The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Down Range Cafe => Topic started by: MLC on July 12, 2009, 01:00:09 AM
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I recently finished "Trail Safe" and realize something. I need to read that book again. It's one of those rare books you get something from no matter how many times you read it. My personal list of books I can learn something from every time I read it isn't very long, but "Trail Safe" has definitely made the cut. What books catch your attention/imagination/soul like that?
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Old West history books are my favorite.....but I like anything well written....from Sci-fi..........to The Lonesome Dove series.
Trail Safe is a favorite.
Check out this thread for some Old west stuff.
http://www.downrange.tv/forum/index.php?topic=4578.0
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A great read and reread is Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. One of my favorites from about 20 years ago that I recently reread.
Pure fiction, not practical like Trail Safe, but full of life lessons.
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I've read Machevelli's "The Prince" numerous times. "1984,"
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I've read Machevelli's "The Prince" numerous times. "1984,"
I assigned the Prince at least once a year for years, I could practically receit it, but still reread it every time. A lot of wisdom in that book, once you undestand that Machiavelli isn't arguing for ammorality, but that there is a different moral standard for leaders as they will be judged by how well they protect the lives, liberty and territory of the people, above all else. I feel the same way about Mill's On Liberty, if you haven't read it you should, there's no clearer statement of American political values outside of the Declaration. Thing is though, I almost never through a book away. It's why no-one wants to help me move, 43 boxes at last count. :-\ A lot of it just novels, but I will reread almost anything if its been a year or two. I can't count the number of times I've read the O'Brien Naval novels, or Tolkien or Hemmingway.
FQ13
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I assigned the Prince at least once a year for years, I could practically receit it, but still reread it every time. A lot of wisdom in that book, once you undestand that Machiavelli isn't arguing for ammorality, but that there is a different moral standard for leaders as they will be judged by how well they protect the lives, liberty and territory of the people, above all else. I feel the same way about Mill's On Liberty, if you haven't read it you should, there's no clearer statement of American political values outside of the Declaration. Thing is though, I almost never through a book away. It's why no-one wants to help me move, 43 boxes at last count. :-\ A lot of it just novels, but I will reread almost anything if its been a year or two. I can't count the number of times I've read the O'Brien Naval novels, or Tolkien or Hemmingway.
FQ13
Dang FQ, it is very late early in Florida. :P
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Dang FQ, it is very late early in Florida. :P
I've had an insomia problem since I was in high school, sometimes a blessing, sometimes a curse. Besides, its only an hour earlier in TX. ;D
FQ13
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I assigned the Prince at least once a year for years, I could practically receit it, but still reread it every time. A lot of wisdom in that book, once you undestand that Machiavelli isn't arguing for ammorality, but that there is a different moral standard for leaders as they will be judged by how well they protect the lives, liberty and territory of the people, above all else. I feel the same way about Mill's On Liberty, if you haven't read it you should, there's no clearer statement of American political values outside of the Declaration. Thing is though, I almost never through a book away. It's why no-one wants to help me move, 43 boxes at last count. :-\ A lot of it just novels, but I will reread almost anything if its been a year or two. I can't count the number of times I've read the O'Brien Naval novels, or Tolkien or Hemmingway.
FQ13
I'll look up that Mills On Liberty.
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I'll look up that Mills On Liberty.
You won't regret it Dakota, because his arguments for limiting state power are almost unassailable. The verbiage gets a bit dense, but its worth it. The intro can be a bit dense (still interesting), the other sections are easier going. Anyway, here it is for free, though I still prefer a book to online.
FQ13
PS Be aware he is a utilitarian, rather than a natural law guy in terms of how rights and limited gov't are justified. Its a small point, but worth noting.
http://www.serendipity.li/jsmill/on_lib.html
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One day in the life of Ivan Denisovitch By Solzhenitsyn Oddly enough the passages I like best are about work ethics.
