skimmed over the last year...

[Chemsoldier]

That was a very small aspect, for a small group of specific people, for very short and specific periods of time. I would not use Kyle's book as the benchmark for "How seals were used in Iraq". There were many, many other things going on.

I figured as much, it just surprised me that any SOF were being used for what amounts to conventional operations for any period of time.

[LittleLebowski]

That was a very small aspect, for a small group of specific people, for very short and specific periods of time. I would not use Kyle's book as the benchmark for "How seals were used in Iraq". There were many, many other things going on.

I suppose someone will probably end up writing a book about them.

Me letting go of worrying about what SOF forces do was a great decision. I know the job is getting done, that's that.

[Jason F]

....Personally, as a person who tends to read SEAL books I find it refreshing to read a book that doesnt talk about the author's experience at BUD/S and particularly Hell Week. I know it is a pivotal event in the SEAL's life but I have read accounts of people who have gone through it from the 50s to the post 9/11 world and I am looking more for details on operational training than that. So for me I appreciated the concentration on Green Team training and stuff on life in DEVGRU and his perception of the Bin Laden raid...

Agreed.

Read this one on a trip to Salt Lake City this week for a shoot - got the whole book read on the flights alone. So it was a fast read. I did enjoy reading about the mental aspects of going through Green Team, etc. and not spending 1/3 of the book talking about BUD/S and Hell Week.

I had a thought last night driving home from the airport. I wonder if inclusive of the exhiliration the ST6 guys were feeling while they choppered back to Jalalabad with UBL's body at their feet.... I wonder if there was also a sense of, "Wow; 10 years of searching, poking, proding, snooping - and we finally got him. After weeks and weeks of prep & rehersals, countless contingency plans, etc... and it's over in 30 minutes."

My mind tried to ponder that while I was driving home last night at 2am. I found it interesting.

So "No Easy Day" was good, not great, but definitely worth reading. I just lent it to my brother and told him to read mine instead of buying his own copy.

[pangloss]

"Bartleby the Scrivener"?

I would prefer not to.

[JHC]

I figured as much, it just surprised me that any SOF were being used for what amounts to conventional operations for any period of time.

There was a bit of a flap for a spell about exactly that back in mid-Iraq war time. IIRC after some SEAL KIAs some controversy worked up over why are these key SOF assets mixing it up participating in infantry fights. I saw it explained - I believe it was "Frogman" on the old TF forum who explained it was quite simple. There is a large land war underway. It was deemed very important that these units not just sit the war out and basically miss gaining the unique operational experience of combat operations.

So while some may have been working with JSOC "fusion" teams etc others "hired out" to conventional units to add their extreme capabilities to the package. It was reported conventional units were only too happy to get some SEAL snipers or others tasked over to them. Very understandable!

[LHS]

Just finished re-reading some Peter Capstick books (Death on the Dark Continent and Death in the Long Grass). I lapped these up as an adolescent, dreaming of the long-shot hope that one day, I too would be able to experience an African hunt. Now I sit in my den, working the action on my 9.3x62mm Ruger, as I start the plotting and planning to actually do it. When I do finally go, I think I'll take my copy of Death in the Long Grass with me. I figure it's earned the trip :)

[Chemsoldier]

Just finished re-reading some Peter Capstick books (Death on the Dark Continent and Death in the Long Grass). I lapped these up as an adolescent, dreaming of the long-shot hope that one day, I too would be able to experience an African hunt. Now I sit in my den, working the action on my 9.3x62mm Ruger, as I start the plotting and planning to actually do it. When I do finally go, I think I'll take my copy of Death in the Long Grass with me. I figure it's earned the trip :)

Robert Ruark's "Horn of the Hunter" is awesome as well. Believe it or not the old "Man Eaters of Tsavo" by John Henry Patterson is an excellent one as well.

[LHS]

Robert Ruark's "Horn of the Hunter" is awesome as well. Believe it or not the old "Man Eaters of Tsavo" by John Henry Patterson is an excellent one as well.

I read "Man Eaters of Tsavo" some years ago, after the Val Kilmer film came out. I haven't read "Horn of the Hunter", but I thoroughly enjoyed "The Old Man and the Boy".

[bigslim]

Brewing Up a Business: Adventures in Beer from the Founder of Dogfish Head Craft Breweryhttp://www.amazon.com/Brewing-Up-Business-Adventures-ebook/dp/B004GB15X0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1347926823&sr=1-1&keywords=sam+calagione

this was a good read, a little business, a little more beer, and a whole lot of personality

[mc1911]

I read "Man Eaters of Tsavo" some years ago, after the Val Kilmer film came out. I haven't read "Horn of the Hunter", but I thoroughly enjoyed "The Old Man and the Boy".

Two great choices from Ruark, though no reading of his work is complete without Something of Value. Normally if someone recommended a novel about the Mau-Mau uprising I would have assumed they found the cure for insomnia but this is anything but. It is far from warm and fuzzy like the Old Man and the Boy, which is absolutely endearing and to be revisted often. Something of Value is fairly dark and graphic. It gets way down into the depths of the racial hatred driving that event.

[LittleLebowski]

You mentioning these two books pretty much paralyzed my life. My wife thinks something wrong with me cause I am not watching the US Open..

Amazing writing, eh? I buy copies of Wolf Hall for my friends.

[Al T.]

On your recommendation, I'm going to try WH.

[LittleLebowski]

On your recommendation, I'm going to try WH.

Looking forward to your impression.

[ACP230]

I have "Devil Of A Whipping" by Lawrence E. Babits coming in on interlibrary loan.
It's about the Battle Of Cowpens in the Revolutionary War.
I saw a recommendation on another site and decided it looked like a book I should read.

[Cecil Burch]

I have "Devil Of A Whipping" by Lawrence E. Babits coming in on interlibrary loan.
It's about the Battle Of Cowpens in the Revolutionary War.
I saw a recommendation on another site and decided it looked like a book I should read.

Excellent book. One of the first ones I read on a Kindle. Some of the maps were a little hard to read, but very enjoyable regardless.

[YVK]

Amazing writing, eh? I buy copies of Wolf Hall for my friends.

http://news.yahoo.com/hilary-mantel-favorite-booker-novel-prize-090716402.html

[NEPAKevin]

http://www.amazon.com/Lions-Kandahar-Story-Fight-Against/dp/0553807579/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356631788&sr=8-1&keywords=lions+of+kandahar

Saw the author interviewed on the Military Channel's an Officer and a Movie and he was interesting so I checked it out on Amazon. Went with the unabridged CD Audio Book and just finished listening to it on the drives to and from work. Some of it didn't make sense to me but the combat narratives were riveting and the reader did a good job of switching back and forth between various southern dialects and various ethnic accents.

[SeriousStudent]

Just finished SSG Salvatore Giunta's "Living with Honor". If the name rings a bell, he was the first living Medal of Honor recipient since the Vietnam War.

It's a very good book, and was interesting to read after SSgt Dakota Meyer's book "Into the Fire". There are certain parallels, and some differences. Giunta's book spends more time discussing his entire time in the military, and Meyer's book spends a larger portion discussing the action that resulted in his decoration. Meyer also makes a plea that the Army decorate an Army Captain that fought along side him. It's compelling, and I agree with his reasons wholeheartedly.

Both men are very humble, and quick to give praise to their fellow Soldiers and Marines. And both are heavily involved in efforts to assist veterans and their children.

It's a good read, I'd pick up both books. Meyer's book had more emotional impact on me, to be honest. Probably because I was a Misguided Child, long ago. Giunta's book reinforced the respect I had for a dedicated Soldier, and fellow grunt.

[Spr1]

Just started into "Shattered Sword" about the Battle of Midway. Serious research went into this on Japanese doctrine, culture, strategy and some of the the human failings that afflicted their commanders. It sort of tells both sides of the story. I have read a bunch of WW2 history, but this book is kind of unique.

[NickA]

Just finished Outlaw Platoon by Sean Parnell, a lieutenant with the 10th Mountain Division, about his deployment to a FOB in Afghanistan in 2006. Includes a lot of his thoughts on being a leader, accounts of some really serious fights they were in, and heartbreaking stories about the toll the war has taken on the locals. Good read and was available on Kindle for less than $5 IIRC.

[Drang]

A State of Disobedience: Tom Kratman: Amazon.com: Kindle Store (http://www.amazon.com/A-State-of-Disobedience-ebook/dp/B00AP9CO4G/ref=sr_1_5?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1357581042&sr=1-5&keywords=tom+kratman). Starts out with President "Rodham" coming for Texans' guns...
Kratman's a retired Army ossifer. Despite that, I 've enjoyed everything he has written (http://www.amazon.com/Tom-Kratman/e/B001IXNZFA/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1357581042&sr=1-2-ent).
Other authors who members here would enjoy: Larry Correia (http://www.amazon.com/Larry-Correia/e/B002D68HL8/ref=ntt_aut_sim_4_2), Michael Z. Williamson (http://www.amazon.com/Michael-Z.-Williamson/e/B001IOFA5M/ref=ntt_aut_sim_7_1), John Ringo (http://www.amazon.com/John-Ringo/e/B000APPSXE/ref=ntt_aut_sim_8_1).
I figure some or all have made appearances in the previous posts, but this thread has gotten tl;dr for a n00b... :rolleyes:

[bigslim]

Just finished Outlaw Platoon by Sean Parnell, a lieutenant with the 10th Mountain Division, about his deployment to a FOB in Afghanistan in 2006. Includes a lot of his thoughts on being a leader, accounts of some really serious fights they were in, and heartbreaking stories about the toll the war has taken on the locals. Good read and was available on Kindle for less than $5 IIRC.

really enjoyed that book.

