Book Thread number ?

[jen]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Just finished <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Radium-Girls-Story-Americas-Shining/dp/149264935X">The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women</a>. I had to stop reading this book a few times because it made me very angry, but it was really, really interesting. You will send Christmas cards and Easter baskets to OSHA after you read it. It's about the women who painted watch dials with paint that contained radium in the 20s and 30s, and their resulting problems and the radium companies' actions. Radium is GOOD for you. It'll brighten your smile! Go ahead and put it in your mouth!

 

[The Rube]

Re: Book Thread number ?

"The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*" by Mark Manson

I am awaiting delivery of this book. Figured I should add the finishing touches to my overall attitude. I have heard it's an excellent book.

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Book Thread number ?

"The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*" by Mark Manson

I am awaiting delivery of this book. Figured I should add the finishing touches to my overall attitude. I have heard it's an excellent book.

I spent a year combing through that genre, and he was one of the very few writers that didn't annoy the p155 out of me with obviously embellished stories, or bad advice.

 

[dxmnkd316]

Re: Book Thread number ?

I’ve got nowhere else to put this, but Bloom County has been amazing the past few days with the Lair series.

I love frank so much.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Finished A Moveable Feast (Hemingway). He's an as-shole, but it's still good writing. I really recommend it.

Have re-started, for about the 7th time, Sketches from a Hunter's Album (Turgenev). I know I'll never finish it. The stories leave me so out of sorts and disturbed that I have to think about them for about a week after each one, and eventually I just get exhausted.

 

[Probert]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Recent reads

The Midnight Line (Jack Reacher #22) by Lee Child The most recent Reacher book finds him trying to hunt down the owner of a West Point class ring. This drags him into a ring of drug dealers pushing pharmaceuticals across the heartland of America. Good story though in some cases a little more detail would have made the story better especially at the end.

The Take by Christopher Reich A new book from Christopher Reich which has an ex-con turned investigator Simon Riske being hired to retrieve an object that was stolen from a Saudi Prince. The kicker for Simon, the thief is a man who ratted him out, sent him to prison and tried to kill him. Filled with Russian and American spies, gangsters and cops he speeds thru France trying to retrieve the letter. Good book and looks to be the first in a new series from Reich.

Red Alert (NYPD Red #5) by James Patterson (Goodreads Author), Marshall Karp Ok NYPD red book, as is par for the course with Patterson books this one has multiple plotlines, a bomb goes off at a charity event and 4 rich developers are targeted by a bomber. A documentary film director is found dead and Zach Jordan is investigating a robbery at a high stakes poker game. It’s ok but I think the multiple storylines tend to distract from the story.

The Deceivers (John Wells #12) by Alex Berenson This book deals with terror in the Homeland as John Wells is sent to South America to get information about a terrorist attack and whether there are more to come. Typical of the series he finds himself left out all by himself with no help as he struggles to stop the next attack.

Friendly Fire (Jonathan Grave #8) by John Gilstrap This Jonathan Grave novel takes him back to one of his earlier rescues when a young man he rescued from a pedophile violently kills the man and is charged with murder. Since the man is a ghost and the kidnapping and rescue were never reported the young man may end up going to prison. Grave and Boxer must track down what the murdered man was doing in an attempt to save their former client and get to the bottom of what the murdered man was up to. Good read.

The Wrong Side of Goodbye (Harry Bosch #19) by Michael Connelly This Bosch novel finds him off the LAPD working as a private detective and part time volunteer for the San Fernando PD. He is tracking down an heir but also involved in the hunt for a rapist from his cold case files, a case that suddenly turns hot and puts him into danger. Good Read

Operator Down (Pike Logan #12) by Brad Taylor The latest Taskforce novel finds their Israeli friend Aaron kidnapped and it coincides with their case of tracking an American arms dealer. Drawn into a coup attempt in Africa and the potential for nuclear triggers being sold to terrorists they have to break out all the stops to rescue him and stop the coup. Good read.

The Infiltrator: My Secret Life Inside the Dirty Banks Behind Pablo Escobar's Medellín Cartel by Robert Mazur A very good book about a customs agent who infiltrates the money laundering operations of the Medellin cartel. Detailed operations on how dirty money is moved in and out of the United States, how the cartels and corrupt banks like BCCI operated. The sheer idiocy of superiors, politicians and other agents out to grab glory who put the undercover agent’s life in peril is particularly telling. For instance, he details how the operation had to be wrapped up in October so the head of the office could get a big headline and get promoted to a bigger job. Excellent read though for a mob book a little dry since many of the plot lines revolve around the movement of money.

