*** Official "Recommend a Book/Author" Thread ***

['89cab]

For nonfiction, Malcolm Gladwell, Michael Lewis, the Freakonomics guys, and a book I finished last night, Throw Them All Out, by Peter Schweizer (I’ll never trust a politician of any party ever again).

For fiction:
Lee Child, Jack Reacher series
Wilbur Smith, I especially liked the Courtney’s series – I’d start with Birds of Prey
George R R Martin, Song of Ice and Fire series – especially the first three, not so wild about fourth and fifth books
Louis L’Amour, especially the Sacketts series
Ken Follett, especially Pillars of the Earth, World Without End, and Fall of Giants

For Kindle owners, there are many (of my favorite) free classics by Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, Mark Twain, Jack London, Robert Luis Stevenson, H G Wells, Charles Dickens, H Rider Haggard, Edgar Rice Burroughs

Individual books or series that I will reread: The Power of One by Bryce Courtney, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series by Stieg Larsson, The Stand by Stephen King, and several of the free classics mentioned above – Les Mis, Tale of Two Cities, maybe some Tarzan.

[Chas White]

Tough Trip Through Paradise 1878-1879, Which is about fur trappers and injuns and whiskey, and
Arguably by Christopher Hitchens, both great reads, tho Arguably is kind of long at 800 or so pages, and
The Dragon at the Edge of the World, or Fatfingers, both by myself, and sized perfectly for a day's entertainment.

[Geneman]

Hunter S. Thompson !!

[J P Stein]

If you like history and guns (and who doesn't? ), this is a good one.
I often re-read non-fiction and am doing this book again.

American Rifle: A Biography by Alexander Rose

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

Footfall and also Lucifier's Hammer - Niven and Pournelle
Feersum Endjinn - Iain Banks
Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts

[Jim Richards]

For any of you that like science-fiction, I heartily recommend the following Isaac Azimov books, in the author’s recommended reading order. Great stuff!

Robot Novels:
1) The Complete Robot (1982)(if you can find it) and/or I, Robot (1950)
2) Caves of Steel (1954)
3) The Naked Sun (1957)
4) The Robots of Dawn (1983)
5) Robots and Empire (1985)

Galactic Empire Novels:
6) The Currents of Space (1952)
7) The Stars, Like Dust (1951)
8) Pebble in the Sky (1950)

Foundation Novels:
9) Prelude to Foundation (1988)
10) Forward the Foundation (1993)
11) Foundation (1951) (1st of the Foundation trilogy)
12) Foundation and Empire (1952) (2nd of the Foundation trilogy)
13) Second Foundation (1953) (3rd of the Foundation trilogy)
14) Foundation's Edge (1982)
15) Foundation and Earth (1986)

[ronster]

"The Border Trilogy" by Cormac McCarthy.

[pcarhiway]

Just finished The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown.

I am a rower so it has special significance to me - if you like rowing and history of the Seattle area in the mid thirties this is the book for you.

I enjoyed it on audible.com, Edward Hermann does a wonderful narration,

The Boys in the Boat | Daniel James Brown

[porsche4life]

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

For any of you that like science-fiction, I heartily recommend the following Isaac Azimov books, in the author’s recommended reading order. Great stuff!

Jim! I didn't know you were a SciFi guy. Have you read any of John Scalzi's books? Start with Old Mans War and go from there if you haven't!

[IROC]

I have gotten into Post-Apocalyptic books lately for some reason, so:

Any of the "Silo" books by Hugh Howey ("Wool", "Shift" and "Dust")

The Silo stories seem to be so good that other authors are now writing "Silo" books that build on Howey's books...

And this is the best zombie book I've ever read:

Amazon.com: Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End eBook: Manel Loureiro, Pamela Carmell: Kindle Store

[J P Stein]

I was very disappointed with the latest Lee Child Reacher book.
It seems that he is now getting paid by the word.

For the SI Fi guys,The Destroyer Men serise.......Anderson. I like a good yarn

[chicago_82sc]

Here are two of my favorites:

April 1864 - The Month that Saved America
A World Lit Only By Fire

[Head416]

I felt like the last few became more "cheap action, blah, blah, blah" kind of books. I seem to remember the first several having more complexity.

[matt711]

Elmore Leonard
Randy Wayne White
Carl Hiassen
Lee Child
David Baldachi
Stephen Hunter
Robert Crais
Brad Thor

[matt711]

I really enjoyed the last Lee Child (Jach Reacher) book, Never go back. Finished it 24 hours after I downloaded it on my nook.

[LakeCleElum]

Anyone recommend author Walter Mosley? Just started his book: The Long Fall - I think I'll like it a lot.

Just finished John Grisham's latest; Sycamore Row. Great book, but similar to some of his previous.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

For any of you that like science-fiction, I heartily recommend the following Isaac Azimov books, in the author’s recommended reading order. Great stuff!

Robot Novels:
1) The Complete Robot (1982)(if you can find it) and/or I, Robot (1950)
2) Caves of Steel (1954)
3) The Naked Sun (1957)
4) The Robots of Dawn (1983)
5) Robots and Empire (1985)

Galactic Empire Novels:
6) The Currents of Space (1952)
7) The Stars, Like Dust (1951)
8) Pebble in the Sky (1950)

Foundation Novels:
9) Prelude to Foundation (1988)
10) Forward the Foundation (1993)
11) Foundation (1951) (1st of the Foundation trilogy)
12) Foundation and Empire (1952) (2nd of the Foundation trilogy)
13) Second Foundation (1953) (3rd of the Foundation trilogy)
14) Foundation's Edge (1982)
15) Foundation and Earth (1986)

I own every one of those books.

[LakeCleElum]

Windows 8 Secrets Paul Thurrott

Before I read this, I didn't think I wanted Windows 8. Now I know I don't want it!!!!!

[aerocrosby]

"The Art of Racing in the Rain"

One of the best books I've ever read!!

[Nostril Cheese]

+1 for Art of Racing in the Rain.

Job: A Comedy of Justice - Robert Heinlein
Skunk Works - Ben Rich
Stiff - Mary Roach
LZ '75 - Stephen Davis
Murmurs of Earth - Carl Sagan
The Art of Happiness - Dalai Lama
Bosch Automotive Handbook
Marks' Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers