Recommend a book (2 Viewers)

Farmer Jim · Oct 31, 2025

The Stranger in the Woods - Michael Finkel.

When he was nineteen, Christoper Knight suddenly decided he`d had enough of modern life and went to live off grid as a hermit, in a remote part of Maine, New England.

He had a back pack, a cheap tent, a torch and some very basic cooking equipment and very little food. He also had no prior knowledge of survival skills or woodcraft.

Yet somehow he managed to live for twenty seven years in the woods, by foraging, raiding holiday homes in the Winter, gradually learning survival skills as he went along and creating a fully functioning, but hidden camp in the woods, before being caught in a trap by the local police.

Despite temps getting as low as -20 in the Winter, he never once lit a fire, for fear of getting caught !!

He had no intention of ever returning to main stream life and fully intended to live in the woods for the rest of his life.

With great difficulty, the author slowly gets Knight to open up whilst he`s in jail and through a series of interviews with him narrates his story.

It`s a fascinating read, as Knight wasn`t mentally ill, or a loner, he just suddenly decided he`d had enough one day and that was that.

At 200 pages, it`s an easy read and would make a great film too.

Joe King · Oct 31, 2025

Farmer Jim said:
The Stranger in the Woods - Michael Finkel.

When he was nineteen, Christoper Knight suddenly decided he`d had enough of modern life and went to live off grid as a hermit, in a remote part of Maine, New England.

He had a back pack, a cheap tent, a torch and some very basic cooking equipment and very little food. He also had no prior knowledge of survival skills or woodcraft.

Yet somehow he managed to live for twenty seven years in the woods, by foraging, raiding holiday homes in the Winter, gradually learning survival skills as he went along and creating a fully functioning, but hidden camp in the woods, before being caught in a trap by the local police.

Despite temps getting as low as -20 in the Winter, he never once lit a fire, for fear of getting caught !!

He had no intention of ever returning to main stream life and fully intended to live in the woods for the rest of his life.

With great difficulty, the author slowly gets Knight to open up whilst he`s in jail and through a series of interviews with him narrates his story.

It`s a fascinating read, as Knight wasn`t mentally ill, or a loner, he just suddenly decided he`d had enough one day and that was that.

At 200 pages, it`s an easy read and would make a great film too.

I like the sound of that as a good read!

Farmer Jim · Oct 31, 2025

Joe King said:
I like the sound of that as a good read!

It`s a bit of a strange read, as it almost reads like a very in depth newspaper article, turned into a book.

But still absolutely fascinating to read, especially when they find his camp.

Farmer Jim · Nov 4, 2025

Unruly - David Mitchell ( the comedian )

If you`re into history, you`ll find this hilarious.

Mitchell puts his own, often hilarious slant on the post Roman period of history in England, right up to the reign of Elizabeth 1st.

Mitchell is very obviously a skilled historian, who really knows his stuff and with him putting his own brand of comedy into the narration, makes it a very very funny read at times. ( He really hates King Arthur for some reason, even though he didn`t exist ! )

Reads very much like an adult, very sweary version of Horrible Histories.

Shannerz · Nov 4, 2025

Farmer Jim said:
Unruly - David Mitchell ( the comedian )

If you`re into history, you`ll find this hilarious.

Mitchell puts his own, often hilarious slant on the post Roman period of history in England, right up to the reign of Elizabeth 1st.

Mitchell is very obviously a skilled historian, who really knows his stuff and with him putting his own brand of comedy into the narration, makes it a very very funny read at times. ( He really hates King Arthur for some reason, even though he didn`t exist ! )

Reads very much like an adult, very sweary version of Horrible Histories.

Any history book that describes Henry VIII as 'a bit of a c**t' is ok by me.

JohnWH · Nov 4, 2025

"We" by

Yevgeny Zamyatin

A Russian dystopia novel written in-exile about 1920 (not pulished/released in Russia until, I think, the fall of the Soviet Union)

One number's (people are numbers, not men!) experience of starting to see how the far futuristic perfect society has its flaws.
Allegedly, it inspired Orwell's "1984" decades later.

