Book Thread number ?

[erin]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Since my last post in here (which has been ages... been busy & not in a reading frame of mind with some family things that were going on)...

...I've started to get back into a reading kick.

I finished Black Mass - I liked it, though it took me a long time to get through. It was certainly interesting, and especially so since the capture of Whitey.

I also read:

• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - As I don't think I had since childhood.
• The Golden Acorn (The Adventures of Jack Brenin, #1) by Catherine Cooper - Quick, easy, nothing great, but enjoyable enough.
• Happy Herbivore Abroad: A Travelogue and Over 135 Fat-Free and Low-Fat Vegan Recipes from Around the World by Lindsay S. Nixon - A Christmas gift from the boyfriend, some cool recipes & travel stories. Will have to try some recipes to really know how I feel about it.

I'm currently reading:

• The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales - A bit more reverting back to some childhood stories.
• Citizen Somerville by Bobby Martini - Really enjoying this one about the Irish Gang Wars in Somerville, MA.

 

[MattS]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Cold Days by Jim Butcher. Latest installment of the Harry Dresden series. Finally Butcher has turned out a book deserving of being included in with the series first books. I thought the past couple were pretty bad. Although the overall story arc doesn't advance much some important events happen to set up the story for the following books. 4 out of 5 stars

Vampires by John Steakley. Typical vampire hunter story. Nothing new in the story and overal an OK read. 3 out of 5 stars

Angelic by Kelley Armstrong. A novella that was a complete waste of time. Although I did finish it. 1 out of 5 stars.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner. Similar story type of the Hunger Games. Kids pitted against a powerful government and trial to survive. I thought the Hunger Games was better. 3 out of 5 stars.

Finishing up American Sniper by Chris Kyle. Odd that I started this one about a week ago shortly before his death.

 

[Probert]

Re: Book Thread number ?

My Recent Reads

Threat Vector by Tom Clancy This latest Clancy novel starts with Jack Ryan back in the White House but mainly revolves around Jack Jr and The Campus. The Chinese are once again getting belligerent and seeking to take control of the South China Sea and getting aggressive with Taiwan. They have also launched an aggressive cyber war campaign which has grounded many portions of the US military capabilities. The Campus seeks to shut down the Chinese cyber offensive before the conflict escalates into WW III, a pretty good effort from Clancy on par with his recent books but not nearly as good as his earlier writings.

The Innocent David Baldacci This book follows the story of Wil Robie. He is an assassin for the United States dispatching their enemies. It starts when he is ordered to kill someone close to home a change from the normal course of action. When Robie hesitates to do the kill someone else completes the contract and Robie is placed on the run. While on the run he helps a 14 year old girl who is also on the run for her life. Will Robie be able to help the girl unravel the plot against him and save the day. Nice plot turns from Baldacci and a good novel in his Camel Club style mixing politics and action.

The Takeover by Stephen W. Frey This book follows the format of several of Frey’s other thrillers. A top secret cabal threatening to wreak both fiscal and political havoc on the US Andrew Falcon a young trader being set up as a patsy in an act of revenge has to tie all the pieces of this conspiracy together to keep himself out of jail and stop the financial markets from cratering. Ok read I don’t like it as much a Frey’s more recent novels.

Rules of Vengeance by Christopher Reich The second book involving the Doctor without Borders Jonathan Ransom. Ransom and his wife Emma a secret agent have been apart for months but get together in London for a secret rendezvous. When a bomb blows up almost killing a high profile Russian Ransom is accused in the attack. He knows the only way to possibly clear his name is to track down his wife. A mad dash around Europe with both police agencies and killers, nice twists and turns as Ransom tries to stop a plan to blow up a nuclear plant and topple the leadership of Russia.

Merry Christmas Alex Cross This book has Alex Cross out of his house of Christmas Eve trying to stop a disgraced lawyer from killing his ex- wife, new husband and children. As soon as that is finished it morphs into a story about an attack by terrorists at Washington’s train station. Typical fast paced Cross action.

Private London by James Patterson This book follows the adventures of Dan Carter the head of Private’s London office. He is tasked with protecting Hannah Shapiro a young girl rescued by Private founder Jack Morgan from a kidnapping in which her mother was killed. Now grown up she is living in England going to college and Carter is spurred to action when she is kidnapped again. Is this a re do of what happened to years before or just a strange coincidence. Some good twists and turns an okay book.

