Recommended Reading...

[Smudge3920]

Did a search but could not find a similar thread, if there is one I apologise...

Just finished ...George Robert Elfords book... The Devils Gaurd...A fascinating true story of the French Foriegn Legions Nazi battalion in Vietnam.
It was published in 1971, cannot believe I never came across this book untill now.

You seen it before Hector?

[hector]

No mate, I know some of the story of the Legion in Vietnam, but that is more due to my old man having been an sneaky SF chappie. He was stationed in Singapore from '67 - '69 at Changi, but kept going away for short spells..............

[Norm]

Try George Orwell's "1984" - truly ahead of its time.

[Smudge3920]

No mate, I know some of the story of the Legion in Vietnam, but that is more due to my old man having been an sneaky SF chappie. He was stationed in Singapore from '67 - '69 at Changi, but kept going away for short spells..............

If you come across it , should read it mate... ah memories...Boogie street, spent a lot of '79 in Singapore... the restaurants were particularly appealing...

[hector]

Try George Orwell's "1984" - truly ahead of its time.

Read it whilst at school Norm.... seemed very complictated, I kept waiting for a film of it to come out......

[billie1]

Read it whilst at school Norm.... seemed very complictated, I kept waiting for a film of it to come out......

The film was quite good as I remember although I’ve not seen it for years . Richard Burton’s was pretty sinister as O’Brien in his last screen role .

[Byebyegeegee]

Try George Orwell's "1984" - truly ahead of its time.

Fiction now, sadly, becoming reality!

[Norm]

Byebyegeegee wrote:

Fiction now, sadly, becoming reality!

In some respects - nations which shut down the internet and such is a definite swerve in totalitarian direction.

Just when all in the world have a marvellous resource, some fascist 'leaders' cut off their populace so they can't see what's going on in the world and assess their own options.

Nothing wrong with the principle of communism, just the fascists who oversee it.

[Overman]

Read these two classics a good number of years ago - Man's Search for Meaning (Viktor Frankl) and The Outsider (Albert Camus). Each have a strong existential narrative, Frankl's experience in particular quite harrowing, but inspiring at the same time.

[whiteswan]

I challenged myself to read Gorky Park in the eighties.......quite a read

[Norm]

whiteswan wrote:

I challenged myself to read Gorky Park in the eighties.......quite a read

I enjoyed the book and the excellent 1983 movie Swan - William Hurt, Lee Marvin and the unfortunately now late Brian Dennehy.
-

[hector]

I have just read and finished Ken Follet - The evening and the morning

It is a prequel to Pillars of the earth, which I have also just re-read....

[Norm]

"War of the Worlds" by H.G.Wells is also a classic and timeless read - much different to the subsequent movies,
I enjoyed the 1953 movie with Gene Barry and Ann Robinson over the recent Tom Cruise one.

[BobHirst]

I have just read and finished Ken Follet - The evening and the morning

It is a prequel to Pillars of the earth, which I have also just re-read....

Pillars is one of my all time favourites.
It absolutely amazes me how they constructed such beautiful, long lasting structures without the aid of today's technology.

[Irish Ian]

"War of the Worlds" by H.G.Wells is also a classic and timeless read - much different to the subsequent movies,
I enjoyed the 1953 movie with Gene Barry and Ann Robinson over the recent Tom Cruise one.

Noone would believe that book....

[whiteswan]

I enjoyed the book and the excellent 1983 movie Swan - William Hurt, Lee Marvin and the unfortunately now late Brian Dennehy.
-

I'd forgotten about the film Norm, what a great cast

[BobHirst]

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein.
One of my favourites from many years ago. It would be interesting to read it again and see if it holds up now that I'm older and more cynical.
Its about an astronauts child born on Mars who returns to Earth and becomes a Messiah for a new religion/cult.

[mothbanquet]

Try George Orwell's "1984" - truly ahead of its time.

My favourite author and still one of my favourite books. Prophetic subject matter aside, I'm still struck by just how readable his books still are, so hard to believe it's approaching a century since its writing. Orwell just had the perfect attitude to writing - he was so utterly dead against the overcomplication of language (I think he was spot on when he said the educated overcomplicate it just for the sake of sounding intelligent) and that efficiency is what makes his writing so timeless.