[Fot] Books and books on tape

[koblinger at verizon.net]

Hello Bill,

A couple of books I have read recently that I can recommend. "First Light" is the wartime memoir of Geoffrey Wellum who joined the RAF as a flying cadet at the age of 17 1/2 and was flying Spitfires in the Battle of Britain before he was 19. He does a wonderful job of describing both the shear joy of flying as well as the chaos and terror of aerial combat. It's one of the best books I have read in years. 

Another fascinating book I am now reading is "The Grand Prix Saboteurs" by Joe Saward. This is the true story of pre-war Grand Prix drivers William Grover-Williams, Robert Benoist and Jean-Pierre Wimille who worked for the British SOE in France during the war. Saward spent 18 years researching the story. It's one of those true stories that reads like fiction. It does suffer from some poor editing and can be a bit hard to follow in that the author seems to switch back and forth between using the agents real names and their code names. But it is a fantastic story. 

Another book I enjoyed on vacation was "Touch Wood" by Duncan Hamilton. Hamilton was a gentleman racer and Jaguar works driver who won the 1953 24hrs of Le Mans. To say that 
the man knew how to have fun is a serious understatement. You will laugh out loud guarnteed! I don't know if it is still in print but used copies are around.

Cheers,
Kurt Oblinger




>From: Bill Babcock <billb at bnj.com>
>Date: 2007/04/09 Mon PM 02:36:56 CDT
>To: FOT Triumph <fot at autox.team.net>, mgVR at yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [Fot] Books and books on tape

> From the AllAluminumTour blog:
>
>Similarly to the thread on music, I'm looking for help on books to  
>read and books to listen to on this long, long trip. Since this list  
>is intended to help me, let me tell you a few of the things that i  
>already have covered.
>
>Patrick O'Brian--still can't believe he died on me. Thoughtless of  
>him. I consider him to be one of the best writers in the english  
>language. I have numerous full sets of his Aubrey/Maturin books,  
>including everything on tape.
>
>Bernard Cornwall--got everything, waiting for him to write more,  
>though I've only tried one book on tape as a download from Audible.  
>Didn't really like it, can't say why.
>
>Rex Stout--hey, the trailer is named Nero. Rex has been gone a long  
>time, I think I've read every word he published, and got most of them  
>on tape.
>
>Hemingway, Robert Ruark, Peter Capstick, Peter Mayle--got 'em, read  
>'em, perhaps too many times. I'm waiting for my memory to go  
>completely so I can enjoy them all fresh and new.
>
>Science Fiction--I'm a little burned out on the genre, the result of  
>50+ years of voraciously reading the great, the good, the OK and the  
>really crappy.  The last good SF book I found was Vernor Venge, "Fire  
>Upon the Deep" and even he couldn't repeat the depth.  I've read  
>David Weber's stuff, but I always feel a little stupid slogging  
>through the formulaic dreck.  William Gibson seems to have quit  
>writing, Neil Stephenson is on autopilot.
>
>My particular likes are historical fiction, science, anything to do  
>with cars or motorcycles, the occasional detective stuff, anything  
>hemingway-esque. Maybe that's the problem, I need to consider some  
>new directions. What are you reading, what do you love, what books on  
>tape are particularly great. I note that the reader is important for  
>books on tape. Who'd have thunk that Bert Reynolds would be a GREAT  
>book on tape voice, even though he can't pronounce "library".
>
>Bill Babcock
>billb at bnj.com
>bnj  Website for Babcock & Jenkins, a direct and interactive agency
>
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