Good books to read

Now that we're going classical, I have to add a few of my favorites (I've read these multiple times each and enjoy them each time):

Cannery Row, John Steinbeck
Innocents Abroad, Mark Twain
To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee (the movie was great, too)

As most have said, and I definitely agree, "Unintended Consequences" should be at the top of anyone's list, and I mean it should be read RFN.


[This message has been edited by Mal H (edited May 12, 1999).]
 
Menos, I don't know what that B&N store you went to was smokin, I've seen it at my local store and I ordered it from their website
becuase you get discounts. It would seem to me that the clerk you talked to just didn't know what he was talking about. They even carry Jeff Cooper's books on the web site and I once asked if my local store could order them for me and they did.
 
Warrior, by Capstick
Scouting On Two Continents, by Burnham
The Trilogy of Dennys Reitz, by Reitz
Lakota Noon, by Michno
Rough Riders, by T. Roosevelt

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Just finished reading about Thomas Paine. Not only was he a philospher he was a fighter. He actually participated in battles and not as an officer but as a regular grunt. I gained a whole new respect for the man.

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"Solidarity is the Key"
 
Oops -- nearly missed this thread. As an avid reader (with not enough time these days), I'd like to contribute:

Stephen King (though not his fantasy series) -- even if he knows jacks**t about guns ;)

Dean Koontz -- gets better with each release

Stephen Coonts -- Under Siege

Mean High Tide and Squall Line by James Hall -- burnt-out would-be derelict in the Florida Keys

Dale Brown -- Flight of the Old Dog and others -- you can also go to his website and send an e-mail -- he does reply

Stephen Leather -- Double Tap and others. Great stories about a burnt-out ex-SAS-man.

Irving Stone Lust For Life -- bio of Vincent van Gogh

Quite partial to Dirk Pitt, too (Clive Cussler) -- when I don't want to think too hard!

Kimberley Cocktail -- a rollicking, lusty comedy-adventure audiocassette by Australian adults-only comedian Kevin Bloody Wilson, set in the US and the Kimberley region of Australia (far north-west) Four hours of sheer entertainment, love, sex, comedy, death and deception -- in short, everything that makes life worth living!(But then, I could be slightly prejudiced -- I wrote it ;))

Bruce
 
Bravo Two Zero by Andy McNab, true account of
SAS platoon dropped behind Iraqi lines during Gulf war, and their eventual capture and torture by Iraq.
 
Bruce, I almost forgot Irving Stone. Both "Lust For Life" (Van Gogh) and "The Agony and the Ecstasy", bio of Michelangelo, brings these two geniuses to life. Great books.

As for Clive Cussler, can anyone think up more implausible plots than him? But you've got to love the name "Dirk Pitt".
 
Another vote for UC here.

"Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card is a superb look into the "mind of a general" and the basic concepts of what it takes to win. *Excellent* stuff. Yes, it's Science Fiction - don't let that stop you.

"The man who never missed" by Steve Perry. An *awesome* "short, taut and potent version of Unintended Consequenced", superb stuff. If John Ross had had to tighten UC into about 100 pages versus 850 he'd *wish* he came up with something this good. This had a strong influence on my RKBA thinking four years ago. And yes, it's SF too.

"Snow Crash" and "The Diamond Age" by Neil Stephenson - funny as hell, strong social commentary, extremely pro-RKBA "cyberpunk" type Science Fiction. TDA is particularly interesting as it tries to plot out what might happen if encryption made taxation impossible at the same time nanotech did a "sudden raising of general wealth" leading to a total revamp of society in weird, horrifying and wonderful ways.

You'll have to search used book stores for this one: "The Weapons Shops of Ishtar" I think it was called, by A. E. Van Vogt. RKBA Science Fiction from the 50's, a collection of short stories starting with "The Weapons Shop". I read it at around age 10, it planted the seed for later activism.

More really old RKBA-leaning SF: Anything by H. Beam Piper, esp. the Fuzzies series. A whole lotta Heinlein of course. And a WHOLE lot more...

Jim March
 
Here is some noone mentioned.

"Principles of Personal Defense" & "To Ride, Shoot Streight and Tell the Truth" by Jeff Cooper (especially the chapter "Survivor" in "To Ride")

"Rifleman Dodd" by C.S. Forester

"A Rifleman went to War" by H. W. McBride

AND FINALLY (a must read immediately after finishing "Unintended Consequences" :D )

The essay "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau.