The Savage Day (Simon Vaughn #2) by Jack Higgins I’m reading the older Jack Higgins books and this book is pretty good. It style is very similar to the later Dillon novels, including a Brigadier named Ferguson. This book finds Simon Vaughn, rogue and arms dealer going into Northern Ireland to try and recover a shipment of gold hijacked by the IRA. Good back and forth in a typical Higgins plot.

Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War by Tony Horwitz An interesting tale of a writer who after seeing the Civil Wars in Bosnia comes back to the US and spends time amongst Civil War reenactors and other people who want to re-live the Civil War. Interesting tales of the towns and battlefields he goes to and the interesting characters he meets. There was one section where he went off the rails in search of characters and places from Gone with the Wind that I had no interest in.

The Winter King (The Arthur Books #1) by Bernard Cornwell This is the first book in Cornwell’s take on King Arthur. I enjoyed it but I could see where people who are looking for the mystical Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table would be disappointed. This depicts Arthur as a Warlord, Merlin as a Druid and many of the knights of the round table as less than chivalrous fellows. If you enjoyed the Saxon chronicles you will probably like this.

Spy Handler: Memoir of a KGB Officer: The True Story of the Man Who Recruited Robert Hanssen and Aldrich Ames by Victor Cherkashin, Gregory Feifer I enjoy reading books about Americans who decided to spy against their country and this is told from an interesting perspective, the KBG man who helped run two of the most dangerous spies against America Robert Hanssen and Aldrich Ames. I think the recruited used in the title is a bit of a misnomer since both Ames and Hansen were walk ins who volunteered their services they were not recruited. Cherkashin is one of the ones who decided that they were legit people with information they wanted not moles sent by the US. Also has a nice perspective on Cold War spying and the strengths and weakness of both the KGB and CIA/FBI. As he states in the opening of the book this is not James Bond stuff it’s the basics of intelligence gathering and the recruitment of agents.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Book Thread number ?

This is so mean.

 

[Probert]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Recent Reads

Fifty Fifty (Detective Harriet Blue #2) by James Patterson , Candice Fox Interesting series it picks up where the last book left off with Harriet’s brother on trial for being a serial killer. She is once again sent off to the Outback while several of her colleagues try to clear her brother. One of the better Patterson series.

Poison (Dismas Hardy #17) by John Lescroart So after a step away from Dismas Hardy with the book Fatal, Lescroart is back to Hardy in this one. A bit gun shy from his last case where he was shot, Hardy is debating whether to pull back his workload or retire when he is contacted by a former client who is charged with murder and he jumps back into the thick of it. Nice parallel police investigation along with the Hardy storyline. Not the best of the Hardy series but a solid effort.

Origin (Robert Langdon #5) by Dan Brown As the recent Langdon books go I would rank this below Inferno and well above the Lost Symbol. Langdon is called to a conference in Spain by a former student who has a big announcement on the origin of species but is killed before he can release his proof. Langdon and the museum director, who just happens to be engaged to the Prince of Spain run around the country attempting to find and release the presentation.

The Russian Five: A Story of Espionage, Defection, Bribery and Courage by Keith Gave A story of the Detroit Red Wings Russian Five unit from the early cup winners. Excellent story on how they came to America in a variety of ways. How they adapted to life in the US and the NHL and how Scotty Bowman put them together and let them play to help the Wings to back to back Stanley Cups. Would have been nice if the books had some photo’s in it.

The Night Crew (Sean Drummond #7) by Brian Haig Sean Drummond returns along with Katherine Carlson, his love interest/frienemy from an earlier book. Tasked with defending a young national guardswoman in a case similar to Abu Grave he struggles to get to the bottom of it while some of the other defense attorney’s are ending up dead. It was okay but for whatever reason didn’t like it as much as some of the earlier books.

The Rising Sea (NUMA Files #15) by Clive Cussler, Graham Brown Kurt Austin returns trying to see why the sea levels are rising after determining that it is not due to global warming. His crew ends up in Japan battling against the Yakuza to try and determine how it happened. It was okay but the Austin books are probably my least favorite of the Cussler series’.

The Late Show (Renée Ballard #1) by Michael Connelly This book introduces Connelly’s new detective Renee Ballard as longtime mainstay Harry Bosch is getting a little long in the tooth. While different from Bosch Ballard has many similar personality traits, a problem with police authority, part of which put her on the night shift. An unending search for justice which occasionally pits her against her partner and a cowboy type approach to the system. Enjoyed this book which has her investigating, “on the books” an assault against a streetwalker left for dead and “off the books” a mass shooting incident which later claims her former partner. Good read.

