I'm off on hols soon so I need to load up the kindle with a few good books. I'll read anything except bodice rippers.
Has anyone read anything recently that they would recommend.
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Spooky. In another thread today I mentioned three excellent books. Sorry if you've seen those and thought not for you, but in case you missed them, they are
The Soul of a New Machine
The Cuckoo's Egg
Barbarians At The Gate
All non fiction, all well written, and all gripping as you get into them. Cuckoo is the easiest read I guess, for a holiday.
If you Wikipedia them the plots are given away in two sentences, beware.
If you name a subject or two more tailored ideas may be forthcoming!
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Pretty much anything by Nevil Shute.
In The Wet, A Town Like Alice, Requiem for a Wren, Landfall, The Far Country and Round the Bend stand out as does his autobiography Slide Rule.
Tame romance, flying, Australia and (Mrs B insists) a hint of homosexuality are the main themes.
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I would recommend Ben Wilson's history of the Navy, Empire of the Deep. Gritty fiction, anything by Cormac McCarthy whose masterpiece is Blood Meridian. More sympathetic fiction, the Aubrey/Maturin novels if you haven't read them, starting with Master and Commander.
Forget bores like Proust. Joseph Conrad is terrific.
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Thu 24 Apr 14 at 20:54
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>>Aubrey/Maturin novels if you haven't read them,
Absolutely these Patrick O'Brian novels if they are new to you - nothing to touch them for the old narrative thread, and lots of historical context and detail along the way. The only books I re-read every few years.
For something you can pick up and put down, Bill Bryson's One Summer:America 1927 has been keeping me amused for a few days.
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Hard Landing, Thomas Petzinger Jr.
www.amazon.com/Hard-Landing-Contest-Profits-Airlines/dp/0812928350
To me an absolutely fascinating and informative history of the Airline Industry since the 1930s. (I read it in the 90s, so I don't know how far forward in time from there it comes).
As someone working in that industry, which I was at the time, I found it very readable and accurate.
Bit US biased but well worth a read, IMO.
(Actually Crankcase, its rather in the style of the books about DG and Digital we were discussing earlier. I think you'd probably enjoy it).
Last edited by: No FM2R on Thu 24 Apr 14 at 21:24
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I'm dribbling in anticipation at a couple of those suggestions in this young thread already. Shall now be looking out for the airliner one, and AC's navy one. And AC, you must have read the wondrous "The Wooden World", the meticulous, entertaining and irresistible history of the Georgian navy, but just in case...
But reading some articles about computery history at this minute, as one does.
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I read the Bryson One Summer etc on a trip to New York funnily enough. Nicely contextual coincidence in fact.
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"No Highway" (airline industry link) is also a good read. Also, anything by Alistair MacLean is a good bet (Where Eagles Dare and The Golden Gate are personal favourites, as is HMS Ulyssees). Jack Higgins (aka Harry Patterson) does some good stuff - The Eagle Has Landed, Flight of Eagles, The Valhalla Exchange. And despite a slowish start, try Frederick Forsyth's The Day of the Jackal - gripping.
Last edited by: Mike H on Thu 24 Apr 14 at 21:44
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Douglas Reeman. AKA Alexander Kent.
Ex WW2 Royal Navy. Writes novels about RN in that period and RN in the Napoleonic wars under his pseudonym.
I've read most of then...good exciting, swashbuckling stuff.
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Recently read Stardust, Neil Gaiman (the later film was ok) The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon and Alan Bennett's A life like other people's.
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>> The Shadow of the Wind
I read that book in 2008 and thoroughly enjoyed it. Not sure why, but never got into his next book (Angels' Game) and still have it to read. I think both were translated into English by the same writer.
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>> Douglas Reeman. AKA Alexander Kent.
>>
>> Ex WW2 Royal Navy. Writes novels about RN in that period and RN in the
>> Napoleonic wars under his pseudonym.
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>> I've read most of then...good exciting, swashbuckling stuff.
>>
His heir...... julianstockwin.com/
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501 Spanish Verbs is top of my holiday book list.
