Good Reading?!

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red

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I just came indoors for a few minutes to change shirts (it's actually getting warm here!) & have been thinking about books as I weed.
Just wondered if anyone has read any really good books lately or has some to recommend. I used to be an avid reader but my brain functions (or lack of) have been making it a little difficult to concentrate. I'd like to start up again. I have always liked Tom Clancey, Stephen King, Ken Follet & John Grishom (sp?). Love mystery's, spy novels, courtroom/lawyer & even war novels. Never really got into romance books but will love to hear all suggestions!
I know DL is a reader & imagine Knabe is too. Anyone else like a good book?

Red
 

shortyjock89

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Oh yeah, I love to read.  My favorite author is Dean Koontz.Dan Brown is a close 2nd.  I also really like to read Ken Follett, John Grisham, and James Patterson.  I like Robin Cook too, but I've only read 2 of his books. 
 

red

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Yes, I like Patterson also. Dean Koontz scares the living daylights out of me sometimes. Put on the nightlight type of stuff!
Not familiar w/ Brown though. What type of books does he write?

Red
 

DL

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I pretty much am always reading something (old English majors are like that!) and I go in spurts - either subject spurts or author spurts - and then of course I am sad when the last word is read and the story is over and I go into withdrawal and have to start again  - so I won't bombard you with authors (now anyway) just one - Tony Hillerman - mysteries in the desert - Navajho culture - good stiries, good writer, great respect for the people, the culture and the land...start at the beginning - ie each story is a story to itself but also build on those before.....cow eating front lawn - every animal needs a job!
 

shortyjock89

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red said:
Yes, I like Patterson also. Dean Koontz scares the living daylights out of me sometimes. Put on the nightlight type of stuff!
Not familiar w/ Brown though. What type of books does he write?

Red

Koontz is my all time favorite.  Dan Brown wrote The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons.  The Da Vinci Code is one of my favorites..I even read it before it got super popular.  I laugh when people say how good the movie is and they don't know about the amazing book  (lol)
 

red

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Of course, now I know who he is. Like I said earlier, too much sun today!
DL- took a break & watching some of the dead wings vs Calvary game. Calvary getting creamed!

Red
 

deep

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Oh gosh I love to read.  I read almost every day.
James Patterson, John Grisham, Sandra Brown  (all excellent)
Get Patterson's latest, name is "Cross"
I read the Bible almost every day.
Also enjoy reading about other people's cultures, some political books, biographies and love to read about the Mennonite and Amish people.
I enjoy useful canine books too. (behavior, psychology of, etc)
I also love to read and study about wolves.

Oh by the way, are there any Minnesota natives on here?  If so, anyone familiar with the International Wolf Center?  I think I have that name correct, but not sure.   

(dog)
 

farmboy

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I'D SAY MY ALLTIME FAVORITE BOOK IS WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS (clapping) AND THE YEARLING. (clapping) I'M CURRENTLY READING THE GREEN MILE (clapping)
 

red

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I'm around Hardin county.
If you've ever heard of the Coon Dog Trials, we're about 10 miles from it.
Beautiful here the last couple of days! Guys will start planting corn Monday!!!
Red
 

DLD

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I used to read a whole lot... Then I discovered the internet :eek:  I do still read some, though, just not as much as I used to. All of my kids love to read, and I'm certainly glad of that.

I like mysterys and westerns mostly, so naturally I gotta agree with DL on Tony Hillerman. Also like John Grisham and James Patterson, but my favorite is James Lee Burke - talk about being able to paint a picture with words...

I just finished (for the first time) Zane Grey's Desert Crucible, which is the true sequel to Riders Of The Purple Sage. Great reading, maybe even if you're not especially a fan of the western genre. I'm also a big Louis LaMour fan, and in case some of you didn't know, he did write some non-western stuff that's pretty darn good, too.

Aside from those, I've also really enjoyed Jimmy Buffetts books. Of course I really enjoy his music, too, but that's a whole different thread  ;)

David
 

genes

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Oh Geez...since I got to University I pretty much stopped reading for pleasure.  How ironic.  I used to read a lot of Dean Koontz.  A couple of favorites from when I was a kid was one called "Big Mutt" (can't remember the author) and the "Big Red" book my Jim Kjeelgard (sp?).  I think the Red books were a series but I just had one.
 

knabe

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lifetime favorites not in order
james oliver curwood
thornton w. burgess  at the earth's core!
edgar rice burroughs
a lot of random older authors who wrote about the west.  some are hard to read because of the language.
recent reads
founding father stuff, till 1830's, skip till civil war
lot's of position switching in the founding fathers, particularly after becoming president and having to deal with trade, notably the barbary pirates
archaeology regarding ancient civilizations which are under water, not necessarily looking for atlantis, but just where the would be if the oceans were 300 feet lower, which they were 8000,12,000, 16,000 years ago.  persian gulf was land, sri lanka was attached.  interesting "myth" about an evil guy who was banished to sri lanka, and hero built, or improved a land bridge there with bricks etc similar to roman roads in england.  road is there.  archaepeligo's in southeast asia connected, all kinds of older maps were updated onto newer ones with "old" info.  mystery as to who were those mapmakers and why did they always misjudge how big the pacific was.  who was doing longitude and latitude and the orgin of maps with correction lines similar to those found in rural roads to account for the narrowing of longitude.
books about the history of math by john derbyshire

and one awesome math book titled  The Measure of All Things : The Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error That Transformed the World

it describes how the meter came to be, the politics, what was going on at the time, and how errors in conversion from meter to yard caused problems in  satellites.

