What non bushcraft books do you read?

[Goose]

After a conversation round the fire about books at a recent meet it was discovered that most of us there had read or were reading the same type of books!
These had nothing to do with bushcraft and it has set me wondering how many of us read the same stuff.
The ones that come up were by Terry Pratchett (Discworld), Bernard Cornwell (Sharpe) and Tom Sharpe, what non bushcraft books do you read?

 

[ilovemybed]

Currently reading "The World According to Clarkson", a collection of Jeremy Clarkson's articles for the Times. Xmas present... It's quite funny, but not an in depth read!

Other than that, I've started catching up on some Graham Greene (Our Man in Havana, The Bomb Party, Travels with my Aunt) who is excellent, and has a broad spectrum of subjects and style.

Also, in a fit of intellectualism, I read The Old Man and the Sea, by Hemingway which is a very good, if short, parable. A proper thinker.

For sheer slapstick humour, mixed with some modern history (especially sport and US Politics) I don't think you can go wrong with reading Hunter S. Thompson's collections, such as "The Great Shark Hunt", and "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail".

Goose, if you like Pratchett and Tom Sharpe, why not try Tom Holt (Flying Dutch, Grailblazers, Snow White and the Seven Samurai). I've enjoyed books by all of those fellas. For some reason my mum bought me a Discworld Calendar for Christmas. It would have been nice, if it wasn't a 2005 Calendar... Anyone want it?)

 

[tomtom]

well i have been thinking about it and in the last 12 months i dont think i have read a non-bushcraft book i just finnished The Last River Rat: Kenny Salwey's Life in the Wild its not a how to but i would count it as bushcraft.. i really enjoyed it and would advice it..

sorry.. not what you were looking for!?

 

[jdlenton]

At the moment I’m reading Three men and a dog by Jerome k Jerome after three comedians did the trip up the Thames in a skiff described in this book on the telly it's not a bad read for a piece of classis English literature.

James

 

[Grooveski]

70s sci-fi a' la Asimov, Clarke, etc.

Boigraphies. Recently Valentino Rossi, Bob Dylan and Ali. I drew the line at maggie thatcher's even though a mate said it it was seriously interesting.

Whatever catches my eye on Project Gutenberg. Dickens at the moment - was killing myself laughing last night at the overturned wine cart chapter in "Tale of two cities"

Another HST fan.

Thor Heyerdahl - My copies of Ra and Kon Tiki are falling apart, they've been read so often.

Would recommend - Earth Abides by George R Stewart.
An EOTWAWKI affair written in fifties from the perspective of an educated nature observer.
While messing around on the cooked goose thread I was having to really keep an eye on myself that "in the style of" didn't become "who are you kidding, plagerist".
Passaround copy available .

 

[Doc]

I like

C S Forester - wrote the Hornblower novels. Like Bernard Cornwell, but with rather more skillful plots, IMHO

Conan Doyle - especially Sherlock Holmes.

Gavin Lyall
Desmond Bagley
Eric Ambler - all three wrote slightly dated 60s/70s but well crafted thrillers.

Leslie Charteris 'Saint' novels. Great stuff. How they made such a dreadful film with such brilliant material I will never know.

George Macdonald Fraser - the Flashman books are excellent but he also wrote some excellent non fiction.

 

[stovie]

George Macdonald Fraser - the Flashman books are excellent but he also wrote some excellent non fiction.

Have to agree there...His book on the border reivers, The Steel Bonnets, is a fascinating read. I always claim I come from a long line of border reivers (cattle theives, that is )

apart from that, I read a lot of history/archaeology (In the toilet mostly; only place I get some peace). Sign of a good book? A cold a#*e

 

[Ahjno]

I'm doing Law at uni, so that means LOTS of reading: books (some books are 800+ pages - the author definately had nothing better to do in his weekends), jurisprudence, etc. etc. So when I'm not studying I seldom read, for obvious reasons
If I'm reading it's mostly dutch literature (I do find I need to know "the classics") or books by Chris Ryan / Andy McNab or Dan Brown, or on the subject of genealogy / heraldry, archeology / antropology, etc., just something different to study related books

 

[Abbe Osram]

I am reading Eckart Tolle the power of Now!