Captain Dart · Nov 4, 2025

JohnWH said:
"We" by

Yevgeny Zamyatin

View attachment 46955

A Russian dystopia novel written in-exile about 1920 (not pulished/released in Russia until, I think, the fall of the Soviet Union)

One number's (people are numbers, not men!) experience of starting to see how the far futuristic perfect society has its flaws.
Allegedly, it inspired Orwell's "1984" decades later.

It's a classic of the genre.

JohnWH · Nov 4, 2025

Four half siblings balance the mundane (internships) and the terrifying (internment) in Kevin Nguyen’s “Mỹ Documents.”--- The New York Times

I read this one over the weekend, quite a page turner.

In in a gripping modern day setting dystopia, Vietnamese-Americans are rounded up and detained after a terror attack. The political or whatever motivations behind the attacks are never really explained, but in a way it's not necessary to know. Only the public and political reaction.

The over reaction mimics back to Japnese-American internment during WWII, and which reoccurred in public angst and harrassment against Muslims (and also Sikh) immediately following 9/11. While racism and civil liberties underscores the novel, it also does an interesting job of exploring modern day capitalism and the role of big business as well as federal bureaucracy and public sentiment for and against rapidly building out detention camps to house a million citizens. As well as highlighting the absurdity of mundane "summer camp" life, how they cope, and how easily a black market contraband system gets setup to the abject disinterest from guards who are paid too low to care.

"Mỹ Documents" is a play on words, "Mỹ" means "America" in Vietnamese.

My wife is Vietnamese-American, so perhaps this gave me a bit more personal interest and insight.

But to a large degree, a consideration can be made: you could take just about any ethnoracial minority in America to replace Vietnamese-Americans in the story, and it will essentially be the same resulting story. It's overall a scary look at how so called democracies can easily slide due to fears.

The only book I've read actually published this year, I'd give it a 5 outta 5.

Farmer Jim · Nov 30, 2025

Just finished :

Across The Sand, the follow on to Hugh Howey`s excellent novel - Sand.

Sc-fi at it`s absolute best.

If ever there were books that should be made into a film(s), these two books would be perfect.

These books would be perfect for the director Denis Villeneuve to do in a similar vein to his two recent standout Dune films.

Couldn`t put it down.

Has anyone read his Silo books, as I may give them a go ?

(I`ve seen the tv series and thought it was just " okay " ).

Captain Dart · Dec 3, 2025

I saw that Russell T Davies was promoting his new Dr Who universe drama this morning on daytime TV 'The War Between the Land and the Sea' (it was on a screen at the gym I don't watch daytime TV at home I hasten to add).

I thought it was in some ways probably somewhat derivative of Karel Capek's excellent 1936 satirical scifi novel War with the Newts (as well as perhaps HG Wells War of the Worlds).

I'd recommend you read the Kapek book rather than watch this new BBC/Disney vehicle with it's no doubt heavy woke overtones.

chiefdave · Dec 3, 2025

Captain Dart said:
his new BBC/Disney vehicle with it's no doubt heavy woke overtones.

good to see you approaching it with an open mind

Captain Dart · Dec 4, 2025

chiefdave said:
good to see you approaching it with an open mind

It's societal programming, always has happened on the BBC & US TV.
I think many of the recent themes have had negative effects particularly on young people, I'm not out on a limb on this issue.

Farmer Jim · Jan 11, 2026

The Long Walk - Stephen King.

I bought this book on the strength of the film and without realising that it was King`s first ever novel, written well over forty years ago.

There`s a real anger to his writing in this book and it`s much less polished than his later stuff, which I thought really complemented the narrative and message he was trying to get across.

The film pretty much nails it too and is almost a word for word remake of the book, bar a slightly different ending.

Dark and brutal, but a very good read, quite prophetic, in light of what`s going on in Trumps America right now.

ajsccfc · Jan 14, 2026

"Babs Dionne, doting grandmother and vicious crime matriarch, rules her small town with an iron fist. She controls the flow of drugs into its borders with the help of her loyal lieutenants, girlfriends since they were teenagers, and her eldest daughter, Lori, a former soldier struggling with addiction.

When a drug cartel discovers that its numbers are down in the area, they send a malevolent force, known only as The Man, to investigate. At the same time, Babs’s youngest daughter, Sis, has gone missing, which doesn’t seem at all like a coincidence. In twenty-four hours, Sis will be found dead, and the whole town will seek shelter from Babs’s wrath"

Little bit of Tony Soprano if he was a New England grandmother, little bit of No Country For Old Men, little bit of Fargo. Loved it and I'm now going to fill in the blanks and see what else the author had written before.

Brighton Sky Blue · Jan 14, 2026

Farmer Jim said:
The Long Walk - Stephen King.

I bought this book on the strength of the film and without realising that it was King`s first ever novel, written well over forty years ago.

There`s a real anger to his writing in this book and it`s much less polished than his later stuff, which I thought really complemented the narrative and message he was trying to get across.

The film pretty much nails it too and is almost a word for word remake of the book, bar a slightly different ending.

Dark and brutal, but a very good read, quite prophetic, in light of what`s going on in Trumps America right now.

It was the first King book I read, decades ago now, and still one of my favourites. Been dying to watch the film.

Farmer Jim · Jan 14, 2026

Brighton Sky Blue said:
It was the first King book I read, decades ago now, and still one of my favourites. Been dying to watch the film.

The film did a very good job in bringing the book to life and didn`t shy away from any of the brutality and degradation of the Long Walk.

the ending is slightly different, more dramatic, but doesn`t detract from the ending in the book at all ( if that makes sense )

Farmer Jim · Jan 14, 2026

Nuclear War : A Scenario ( Annie Jacobson ) - the recent, film A House of Dynamite is based on the book,

Without doubt the single most frightening and disturbing book I`ve ever read.

Jacobs creates a hypothetical real life scenario, where global nuclear war unfolds :

Step 1 : North Korea launches a nuke directly at Washington DC ( no reason given )
Step 2 : America launches many more nukes at North Korea, intending to wipe the country out.
Step 3 : North Korea launches another nuke at a nuclear power station in California, causing the reactor to meltdown on top of the bomb blast.
Step 4 : Russia believes that the US are attacking them and launches hundreds of nukes at America and Nato countries.
Step 5 : America launches hundreds of nukes at Russia.
Step 6 : North Korea detonates and electro magnetic atomic pulse bomb over America, destroying everything that relies on electricity / conductors.

Step 7 : The world as we know it is gone forever.

Her research is meticulous and it took over ten years to write the book, interviewing retired personnel involved in the research, development, production and military side of Americas atomic weapons programme.

The book describes minute by minute what is happening and why, taking some 35 minutes from the launch of the first nuke by North Korea, to the destruction of most of the world by American and Russia.

It`s that well written, the book reads like a novel and other than to take breathers and clear my head from what I was reading, I couldn`t put it down.

Amongst the final paragraphs, there`s a direct quote from Albert Einstein, when asked about his thoughts on how a nuclear war would be fought :

" I know not with what weapons World War Three, will be fought with, but World War Four will be fought with sticks and stones "

This is a book that every politician in the world should be made to read.

CovValleyBoy · Jan 14, 2026

It's an oldie.
George Orwell's
"Down & Out in London & Paris"
Poverty beyond anything we understand as poverty today & comedy amongst the despair in the Paris aspect of the book.
Enjoyed Coming Up For Air too & the
Clergyman's Daughter ; also by the great man.

Brighton Sky Blue · Jan 14, 2026

Farmer Jim said:
Nuclear War : A Scenario ( Annie Jacobson ) - the recent, film A House of Dynamite is based on the book,

Without doubt the single most frightening and disturbing book I`ve ever read.

Jacobs creates a hypothetical real life scenario, where global nuclear war unfolds :

Step 1 : North Korea launches a nuke directly at Washington DC ( no reason given )
Step 2 : America launches many more nukes at North Korea, intending to wipe the country out.
Step 3 : North Korea launches another nuke at a nuclear power station in California, causing the reactor to meltdown on top of the bomb blast.
Step 4 : Russia believes that the US are attacking them and launches hundreds of nukes at America and Nato countries.
Step 5 : America launches hundreds of nukes at Russia.
Step 6 : North Korea detonates and electro magnetic atomic pulse bomb over America, destroying everything that relies on electricity / conductors.

