Good to see someone else knows about Stiff- thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening read (but she cuts the heads off!). I'll add a few of my favorites:

The Fatal Shore- Robert Hughes (riveting history of the founding of Australia)
Anything by Robert Massie- but my favorites are Peter the Great, Dreadnought and Nicholas and Alexandra
Stasiland- Anna Funder- (East Germany)
The Emperor of All Maladies- Siddhartha Mukherjee (this was mentioned but want to second it)
Anything by Jose Saramago but especially Blindness
Commander by Stephen Taylor (Lord Nelson)
A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah (boy soldier in Sierra Leone)

Tough, indelible rides. Can't recommend more highly.

No better history book, except perhaps, "Empire of the Summer Moon".

What you think you know, challenged.

Many more.

Based on Seahawk's recommendation, I read Ghengis Khan, the Making of the Modern World. I agree wholeheartedly...take what you thought you knew and toss it out the window.

angela

"the Gargoyle" Andrew Davidson is a good read, a well told story that is a little different.

For a light and strange read, try Tim Dorsey or Christopher Moore. Both weird and both funny, Moore's "Lamb, the gospel according to Biff, Christ's childhood pal" is an excellent read, very funny and definitely a new take on the life of Christ. "the Stupidest Little Angle" is also hilarious.

Sharing a list of what I've read in the past few years with a rating for each: (Excel formal does not transfer very well).

The Associate John Grisham 7/1/11 8
Playing for Pizza John Grisham 8/1/11 7
A Painted House John Grisham 7/1/09 9
Tripwire Lee Child 8/11/11 10
Killing Floor Lee Child 9/11/11 10
Bad Luck/Trouble Lee Child 10/4/11 9
The Broker John Grisham 10/24/11 9
The Confession John Grisham 11/8/11 7
61 hours Lee Child 11/13/11 8
The Money Class Suzie Orman 11/20/11 7
Worth Dying For Lee Child 11/23/11 9
Without Fail Lee Child 11/28/11 7
Presauder Lee Child 12/1/11 9
One Shot Lee Child 12/6/11 9
Nothing to Lose Lee Child 12/9/11 9
Second Son (69) Lee Child 12/11/11 ?
The Hard Way Lee Child 12/16/11 9
Gone Tomorrow Lee Child 12/22/11 7
The Enemy Lee Child 12/27/11 8
The Affair Lee Child 12/31/11 9
Running Blind Lee Child 1/8/12 9
Echo Burning Lee Child 1/13/12 9
Die Trying Lee Child 1/19/12 9
XP for Dummy's ? 1/25/12 3
Ford County John Grisham 2/3/12 8
Air Frame Michael Crichton 2/14/12 6
King of Torts John Grisham 2/25/12 9
Art/Racing in Rain Garth Stein 2/25/12 10
Bleachers John Grisham 3/10/12 9
Night Crew John Standford 3/12/12 7
Kill me if you Can James Patterson 7/5/05 8
Bad Blood John Sandford 3/12/12 7
Dark of the Moon John Sandford 3/19/12 7
Easy Prey John Sandford 4/12/12 6
The Charm School Nelson DeMille 4/8/12 8
The Lion's Game Nelson DeMille 4/25/12 9
Night Fall Nelson DeMille 5/11/12 9
Betrayal of Trust JA Jance 5/22/12 7
Raven Stole Moon Garth Stein 7/4/12 7
A Time to Kill John Grisham 7/25/12 8
Pursuit of Honor Vince Flynn 8/13/12 8
The Litigators John Grisham 9/3/12 9
Kid Lawyer John Grisham 9/20/12 9
The Abduction John Grisham 9/26/12 7
No Easy Day Mark Owen 10/015/12 7
The Testament John Grisham 10/22/12 10
You're Dead Jack James Patterson 10/12/12 8
Gone Girl Gillian Flynn 11/19/12 10
Perils of Motorcycling Alanna Gayko 12/2/12 7
How to Retire Overseas Kathleen Peddicord 12/15/12 7
The Racketeer John Grisham 1/14/13 9
The Devil's Code John Sanford 4/1/13 5
Throw them all out Peter Sweizer 4/10/13 5
The 9th Judgement James Patterson 4/20/13 8
Private James Patterson 5/10/13 7
Beach Road James Patterson 5/16/13 9
A Wanted Man Lee Child 5/22/13 9
Spider James Patterson 7/10/13 6
Violets Are Blue James Patterson 8/15/13 6
Rain Maker John Grisham 9/7/13 9
Cure Robin Cook 10/10/13 7
Sycamore Row John Grisham 11/1/13 9
Windows 8 Secrets Paul Thurrott 11/7/13 5
The Last Man Vince Flynn 11/11/13 9
Win7 for Idiots Paul McFedries 11/13/13 8
The Long Fall Walter Mosley 11/25/13 6
Girl who Played w/Fire Stieg Larsson 12/8/13 5
The Snowman Jo Nesbo 12/20/13 6
Never Go Back Lee Child 12/26/13 9
Crashed me, Crashed back Mark Bechtel 1/5/14 8
Iphone 5 Dummies/Seniors Nancy Muir 1/10/14 7
High Heat Lee Child 1/13/14 9
Deep Down Lee Child 1/15/14 9
An Innocent Man John Grisham 1/27/14 7
The Sixth Man David Balachi 6/3/14 8
Cross James Patterson 6/18/14 7
Lucid Intervals Stuart Woods 8/3/14 8
Secrets of the Grave Tami Hoag 8/8/14 6
Zero Day David Baldacci 8/20/14 9
Die for You Lisa Unger 9/4/14 7
The Preacher Camilla Lackbert 10/17/14 8
The Last Symbol Dan Brown 10/29/2014 8
The Last Season Eric Blem 12/3/14 7
Man in the High Castle Philip Dick 10/15/14 5
The Preacher Camilia Lackberg 10/25/14 8
The Reversal Michael Connelly 11/1/14 8
Left for Dead Beck Weathers 12/20/14 7
The Lost Symbol Dan Brown 11/10/14 8
Wild Cheryl Strayed 11/10/14 6
What Every BODY Says Joe Navarro 11/11/14 5
Deception Point Dan Brown 11/13/14 7
Into Thin Air Jon KraKauer 12/21/14 9
Natchez Burning Greg Isles 1/11/15 9
Primal Threat Earl Emerson 12/19/2014 8
The Drop Michael Connelly quit 5
South of Broad Pat Conroy 2/1/15 9
Nexus 7 for dummies Dan Gookin 2/1/15 8
Bad Monkey Carl Hiaasen 2/8/15 10
The Last Man Vince Flynn 11/15/14 9
Born to be Riled Jeremy Clarkson 2/27/15 8
Gray Mountain John Grisham 2/20/15 9
Powder Burn Carl Hiaasen 2/15/15 7
Rivethead Ben Hamper 3/10/15 6
Chomp Carl Hiaasen 3/8/15 8
Trap Line Carl Hiaasen 3/12/15 8
A Death in Chinia Carl Hiaasen 3/19/15 8

