# X-mas Book List



## bioman (Mar 1, 2002)

Since I typically request and receive a gift certificate to Barnes and Noble, I was hoping to query the masses and find out some good books, especially with an outdoor theme or non-fiction.

I have recently read _1776_, which was incredible.

Has anybody read _Waiting for White Horses_?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

Lewis and Clark, The Journey of the Corps of Discovery

It is worth reading

Bob


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## bioman (Mar 1, 2002)

Bob,

Are you referring to _Undaunted Courage_ by Stephen Ambrose? If so, I read that book, which I believe is a must read for anyone that enjoys the outdoors.

-Ryan


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## Goldy's Pal (Jan 6, 2004)

bioman, here's one for ya. :lol: I know you have some maroon and gold in you just wanting to shine through. You might like it! :wink:


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## bioman (Mar 1, 2002)

Goldy good one :lol:. However, I think you might have the only copy in print .


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

Yup

One of the best I have read. I will dig through the book case at home and see what I have read in the last year or two.

Bob


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

Bioman,
You are officially a nerd. I get Barnes and Noble gift certificates too so I can't say much.

Anything by Stephen Ambrose is good in my opinion when it comes to WWII dough boys and flyboys. I read about 5 of his books this summer.

What are your interests?

I jump around alot when it comes to subjects. I like history and wanted to learn about the formation of the middle east. The best book is probably Six Days of War by Michael B. Oren.

It gives a good history of Israel and the Zionist movement which founded it. All the events from a political standpoint which lead to the 67 war are discussed in this book. It is a good read.

I am into investment and economic stuff right now. Benjamin Graham, George Soros, Adam Smith, Keynes etc.

I haven't read a good environmental book in awhile. Anyone have any good ones?

I have to cut down my current set. I usually have about 4 books going at once. Usually one political, one economic, one history and one environmental. Not to mention all the magazines.

Its funny, since I'm not in school I actually enjoy reading again in the evenings.


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## bioman (Mar 1, 2002)

Jed,

My interests are varied like yours. Mainly, I was hoping to find some good adventure, outdoor, or non-fiction books that I have not encountered. Typically, I love to read books that others suggest.

I devour any and all books with an evolution theme. I have read almost every Ambrose book and just got into John McPhee this year (geology for the masses). I love history and after finishing _1776_, I will be looking to devout some time and money to David McCullough's other books. I guess _Mornings on Horseback _ is a fantastic read about Teddy Roosevelt.

If you are interested in the environment, one of the best books I have read is _Playing God in Yellowstone_ by Alston Chase. Also, his book _In A Dark Wood_, about the spotted owl and the timber industry is incredibly revealing and dynamic.

Keep the suggestions coming... :beer:


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## Dan Bueide (Jul 1, 2002)

> Keep the suggestions coming...


Chitlins - you each need a couple

Then you can use your B&N gift certs on the latest installment of Captain Underpants for one of them, since pleasure reading will be a thing of the past.

Come to think of it, Undaunted Courage was the last book I read - the year it came out or possibly the next. Great book after the first 50 pages or so.


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## Wood Duck (Mar 22, 2002)

Gandergrinder...

If you like history and found the book about the six day war interesting you should try to find "My Life" by Golda Meir. It's as much a story of the re-birth of Isreal as it is her auto-biography. Real insight into the Arab/Israeli situation. It covers all the wars... they were literally fighting for their lives. Thats why they fought so well.

As for environmental/outdoor theme if you havent read any Sigurd Olson your in for a real treat. His books are treasures and you will want to own them. Some are in short story format so they are good books to read before betime. Titles to look for... Runes of the north, The lonely land, Open horizons, Listening point, The singing wilderness. Note.. not just for tree huggers, there are stories of hunting and fishing in many of the titles.


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## Scott Schuchard (Nov 23, 2002)

bioman
God,Guns,and rocknroll Ted Nugent

Great Great Book


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## Jiffy (Apr 22, 2005)

An excellent author is Henry David Thoreau.....alot of his "works" are a bit dry but they hold alot of meaning....to me anyway.

"A Helmet For My Pillow" is a great book!! It was on my "reading" list when I was in the Corps. The author is Robert Leckie.

