thebes Posted July 28, 2004 Share Posted July 28, 2004 It's the middle of summer, you grab a week and head out to the beach, mountains, whatever. In between, eating, drinking, driving and yelling at the kids ("Johhny, please stop playing with the sharks, Johnny, oh no Johnny!)you settle in and pick up a book. So what do you have that you'd like to share. I'll start with: John Birmingham's "Weapons of Choice". Just issued first in a sci-fi trilogy. Premise is a modern (year 2021)carrier battle group is warped through time and lands in the Middle of Admiral Spruance's fleet on its way to the Battle of Midway early in World War II. Neat combination of techno-thriller, historical fiction and sociolgoical study. Some of the best stuff is how a modern racially and gender integrated society's military gets along, or doesn't get along with folkss as they were back in the 1940's. Also includes a cast of historical characters including the likes of Einstein, FDR, Ribbentop,Yamamoto, Beria etc. Hisorical stuff is very well researched. Very cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebes Posted July 29, 2004 Author Share Posted July 29, 2004 Bump! What nobody here reads? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olorin Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 Presently reading a collection of Frank Herbert's short stories. On deck, "Catch-22." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebes Posted July 29, 2004 Author Share Posted July 29, 2004 Herbert is great. I applaud your discernment. Josehh Heller's Catch 22 is one of the best and funniest novels ever written in this country. True story. My Dad was a WWII veteran and not much of a reader. He picked it up one summer while we were on vacation but he could only read 3 or 4 pages at a time because he'd be laughing so much. One of my fondest memories is of him laying on a hammock, Catch 22 on his stomach and tears of laughter rolling down his cheeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 That plot sounds like a rip off of "Final Countdown" where the Nimitz is trabsported back to WWII. It's a little dated but to all who have not read it I recommend Neville Shute's "On The Beach" for a light summer's read. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluless Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 For beach reading I would suggest just about anything by Tom Sharpe or Carl Hiaasen. Funny stuff with a dark side. Save the epics for the fall and winter. I would also suggest "Naked Came the Manatee" by Assorted deranged authors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 ---------------- On 7/29/2004 7:18:11 PM cluless wrote: For beach reading I would suggest just about anything by Tom Sharpe or Carl Hiaasen. Funny stuff with a dark side. Save the epics for the fall and winter. I would also suggest "Naked Came the Manatee" by Assorted deranged authors. ---------------- Carl Hiaasen is a hoot. Elmore Leonard is another in that category. I just finished Stephen King's latest book in The Dark Tower series (Song of Susanna). By far King's best books (6 in the series so far with 1 to go) and a must for those who haven't read them already. You don't have to be a King fan. It's not horror BTW. BTW Rick - On The Beach is one of my all time favorites. Others I would suggest: Anything by Pat Conroy Hart's War by John Katzenbach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthurs Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 Dress Your Family In Corduroy and Denim - David Sedaris Essays that will make you laugh out loud at times, no matter how cool you try to be on the beach.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Garrison Posted July 29, 2004 Share Posted July 29, 2004 Depending upon your mood... "Dangerous Visions", collection of short stories edited by Harlan Ellison. "Ringworld", by Larry Niven. "Gateway" and the sequels, by Frederick Pohl. "Unaccompanied Sonata", by Orson Scott Card. "Atlas Shrugged", by Anne Rand. Changed my life more than any other single book I've ever read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebes Posted July 30, 2004 Author Share Posted July 30, 2004 Ray, glad to hear I not the only Sci-Fi fan. Read at least a couple a month. Harlan Ellison's "Repent Harlequin Said the Ticktock Man" is probably my favorite short story. I also have "On the Beach" in my collection. Great stuff. Keep'em coming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan krajewski Posted July 31, 2004 Share Posted July 31, 2004 The RAMA series by Arthur C. Clarke is a great 4 novel sci-fi saga. The first book in the series is "Rendezvous with Rama". Star Wars or Dune this ain't. This stuff is intelligent and thought provoking, not a cartoon or cowboys in space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synthfreek Posted July 31, 2004 Share Posted July 31, 2004 arthurs you beat me to it. For those who have not witnessed the brilliance of David Sedaris you must do so NOW. I would start with Me Talk Pretty One Day. He writes intimate essays about his nutty family. The Rooster is a personal fave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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