I've got through a whole host of books recently , which I really must review for SOTCW but I just finished 'Last Thoughts on Vietnam' by Bernard Fall, being a collection of his last magazine articles etc written just before his death. He was most realistic in his writing & packed an amazing amount of life into his 40 years. It includes the transcript of his last tape dictation just before his death in combat. It doesn't quite end 'kaboom' (he stepped on a mine) but in '...looks like an amb...'.

Are they suitable for a "13 +" web site?

Well, ummmm...

For the first time in ages I've been reading FICTION. After a slew of AWI related books I felt like I needed a break so... Matter by Iain M Banks I've read all his other SF and I think all but the latest of his 'conventional' novels and he is one of my favourite authors. And having met him once or twice he's a nice guy. Although it was a long long time ago so he may have changed! I've enjoyed all his SF and especially the Culture based ones. He's one of the few SF authors I've read who can actually make me laugh out loud when reading. There are always one or two genuinely funny moments/lines in his books and they catch you by surprise for what most would see as straight SF. He also wrote a book about Whiskey which I can recommend as well although it is sprinkled throughout with his politics. Hoping to finish it today or tomorrow so I can then go through the trauma of deciding which book to take on holiday with the kids next week knowing full well I'll never get chance to read it! Andy

Etranger, I think I've read that albeit under a different title (Last Refelctions on a War?). There's some piccies of Bernard Fall in one of the Yank firebases up by the DMZ. Did you know that his wife (Dorothy Fall) wrote a biography about him? It's a bit brief, but there's some interesting stuff in there, especially about him in WW2.

Now. Can any one remember the name of the author that wrote a series of 4? 6? books. VERY thick, S.F. Where a group of kids get stuck as avatares in some "night club" thing on the web, then every so often they are protected by a disabled vietnam vet. There are also two soldiers from WWI that are "transported from the Spomme, or Ypres, or somewhere like that to a world where they are stuck in a giant chess game. OBCVIOUSLY one of these web things like "Lawnmower man" but THEY do not know it. STRANGE books but never got to read the last two. Would love to read them again. And Eccles tried to KILL this thread?????

Another vote for Iain Banks (with or without M). One of the very few modern SF (or general) authors that I have any time for. Wicked sense of humour too, judging by his books.

Funny that ive gone all sci fi of late im re-reading the riverworld books im about to finish the first one :stars:

I have recently aquired the full series of the "White gold wielder" series "The chronicles of Thomas Covenant". 30 years since I last read them. But seven 800 page books is some going.

Well, finally finished Matter and really enjoyed it. Would go back and re-read others in the Culture series but there is just too little time in life to spend reading the same book again! Thomas Covenant. Read those when at 6th Form. Even wrote a couple of essays about them, but then I did manage to answer 3 questions on my CSE English Lit exam using Lord of the Rings as the book rather than those we'd studied! I fancy reading the new Covenant books - anyone know if they're any good? - but feel I should read the others again first and just can't face it. Can also recommend Neil Stephenson as well. Andy

Nathaniel's Nutmeg by Giles Milton. http://www.booklore.co.uk/PastReviews/MiltonGiles/NathanielsNutmeg/NathanielsNutmegReview.htm

Vampire Lestat at work,Tommy Richard Holmes at home :)