Who reads?

[bladeracer]

Seems my original thread has disappeared.
So far this year:

Jan 12 The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter - Rod Duncan - Steampunk information gather #1
Jan 18 Unseemly Science - Rod Duncan - Steampunk information gather #2
Jan 28 The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman

Feb 4 Guerrilla* - Ira Wolfert - first-person account from Iliff Richardson
Feb 9 Heiress on Fire -
Feb 15 The Thin Man - Dasheill Hammett
Feb 18 The Never Game - Jeffrey Deaver
Feb 21 The Custodian of Marvels - Rod Duncan - Steampunk information gather #3
Feb 24 Nor Fish Nor Fowl* - Colin Yorke - WW2 Air Sea Rescue memoir
Feb 27 Web of Deceit - Renee Pawlish - Dewey Webb #1

March 2 Queen of All Crows - Rod Duncan - Steampunk #1 (3rd Person series)
March 5 Whisper - Lynette Noni - Alyssa Scott #1
March 10 Birthdays for the Dead - Stuart McBride - Ash Henderson #1

I don't do sci-fi or fantasy stuff, but I happened upon The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter and quiet enjoyed it, as did Rose and her mother. It's the first of a steampunk trilogy, first-person of a young woman "intelligence gatherer". Set in present time, but a parallel history, where women have few rights, so she operates her business disguised as her own brother (Remington Steele?).

Queen of All Crows is the first of his second trilogy with the same protagonist, but in third-person. It does get a bit sillier, but I enjoyed it and ordered the following two books.

The Thursday Murder Club is Richard Osman's (from British TV) first novel, and I think he did an outstanding job. Rose and her mum also enjoyed it. It's quite "Miss Marple-ish" with a fairly convoluted storyline.

Guerrilla was published during World War Two by a war journalist from his in-depth interviews with Iiliff Richardson, a US naval Ensign who was sunk off the Philippines and stranded on the islands where he set up and ran a guerrilla network among the locals against the Japanese. After MacArthur's return he was sent to Europe where Ira Wolfert bumped into him.

Heiress on Fire I struggled with and put away for another time. It's a comedic murder thriller set in the millionaire set of Sydney, but a great deal of it is brand name dropping and product placement.

The Never Game is a new Deaver, with a new character that feels like turning into a series.

Nor Fish Nor Fowl is a private memoir published by a bloke about his father's service in British Air Sea Rescue during World War Two. If you're interested I can pass along his details. I follow some Air Sea Rescue Facebook groups as my father was in ASR during the war, mainly out of Sullom Voe in Shetland.

Web of Deceit is a modern take on crime noir set in the thirties I think, first in the Dewey Webb series.

Whisper is a weird one but I felt the author showed some genuine talent so I've ordered the second book. I started out thinking it was a young woman in an asylum, seeing a rather over-magnified world from her perspective, then I thought maybe a young woman dealing with severe anxiety along a similar vein. It turned into something else, which is a bit silly, but entertaining. First Person, sort of set in Sydney by a Qld author.

Birthdays For the Dead is a pretty dark serial child-killer thriller, first person from a very unpleasant antagonist. It revolves around an interesting twist though. I haven't finished it yet.

[No1Mk3]

I get little time to read, but fit in what I can. I do like Sci-Fi and Fantasy (Robert E Howard, Conan-Doyle etc) as well as war novels with historical bases such as former Panzer soldier Sven Hassel. But so far,
The Wisdom of Bones, Walker & Shipmans discovery and study of the Nariokotome fossil, now known as Turkana Boy, a 1.5million year Homo Erectus Ergaster
Lieutenant Calley - His Own Story, Calleys cowardly attempt to shift blame for his murders.

In Order to Die, Henry Ainleys autobiography of his Foreign Legion service in Cochinchina in the early '50's
,
Where Bleed the Many, The autobiography of George Dunning D.C.M., and the escape from Stalag VIIIB which inspired the highly fictional Great Escape from Hollywood..

Halfway through John Evangelist Walshs study into the Piltdown Hoax,

[wanneroo]

I read every day for about an hour or two outside of the internet. I have a perpetual stack of gun and car magazines to read so I try to knock out one a day or I get behind. My unread stack next to my reading chair is about 3 feet tall.

