I don't think we've ever had a real discussion of Astronaut memoirs (I couldn't find one...), so how about it? Best book by an astronaut, and best book about manned (personned?) space flight by a non-astronaut, and why?
As a book / Apollo nut, I'm hoping for some recommendations of books I haven't read!

My choices are probably fairly obvious ones...

Best book by an Astronaut - 'Carrying the Fire' by Michael Collins.
I must have been about 8 when I found this in my local library, it was the first serious book I ever read on space travel, and couldn't count how many times I've read it since. He writes so openly, honestly and with real style. Too many Astronaut memoirs are let down by a certain stodginess in style. But when you finish this book, you feel you know him personally, and were there with him.

Best book on Space Travel - 'A Man on the Moon' by Andrew Chaikin.
I don't think I need to explain this one!

What do you think? Are there any others out there that stand out for you?

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"Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived." - Isaac Asimov

An interesting one im reading is called "MoonDust"
Its an unusual book,im not sure i agree with what the author is saying or how he sometimes characterises people but i havent put it down since i started it.
Its based upon a meeting between the author and Charlie Duke around the time Pete Conrad died. After one of them observes now theres only 9 moonwalkers left the author sets out to find them and see how the moon missions have changed their lives and how they view their own lunar experiences.

Best Apollo memoir not by an astronaut: Failure is not an Option, by Gene Kranz. A very frank, unaffected (and un-ghostwritten) memoir by one of the key players. His recounting of the Apollo 1 fire and its aftermath is, well, I can't come up with the words for it, but it will stay with you.

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Everything I need to know I learned through Googling.

A companion to that is "Flight - My Life in Mission Control" by Chris Kraft, who was basically Gene Kranz's boss. I read both books back to back and found it interesting some of the different takes each had on the same events.

A couple of others worth note, by astronauts :

Last Man on the Moon by Gene Cernan
The All American Boys by Walt Cunningham
High Flight by the late Jim Irwin
For Spacious Skies, Scott Carpenter

I just bought a copy of "Moonshot" by Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton. Haven't read it yet though.

I enjoyed "Lost Moon" by Jim Lovell too.

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" We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard..." - John F. Kennedy
TheSpaceRace.com

In no particular order.

All American Boys - Walt Cunningham
Last Man on the Moon - Gene Cernan
Lost Moon - Jim Lovell
Space Trivia and How do you go to the bathroom in space - Bill Pogue (sort of auto biographical)
Carrying the Fire - Micheal Collins

An excellent book on astronauts is Fallen Astronauts by Colin Burgess. His other two books, Teacher in Space and Ocean to Orbit are also great books.

Another book I found that was pretty good was Mission by Bill Nelson. He was a US representative who flew on the flight right before Challenger.

I found Jerry Linenger's book Letters from Mir just a strange book. In it he compiles some of the letters he emailed to his some while he was on the Mir Space Station. Some of the letters provide some detailed info on the workings of the Mir, yet his son was only a two-year.

Good non-astronaut books.

Moon Lander - Tom Kelly (The father of the LM)
Flight - Chris Kraft
Failure is not an Option - Gene Kranz
Unbroken Chain - Guenter Wendt
Apollo - Charles Murray and Catherine Bly Cox
The Real Space Cowboys - Ed Buckbee (Ed Buckbee was a Public Affairs Officer from the beginning of NASA) Not the greatest written book, but still not bad.

A book that really is bad is Almost Heaven. It is the story of women gaining entrance into the astronaut corps. It is full of errors. I'm talking simple errors like the date of the first moon landing. It is also political. It has the typical, NASA Management didn't like women, instead of actually exploring the facts. Before someone says anything, it is not the theme of this book I don't like, but the numerous errors and politcal bent.

I enjoyed Schirra's Space, and 'This New Ocean: The Story of the First Space Age' by William Burroughs.

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"For ignorance to reign, all it takes is for knowledgable people to say nothing"

Lonewulf

I've just noticed Amazon's description of Collins 'Carrying the Fire'...
Don't know WHO they're thinking of there...

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"Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived." - Isaac Asimov

Neil Leonov? Or maybe Alexi Armstrong?

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" We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard..." - John F. Kennedy
TheSpaceRace.com

He also flew the Atlantic solo and was shot down over the Soviet Union during a reconnaissance mission.

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Everything I need to know I learned through Googling.

Was that before or after becoming the 1st to break the sound barrier and the first woman to fly coast to coast??!

The description is really rather mangled isnt it!

A bit of chat between "Novosti kosmonavtiki" (Cosmonautics News) and the ISS.
http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/c.../anons_8.shtml
Any person can submit up to 5 questions to astronauts

only problem is I can't read much of the Ruskie language

10 questions (and 8 backup questions) are already chosen, like "What did you like the most about space flight?", "If you were allowed to, would you bring a cat or a dog there?", "What is your biggest disappointment about space flight?", etc.

The questions will be answered by Vinogradov and Williams on 12th April (I think).

This one´s cool: "How I became a space hitchhiker" - By Marcos Pontes, Brazilian astronaut. Coming soon.

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There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.

I just read Riding Rockets by Mike Mullane. Very good book, and a good window into the (now dwindling) days of the space shuttle. He was a member of the first class of shuttle astronauts and he recounts his experiences with eloquence and openness. He criticizes many aspects of NASA, and really brings humanity to the life of an astronaut, from endless waiting and uncertainty about missions, to actual space travel. Definitely check it out if you're interested in the stuff.

To Rule The Night is a favourite of mine. I think that James Irwin brilliantly conveyed his experiences, both at the moon and after.

I have to agree with Normandy6644 about Mullane's "Riding Rockets". I enjoyed it tremendously and really enjoyed his descriptions of how the first women, blacks and asians completely changed the dynamics of the astronaut office.

Mullane himself came from the military and does a wonderful job explaining HIS difficulties in adapting to such a different work environment.

An EX-cellent read.