"Sowbelly," the quest for the world record bass.

[Unbroken - just finished and it was freaking awesome. ]

+1,000,000

Everybody needs to read this book.

+1 for Unbroken

I'm about halfway through and it's a great, great book. The Bird scares the sheet out of me!

Plugger: Wade Fishing the Gulf Coast by Rudy Grigar

http://www.amazon.com/Plugger-Wade-Fishing-Gulf-Coast/dp/0896725103

As far as my feet will take me
Lone Survivor

Just finished Beast In the Garden as recommended by ursusguy.

Good read and amazing how it all went down. I am constantly surprised by the stupidity of some to believe predators are mystic creatures that don't kill.

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The true tale of an edenic Rocky Mountain town and what transpired when a predatory species returned to its ancestral home.
When, in the late 1980s, residents of Boulder, Colorado, suddenly began to see mountain lions in their yards, it became clear that the cats had repopulated the land after decades of persecution. Here, in a riveting environmental fable that recalls Peter Benchley's thriller Jaws, journalist David Baron traces the history of the mountain lion and chronicles Boulder's effort to coexist with its new neighbors. A parable for our times, The Beast in the Garden is a scientific detective story and a real-life drama, a tragic tale of the struggle between two highly evolved predators: man and beast. 4 photos, 5 maps

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[This message has been edited by RBoutdoors (edited 2/16/2012 4:00p).]

Glad you enjoyed it. It is one I highly recommend to any new biologist.

If you ever wonder why I have to go on so many wild goose chases, you can pretty much thank that book. I literally got pissed off as I read it.

Incidently, the Dr. Halfpenny referenced in the book is who I did my formal tracking training with.

Good timing on reviving this thread. I was looking to reload my kindle. Just bought Beast in the Garden, The Big Rich, Sal Batree, The Time It Never Rained and several other books mentioned.

Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne

Ive almost finished reading "Not Between Brothers" based on recommendations from the Outdoors Board.

I'm pissed that I waited so long to read the book. It is absolutely an incredible read.

It is a ficational saga that chronicles the life of a Texas immigrant in Austin's colony from his arrival through the Revolution and the start of the Civil War.

Empire of the Summer Moon is really good.

A GREAT novel about the Comanches is

Comanche Dawn by Michael Blakely

In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin is next up in the queue per a recommendation from a literary friend.

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An exhilarating look at a place that still retains the exotic mystery of a far-off, unseen land, Bruce Chatwin’s exquisite account of his journey through Patagonia teems with evocative descriptions, remarkable bits of history, and unforgettable anecdotes. Fueled by an unmistakable lust for life and adventure and a singular gift for storytelling, Chatwin treks through “the uttermost part of the earth”— that stretch of land at the southern tip of South America, where bandits were once made welcome—in search of almost forgotten legends, the descendants of Welsh immigrants, and the log cabin built by Butch Cassidy.

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Just ordered 3 books off the list. Looking forward to some good reads.

I read A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson, based on this threads recommendation. Awesome book, makes me want to go out and hike the Appalachian Trail, or at least walk more haha.

Just finished Duty by Robert M. Gates. Really enjoyed it.
Other long time favorites are Clancy's Without Remorse and Rainbow Six.

The Killing Lincoln author list should be swapped and the ego maniac's name (the 8 PM'er) actually listed in smaller text below his ghost writer.

This is a fantastic book:

Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S.C. Gwynne

from Amazon.com:

In the tradition of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, a stunningly vivid historical account of the forty-year battle between Comanche Indians and white settlers for control of the American West, centering on Quanah, the greatest Comanche chief of them all.

S. C. Gwynne's Empire of the Summer Moon spans two astonishing stories. The first traces the rise and fall of the Comanches, the most powerful Indian tribe in American history. The second entails one of the most remarkable narratives ever to come out of the Old West: the epic saga of the pioneer woman Cynthia Ann Parker and her mixed-blood son Quanah, who became the last and greatest chief of the Comanches.


