Books I've Enjoyed
Science Fiction
too many to mention them all, so, some of my favorites
Douglas Adams (1952-2001)
H2G2 of course - in all its forms
Dirk Gently - very odd, but a fun read
The Salmon of Doubt - what would it have become?
Adams - a pretty lame site for such a great writer
Isaac Asimov (1920-1992)
Pebble in the Sky - the first Azimov I ever read. I was in jr. high school.
The Foundation Trilogy - the original only - I don't care much for the later additions
The End of Eternity
Asimov
Ray Bradbury (1920- )
Dandelion Wine
Something Wicked this way Comes
Martian Chronicles
Illustrated Man
Bradbury
David Brin (1950 - )
Startide Rising - one of my top favorites
The Uplift War - another of my top favorites
The Practice Effect - an interesting concept
Brin
Arthur C Clark (1917-2008 )
Against the Fall of Night
Childhood's End
Tales from the White Hart - not really sci-fi, hard to catagorize, but fun
Rendezvous with Rama - the sequals were disappointing
Clarke
William Gibson (1948- )
Johnny Mnemonic
Burning Chrome
Neuromancer
Gibson
Robert Heinlein (1907-1988)
Beyond this Horizon
Puppet Masters
Door into Summer
Stranger in a Strange Land
Heinlein
Ursula K Le Guin (1929- )
Rocannon's World - my favorite Le Guin
The Word for World is Forest
LeGuin
Jack London (1876-1917)
. . Yes, that Jack London, Call of the Wild, etc.
The Star Rover - 1915 - Out of Body experiences of a prisoner in solitary
Anne McCaffrey (1926- )
Dragons - almost all of them, though I mostly like the early ones the best
Brainships - most of them
Crystal Singer - unique concept, well carried out
Ireta Adventure - another pair of stories with new beings and ideas
Larry Niven (1938- )
Ringworld - the first two are great
Integral Trees & Smoke Ring
Niven
Jerry Pornelle (1933- )
Footfall
Niven - Pournelle
Mote series
Lucifer's Hammer
Science
Robert T. Bakker - The Dinosaur Heresies - 1986
James Gleick - Chaos - 1987
Richard Feynman stories
Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman - Ralph Leighton - 1985
What do You Care what Other People Think? - Ralph Leighton - 1988
Genius - James Gleick - 1992
Sea stories - novels
Nicholas Mansarrat - The Cruel Sea - my favorite WWII sea story
Lothar-Günther Buchheim - Das Boot -
Sea stories - true life
40,000 Miles in a Canoe - John C. Voss - 1913
. . Includes "The Sea Queen" - story of a failed voyage
The Raft - Robert Trumball - 1942
Kon Tiki - Thor Heyerdahl (1914-2002) - 1947
. . Though his theories are still unaccepted, his voyage was hugely successful.
Transatlantic Voyages in Small Boats
. . My Ship is too Small - Ann Davison - 1956
. . Alone at Sea - Hannes Lindemann - 1958
. . The Ship would not Travel Due West - David Lewis - 1961
Dove - Robin L. Graham - 1972
Adrift - Steven Callahan - 1982
The Perfect Storm - Sebastian Junger - 1997 - great story, excellant writing
. . Coast Guard storm site
. . The Perfect Storm Foundation - Donations appreciated
The Hungry Ocean - Linda Greenlaw - 2000
The Lobster Chronicles - Linda Greenlaw - 2002
Shadow Divers - Robert Kurson - 2004 - great story, excellant writing
Pioneers - Explorers - Wilderness
James Campbell - The Last Frontiersman - 2004
. . the story of Hieno Korth living in Alaska
Sam Kieth - One Man's Wilderness - 1973
. . the story of Dick Proenneke building a cabin in the Alaska wilderness and living there for 30 years
Jon Krakauer - Into the Wild - 1996
. . the story of Chris McCandless and his death in the Alaska wilderness
. . This story is THE classic example of how NOT to do it - the diametrical opposite of Dick Proeneke.
History or Historical
Gurden S Hubbard - 1802-1886 - autobiography - 1888
. . the early days of midwest fur trading and Chicago
Canoeing with the Cree - Arnold (Eric) Sevareid - 1935
. . 2005 Hudson Bay Expedition - 75th year anniversary
Glide Path - Arthur C. Clarke - 1963 - historical novel about early radar in WWII
Let Us Build Us a City - Donald Harington - 1986
. . Lost towns of Arkansas
Treasure in a Cornfield - Greg Hawley - 1998
. . the amateur excavation of the Missouri steamboat Arabia - fascinating story
. . Arabia Museum
1421:The Year China Discovered the World - Gavin Menzies - 2002
. . Too bad it's turned out to be mostly fiction, it's a fascinating concept and a great read.
Humor
Bill Bryson
The Lost Continent - 1989 - my favorite
A Walk in the Woods - 1998 - probably about 2/3 fiction, but still very funny
Notes from a Big Country - 1998
Bryson
Comics
Scott Adams - Dilbert - of course
Bill Waterson - Calvin and Hobbes
. . My all time favorite - I was sad when he quit
Gary Larson - The Far Side
. . I love his view of the world - I was sad when he retired too
Berke Breathed - Bloom County
. . I prefer his early work when he was still living in Iowa City
Jim Davis - Garfield
Other
Norton Juster - The Phantom Tolbooth - 1961
Clifton Fadiman - The Mathmatical Magpie - 1962
Cass S. Hough - It's a Daisy - 1976
. . the history of Daisy BB guns
Mary Stewart 1916-
. . The Crystal Cave 1970
. . The Hollow Hills 1973
. . The Last Enchantment 1979
. . The Wicked Day 1983
. . She has done by far the most successful job of turning the Merlin / King Arthur myths into believable, human stories
Classics
Richard Henry Dana - Two Years before the Mast - 1840
. . I have a 1909 edition which contains Dana's sequel, "Twentyfour Years After" published in 1869
. . It's very interesting to read his description of the changes in San Francisco & the California coast after 24 years.
Other Stuff
Folbot kayaks -
Camping -
Willys Jeep -
Leatherman -
Knives -
Biking -
Daisy BB guns -
the Horn -
Music -
Books -
Computers -
Heathkits -
Hopi silver work -
China -
Opinion (for what it's worth)
Vacation Evaluations -
Rants -
Ludite Chronicles -
Miscellaneous
Wreck -
Airbus A380 at O'Hare -
Chicago Floods 2008 -
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