three of my all time favorites, are nikola tesla prodigal genius, in and out of print
and Critical Path by R. Buckminster Fuller, totally awesome book, also in and out of print, also talks about satellites and triangulation and other stuff.
the fountain head by ayn rand, and no i'm not smart enough to know if i am one, just hypocritical enough to embrace some things and reject others.
the movie with gary cooper and patricial neal, where big shoulders for women came in vogue, they had an affair, of course.

one of my favorite scenes in the movie and the book is when patricia neal breaks her limestone fireplace in her apartment (her father owns the quarry and cooper works there to learn about materials first hand) and cooper says to her basically, well why did you have to go through all this trouble to meet me, you could have just asked, or something like that.

another favorite movie with gary cooper and walter brennan is the westerner, where gary cooper fools roy bean into thinking he has a lock of lilly langtrees' hair and is unfolding the "sample" agonizingly slow.  one of my top 10 scenes all time.

another favorite scene is in a movie (not a cooper movie) is where the actor/actress says, "Why, there he is, Mr. Tate. He can tell you his name... "  i had a couple relatives like him.  (the character referred to is that actor's FIRST film role) and a pretty good actor.





 

red

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I love civil War stories. my great, great grandfather was a general so I enjoy that era.
Ted Bell is another good author. He wrote Pirates & Assassins. Very true to life some of his settings. too true.

Red
 

Gypsy

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How about Dick Francis? Horse racing and mysteries - not a bad combo.
 

chambero

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I read about a book a week.  My favorites:

Historical Fiction - American West:  Terry Johnston was my favorite author.  I have basically given up reading "westerns" after he died a couple of years ago.  He is impossible to beat for anything on the Indian wars or fur trade.

Historical Fiction - England/Medieval Europe:  Bernard Cornwell stands way out from the crowd.  He has a series on the Napoleonic Wars, a "realistic" King Arthur triology, a trilogy on the Hundred Years War, and one on the founding of England as we know it.  Also has a very good Civil War series.  He can't write nearly fast enough for me.

Historical Fiction - American Military:  Any of the books written by Michael or Jeff Shaara that cover from Revolutionary War through the current series starting on WWII.

American History - Revolutionary Period:  David McCullough wrote a great book on John Adams and his wife.  The colonial period and Revolutionary War in this country are absolutely fascinating to me.  America was involved in WWI and II for less than five years.  The Revolutionary War went on for over ten and was a much more "touch and go" affair that our ancestors stuck it out on at immense risk to themselves and their families.  All for an idea.

Regarding Dan Brown - great story line but hideous writer in my opinion.
 

Barrel Racer

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shortyjock89 said:
Oh yeah, I love to read.  My favorite author is Dean Koontz.Dan Brown is a close 2nd.   I also really like to read Ken Follett, John Grisham, and James Patterson.  I like Robin Cook too, but I've only read 2 of his books. 

Not that I have time to read much, but.... I'm really into all of your picks sj!  I've been on a James Patterson kick lately, guess I better get that new one Cross that deep mentioned.  I have just started a book by Kathy Reichs called Cross Bones, she's the person that the Fox show Bones is based on, a forensic anthropologist, so far it's really good.  Robin Cook is on my list too, I really liked Chromosome 6 (I really am a genetics geek).  I have Vector that I'm waiting to read.  Read all of Dan Brown's books, liked Angels and Demons the best.  We are passing around the new Next book by Michael Crichton at the lab, so I haven't had a chance to read that one yet, heard it's good if you're into that science evolution type stuff (similar to Chromosome 6).  And of course I can't wait until summer for the new Harry Potter to come out, hubby can't wait to get his hands on the new Tolkein book. 
 

deep

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    BR,  I'll mail it to you ("Cross") if you tell me where to mail it.  It's a great read !!

  (dog)
 

shortyjock89

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Barrel Racer said:
shortyjock89 said:
Oh yeah, I love to read.  My favorite author is Dean Koontz.Dan Brown is a close 2nd.   I also really like to read Ken Follett, John Grisham, and James Patterson.  I like Robin Cook too, but I've only read 2 of his books. 

Not that I have time to read much, but.... I'm really into all of your picks sj!   I've been on a James Patterson kick lately, guess I better get that new one Cross that deep mentioned.  I have just started a book by Kathy Reichs called Cross Bones, she's the person that the Fox show Bones is based on, a forensic anthropologist, so far it's really good.  Robin Cook is on my list too, I really liked Chromosome 6 (I really am a genetics geek).  I have Vector that I'm waiting to read.  Read all of Dan Brown's books, liked Angels and Demons the best.  We are passing around the new Next book by Michael Crichton at the lab, so I haven't had a chance to read that one yet, heard it's good if you're into that science evolution type stuff (similar to Chromosome 6).  And of course I can't wait until summer for the new Harry Potter to come out, hubby can't wait to get his hands on the new Tolkein book. 

Mutation by Robin Cook is an awesome book(that little kid is pure evil!!), and Chromosome 6 is good too (i like the genetics thing too).  I like Crichton too, I've read alot of his stuff, I'm reading his autobiographical book, Travels.  Is his newest book good? The newest one of his I've read is PREY, which is pretty good.    I grew up reading Harry Potter, so of course I wanna read it.  What is the name of the new Tolkein book?
 
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