Another on is "The Charge" by Mark Adkin, about the charge of the Light Brigade, Many authors write about how to fight a war properly, this one is about how to screw it up by the numbers, It summarizes the Crimean war and follows the British until the Night before the battle then goes into minute by minute shot by shot detail, from the time the Calvary begin to advance until the roll call afterward. The results are surprising, it was hell on horses but they actually pushed the entire Russian Calvary Corps up against a river and with support could have destroyed them, but the Heavy brigade never supported them.
PS, I book marked Mill ;D
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I was once an ROTC cadet, and until i recieved my medical disqualification, I was very deep into reading strategy books. The Art of War is a must for anyone with tactics on the brain. Also have a copy of FM7-8. For fiction I am into George Orwell and Michael Crichton.
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Marine Sniper, can't tell you how many times I've read that.
Most books by Stephen Hunter: Point of Impact, Pale Horse Coming.
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" The Master Sniper" introduces a couple of Characters who later show up in "Havana" .
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There are a few that I come back to year after year. THE ART OF WAR, of course. Bruce Lee's THE TAO OF JEET KUNE DO. George Leonard's MASTERY. Joe Hyams' ZEN IN THE MARTIAL ARTS. Brian Enos' PRACTICAL SHOOTING: BEYOND FUNDAMENTALS. Jeff Cooper's PRINCIPLES OF PERSONAL DEFENSE.
Novel-wise, I have read Jerry Pournelle's THE MERCENARY and its sequels more times than I can remember. I read the whole sequence, gathered in a single volume titled, appropriately, THE PRINCE, a few months ago and I it moved me as much or more than when I first read it so many years ago. I go back to Raymond Chandler (usually THE LITTLE SISTER or THE LONG GOODBYE) over and over again, and occasionally Dashiell Hammett's RED HARVEST. I can still recite chunks of Albert Camus' THE PLAGUE; I also recently went back to the Robert Ruark Africa novels.
Every couple of years I reread Stephen King's THE STAND to remind myself that while evil never truly dies, we all have the opportunity to stand.
Finally, every Christmastime for the last few years I have watched all 13-some odd hours of the Lord of the Rings trilogy in a single sitting. This usually involves adult beverages.
Michael B
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Short list ......
Bible and owners manuals that come with "toys."
Also, Louis L'amour's The Walking Drum, Haunted Mesa, and Last of the Breed, his Sackett series is always good; in the past a lot of Zane Gray books, because they were a favorite of my mother's cousin that I worked for; Stephen Hunter is moving up the list; and Nathan Jorgenson's two have been read twice in two years.
I guarantee by the end of fall Trail Safe will have made the list, and Rastus tells me I need to find the first addition as well!
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Paradise Lost by Milton, and Arthur C. Clarke novels. I enjoy his short stories the most. Those are the only ones I read over again, but I used to read Tom Clancy and reading two of his novels felt like reading the same thing, so maybe that counts.
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Robert Jordan ( RIP ) Wheel of time series, because each book is about 1,000 pages and by book 10, there are so many important characters, hard to keep up with. Most Heinlein books are worth rereading, Good Guns, Good Friends and Good Whiskey, all short stories but great. No Second Place winner. Blue steel and Gunleather. Gunsmith Kinks, 1-4, kind of like Scotty's technical journals from star trek.
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As a kid I hated reading until an English teacher (apply named Mr. Hill) forced the Hobbit on me. After that, I zipped through LOTR, the Simarilion, Adv of T Bombadil, Tree & Leaf . . . .
Because of the action of that one teacher, I now love to read. Certainly changed the course of my life for the better. I re-read the old red book of westmarch and LOTR about once a year now. While I love the old hardbound editions the best, I keep electronic versions of each on my phone so I can read them anywhere.
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The only thing that comes to mind is the ADA booklet.
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The only thing that comes to mind is the ADA booklet.
That explains a lot .
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That explains a lot .
about 90% of my comm'l work is ADA crap, normaly after they have been sued and settled.
I don't care for fiction anyways and most nonfiction out there is crap.