Target Deck by Jack Murphy. http://www.amazon.com/Target-Deck-Deckard-Novel-ebook/dp/B00AU4QERO/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1357598389&sr=1-1&keywords=target+deck Is a follow on book to Reflexive Fire http://www.amazon.com/Reflexive-Fire-Deckard-Novel-ebook/dp/B0056ZBWQA/ref=la_B00501K130_1_2_title_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1357598442&sr=1-2 These books are basically about a PMC that kicks some serious ass. Target Deck was great in that its plot is centered around Fast and Furious and governmental corruption.

Mike

[SeriousStudent]

Concur, Outlaw Platoon is an excellent book.

[Joe in PNG]

Went on a (mild) Hunter S. Thompson binge this week- I find "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72" a rather insightful look at what's wrong with our current presidential selection process... and definitely not boring. "The Great Shark Hunt" likewise.

Plus, it's a better view into the mindset of the Left than Annity O'Limbaugh's "Liberals are Stupid".

[Silvershadow]

Looking Glass Wars series by Frank Beddor (an interesting take on the whole Alice in Wonderland story)

The Odd Thomas Series by Dean Koontz

If you like the show Castle they have released the "books" from the show under the name of Richard Castle

Stehen King blows, but the Dark Tower series is really good.

Steve Martin actually writes some good books Shop Girl etc.

Neil Gaimon writes some great stuff as well. Neverwhere and American Gods are really great. He also wrote Star Dust and Coraline of which movies were made.

The Dresden Files get good marks, though I have only read a little of one book.

Something else I would recommend. Go to www.overdrive.com on that site put in your zip code and see if any local libraries participate with over drive. If you have some its a great way to check out books for free to read on your kindle. I am lucky enough to have two libraries close to me that participate and I can check out up to 7 books at one time between the two of them if I want. Its a great service and really helps you get the most out of your kindle with no cost. It's also a great way to take a chance on a book without spending any money.

You should also subscribe to the Kindle Daily deals. Every day Amazon has a few books for 1.99 or less and Every month they rotate selections into their 3.99 or less area. I have had the paper white for a bit now so I have been able to find lots of ways to churn through books without spending a ton of money doing it.

I have more, but for the life of me I cannot think of the books right now.

Edit: Just realized how old this thread was....got burned by the "whats new link"

[Nik the Greek]

I think you're fine. The information in the thread doesn't have an expiration date, and I'm looking into this overdrive.com thing as we speak.

[Chemsoldier]

Quick or Dead by William L. Cassidy, Paladin Press 1978.

Cassidy attempts to make a scholarly history of pistol shooting in the 20th century. While the pistol has existed for quite a while, he starts around the turn of the century with the development of systemtized pistol shooting which he recognizes as the development of metallic cartridge revolvers, quality control that allowed consistent accuracy. formation of the United States Revolver Association and the begining of formal pistol matches. He discusses the development of the 1911, the exhibition shooters, the match structure and law enforcement's use of the matches. He then breaks off to Shanghai and follows Fairbairn and Sykes and the development of point shooting and its spread during the war to the US and Rex Applegate's work to propogate it. He gives a decent run down of the famous handgun writers such as Charles Askins, Bill Jordan and the rise of Jeff Cooper. One thing that was a little irritating (and not the author's fault) is that it was published in 1978, within 5 years the Modern Technique of the Pistol would become dominant in most circles and he more or less dismisses Cooper and MTP. While Cooper had his shortcomings and we now see the MTP as pretty dated it was enormously influential in hindsight.

The author is not quite as scholarly as he could be, citing Time Life books and a few other sources that could be considered a bit dubious. However compared to the purely anecdotal method used by most firearms writers it is a dramatic improvement. He is also a fairly shameless point shooting/Fairbairn/Applegate fanboy who suffers from a mild case of "proven on the streetz" syndrome that dismisses any value from the development of action pistol competition or what would evolve into the modern civilian training community. I seem to recall a passage about people "playing" in the desert at the American Pistol Institute.

All in all a great book that develops a theory of how the instruction of pistol shooting developed in the 20th century. While I have some disagreements with him, that is the way scholarship happens. Someone comes up with the theory, others come in, critique the theory and expand or correct it into their own theories. If you can find it, its well worth your time.

[NEPAKevin]

James and the Duck (http://www.amazon.com/James-Duck-Tales-Rhodesian-ebook/dp/B00AD1M5YU/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=)

$3.03 for Kindle edition. Its a collection of short stories that reads much like a journal or diary.

[rudy99]

Matterhorn (http://www.amazon.com/Matterhorn-A-Novel-Vietnam-War/dp/0802145310) by Karl Marlantes was an excellent fictional book about an officer's experience in the Vietnam war. I did a search on this thread and was a bit surprised it wasn't mentioned. Took me a while to get into this book, but once I did I really enjoyed it.

Skinny Dip, Double Wammy and Skin Tight by Carl Hiaasen (http://www.amazon.com/Carl-Hiaasen/e/B000AQ2LMO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1). The audio book of Skinny Dip was actually very well done.

[secondstoryguy]

Anything by William Gibson. His early work is not-so-distant-future cyberpunk sci-fi stuff and his later works (all fiction)explore the covert relationships between big business, the military and the government from the POV of several investigative type individuals. I believe his earlier works (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive, Virtual Light) are a pretty good forecast of things to come.

[Joe in PNG]

Good news everybody! John D. MacDonald's "Travis McGee" series is available on Kindle.

And, if your not familiar with this classic bit of American lit, start with "Darker than Amber"

[WobblyPossum]

Anything by William Gibson. His early work is not-so-distant-future cyberpunk sci-fi stuff and his later works (all fiction)explore the covert relationships between big business, the military and the government from the POV of several investigative type individuals. I believe his earlier works (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive, Virtual Light) are a pretty good forecast of things to come.

I'll second the recommendation of anything by William Gibson. He is my favorite sci-fi writer by far. I will also recommend anything by Philip K. Dick as well. I particularly liked Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the book that Bladerunner was based on. I loved A Scanner Darkly as a book, but I hated the film.

[LHS]

Robert Ruark's "Horn of the Hunter" is awesome as well. Believe it or not the old "Man Eaters of Tsavo" by John Henry Patterson is an excellent one as well.

I finally read Horn of the Hunter. Suddenly, I see exactly where Capstick got his inspiration. He has a very similar tone and style to Ruark.

[Joe in PNG]

I'll second the recommendation of anything by William Gibson. He is my favorite sci-fi writer by far. I will also recommend anything by Philip K. Dick as well. I particularly liked Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the book that Bladerunner was based on. I loved A Scanner Darkly as a book, but I hated the film.

Don't forget "The Man in the High Castle"- alt history, but with that great PKD twist.

[imp1295]

For me..

Shooting to Live - Fairbarn and Sikes http://www.amazon.com/Shooting-To-Live-W-E-Fairbairn/dp/1581606788

Gates of Fire - Steven Pressfield http://www.amazon.com/Gates-Fire-Novel-Battle-Thermopylae/dp/055338368X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372940368&sr=1-1&keywords=gates+of+fire A fun read about Thermopylae

and some fun reads...

Monster Hunter International - Larry Correia http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Hunter-International-Hunters-ebook/dp/B00APAH7PQ/ref=sr_1_1_title_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1372940430&sr=1-1&keywords=monster+hunter+international - ...talks about guns...

I too recently bought a kindle for my trip to the sand box. I've read more in the last 6 weeks than the last year (Unless you count R.R. Martins latest) which I also highly recommend.

[da6dspanburg]

I also higly recommend anything and everything by William Gibson. I have copies of his earlier trilogy, Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive and I reread them every few years. Still great reading. His newer stuff is just as interesting and very fascinating.

Another good book by Steve Pressfield is the Afghan Campaign: A Novel (http://www.amazon.com/The-Afghan-Campaign-A-Novel/dp/0767922387/ref=pd_sim_b_2).

[G60]

Not on Kindle, but Unintended Consequences is back in print.

There is a .pdf out there, though.

[NEPAKevin]

The Human Factor (http://www.amazon.com/Human-Factor-History-Ishmael-Jones/dp/B0096ET2BY/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1377881689) Inside the CIA's Dysfunctional Intelligence Culture by Ishmael Jones (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishmael_Jones) Not an action driven espionage thriller but rather the memoir of a former CIA operative. The book is a good read with lots of humorous anecdotes but at the same time its depiction of both pre and post 9-11, government bureaucracy structured for risk aversion and micromanagement rather than effective intelligence gathering is both believable and frustrating.

[pangloss]

I finally read Horn of the Hunter. Suddenly, I see exactly where Capstick got his inspiration. He has a very similar tone and style to Ruark.

I will probably finish Horn of the Hunter tonight. I've very much enjoyed everything I've read by Ruark. The Old Man's Boy Grows Older is next on my Ruark list.

[Dagga Boy]

Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne was outstanding. I also just finished The Third Bullet by Stephen Hunter. It was a great read as far as a unique take on the Kennedy Assassination.

[NETim]

The Far Pavillions by MM Kaye
Tai Pan by James Clavell
ShoGun by Clavell
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen Donaldsen
For Whom The Bell Tolls by hemingway

[LHS]

The Far Pavillions by MM Kaye
Tai Pan by James Clavell
ShoGun by Clavell
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen Donaldsen
For Whom The Bell Tolls by hemingway

Shogun, Gai Jin and Tai Pan are all excellent books. Clavell is a wonderful writer.

[1slow]

Tom Kratman "A Desert called Peace" etc.... SciFi with a take on dealing with Jihadis.
Donald Hamilton Matt Helm series and various westerns.
David Drake "Hammers Slammers" etc...
Bernard DeLeo "Hardhead", "Protectors" etc.....

[LHS]

Michael Z. Williamson, "Better To Ask Forgiveness"
John Ringo, "The Last Centurion"

[Clyde from Carolina]

My Lunches With Orson: Conversations Between Henry Jaglom and Orson Welles Edited by Peter Biskind.

Wonderful read if you are an Old Hollywood fan or classic movie buff.

Uniforms - Why We Wear What We Wear by Paul Fussell.

Interesting, slim volume by the author of The Great War and Modern Memory and the thought-provoking essay, Thank God for the Atom Bomb.

[1slow]

Tom C McKenney "Hinson's War"
Forest Carter "Josey Wales."

[da6dspanburg]

I just finished a great Series of 3 books. The epic Mongoliad Trilogy, by Neal Stephenson, Erik Bear, Greg Bear, and others, set in 13th-century Europe. This sweeping work of alternate history follows a small band of warriors and mystics as they raise their swords to save the continent from a bloodthirsty Mongol invasion. The 3 books in the series are:

The Mongoliad: Book One (http://www.amazon.com/The-Mongoliad-Book-Foreworld-Saga/dp/1612182364/ref=pd_sim_b_5),
The Mongoliad: Book Two (http://www.amazon.com/The-Mongoliad-Book-Foreworld-Saga/dp/1612182372/ref=pd_sim_b_1),
The Mongoliad: Book Three (http://www.amazon.com/The-Mongoliad-Book-Three-Foreworld/dp/1612182380/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_y)

All 3 are available either in paperback or Kindle e-book.

A gerat series that can get complicated with all the sub plots that are involved, but the historical research appears to be spot on.

da6d

[MDS]

I recently discovered H. Beam Piper, in the classic scifi section. Good, straight, hard-rockin stuff with a strong libertarian bent that turns out to have been very influential for my long-time favorite authors. Dated in many ways, but highly recommended for fans of Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, etc. A sample of what I've been wolfing down over the last few weeks:

Little Fuzzy - on the nature of sentience

Oomphel in the Sky - on respect for religion

Lone Star Planet - libertarian porn

Rebel Raider - non-fiction piece, civil war portrait

[Tirofijo2001]

The Unthinkable - Who Survives When Disaster Strikes

http://www.amazon.com/The-Unthinkable-Survives-Disaster-Strikes/dp/0307352900


Similar to Deep Survival, but focuses more on who survives natural disasters/terrorist attacks/traumatic situations and why. (Rather than "survival" situations like in Deep Survival.)

I've found some good nuggets in it.

(Remember in the Korea Air crash in San Fran that some passengers took the time to grab their carryon bags when they were supposed to be evacuating? Turns out it's pretty common.

[Unisaw]

Fearless: The Undaunted Courage...

http://www.amazon.com/Fearless-Undaunted-Ultimate-Sacrifice-ebook/dp/B006ZAZ31U/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1379442627&sr=1-1&keywords=Fearless

[Clyde from Carolina]

Reading this and finding it to be fascinating.

The Kennedy Detail: JFK's Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence

http://www.amazon.com/The-Kennedy-Detail-Service-Silence/dp/1439192995

Obviously Kennedy and the assassination are lightning rods for strong opinions. This book, no matter your perspective, is engrossing. It is invaluable in giving us an idea of the day to day experiences of the Presidential detail in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The world, and the way the Secret Service protects the POTUS, has certainly changed in the last fifty years.

[Drang]

I recently discovered H. Beam Piper, in the classic scifi section.
Read the sequels to Little Fuzzy, Fuzzy Sapiens and Fuzzys and Other People. Skip Ardath Mayhar's Fuzzy Dreams, but William Tuning's Fuzzy Bones is good. Also check out Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen, and Space Viking. (Space Viking is key to accusations that Piper was some sort of crypto-fascist; this sounds perilously like a violation of Niven's Law to me.)

His mystery novel Murder in the Gun Room is available for free download through Project Gutenberg.

[littlejerry]

Fearless: The Undaunted Courage...

http://www.amazon.com/Fearless-Undaunted-Ultimate-Sacrifice-ebook/dp/B006ZAZ31U/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1379442627&sr=1-1&keywords=Fearless

Just finished this book.

I'm typically not "moved" or inspired easily but this book and the story of Adam Brown was pretty damn inspiring. Especially coming from a family rife with drug addiction.

[Corey]

For non-fiction, I just finished a fascinating book; Permanent Present Tense. http://www.amazon.com/Permanent-Present-Tense-Unforgettable-Amnesic/dp/0465031595/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1379514458&sr=1-1&keywords=permanent+present+tense

The book is very technical in parts, but the human story is moving. The subject of the book, Henry Molaison, was left unable to form new long term memories in 1953 as a result of an experimental surgery to control his severe epilepsy. Until his death in 2008 he spent his life as a test subject and case study for neuroscientists. The book tells both what life was like for man who lived in the moment every day of his life because that was all he had, and what science learned from him about how the brain works.

[MDS]

Read the sequels to Little Fuzzy, Fuzzy Sapiens and Fuzzys and Other People. Skip Ardath Mayhar's Fuzzy Dreams, but William Tuning's Fuzzy Bones is good. Also check out Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen, and Space Viking. (Space Viking is key to accusations that Piper was some sort of crypto-fascist; this sounds perilously like a violation of Niven's Law to me.)

His mystery novel Murder in the Gun Room is available for free download through Project Gutenberg.

Already swallowed most of these. Murder in the Gun Room is awesome - Piper's breadth is (ahem) Astounding. The rest and more are queued up. I haven't enjoyed pulp scifi this much since junior high.

[Shellback]

Just read Sentinel by Pat McNamara (http://www.amazon.com/Sentinel-Become-Charge-Protection-Detail/dp/1475960492/ref=pd_sim_b_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1MQ5TW3R588EFR202ASA). Quite a few good ideas in it.

[SeriousStudent]

Just read Sentinel by Pat McNamara (http://www.amazon.com/Sentinel-Become-Charge-Protection-Detail/dp/1475960492/ref=pd_sim_b_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1MQ5TW3R588EFR202ASA). Quite a few good ideas in it.

Much agree. I bought a copy of that book for each of my sisters, along with a nice flashlight.

[Shellback]

Much agree. I bought a copy of that book for each of my sisters, along with a nice flashlight.

Great gift idea!

The Thinker's Toolkit (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0812928083/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3HHVMU92QJI0M&coliid=IJURJTIFT1OFN) was recommended on TPI, I'll be reading that next, along with Balefire (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0812533836/ref=pe_385040_30332200_TE_item).

[Spr1]

Try Inventing Freedom by Daniel Hannan.

[NETim]

Been readin' Awerbuck's "Plowshares into Swords." I like his style. I should've read it long ago. Other Awerbuck books on order.

[Coyotesfan97]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/kindle/kcp/tos.html#stos-bookmark

The Martian by Andy Weir. An astronaut is stranded on Mars for 550 days. It's a logbook of his struggles. Very good read!

[Serpico1985]

Just read Galveston by Nic Pizzolatto (http://www.amazon.com/Galveston-A-Novel-Nic-Pizzolatto/dp/1439166668/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405215800&sr=8-1&keywords=Galveston)

He is the sole writter for the first season of True Detective on HBO which was aweseome. The book is best characterized as modern noir. I enjoyed it a lot, couldn't put it down and will buy a parperback copy just to have.

[idahojess]

Here's some nonfiction recommendations I've read recently:

A Better War, by Lewis Sorley. This book looks at the US involvement in Vietnam in the years after Tet. The author comes to some interesting conclusions about how the US had actually won the war -- through effective counterinsurgency and intensive bombing -- in 1973, then lost it two years after the US had left. Granted, it was a nasty war, no one wanted to be there any more, but it sounds awfully familiar.....

Grant and Sherman, the Friendship that won the Civil War by Charles B. Flood. The book focuses on these two generals, who really struggled with their lives before, and, to some extent, during, the war.

The History of the English Speaking Peoples by Winston Churchill. I've read three of the four volumes over the past few years (I've heard the abridged version isn't good, so I recommend the volume set). Pretty interesting read --particularly on the evolution of democracy and the limited power of kings (the sources of the American Revolution really seem to me to originate from the 1689 English Bill of Rights).

I've read the first two of Rick Atkinson's WWII trilogy as well -- very good. Haven't gotten the third one yet.

[Drang]

Here's some nonfiction recommendations I've read recently:
The History of the English Speaking Peoples by Winston Churchill. I've read three of the four volumes over the past few years (I've heard the abridged version isn't good, so I recommend the volume set). Pretty interesting read --particularly on the evolution of democracy and the limited power of kings (the sources of the American Revolution really seem to me to originate from the 1689 English Bill of Rights).
Reading Churchill's memoirs of WWII in Kindle format, going to pick up these and his WWI books too.

A while ago I read Global Crisis - by Geoffrey Parker (http://www.amazon.com/Global-Crisis-Geoffrey-Parker-ebook/dp/B00BQZ1UHK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1400447679&sr=1-1&keywords=global+crisis+war+climate+change+and+cata strophe+in+the+seventeenth+century), which Amazon describes as

Revolutions, droughts, famines, invasions, wars, regicides, government collapses—the calamities of the mid-seventeenth century were unprecedented in both frequency and extent. The effects of what historians call the "General Crisis" extended from England to Japan, from the Russian Empire to sub-Saharan Africa. The Americas, too, did not escape the turbulence of the time.
In this meticulously researched volume, master historian Geoffrey Parker presents the firsthand testimony of men and women who saw and suffered from the sequence of political, economic, and social crises between 1618 to the late 1680s. Parker also deploys the scientific evidence of climate change during this period. His discoveries revise entirely our understanding of the General Crisis: changes in prevailing weather patterns, especially longer winters and cooler and wetter summers, disrupted growing seasons and destroyed harvests. This in turn brought hunger, malnutrition, and disease; and as material conditions worsened, wars, rebellions, and revolutions rocked the world.
Parker's demonstration of the link between climate change, war, and catastrophe 350 years ago stands as an extraordinary historical achievement. And the implications of his study are equally important: are we adequately prepared—or even preparing—for the catastrophes that climate change brings?
I wrote a Quickie Book Review. (http://thecluemeter.blogspot.com/2014/05/quickie-book-review-global-crisis.html)

Am currently reading Demanding the Impossible: A History of Anarchism - by Peter Marshall (http://www.amazon.com/Demanding-Impossible-Peter-Marshall-ebook/dp/B005069PK0/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1405566547&sr=1-1&keywords=demanding+impossible), which is testing my ability to not throw the King County Library System's books into a fire. Kitten, those people are deluded!