Anything by Edger Allen Poe kicks alot of BEHIND!!! My favorite short story would be the "Mask of the Read Death".

I am a HUGE literature nerd.....Dang, I just gave my "hand away".... :lol: :beer:


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## Jiffy (Apr 22, 2005)

Just for the record Poe is my favorite!!!!

Take a look at my "tag line". Not only was that on the cover of my of my "Tactical Employment" manual in Scout Sniper school but I also read the "Ballad of East and West" before I entered the Corps.

Old Rudyard Kipling gave me some clout while I was going through SSP school. The instructors were impressed that I knew who wrote it.

Again the "geek" in me coming out.....


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## Ranger_Compact (Nov 2, 2005)

Pretty sure the only history book I've ever read was the good old...

"All Quiet On the Western Front".

I think I hated that book though, I can't remember, that was like two years ago. A good book I read about a month ago was "Until They Bring the Street Cars Back"-takes place in St. Paul. Anyhoo, I just read "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey- the book was not as good as it was cracked up to be. I actually thought it was pretty bad, and a waste of time. I just learned today that my old government teacher sells books at gun shows. He has an amazing collection of history books, even original copies dated way far back in the Dakota areas. He also has maps of who took land first on each plot in North Dakota hundreds of years ago. If you want to ask him about good books, both him and my old Western Civ teacher are BIG into those kind of books, here is his e-mail address-[email protected]-he LOVES to talk about his history books! Just tell him Erica sent you and ask him to join nodakoutdoors if you want!

How about this one Goldy's Pal???


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## bioman (Mar 1, 2002)

Dan, I do have a couple of very young ones, but since I travel frequently, I have ample time to relish one of my few remaining selfish interests.

Ranger_Compact :bowdown:


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## BigDaddy (Mar 4, 2002)

My B&N card is worn thin due the fact that I read quite a bit in airports and on planes while traveling for work. Here are some of the best books that I have read over the past year or so:

Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini: This is fiction and a story about a young man growing up in Kabul, Afghanistan before the Taliban took over.

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer: This is an account of a Mt Everest climbing tragedy by a journalist that went on a climb for Outside magazine

Homegrown Democrat by Garrison Keillor: This is a great book, and Keillor expresses many of the thoughts and frustrations that I have with our current government. Give it a read.

Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life by Jon Lee Anderson. This is a biography of Che Guevara, a Communist revolutionary from Argentina.

Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose. This tells the story of the 101st Airborne Division.

I am currently reading Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris. This is an account of the Roosevelt presidency and a good read. Next on my list is Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson, a history of the Civil War.


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

For any of you who are interested in investing.

If you really want to know how a company should be run with shareholders in mind. Probably the best read are the letters to the shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. These are the letters from Warren Buffets (probably one of the best investors and business managers the world has ever seen) holding company. They are all right here http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/letters.html

Most of you probably have an employee retirement plan or have one set up through various companies. If you really want to understand the personal investment industry and its many pitfalls. Common Sense on Mutual Funds: New Imperatives for the Intelligent Investor John C. Bogle
Bogle started Vanguard.

If you want to learn how the stock market works and how pick stocks
The Intelligent Investor - Benjamin Graham

These are not easy reads and you will have to pull out the financial part of the brain to understand them but you will come out with a whole new understanding of the financial markets.


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## Sasha and Abby (May 11, 2004)

"True at First Light" Ernest Hemingway. This was published about 6 years ago posthumously. It is one of his best ever. This book is about his last safari in Africa. A MUST READ.

"Indian Creek Chronicles" Pete Fromm A story about a man who lives in the Idaho wilderness for a year guarding salmon eggs. Really intersting read.

"I Fish, Therefore, I Am" Patrick F. McManus A collection of short stories from one of the all time best outdoor writers. A dry sense o humor that will have you laughing out loud on every page. I have re-read it several times. Hilarious...


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## Dakota Kid (Aug 17, 2002)

Fellow book nerds, just a few handy. I'll have to dig thru my boxes to see what other gems I've forgotten.

"Buffalo for the Broken Heart" by Dan O'Brien. This western SD author, rancher and biologist chronicles his ranch's conversion from cattle to bison. An absolutely fantastic read. I've read it half a dozen times.