Step 7 : The world as we know it is gone forever.

Her research is meticulous and it took over ten years to write the book, interviewing retired personnel involved in the research, development, production and military side of Americas atomic weapons programme.

The book describes minute by minute what is happening and why, taking some 35 minutes from the launch of the first nuke by North Korea, to the destruction of most of the world by American and Russia.

It`s that well written, the book reads like a novel and other than to take breathers and clear my head from what I was reading, I couldn`t put it down.

Amongst the final paragraphs, there`s a direct quote from Albert Einstein, when asked about his thoughts on how a nuclear war would be fought :

" I know not with what weapons World War Three, will be fought with, but World War Four will be fought with sticks and stones "

This is a book that every politician in the world should be made to read.

I'm slowly working my way through 'The Making of the Atomic Bomb' by Richard Rhodes which builds from the research that led to us understanding atomic structure through to the bombings on Japan and beyond. Some parts get quite technical but it's scientific and historical writing at its best.

Will add this Jacobson book to the list.

Farmer Jim · Jan 14, 2026

Brighton Sky Blue said:
I'm slowly working my way through 'The Making of the Atomic Bomb' by Richard Rhodes which builds from the research that led to us understanding atomic structure through to the bombings on Japan and beyond. Some parts get quite technical but it's scientific and historical writing at its best.

Will add this Jacobson book to the list.

She manages to breakdown the technical side of the bomb and it`s development, into readable and understandable chunks, that don`t bog the book down and easy to understand for anyone, with a very basic knowledge of nuclear physics ( me )

This is a massive in the book, as at no point does it become " dry " and difficult to read, instead, it keeps you turning page after page, as the minutes tick down to detonation and afterwards.

I didn`t sleep properly for a couple of nights after I finished and the last book that did that to me was Cormac McCarthy`s Blood Meridian !

Grendel · Jan 14, 2026

Farmer Jim said:
The Long Walk - Stephen King.

I bought this book on the strength of the film and without realising that it was King`s first ever novel, written well over forty years ago.

There`s a real anger to his writing in this book and it`s much less polished than his later stuff, which I thought really complemented the narrative and message he was trying to get across.

The film pretty much nails it too and is almost a word for word remake of the book, bar a slightly different ending.

Dark and brutal, but a very good read, quite prophetic, in light of what`s going on in Trumps America right now.

I think Carrie was his first novel?

Farmer Jim · Jan 14, 2026

Grendel said:
I think Carrie was his first novel?

You`re right, as he published the Long Walk under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman, Carrie was his first as Stephen King.

Grendel · Jan 14, 2026

Farmer Jim said:
You`re right, as he published the Long Walk under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman, Carrie was his first as Stephen King.

As you mentioned Donald Trump surely he’s the epitomy of Greg Stilson in The Dead Zone

Grendel · Jan 14, 2026

I have just finished reading The Noble Path by Peter May.

Not normally my thing. I have only really read his trilogy and follow up novel regarding crime and mystique around the Isle of Lewes.

He it seems write this in the 80’s as a draft but only just published it. It’s centred around a mercenary and his attempt to get a family out of Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge occupation.

Its pretty good

DawlishSkyBlue · Jan 14, 2026

CovValleyBoy said:
It's an oldie.
George Orwell's
"Down & Out in London & Paris"
Poverty beyond anything we understand as poverty today & comedy amongst the despair in the Paris aspect of the book.
Enjoyed Coming Up For Air too & the
Clergyman's Daughter ; also by the great man.

This is on my list to read this year

Sky Blue Pete · Jan 14, 2026

Just finished Philip Pullman’s final book of dust trilogy. Great stuff
Also reading all the 40 books in the wizard of oz genre
Also reading making change that lasts by dr chattergee
Also the last atlas book in the trilogy - good read bonkers science but it’s fiction.
like to have a few on the go at the same time
Just gonna get flintoffs new book too

will definitely look at the books you guys have mentioned

Sky Blue Pete · Jan 14, 2026

Actually Suzie dents first book was great

JohnWH · Jan 14, 2026

This thread I enjoy the most.
Keep up the good readings.
Love the interests in sciences and history.