Afraid Of The Dark (Jack Swyteck #9) by James Grippando Interesting Swyteck book where he is defending a person held at Guantanamo who is then found to be wanted in Florida and an American and he defends him there. Found the plot to be highly unbelievable and they stuck his FBI agent girlfriend Andie, in her undercover role it appears solely to fill some holes in the plot. By far the worst of the Swyteck books.

The Flame Bearer (The Saxon Stories #10) by Bernard Cornwell Thought this was the last of the Saxon Chronicles but it seems as if I just caught up to Cornwell. This is all about Uhtred final assault on Beddenberg to retrieve his ancestral castle from his cousin. Along the way he is face with tough choices between, allies, friends and faces some of his storied rivals throughout the series. Good read

In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors
by Doug Stanton A book about an incredible story of survival for the survivors of the USS Indianapolis who were sunk by a Japanese submarine after delivering the components for the atomic bomb. Thrown into the water the sailors struggle to survive shark attacks, hypothermia and lack of water while the Navy is completely unaware that the ship has not arrived. It examines the various faults of the navy; not sharing Ultra intelligence which indicated a submarine was in the area, ignoring and not investigating the SOS call thinking it was a Japanese trick and simply marking them as overdue or arrived without following up on their whereabouts. It follows the story of Captain Mcvay the only ships captain court martialed during the war for losing his ship who was tried over the objections or Admiral Nimitz and Spruance, the commanders in theatre. After his conviction it covers the attempts to clear his name. The best part is the stories of the survivors and their struggles in the water to stay alive.

Orphan X (Orphan X #1) by Gregg Hurwitz A very good debut novel in which a young orphan is transformed into a weapon to be used against the enemies of the United States ala Jason Bourne or Splinter Cell. When he becomes disenchanted he disappears and during the novel he is trying to help people using his distinct skills when the government comes hunting him good read

Secret Missions of the Civil War by Philip Van Doren Stern This is a book filled with numerous short stories of secret missions of the war. Some were ones I was interested in hearing about; the NYC Draft Riot, St Albans Bank robbery, Morgan’s ride etc. The main issue I found was that these were taken from the actual source documents or articles written, usually by the participants, shortly after the Civil War. As a result many of these were dry and not that interesting while the event itself was. It would have been nice if the author had polished up these stories in order to make it more readable.

Solo by Jack Higgins A concert pianist who is an assassin runs down the daughter of an SAS soldier while fleeing the police. This sets the stage for the Higgins novel where the vengeful father seeks to track down his daughters killer.

King of Capital: Sandy Weill and the Making of Citigroup by Amey Stone, Mike Brewster A pretty good biography of Sandy Weill and his rise thru the ranks to become one of the richest men in America.

 

[jen]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Still working my way through Robert Parker's Spenser books. There are a LOT of them. I did not know until I started them that the TV show Spenser for Hire was based on the series. Now I kind of want to watch it (never have), although it's probably quite dated at this point.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9800938-catfish-alley">Catfish Alley by Lynne Bryant</a> - got this recommendation from a magazine somewhere. It's about a Southern white woman who is on a historical committee, and works with a group of older Southern black women to add historic places from the black community to a tour. This makes it sound really boring - but it wasn't. The stories of their lives, pre-Civil Rights era, were very engrossing and it was well-written.

Also, I read the Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons - WWII historical fiction, pretty chicky. A Russian teenager and a Russian soldier (who is American) fall in love, but her sister was in love with him first. And then, war. Couldn't put it down. There was one chapter that was very pron-y, and it felt out of place, because the rest of the book was not. It was like she wrote the book, then stuck the porn chapter in later. Anyway, I got to the end (I don't think I'm spoiling anything, this is not a new book), and I thought Alexander was dead, and I was bereft and ****ed off... but I thought, it's not really his story - it's more her story. A few days later, I was looking at Goodreads, and noticed there's a whole series, and it turns out he's ALIVE. So I read the second book, not as good as the first, but still pretty good. Not as much porn, because they spend most of the book apart. I also read the third book (they live together in the U.S., more porn, their son goes to Vietnam), but it was very boring compared to the first. Disappointed.

 

[The Rube]

Re: Book Thread number ?

"The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*" by Mark Manson

I am awaiting delivery of this book. Figured I should add the finishing touches to my overall attitude. I have heard it's an excellent book.

Late on a review, but this book is all the awesome. It makes no excuses on its attitude and frankness. Great book.

 

[mookie1995]

Still working my way through Robert Parker's Spenser books. There are a LOT of them. I did not know until I started them that the TV show Spenser for Hire was based on the series. Now I kind of want to watch it (never have), although it's probably quite dated at this point..