On the lighter side, Larry Correia's latest Monster Hunter (http://www.baen.com/series_list.asp?letter=M#MHI) novel is out, Tom Kratman's latest Carerra (http://www.baen.com/series_list.asp?letter=C#CARERRA) book is out, and John "Oh, John Ringo, no!" Ringo's third Zompocalypse (http://www.baen.com/series_list.asp?letter=B#BLACKTIDE) novel came out in ebook format yesterday.

And the Baen app for Android is out, too.

[Dagga Boy]

I recently finished "The Lions Gate" by Stephen Pressfield. He is my favorite author, and The Lions Gate may be one of his best books. It is about the Six Day War and based on current events is a must read. It truly made me proud of my Jewish heritage.

[LtDave]

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller.

[LittleLebowski]

The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher by Hillary Mantel (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IHC7VDM/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00IHC7VDM&linkCode=as2&tag=ratio07-20) is up for pre-order on Amazon. CanNOT wait.

[idahojess]

Just finished a really good one that I picked up at the library. Suddenly We Didn't Want to Die by Elton Mackin. This book was published posthumously in 1993, and is based on the author's memoirs of his World War I experience. The book stretches from the author's arrival on June 7, 1918 at Belleau Wood to November 11, 1918, after he crossed the Meuse River on roped-together raft barges under artillery and machine gun fire. An exceptional read.

http://www.amazon.com/Suddenly-We-Didnt-Want-Die/dp/0891415939

[Drang]

I'm sure that some here will appreciate the fact that Penguin is bringing Jean Larteguy's The Centurions back. The Centurions: Jean Larteguy, Xan Fielding, Robert D. Kaplan: 9780143107446: Amazon.com: Books (http://www.amazon.com/The-Centurions-Jean-Larteguy/dp/0143107445/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1415433002&sr=8-1)
Release date 05/2015.

[Sasage]

Just read War Is a Racket. Quick read but very applicable still today.

[Makarovii]

So many good titles I would have suggested have already been mentioned.

If you can find them (OOP) Cap'n Fatso, Stand BY-Y-Y To Start Engines and Now, Hear This! by Adm. Daniel V. Gallery will keep you laughing from cover to cover.

Six Silent Men, Eyes of the Eagle: F Company LRPs in Vietnam, 1968 and Eyes Behind the Lines: L Company Rangers in Vietnam, 1969 by Gary Linderer kept me riveted while reading.

Anything by the late Vince Flynn in the Mitch Rapp series is a good read.

In this order: Gods and Kings, Song of Redemption, The Strength of His Hand, Faith of My Fathers and Among the Gods by Lynn Austin. If you are a man of faith you may find this series interesting, dealing with Old Testament kings and the history surrounding their reign.

[Wondering Beard]

I'm sure that some here will appreciate the fact that Penguin is bringing Jean Larteguy's The Centurions back. The Centurions: Jean Larteguy, Xan Fielding, Robert D. Kaplan: 9780143107446: Amazon.com: Books (http://www.amazon.com/The-Centurions-Jean-Larteguy/dp/0143107445/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1415433002&sr=8-1)
Release date 05/2015.

Nice!

I've recommended it (and The Praetorians) to quite a few people over the years but they had a hell of time finding them in English.

[Drang]

Nice!

I've recommended it (and The Praetorians) to quite a few people over the years but they had a hell of time finding them in English.

I've been requesting The Centurions in Kindle format monthly for quite a while. Some rich dude who apparently was pals with some bigwigs in SOCOM brought out a deluxe limited hardbound edition a few years ago.
Also Charles MacArthur's Warbugs.
And Westheimer's Lighter Than A Feather and Coppell's The Burning Mountain, fictional tellings of, respectively, the invasions of Kyushu and Honshu. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Downfall)
(Someone finally brought out Silverlock in Kindle format, along with most of Meyers' fiction, but little of his non-fiction.)

ETA: Did I mention earlier that This Kind of War by T.R. Fehrenbach (http://www.amazon.com/This-Kind-War-Fiftieth-Anniversary/dp/1574883348/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415614373&sr=8-1&keywords=this+kind+of+war) has been released on Kindle?

[Unisaw]

I just read Rupert Red Two by Jack Broughton. It recounted his AF career and the remarkable list of airplanes he flew. There is also a short but good section about the difference between warriors and staff. Incidentally, the author just passed away.

[Default.mp3]

I am currently reading Phil Klay's Redeployment (http://www.amazon.com/Redeployment-Phil-Klay/dp/1594204993/ref=asap_B00ETQVYB0_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415898593&sr=1-1) (recently heard about it on NPR since it was a National Book Award finalist). If you were a fan of Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried, I think Redeployment would be a great choice. A little more raw, a little less cohesive, but so far, I've been devouring it. I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm enjoying it, simply because of the raw content, but it's a real gem so far.

[Guinnessman]

Right now I am on a Civil War reading binge. At the recommendation of many Co-workers that reached high ranking positions in the military, I just read Gods and Generals, and The Killer Angels.

My next Civil War book will be Rebel Yell, a book about Stonewall Jackson. After that I plan on reading Unbroken to switch thing up a bit.

[ranger]

I've been requesting The Centurions in Kindle format monthly for quite a while. Some rich dude who apparently was pals with some bigwigs in SOCOM brought out a deluxe limited hardbound edition a few years ago.
Also Charles MacArthur's Warbugs.
And Westheimer's Lighter Than A Feather and Coppell's The Burning Mountain, fictional tellings of, respectively, the invasions of Kyushu and Honshu. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Downfall)
(Someone finally brought out Silverlock in Kindle format, along with most of Meyers' fiction, but little of his non-fiction.)

ETA: Did I mention earlier that This Kind of War by T.R. Fehrenbach (http://www.amazon.com/This-Kind-War-Fiftieth-Anniversary/dp/1574883348/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415614373&sr=8-1&keywords=this+kind+of+war) has been released on Kindle?

Well, that just cost me $8 from Amazon. Always wanted that book as a former Manchu. I have been going to South Korea to train with 2ID at least once per year the last two years.

[Drang]

Well, that just cost me $8 from Amazon. Always wanted that book as a former Manchu. I have been going to South Korea to train with 2ID at least once per year the last two years.

Keep up the fire!

[NEPAKevin]

In the series finale of Justified, Rayland tosses Tim a worn paperback copy of George V. HIggins' The Friends of Eddie Coyle (http://www.amazon.com/Friends-Eddie-Coyle-Novel-ebook/dp/B003H4I54E/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1432845653&sr=1-1&keywords=friends+of+eddie+coyle). Set in the 70's, its an old school page turner.

[Drang]

This thread has certainly increased my usage of the "I Want To Read This On Kindle" link on Amazon...

[farscott]

Neal Stephenson has a new novel "Seveneves" that starts in the very near present with the moon breaking up into seven pieces -- and goes from there. He uses that as the precipitation for a very strange diaspora. Like all of his novels, the characterizations are well done, the science is real, and the results are thought-provoking. Some of the reactions to what the plot has happening strike me as wrong, so I actually stopped reading in the middle and went back to the beginning of the book.

[MGW]

I read a book called Breakers by Edward Robertson on a recent trip out of the country. Got it as a free Kindle book off Amazon awhile back. It starts off as an end of the world because of some weird flu book. Then turns into something else all together. Takes a Sci-fi twist. I'm not a sci-fi fan but couldn't put it down. It's called book 1 but it stands on its own just fine.

[Clyde from Carolina]

Just finished Last Chapter by Ernie Pyle. A lady at work lent me a copy that had belonged to her father, who was on B-25s in the Pacific in WWII. I really enjoyed reading it but it was a bittersweet experience knowing how it ends...

For those who don't know about Pyle, he was a Pulitzer-Prize winning war correspondent who covered the war in Europe from 1942-44. He was noted for his "everyman" approach to covering the war that concentrated on the lowly GIs and their dirty war, rather than the high-level political and grand strategy side of war. He was immensely popular with the GIs and their families back home who read his columns. He always tried to mention the GIs that he talked to by name in his columns, and where they were from back home.

Last Chapter covers his brief, final sojurn in the war. He lived on a light carrier as it raided Japan, (unnamed for security reasons except by her nickname, "The Iron Lady" --which we now know was the USS Cabot).

He'd gone to the Pacific after things had started winding down in Europe. After the fast carrier's raid, he landed with the 1st Marine Division at Okinawa on April 1, 1945. He chronicled his time with the cocky-but-nice Marines and deemed them just as good company to share a dugout and a smoke with as his beloved GIs in Europe. His last lines were about the fighting on Okinawa and how the easy time the Marines were having on the northern half of the island was atypical for the Marines and NOT what they were used to encountering on "blitzes" in the Pacific.

He went to the little island of Ie Shima where the Army 77th Division was fighting, to cover that action, and was killed by a single bullet through the temple from a Japanese machine gunner on April 18, 1945.

[Tooln]

Guess I'll offer up a few too.
R. A. Heinlein, just about anything he's written. The Cat Who Walks Through Walls and Friday are favorites of mine. Coventry was one of his shorts, and a damn good one at that.