Just leant my sister a copy of "Ordinary Men" which details how regular Germans were swept up into conscripted service, turning humane folk into inhumane cogs of the Nazi machine.
She finished it recently, expressing dismay and saying something along the lines of 'this is what needs to be taught in school." I commented back it is a shame that there's now widespread illiteracy in both the sciences and history. (She's a former science teacher, now a PhD academic administrator of sorts).

Keep reading.

Never forget the Holocaust.
Never underestimate how a regular person can eventually "go along with" atrocities.

Kneeza · Jan 15, 2026

JohnWH said:
This thread I enjoy the most.
Keep up the good readings.
Love the interests in sciences and history.

Just leant my sister a copy of "Ordinary Men" which details how regular Germans were swept up into conscripted service, turning humane folk into inhumane cogs of the Nazi machine.
She finished it recently, expressing dismay and saying something along the lines of 'this is what needs to be taught in school." I commented back it is a shame that there's now widespread illiteracy in both the sciences and history. (She's a former science teacher, now a PhD academic administrator of sorts).

Keep reading.

Never forget the Holocaust.
Never underestimate how a regular person can eventually "go along with" atrocities.

View attachment 48324

It wasn't only ordinary Germans. Estonians, Latvians, Lithuanians were also swept up in it.

Otis · Jan 15, 2026

If you want death, destruction, incest and magic tricks, I would recommend the Bible.

DawlishSkyBlue · Jan 15, 2026

This was good but definitely not as good as all the hype made out!

JohnWH · Jan 15, 2026

DawlishSkyBlue said:
This was good but definitely not as good as all the hype made out!

View attachment 48350

So we cannot trust Samantha Harvey's words "Brilliance on every page"?
Dark times.

Captain Dart · Jan 15, 2026

Grendel said:
I have just finished reading The Noble Path by Peter May.

Not normally my thing. I have only really read his trilogy and follow up novel regarding crime and mystique around the Isle of Lewes.

He it seems write this in the 80’s as a draft but only just published it. It’s centred around a mercenary and his attempt to get a family out of Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge occupation.

Its pretty good

So much crime in remote locations these days, nothing to do with the idea this is a great location for a TV series.

Razzle Dazzle Dean Gordon · Jan 20, 2026

JohnWH said:
This thread I enjoy the most.
Keep up the good readings.
Love the interests in sciences and history.

Just leant my sister a copy of "Ordinary Men" which details how regular Germans were swept up into conscripted service, turning humane folk into inhumane cogs of the Nazi machine.
She finished it recently, expressing dismay and saying something along the lines of 'this is what needs to be taught in school." I commented back it is a shame that there's now widespread illiteracy in both the sciences and history. (She's a former science teacher, now a PhD academic administrator of sorts).

Keep reading.

Never forget the Holocaust.
Never underestimate how a regular person can eventually "go along with" atrocities.

View attachment 48324

You might want to have a look at Travellers in the Third Reich and Hitler's People also. The former i have read and thought excellent, the latter is in the current 'to be read' pile.

Razzle Dazzle Dean Gordon · Jan 20, 2026

ajsccfc said:
"Babs Dionne, doting grandmother and vicious crime matriarch, rules her small town with an iron fist. She controls the flow of drugs into its borders with the help of her loyal lieutenants, girlfriends since they were teenagers, and her eldest daughter, Lori, a former soldier struggling with addiction.

When a drug cartel discovers that its numbers are down in the area, they send a malevolent force, known only as The Man, to investigate. At the same time, Babs’s youngest daughter, Sis, has gone missing, which doesn’t seem at all like a coincidence. In twenty-four hours, Sis will be found dead, and the whole town will seek shelter from Babs’s wrath"

Little bit of Tony Soprano if he was a New England grandmother, little bit of No Country For Old Men, little bit of Fargo. Loved it and I'm now going to fill in the blanks and see what else the author had written before.

Ever read the Friends of Eddie Coyle? That's a good crime based book set back in the 70s.

Recommend a book (2 Viewers)

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