Keep the suggestions coming - Always looking for a new author.......Thax.

I like most of the Clive Cussler Dirk Pitt books.

Tortilla Flat, Cannery Row, etc

what?
...no Cormac McCarthy ????

Paul Theroux has some great reads, esp if you like adventure travel.

Just finished Daniel Bolger's (Gen. Ret.), Why We Lost. Very well done and great prose for a history book by an ex military guy.

Anything by Bernard Lewis on the Mid East.

Same for Monte Palmer but you will have to get his off Amazon or via student bookstores.

The Martian - by Andy Weir read that Ridley Scott is doing the movie..

For those that like the Elmore Leonard / Walter Mosely/ Robert Parker style give Joe Lansdale a try.
And yes that Stephen King book 11/22/63 is one of my favorites!
Dave

Maeve Binchy.

An Irish writer. Not shoot em up style but rather draws you in with the details. Kind of "relaxing" reading.

I used to read James W Hall. That's why I'm such an expert on the Florida Keys, although I've never actually been there :rolleyes: Great reading.

"The Making of the Atomic Bomb" by Richard Rhodes.

Bill's reference of Hall and the Keys reminded me of the Great John MacDonald the indelible character of Travis McGee. What a great series of books. Done well on books on tape by Darrin McGavin who I cannot help but hear when I reread the books. Couldn't be more perfect I think.

+1 for April 1864. Great look at how the actions of just a few set a major course for the US.

Undaunted Courage by Ambrose about Lewis and Clark
Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
Palace Walk by Mafauz
The Alexandria Quartet by Durrel
American Sphinx about Thomas Jefferson by Joseph Ellis
Founding Brothers about the founding of the US
The Art of Power about Thomas Jefferson by Meacham
American Lion by Meacham about Andrew Jackson

another +1 on this book. Absolutely facinating

Desire of the Everlasting Hills by Thomas Cahill. Any of the rest of his series called The Hinges of History. Quick and easy reading with great thinking. You don't have to agree with him to enjoy thinking about the concept of the turning points of western history. You will feel smarter, better read and more knowledgeable after reading it.

Clancy, Crichton & to a lesser extent King are what I read growing up. Most crime/suspense/spy writers are several notches below them. The Harry Potter and Hunger Games series were fun reads also.

Of those I think Crichton is the most gifted.

Anything by J.P. Donleavey. In particular, "A Fairy Tale of New York" a novel.

All of his books and novels are fertooned with fresh and feisty Irish humour at its best.

Seahawk,

As a Md. shore resident you may really enjoy some of these. Some of my favorite books ever-

http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Swimmers-Watermen-Crabs-Chesapeake/dp/0316923354

http://www.amazon.com/Harry-M-Walsh-Outlaw-Gunner/dp/B00N4J8X1W/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427295568&sr=1-2&keywords=outlaw+gunners

Having My Say: Conversations with Chesapeake Bay Waterman Wylie "Gator" Abbott: A. M. Foley: 9780967294728: Amazon.com: Books

Gunning the Chesapeake: Duck and Goose Shooting on the Eastern Shore: Roy E. Walsh: 9780870330285: Amazon.com: Books