Spider Robinson. Any and all of the Callahan's Series. And most notably Variable Star. It was a Heinlein novel left unfinished at the time of his death, Spider finished it in grand style.
Spider is in a class of his own.

Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn Trilogy. Its long and sometimes seem to drag along but a good read none the less

W. T. Grant, Wings of the Eagle
Larry Chambers, RECONDO

Edit: Seems I've been a forgetful fool today.
Orson Scott Card's, Enders Game.

[HCM]

In the series finale of Justified, Rayland tosses Tim a worn paperback copy of George V. HIggins' The Friends of Eddie Coyle (http://www.amazon.com/Friends-Eddie-Coyle-Novel-ebook/dp/B003H4I54E/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1432845653&sr=1-1&keywords=friends+of+eddie+coyle). Set in the 70's, its an old school page turner.

The 1970s movie version with Robert Mitchum is pretty awesome as well.

[Drang]

To my utter astonishment, some of Sven Hassel's books are available in Kindle format.
(http://www.amazon.com/Sven-Hassel/e/B000APCYHC/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1433120778&sr=1-2-ent)
(And I thought the effect on my "Recommendations" of accidentally clicking that link to the "Atlantis, Lemuria, and Mu" page was going to be bad!)

Sure, the same highjinks ensue in multiple books on multiple fronts (Tiny seemed to run downhill to get away from the tire of the exploded truck multiple times), but one of them -- The Commissar? -- was also the source of one of my all time favorite quotes:

It is at times like these that one regrets having taken that Unexploded Ordnance course...

(Alas, Willi Heinrich's Cross of Iron is NOT available for ebook...)

[Odin Bravo One]

I have it from a reliable source that many of the events in this work did not happen the way it is told/represented, essentially classifying it as "fact based fiction" to a degree. Lots of taking credit for other people's work.


Bummer, seemed like a stand up guy when he was editor of kitup and now sofrep.


It is a bummer. Sorry to be the bearer of the news.

http://hamptonroads.com/2015/05/former-navy-seal-brandon-webb-under-fire-critics

[MRW]

They're not in Kindle but I would recommend anything by James Crumley. "Last Good Kiss", "The Wrong Case", and "Dancing Bear" are standouts. Really influential private-eye crime fiction.

Fro non-fiction, I would recommend "Public Enemies" by Bryan Burrough. It's a good history of the robbery crime wave of the 1930's, law enforcement's response, and the rise if the FBI with all the stumbling that came with it.

I also recommend "To Hell on a Fast Horse" by Mark Lee Gardner. It advertises itself as an untold history of Pat Garret and Bill the Kid but most of the information can be found other places. It is a well written and fast paced dual biography of The Kid and Garrett. The book is a good intro to the history of the Lincoln County War it's aftermath.

[Kyle Reese]

Winning Paktika: The Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan is a well done and compelling read (http://www.amazon.com/Winning-Paktika-Counterinsurgency-Robert-Anders/dp/1481703072/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433550356&sr=8-1&keywords=winning+paktika). If you're a student of COIN, it's a must buy. A lot of what the author's experiences and opinions regarding the province and its people resonated with me, even though I was there 7 years later.

[Drang]

They're not in Kindle but I would recommend anything by James Crumley. ...
One To Count Cadence is a classic amongst SIGINT geeks.*
If anyone else cares.


*(He was ASA. He got around the fact that at the time you weren't even supposed to admit that ASA existed by inventing a COMSEC mission. Which did exist, sort of.)

[ACP230]

I have One To Count Cadence somewhere in my stack of paperbacks.
Hadn't thought of it in years but I liked it when I bought it.

Vandenberg by Oliver Lange was bought about the same time and is in the stack
too. Also a good read although pretty dated by now. (One of the best appearances in fiction
by an M2 Carbine is in Vandenberg.)

[Drang]

I have One To Count Cadence somewhere in my stack of paperbacks.
Hadn't thought of it in years but I liked it when I bought it.
Some don't care for it because they feel it's so full of '60s angst as to be unreadable. I didn't see it.

Having spent a third of my Army career in Korea, and all of it in units dedicated to "The Asian mission", I found Richard McKenna's The Sand Pebbles (http://www.amazon.com/Sand-Pebbles-RosettaBooks-into-Film-ebook/dp/B003XREM2Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434207834&sr=1-1&keywords=the+sand+pebbles) a fascinating look at the background. The movie was good, the novel (as usual) better.

Richard McKenna (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_McKenna) was a retired US Navy Chief Machinist Mate, and another author I've been hitting "I want to read this on Kindle" on Amazon.
His other works are out of print:
Left-Handed Monkey Wrench: Stories and Essays (http://www.amazon.com/Left-Handed-Monkey-Wrench-Stories-Essays/dp/0870213458/ref=la_B000APBRO8_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434207906&sr=1-2), which is mostly stories and essays based on his Naval career.
The Sons Of Martha and Other Stories (http://www.amazon.com/Sons-Martha-Other-Stories/dp/B000E5R40K/ref=la_B000APBRO8_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434207906&sr=1-3) is a bunch of essays which were to be the basis of a novel which McKenna was having little progress writing, at the time of his death. It was to be another novel of Naval life between the World Wars.
It turns out that there is a Kindle edition of his collection of science fiction, AmazonSmile: Casey Agonistes. (http://www.amazon.com/Casey-Agonistes-Richard-M-Mckenna-ebook/dp/B00GU338BO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434208166&sr=1-1&keywords=casey+agonistes) One review (of two) says that some material is missing. Haven't read it in a long time, so I can't say.

[LittleLebowski]

Some don't care for it because they feel it's so full of '60s angst as to be unreadable. I didn't see it.

Having spent a third of my Army career in Korea, and all of it in units dedicated to "The Asian mission", I found Richard McKenna's The Sand Pebbles (http://www.amazon.com/Sand-Pebbles-RosettaBooks-into-Film-ebook/dp/B003XREM2Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434207834&sr=1-1&keywords=the+sand+pebbles) a fascinating look at the background. The movie was good, the novel (as usual) better.

Richard McKenna (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_McKenna) was a retired US Navy Chief Machinist Mate, and another author I've been hitting "I want to read this on Kindle" on Amazon.
His other works are out of print:
Left-Handed Monkey Wrench: Stories and Essays (http://www.amazon.com/Left-Handed-Monkey-Wrench-Stories-Essays/dp/0870213458/ref=la_B000APBRO8_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434207906&sr=1-2), which is mostly stories and essays based on his Naval career.
The Sons Of Martha and Other Stories (http://www.amazon.com/Sons-Martha-Other-Stories/dp/B000E5R40K/ref=la_B000APBRO8_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434207906&sr=1-3) is a bunch of essays which were to be the basis of a novel which McKenna was having little progress writing, at the time of his death. It was to be another novel of Naval life between the World Wars.
It turns out that there is a Kindle edition of his collection of science fiction, AmazonSmile: Casey Agonistes. (http://www.amazon.com/Casey-Agonistes-Richard-M-Mckenna-ebook/dp/B00GU338BO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434208166&sr=1-1&keywords=casey+agonistes) One review (of two) says that some material is missing. Haven't read it in a long time, so I can't say.

I have a rare copy of the Left Handed Monkeywrench and highly recommend it. I need to grab a copy of the Sand Pebbles. I've only seen the movie.

[Drang]

I need to grab a copy of the Sand Pebbles. I've only seen the movie.
Which is on, right now, on TCM.

[LittleLebowski]

Which is on, right now, on TCM.

No cable or satellite TV in this house :D

[Hambo]

The Sand Pebbles is on Kindle, if you have one.

I'm reading Terry Weiland's Dangerous Game Rifles, Second Edition and I like it, but you have to be a serious gun or African hunting nut to like the detail.

[LittleLebowski]

The Sand Pebbles is on Kindle, if you have one.

I'm reading Terry Weiland's Dangerous Game Rifles, Second Edition and I like it, but you have to be a serious gun or African hunting nut to like the detail.

Just finished Death in the Long Grass (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006GR5128/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B006GR5128&linkCode=as2&tag=ratio07-20) and it was phenomenal!

[LHS]

Just finished Death in the Long Grass (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006GR5128/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B006GR5128&linkCode=as2&tag=ratio07-20) and it was phenomenal!

I love Capstick's books, but IMHO his earlier works were the best. The last book that his wife 'edited' and published was pretty weak-sauce, especially considering the subject matter.

If you loved Death in the Long Grass, pick up some of Robert Ruark's stuff. "Horn of the Hunter" is excellent. It obviously heavily influenced Capstick's writing.

[Andy T]

One Second After (http://www.amazon.com/One-Second-After-William-Forstchen/dp/0765356864/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1434316181&sr=8-1&keywords=one+second+after) - a scary and realistic glimpse as to what could happen if EMP were to be detonated over CONUS.

[DMF13]

Non-fiction:

Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK, by Gerald Posner http://www.amazon.com/Case-Closed-Gerald-Posner/dp/1400034620/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1434346958&sr=8-2&keywords=case+closed

Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance between the FBI and the Irish Mob (should be required reading for any cop that works with informants) http://www.amazon.com/Black-Story-Unholy-Alliance-between/dp/B001AQTITM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1434347035&sr=8-3&keywords=black+mass

Empire of the Summer Moon, by SC Gwinne

Fearless: The Undaunted Courage and Ultimate Sacrifice of Navy SEAL Team SIX Operator Adam Brown by Eric Blehm http://www.amazon.com/Fearless-Undaunted-Ultimate-Sacrifice-Operator/dp/0307730700/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1434347360&sr=8-1&keywords=Fearless

Into the Mouth of the Cat: The Story of Lance Sijan by Malcolm McConnell http://www.amazon.com/Into-Mouth-Cat-Story-Vietnam/dp/0393325482/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434347448&sr=1-1&keywords=into+the+mouth+of+the+cat

Hunting Eichmann by Neal Bascomb http://www.amazon.com/Hunting-Eichmann-Survivors-Agency-Notorious/dp/0547248024/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434347636&sr=1-1&keywords=hunting+eichmann

The Ravens: The True Story Of A Secret War In Laos by Christopher Robbins http://www.amazon.com/Ravens-True-Story-Secret-Vietnam-ebook/dp/B00887PC78/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434347785&sr=1-2&keywords=The+ravens

[DMF13]

Fiction:

Red Dragon, by Thomas Harris (excellent story that is much better than Silence of the Lambs, and everything else by Harris has written is crap IMO) http://www.amazon.com/Red-Dragon-Thomas-Harris/dp/0425228223/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434348046&sr=1-1&keywords=red+dragon+thomas+harris

Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan (it's the book the movie "The Town" was based on) http://www.amazon.com/Prince-Thieves-Novel-Chuck-Hogan/dp/1416554904/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434348114&sr=1-1&keywords=prince+of+thieves+chuck+hogan

Doctor Sleep, by Stephen King (sequel to "The Shining" but only good if you've read The Shining not just watched the movie) http://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Sleep-Stephen-King/dp/1451698852/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434348314&sr=1-1&keywords=doctor+sleep+stephen+king

Presumed Innocent, by Scott Turow http://www.amazon.com/Presumed-Innocent-Scott-Turow/dp/1455500402/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434348389&sr=1-1&keywords=presumed+innocent+scott+turow

[DMF13]

I'll also second the recommendation to get the Overdrive App for your mobile devices.

I use it to get both ebooks and audiobooks. Saves tons of money.

[Coyotesfan97]

Some don't care for it because they feel it's so full of '60s angst as to be unreadable. I didn't see it.

Having spent a third of my Army career in Korea, and all of it in units dedicated to "The Asian mission", I found Richard McKenna's The Sand Pebbles (http://www.amazon.com/Sand-Pebbles-RosettaBooks-into-Film-ebook/dp/B003XREM2Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434207834&sr=1-1&keywords=the+sand+pebbles) a fascinating look at the background. The movie was good, the novel (as usual) better.

Richard McKenna (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_McKenna) was a retired US Navy Chief Machinist Mate, and another author I've been hitting "I want to read this on Kindle" on Amazon.
His other works are out of print:
Left-Handed Monkey Wrench: Stories and Essays (http://www.amazon.com/Left-Handed-Monkey-Wrench-Stories-Essays/dp/0870213458/ref=la_B000APBRO8_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434207906&sr=1-2), which is mostly stories and essays based on his Naval career.
The Sons Of Martha and Other Stories (http://www.amazon.com/Sons-Martha-Other-Stories/dp/B000E5R40K/ref=la_B000APBRO8_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434207906&sr=1-3) is a bunch of essays which were to be the basis of a novel which McKenna was having little progress writing, at the time of his death. It was to be another novel of Naval life between the World Wars.
It turns out that there is a Kindle edition of his collection of science fiction, AmazonSmile: Casey Agonistes. (http://www.amazon.com/Casey-Agonistes-Richard-M-Mckenna-ebook/dp/B00GU338BO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434208166&sr=1-1&keywords=casey+agonistes) One review (of two) says that some material is missing. Haven't read it in a long time, so I can't say.

You'd probably like Descent Into Darkness if you haven't read it.

http://www.amazon.com/Descent-into-Darkness-Harbor-1941%C2%97-ebook/dp/B007ZDDCU0/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434421969&sr=1-1&keywords=descent+into+darkness

It's about Navy salvage divers who dove on the wrecks in Pearl Harbor immediately following the attack. It's a great read.

On December 7, 1941, as the great battleships Arizona, Oklahoma, and Utah lie paralyzed and burning in the aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, a crack team of U.S. Navy salvage divers headed by Edward C. Raymer are hurriedly flown to Oahu from the mainland. The divers have been given a Herculean task: rescue the sailors and Marines trapped below, and resurrect the pride of the Pacific fleet.

[rauchman]

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but I'm reading the Martian (http://www.amazon.com/Martian-Andy-Weir/dp/0553418025/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434459404&sr=1-1&keywords=the+martian).

If you're into Sci-Fi, it's a really good read. Lots of scientific info that's easy for the layman to understand.

[Bigguy]

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but I'm reading the Martian (http://www.amazon.com/Martian-Andy-Weir/dp/0553418025/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434459404&sr=1-1&keywords=the+martian).

If you're into Sci-Fi, it's a really good read. Lots of scientific info that's easy for the layman to understand.

Just bought for Kindle on iPad.

[Bigguy]

Just bought for Kindle on iPad.

Finished it last night. That is a GOOD book. NO way the movie will be able to compete. I'll still see it though.

[Cecil Burch]

fiction - Carte Blanche by Jeffrey Deaver. An updating of James Bond. Not just moving him into the modern era but keeping the same origin (ala the Gardener books), but a total revamp. He is now an Afghan war vet. What the Daniel Craig movies did to the movie Bond, this does for the novel character. Bonus points for having him carry a PPS. Slight negative mark because it is in .40! Solid and entertaining book. I wish they would let Deaver do more.

non-fiction - Never Let Go by Dan John. One of my favorite books on strength and conditioning. John is a very entertaining and informative writer whose advice is so valuable and functional. This book is a collection of essays, so the chapters are all relatively short, and is a very good read, even if you are totally new to the S&C world.

Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer. A great account of one of the most heroic naval actions in US history. Basically, a handful of destroyers and destroyer escorts go head to head with the largest battleships on Earth to keep the Japanese from ending MacArthur's landing in the Philippines. Epic stuff.

[Joe in PNG]

More Non-Fiction:
"The Proud Tower" by Barbara Tuchman- a pretty good general overview of the culture and politics of the Pre-WWI world.
"Tank Warfare on the Eastern Front 1941-1942: Schwerpunkt" by Robert Forczyk- an in depth look at the Eastern front, as written by a tanker.

[Odin Bravo One]

"Fighting Smarter" by Tom Givens.

Read it during a flight, and well worth the couple of hours. I highly recommend anyone who owns a gun to read it. Twice. The gear section is good, and recent, though those are things that tend to rapidly change, and may be inaccurate in five years.

However, the TTP's, concepts, and historical facts will change very slowly, or not at all, and are well woth learning and reviewing.

Thanks for writing a concise and comprehensive work on this topic Tom.

[NEPAKevin]

Kindle Daily Bio Deal: Outlaw Platoon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LC0S7W/ref=amb_link_435888642_9?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=127FYD7R0XFQF4XA1VYP&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=2119921082&pf_rd_i=8794559011)

[Unisaw]

Legend by Eric Blehm. This is the story of MOH winner Roy Benavidez, who rescued a special forces team caught behind enemy lines in Cambodia during the Vietnam war.

[ACP230]

Just finished reading Stephen Hunter's Sniper's Honor.

It was enjoyable. Cool description of the STen gun and the inability of "journalists who
went to Harvard" to tell the difference between a bullet and a cartridge.

[Dagga Boy]

Thanks to SeriousStudent for the gift of "The Brigade". Very interesting WWII history I was unaware of and a enlightening read. Fit well with the Lions Gate on Israeli history.

I am still working through Rebel Yell. SC Gwynn is an amazing writer of history, but it is a long read.

Finished Little Lebowski's friends book Tomorrow War in essentially a day, which means it was good.....and it will scare you about the fragility of the world. As a retired urban cop, I just sat nodding my head in agreement with how society declined quickly.

[Hambo]

I'm just finishing Knife Fights by John Nagl. It's an interesting read about counterinsurgency doctrine, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

[Drang]

Resurrecting a semi-necro-thread to add a recommendation for J.L. Curtis' Grey Man books, The Grey Man: -Vignettes- (http://www.amazon.com/Grey-Man--Vignettes--JL-Curtis-ebook/dp/B00IXA8UR4/ref=la_B00J06YA56_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1441309426&sr=1-3), The Grey Man: Payback (http://www.amazon.com/Grey-Man-Payback-JL-Curtis-ebook/dp/B00O2P1M74/ref=la_B00J06YA56_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1441309426&sr=1-2), and The Grey Man- Changes (http://www.amazon.com/Grey-Man--Changes-JL-Curtis-ebook/dp/B0104JMN0Q/ref=la_B00J06YA56_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1441309426&sr=1-1).


Texas rancher and lawman John Cronin knows what it means to be tough. A decorated Vietnam vet with connections to law enforcement agencies all around the world, he’s thwarted smugglers and drug plots across the globe with more than a few narrow escapes. Whether it’s a sniper competition or teaching the feds a thing or two about police work, Cronin doesn’t hesitate to pull the trigger. Of course, this slow-talking lawman’s biggest challenge yet might be when his granddaughter Jesse falls in love with a Marine. When drug smugglers stir up trouble in Cronin’s backyard and try to kill Jesse and her new beau, all hell breaks loose, and Cronin and his granddaughter are just the people to set things right.

Lots of accurate guns and shooting in here, of probable interest to members of this forum.
JL Curtis blogs as OldNFO at Nobody Asked Me... - Veritas nos liberabit (http://oldnfo.org/).

[ACP230]

I have all three of the Curtis books listed.
Good reads and the shooting stuff does appear to be accurate.
On his blog he mentioned a fourth book in the works, and a book of
"space opera" as well.

[Coyotesfan97]

Well you just cost me some money because I didn't know the third book in the Grey Man series had come out. I just bought it on my kindle. My Dad loaned me the first two. It's an awesome series!

[Drang]

:cool:
Just doing me part for the Free market Economy.

Well, the sorta free market economy...

[Drang]

:cool:
Just doing me part for the Free market Economy.

Well, the sorta free market economy...

The Grey Man books are on sale through Monday: The Grey Man... - Nobody Asked Me... (http://oldnfo.org/2015/09/05/the-grey-man-2/)

[SAWBONES]

The Grey Man books are on sale through Monday: The Grey Man... - Nobody Asked Me... (http://oldnfo.org/2015/09/05/the-grey-man-2/)

Thanks for the heads-up, just bought 'em all after reading the free sample of Vignettes.

[Unisaw]

If you're a fan of Longmire, the latest in the series, Dry Bones, is very good.

[Coyotesfan97]

I just stayed up late to finish Grey Man Changes. I read it all in one sitting. Excellent story!

[Drang]

(Alas, Willi Heinrich's Cross of Iron is NOT available for ebook...)
It is now!
AmazonSmile: The Cross Of Iron eBook: Willi Heinrich, Richard And Clara Winston: Kindle Store (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016CF75Y0?refRID=0CP359M46VG7356APFXH&ref_=pd_ys_c_rfy_156576011_84)

So is Guy Sajer's The Forgotten Soldier.
AmazonSmile: The Forgotten Soldier: The Classic WWII Autobiography eBook: Guy Sajer: Kindle Store (http://www.amazon.com/The-Forgotten-Soldier-Classic-Autobiography-ebook/dp/B005M3U2CG/ref=pd_sim_351_31?ie=UTF8&dpID=411uXKjOzDL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR99%2C160_&refRID=0X2K9N02H67BGKMDD6ED)
A friend tried to tell me that this book was "on the banned list."
Which was odd, when I discovered it was the the Chief of Staff's reading List...

[UNK]

Just finished two books.
It IS about Islam by Glen Beck
White girls bleed a lot.
It IS about Islam. Great first read on Islam. He also references several other books which I will be picking up too. Unfortunately I already gave my copy away and I'll have to order another one.
White Girls Bleed a Lot. Oh yah. You have to get this one too. Its a lot of repetitive situations but I guarantee it will be an eye opener about racially motivated violence and how random and completely violent it is. This will get you charged up for situational awareness and training.

[Dagga Boy]

It is about Islam is a definite must read and is well done.

[md8232]

Tim Powers
The Drawing of the Dark
This is a historical fantasy set in 16th century Europe. Brian Duffy, an aging sword-for-hire is employed by the mysterious and ancient Aurelianus as a bouncer at the Vienna inn where Hertzwesten Beer is brewed. The story follows him on his travels and leads us towards the confrontation between East and West, a confrontation in which magic and the supernatural are the main weapons

The Anubis Gates
A permanent fixture in many recommended reading lists and now widely regarded as a modern classic as well as an archetypal time travel and Steampunk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk)story, this is the best place to start if you want to get into Powers. A roller coaster of a story taking you back to a sorcerous London of the early nineteenth century. You'll meet the well known poets of the period, Coleridge, Byron and Ashbless and also some of the most wonderfully crafted villains you're ever likely to come across


T.J. Bass
Half Past Human
The Godwhale
Two future distopias. Half Past Human introduces the 4-toed Nebish


Guy Gavriel Kay
Ysabel
The story tells of 15-year-old Ned Marriner who discovers his magical heritage while staying with his photographer father in Provence. He meets an American exchange student, the two become involved in an ancient "story" of love, sacrifice, and magic unfolding in the present day, which draws in Ned's family and friends

[Paltares8]

I just finished the third book (Firewall) in Andy McNab's Nick Stone series, which were recommended in another book thread on here. I have enjoyed all 3 so far. Before I started those I read the first 2 of Andrew Peterson's Nathan McBride series, which were also pretty good. Can't decide whether to continue with the Nick Stone series or knock out the new Jack Reacher book. And after reading through more of this thread, I have added too many more books to check out, considering time is becoming a more and more scarce commodity in my household.

[Sasage]

Just finished Detroit: An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff, great read. I'm from Michigan so might be biased.

Also finished Grit, good book about where grit comes from and how to improve it.

[Coyotesfan97]

I've been rereading The Forgotten Soldier since grade school. It's getting ordered!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Coyotesfan97]

Cross of Iron was $4.61 for Kindle so I got that too!

[Clusterfrack]

Md8232--yes: Tim Powers! So good.

Check out Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy for some very adult fantasy with brutally realistic fighting, including grappling. It's kind of like Lord of the Rings without any good guys.

[Coyotesfan97]

I just finished The Drawing of the Dark. Thank you very much Md8232!

I also got The Anubis Gates. I'm really looking forward to it.

[Jim Watson]

Early Tim Powers is rather weird. Late Tim Powers is very weird. The last one I attempted in a long time was 'Medusa's Web' and I almost put it down until I got into the story.

[Coyotesfan97]

https://www.amazon.com/Peoples-Republic-Kurt-Schlichter-ebook/dp/B01M0H7WQZ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481001392&sr=8-1&keywords=people%27s+republic

America’s growing political and cultural divisions have finally split the United States apart. Now, as the former blue states begin to collapse under the dead weight of their politically correct tyranny, a lethal operative haunted by his violent past undertakes one last mission to infiltrate and take out his target in the nightmarish city of Los Angeles, deep in the heart of the People’s Republic of North America.

------

Good fast read. I hope there's more planned!

[Sasage]

Started Why Leaders Eat Last, just finished #askgaryvee

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

[DMF13]

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Olympics by Daniel James Brown

Great story and incredibly well written. I'm very glad a friend who rowed crew in college recommended it. Had she not suggested it I might have skipped over it. I liked it so much I bought copies for several friends and relatives for Christmas.

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/66/84/fb/6684fb954840353dcbb3b34473411c9d.jpg

[Glenn E. Meyer]

I've been reading the Charles Stross series about the Laundry - a British secret agency to fight incursions from the Elder Gods like Cthulhu.

Their issue weapons are Glock 17s, Hands of Glory and a Basilisk (turn you to stone) software app in digital cameras. Kind of fun. Best weapon carried - a violin made of human bones taken from living victims. When played - you are not going to have a good day.

Oh, they have a geas that makes the 17 and holster invisible to the general public - so that eases carry and printing issues.

[John Hearne]

So this is available for pre-order:
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51AFjvlsPUL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

https://www.amazon.com/Straight-Talk-Armed-Defense-Experts/dp/1440247544/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482193178&sr=8-1&keywords=straight+talk+on+armed+defense

[TAZ]

If youre looking for recreational reading rather than thoughtful stuff, I just started reading Lee Childs Jack Reacher series. Good, easy, fun reading.

[Lon]

Just finished Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors. Good read. Haven't read WW2 historical books for a while. Have to dive in again.

[SeriousStudent]

Just finished Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors. Good read. Haven't read WW2 historical books for a while. Have to dive in again.

If you liked that, may I recommend The Fleet at Flood Tide?

https://www.amazon.com/Fleet-Flood-Tide-America-1944-1945/dp/0345548701/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Also, this one is good as well:

Neptune's Inferno: The US Navy at Guadalcanal

https://www.amazon.com/Neptunes-Inferno-U-S-Navy-Guadalcanal/dp/0553385127/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

[Malamute]

Have been listening to a number of Bernard Cornwells (http://www.bernardcornwell.net/) historical fiction works. Started with Agincourt, then 1356, then a number of the series in 900s Britain (http://www.bernardcornwell.net/series/the-last-kingdom-series/), Sword Song, The Flame Bearer, Warriors of the Storm, and others. Been good fun.

ETA: The Archers Tale (http://www.bernardcornwell.net/series/the-grail-quest/) was also pretty good.

[Lon]

Have been listening to a number of Bernard Cornwells (http://www.bernardcornwell.net/) historical fiction works. Started with Agincourt, then 1356, then a number of the series in 900s Britain (http://www.bernardcornwell.net/series/the-last-kingdom-series/), Sword Song, The Flame Bearer, Warriors of the Storm, and others. Been good fun.

ETA: The Archers Tale (http://www.bernardcornwell.net/series/the-grail-quest/) was also pretty good.

I liked Cornwell's Sharpe's series.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

John Scalzi's Old Man's War series. Military in space with nice touches of humor and soldiers dealing with morally ambiguous government polices in interstellar warfare. Nice relaxing reads.

[Josh Runkle]

"Reality Is Not What It Seems" by Carlo Roveli, et al

"Crisis and Leviathan" by Robert Higgs


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SunTzu]

"Crisis and Leviathan" by Robert Higgs



Agreed.

Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt.


Henry Hazlitt wrote this book following his stint at the New York Times as an editorialist. His hope was to reduce the whole teaching of economics to a few principles and explain them in ways that people would never forget. It worked. He relied on some stories by Bastiat and his own impeccable capacity for logical thinking and crystal-clear prose.

He was writing under the influence of Mises himself, of course, but he brought his own special gifts to the project. As just one example, this is the book that made the idea of the "broken window fallacy" so famous. Concise and instructive, it is also deceptively prescient and far-reaching in its efforts to dissemble economic fallacies that are so prevalent they have almost become a new orthodoxy.

This is the book to send to reporters, politicians, pastors, political activists, teachers, or anyone else who needs to know. It is probably the most important economics book ever written in the sense that it offers the greatest hope to educating everyone about the meaning of the science.

Many writers have attempted to beat this book as an introduction, but have never succeeded. Hazlitt's book remains the best. It's still the quickest way to learn how to think like an economist. And this is why it has been used in the best classrooms for more than sixty years.