Zoo by James Patterson In this Patterson book Jackson Oz was thought of as a crackpot when he tried to make the world believe that animals were increasing the attacks on people. When it is revealed that he is right will he be able to save the day. Okay book but nothing great.

Poseidon’s Arrow by Clive Cussler Luckily unlike many of Cussler’s recent books this focuses less on the children and more on Dirk Sr. Someone is attempting to steal and sabotage America’s top secret military products and rare earth metals. Dirk assisted by an NCIS agent who seems to get kidnapped on a regular basis manages to link the thefts to a piracy ring using a microwave weapon to kill or maim the crews and then steal the cargo. Dirk and Giordino attempt to stop the ring with a little bit of help from the kids before National Security is compromised. A little better than the recent Pitt books but not as good as the older novels.

The Tombs by Clive Cussler The 4th book in the Fargo series was alright and the series is starting to grow on me. This book finds Remi and Sam on the hunt of Attila the Hun’s tomb which sends them all over Europe with a supposed relative of Attila and a crime lord trying to stifle them at every turn. I agree with some of the other reviews where the second set of “villains” who make a couple of appearances but don’t seem to add anything to the story. Pretty good effort by Cusslers new “co-writer” for this series.

A Maiden’s Grave by Jeffrey Deaver This book by Deaver follows a hostage situation. 3 recently escaped convicts are holding a school bus with several teachers and students from a school for the deaf. As negotiations commence between the police and the convicts commence the FBI negotiator Arthur Potter tries to get the hostages out while struggling against political forces arrayed against him outside and the hostage takers inside. Will the hostages have to take matters in their own hands? Pretty good effort from Deaver non stop action.

Day Trader by Steven Frey Augustus McKnight seems to be on the right track making a huge score trading an IPO online. Unfortunately he comes home and finds out his wife is having an affair and wants to leave him. The next day she ends up dead and he comes into a windfall as a result of her life insurance policy. He then decides to become a full time day trader. Dogged by a cop and a insurance investigator who are looking to see if he killed his wife he finds out some things he didn’t want to know about his wife while struggling to find out who is her killer. Pretty good book but a little short.

Rules of Betrayal Christopher Reich This book opens with Jonathan Ransom once again being drawn into Divisions orbit. Working in Afghanistan helping out the local tribes he is kidnapped and forced to perform surgery on a Taliban warlord. Much to his surprise his interpreter and guide kills the warlord. Escaping by the skin of his teeth he earns the wrath of the warlord’s family. Meanwhile his wife is involved in an arms deal which goes bad when they realize she has set them up to be killed. Tortured and left for dead in the desert she manages to escape with the help of the arms merchant as he recruits her to pull a nuclear weapon off a mountainside. Ransom is recruited for a near suicide mission by Division to go undercover as a doctor to learn where the weapon is so it can be destroyed before it is detonated in the US. Typical of the Ransom novels this book moves at a breathtaking pace with many twists and turns.

 

[pgb-ohio]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Since my last post in here (which has been ages... been busy & not in a reading frame of mind with some family things that were going on)...

...I've started to get back into a reading kick...

• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - As I don't think I had since childhood.

You know, I've never read the original. Obviously the story line is familiar from movie versions. Do you recommend making the book a priority? I love reading, but can't devote the same amount of time to it as many who regularly post on this thread. If I'm reading 1-2 books a month, should it be on my list sometime soon?

 

[erin]

Re: Book Thread number ?

You know, I've never read the original. Obviously the story line is familiar from movie versions. Do you recommend making the book a priority? I love reading, but can't devote the same amount of time to it as many who regularly post on this thread. If I'm reading 1-2 books a month, should it be on my list sometime soon?

I don't know about a priority, but it's certainly something that's so familiar that if you read it & have to put it down, it's not really going to get away from you, you know?

 

[pgb-ohio]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Very true. Thanks for the reply.

Beyond what I've already posted, there's an additional motive for my question. My book club occasionally chooses a piece of "Classic Fiction" for its monthly selection. I've thought about suggesting Alice, but hadn't gotten around to it. Then I saw your post. So I guess my "real" question is whether the book would be a good choice for a group.

