Any good reading suggestions - Not just sailing

[Grande Mastere Dreade]

The Reacher series...

also been slogging through the Expanse series..

 

[Black Sox]

HMS Ulysses, followed by all the other Alastair McClean thrillers, but IMHO that’s the best.

Anything nautical by Nicholas Montserrat but especially The Master Mariner, The Cruel Sea and HMS Marlborough Will Enter Harbour.

Hasn’t anyone mentioned Patrick O’ Brian yet??? For gorgeous escapism.

Without Remorse, Tom Clancy’s best (IMO)

The Iliad

Slow Horses and the res of the Mick Herron books. In order.

Jack Whyte’s King Arthur collection (9 books)

For now…

 

[sledracr]

Jack Whyte’s King Arthur collection (9 books)

Yes! That reminds me, there's prequel (of sorts) out now, available only as a physical book (not eReader), called "the Burning Stone". I gotta find a copy...

 

[tizak]

I find historical fiction enjoyable. Learn a great deal about ancient peoples - Romans, Greeks, Vikings, Medieval times, etc. I don't go in for fantasy and find that it pays to check up on the authors drive for accuracy and fact before jumping into one of their books. Some authors I've enjoyed:

Ben Cane
Conn Iggulden (the books on the great Khans are very well done)
Bernard Cornwell - lots to choose from
Ken Follet

Can provide more info for anyone interested.

 

[sledracr]

Conn Iggulden (the books on the great Khans are very well done)

Iggulden's 4-book arc on the War of the Roses does a better job of illuminating that period in British history than just about any history book I've read. Plus it's a fun read.

 

[Steam Flyer]

Mary Rennault's book on Alexander The Great.

+1 for Bernard Cornwell also. I've really liked a couple of his books.

Kenneth Roberts, the best of that era/genre IMHO. Not primarily a sailing tale writer but many of his books have characters that are seamen, or make voyages, one is about privateers, and they're impeccable. His telling of the campaign leading up to the Battle of Valcour Island makes you feel like you were there (Rabble In Arms).

 

[Dub]

I recently read The Feather Thief by Kirk Johnson. It’s about a robbery at the British Museum of Natural History. Rare feathers were taken to be used for fly tying. Great book.

 

[Israel Hands]

Conn Iggulden (the books on the great Khans are very well done)

His Genghis books were excellent!

 

[Israel Hands]

Currently on the Slough House series by Mick Herron. Almost as fun as Le Carre.

I watched the first episode of the Slow Horses series with Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas. It promises to be great on its own, but I decided to read the books first then watch.

 

[tizak]

Iggulden's 4-book arc on the War of the Roses does a better job of illuminating that period in British history than just about any history book I've read. Plus it's a fun read.

I've read some of those also and, like you, felt I learned a great deal. Great writer.

Great audio books concerning Henry VIII and the War of the Roses all by CW Gortner:

The Tudor Secret
The Tudor Conspiracy
The Tudor Vendetta

Strange times and a whole lot of extremely greedy people. The whole mess with the Boleyn family alone proves that truth is frequently much stranger than fiction.

 

[spankoka]

The Rick Atkinson Liberation Trilogy are three books I really enjoyed.

 

[Point Break]

Gonna toss this one in. A Bill Bryson book. I first read one of his books "A Walk in the Woods" after seeing the movie of the same title with Redford and Nolte. I enjoyed the movie so I read the book. That led me to the next Bryson book I read "A Short History of Nearly Everything" - stellar. Now I'm listening to his book "One Summer, America 1927". A remarkably in depth snapshot of the major events and people of the year and the years just surrounding. Everything from Lindberg's flight to Babe Ruth. So much I didn't know. I'm 1/2 way through it (listen while walking the dogs) and I can already recommend it.

 

[GabrielButler]

HMS Ulysses, followed by all the other Alastair McClean thrillers, but IMHO that’s the best.

Anything nautical by Nicholas Montserrat but especially The Master Mariner, The Cruel Sea and HMS Marlborough Will Enter Harbour.

Hasn’t anyone mentioned Patrick O’ Brian yet??? For gorgeous escapism.

Without Remorse, Tom Clancy’s best (IMO)

The Iliad

Slow Horses and the res of the Mick Herron books. In order.

Jack Whyte’s King Arthur collection (9 books) And in general, I can say that I read everything, and the genre is not that important to me. Each book is unique, and if it's worth reading, it's up to you to decide. And I like that I have a literature course because thanks to it I read a lot of books and stories, and most of them had been unknown to me before. Two Kinds Story by Amy Tan was the last that I read, and that story is so interesting. I also had to write an analysis based on it, and I think I managed to do it thanks to this source https://studymoose.com/literature/two-kinds-by-amy-tan-book, which provided me two kinds by amy tan book summary. Sometimes the reading can be interesting and fast, but when it comes to writing, then it can be problematical. But still, the story was also worth reading.

For now…

Arthur the King Series by Jack Whyte are indeed very interesting series of books. I'm reading the last one, and I'm even sad about it. Worth reading for sure.
Also, if someone is into detective books, I recommend series about Perry Mason by Erle Stanley Gardner.

 

[mathystuff]

Russell, History of western Philosophy
Decent overview, quite funny

Horkheimer, Eclipse of reason
Best philosophy book for me, connected a lot of thoughts

CG Jung, The red book
WTF the book, pure briliance and insanity at the same time

Marx, Thesen wider Feuerbach
So you don't look like an idiot whenever Marx comes up in a conversation

Mandelbrot, The fractal geometry of nature
This is just beautiful

Pratchett, Discworld series
Not liking these is just morally wrong

 

[tizak]

I read all the Arthurian tales by Whyte as well. Great stuff and a good writer - had to stretch my non-fantasy rule a bit initially but, as stated, Whyte is good. He blends in enough actual history to make things believable plus there are some experts who believe Arthur Pendragon may have been a real person and the first true king of all England.

"Historians cannot confirm King Arthur’s existence, though some speculate that he was a real warrior who led British armies against Saxon invaders in the 6th century."
https://www.britannica.com/topic/King-Arthur

 

[D.M.D.]

Anything by Ruth Ware.....Great "Who done It" author...

 

[guerdon]

Samillas' sense of snow, Swimming to antartica.

 

[Mrleft8]

"A Parchment of Leaves" by Silas House.
It's a good, not long read.

 

[Chris in Santa Cruz CA]

the piano tuner

the kite runner

 

[Talchotali]

Anything by Eric Ambler

• The Dark Frontier (1936)
• Uncommon Danger (1937), US title: Background to Danger
• Epitaph for a Spy (1938)
• Cause for Alarm (1938)
• The Mask of Dimitrios (1939), US title: A Coffin for Dimitrios
• Journey into Fear (1940)
• Judgment on Deltchev (1951)
• The Schirmer Inheritance (1953)
• The Night-Comers (1956), also published as State of Siege
• Passage of Arms (1959); Gold Dagger Award
• The Light of Day (1962), also published as Topkapi; Edgar Award for Best Novel, 1964
• A Kind of Anger (1964)
• Dirty Story (1967), also published as This Gun For Hire
• The Intercom Conspiracy (1969), also published as The Quiet Conspiracy
• The Levanter (1972); Gold Dagger Award
• Doctor Frigo (1974)
• Send No More Roses (1977), US title: The Siege of the Villa Lipp
• The Care of Time (1981)