Free pdf download available at the Mises Institute.

https://mises.org/library/economics-one-lesson



For fun reading in the spirit of Heinlein and Firefly I recommend Jamie McFarlane's Privateer Tales.

https://www.amazon.com/Privateer-Tales-Beginning-Boxed-Set-ebook/dp/B01JVF1D7S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1488029558&sr=8-1&keywords=jamie+mcfarlane+privateer+tales+the+begin ning%3A+boxed+set

[Drang]

Special Forces Berlin: Clandestine Cold War Operations of the US Army's Elite, 1956-1990 - Kindle edition by James Stejskal. Politics & Social Sciences Kindle eBooks @ AmazonSmile. (https://www.amazon.com/Special-Forces-Berlin-Clandestine-Operations-ebook/dp/B06WLLJPGB/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1488092601&sr=8-1&keywords=special+forces+berlin)

From the Amazon page, by the author:

This is the history of a unique US Army Special Forces Detachment and the men who served in it. Known initially as Detachment "A" Berlin, it was stationed far behind the Iron Curtain in West Berlin, inside the Soviet-controlled German Democratic Republic. This unit existed for one reason: to cause havoc behind the enemy's lines.

Like all American Special Forces units, Detachment "A" traced its origins to the Office of Strategic Services, but its methods of operation were unlike those of any other "SF" unit. The book describes the unit's origins and the reasons for its existence through recently declassified files and first person histories of those who served there. These voices will show the unit's evolution as the enemy and the environment changed. The men relate the details of their improbable mission, how they prepared, and how it was to be accomplished. It is told from the soldiers' viewpoint along with the strategic overview from the top.

Special Forces Berlin's wartime mission was classified Top Secret and was largely unchanged throughout its existence, but it had a second important peacetime mission. In the late 1960s, unrest struck the capitals of Europe as left-wing radicals and Palestinian nationalists began to use terrorism to achieve their political goals. In response, the US European Command ordered the unit to prepare for a new mission: Counterterrorism. The level of expertise it achieved, along with its skills in urban unconventional warfare, led to its participation in the attempted rescue of the American hostages in Teheran, Iran.

Review at Small Wars Journal: “DET-A”: Applied Unconventional Warfare In Berlin and Beyond in the Cold War | Small Wars Journal (http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/%E2%80%9Cdet-a%E2%80%9D-applied-unconventional-warfare-in-berlin-and-beyond-in-the-cold-war)

I was telling a co-worker about this review, and it turn out he's listed in the "References" section...

[NEPAKevin]

Amazon has Marine!: The Life of Chesty Puller (https://smile.amazon.com/Marine-Chesty-Puller-Burke-Davis-ebook/dp/B01BM1TJ48/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&redirect=true&ref_=pe_170810_228041830_pe_row1_b4&linkCode=ll1&tag=pistolforum-20&linkId=2500396c91489865981b51e16e8bb5a0) on Kindle Daily deals and yesterday, kindle delivered the new Frontlines book.

[RevolverRob]

Just finished Detroit: An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff, great read. I'm from Michigan so might be biased.

Concur this is a great book. I read it a couple of years ago, after seeing Charlie LeDuff on an episode of one of Anthony Bourdain's various shows (No Reservations, probably). It's a hard look at the reality of America's first post apocalyptic city.

__

Currently nearly done with "More than a Champion: The Style of Muhammed Ali" - https://www.amazon.com/More-Than-Champion-Style-Muhammad-ebook/dp/B003CIQ52O/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1488307864&sr=8-2&keywords=More+than+a+Champion+Ali

A great read that dissects Ali's various boxing styles over his career. The author basically uses the "Thrilla in Manila" Frazier v. Ali III fight as the backdrop, examining said fight round-by-round, but weaves into it an interesting look into all of Ali's career fights, including his later ones that were...abysmal.

___

The book I finished before that was Alliance of Shadows (the third book in the Dead Six Trilogy by Mike Kupari and Larry Correia) - https://www.amazon.com/Alliance-Shadows-Dead-Six-Book-ebook/dp/B01KXYR9YC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1488307998&sr=8-3&keywords=Larry+Correia - A great book that brings this trilogy to an adequate end. I was a bit disappointed with the finale in this series, but I'm glad to see it all tied up and handled.

__

There have been a couple of others over the last two months, but I really can't remember them all at this point.

[Hambo]

Imperial Life in the Emerald City, about the coalition authority in Iraq.
The Lost City of the Monkey God, archaeology in Central America.

And whatever history books are cheap on Kindle.

[Stephanie B]

Amazon has Marine!: The Life of Chesty Puller (https://smile.amazon.com/Marine-Chesty-Puller-Burke-Davis-ebook/dp/B01BM1TJ48/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&redirect=true&ref_=pe_170810_228041830_pe_row1_b4&linkCode=ll1&tag=pistolforum-20&linkId=2500396c91489865981b51e16e8bb5a0) on Kindle Daily deals and yesterday, kindle delivered the new Frontlines book.

I am halfway through "Fields of Fire". If I were younger, I'd stay up and finish it.

[SeriousStudent]

I am halfway through "Fields of Fire". If I were younger, I'd stay up and finish it.

Excellent book, and well worth the read.

(Side note: He read my Corporal promotion warrant when he was SECNAV, and even punched on my stripes.)

[blues]

Excellent book, and well worth the read.

(Side note: He read my Corporal promotion warrant when he was SECNAV, and even punched on my stripes.)

Read it twice. (And thanks for sharing that side note, SS. Good stuff.)

[Coyotesfan97]

Two bucks for Chesty Puller. I'll take that.

Have you read A Sense of Honor? If not that's another good one.

[Hambo]

I am halfway through "Fields of Fire". If I were younger, I'd stay up and finish it.

If you like that, read "Dear Mom, A Sniper's Vietnam." Also, Webb's "Something to Die For" has the LT from "Fields of Fire" later in his career.

[Stephanie B]

Originally Posted by Stephanie B
I am halfway through "Fields of Fire". If I were younger, I'd stay up and finish it.Excellent book, and well worth the read.

(Side note: He read my Corporal promotion warrant when he was SECNAV, and even punched on my stripes.)

I think we're talking about different books.


14386

[blues]

Uh, yup.

[bravo7]

About Face.
and
Steel My Soldiers Hearts.

Col David Hackworth

[SeriousStudent]

I think we're talking about different books.


14386

I stand corrected. Mr Kloos did not promote me to Corporal, nor did he ever punch me.

He's probably got witnesses that put him far away from the scene of the crime, too.

[blues]

I stand corrected. Mr Kloos did not promote me to Corporal, nor did he ever punch me.

He's probably got witnesses that put him far away from the scene of the crime, too.

He was probably with BehindBlueI's in another state in another time zone when something never happened. ;)

[NEPAKevin]

Marko Kloos‏


Don't fret about your Amazon reviews. I just got a three-star review because my novel isn't a 36-count package of Jimmy Dean sausages. (https://twitter.com/markokloos/status/836644928885252098)

[Glenn E. Meyer]

I like the Kloos books and have the next one on order from Amazon. I'm also reading Graham Ison who does a series of UK police procedurals. Interesting and seems to me somewhat realistic crime in the UK books.

I am also working through the Oxford Companion to Cheese. It ties in well with my next training class - which is an Introduction to Alpine Cheeses in Austin, TX. Sorry it is not Extreme and Intensive Handgun Fighting with Bob 'The Bomber' Rambozo. A friend asked if they will discuss 'raclette'. Isn't that the sound a pump fusil de chasse makes when you scare away le cambrioleur.

Google translations - see if they work.

[blues]

I am also working through the Oxford Companion to Cheese. It ties in well with my next training class - which is an Introduction to Alpine Cheeses in Austin, TX. Sorry it is not Extreme and Intensive Handgun Fighting with Bob 'The Bomber' Rambozo. A friend asked if they will discuss 'raclette'. Isn't that the sound a pump fusil de chasse makes when you scare away le cambrioleur.

Google translations - see if they work.

No reason why you shouldn't combine tactical shooting drills with your enjoyment of cheese...

https://rlv.zcache.com/yellow_swiss_cheese_texture_classic_round_sticker-r2b35a81c565f436baca9a8eec3c0ce5b_v9waf_8byvr_324. jpg

[Glenn E. Meyer]

I would be concerned that with a hard enough cheese, the bullet would hit a cheese crater and be returned to the shooter as happens with steel targets with craters. There is a story that in South America, edam cheeses were used as cannon balls and Mythbusters did replicate it successfully.

[blues]

I would be concerned that with a hard enough cheese, the bullet would hit a cheese crater and be returned to the shooter as happens with steel targets with craters. There is a story that in South America, edam cheeses were used as cannon balls and Mythbusters did replicate it successfully.

Speaking of finding oneself in Dutch...

[Wondering Beard]

If one likes military sci fi, Marko Kloos' series is absolutely top notch.

[Andy T]

I would also recommend B.V. Larson's Star Force and Undying Mercenaries - military Sci Fi in the same vein as Kloos's books.

[NEPAKevin]

Bernard Cornwell's newest book in the Saxon Tales series is a Kindle deal of the day today. (Sun. 03-12-17)

The Flame Bearer (Saxon Tales Book 10) Kindle Edition (https://smile.amazon.com/Flame-Bearer-Saxon-Tales-Book-ebook/dp/B01CNK63N2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&deviceType=desktop&qid=1489330468&ref_=sr_1_13&s=books&sr=1-13&linkCode=ll1&tag=pistolforum-20&linkId=41c48fd99be762df8e91365babbe4b31)

[BehindBlueI's]

He was probably with BehindBlueI's in another state in another time zone when something never happened. ;)

I may or may not remember that occurrence or non-occurrence.

[ranger]

Based on above recommendation, downloaded on Kindle the "Terms of Enlistment" by Marko Kloos - should help pass the time on plane trip Monday.

[ReverendMeat]

I'd be surprised if you don't enjoy it. Unlike pretty much every fictional depiction of the military in scifi Marko has btdt and gets a lot of small details right.

[BehindBlueI's]

The Social Animal by David Brooks.