"A Hunters Road" by Jim Fergus. Birdhunting road trip thru America. Great reading for the nimrod who needs his bird hunting fix.


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## Danimal (Sep 9, 2005)

Great suggestions.

I can't believe that nobody mentioned Peter Hathoway Capstick... 
I'd start with Last Horizons: Hunting, Fishing and Shooting on five Continents. This is a bunch of short stories and aricles that he wrote for various sporting publications from 1969 to 1986 and the topics range from hunting the big 5 to speearing wild pigs.


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

Not hunting related but very interesting so far.

American Secret Establishment, by Antony C. Sutton

Some what of an eye opening experience.

Bob


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## DeltaBoy (Mar 4, 2004)

Waterfowl Books:

Don't Shoot the Decoys - Doug Larson

The Duck Gods Must Be Crazy - Doug Larson


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

_The Killer Angels_--battle of Gettysburg

_Top Guns_ by Joe Foss and Matthew Brennan -Aces from 4 wars-

_Enemy at the Gates_ by William Craig - battle of Stalingrad

_Rebels and Redcoats_ can't remember the author- personal letters and diaries during the Revolutionary War

Anything by Jim Corbett, these are hands down the finest hunting books written. Most anything that is out of print can be ordered from the used book section of B&N's web site.

_Brown Feathers_ by Steven Mulak - upland & waterfowl short stories

Vietnam:

_Dear Mom_ by Joe Ward -he was a sniper in the Arizona

_Operation Buffalo_ Kieth Nolan - 9th Marines on the DMZ

_Magnificent Bastards_ Kieth Nolan- 4th Marines on the DMZ

_Hell In A Very Small Place_ by I beleive (sp) Jules LeRoy

The 2 best fiction works of Vietnam are _Fields of Fire_ by James Webb and _The 13th Valley_ by John Del Vecchio

When you have read an exceptional work I would urge you to donate it, or buy another copy, for your public library. Esp small town libraries that under funded.


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## Ya Butt (Dec 14, 2005)

Some of my Favorite outdoor themed *Non Fiction * reads..

_The Last Ivory Hunter - The Saga of Wally Johnson:_ Capstick (anything by Capstick is good)

_Hell, I was there_!: Elmer Keith, A definate classic in my eyes..

_Crow Killer - The Saga of Liver eating Johnson_: James Thorp

_The Mad Trapper of Rat River_: Dick North

_Throphies of the Heart_: Russell Thornberry

_The Final Frontiersman - Story of Heimo Korth_: Jim Cambell

_Alaska Wolf Killer - Story of Frank Glaser_: Jim Rearden

Other Non Fiction fascintating books this year:

_Bitter Harvest - Gordon Kahl and the Posse Comitatis_: Corcoran

_S.O.G._ - A history of MACV-SOG in Vietnam: MAJ. John Plaster (Best book on Vietnam covert ops I have read, especially since my boss was a "One Zero" in MACV-SOG)

I could go on and on, but more for another day.. I gotta burn up my B&N gift card from Santa too.. Top of the list is _Castners Cutthroats - The story of the Alaska Scouts_

Rifles, Walleyes, and good books really float my boat!!!

Ya Butt!


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## Ranger_Compact (Nov 2, 2005)

Hey I just ran across a book on a coffee table in my house that I had forgotten all about. It's just a children's book, but everyone in the prairie should own a copy of the book, it is beautiful. Basically, every page starts with the line, "If You're Not from the Prairie..." You don't know the wind, etc. Written by an author in Manitoba, it's wonderful.

_If You're Not from the Prairie_-David Bouchard


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## ND decoy (Feb 1, 2003)

I posted about this on another thread before I saw this one.

Take a look at Terry Grosz. He is a former federal game warden and his written 5 books about experiences as a warden. He spent a lot of time in N.D. as a warden and the stories he has are great.

His book titles are:

Wildlife Wars
For Love of Wildness
Defending Our Wildlife Heritage
A Sword for Mother Nature
No Safe Refuge
The Thin Green Line

These are great books for anybody who has a paasion for the outdoors.


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