Listmania!
Recommended Books Part III
The Tortilla Curtain (Bloomsbury Classic Reads)The Tortilla Curtain (Bloomsbury Classic Reads) by T.Coraghessan Boyle
Buy new: £22.70 / Used from: £3.87
A good story of fear, hatred, hope and desperation. Set in California
The Fuck-upThe Fuck-up by Arthur Nersesian
Buy new: £5.99 / Used from: £1.44
Highly Recommended! A superbly written book.
All Quiet on the Western FrontAll Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
Buy new: £4.79 / Used from: £0.80
The best war novel you will ever read.
The Bell JarThe Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Buy new: £2.97 / Used from: £0.01
A very sad book about the crushed ambitions of a young girl.
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (Penguin Modern Classics)One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (Penguin Modern Classics) by Aleksandr Isaevich Solzhenitsyn
Buy new: £2.98 / Used from: £3.00
Life in the Siberian prison. Strangely uplifiting.
The Fortress of SolitudeThe Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem
Buy new: £3.98 / Used from: £0.05
The story of a young boy growing up in NY and what happens to himself and those around him.
Survival in the Killing FieldsSurvival in the Killing Fields by Haing S. Ngor
Buy used from: £17.19
Unbelievable true story about Ngor's experiences in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge. Love sustains him in the darkness.
Dispatches (Picador)Dispatches (Picador) by Michael Herr
Buy new: £2.43 / Used from: £0.01
Some of Herr's experiences in Vietnam, part of which was used in Full Metal Jacket. Fascinating stuff.
The Kite RunnerThe Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Buy new: £3.15 / Used from: £2.24
This story about Afghanistan and kite running, has an excellent beginning. You can almost see the blue Afghan sky.
Fire Under the Snow: True Story of a Tibetan Monk (Panther)Fire Under the Snow: True Story of a Tibetan Monk (Panther) by Palden Gyatso
Buy new: £3.75 / Used from: £0.95
A true story of repression and destruction by the Chinese in Tibet. A national tragedy is happening before the worlds very eyes.
If I Die in a Combat Zone (Harper Perennial Modern Classics)If I Die in a Combat Zone (Harper Perennial Modern Classics) by Tim O'Brien
Buy new: £2.87 / Used from: £0.01
This book captures the difficulty faced by many men drafted into the Vietnam war. Which was not a war of liberation, or desired by the people.....
The Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives and Broken HeartsThe Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives and Broken Hearts by Julian Rubinstein
Buy new: £0.01 / Used from: £0.01
Unbelievable true story. Slow to begin with but then gripping.
War Reporting for CowardsWar Reporting for Cowards by Chris Ayres
Buy new: £0.01 / Used from: £0.01
Ayres has a self effacing style which makes his book easy to read and enjoyable.
Chess: A Novel (Penguin Red Classics)Chess: A Novel (Penguin Red Classics) by Stefan Zweig
Buy new: £1.75 / Used from: £1.49
A masterpiece. A little bit like an iceberg this very short book has much more depth to it than first perceived. Strongly recommended.
The Sorrow of WarThe Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh
Buy used from: £0.01
Best book I ever read. Ninh describes how his life has been completely altered as a result of the fighting for 10 years as a NVA soldier. A love lost story really.
Knight's Cross: Life of Field Marshal Erwin RommelKnight's Cross: Life of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel by Sir David Fraser
Buy used from: £5.00
Rommel was an extraordinairy man and this book dispels some of the many misconceptions and cliches used when people talk about the man and his army.
Bobby FischerBobby Fischer by Frank Brady
Buy new: £5.12 / Used from: £1.99
The American chess prodigy managed some quite astounding feats.
Life in PrisonLife in Prison by Stanley "Tookie" Williams
Buy new: £4.95 / Used from: £1.04
A very simple book with an important message.
The Unbearable Lightness of BeingThe Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
Buy new: £5.54 / Used from: £0.01
Kundera creates another wonderful world of characters and perceptions.
Fast Food Nation: What the All-American Meal is Doing to the World: What the All-American Meal Is Doing to the WorldFast Food Nation: What the All-American Meal is Doing to the World: What the All-American Meal Is Doing to the World by Eric Schlosser
Buy new: £3.60 / Used from: £0.01
The truth behind junk food and the exploitation this business is allowed to engage in. Fast food is the new smoking. Disgusting and unhealthy!
The End of Oil: The Decline of the Petroleum Economy and the Rise of a New Energy OrderThe End of Oil: The Decline of the Petroleum Economy and the Rise of a New Energy Order by Paul Roberts
Buy new: £6.99 / Used from: £1.06
A beginners guide to understanding the insatiable appetite for oil and other energy sources of all the countries on the globe.
The New Penguin History of the WorldThe New Penguin History of the World by J.M. Roberts
Buy used from: £18.12
A big book! But really good for those with an interest in history.
The Wealth and Poverty of NationsThe Wealth and Poverty of Nations by David S. Landes
Buy new: £10.49 / Used from: £8.17
Gives a view on why and how the world is as it is from an economic perspective.
The Tunnels of Cu Chi: A Remarkable Story of WarThe Tunnels of Cu Chi: A Remarkable Story of War by Tom Mangold
Buy new: £6.99 / Used from: £0.01
An interesting phenomenon of Vietnam was the use of tunnels by the Vietnamese. This book explains how they worked and what was attempted as means of counter measures.
Nickel and Dimed: Undercover in Low-wage AmericaNickel and Dimed: Undercover in Low-wage America by Barbara Ehrenreich
Buy new: £6.99 / Used from: £0.25
Interesting not just for the struggle but how much people actually want and need positive reinforcement (i.e. praise)