As a preliminary matter, there isn't a strict definition of what constitutes a classic. I suppose if you took a copyright approach, you could say that if the author passed away more than 50 years ago, yet people are still reading, then it's a classic.

Past examples: The group has read Steinbeck's East of Eden and Stevenson's Treasure Island, and both went over well. Conversely, the group chose not to read Gulliver's Travels. FWIW.

There's probably no definitive answer to my question, but any further thoughts you have would be welcomed.

 

[leswp1]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Very true. Thanks for the reply.

Beyond what I've already posted, there's an additional motive for my question. My book club occasionally chooses a piece of "Classic Fiction" for its monthly selection. I've thought about suggesting Alice, but hadn't gotten around to it. Then I saw your post. So I guess my "real" question is whether the book would be a good choice for a group.

As a preliminary matter, there isn't a strict definition of what constitutes a classic. I suppose if you took a copyright approach, you could say that if the author passed away more than 50 years ago, yet people are still reading, then it's a classic.

Past examples: The group has read Steinbeck's East of Eden and Stevenson's Treasure Island, and both went over well. Conversely, the group chose not to read Gulliver's Travels. FWIW.

There's probably no definitive answer to my question, but any further thoughts you have would be welcomed.

Swiss Family Robinson. The unabridged version is awesome.

 

[pgb-ohio]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Swiss Family Robinson. The unabridged version is awesome.

Could work. And that's certainly another example of a classic with a familiar story line, yet a book many people have never read.

This is really, really pathetic, but: For all of the time I spent watching the Space Family Robinson (Lost In Space) as a kid, count me as one who never read the classic. While the Space Family didn't have much to do with the original Robinsons -- even as a spoof -- it certainly wouldn't have hurt me to have read the book the TV people used as their point of departure...

 

[MadTownSioux]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Has anybody here read Armistead Mauphin's "Tales of the City" series? even if you're not into the Gay SF culture, it's great writing and fun to read about the city, especially if you've been there.

 

[Carter]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Has anybody here read Armistead Mauphin's "Tales of the City" series? even if you're not into the Gay SF culture, it's great writing and fun to read about the city, especially if you've been there.

Yeah, I read them all and loved them. I might just pull the first one off the bookshelf and start over since it's probably been all of 20 years since I read them.

 

[MissThundercat]

Re: Book Thread number ?

"The Man Who Changed The Way We Eat"= I don't have the author's name at hand right now, but it's a biography of Craig Claiborne, former food critic at the New York Times. Feels like I'm slogging through mud.

"How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You"- The Oatmeal. Nice coffee table book.

 

[erin]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Very true. Thanks for the reply.

Beyond what I've already posted, there's an additional motive for my question. My book club occasionally chooses a piece of "Classic Fiction" for its monthly selection. I've thought about suggesting Alice, but hadn't gotten around to it. Then I saw your post. So I guess my "real" question is whether the book would be a good choice for a group.

As a preliminary matter, there isn't a strict definition of what constitutes a classic. I suppose if you took a copyright approach, you could say that if the author passed away more than 50 years ago, yet people are still reading, then it's a classic.

Past examples: The group has read Steinbeck's East of Eden and Stevenson's Treasure Island, and both went over well. Conversely, the group chose not to read Gulliver's Travels. FWIW.

There's probably no definitive answer to my question, but any further thoughts you have would be welcomed.

I don't see why it wouldn't be good for a book club.

les' suggestion is a good one too.

 

[erin]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Still making my way through Citizen Somerville (& still massively enjoying it).

On Valentine's Day my boyfriend gave me: Chicken Soup for the Soul: Hooked on Hockey: 101 Stories about the Players Who Love the Game and the Families that Cheer Them On by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, & Laura Robinson (also a UNH hockey book). We're taking a trip to Canada later this week, & I think it'll be coming with us. I thumbed through it the other night, & it looks interesting... I'm really looking forward to it.

 

[leswp1]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Just finished James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell, "The Blood Gospel". Not his usual style. Not sure how I felt about it. Not really into the trend of vampire stuff. Of course it will have a sequel and I will probably read it but I would rather read his other stuff.

 

[MattS]

Re: Book Thread number ?

American Sniper by Chris Kyle. It's pretty much what one would expect of an autobiography from a Navy Seal. It was very much lacking in any type of cohesion, but the individual snippets of his time in Iraq were interesting. Kyle, at least by what he claims in the book, comes off as a stereotypical military tough guy. I am not sure if that was his actual persona or if that is what he thought people wanted his personality to be. For anyone interested in the modern military and snipers in particular, I think this book is worth the time. MattS Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

Bloodstar by Ian Douglas. Pretty much a typical military SciFi novel. Humans vs. a little known alien race, and are fighting over a planet. The story leaned a lot on physics and medicine to "advance" the storyline. However, I didn't find those sections very appealing. Overall, nothing special but worth a read by any SciFi fans. MattS Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

I finally decided to read The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. I know I am behind the times when it comes to Gaiman books, but I was trying to catch up. I won't detail it since I am sure most people that want to have already read it. I will just say that I found this book to be tedious and boring. For the life of me I cannot understand why this is a popular book. I have finally decided that Gaiman books are simply not for me. I read Neverwhere first and loved it (I would but it in my top 20 all time) but since then I have not liked anything I have read.

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham. I decided to read this venture into YA fiction by Grisham just to see how he does. I found the book to be a mixture of a YA story with a lesson into the law focused for youth. Overall not a bad story about a kid whose parents are attorneys and his adventures in and around a murder trial taking place. Be warned it is definitely targeted towards very YA's. MattS Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Just starting: The Generals by Thomas E. Ricks. And I am slowly making my way though The Screwtape Letters.

 

[MattS]

Re: Book Thread number ?

I finally finished The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to Today by Thomas E. Ricks. A very good book about how the US Army Generals and their leadership has evolved from pre-WWII through Iraq and Afghanistan. It is pretty indepth and detail orientated, especially the WWII chapters, but worth it is worth the time and effort to read. My only complaint is that the author, rightly or wrongly, hold Marshall up as the epitome of Generals and compares every subsequent leader to him not matter the situation or how the country and the army has evolved. MattS rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I also finished The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. An interesting read. As revelant today as when it was written. MattS rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

 

[MissThundercat]

Re: Book Thread number ?

"It Starts With Food" by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig

 

[DisplacedCornellian]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Just finished up Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I really liked it. Interesting spin on your typical whodunnit thriller, and one of those books I didn't want to put down. A twist half-way through had my mouth literally hanging open. I might look into the author's other books.

Now reading A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. I enjoy most everything that Bryson writes, and I've heard good things about this one.

 

[Probert]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Recent reads

The Last man by Vince Flynn One of the CIA’s top men in Afghanistan has gone missing and Mitch Rapp has been sent in to find out who kidnapped him and what secrets he has spilled. Shortly after taking the mission Rapp is almost killed in an ambush. Will he be able to unravel the mystery and stop a major international incident? An okay novel but Flynn but not on a par with his other books, definitely feel a little more plot development would have made the book better.

SEAL Target Geronimo: The Inside Story of the Mission to Kill Osama bin Laden by Chuck Pfarrer An account of the intelligence gathering, planning an execution of the raid on Osama Bin Laden’s compound. The book tells a brief history of the US Special Forces along with the founding of Seal Team 6. It covers some of their more recent missions and then tells the story of the raid on Bin Laden’s compound. Pretty good read.

Private Berlin by James Patterson This Private novel by James Patterson follows the Berlin office. One of their agents is killed and the office goes into an all-out search to find his killer. It appears as if it is connected to his unknown life as a child and tied to the Stasi and former Communist government in East Germany. Very good read and unlike most of Patterson’s effort only deals with the one plotline rather than meandering all over the place.

The Civil War 150: An Essential To-Do List for the 150th Anniversary A list made by the Civil War Trust of 150 things to do to celebrate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. If you are a Civil War buff you will like it. It tells a lot of the major and sometimes forgotten sites of the war you should check out. They also have a list of 1,400 sites on the Civil War Trust website. Good read for a Civil War buff.

The Forgotten by David Baldacci The second John Puller book by Baldacci finds him in Florida investigating the death of his aunt. It’s been ruled an accident but shortly before she died she sent his father a letter warning of “suspicious” goings on in Paradise the town where she lives. Once he arrives he sets 0ff a firestorm as people continue too disappear and there are strange deaths. As he continues to investigate his wives death he breaks apart several criminal enterprises going on in the city. Good read.