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Schmit, GySgt, USMC(Ret)
NRA Life, Lodge 1201-UOSSS
"Si vis Pacem Para Bellum"
 
Guttsmoke: Tom Paine's writings are something every American should be familiar with--especially these days. Once upon a time in a galaxy far away, when the bad guys were winning, I kept some quotes of his posted above my desk. They helped people get through Valley Forge and are just as relevant today. Another good read is 'It Can't Happen Here' by Sinclair Lewis. It shows how a totalitarian government coult take root in the US. Dated, but valid...

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Stephen Coonts -- Under Siege

I agree with this. Great book.

Clancy, by god. He wrapped up a whole series in a way that made me cheer in Executive Orders. Terrific book.

Lydia Bailey by Kenneth Roberts. Roberts does tend to use a similiar formula for most of his stories, but they have good plots and lots of historical information.

Starship Troopers.

And, overwhelmingly, Unintended Consequences.
 
Read anything and everything by Stephen King now, before some liberal ******* says his books are making people kill themselves.

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http://63.66.136.26/532/
 
Books which describe weapons/use in a factual and believeable way are pretty rare. If you like SF, Heinlein and Piper knew their stuff, from guns to knives to unarmed combat. A. E. Van Vogt's 'Weapon Shops of Isher' had RKBA as a central theme: "The right to own weapons is the right to be free". John Christopher's 'No Blade of Grass' has quite a bit to say about the value of guns and the survivability of a skilled gunman in a collapsing society. More contemporary fiction with credible weapons detail: The Matt Helm spy novels by Donald Hamilton (the movies made of these were foul, but the books are terrific); W. E. B. Griffin's books are generallly good, but I spotted one howler in his 'The Corps' series: In the early 1940's a character is armed with an S&W Chief's Special that wasn't available until the 1950's. And even Tom Clancy has had gun errors in his 'Red October and ff' series. Peter O' Donnel writes well in the spy and western genre. I have seen many othere paperback thriller series where a particular firearm was a 'featured character', wielded by the series hero ( the 'Fargo' series is an example). I never could see much value in these, but they must be popular, there are so many of them on the racks. Slabsides
 
How could I have forgot?
Robert Heinlen's STARSHIP TROOPERS?!?

One of my favorites! I loved the part when he describes the drill sergents response to a hand to hand training incident... he "threw him over the horizon"... Ah - reminds me of my own BOOT CAMP!

The suggestion of "Horatio Hornblower" is also a very good one. A&E has a H.H. Mini series going that is very good. I have seen a couple episodes, and I was impressed with both the film making - and the story. Wasn't it an old Gregory Peck movie too? I think I will have to go to the library and check some of these books out...

As if I needed anything else to take up my time! Trying to catch up to Rob's number of posts is a task and a half! I remember back in the good old days I had more than him!

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RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
 
1) "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett, one of "the best" I've ever read.
2) "The Eye of the Needle" also by Ken Follett, based on these two books, I think anything by Ken Follett must be great reading!
3) "Battlefield Earth" by Ron Hubbard before he got into the goofy scientology stuff. Great sci-fi.
4) "Chickenhawk" by Robert Mason, a great true story of his experiences as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam.
5) "Dancing at the Rascal Fair" by Ivan Doig. About ranching in the Two Medicine River area of northern Montana in the earlier part of the century. Another of "the best" I've ever read. Like Ken Follett, anything by Ivan Doig is good reading IMO.

[This message has been edited by Jbar4Ranch (edited May 29, 1999).]
 
if you like starship trooper,try the moon is a harsh mistress by heinlein. also anything by steven coonts, harold coyle, ed ruggerio,dale brown, tom clancy, richard herman,tom wilson, ed weber clive cussler.
for s/f try heinlein ,piper,van vogt,steve white, david weber.
this could get to be a long list(reading is my worst vice,)
if you can find a copy of vanvogt's 'weapon shops of isher", it's fascinating reading. probably the only guns the "pc" folks would allow.
lots of good reading in all these posts. some old friends i'll have to read again, and i see some i'll have to get.
cmore
 
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