What kind of stuff do you all read?

My magazine reading is much reduced from years ago. Now down to Backwoodsman, Muzzleloader, and Woodcarving Illustrated. Book reading is extremely varied (a nice word for weird). Hobby-related books on drawing, fly tying, and whittling. Ancient history from Herodotus and Thucydides, especially the Landmark series, and Shelby Foote's Civil War trilogy. Literature can be anything from Canterbury Tales, 18th and 19th century poetry, Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey series, adventure stories by Jules Verne, H. Rider Haggard, Robert Howard (not just the Conan stories), etc. Fantasy by George MacDonald who inspired both Tolkien and CS Lewis. Everything by CS Lewis and Tolkien, both academic and fiction, and related books. (I read Lord Of The Rings every year. Last year was the 57th time.) Then there is what I consider reading just for fun, well-written and fun: the Matt Helm books, Pat Macmanus, early pulp magazine writers, Nero Wolf mysteries, the Liturgical Mystery series by Mark Schweizer (laugh out loud hilarious), and similar. The vast majority of modern fiction is poorly written and predictable. Books on current events are enraging if accurate or disgusting if slanted. Avoiding them leaves more time for reading worthwhile material.

In my sixties I discovered 'childrens' books. Classics like Wind In The Willows, Beatrix Potter, Winnie-The-Pooh, and some newer ones like the Brambly Hedge series, and Gnomes. These are creative and charming and will make you smile. But the illustrations are beyond superb and worth study as art.

A final note. I almost always look for physical copies. I don't like relying on e-books or letting some technical gremlin have access to my library.

Fun topic that got me thinking.

Jeff

I have a lot of time to kill during my dialysis treatments. Using a Kindle I read free books. Mostly historical fiction, mountain man and some modern adventure, like submarine warfare, cloak and dagger. I stay away from anything too heavy because of the distractions around me.

Historical novels, fictionional or actual. CHESAPEAKE and ALASKA!, by James Michener were great. Recently, Nathaniel Philbrick’s MAYFLOWER (really about King Phillip’s war with decedents of the those families) and IN THE HEART OF THE SEA (true story on which Melvile’s MOBY DICK is based.

Novels were never my bag I always felt like I could use my time in a much worthwhile way than reading some ones made up story’s in a book that is two inches thick, but that’s just me and I will not subtract from anyone else enjoying a good book if that’s there deal. I like reading about history though.But I was at the doctors the other day and in the waiting room are books to enjoy wile you wait and low and behold I saw the Killer Angels on the shelf, I have heard it’s a good read and if I would have had my jacket with me it would have went home with me LOL just kidding but out of I’d say a hundred books this one looked the newest and never even been leafed through I guess this tells you where people’s interest lie.

I do a lot if audio books, mostly history of various perods. For the past three years I have focused on the US revolutionary period, and learning more about our Founding Fathers.

For a “break”, I enjoy any series by Clive Cussler. They are action adventure fiction and are fun reads.

I also really enjoy the “Killing” series by Bill O’Rielly. Titles include Killing the SS, Killing Patton, etc. The series covers different historical figures or events, are very interesting, and are non-fiction.

A really good book that I did a book report on in my army days was “We Were Soldiers Once, and Young” about the first major battle the US fought in Viet Nam (Battle of Ia Drang) and the development of the airmobile concept of warfare. That was before the Mel Gibson movie was released. The movie ends too soon, with the victorious US forces leaving LZ X-Ray after three days of fighting. The movie doesn’t cover the devistation that the VC inflicted on the unit marching to the extraction site, LZ Albany, the next day. The book does cover that battle.

Non-fiction. Two books currently reading, Wild at Heart and Cloudland Journal. But what I enjoy most are non-fiction by men who served during a war or wars and survived to write a book about their experiences. An excellent book I can recommend to those who enjoy history is About Face by David Hackworth.

For those interested in Hawken rifles, Max McCoy's Ghost Rifle novels are great.
If you liked the Patrick O'Brian series or Bernard Cornwall's Sharp series you would probably like Allan Mallinson's Matthew Hervey series. It's more like O'Brian, only it has to do with British Napoleonic cavalry. It's full of details about horses and the day to day operations of a cavalry regiment. I wish he would have spent more time on the firearms, because Hervey is always carrying the latest design.
I'm reading Jamie MacGillivray: The Renegade's Journey by John Sayles right now. It's a historical novel that starts with Culloden and then crosses the ocean to the French and Indian Wars, and the run up to the Revolutionary war. It's very good.
Also, the Osprey weapon's series is excellent.
For the Civil War I highly recommend A Savage War by Murray Williamson and Wayne Hsieh. I thought I knew a lot about the Civil War before I read that book.

My magazine subscriptions have dropped substantially over the years, but I still take Fine Woodworking, Woodsmith, Muzzleloader and Muzzle Blasts as hard copy, and have almost every issue since 1980 in the Library. Like most here, I also have a decent collection of history references for the Revolution and the Fur Trade era, many reprints of original sources. I have a good supply of woodworking and blacksmithing books, especially old ww tool restoration, all hobbies I'd like to get back to if my health improves.

