# General > Literature >  Suggested Reading / Favourites

## Kingetter

Individuals will no doubt have individual choices but I think it would be nice to have a central thread that people can add to as we go along. 

To start this ball rolling I'm going to offer:-

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach http://www.lib.ru/RBACH/seagullengl.txt

Anyone who has read it knows I think it needs no explanation here as to why I'm listing it.

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## canuck

Oh, yes! I haven't thought of that piece in years.

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## Kingetter

I had read a lot of Bach's books and found them most readable.

Now, in complete contrast -

*The Thirty-nine Steps* *John Buchan*

http://www.bartleby.com/149/

A real classic I think.

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## badger

Am reading Brave New World (again) just now.  Scary to see how much closer to reality it becomes as the years pass.

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## Kingetter

> Am reading Brave New World (again) just now. Scary to see how much closer to reality it becomes as the years pass.


Fiction becomes Reality?  Sure, look at some of the comics of the '50's - Dan Dare etc.

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## willz320

You don't know where I could find a source of short stories on the net do you?

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## Kingetter

> You don't know where I could find a source of short stories on the net do you?


Of what kind - adventure, romance, sci fi, ???
Any favourite authors?

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## Gleber2

H.G.Wells and Jules Verne were my first sci-fi writers and it is amazing how much of it is no longer fiction. 1957 I read First Men on the Moon and 12 years later watched the Moon Landing on TV.

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## squidge

Once in a House on Fire - Andrea Ashworth - this beautifully written book is not the usual story of a downtrodden childhood.  Try it you will enjoy it.  Andrea Ashworth captures moments with her writing that will make you all smile.  This is a book i regularly re read and has a charm that will touch you.  I have bought more copies of this book than any other cos i keep giving mine away ::

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## Kingetter

> H.G.Wells and Jules Verne were my first sci-fi writers and it is amazing how much of it is no longer fiction. 1957 I read First Men on the Moon and 12 years later watched the Moon Landing on TV.


Many moons ago, (those days when folk listened to the radio), when Orson Welles did the 'War of the Worlds' thing - he was so so believable, people were convinced.  UFO's et al are maybe not just figments of a writers imagination but reality.

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## Kingetter

> Once in a House on Fire - Andrea Ashworth - this beautifully written book is not the usual story of a downtrodden childhood. Try it you will enjoy it. Andrea Ashworth captures moments with her writing that will make you all smile. This is a book i regularly re read and has a charm that will touch you. I have bought more copies of this book than any other cos i keep giving mine away


When abouts is the story set?

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## squidge

Its about a girl growing up in manchester in the 70s and 80s.  Its Andrea's story - her childhood.

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## Kingetter

> Its about a girl growing up in manchester in the 70s and 80s. Its Andrea's story - her childhood.


Tear-jerker? (and I don't mean that in a derogatory sense).

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## Gleber2

> Many moons ago, (those days when folk listened to the radio), when Orson Welles did the 'War of the Worlds' thing - he was so so believable, people were convinced. UFO's et al are maybe not just figments of a writers imagination but reality.


Many years since the word sciencefaction was coined. What is reality, what is dream, all is but a figment of the master dreamer's dream.

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## squidge

> Tear-jerker? (and I don't mean that in a derogatory sense).


No its not a tear jerker in the way you would exect.  Its funny and witty, insightful and beautifully written.Dont expect Angela's Ashes or A boy called It.  This is nothing like those books. Her father died when she was 5 and her mother's disastrous relationships led the family a merry dance but the whole book is a delight, her turn of phrase and the poetic way she writes will make you laugh and give you a feel for the place and time she talks about.

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## willz320

> Of what kind - adventure, romance, sci fi, ???
> Any favourite authors?


No specification really, something to keep me interested at the office! adventure and action sounds good, but Im open to anything!

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## Kingetter

> No specification really, something to keep me interested at the office! adventure and action sounds good, but Im open to anything!


Actually, you could do worse than anything by Richard Bach (mentioned earlier) but he's not really a short story writer per se I guess.  Have you googled - _short stories_?

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## willz320

> Actually, you could do worse than anything by Richard Bach (mentioned earlier) but he's not really a short story writer per se I guess. Have you googled - _short stories_?


I read that peice you mentioned above, very nice! I have googled, but nothing has turned that pickles my fancy really!

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## Kingetter

Be patient - this might take a while.  there's bound to be something out there.

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## Kingetter

> I read that peice you mentioned above, very nice! I have googled, but nothing has turned that pickles my fancy really!


Read any Graham Greene?  Maybe you can get a link out of this -
http://books.google.co.uk/books?q=Gr...print&ct=title

Of course, instead of reading, you could try writing!

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## Lolabelle

Minette Walters. I have read everything I could get my hands on. 
(My choice is so different to all you intellectuals, I feel like a phillistine)
And I can't spell!

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## Kingetter

No intellectuals here - just aspiration - all equal so long as we keep enthusiasm and determination uppermost.

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## Ricco

Just finished a book by Bernard Cornwell - The Pale Horse.  This is the second in a trilogy - the first being The Last Kingdom.  Thoroughly enjoyed both and eagerly await book 3.  Loved his Arthur trilogy as well. :Grin:

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## Kingetter

His name rang no bells so googled - he's the author of Sharpe (as seen on TV) and got an OBE recently.  Prolific writer. Most impressive.

