AO Book Club

[Twisted Canuck]

Originally Posted by Geraldsh

And when I find a good author I try to read all their books. I have gone through Wilbur Smith (African adventure),
James Clavell (Japan historical fiction), and
Bryce Courtney (another African adventure as well as New Zealand/Australian convict saga)
Diana Gabaldon (Scottish historical told through time travel)

If anyone likes guns Any book by Lee Child will interest you. His hero is a retired army sniper who gets in and out of scrapes as he wanders around the USA.

Have you ever read Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet? If not, guarantee you will love it based on what you posted.

[Geraldsh]

Originally Posted by Twisted Canuck

Have you ever read Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet? If not, guarantee you will love it based on what you posted.

Read it years ago - time find it and read again.

Some books reveal a lot more depth when you read them 40 years later, and some are just stories.

[Twisted Canuck]

Originally Posted by Geraldsh

Some books reveal a lot more depth when you read them 40 years later, and some are just stories.

Lots of truth there. I recently read Harper Lee's 'To Kill a Mockingbird' again, probably 35 years since I had read it the first time....there was a lot more meat on it than through the eyes of a 16 year old. Same for Grapes of Wrath, although that was meaty even as a teen.

[tirebob]

Originally Posted by Twisted Canuck

Lots of truth there. I recently read Harper Lee's 'To Kill a Mockingbird' again, probably 35 years since I had read it the first time....there was a lot more meat on it than through the eyes of a 16 year old. Same for Grapes of Wrath, although that was meaty even as a teen.

100% agreed! I find most of Steinbeck's works to have a lot of meat on the bone. It is what I am drawn to most I think.

I have To Kill A Mockingbird sitting in my bookshelf waiting to be picked up as we speak. Looking forward to that one...

[silver]

I would like to nominate any thing by Robert Ruark or Peter Capstick. Ruarks Old Man and a Boy series is a good start, then Use Enough Gun and Africa are good too. According to recent information, most of Capsticks books should be moved to the fiction section, but I think his biographies could be accurate. It doesn't matter what you think of the man, he knows how to tell a story.

[^v^Tinda wolf^v^]

I am currently re reading the new edition of bush craft by Mors Kochanski. I had a copy of northern bushcraft when I was a kid but lost it somewhere. The new edition has a little new material but basically the same as the first version. $18.95 I got my copy from the kerrywood nature center in red deer.

[Mastodon]

Great thread.

12 rules for life by Jordan Peterson is a solid read. Long range shooting by Ryan clecker has helped me pursue my target shooting hobby. Collapse by Jared Diamond is a good read as well.

[Rugersingle]

One of the first hardcover books I bought for myself was Shots at Whitetails by Alfred Knoph. It was published in 1948 in the post war boom and before optical sights were readily available. Everything from habits of deer to choosing a rifle to minor gunsmith work. An excellent look into post war deer hunting.

One I got from my Mom in 1996, On Safari by Arman Denis, first published in 1963. He was a documentary film maker between 1930 and 1955 and this is an account of his adventures around the world, from America to Africa.

And finally , Great Heart by James West Davidson. a true story of bravery, stupidity, planning, perseverance and recklessness. A true Canadian adventure based in 1903 and 1905. A journey to cross the interior of Labrador before mechanization entered the woods.

[Ronji]

Originally Posted by ^v^Tinda wolf^v^

I am currently re reading the new edition of bush craft by Mors Kochanski. I had a copy of northern bushcraft when I was a kid but lost it somewhere. The new edition has a little new material but basically the same as the first version. $18.95 I got my copy from the kerrywood nature center in red deer.

I took outdoor education classes where Mors' was the professor. Great book, and even better professor. Still reference that book to this day.

[sns2]

Originally Posted by tirebob

100% agreed! I find most of Steinbeck's works to have a lot of meat on the bone. It is what I am drawn to most I think.

I have To Kill A Mockingbird sitting in my bookshelf waiting to be picked up as we speak. Looking forward to that one...

Don't be afraid to watch the movie either. I watched it a year ago with my students. Very good. They loved it.

[Twisted Canuck]

Originally Posted by sns2

Don't be afraid to watch the movie either. I watched it a year ago with my students. Very good. They loved it.

Gregory Peck and Robert Duvall, hard to go wrong.

[shafty85]

Most recent for me was “the subtle art of not giving a ****” by Mark Manson. Bit of a self help book for those of you/us who get stressed and over-function. I found it incredibly funny and useful.

[Twisted Canuck]

Originally Posted by shafty85

Most recent for me was “the subtle art of not giving a ****” by Mark Manson. Bit of a self help book for those of you/us who get stressed and over-function. I found it incredibly funny and useful.

Now that sounds like a good read! I just downloaded it! Thanks for the recommendation.

[shafty85]

^^^ didn’t realize the word would be blanked out, sorry. Glad you found it! I’ve been thinking about getting a kindle. How do you find it is on your eyes? I love reading paper books - they don’t strain eyes like a phone or computer.

[Twisted Canuck]

Originally Posted by shafty85

^^^ didn’t realize the word would be blanked out, sorry. Glad you found it! I’ve been thinking about getting a kindle. How do you find it is on your eyes? I love reading paper books - they don’t strain eyes like a phone or computer.

I absolutely love it. I have the paperwhite edition, you can adjust the backlight setting infinitely. Keep it low when reading at night, doesn't bother the wife reading in bed, turn it up high in bright sunlight. Very easy on the eyes. Adjust font size, take and keep notes, hi light feature, dictionary/translate/wiki feature so for those times you come across a word you want to define or have clarity on, or translate, or maybe a person's name you want bio on...very handy. Battery goes a long way too. And, you can download an immense quantity of classic literature for cheap, and new releases for a good deal less than paper format. It has enabled me to read more, not less. Love it!

[KCL]

Oh, I like this. Some of my favorites - Ernest Hemingway's collection of short stories is great. All Fishermen Are Liars by John Gierach is very good. Bill Heavey is awesome, my favorite book of his is If You Didn't Bring Jerky, What Did I just Eat? - it will make you laugh and hit you in the feelers. The best thing I like about these is they are all collections of short stories so they take you on all kinds of adventures. If you have never read Hemingway's short story "The Short Happy Life Of Francis Macomber" or "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" and you are an outdoorsman, stop whatever you are doing and read them right now, please, for the love of God.

[Twisted Canuck]

Originally Posted by shafty85

Most recent for me was “the subtle art of not giving a ****” by Mark Manson. Bit of a self help book for those of you/us who get stressed and over-function. I found it incredibly funny and useful.

Finished reading it last night, I also quite enjoyed his humorous style, and there were some good things in there for sure.

I read his abridged version of 'Romeo and Juliet' to my daughter, who tends to have unrealistic views on romance and love. She laughed...

And I just started on 'Fear: Trump in the Whitehouse', came out yesterday. So far a fun read!

[sns2]

Originally Posted by Twisted Canuck

Finished reading it last night, I also quite enjoyed his humorous style, and there were some good things in there for sure.

I read his abridged version of 'Romeo and Juliet' to my daughter, who tends to have unrealistic views on romance and love. She laughed...

And I just started on 'Fear: Trump in the Whitehouse', came out yesterday. So far a fun read!

I just started too. Woodward has more credibility than anyone in the Whitehouse. Interesting read so far. A headshaker.

[Twisted Canuck]

Originally Posted by sns2

I just started too. Woodward has more credibility than anyone in the Whitehouse. Interesting read so far. A headshaker.

I suspect by the time I'm done, I will have laughed, cried, and wished it hadn't become part of me. Or my universe.

[6510stewart]

A Very good book that I have read is called A soldier of the great war,by Mark Helprin. It’s about 800 pages of some dense reading ,but his writing is some of the most beautiful i have read. It starts out with the view of an old man at the end of his life looking back on his experiences in the first world war, his search for the love of his life, and his constant search for beauty in the world around him ,even in the midst of brutality and death. Some of the more powerful scenes such as the execution of his entire unit at Stella Maris, a prisoner of war fortress which they were being held in for desertion , have stayed with me for years Its a book that I would say changed my life somewhat by reading .
Another good one is The bush soldiers, by John Hooker. It’s an alternative history where the Japanese have invaded Australia in World War II and the Protagonist, a World War I veteran gets together with his civilian friend,a British officer, a padre and a young teenage boy get to fight a rear guard action if you will, against the advancing Japanese. In the end the hostile land of northern Australia takes a brutal toll on them more so than the enemy themselves.

[Sushi]

I just read Call of the Wild and it is indeed excellent and easy to get through as it is fairly short and reads at a swift pace.

One very poignant book that is kind of a tough read is Shake Hands With The Devil by Romeo Dallaire.