I have to say for some time now, with the exception of Andy McNab's Nick Stone novels, which are true to life based on his SAS experience, non-fiction beats fiction hands down. It's been said that truth's stranger than fiction, I think you can add truth is more interesting than fiction, a lot more interesting...stuff made up doesn't come close

Been watching a lot of Discovery Channel/History/Military documentaries on Youtube - I don't have a tv. They've covered a whole range of topics from military history to engineering (Modern Marvels) and now I'm going through the crime documentaries. I loved the 24 part Cold War series - a CNN production, so might not be popular with some of the right wingers here...:-)

Fascinating - a real treat. It's got me wondering on occasion what people see in fiction...

I do prefer fiction as a rule but a good biography or autobiography is a thing of joy. Charleton Heston was excellent as was Clint Eastwood. I also love true-life crime stories. The Stranger Beside Me was good. The story of Ted Bundy written by a journalist who worked with him on a crisis hotline and got to know him well.

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Real men love cats!

I prefer non fiction. Mostly military, railroad and US history.

I do no serious reading. Therefore I prefer fiction.

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Incoming fire has right of way

That's for TV and film too?

Definitely prefer non-fiction as I read lots of history and through reading I've realized that some of the very best narrative prose is found in non-fiction. Examples? *Rick Atkinson, Laura Hillenbrand, David McCullough to name just a few.

*(The prologues of Atkinson's Army at Dawn and The Long Grey Line-both describing cemeteries-are gut wrenchingly evocatively beautiful).

These days I mostly read non-fiction, generally weapons, aviation, history or political science.

I occasionally read fiction, mostly Harry Turtledove science fiction and Walter Moseley and Andrew Vachss mysteries. I've been re-reading Edgar Rice Burroughs's "A Fighting Man of Mars".

I like non-fiction, history mostly. You just can't make up anything as crazy as truth. Although history books are not truth, just an attempt at truth.

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Have Gun Will Carry

Yes, yes, yes, yes. I read NF to F 1,000 to 1.

I don't think I will ever outgrow the desire to learn, I read mostly non-fiction and even the fiction I read I prefer to lean towards historical events that have an historical interest to them.

For enjoyment, I prefer fiction, science fiction/fantacy to be exact. Trying to visualize scenes and technology from anothers imagination often gets my own imagination fired up. Its like taking a little vacation away from one's mundane world but not physically going anywhere. I already read a lot of non-fiction reference books; enough to put me to sleep.

I've always enjoyed history so read that mostly, But read WEB Griffin for fiction.

Not sure why anyone would read fiction, like you don't
get enough of it whenever the TV is on?

I like historical fiction. For a while in the 80s and 90s I was reading fictional novels about the evil nazi's at a rate of 2 or 3 a week. Robert Ruarks novels about Africa were educational and entertaining. So are some of Wilbur Smiths.

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Regards, Ron
USASA 1965/69

I read both. Right now I'm reading a book on Ethan Allen.
There's a Robert B. Parker novel waiting in line.

In fiction I enjoyed A Painted House by John Grisham (no lawyers in this one), in non-fiction The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy by Rick Atkinson. I saw the true horror of the batles my Uncle Charlie Tucker experienced.

Until recently I was reading 100 books a year. Many of them were audio books. Now I'll starting reading about my new hobby. I found a nice hard back copy of Yenks book, The History of S&W, today I ordered Bill Jordan's No Second Place Winners and might want to read Tales of the Rio Grande if any of you can recommend it. Lastly in non-fiction b/c of a recent thread I looking for a book title on early Colt Woodsman.

That about does it. I do enjoy reading this forum!

I read all the non-fiction I cared to read while earning my degree. Now I read crime fiction, and find that it is much more entertaining than movies or tv. You do actually have to use your imagination to visualize. You also have to use problem solving as you work to solve the crime yourself.

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Hold on. SWAT's at my door.

I prefer interesting non-fiction which can be thrilling as well as interesting for my reading. Autobiographies are great. Most any well written history. Right now I've got to get into the newer book about John Adams I was reading. I NEVER get tired of reading WWII history.

Literature interests me more than Fiction.

