KatieJ Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 My DH spends a good deal of time reading when his back is bothering him. (Failed back surgery). I have scoped out many many books from your reading lists and am looking for some new ones. He loves the true life adventure/explorer kind of books and non fiction, with an occasional science fiction thrown in for fun. He recently read Farther than any Man by Martin Dugard, Path between the Seas by David McCullough and just before that he read Three cups of Tea which surprised me. Biographies are ok sometimes too. He is an engineer so things have to be quite logical and practical for him to enjoy it. Any new thoughts for me?? I can usually get any books from our library system, so please give me some new ideas for him to read over Christmas vacation. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 Has he read any books by Bill Bryson? A Walk in the Woods, A Short History of Nearly Everything... Both are non-fiction, informative, and humorous (especially A Walk in the Woods). Ender's Game, maybe? If he was in the mood for a big challenge, I'd suggest The Count of Monte Cristo. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 Maneaters of Tsavo, the true story of the lions whose story is told in the movie Ghosts in the Darkness. The last third of the book is just about random hunting expeditions that sort of all sound alike, but the first 2/3rds is a very good read. The author is the hunter who killed them, but my version has a good introduction by Peter Capstick that helps put the story in context. Endurance (can't recommend this highly enough) about Ernest Shackleford's ship getting caught in the ice at the South Pole in oh, about 1915ish. This Voice in My Heart by the Tutsi survivor of genocide in Burundi. Lonesome Dove--even I enjoyed this one, but reading men seem to love it. I hated Into Thin Air (now why can't I underline that?) because of the scene where the guy who knows he's going to die is talking to his pregnant wife in Australia, but I'm in the minority on this one. Another book by the same author, which I did enjoy, is the one about the guy who dies in the Alaskan wilderness. The title escapes me just now (Into the Wilderness?), but a movie version came out in the last year or so. Final recommendation: God Grew Tired of Us by John Dao, one of the lost boys of Sudan. There is a National Geographic documentary with the same title, but the book is much, much better and focuses more in his survival and his faith. Hope that will get you started or at least bump this up enough for other suggestions. Terri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 ... Another book by the same author, which I did enjoy, is the one about the guy who dies in the Alaskan wilderness. The title escapes me just now (Into the Wilderness?), but a movie version came out in the last year or so. The one you're thinking of is Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. I read it recently for my book group and found it a fascinating read. One book my husband enjoyed/found informative this year was Out of Gas: The End of the Age of Oil by David Goodstein. He's also a big fan of the Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian. The first one is Master and Commander. I also second the books by Bill Bryson that were mentioned above. He's an entertaining and informative writer. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 (edited) Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone by Martin Duggard. I really enjoyed this book -- very engagingly & well-written. Duggard has some other books, including one about Captain Cook that I would like to read. (Oops -- just realized this is the book your dh just finished reading, lol.) 1776 by David McCollough Longtitude by Dava Sobel Napoleon's Buttons by Penny Le Couteur (I haven't read this one yet, but got it to give my dh for Christmas.) The Know-It-All by A.J. Jacobs Salt by Mark Kurlansky Freakonomics by Steven Levitt (my dh really enjoyed this one) The Devil in the White City by Eric Larson Edited December 15, 2008 by Stacia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perry Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 Winterdance by Gary Paulsen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted December 16, 2008 Author Share Posted December 16, 2008 There are some great books here and some that he has already read. I am saving this list, so keep them coming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 My engineer husband enjoyed The World is Flat by Thomas Freidman. He just started Hot Flat and Crowded by the same author. He also enjoys Michael Crichton books, especially Airframe (he was consulting for a major airframe manufacturer when it came out) and State of Fear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texascamps Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 Confederates in the Attic. My husband enjoyed this recently. Non-Fiction sort of travelogue. Funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 I am currently reading 1066 and find it quite fascinating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PamJH Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 How about "Raising the Hunley." It's a true story about raising a Civil War submarine from the bottom of the ocean. Nonfiction and riveting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3lilreds in NC Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 Dh is an engineer and here are his favorite authors: Clive Cussler Harold Coyle Tom Clancy Dale Brown Robert Ludlum Larry Bond Stephen Coonts They're all military fiction, except Cussler who is difficult to describe according to dh, and Ludlum writes spy novels. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 True life/adventure and a little mystery? This is one my dh cannot put down and he is not what I call an avid reader for entertainment - only professional stuff. "Over the Edge - Death in the Grand Canyon" I glanced at it and I am reading it as soon as he is done. These are accounts of several experiences of hikers in the Grand Canyon, some of these stories do not end very well. Some hikers have disappeared altogether and the outcome is an educated guess/speculation. Seems well written and is captivating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Alfred Academy Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 If he likes Sci Fi...definitely anything my Tim Powers. My dh LOVES him and I have read his book Last Call and LOVED it! From what I understand, he does heavy research about the places and topics of his books before he writes them. Very good stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted December 16, 2008 Share Posted December 16, 2008 I am enjoying this more than I thought I would. Some really well plucked quotes. Makes the English and Spanish tussling in the South Seas rather like a gruesome soap opera. http://www.amazon.com/Pirate-Exquisite-Mind-Naturalist-Buccaneer/dp/0802714250 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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