Wouldn’t necessarily say that.

3 yrs. in the Middle year they took Susan out (not exactly Catskills eagle’ly like)and introduced Rita to give Spenser a new love interest in the hope of increasing viewership.

 

[jen]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Wouldn’t necessarily say that.

3 yrs. in the Middle year they took Susan out (not exactly Catskills eagle’ly like)and introduced Rita to give Spenser a new love interest in the hope of increasing viewership.

ehhh.. that makes me not want to watch it. Sort of like Hollywood-ing a movie version of a book to give it a happy ending (The Natural, anyone?) I rarely like the movie as much as the book. I can't imagine TV shows would be much different.

Starting #11 next (Valediction). My mom keeps telling me about Pearl, so I am anxiously awaiting her arrival.

 

[mookie1995]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Hit or miss. Worthwhile just to see the guest stars. Some of them before they got breaks elsewhere you will recognize. End of the 2nd season Parker wrote an episode which was decent and a nice look at how he’d do it.

 

[leswp1]

Re: Book Thread number ?

The Rising Sea (NUMA Files #15) by Clive Cussler, Graham Brown- just finished this as well. I was under-impressed. Less story that usual. Felt like it was a cookie cutter book. Same basic formula with different characters. Not that deep compared to some of his others. Felt like skim milk instead of heavy cream.

 

[bostonewe]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Sea of Tranquility - good, easy-reading YA Fiction. I liked the style it was written (2 person perspective, done well) and the characters. Nothing special but it killed a plane ride nicely.
Ready Player One - I enjoyed it, but I need to reread it in a shorter period of time. I read it over several months and lost some of the detail. I can see why people slightly older than me (i.e. the husband, who was born in 1978) love it.

 

[jen]

Re: Book Thread number ?

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10955239-no-great-mischief">No Great Mischief</a> - Alistair MacLeod. Really enjoyed his Island, so I read this one. Very similar "feel" and sense of place (although that term is something a lit blowhard would say, it's very accurate). Not sure I got the connections with all the Scottish war stories, but enjoyed (? it was depressing) the book nonetheless.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34217532-the-wicked-city">Wicked City</a> - Beatriz Williams. Two stories, one modern day, and one during Prohibition - a woman helps spy on her step-father, who's running booze all over the coast (the Prohibition story was way more interesting than the modern one). I was enjoying this one and looking forward to finding out how the stories connected... and then it ended. No closure. There better be a sequel.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32025298-the-woman-who-smashed-codes">The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine who Outwitted America's Enemies</a> by Jason Fagone. About Elizebeth Smith, who (with her husband) was one of the first code breakers in the U.S. before (and after) WWII - really interesting. Didn't know anything about her. I have a few more "code breaker" non-fiction stories on my To-Read list, so I'm looking forward to them after reading this one. I want more details about how they figured those things out. It's amazing how little they had to work with sometimes, and they were still able to solve the code.

 

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: Book Thread number ?

A re-read, for me at least, MAY-DAY, Eisenhower, Khrushchev and the U-2 Affair, by Michael Beschloss. An early book of his, maybe his first? He is one of my favorite historians and authors. The book is a fascinating look at the relationships at play between the U.S. and Russia right in the middle of the Cold War.

 

[wolverineTrumpet]

Re: Book Thread number ?

I joined a book club a few months ago. Here are some of the things I've been reading with this group:

Noir - Christopher Moore Those of us in the group that are fans of Christopher Moore all agreed this is our least favorite. It took half the book to get into the zany tale that I'm used to from him. I think he was too focused on noir stylization for the book to be as enjoyable as his other work.

And the Mountains Echoed - Khaled Hosseini I like his writing style and story telling. I hadn't read any of his other novels, but will try to when I have time.

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration - Isabel Wilkerson I'm only about half way through this one. It has a great narative feel to it for a non-fiction. I'm learning a lot about the South during Jim Crow. I highly recommend this one (or at least the first 250 pages which I can attest to).

 

[jen]

Re: Book Thread number ?

And the Mountains Echoed - Khaled Hosseini I like his writing style and story telling. I hadn't read any of his other novels, but will try to when I have time.

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration - Isabel Wilkerson I'm only about half way through this one. It has a great narative feel to it for a non-fiction. I'm learning a lot about the South during Jim Crow. I highly recommend this one (or at least the first 250 pages which I can attest to).

I liked all of Hosseini's, but that was my favorite. I also really enjoyed the Wilkerson one. Sounds like a good book club.