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>> 501 Spanish Verbs is top of my holiday book list.
>>
That IS a good and helpful guide to the complexities of the technicalities of Spanish verb construction and tenses.
Ours wore out completely!
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Peter May's Lewis trilogy - The Blackhouse, The Lewis Man and The Chessmen. A mixture of murder/detective, love story and account of a fictional but realistic life on Lewis. My daughter and I constantly re-read though the fact that we know Lewis well and can place both the real and fictional places might be part of the appeal.
If the murder rate was really that high the Stornoway would be above the Bronx in a world league table of violent death.
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>> If the murder rate was really that high the Stornoway would be above the Bronx
>> in a world league table of violent death.
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2nd - after Midsomer ?
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I recently read firestrom bombing of dresden. Interesting look into the bombing and its affects afterwards. Empire of the sky is agood read, looking into the aircraft industry in britain starting post war.
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Martin Amis's "Money". Basically, I suppose, a critique of the capitalist/consumer society but in 394 pages of a good, funny, knockabout satirical novel. The pace and tone are somewhat similar to "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and "Leaving Las Vegas".
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>> Empire of the sky is agood read, looking into the aircraft industry in britain
>> starting post war.
Seconded. It also gives an insight into how directors/shareholders concerned only with next year's dividend and the boardroom as a club shackled the industry to decline. There's little doubt the motor industry was the same.
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I'd say it was a little different, mainly we've still got a reasonable aircraft industry. After all the changes mergers and nationalisation, we still do quite a bit of business in aircraft, unlike the motor industry. One of the bits of the book that sticks in my head was how many canteens there were, depending on your level in the company, at Bristol and how long the directors kunch was, I think about 2 1/2 hours.
Last edited by: sooty123 on Fri 25 Apr 14 at 12:39
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Well I would recommend the Millenium trilogy by Stieg Larrson......comprising
The girl with the dragon tattoo.....
The girl who played with fire...
The girl who kicked over the hornets nest...
Very violent but unputdownable.....
For something lighter as others have said, anything by Bill Bryson is always amusing and sharply observed, I am currently reading At Home by him
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>> I'd say it was a little different, mainly we've still got a reasonable aircraft industry.
>> After all the changes mergers and nationalisation, we still do quite a bit of business
>> in aircraft, unlike the motor industry. One of the bits of the book that sticks
>> in my head was how many canteens there were, depending on your level in the
>> company, at Bristol and how long the directors kunch was, I think about 2 1/2
>> hours.
>>
We still build a lot of cars too. OK they're mostly Japanese brands (Nissan, Honda or Toyota) but a lot of the real work on design and R/D is done here. Nissan have a huge facility at Cranfield for engineering development.
Although Ford no longer build cars here they make engines for rest of Europe and do a lot o design stuff too.
Jaguar Land Rover build Jags in the West Midlands and the LR range mostly at Halewood and Ellesmere Port is still the home of the Astra.
We do a big bit for Airbus with wings at Hawarden and other stuff at Filton and the old Short's site in Belfast builds sub assemblies for Bombardier but we no longer make whole Civil Airliners. Rolls though is still a major builder of civil engines although some are made in Germany.
I think we have one or two manufacturers of seats and other fittings for airliners too.
Militarily Warton still thrives but Brough is a shadow of its former self if extant at all. Agusta Westland still do choppers at Yeovil I think.
What have I forgotten?
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Fri 25 Apr 14 at 12:56
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I dont think you've missed a great deal at all. Marshalls do big mod work springs to mind. I more meant the whole industry rather than manufacturers. All the car companies aren't british, where as bae and rr are still british, which was more my thoughts.
. Brough is still going, there are still hawk orders to fill, oman and I think Saudis bought more when they reordered typhoon.
Last edited by: sooty123 on Fri 25 Apr 14 at 13:08
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Some excellent suggestions and a few reminders of very good books that I really should read again.
I will at the very least be trying AC's recommendation of Blood Meridian. Can't understand how I've missed it before.
I'm having trouble finding 501 Divehi Verbs though BBD.
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Book Recommendations? - Crankcase