Of books I've read recently:

Australia Road Atlas: I bought the latest edition I could, spent many days in recent times going over where I have been and where I want to go.

Jordan Petersons 12 Rules of Life: I picked up a few points from the book, sometimes Peterson goes off on these long winded tangents, other times he is right on point with good advice. Decent book but I found much of it I already know from practical life experience.

Aaron Clarey's The Book of Numbers- The ROI on Women: Excellent book that does a statistical look at whether modern day women are worth marrying or dating. The book basically presents the data and the up and down sides and leaves the reader to choose their poison. And of course looks at various angles on the return on a man's investment. Clarey's view is that all economics is sex and all sex is economics.

I've got an autobiography from Edd China from the show Wheeler Dealers that I need to read here soon.

[Bugman]

I like biographies of all types, maybe I am a "paper turning" voyeur.

[Patriot]

I try and read as much as I can. At the moment I’m reading The Anatomy of Courage by Lord Moran.

[Tiger650]

"Forty Seven Years Aloft" by Brian Burdett.

[Peter988]

I like whodunnit spy type thing. Have about 1500 on the Kindle and read two a week. Hour or so every night puts me to sleep.

[bladeracer]

I've read Sven Hassel's books more times than I can count.

I'll investigate the others to see if anything takes my fancy

I get little time to read, but fit in what I can. I do like Sci-Fi and Fantasy (Robert E Howard, Conan-Doyle etc) as well as war novels with historical bases such as former Panzer soldier Sven Hassel. But so far,
The Wisdom of Bones, Walker & Shipmans discovery and study of the Nariokotome fossil, now known as Turkana Boy, a 1.5million year Homo Erectus Ergaster
Lieutenant Calley - His Own Story, Calleys cowardly attempt to shift blame for his murders.

In Order to Die, Henry Ainleys autobiography of his Foreign Legion service in Cochinchina in the early '50's
,
Where Bleed the Many, The autobiography of George Dunning D.C.M., and the escape from Stalag VIIIB which inspired the highly fictional Great Escape from Hollywood..

Halfway through John Evangelist Walshs study into the Piltdown Hoax,

[bladeracer]

I can't stand books telling me how I should live my life

As for the economics of relationships, when you fall for somebody, you fall hard, economics and future return never enter into it.

I read every day for about an hour or two outside of the internet. I have a perpetual stack of gun and car magazines to read so I try to knock out one a day or I get behind. My unread stack next to my reading chair is about 3 feet tall.

Of books I've read recently:

Australia Road Atlas: I bought the latest edition I could, spent many days in recent times going over where I have been and where I want to go.

Jordan Petersons 12 Rules of Life: I picked up a few points from the book, sometimes Peterson goes off on these long winded tangents, other times he is right on point with good advice. Decent book but I found much of it I already know from practical life experience.

Aaron Clarey's The Book of Numbers- The ROI on Women: Excellent book that does a statistical look at whether modern day women are worth marrying or dating. The book basically presents the data and the up and down sides and leaves the reader to choose their poison. And of course looks at various angles on the return on a man's investment. Clarey's view is that all economics is sex and all sex is economics.

I've got an autobiography from Edd China from the show Wheeler Dealers that I need to read here soon.

[bladeracer]

I like biographies of all types, maybe I am a "paper turning" voyeur.

I'm not big on biographies, though I have certainly read my fair share.
But I collect first-person stories of people doing extraordinary life-threatening things, like warfare and disasters.
I particularly collect true first-person air combat books.

[bladeracer]

I try and read as much as I can. At the moment I’m reading The Anatomy of Courage by Lord Moran.

I think I have this already, though I haven't read it recently.

[bladeracer]

This one looks good and I'm surprised I don't have it already.

"Forty Seven Years Aloft" by Brian Burdett.

[bladeracer]

I like whodunnit spy type thing. Have about 1500 on the Kindle and read two a week. Hour or so every night puts me to sleep.

I have certainly enjoyed the genre in the past but haven't seen anything recently, I'll have to have a look around
I really hate trying to read from a screen, but I have read a few books this way.

[wanneroo]

I can't stand books telling me how I should live my life

As for the economics of relationships, when you fall for somebody, you fall hard, economics and future return never enter into it.