// Abbe

 

[KIMBOKO]

I am reading Eckart Tolle the power of Now!

// Abbe

And there's no need for anything else!

 

[Klenchblaize]

If you're taking recommendations there is wee book by Archie Hill called the "Third Meadow". Basically the actions and musings of a reformed alcohlic who gets the chance to live off the land for a year and with no human contact.

He does have use of an air gun, called "Stella" for some reason, to help put food in the pot, so clearly this will preclude some from seeking out the book. I have to pinch myself when I recall this but it was actually serialised by BBC Radio 4 many moons ago!

"The Darkness Is Light Enough" is another good and informative read if you like badgers.

Cheers

K
Ps: Toys now safely back in pram!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Abbe Osram]

And there's no need for anything else!

cheers
Abbe

 

[pierre girard]

Journel of John Sayers, Three different historys of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, biography of John Adams, Band of Brothers, Mirror (or is it window?) on the 14th Century by Tuchman, John Moor's Utopia, Selected Works by Epicticus, and Plutarch's Lives.

PG

 

[arctic hobo]

Said Aburish's "Saddam Hussein: The Politics of Revenge", Nansen's "Farthest North" (a real tough read... the "full version" is, er, full of ramblings on the nature of boredom aboard a boat for two years!), Edward Fenn's biography of Ho Chi Minh, and Timothy Freke's "Lucid Living" - very heartily recommended.

 

[happy camper]

George Macdonald Fraser - the Flashman books are excellent but he also wrote some excellent non fiction.

Great books!! "Quartered safe out here" is also very good, it's G.M.Frasers recollections of the war in Burma, well worth a read if you like the Flashman books.

 

[bothyman]

I usually read Adventure Travel books at the moment I am reading
"Dances with Waves" by Brian Wilson its about going around Ireland in a Kayak.
But maybe some people will call that a bushcraft book??

MickT

 

[British Red]

I usually read Adventure Travel books at the moment I am reading
"Dances with Waves" by Brian Wilson its about going around Ireland in a Kayak.
But maybe some people will call that a bushcraft book??

MickT

Got any other recommendations - I'll pass back "good Life" - a young couple with NO experience build their own cabin in the Yukon - great read!

 

[Toddy]

Terry Pratchett,Tom Holt, Robert Aspirin, Neil Munro, Gerald Durrell, George MacDonald Fraser, Dorothy L. Sayers, John Donne, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Emily Dickinson, and Does Anything Eat Wasps, from the New Scientist, all for fun.
Lying about my desks are Tomoko Fuse, Rick Beech & David Brill for origami/paper engineering, history and archaeology books by the dozen and costume books too. Richard Mabey's food for free and Elizabeth W. Barber's Women's Work on the role of women in textile production, trade and social interactions.
I devour craft books according to the family mostly traditional skills though......I don't *do* curtains! I'm working my way through Des Pawson's Handbook of Knots just now and after the discussion on another thread I've just re-found Nick Dickson's book on crannogs.
I read very quickly, a new Pratchett book takes about and hour and a half, and I will have read it, not skimmed through, but it means you don't leave a book lying near me if you want my attention HWMBLT says I have black and white disease

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[heeby]

one of my favourite books is the dice man by luke rhinehart, one of my favourite author is barry hines (kes) not very intelectual but read lots of times since school and the blinder also by hines which i find rings a lot of bells of recognition which always helps to enjoy a book.

 

[Hoodoo]

Ninety-nine Gnats, Nits, and Nibblers by May R. Berenbaum
The Search For The Giant Squid by Richard Ellis
Spineless Wonders by Richard Conniff
Insects Throught the Seasons by Gilbert Waldbauer
Winter World by Bernd Heinrich
The Monk in the Garden by Robin Henig
Natural History Essays by HD Thoreau
The Geese of Beaver Bog by Bernd Heinrich
Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond
Nature via Nurture by Matt Ridley
The Borderlands of Science by MIchael Shermer
Human Natures by Paul Ehrlich