I have enjoyed a lot of Fiction over the years but I don't like a steady diet of modern novels unless it's Clancy or something like that because they teach you something. I like a good horror or mystery but it has to be really good.

Whether or not one believes it is fiction or fact, the Bible is great reading.

I could go on, but reading always has been my favorite thing.

If i think about it, I guess I probably read more fiction than non-fiction, but I am not guided by that distinction. I just like to read.

I don't understand the people who say disdainfully "I don't read fiction", as if it makes you a less serious person or something. To my mind, it makes you less interesting. I can think of no better companion than a woman who reads James Lee Burke or Daniel Woodrell or Roberto Callasso, keeps a bottle of gin and a couple of red wines on hand, and knows how to make an olive stew or pasta puttanesca.

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Not in jail.

Sounds good to me, all except pasta puttanesca! Sounds kinda dirty!

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Regards, Ron
USASA 1965/69

I am hooked on historical non-fiction works, especially those about the Revolutionary War and that time period.

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Frosty
S&WCA # 2816

99 44/100% non-fiction for me, more interesting to read about real people, real events and places, etc. I like to read true crime books, read about real detectives catching real villains. Last novel I read was "Fatherland" an alternate history in which Germany wins World war II.
Didn't do anything for me, I kept thinking "That's not how it went!". For me, reading fiction is like stuffing one's self with snack foods, tastes good but really isn't that satisfying. And I am enough of a gun enthusiast that my idea of bedtime reading is "Hatcher's Notebook" or "Sixguns by Keith".

My reading tastes are firmly planted in historical and military non-fiction, with various time periods covered as the mood strikes. I've been reading a great deal as of late about Robert Rogers and the French & Indian War era, and will switch to Civil War, Vietnam, African big game hunting, and back as time permits.

When I do indulge in fiction, I only revert to fiction classics, nothing new piques my interest. Poe, Hemingway, DeFoe, etc.

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I'm with the banned ...

Try: The Sergeant by: Gordon Davis (aka) E. Howard Hunt of: Watergate famedom. That series as far as I know lasted ONLY 9 books but they are all excellent. Lots of combat, and such.

I like both fiction and non-f. I love all military history from all periods--but for at least 15 years--99% dealing with WWII and about 90% dealing only with the Eastern Front.

This book is a MUST read by anyone interested in the Eastern Front:

Of the hundreds of books ive read about the Eastern Front--this one tops them all, and ive read many flawless works.

James Lee Burke is the only author I read anymore. Have every book he's written.

Non. Well written fiction is hard to find.

I'm in the non-fiction group. Most likely something on the ETO of WII. U.S. history and technical topics are on my night stand also.

LTC

It is! And even better than it sounds. You know, the point of an evening like that is not just eating, drinking and talking about books.

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Not in jail.

Try these on for size:
The Sergeant, by: Gordon Davis: This was the one that got me started:

The Black Eagles, by: John Lansing: This was the first I read:
Nr 2 that is:

Casca, by: Barry Sadler: This one got me started on this series:

I am a fan of Steven KIng. Nuff said.

Outside of "romance novels" I've never seen a book I didn't like.

I read both. I don't see why some here denigrate fiction.

I've several times plugged the work of David Lindsey and Thomas Harris. Robert B. Parker was more sparse, but excellent.

I've published over 4,000 non-fiction items and am working on my first novel. I can tell you, I find fiction far harder to do well, but it's very satisfying to write and it demands a very high level of creativity.

The better fiction writers often include general and historical infomation in their novels. You can learn a lot about such things as food, wine, cars, and geography in novels.

I think I first learned about Rolex watches in James Bond books.

Some of the most incredible, yet plausible, criminals can be found in fiction. I defy any of you to read, "A Cold Mind" or, "Mercy" by David Lindsey and not shudder. Either could be a true story.

A good crime writer looks into the minds of both the villain and the detective and has to make both come alive for the reader. He will also work the locale well, as Parker did Boston.

The OP lives in the UK. I hope he's tried Peter O'Donnell's Modesty Blaise books. I quite liked those, and his gun info is especially good for a fiction writer.

