Read a good book lately?

[Zedder]

"The one that got away" - it's easy enough to remember, he was the one that got away!

Mike Coburn's Soldier Five is more grounded than the McNab and Ryan versions, worth a read.

'Course it's more grounded, he's a Kiwi.

Anyone into Lee Childs and the Reacher stories?

[pritch]

'Course it's more grounded, he's a Kiwi.

Anyone into Lee Childs and the Reacher stories?

Yeah, I like. Last time I was in hospital, reading the latest Reacher, the anaesthetist (sp?) was telling me he fancied playing the part in the movies.

That was funny because he is considerably short of Reacher's imposing physical statistics.

I tried to point that out as politely as possible, so he started walking round on tip toe.
"I could wear heel raises."

[pritch]

You guys seem to like war books. One I read recently"The Junior Officers' Reading Club" impressed me.

The book recounts the author's time at Sandhurst and his experiences up to and including his tour in Afghanistan as a subaltern.

His tale is not full of bravado and bullshit, he comes across as very matter of fact.
His prognosis regarding the outcome of the war and the reasons for it make depressing reading but are mercifully brief.

There is a generous sprinkling of military acronyms which tended to accentuate the fact that those acronyms with which I'm familiar are waaaay out of date. A comprehensive glossary is included should you need it.

[Swoop]

Andy McNab just laughed off the assertions about his incompetance though and reckons the publicity has actually helped him sell more books.

Andy "McNab" (Pen surname used) is a bit of a blowhard and his follow up novels cement that concept...

I've just read Aussie Paul Carter's latest book "Is that a diesel?" about his ride round Australia on a Cagiva-framed adventure bike, powered by a small single cylinder pump engine running on cooking oil.

Paul writes in a style where you immediately identify with him and is one of the funniest writers around... as in snot coming down your nose! He's an ex-oil rig worker and his two previous books on rig life are outstanding too.

I was going to put up a review of that book as well! Certainly entertainingly written and I look forward to reading his books on the oil rig work.
His morning of "getting from home to the conference in time" was superb.

[Zedder]

Yeah, I like. Last time I was in hospital, reading the latest Reacher, the anaesthetist (sp) was telling me he fancied playing the part in the movies.

That was funny because he is considerably short of Reacher's imposing physical statistics.

I tried to point that out as politely as possible, so he started walking round on tip toe.
"I could wear heel raises."

Now that is really funny.

Did you read the one about the underground bunker with the jet fuel fire and if so what's your thoughts on how reacher got out?

[Kickaha]

what's your thoughts on how reacher got out?

He ran up the stairs really really fast

[Zedder]

He ran up the stairs really really fast

Yeah, but how did he get away from the huge fireball that blasted the area?

[Winston001]

Andy McNab just laughed off the assertions about his incompetance though and reckons the publicity has actually helped him sell more books.

True. He's very successful.

I wouldn't say he was incompetent, not at all. He simply make a bad call at the start of the mission but who was to know what would happen? McNab's sin in my eyes is he needlessly exaggerated the E&E and painted himself as a hero. Other SAS soldiers have written better books and with modesty.

[Zedder]

You guys seem to like war books. One I read recently"The Junior Officers' Reading Club" impressed me.

The book recounts the author's time at Sandhurst and his experiences up to and including his tour in Afghanistan as a subaltern.

His tale is not full of bravado and bullshit, he comes across as very matter of fact.
His prognosis regarding the outcome of the war and the reasons for it make depressing reading but are mercifully brief.

There is a generous sprinkling of military acronyms which tended to accentuate the fact that those acronyms with which I'm familiar are waaaay out of date. A comprehensive glossary is included should you need it.

Thanks for that, I'll put it on my to-read list. I'm also into sci-fi as well and travel stories like Gryff Rhy-Jones' sailing trips and Ewan Mcgregors motorbike sagas.

You wrote "Last time I was in hospital" which sounds like you make a habit of it. Nothing serious I hope?

[Zedder]

True. He's very successful.

I wouldn't say he was incompetent, not at all. He simply make a bad call at the start of the mission but who was to know what would happen? McNab's sin in my eyes is he needlessly exaggerated the E&E and painted himself as a hero. Other SAS soldiers have written better books and with modesty.

Yes, I think he got it all off to a bad start and not keeping to the E&E plan was a big mistake. Also, he does seem to be a bit more arrogant than other SAS authors.

[HenryDorsetCase]

I really enjoyed this, great holiday reading:

DEVIL'S GUARD by George Robert Elford.

http://www.bookdepository.com/Devils.../9780440120148

it is fiction though the intro says its fact.

Story of the recreation of a Waffen SS brigade under the French Foreign Legion, in the first Indochinese war in 1948 -54.

Fairly gripping, and man, does the author hate Commies or what? great holiday reading.....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_Guard

[BoristheBiter]

I am half way through "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin.

Its the second of five books, the first book "a game of thrones" has been made into a TV series, so this is the first one i have read.

Sort of a LOTR meets the Borgias.

[Zedder]

I've just finished "Archangel", by Robert Harris, it's about information in a diary of Joseph Stalins that could greatly affect modern Russia. One of those fiction-but- could-be-quite-true books.

[Usarka]

Take Her Deep - I. J. Galantin

Another account of WWII submarines by an American skipper and retired admiral. Not overly embellished like some accounts seem to be, very good read if you like bloops. It was embarrasing asking for it at the library though.

[HenryDorsetCase]

^^^ best google search results ever!

So I just finished REAMDE (not a typo) by Neal Stephenson.

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Ream.../9781848874480


Get this and read it, thank me later. Excellent Bourne-style boys own adventureI. Stephenson is probably best known as a science fiction/fantasy author, as is William Gibson (another of my favourites) but all of their latest output is definitely set in the present tense real world, and any science fictional aspects are just tweaks on current tech that you will find in your mobile phone in a year or so's time.

I have this half developed thought that science fiction as a genre is pretty much done: I havent read anything compelling in the genre for years, really. The stuff that has been worth reading (Cory Doctorow, Gibson, Stephenson) is set in the here and now. Of course science fiction has always been about present day concerns, with some window dressing to make it look bold and different to a non-critical audience, but lately? Meh.

Anyway, REAMDE is totally recommended.