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## trinkie

I recently read  A Wild Herb Soup  by  Emilie Carles and I can thoroughly recommend it.
The author was born in 1900 into a poor peasant family in the High Alps of sth east France.
She kept a diary .......

I love reading about true lives, my special interest is probably in the late 1800s,  but this book was full of surprises..   I found myself saying  ''Well well well ''  several times.
It is written in a simple , easy style and a good page turner.
Good read too, if you like to holiday in that area.

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## newlabeluk

I may also be a philistine but i don't care!
I read a lot of different stuff.


Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Moonheart by Charles De Lint is a favourite.
James Barclay,James Clement,Raymond Fiest/Janny Wurts, Terry Pratchett.
Anne McCaffrey,ELizabeth Moon,Mercedes Lackey.
The Late great Philip K Dick and David Gemmel.

Murder/Mystery

Kathy Reichs
Michael Connolly
Faye Kellerman
Jonathan Kellerman
Tami Hoag

Vamp/Fantasy

Sherrilyn Kenyon
Laurell K Hamilton
Tanya Huff
Lilith Saintcrow
Charlaine Harris
Kim Harrison

and this is just the modern stuff  ::

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## Lolabelle

Has anyone heard of Kerry Greenwood? She is an Australian author who has written a series of books around a central character called Phryne Fischer. They are set in 1920's Australia and are a good read, interesting historically and very funny and with a bit of detective work thrown in, gripping plots. Well that's what I reckon anyway.

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## Kingetter

This the one?

http://www.allenandunwin.com/Authors/greenwood.asp

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## Lolabelle

Yep, I am waiting to buy her latest. I emailed her once to tell her that I liked her books and she has helped me with agent recommendations and tips on writing. She is a bit of an odd bod though. When I asked her about writing groups she was very definate about how bad they were. I think she is a tad paraniod. She was encouraging though and very helpful about publishers and agents etc...

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## Bobinovich

I keep returning to a set of 7 books by Wilbur Smith about the Courtney family in Africa.  Starts out with 2 young boys and sees them grow up through war, relationships et al, and then moves on to the lives of the children/relatives of those boys.  They're a great read.

_When the Lion Feeds_ _The Sound of Thunder_ _A Sparrow Falls_ _The Burning Shore_ _Power of the Sword_ _Rage_ _A Time to Die_ 

And Thank You Kingetter - as I was getting the above titles I've just found out that there are another 4 books in the series which I never knew about...
_Golden Fox_ _Birds of Prey_ _Monsoon_ _Blue Horizon_ so I'm going to go and order them right now!

Cheers

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## Saveman

> I keep returning to a set of 7 books by Wilbur Smith about the Courtney family in Africa.  Starts out with 2 young boys and sees them grow up through war, relationships et al, and then moves on to the lives of the children/relatives of those boys.  They're a great read.
> 
> _When the Lion Feeds_ _The Sound of Thunder_ _A Sparrow Falls_ _The Burning Shore_ _Power of the Sword_ _Rage_ _A Time to Die_ 
> 
> And Thank You Kingetter - as I was getting the above titles I've just found out that there are another 4 books in the series which I never knew about...
> _Golden Fox_ _Birds of Prey_ _Monsoon_ _Blue Horizon_ so I'm going to go and order them right now!
> 
> Cheers


Wilbur Smith is the bees knees.
I've read all 30 of his books....the Courtney Series is undoubtly his best stuff....you're in for a treat with those other four books!

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## Bobinovich

> Wilbur Smith is the bees knees.
> I've read all 30 of his books....the Courtney Series is undoubtly his best stuff....you're in for a treat with those other four books!


Any others of his you can recommend then Saveman?  Winter'll be here soon enough so I'd like a nice stack of material to keep me going during my 'hibernation' period!!!

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## Kingetter

I'd certainly agree about Wilbur Smith - a very readable author. I never read enough of his books myself - my loss!

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## Saveman

> Any others of his you can recommend then Saveman?  Winter'll be here soon enough so I'd like a nice stack of material to keep me going during my 'hibernation' period!!!


Highly recommended:

Sunbird (Very original - mind boggling)
RiverGod (fans favourite)
The Seventh Scroll (Indiana Jones style adventure- great fun, sequel to RiverGod)
Elephant Song 
The Eye of the Tiger (first WS book I read)
Hungry as the Sea
Wild Justice


The Ballantyne Series is worth reading too.

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## Saveman

> I'd certainly agree about Wilbur Smith - a very readable author. I never read enough of his books myself - my loss!


What ya waiting for?   :Wink:

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## Kingetter

> What ya waiting for?


Heh Heh! And lose time off the forum, reading?

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## Kingetter

> Highly recommended:
> 
> Sunbird (Very original - mind boggling)
> RiverGod (fans favourite)
> The Seventh Scroll (Indiana Jones style adventure- great fun, sequel to RiverGod)
> Elephant Song 
> The Eye of the Tiger (first WS book I read)
> Hungry as the Sea
> Wild Justice
> ...


I think Eye of the Tiger sounds like it was my first as well.

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