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penthouse, playboy (http://www.clipartof.com/images/thumbnail/179.gif)
I never got in to reading books
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penthouse, playboy (http://www.clipartof.com/images/thumbnail/179.gif)
I never got in to reading books
Ding, ding, ding!!!!
Ladies and gentlemen we have another winner. ;D
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about 90% of my comm'l work is ADA crap, normaly after they have been sued and settled.
I don't care for fiction anyways and most nonfiction out there is crap.
Maybe that's why most of your ideas come across as uninformed idiocy.
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have you checked the new yorks best sellers list latly?
here is the nonfiction paper back top 5
1 GLENN BECK’S ‘COMMON SENSE’, by Glenn Beck. (Mercury Radio Arts/Threshold Editions, $11.99.) Thomas Paine-inspired thoughts on government. (†) 4
2 THREE CUPS OF TEA, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. (Penguin, $15.) A former climber builds schools in villages in Pakistan and Afghanistan. 127
3 WHEN YOU ARE ENGULFED IN FLAMES, by David Sedaris. (Back Bay/Little, Brown, $15.99.) Humor essays on middle age, mortality and giving up smoking. Excerpt 5
4 JULIE & JULIA, by Julie Powell. (Back Bay/Little, Brown, $14.99;, Little, Brown, $7.99.) A memoir of racing to cook every recipe in Julia Child''s "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." 1
5 I HOPE THEY SERVE BEER IN HELL, by Tucker Max. (Citadel/Kensington, $15.95.) Life as a self-absorbed, drunken womanizer.
sounds like great reading to me ::)
out of the top 10, only number 7 (public enemy) sounds intresting... so my statement that 90 % is crap, is true.
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have you checked the new yorks best sellers list latly?
???
Because New York is the trusted authority on anything? There is plenty of great non-fiction out there. But just like I won't turn to NY for sane gun laws, I won't turn to NY or Oprah or any other source of idiocy for book recommendations. ???
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Much of the Fiction contains more and deeper thought than the shit you will find being pushed by the NYT, they listed both of BO's books at #1 for crying out loud.
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In the Gravest Extreme - Massad Ayoob
I bought it in the early 90's and read it a couple of times. Recently, I took an out-of-state CCW class and walked out thinking, "OK, so they send me a CCW and I go to visit AZ or somewhere, then what?". I decided it was a great time to read it again. It was a good time to pick up MB's book too. I really just felt that it's a lot clearer when to use lethal force when someone kicks in your door than out of the house and that knowing when someone has overstepped the boundaries out of the house is a lot more to think about.
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Catcher in the Rye??? ;D
just kidding...............(http://www.cascity.com/howard/animations/grind.gif)
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Confederacy of Dunces by JK Toole....funnist book I ever read
Horn of the Hunter by R. Ruark
Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Starship Trooper, maybe a half dozen times
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Robert Jordan ( RIP ) Wheel of time series, because each book is about 1,000 pages and by book 10, there are so many important characters, hard to keep up with. Most Heinlein books are worth rereading, Good Guns, Good Friends and Good Whiskey, all short stories but great. No Second Place winner. Blue steel and Gunleather. Gunsmith Kinks, 1-4, kind of like Scotty's technical journals from star trek.
Jordan died? Damn. I bought the 1st book at an airport in like '92 and got hooked. I was kind of hoping it would come to and before I died. Oh, wel we will liven suspense. :-\That is sad news.
FQ13
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Much of the Fiction contains more and deeper thought than the shit you will find being pushed by the NYT, they listed both of BO's books at #1 for crying out loud.
Its not a list of reccomendations, its just an ordered list by number of copies sold. Their reccomendations are in the NYT Review of Books.
FQ13
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Its not a list of reccomendations, its just an ordered list by number of copies sold. Their reccomendations are in the NYT Review of Books.
FQ13
I don't pay any attention to the reviewers, I look over whats new and make my own judgments. So far the only one I've been wrong on was "Go tell the Spartans", I was so pissed by the ending I threw it at the wall ;D It's the only book I actually tossed in the trash when I was done.
