Recommended Reading

[bjjones37]

Zudobug had started something similar to this which unfortunately got wiped out.  I though it would be fun to start it back up.

Anyone read "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" by Robert Heinlein?  It's a page turner.  About a penal colony that wants its independence. (Sound familiar?)  The trick is that it is on the Moon.  It is a great read with some interesting thoughts on Politics in general.

"Enders Game" by Orson Scott Card is IMHO profound.  Earth is poised for invasion by a deadly alien species and turns to her children to mold them from a tender age (about seven) to be the deadliest military commanders in history to counter the alien threat.

"Gates of Ivrel", "Wells of Shiuan", and "Fires of Azeroth" by CJ Cherryh are extremely well done in this trilogy of Morgaine. Pure science fiction written with a strong fantasy feel.  The fate of worlds and perhaps time itself rests in the hands of a beautiful young half-alien woman and her medieval companion. It is a lesson in how trust is built.

More to come.

[bjjones37]

"Foundation" by Isaac Asimov. The Galactic government has become so large that it is collapsing under its own weight. One man has predicted its total annihilation and a galaxywide dark age and is being charged with treason.  Mankinds only hope is a small island of technology on a desolate planet at the far end of the galaxy.  But are they alone?

Jame Retief is the main character in a series of short stories that have been compiled into several book by Keith Laumer, such as "Retief at Large".  He is an intergalactic junior diplomat who is sent by his superiors with other senior diplomats to negotiate between alien races at war.  But it is up to Reief to save the diplomats from all the aliens and, most of all, themselves.  A hilariuos read.

"Flatland" by Edwin Abbot is another work that should not be missed.  A fictional representation of geometric concepts that is unique in its ability to stimulate the imagination to visualize multidimensional shapes.  For every budding mathematician (and the rest of us too.) Incidentally, it is also a free download from the Gutenberg project.

[bjjones37]

@odin
Asimov's Robot novels presume much about artificial intelligence but nonetheless are intriguing and well written.

@Speelgoedmannetje
I have an interest in war history myself and this trio of book should interest you.

"Stuka Pilot" by Hans Ulrich Rudel.   This autobiography was a slow starter but once I got into it, it rapidly became fascinating.  It is the autobiography of a man who became the most decorated German soldier in WWII.  A true patriot and a brave warrior.  He fought one the Eastern front against Russia in what was considered one of the most vulnerable light bomber aircraft of the war. Nonetheless he frustrated the Russian fighter pilots and destroyed over 500 Soviet tanks, some of these after he lost his right leg. A man of deep convictions and deeper commitment, there is much to be learned from him.

"Reach for the Sky" by Paul Brickhill is about a British fighter pilot named Douglas Bader.  A greater fighter pilot and renowned leader of men, he lost both of his legs BEFORE WWII started.  His personal battle to learn to walk confront life with no legs is a story of enduring courage and incredible motivation. During World War II he became a multiple ace with 22 confirmed kills and even after being shot down and imprisoned, led the resistance against his German captors. An ageless story which will amaze all who read it.

"Samurai" by Saburo Sakai is the story of a Japanese fighter pilot during WWII who shot down an amazing 64 aircraft, often in the face of superior enemy opposition. The greatest surviving Japanese ace of the war, his skill with the Zero was legendary.

[bjjones37]

For some great dog and cat stories - true stories - have a look at the works of James Herriot.  He was a Scottish veterinarian in the Yorkshire Dales in England. He wrote a series of books on his adventures which rank at the top of my list of favorite books.  All true and mostly hilarious! (Of course the names were changed to protect the not-so-innocent. :-D His real name was Alf White.) It was not just cats and dogs, there were also cows and horses and pigs and .....