Essential Books

Yes, I also read quite a lot of books as well - but will only list the very good ones here. This sections contains the stuff that you should be burying your nose in! (and that is not a drug abuse reference).

Essential Read 1 - Microserfs by Douglas Coupland

I first read this in 1996 - as I was about to leave the RAF. Nothing you have read before will be as half as weird or as good as this. The story itself is pretty normal; a young programmer has had enough of working at Microsoft and follows his friends into building their own software firm.

What is particularly weird about this book is the full pages of the story that appear in binary code, others appearing as random jumbles of letters and symbols, and chapters being opened and closed by a load of linked statements (rather like word association games!). The best thing about this book is the fact that I can pick it up and have a flick through any time I feel like - you don't need to get into it again.

Essential Read 2 - Flags of Our fathers by James Bradley

Written by the son of the longest survivor, this is the story (before, during and after the battle) of the group of marines who raised the flag over the island of Iwo Jima in 1945 and thus found themselves in the most famous photograph of all time; Jack Bradley, Franklin Sousley, Mike Strank, Ira Hayes (the subject of a Country and Western song), Harlon Block and Rene Gangron.

The best thing about this book is the sensitive way that Bradley gives equal billing to all of the marines - not just his dad. Sadly, only thee of the six were to make it through the battle - it is a commonly overlooked fact that the battle was far from over when the flag was raised - Block, Sousley and Strank were all to be killed in the days following the picture - Bradley himself only survived being charged by a Japanese soldier whilst tending to a casualty by quickly drawing his Colt pistol (Bradley was not actually a marine but a Navy Corpsman who had been advised by his father to join the Navy to avoid the front line!).

You would have to have a heart of stone not to be moved by Bradley's description of the final hours of his father, dying in the presence of his family in Wisconsin. Read it and you will never be able to watch John Wayne in the Shores of Iwo Jima again.

Essential Read 3 - Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien

A book that always been in the background for me. I have only read it once - but I have friends who have read it many, many times. For the two people on the planet who know nothing about this book it is the story of the ring of power and the efforts to get rid of the bloody thing. Although JRR denies it, it stands as a pretty good mirror to what was going on in the world in the 1930's. Also, many say that the combat sequences are so terrifying due to JRR's experiences in WWI.

The best thing about this book is just about everything about it - perfection. The ironic thing is that it owes its worldwide popularity to the fact that thousands of illicit pirate copies found their way onto the market in the USA and into the hands of potheads in the 1960's. And to think, the Tolkien estate sold the film rights for next to nothing.......

Essential Read 4 - The Crow Road by Iain Banks

It is a little known fact that Banks also writes pretty good sci-fi under the name Iain M Banks. His contemporary fiction is also pretty top drawer as well, with this being the best offering of all. From the opening line to the close, this is a very tightly plotted Greek tragedy revolving around the twisted lives of a very dysfunctional Scottish family.

The best thing about this book is the fact that hardly a line is wasted (Waterstones used the opening line in an advertising campaign) and unless you have seen the television series and totally ruined it for yourself, the conclusion of the mystery of the whereabouts of Uncle Rory is only one strand in a sort of rural murder mystery laced with very bad behaviour - Miss Marple meets Trainspotting. Also find the time to watch the television series.

Essential Read 5 - The Rainmaker by John Grisham

I always take the time and money to check out the latest John Grisham books as soon as they come out (the only other author whom I reserve this sort of trust for is Tom Clancy) - and it is obvious why he has become the king of the airport novel. This is the pick of the lot - and the Grisham book that got the best film adaptation. It is the story of Rudi Baylor, a young law graduate who manages to bring a multi-million lawsuit against an insurance company.

The best thing about this book is the number of sub-plots that Grisham keeps ticking over in the background - the battered wife, the ex girlfriend, Rudi's contempt for the legal profession and the people who practice it. If you don't have the time for the book, then you should watch the film - it is the only time that Grisham's work has truly been represented (JG would not sell the rights to the Partner as he was fed up with Hollywood making a mess of his books - good on ya mate).

Essential Read 6 - Executive Orders by Tom Clancy

Apart from his non-fiction, I have always gone out of my way to read the latest Clancy offering as soon as it came out. As Tom always takes a long time to set his stall out, it is usually a good idea to have a note book and a day-glo pen to hand when reading his stuff! No, but seriously, folks, this book is a spooky read. In the opening scene (actually the close of Debt of Honour), a stolen JAL 747 is driven into the House of Representatives during the State of the Nation Address - spooky as it was written a long time before 9/11. In the chaos, the only senior government official left alive is Jack Ryan (the character played by Harrison Ford in the Films) who takes over as President of the USA.

This book is good for the same reason that all of his later offerings are - there is just so much going on. In EO, the new president is subject to an assassination attempt, an attempt to poison the population with the Ebola Virus (by an Islamic Terror Cell) and an attempt to drive a bomb into Washington DC by some ultra right wing loonies (the closeness of this book to the Oklahoma City bomb is obvious). You may need to buy a forklift to get this book into your house....

Essential Read 7 - Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

I have always had a soft spot for the American Civil War, and an historical novel about this period looked like a good bet. This is the story of Inman, deserting the doomed Confederate Army and walking home across North Carolina to be with his wife (whom he barely remembers) as the Confederacy falls apart around him. Along the way he dodges Confederates (he would be hung as a deserter so it would be a good idea to keep a low profile) and befriends a similarly displaced musician.

This book is also written in a strange style. Inman (our deserter) and his wife Ada have alternate chapters throughout the book, until the end when they at last share a chapter. Frazier's descrition of the battle of Fredricksburg is pretty nasty stuff and one of many highlights. I am reliably informed that this is being turned into a film - I hope they do it justice.

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