Fun reading is science fiction, action/adventure. Love many of the pulps from the 20's-30's like Doc Savage or the Phantom Detective. Love the Golden Age SF authors: Heinlein, Smith, Asimov, Merritt, Van Vogt, Burroughs, etc. I still have dead tree copies of most of their works, but have been switching to electronic media for the last 10 years. Much more portable and much less volume. More modern favorites are: Modesitt, Pat McManus, Tolkein, Jordan/Sanderson.

I also enjoy listening to Old Time Radio Shows from 1920-1960. I have plenty to listen to with about 30-40,000 different! I keep these on two mirrored 2T hard drives plus backup DVDs. Not good when working in the shop as my mind wanders from what I'm working on to follow the plot of the show leading to mistakes. Great stories, great humor, great talent, great writers, and they did it without being vulgar unlike today's "entertainers". Some of those series were as good as, or even better on radio than they were on television: Gunsmoke, Our Miss Brooks and Have Gun, Will Travel, IMO.

Don Coldsmith's "Spanish Bit" series is one that keeps me busy.

I read historical fiction, sea novels of the 18th Century, anything regarding MLs.
I also write for extra income, catering mostly to magazines. I've published six novels, short stories, poetry. One is about 1740 mountains of NC and of course, longrifles. A plug for that book: CALL OF THE WHIPPOORWILL. Available at Amazon. Just enter my name, Michael A. Gibbs. Ok, ok, if you insist, Amazon has another one by me re. the Revolutionary period, set in SC. A sea novel, mostly. INHERITED SHAME. A saga, actually. My regular publisher rejected it due the real racism that existed during that time. A hardback. Those are my two most interesting to history fans.

post-apocalyptic stories

Nowadays I spend a lot of time reading the Bible, but if you like accurate historical fiction, any of the series' by WEB Griffen are great.

I must agree , Reading the Word of our Lord takes First place before any thing because without him we would not be reading anything, Amen and can I get a Witness <><

I have been listening to (on Audible) "Wolf of the Deep: Raphael Semmes and the Notorious Confederate Raider CSS Alabama". Very entertaining and informative, so far... only up to chapter four.

For muzzleloader times try this

Bush Runner: The Adventures of Pierre-Esprit Radisson​

Amazing how many times these early French explorers crossed the oceans. The history in this book was way better researched than I expected.

Largely history, especially military history. Military weapons, biographies and auto biographies, mostly of military leaders. Since the late 1940s i/ve been a reader of westerns. i browse the gun magazines then discard.

Most of my book collection will soon go away.

First time in Alaska was 1988 and I took Michener’s “Alaska” with me. I read it at night - very memorable experience!

GreenMtnHunter said:

Historical novels, fictionional or actual. CHESAPEAKE and ALASKA!, by James Michener were great. Recently, Nathaniel Philbrick’s MAYFLOWER (really about King Phillip’s war with decedents of the those families) and IN THE HEART OF THE SEA (true story on which Melvile’s MOBY DICK is based.

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First time in Alaska was 1988 and I took Michener’s “Alaska” with me. I read it at night - very memorable experience!

BullRunBear said:

My magazine reading is much reduced from years ago. Now down to Backwoodsman, Muzzleloader, and Woodcarving Illustrated. Book reading is extremely varied (a nice word for weird). Hobby-related books on drawing, fly tying, and whittling. Ancient history from Herodotus and Thucydides, especially the Landmark series, and Shelby Foote's Civil War trilogy. Literature can be anything from Canterbury Tales, 18th and 19th century poetry, Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey series, adventure stories by Jules Verne, H. Rider Haggard, Robert Howard (not just the Conan stories), etc. Fantasy by George MacDonald who inspired both Tolkien and CS Lewis. Everything by CS Lewis and Tolkien, both academic and fiction, and related books. (I read Lord Of The Rings every year. Last year was the 57th time.) Then there is what I consider reading just for fun, well-written and fun: the Matt Helm books, Pat Macmanus, early pulp magazine writers, Nero Wolf mysteries, the Liturgical Mystery series by Mark Schweizer (laugh out loud hilarious), and similar. The vast majority of modern fiction is poorly written and predictable. Books on current events are enraging if accurate or disgusting if slanted. Avoiding them leaves more time for reading worthwhile material.

In my sixties I discovered 'childrens' books. Classics like Wind In The Willows, Beatrix Potter, Winnie-The-Pooh, and some newer ones like the Brambly Hedge series, and Gnomes. These are creative and charming and will make you smile. But the illustrations are beyond superb and worth study as art.

A final note. I almost always look for physical copies. I don't like relying on e-books or letting some technical gremlin have access to my library.

Fun topic that got me thinking.

Jeff

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You would like Watership Downs.

Another thing I enjoy is as we travel to buy a book on the historical places and stories connected to them. Two good ones are House of the Seven Gables and Midnight in the garden of good and evil.