You sound like me. Ironically the only Hemingway I've read was a couple of months ago and it was non-fiction, "Death in the Afternoon" about bull fighting and spurred me on to read as much about it until I got turned off on it watching some videos.

Did you read "War on the Run" about R. Rogers? The old Fiction work "Northwest Passage" by Kenneth Roberts is a good Rogers book.

Last June we stopped for lunch coming home from a fishing trip to Lake Champlain very near Rogers Rock. Too bad I didn't get to see it.

I read a lot of both.

I have almost every work publically available by Robert E. Howard. Most people have heard of him from the Conan series, but he did a lot more than that, including several books of historical fiction from the time of the Crusades.

C.S. Forrester is another favorite, the Hornblower series in particular.

There were many years where most of what I read was WWII. After a while, I realized I was reading the same things over and over, just different authors using the same source documents.

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USAF 1981 - 2001

How can you tell the difference?

The only fiction I read, these days, are the noooospapers.

,

I ran into the same problem so I concentrated on things I wasn't all that familiar with, like the Italian campaign and Eastern Front, China, books written by former enemies, etc. I think WWII is an endless wellspring.

For non-fiction fans:

Read "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and then see how you feel about fiction.

Maybe "The Old Man and the Sea"

Jack Aubry novels by Patrick O'Brian

There are a lot of compelling fiction books out there.

TS, I learned a lot about refined taste from the James Bond books and what I tried to apply (as a teenager) got me in trouble in high school. I tried to dress crisply and conservatively. I started smoking my cigarettes European style. What ever I could afford that was more expensive than most was my cup of tea. I tried to speak the most correct and precise English as I could. I wanted to be James Bond. Do know what you get branded for that in H.S. ?
The girls thought I was weird and the guys (mostly) accused me of being a dandy. Just the opposite of what I wanted to convey. Between that and my mother I decided to quit school and join the Army. I learned a hard lesson in realism. Even so, I bought my first Rolex when I was overseas.
Sorry for the drift!

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Regards, Ron
USASA 1965/69

Truth is stranger than fiction.. so I only read non fiction...Bible, books, mags, s&w forum threads.. you get the picture...
I do like comics..they are fiction.

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John 1:17
NRA Life Benefactor

Non-fiction exclusively. I like TEXAS history, Civil War, and Chess games of the Masters. If I need to read a real fiction, I'll get a copy of " Dreams from my father".

Mostly non-fiction, primarily history and biographies. But I do enjoy novels occasionally, and tend to re-read old favorites in that category. Sometimes the two intersect nicely: McKinlay Kantor's Andersonville and Nicholas Monsarrat's The Cruel Sea are great examples.

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Oh well, what the hell.

Stalingrad alone has endless stories.

I like it all. If you limit yourself to one genre, you'll never learn anything new.

In the last five weeks while being temporarily disabled, I've probably read over eighteen books. Fiction, non fiction, crime, history, art, and others.

Plus dogging forums at all hours.

Pain killers keep you awake.

I read some fiction but I prefer non fiction There's so much I dont know and non-fiction opens all sorts of doors to things that I knew nothing about

I prefer non fiction but I do read fiction at times.

I read much more non fiction, but I enjoy good fiction when I can find it.
Sometimes I find truth in good fiction, and sometimes non fiction is the truth but not such good reading...


The difference between fiction and non fiction is fiction has to be believable.

"The truth is a valuable commodity, that's why it is used so sparingly."
( Mark Twain)

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Halfway and one more step

NF only. Primarily local history, both World Wars, and aircraft.

No preference. Whether a book is "real or made up," as I heard a no-nonsense kind of guy describe the distinction years ago, junk is junk and quality shines. Most of my non-fiction reading could be considered textbook-type consumption; I keep trying to learn new things, which seems to be a losing proposition the older I get. As to fiction, I think I have learned as much about people from good novels as I have from observation in real life. I don't read much for entertainment, though I guess you could call it that when a book doesn't offer as much knowledge as I hoped I would get from it.

Interesting to see Harry Turtledove's name. He is actually a Byzantine historian, and I would run into him occasionally at UCLA in the early 1970s when we were both grad students there.

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David Wilson