That's why I always say, "always consider the source" when it comes to this. Jordan Peterson is a bit flaky and had a big breakdown for 18 months there, so I find him a bit suspect, but he has some good stuff to say. The way I look at it is I'll listen to different perspectives and usually there are a few useful nuggets that can be found. I do find these days much of what is in these types of books I already know from practical experience and knowledge. Maybe I should write my own book . Perhaps I'll explore some of this stuff on my Youtube channel.

In my 20's I fell more easily into the trap of being guided by emotions and hormones. These days I have a very practical view of women in that I see them as a compliment to my life but not my life and focus thereof. In this world I have seen incredible changes over the past 3 decades with women, mostly for the worst, so I think Clarey's book is good for men to think about the current situation, weigh up the risks and costs and decide.

[wanneroo]

But I collect first-person stories of people doing extraordinary life-threatening things, like warfare and disasters.

The two books in that genre that have always stuck in my mind for years and I can't forget is Five Years to Freedom by Nick Rowe and We Die Alone by David Howarth. The second book is about Jan Baalsrud and how that guy survived what he did I have no idea. Nick Rowe was the only American soldier to escape North Vietnamese captivity during the Vietnam War on his own.

[Bello]

I used to read a lot.
Then kids, work and married life kidnapped me!!
If I ever want to get my wife's attention I either sit on the lounge or pick up a book.
works like charm.

[bladeracer]

I never got into chasing tail or pining for a relationship, when I'm on my own I'm perfectly content, just as I am when I'm involved with somebody

I can't stand books telling me how I should live my life

As for the economics of relationships, when you fall for somebody, you fall hard, economics and future return never enter into it.

That's why I always say, "always consider the source" when it comes to this. Jordan Peterson is a bit flaky and had a big breakdown for 18 months there, so I find him a bit suspect, but he has some good stuff to say. The way I look at it is I'll listen to different perspectives and usually there are a few useful nuggets that can be found. I do find these days much of what is in these types of books I already know from practical experience and knowledge. Maybe I should write my own book . Perhaps I'll explore some of this stuff on my Youtube channel.

In my 20's I fell more easily into the trap of being guided by emotions and hormones. These days I have a very practical view of women in that I see them as a compliment to my life but not my life and focus thereof. In this world I have seen incredible changes over the past 3 decades with women, mostly for the worst, so I think Clarey's book is good for men to think about the current situation, weigh up the risks and costs and decide.

[bladeracer]

But I collect first-person stories of people doing extraordinary life-threatening things, like warfare and disasters.

The two books in that genre that have always stuck in my mind for years and I can't forget is Five Years to Freedom by Nick Rowe and We Die Alone by David Howarth. The second book is about Jan Baalsrud and how that guy survived what he did I have no idea. Nick Rowe was the only American soldier to escape North Vietnamese captivity during the Vietnam War on his own.

I've read Rowe's, not sure if I own it though, and I've read about Baalsrud, though not this particular book.

[JohnV]

I am not well read as far as the classics go . I never had time for that working two jobs . However I read everything I could find on guns and shooting for at least the first 20 years . Read everything that great writers like Colin Shadbolt , Nick Harvey , Jim Sivyer , put out and every Precision shooter magazine for about 10 years . I learnt so much from Precision Shooter during the good old days of the great experimenters and champion shooters . Then the owner went gaga and started firing the best writers and hiring fools and it all went belly up . The Article that finished me was Canyon Shooting . This was about a guy walking around a creek bed shooting at rocks.
Hardly Precision Shooting . That was the last straw and I cancelled my subscription . I read a few books on Military and History subjects .

[bigrich]

i recently read peter fitzsimons new book on breaker morant . using lots of historic facts as well as compiling research by past writers this book shows morant in a different light , based on fact and it's not pretty . neither is the boer war and the genocide practiced by imperial britain and lord kitchiner

yeah i know "pirate pete" is a tosser , but he puts together good books

the list of characters who were running around during the boer war is interesting . banjo patterson and young winston churchill as war corrospondants , mahatma ghandi was in the feild ambulance saving british troops, baden powell , the founder of the scouting movement was a british commander , and others i've forgotten

i'd rate it a eight out of ten . worth the read

[wanneroo]

i recently read peter fitzsimons new book on breaker morant . using lots of historic facts as well as compiling research by past writers this book shows morant in a different light , based on fact and it's not pretty . neither is the boer war and the genocide practiced by imperial britain and lord kitchiner

