Just got a Kindle. Haven't read in a decade so everything is on the table.

Looking for feel good books, books about being a better person, about being a leader, for history I like the American revolution and WW2.

Or, any book that doesn't fit those that is just your favorite book ever.

Thanks!

This fits outside your general likes, but I will tell you that one of the greatest joys I got on my kindle was revisiting classics, which you can get for free. They may not all fit within your interests, but you can of course pick and choose which ones interest you.

Some of my personal favorites:
Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
King Solomon's Mines by H Rider Haggard
Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

There are plenty of others that are available in public domain to explore, super easy to get and read.

The Monuments Men by Bret Witter and Robert Edsel is a very solid read that the movie was based on. WW2 book about trying to catch Hitler and recover artwork he stole from the Jewish people before he could destroy it. Not my favorite book ever, but one I enjoyed quite a bit that touches your topics.

Read all of Wilbur Smiths books. Try River God or Birds of Prey.

The Three Body Problem is one of my favorite Sci-Fi books from recent years.

Revolutionary War - Almost a Miracle: The American Victory in the War for Independence (John Ferling)
World War 2 - The Last of the Tin Can Sailors (James Hornfischer); The Second World Wars (Victor Davis Hanson)
Other - One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn); The Long Goodbye (Raymond Chandler)

The 12th Man- not Aggie related but does involve WW2 and perseverance.

You would not enjoy my favorite book


So I recommend the Agent Pendergast series by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Childs

Favorite Books from this century:

The North Water - Ian McGuire
In the Heart of the Sea - Nathaniel Philbrick
Old Man War Series - John Scalzi

All time:
The Hunt for Red October - Tom Clancy
The Forever War - Joe Haldeman
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card

The Class of 1846: From West Point to Appomattox
A large majority of the big Civil War leaders on both sides came from this USMA class

You should check out Jeff Shaara's work. He's written some incredible historical fiction on WW2. His latest is on Pearl Harbor.

Favorite Classic: Count of Monte Cristo, especially on audio book you can't help but root for Edmond Dantes. Sweetest revenge tale out there.

Favorite Sci-Fi: Nemesis Games(the Expanse series), IMHO this is the peak of the series even though the later books haven't tapered off much.

Favorite Fantasy: The Way of Kings(Stormlight Archives), or at least Kaladin's arc because there's is no better zero to hero fiction out there...

Favorite nonfiction: History of the Atomic Bomb, This is just fascinating because it reads like a biography connecting the dots between the earliest particle physics discoveries all the way up to the timing and discovery of the bomb. The firsthand accounts make for a sobering foil for the first part.

Bonus:
Favorite Star Wars book: Lost Stars. Claudia Grey made a masterpiece and it's probably the best Star Wars fiction in the Disney era. Follows 2 pilots on opposite sides of the war and the original trilogy serves as the setting/backdrop.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo

Great feel-good book

If you like books with historic Texas as the backdrop, I just finished News of the World by Paulette Giles. It's a nice easy and entertaining read. And of course Lonesome Dove is my all-time favorite.

If you like sports, read Moneyball

Jay Bilas has a book called Toughness, which I think falls in your better person/leader category.

Following the Equator - Mark Twain

If you like WW2 there is a biography about Dietrich Bonhoeffer that involves plots to kill hitler.

https://www.amazon.com/Bonhoeffer-Pastor-Martyr-Prophet-Spy/dp/1595552464

My favorite book is Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. If you haven't read other any of his other novels I would start with All The Pretty Horses.

Anything Erik Larson is great. It's historical non-fiction but written like a novel. In the Garden of Beasts occurs in the years leading up to WWII

Agree with the Ken Follett novels also.

For self improvement/psychology I really like Grit by Angela Duckworth

Bookmarked this thread for future readings...

My favorite book ever is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Very allegorical. Very carpe diem. It's a great book and a quick read.

Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan. If you like the movie The Town this is the book it was based on.

Hellhound on His Trail by Hampton Sides. About the events leading up to MLKs assassination and the pursuit of James Earl Ray afterward. It's slow at first but picks up about 1/4 through.

The Old Man and the Sea. It's Hemingway. No need to explain.

If you want some turn-your-brain-off thrillers, either Vince Flynn's American Assassin series or Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels.

A Man Called Ove by Frederick Backman. This is the most recent book I read and it's definitely feel-good.

Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams. About a guy from Australia who went through Peru seeking out MP. It's hilarious.

Anything by Michael Lewis: Moneyball, Liar's Poker, The Big Short book.

Another recommendation for Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. A personal account of the late 90's Everest Disaster.

Another recommendation for The Martian by Andy Weir. It's fantastic and I agree it's better than the movie.

Another one is The Plot Against America by Phillip Roth

It's an alternative history where FDR loses to Lindbergh and the new President signs a peace treaty with Hitler.

Dune - Frank Herbert - considered the gold standard sci-fi novel.

Anything by Jon Krakauer is fascinating. I highly recommend Under the Banner of Heaven if you want to get some background on the Mormons.

Guess who's books I would recommend?

In The Garden of Beasts (Larson) is absolutely riveting. Follows the story of the American ambassador to Germany living in Berlin as Hitler was coming to power.

Lafayette (Unger) is by far the best biography I've ever read. If you have even the tiniest interest in the American and French revolutions, you'll love it.

All The Light We Cannot See (Doerr) if you're in the mood for fiction. It's not lighthearted by any stretch, but it's just a beautiful and very moving story.

I'll second The Count of Monte Cristo if you haven't read it. Fantastic book.

aglaohfour said:

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Lafayette (Unger) is by far the best biography I've ever read. If you have even the tiniest interest in the American and French revolutions, you'll love it.

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I have had this book for years but haven't gotten to it yet. Moved to the top of the list

Anything by Erik Larson or Jon Krakauer.
The Martian is a fantastic book.
The Hobbit is my personal favorite.