Recommended reads

[Shock Unit]

the diving bell and the butterfly - Jean Dominque Bauby


can't beleive i'm the first one to mention this, robbo will have a field day if he finds out i can read.

sucker

 

[spangley_special]

The Men Who Stare At Goats, Jon Ronson. Great read about how the US military started out with psychic research and ended up with Guantanamo and Abu Graibh.

Good book, but if I'm honest the only one from your list that I've read

 

[Buddha 3]

Shame on you!

 

[Shock Unit]

and while i'm at it

where's wally - a certified classic

 

[Marcus Geezer]

For all the sci-fi war freaks....

Forever War - Joe Haldeman.

I remember my dad lending this to me when he got it new in 1980, and I still have the same copy (with much added sellotape) which I must have read about 15 times since. Would recomend the editors edition which has material cut from the original release.

Also some good reads..

World War Z by Max Brooks
Sunstorm by Arthur C Clarke and Stephen Baxter
Six Elric books (Elric of Melnibone through to Stormbringer) by Michael Moorcock
I, Robot and The Complete Robot by Issac Asimov



I could go on....

 

[Missy-Q]

I recommend in Non-Fiction:

Pot Planet - A Canadian guy that travels the world on a mission to try to find the Planets best weed. It takes him forever, and his adventures along the way are worthy of a fiction best-seller.

Concentration & Meditation - anyone have trouble focusing on whats important in life should read this book. Its arduous, but if you are able to grasp it you'll improve at everything you do.

Richard Bransens Autobiography is a great read, and one of the few autobiographies I've read that actually ring true.

I also likes gates of Fire by Steven Pressfiels, shame all the books he wrote after that are a let-down.

Massimo Manfredi writes some strong books on Alexander the Great.

 

[TEKLOFTY]

Dune.

 

[Seany]

As somebody mentioned before the Andy McNab series of books are brilliant, from Bravo Two Zero and through all his fiction stuff...

For those into Thrillers try picking up a Karen Rose book... reading through her stuff at the minute... good reads.

 

[Spoleto]

Any of David Mitchell's books are well worth a read but two I would recommend are Cloud Atlas and Ghostwritten which are both masterpieces in my opinion.

 

[The Zambezi Kid]

Buddha

I take it you like military history - have you tried The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monseraat and Das Boot by Wolfgang Pederson? Both give an outstanding view of the Battle of the Atlantic from both sides of the story (the later is especially sobering considering 75% of the German U-Boat crews never returned).

For all those interested in science fiction, try Neal Asher's Polity novels - espcially The Skinner, and Richard Morgan's Takeshi Kovacs Novels.

If anyone is interested in Samurai and Medieval Japan, Shogun by James Clavel is also another must read.