Any recommendations...fiction

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

I read a lot, science fantasy, historical novels mostly, but i'll give anything a try, I buy mostly from the charity shops but have stated buying on e bay have you folks come across any good authors ?

John

[Area 51]

Hi there John..

 

Clive Cussler dear boy... very enjoyable way to see a few winter hours off.. and a lot of books to go at too... Pacific Vortex is the first one, so start here to get the characters..

 

**LINK**

 

All the best.

Edited By Area 51 on 07/10/2014 23:01:46

[kevin b]

Hi John.

Heavy or light ? Single stories or series ?

I seem to be reading a lot of aircraft books at the moment. Not in the right frame of mind for any heavy stuff.

[Tony Bennett]

try Larry Niven.

[Phil Green]

I've just read all three "Hunger Games", and both "The 100" books, and then "The Martian" which was very good.

If you can bear another aviation book, I just finished Johnny Johnson "The last British Dambuster" which was brilliant and not all WW2 related.

One thing I would thoroughly recommend - if you don't have a Kindle, get yourself one!

Cheers
Phil

[Andrew Price 2]

Phil. My friends are telling me to avoid Kindles in favour of a tablet which would be so much more versatile.doing anything a Kindle can plus wifi ect. Help me I'm confused - and just about to take the plunge!!

[Phil Claridge]

if you come across DOWN TO A SUNLESS SEA or SAM 7 both books are very good reads. read down to sunless sea in one allday sitting, could'nt put it down

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Got them all wrote down thanks

I like feel of a book Phil, i'm stuck in my ways, I like sumat that makes me think Masher, just finished prince of nothing trilogy and warrior prophet by R Scott Bakker my kind of books

John

[Phil Green]

I'd disagree with your friends Andrew - a tablet is a different animal altogether. A kindle will run for weeks on a charge, has one job to do and does it very well. A typical tablet is a jack-of-all-trades and will be flat in 2 or 3 hours!

Not many people realise that all kindles have a browser that you can use over the wifi connection, ok so its only monochrome but you can at least check emails and your favourite forum!

[fly-navy]

Patrick Robinson, I enjoy his books. Kilo Class etc most of them are about nuclear subs, bit gung ho, boyish bit of a break from all the horrible stories in the world these days.

Probably have heard of / read Vulcan 607 for aviation theme but can recommend Phoenix Sqdn.

[IanR]

Most tablets are too heavy and clumsy to use for reading books and the Kindle is rubbish at internetting. For goodness' sake, if you're interested in books, get a Kindle. Don't forget that Kindle books are a fraction of the cost of paper books. I also used to get most of my books at the charity shops but since getting a Kindle a couple of years back I haven't bought a "proper" book. I have just downloaded book number 116 onto my Kindle.

[mightypeesh]

Hi John. If you have a library card and a kindle (or whatever reader device) then you can download hundreds of e-books from the libraries website for free! You just need to pop into your local branch (if they have not closed it) to get your pin number, then you are good to go. It also has free audio books to download to your ipod/player/computer which I use on my hours journey to and from work every day, so a good 9 hour book pretty much keeps me going for the week - without a twittering radio DJ in sight!

Cheers, Simon

[Bucksboy]

Try the Jack Recher series by author Lee Child, great books. I can't help on the tablet v Kindle even though I've got both!

[Andy G.]

If it's fiction you are looking for, try any of the political party's manefesto! 😆

[Peter Miller]

The kindle is good and if you get the wifi version (not all are) you can buy while on holiday.

Try Brian lecomber's "Turn Killer" and "Dead Weight" Both brilliant high adventure action storieswith a very strong, accurate flying basis.

I didn't like his last one, Talkdown as much but still good.

I read mostly fantasy these days. Dave Duncan always writes a good story. I recently dicovered the Hawk and Fisher sires by Simon Green. Good yarns.

I find that fantasy varies in environment and types that I would not like to reccoment any particular stories but the above are pretty good for anyone,

[Ernie]

Jonathan Livingston seagull

ernie

[Plummet]

There is Tom Holt, and there is Thomas Holt. They are the same person. Writing as Tom Holt he writes quite good science fantasy books with a hood sense of humour - but bot for everyone I would suggest.

Writing as Thomas Holt he has done a series of historical novels, starting in ancient Greece, that are a very good read. The first in the series is called the Walled Orchard. It gives a great idea of what it must have been like to be in the bronze age.

Plummet

[Keith Evans 3]

The Bridge by Iain Banks. The only way I could get through it was to read it in one sitting. You'll feel a sense of real achievement in the end !!!!!!

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

For the book I'd recommend "Wolf Hall" by Hilary Mantle - an excellent and innovative read.

Re Kindles - well I bought one in August - I'm a late adopter! I really wasn't sure it was going to be for me but since I've got it I've not looked back! Superb device - it does exactly what it says on the tin. Very convenient, books are cheaper, you can download a new book in seconds and, contrary to what I thought would be the case, actually very pleasant to hold in the hand. Mine is in a nice purple slightly padded cover and feels great. I thought I would miss the feel of a book - but no, this is different but still very good.

I did look briefly at a tablet as an alternative - but power problems and the glossy screens put me off. The kindle's matt screen feels like reading paper and so is a lot easier on the eyes. I'd recommend the Kindle Paper White - a very easy bit of kit to get along with, slots very nicely into your life.

BEB

[Kris S]

Another point to consider is Amazon have just launched kindle unlimited. 7.99 a month for unlimited download of books. Not all books are on the scheme but it's about 650,000 so far.

[Miketgd]

Try Stieg Larsson -The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - and the two that follow this one up.

On a WW2 theme try the Martin Middlebrook books on the Bombing War.

[Phil Claridge]

down to a sunless sea is about nuclear war, and sam 7 is amissile attack on a plane over london both books are thought provoking as both events are possible these days

[GrahamC]

An old and good [generally] author is Nevil Shute. Don't see as many around these days. A great story teller and aviation features heavily in many of his books. A good place to start would be "No Highway" His Autobiography "Sliderule" is worth a read too.

I say 'generally' as I would consider some of his books as a little odd... and some are much darker than I realised they were when I read them as a teenager. "Whatever happened to the Corbetts" for example .. well lets just say I'm glad that wasn't prophetic!

Re the Kindle/Tablet issue. I'm an iPad owner but just purchased the new touch screen £59 Kindle [where you have to put up with adds on the lock screen unless you pay another tenner to have them removed] Love it - so much easier on the eyes for extended reading sessions. 

 

 

 

 

Edited By GrahamC on 08/10/2014 10:44:35

[ken anderson.]

john-I started to read a book about superglue...I couldn't put it down..........................Sorry..

ken Anderson...ne...1 cyno dept.

[Jimbo565]

Got to agree with Area 51, Clive Cussler is a great starting point,his hero is Dirk Pitt with his sidekick Al Giordino are better than James Bond. Dirk even raised the Titanic.

Lee Child is another with his man Jack Reacher.

Tom Clancy and his man Jack Ryan ( start with Rainbow six ) great story.