 

[Probert]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Recent Reads

Demolition Angel by Robert Crais Interesting book about a serial killer who places bombs to kill bomb squad members. Former bomb squad member Carol Starkey recovering from a blast must get to the bottom and find the killer.

Lost Lake by Phillip Margolin This tale from Margolin follows an involved conspiracy about a presidential candidate. Out of her league lawyer Ami Vergano must struggle to find out if her clients out of this world tale is true and how she can use that to save him. OK

No Way Back by Andrew Gross This book finds a married woman in a hotel room with another man. Someone comes in and murders the man and she finds herself on the run wanted for murder. Trying to prove her innocence she finds out that she is up against the drug cartels.

The Bishop's Pawn (Cotton Malone #13) by Steve Berry The latest Cotton Malone book is really the first sort of as most of the book is a flashback when he is first recruited to the Magellan Billet. Recruited for a simple task of diving and retrieving a case from a wreck he ends up in the fight for his life against forces inside and outside the government in a conspiracy involving the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Okay read but in my opinion these have been slipping a bit.

The Cutting Edge (Lincoln Rhyme #14) by Jeffery Deaver The latest Rhyme novel has a lot of moving parts it kicks off with a massacre in the diamond district and the team hunting a killer who is tying up loose ends. There also a secondary plot involving a Mexican drug lord whose attorney wants Lincoln to prove his client’s innocence. OK read.

Private Princess (Private #14) by James Patterson, Rees Jones OK Private novel where Jack is recruited by a member of the Royal family to find one of her friends. Like most Patterson books quick moving with multiple plots this one didn’t have as much appeal to me as some of the Private novels since they have already done several set in London with the same characters.

Lexington and Concord: The Battle Heard Round the World by George C. Daughan Pretty good books that examines the events in both the Colonies and England which led up to “the shot heard round the world”. Examines the actions of Parliament and the King along with Thomas Gage and the Son’s of Liberty.

Blood Money (Jack Swyteck #10) by James Grippando I was not that impressed with the last Swytek book but luckily this book gets the series back on track. After a high profile client is acquitted a look alike is attacked and Jack is pressed into service by her family to help them out. As he delves in he finds a sinister element to the case.

Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent: How Daring Slaves and Free Blacks Spied for the Union During the Civil War by Thomas B. Allen A pretty good book which details Harriet’s early life and her days as a conductor on the underground railroad. It also details how current and former slaves were utilized as espionage agents during the Civil War including Harriet’s famous raid in South Carolina. The activities of Elizabeth Van Lew and Robert Smalls are told too. Definitely written for a younger audience.

The Life and Times of Horatio Hornblower: A Biography of C. S. Forester's Famous Naval Hero
by C. Northcote Parkinson A Biography of a fictional hero how novel. I loved the Hornblower books and while this is okay it covers a lot of minutia, like he and Barbara’s love life, that were not covered in the books for good reason in that it’s not that interesting to the people who like the books.

Exile on Front Street: My Life as a Hells Angel . . . and Beyond by George Christie I enjoyed the Outlaw Chronicles on History Channel and this is the autobiography of George Christie the former West Coast President of the Hells Angels. A good description of the outlaw lifestyle and the various wars that the Angels had with the Outlaws, Mongols etc. during the time he was with the gang. It also tells of his trials and tribulations with the Angels and Sonny Barger which led to him quitting the gang and then being considered persona no grata. Good read.

The Legacy (Legacy of the Drow #1) by R.A. Salvatore The start of a new Drizzt trilogy this book finds the Drow once again coming for Drizzt in the underground of Mithril Hall. He struggles to evade the drow and keep his friends alive. Good read.

Enemy of God (The Arthur Books #2) by Bernard Cornwell I don’t like the Arthur books nearly as much as the other Cornwell series, Starbuck, Sharpe and Saxon but this is an okay take on the Arthurian Legend. The second book finds England mainly at peace until turmoil erupts and also explores the Round Table.

Company Man by Joseph Finder An okay book by Finder about a man who is CEO of a local company and is under intense pressure after layoffs. He is being stalked and troubled by the recent death of his wife and dealing with his children. He has issues going on at the company and the members of the hedge fund who run the company. Pretty good, didn’t like it as much as the Nick Heller books but a good read.

The Murder Book (Alex Delaware #16) by Jonathan Kellerman As many other people have stated this book spends way too much time dealing with Alex and Robin’s relationship. Guess what I don't read the books to find out what's going on with Robin and Alex. I have read these in various order so their relationship is always jumping around for me, I think they have broken up at least twice during the series. Aside from that it’s an interesting Cold Case leading back to Milo’s early days as a homicide detective and his first partner.