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"Intensity" by Dean Koontz.
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"Red Cell" by Richard Marcinko. A non-fiction account of the commander of a Navy counter-terroist unit that poses as terrorists to test the security of Naval bases.
After reading this book I figured out what the term: "Cuss like a sailor" really meant,because this guy does it. Once I got past that, I began to understand the leadership principles that were illustrated in the book and got a great appreciation for his work. There were no secrets in his book, just tried and true tenets that any good leader lives by.
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I read Unintended Consequences at least once a year and I tell everyone to read this book!
As far as books I like to reread a lot
Atlas Shrugged,
everything and anything by H. Beam Piper,
Glory Road, Starship Troopers, The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, I Will Fear No Evil and just about anything else by RAH,
Freehold by Michael Z Williamson, which I also tell people to read
The March Upcountry series by John Ringo, I jump on his Council Wars and Legacy of the Alldenada occasionally and I recommend his Bolo Novel "The Road to Damascus" where a sentient tank discovers it has been oppressing the people.
The Mutant Chronicles books are good brain candy too.
The art of War and the Book of Five Rings I not only read but I keep pocket books versions in my carry-bag (along with the SAS Survival Guide pocket version)'
Given the volume of my reading and the cost of books I reread my books a lot. I also have a bunch on my computer, like the entire Gor series (and Unintended Consequences, like I said, everyone should read it)
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I don't pay any attention to the reviewers, I look over whats new and make my own judgments. So far the only one I've been wrong on was "Go tell the Spartans", I was so pissed by the ending I threw it at the wall ;D It's the only book I actually tossed in the trash when I was done.
Reviews are usefel. Books are expensive and there's a lot of drek. They help save money. I want to know a rough outline of the plot and a passage or two to get a feel for the style. Also, if its a review by an author or scholar I respect or a critic who's steered me right, thats good; from a friend its better. It's like a movie, I want to know what it is before I waste $8 and 2 hrs. of my life.
FQ13
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Reviews are usefel. Books are expensive and there's a lot of drek. They help save money. I want to know a rough outline of the plot and a passage or two to get a feel for the style. Also, if its a review by an author or scholar I respect or a critic who's steered me right, thats good; from a friend its better. It's like a movie, I want to know what it is before I waste $8 and 2 hrs. of my life.
FQ13
That's what the library is for ;D
Shiv, If you liked "Red Cell" try "The Real Team" it is directed more at leadership and more or less leaves out the action adventure aspects.
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"The Art of War" (seems universally popular)
"Ten Little Indians" by Agatha Christie (even though it's a mystery, I still reread it)
"The Talisman", "Dead Zone", and the Gunslinger series by Stephen King (A must if you haven't had the pleasure)
"Lord of The Flies" by William Golding
"To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
Swoop
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"Intensity" by Dean Koontz.
I really enjoy almost all of Dean Koontz's novels. I have particularly like the Odd Thomas series. Wierd for Koontz to do a series.
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I really enjoy almost all of Dean Koontz's novels. I have particularly like the Odd Thomas series. Wierd for Koontz to do a series.
So true, but Odd is an interesting character, isn't he?
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So true, but Odd is an interesting character, isn't he?
Odd is great. I love his wry sense of humor. It's great to read a book that makes you chuckle out loud a few times.
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Any Terry Pratchett Disk World novel. Just too much fun to read once.
I want The Luggage.
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"The Art of War" (seems universally popular)
"Ten Little Indians" by Agatha Christie (even though it's a mystery, I still reread it)
"The Talisman", "Dead Zone", and the Gunslinger series by Stephen King (A must if you haven't had the pleasure)
"Lord of The Flies" by William Golding
"To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
Swoop
+1 on the King books, Swoop.
The Dark Tower Series is my favorite.....re-reading them now.
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Just finished Stephen Hunters latest "Night of Thunder" Another great "Bob the nailer" book !