yeah i know "pirate pete" is a tosser , but he puts together good books

the list of characters who were running around during the boer war is interesting . banjo patterson and young winston churchill as war corrospondants , mahatma ghandi was in the feild ambulance saving british troops, baden powell , the founder of the scouting movement was a british commander , and others i've forgotten

i'd rate it a eight out of ten . worth the read

I saw a mult part documentary filmed in the 1990s on the Boer War, it left no question in my mind that it was not one of the finest moments of the British Empire. Pretty much a pointless war in the end. The documentary even had some old folks interviewed that still had conscious memories of the war as children, which was cool to hear. The Fitzsimmons book on Morant will not be released until summer here in the USA, so I'll check it out at some point.

[JohnV]

War is never pretty and people who think that they can legislate what happens in warfare have never fought one . The modern concept is it can be a Peace keeping mission or Police action with strict rules of engagement . That rarely achieves anything other than long term festering trouble and terrorism . When your up against a brutal smart enemy you have to get more brutal and smarter than they are , to win anything .

[wanneroo]

War is never pretty and people who think that they can legislate what happens in warfare have never fought one . The modern concept is it can be a Peace keeping mission or Police action with strict rules of engagement . That rarely achieves anything other than long term festering trouble and terrorism . When your up against a brutal smart enemy you have to get more brutal and smarter than they are , to win anything .

That's all well and good if it's a truly legit bad guy, but basically it all boiled down to the Brits just being greedy and wanting to seize gold and land that wasn't theirs.

[bladeracer]

As we can no longer edit our older posts to add info. (I also noticed that the restriction of 750Mb attachments has also destroyed an awful of pictures in the older threads...)

Jan 12 The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter - Rod Duncan - Steampunk information gather #1
Jan 18 Unseemly Science - Rod Duncan - Steampunk information gather #2
Jan 28 The Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman

Feb 4 Guerilla* - Ira Wolfert - first-person account from Iliff Richardson
Feb 9 Heiress on Fire - Kellie McCourt
Feb 15 The Thin Man - Dasheill Hammett
Feb 18 The Never Game - Jeffrey Deaver
Feb 21 The Custodian of Marvels - Rod Duncan - Steampunk information gather #3
Feb 24 Nor Fish Nor Fowl* - Colin Yorke - WW2 Air Sea Rescue memoir
Feb 27 Web of Deceit - Renee Pawlish - Dewey Webb #1

March 2 Queen of All Crows - Rod Duncan - Steampunk #1 (3rd Person series)
March 5 Whisper - Lynette Noni - Alyssa Scott #1
March 10 Birthdays for the Dead - Stuart McBride - Ash Henderson #1
March 15 Echoes - Alice Reeds - Two kids crash landed on deserted island
March 18 A Song for the Dying - Stuart McBride - Ash Henderson #2
March 23 Breakbeat - Rod Duncan
March 27 My Brother's Killer - DM Devine - Pub. 1961 lawyer solves his brother's murder
March 31 RAAF Black Cats* - Robert Cleworth - Aussie Catalinas mining the Japanese Navy

April 4 Panzer Destroyer* - Vasiliy Krysov

Birthdays For The Dead I completed, and enjoyed. The protagonist really struggles to do anything right. I found the "gangland" story a little over the top to be set in Scotland, but decently told. Serial child-killer sends birthday cards to the victims' parents every year with increasingly horrific photos of their child.

Echoes is a weird "thing", but is basically a "young adult" adventure with two kids seemingly crash-landed on an island. Lots of unanswered questions that might be leading up to a series, not sure. Not a terrible read though. The title "Echoes" refers to the unusual way the story is told.

A Song For The Dying follows on eight-years after Birthdays For The Dead. Henderson is drawn back into an old investigation that he apparently screwed up big time. Still can't do anything right though.

Breakbeat is my first look at Duncan outside his Steampunk themed trilogies. Young no-hoper finds himself entangled in an interesting money-laundering scheme. This is probably aimed more at young adult readers but was quite enjoyable.

My Brother's Killer is an old book, publishing and set in 1961 England. Fairly run-of-the-mill murder mystery with some interesting twists, quite well told but doesn't delve deeply into the characters.

RAAF Black Cats was loaned to me by a neighbour. Really quite an interesting first-hand look into the activities of Australian Catalina crews that spent three years flying immensely-long missions (15+ hours) every night, at low altitude, in total secrecy to mine ports and harbours throughout the western Pacific, and otherwise disrupt the Japanese attempts to conquer the region. The author's brother was lost on a mission, and the secrecy meant they never knew what the circumstances were. He went looking, found surviving members, and discovered so much history that had never been told that he had to write a book. I believe one Black Cat remains afloat at Lake Boga, Victoria (though it wasn't there the day I went some years ago). My father was in RAF ASR during WW2 and adored the catalina's that operated out of Sullom Voe where he was stationed.

Panzer Destroyer is a translated memoir of Krysov, a Russian tank commander. Krysov volunteered from school on June 22nd, 1941 upon news of the invasion, did a year of training, and went into action as a tank commander north of Stalingrad in July 1942, fighting the entire war in various armoured vehicles. Wounded several times, he was in the thick of some of the largest armour battles in history.

[disco stu]

I was a very big reader, but have found it harder to sit and read as time has gone on (few health things going on). I did start taking books out when hunting, which really helped me to stay put when sitting on likely spots.

These days I seem to prefer true stories rather than fiction, and I've got a very big interest in military stuff.

A few books that come to mind as really good reads

Wewak Mission. Coast watcher in png discovered by the Japanese and on the run. Incredible story and a real good read.

Flyboys. Author was the guy who wrote flags of our fathers. Fairly small part of the book dedicated to the airmen captured by the Japanese over Chichi Jima, but it set the scene for WW2 really well and explained it in a big way.

Chickenhawk. Air Cavalry helo pilot in Vietnam. Very honest account of his experience, his issues and impact on his life. Not hero glory stuff at all

War. Sebastian Junger (I think). Journalist who spent a fair bit of time in the same patrol base with the same unit in Afghanistan. Really good outside looking in type view from someone who knows the people really well.

[animalpest]

I only have time nowadays to read scientific and technical journals, with off book on WWII.
Sad

[bladeracer]

I was a very big reader, but have found it harder to sit and read as time has gone on (few health things going on). I did start taking books out when hunting, which really helped me to stay put when sitting on likely spots.

These days I seem to prefer true stories rather than fiction, and I've got a very big interest in military stuff.

A few books that come to mind as really good reads

Wewak Mission. Coast watcher in png discovered by the Japanese and on the run. Incredible story and a real good read.

Flyboys. Author was the guy who wrote flags of our fathers. Fairly small part of the book dedicated to the airmen captured by the Japanese over Chichi Jima, but it set the scene for WW2 really well and explained it in a big way.

Chickenhawk. Air Cavalry helo pilot in Vietnam. Very honest account of his experience, his issues and impact on his life. Not hero glory stuff at all

War. Sebastian Junger (I think). Journalist who spent a fair bit of time in the same patrol base with the same unit in Afghanistan. Really good outside looking in type view from someone who knows the people really well.

I would never take a book hunting, there's too much to see already in the bush

I read both, but I tend to go through phases of fiction, phases of non-fiction. I hugely prefer first-person factual stories though, rather than an author's interpretation of what he thinks went on. For the same reason, I find first-person fiction easier to get into.

I have a feeling my neighbour has Wewak Mission on the shelf.

I've read Chickenhawk and War but don't have a copy of either.

[disco stu]

I would never take a book hunting, there's too much to see already in the bush

I'm fine while moving around, it's only when I stop and sit. Only way I can explain it is it's basically falling asleep, but not a nice one, and leaves me feeling really spacy and out of it afterwards.

I borrowed most of those books from an older guy I know. He's got more books that I've got time to read on that topic. I think you'll enjoy Wewak Mission if neighbor is happy to loan it

[snag]

Just finished reading " The Tattooist of Auschwitz" by Heather Morris. This story is really unsettling and gives you heaps to think about. We've all read and seen footage about the nazi camps, but I never really thought too much about it. This happened in my parents lifetime - really not that long ago. I reckon everyone should read this and watch " The boy in the Striped Pajamas". This is what human beings are really capable of. We need to be careful that this stuff doesn't happen again.

[snag]

Oh, and just about to start "Carry a Big Stick" by Tim Ferguson about his battle with MS. By the way, "The Happiest Refugee" is a bloody good read too.