Book Recommendations/reviews

[Gatlin5]

I thought this thread could be a good place to share some books we have all enjoyed. Maybe one that was a lot of fun to read or another that may have been of inspiration to you.

Here are a couple of wonderful books I have enjoyed. They have made both into movies that have not either been released or out on DVD yet. They are new age semi spiritual adventures. Don't let that scare you off if you have not tried something like this before. It does not preach any religion but it does open up a whole new way at looking at life and a fun read too.

My favorite is "The way of the Peaceful Warrior" by Dan Millman ( Movie release is the end of Nov) and the other is "The Celestine Prophecy" by James Redfield ( DVD release in Dec). I'm a slow reader and they are 250 page books that I knocked off in three days, they are that good, I said I was slow. They also give a wonderful message of life and putting our daily grind and life challenges into perspective.

Here are a few web sites on these Titles:

Peaceful Warrior
http://www.danmillman.com/
http://www.peacefulwarrior.net/


Celestine Prophecy
http://www.celestinevision.com/CPmovie.html

[char393]

I'm currently reading "Watership Down" by Richard Adams. It's a great book and I know it's been around for quite a while, I don't know why I'd never heard of it before.

Another favorite is "The Sea Runners" by Ivan Doig. It's based on an actual incident in 1853. It's a story of 4 men from Russia-owned Alaska who escape indentured servanthood by stealing a canoe and going from Sitka to Astoria.

[char393]

screwtape letters is an excellent book.

I have to pick and choose when I get into a book. If it's well written, I have a tendency to stay up until 3 or 4 in the morning so I can finish it.

[Gatlin5]

Thanks, I'll have to check those out.

[Riding the Metro]

"Seabiscuit" - by Laura Hillenbrand
Wonderful read of the most famous race horse of all time. Spans the years 1900 through 1940. Read the exploits of Trainer CW Smith and trials of Jocky "Red" Pollard.
Find yourself mesmerized with match race description between Seabiscuit and War Admiral, Man O' War and other great horses of the time. Become a fly on wall with conversations of Bing Crosby and his horse from the BingLin Stables.

I like the fact that this book story take place here in my backyard and mentions my local area and numerous places in my neighborhood.

One chapter from completion, a definate page turner. I'll be wrapping up this evening and then renting the DVD to follow up.

[Riding the Metro]

"Angels and Demons" - Dan Brown

Pre-sequel to the DaVinci Code. Excellent book by a very good author.
Spell bounding novel in and about Rome, Vatican City and "anti-matter".
Religious and scientific thriller.
Riding the Metro gives it four bananas and a bomb gives :Powerslide::Powerslide::Powerslide::Powerslide::explode:

[char393]

Monkey Butt by Rick Sieman...

if you haven't read it already, this is a must read for any dirtbiker.

[Tatonka]

Char - I second the Monkey Butt recommendation (and I know Joe agree's). It's a great read and quite a trip down memory lane!

[Riding the Metro]

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbach
An American Classic

A portrait of the bitter conflict between the powerful and the powerless, of one man's fierce reaction to injustice, and of a woman's quiet, stoical strength, The Grapes of Wrath is a landmark of American literature.

I read this book as a teen and have revisted this book. A long read and at time difficult to understand the verbage. Slang and drawl from the south in the 1930's. Well worth the effort.
I rate it as two bananas and two bombs
:Powerslide::Powerslide::explode::explode:

As you can tell by my posts - I average 3 to 4 books a month.

My next book will take a month in itself - "War and Peace"

[KTMissouri]

I just got done reading a book that is a distant departure from any book I have read before. It was given to me by my mother because she met the author and thought I may be interested because of my work with RiderDown.

The name of the book is: The Story of New Horizons: How people with Severe Disabilities in a Chronic Care Hospital Worked their way to Independence

I found the story uplifting and amazing. This is a story about how a bunch of disabled people, that were all living in a state run institution, banded together and built the first self run community in the world.

The author, Polly Hincks is a member of the community and tells the story beautifully.

[Riding the Metro]

"Baseball's Best Shots"
Baseball is a game of contradictions - it's a leisurly game, but there are moments that are lightning quick. It's a game of long balls, but also of inches. It's an elegant, gentle game, but it has it's share of bone-cracking collisions.
Compiled here are baseball's most compelling images - images that capture the soul of the game along with it's many contradictions. You'll find the win-at-all-cost spirit of Ty Cobb sliding into second base and the exuberant celebration of Scott Brosius as his team clinched the World Series; the ballet-like grace of a double play and the jarring power of a collision at home plate; the solid grace of a Major League ballpark and Sammy Sosa reacting to a pitch with split-second timing.

http://www.riderdown.org/forum/photopost/uploads/8/baseball.jpg

[Riding the Metro]

FLIGHT - 100 Years Of Aviation

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward" - Leonardo Da Vinci

From the early pioneers to the latest spaceflight technology, this ground-breaking book charts the inspirational story behind humankind's conquest of the skies.



http://www.riderdown.org/forum/photopost/uploads/8/flight100.jpg

[HRO52]

Left Behind: Apocolypse Series - Autor: Mel Odom > this is a 3 book series and its a really good series, even though I've never read the Left Behind Series, this series is a good Fiction Series for those who like to read Military style books.

I'm also currently reading '90 Minutes In Heaven' which is Don Pipper's testamony of a crash he was in back in January 1989 when he was heading home from a pastor's conferance on the shore of Lake Livingston north of Houston. Don Pipper was at my church as a Guest Speaker on April 22, 2007. If you don't know his story of what God did in his life, this would be a book for you to read. Its amazing how God can still awnser prayer and do meracles even today.

[Gatlin5]

Monkey Butt by Rick Sieman...

if you haven't read it already, this is a must read for any dirtbiker.

That was a lot of fun, man some of his sarcastic stories from years ago of where this past time is headed is getting a little too real. What a character.

Thanks, Char.

[Riding the Metro]

http://www.riderdown.org/forum/photopost/data/500/22kaku_ready.jpg

The Assault on Reason by Al Gore New York Times Best Seller List
The reader is left to ponder Mr. Gore's comments about the current Bush administration.

Most compelling are the thinking and writings of our founding fore-fathers.
They knew all too well that an administration of self serving interests could be our downfall.

If you like him (Al Gore) or not, this book makes for interesting reading.

Riding the Metro rates this book two bombs and a beer.

:explode::explode::cheers:

[Riding the Metro]

"The Language as a window into human nature

ISBN 978-0-670-06327-7
499 Pages, Penguin Group Publishing 2007

There is a theory of space and time embedded in the way we use words. There is a theory of matter and a theory of causality, too. Our language has a model of sex in it (actually, two models), and conceptions of intimacy and power and fairness. Divinity, degradation, and danger are also ingrained in our mother tongue, together with a conception of well-being and a philosophy of free will. These conceptions vary in their details from language to language, but their overall logic is the same. They add up to a distinctively human model of reality, which differs in major ways from the objective understanding of reality eked out by our best science and logic. Though these ideas are woven into language, their roots are deeper than language itself. They lay out the ground rules for how we understand our surroundings, how we assign credit and blame to our fellows, and how we negotiate our relationships with them. A close look at our speech-our conversations, our jokes, our curses, our legal disputes, the names we give our babies-can therefore give us insight into who we are.

Be prepared to think - ah yes, that's why we do what we do. Or I never thought of that in such a way before.

Steven Pinker has a unique way of his writing that the layman can understand a relate too.

Riding the Metro rates this book as 3 bombs, three beers and two bananas.
:explode: :explode: :explode: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :Powerslide: :Powerslide: