Re: Book Thread number ?
My recent reads
The Book of Spies by Gayle Lynds This book follows the hunt for Ivan the Terrible’s Library of Gold a convict Eva Blake whose husband was one of the leading experts on the library and Judd Ryder whose father was killed after warning a former CIA colleague about the library are on the hunt. The only book from the library in the public is the Book of Spies which they use as bait. When Eva sees her husband who she was convicted of killing in a car accident, at the show featuring the book and he tries to kill her, she realizes something is going on as they seek to find the Library and it’s mysterious benefactors. OK read
Marco Pantani: The Legend of a Tragic Champion by John Wilcockson A very brief overview of Marco Pantani’s rise and fall. Focuses mainly on his cycling career and his great triumphs and tragedies Ok read.
The History Buff's Guide to the Civil War by Thomas R. Flagel A pretty good Civil War book with lots of subjective top 10 lists, best worst general best battlefield parks etc. Also some interesting Top 10 lists like 10 ways the Confederate Constitution differed from the US Constitution. Good read.
Victory! by Daniel E. Button This book tells the story of Daniel Button who ran for congress as a Republican in Albany NY challenging the Democratic machine which hadn't lost an election in 46 years. It tells the story behind his improbably victory. OK book especially if you are familiar with Albany politics.
Deep Down by Lee Child This short Jack Reacher novel finds him brought in to see who is leaking the specs for the military’s new sniper novel. OK but not much to read.
High Heat by Lee Child This is the best of the 3 short Jack Reacher novels. Reacher is in New York City on his way to visit his brother at West Point. He helps an FBI agent make her case against the Mafia, picks up a girl and is stuck in NYC during the Great blackout. OK read.
The Target by David Baldacci I enjoyed this book but that said it was a bit disjointed and read like several short stories involving Will Robie and Jessica Creel. First they are brought back and put thru brutal training in an attempt to break them. Then they are given a job of taking out a North Korean diplomat who ends up killing himself. Then they get involved in a side adventure involving Jessica’s past before going into North Korea. It ends with them going on vacation with the first lady in Nantucket.
Luciano's Luck by Jack Higgins This WW II book by Higgins follows the US and British Army’s attempt to get the Mafia to aid them in the invasion of Sicily. British intelligence officer Harry Carter springs American don Lucky Luciano from prison and takes him and Sister Maria the granddaughter of Don Luca the Boss of Bosses on Sicily to try to convince the Don to help them. On the run from the SS and the Nazi’s can they complete the mission before the Allied forces land? Typical Higgins, a good read.
Warriors by Ted Bell This book finds Lord Hawke on the hunt to try and stop China’s ruthless new leader. After kidnapping a top American military designer China has an arsenal to match the US and is threatening to nuke the US and Europe unless it’s demands are met. Hawke and the newly knight Stokely Jones must lead a team to rescue the scientists family from North Korea and then invade China itself to rescue him and stop the madman. OK read a little better than the last couple of Hawke novels.
Private L.A. by James Patterson and Mark T. Sullivan The latest Private novel finds private trying to stop a killer called NO Prisoners who is holding LA hostage by killing more people each day that their demands are not met. They are also trying to track down the kidnappers of Thom and Jennifer Harlow the 2 hottest stars in Hollywood and their 3 children, typical Patterson, ok read.
Road Work: Among Tyrants, Heroes, Rogues, and Beasts by Mark Bowden This book is a compilation of short stories done by Mark Bowden when he wrote for the Philadelphia Inquirer. It covers a variety of subjects from Saddam Hussein to terminally ill children taking a trip to Disney World. Well written and even the ones I thought I wouldn't like, cow breeding, were interesting.
NYPD Red 2 by James Patterson The second NYPD Red novel finds them investigating a series of murders by the Hazmat killer a serial killer who abducts his victims and forces them to confess to committing murders on video before killing them. When the 4th victim is the campaign manager for a mayoral candidate Red becomes involve and has to try to solve the case before the election. OK read, I liked that unlike most Patterson books only 1 plot line.
The Lake House James Patterson This picks up where the first book left off. The bird children are in the middle of a custody battle between Kit and Frannie who rescued them and their biological parents. Also someone is trying to abduct and murder them. OK read.
The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America's Childhood by Jane Leavy I didn’t like this as much as other Mantle books I have read it just didn’t read well. The author takes 10 important dates or events in Mick’s career and then builds around it. Some chapters like the hunting for the guy who found the ball Mickey hit out of Griffith stadium are quite tedious to read. The stories of his drinking and differences between him and Dimagio are enlightening. OK read.
1858: Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant and the War They Failed to See by Bruce Chadwick This was a good read. It tells the tale of 1858 2 years before the election of Lincoln that leads to the Civil War. It tells the tale of the various players and what they did in this year. The book certainly highlights the ineptitude of our 15th President James Buchanan as he fails to see the freight train coming at the country or do anything about it. The chapter on the Lincoln Douglas debates and how Buchanan despised and work against Douglas is excellent. The parts covering William Seward and Jefferson Davis’s personal and political life are well done along with the parts on Bleeding Kansas and John Brown.
Thomas Becket: Warrior, Priest, Rebel by John Guy This was an OK book telling of the life of St Thomas Beckett and his battles with King Henry. It tells the story from both side and tells both Thomas’s positives and negatives.
Actually, I really enjoyed it, and the lead character was very likeable. Interesting look into the social aspects of modern African culture and how individuals can be affected by restoration efforts. The author was a volunteer in Rwanda, so it's an interesting perspective. I enjoyed it a lot more than anything from the divorced-lady-starts-a-bakery-and-finds-herself subgenre of chick lit. Still, it wasn't too serious - about 50% on the fluffy scale.
) I wish Tom Stanton had something new.