Empire of the Summer Moon

What are some good fiction books?

Twelve Mighty Orphans: The Inspiring True Story of the Mighty Mites Who Ruled Texas Football by Jim Dent. It's non-fiction but it's a great book.

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What are some good fiction books?

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What kind of fiction do you enjoy?

Time It Never Rained
Elmer Kelton

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What are some good fiction books?

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What kind of fiction do you enjoy?

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I like the thrillers/suspense kind. Lights Out was good. Anything with action I guess.

I've read some good books in the past month or so.

I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes (Thriller/Suspense)
The Martian by Andy Weir (Sci Fi)

I reading The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow right now and it is excellent.

This book here. If you hunt, fish, or know any old men you need to read this book.

I originally was solely a fan of non-fiction. It took a bit of trial and error before I stumbled upon fiction books that held my interest. That being said, here are a few of my favorites that I have read recently.

The River Why - A young man who is a fly fishing prodigy goes to live in the wilderness by himself and spends every waking minute fishing until he answers his nagging existential questions.

The Brothers K - This book was really long, but it was worth it. It is basically a parallel to Dostoevsky's "Brothers Karamazov" that studies the human condition, except this one has a driving theme of baseball and americana.

American Gods - This is probably my favorite fiction novel I have ever read, but it has much less to do with the outdoors than the two previously mentioned books. The basic plot of this book is that people who immigrated to this country in the past brought with them a belief in ancient gods, but the power of these gods has waned because of people's slowly diminishing belief. They are are going to be replaced by the new "gods" of modern technology that everyone now believes in, and they must find a way to hold their ground. I know it sounds weird, but I am not a sci-fi or fantasy fan at all and I freaking loved this book.

Where the Wild Things Were - I haven't seen this book mentioned yet. It is in a similar vein to the "Beast in the Garden" in that it mostly is a study of a how apex predators affect their ecosystem. It is non-fiction. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in ecology or predator prey relationship.

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What are some good fiction books?

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What kind of fiction do you enjoy?

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I like the thrillers/suspense kind. Lights Out was good. Anything with action I guess.

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The Jack Reacher series by Lee Child is entertaining, I am on my sixth in the series.

Amazon.com

If you like military themed thriller/suspense types, W.E.B. Griffin has put out several good series. His Presidential Agent series starting with "By Order of the President" is pretty good stuff.

If you have never read the Jason Bourne books by Robert Ludlum, those would be well worth your time IMO.

I have read this book and completely agree. It is a great read and fascinating to learn about the Commanche

Life Among The Apaches, John C Cremony, author.
Awesome book by a man who was with the apaches and Comanches in the 1800's. Great insight and stories.
You will not regret reading this book!

RBoutdoors and ursusguy:

Thanks for recommending the book "Beast in the Garden" I bought it a few months ago, got busy and promptly forgot about it. I read the book over the past week. It was fascinating. I really liked the way the author put together the background of the events, gave a primer on Mountain Lions and put it all into context. I highly recommend the book to anyone that is fascinated by nature and how man impacts and interacts with nature.

Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S.C. Gwynne

"Good friends
Good guns
Good whiskey"
By skeeter Skelton is the best book that I've read.

Three non-fiction books I absolutely blazed through;

"This Kind of War" by TR Ferenbach. Details the Korean War. Will give you a great background on the forgotten war, why Korea is divided, how Kim Jong Un's Grandpa came to be. TR is an excellent writer and from San Antonio.

"River of Doubt" The story of Teddy Roosevelt going down a never explored river in South America.

"Three Roads to the Alamo" details the lives of Crockett, Bowie and Travis from birth til death and all the detail you could ever want. Really fleshed our and humanized these three legends for me.

+1 for Empire of the Summer Moon, The Old Man & The Boy, anything by Capstick and Goodbye to a River. All wonderful books.

One of the authors in the original post is my next door neighbor.