Frozen Heat by Richard Castle This book is the 4th of the Nikki Heat series. It opens with a woman found dead in a delivery truck. Further investigation reveals that she was a college friend of Nikki’s mother and that opens up a case that has been cold for 10 years. As many of the other reviews have said it does mirror the Castle TV show storyline about the mother’s death although different. OK read.

Dead Irish by John Lescroart This is the first book of Lescroart’s Dismas hardy series. His best friend and employers brother-in-law appears to have committed suicide. Not believing this he asks Hardy, a former cop and D.A. who has sworn off the life to investigate. Hardy delves into the circumstances surrounding his death, a drug deal and the world of publishing to get to the truth. It appears suicide is less likely when other people at his place of business start dropping dead. Good read nice of good twists and turns. Not as polished as the older Hardy novels but a good start.

Shadow Prey by John Sandford This second of the Prey novels finds people across the US being murdered by native Americans. What kind of conspiracy is afoot. They seem to be based in Minneapolis and Lucas Davenport is thrust into the investigation along with a cop from New York along for the ride. Using his unique brand of investigating Davenport helps to break the case only to be targeted himself by the conspirators. Good back and forth cop novel.

The Unlikely Spy by Daniel Silva The first book by Daniel Silva and not a Gabriel Allon novel this book follows the exploits of Arthur Vicary a British Academic turned spymaster during the Second World War. He is tasked with finding and stopping German spies who may have learned the secret to the D-Day invasion. Can he stop them before they transmit the truth to Hitler? Is he being sabotaged by the people within his own agency? Good twists and turns as the tension mounts to whether or not the Germans will succeed.

Robert B Parker’s Fool me Twice by Michael Brandman This is a Jesse Stone novel written by another author taking up for Robert Parker. An okay read, read a little more like one of the TV scripts for the movies than a Parker book. A TV actress has come to Paradise to shoot a movie but is in fear for her psychotic husband. Can Jesse and the cops of Paradise keep her safe? Okay book but a very quick read.

To Try Men's Souls: A Novel of George Washington and the Fight for American Freedom by Newt Gingrich and William Forstchen This latest historic novel from Gingrich and Forstchen takes on the Revolutionary War. Depicting the Crossing of the Delaware, march and Battle of Trenton it follow Washington’s troops during the time that “tried men’s souls”. It follows Thomas Paine, Washington and a young scout from Trenton New Jersey who embodies the spirit of all the unknown soldiers who fought for freedom during the revolution. They also use the solider to show the divided loyalties during the war as when they arrive at Trenton the family has one son as a Loyalist, one son as a deserter and cynic and one as a Rebel. It is a good read that captures the embodiment of the march and battle. As the authors do in their introduction the brilliant novel by Washington's Crossing by David Hackett Fischer is the authority on the subject and that should be read as well.

Valley Forge: George Washington and the Crucible of Victory by Newt Gingrich, William R. Forstchen, Albert Hanser This second Revolutionary War book by Newt Gingrich and others follows the transformation of the Continental Army from a rag tag army to a disciplined fighting force during the hard winter at Valley Forge. It tells of the trials of the soldiers to survive the harsh winter while the British are getting fat in Philadelphia. It follows the arrival of the Drillmaster Baron Von Steuben who helps transform the soldiers into a fighting force to be reckoned with. It follows the so called Conway Cabal where George Washington’s leadership of the army is threatened by Horatio Gates and others. I also follows the story of the brother of the young patriot from Gingrich’s first book To Try Men’s Souls. His brother is a Loyalist who was released by the rebels after his brothers death he is now in Philadelphia with the British and friends with Major Andre. The book ends with the battle of Monmouth where despite the best efforts of Charles Lee the Continentals show their mettle on the field of battle with the British.

 

[MattS]

Re: Book Thread number ?

The Pirate Coast: Thomas Jefferson, the First Marines & the Secret Mission of 1805 by Richard Zacks. This book was a very good historical account of a "secret" mission of William Eaton who was tasked with a mission to overthrow the government of Tripoli and free almost 300 US sailors who were captive there. The book also chronicles the backroom dealing of Thomas Jefferson during this period of time. My only complaint with the book is that at times the author become a bit too verbose and more detailed than necessary. This made the book difficult to follow in some places. I would recommend this for any Marine or military history buff but no so much for the casual historical reader. MattS rating: 4 out of 5 stars.