Book Thread number ?

[Probert]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Anyone read "The Power Of The Dog" or "The Cartel" (sequel book) by Don Winslow? Based on true stories (names and places have been changed, etc, but he swears the events are pretty darn accurate).

My curiosity is piqued.

I enjoyed it quite a bit, it's quite long, over 500 pages and has a very involved storyline. It mainly follows the Mexican Cartels, they are given fake names but you can pretty much figure out who they are. They also throw in the CIA, Italian Mob, Westies and the Colombians, where they use their actual names Escobar, Ochoa, Orejula. It does incorporate a lot of real life happenings into the storyline which boiled down to it is one DEA agents vendetta against a couple of the Patrones in Mexico and his quest to bring them down.

 

[The Rube]

Re: Book Thread number ?

I enjoyed it quite a bit, it's quite long, over 500 pages and has a very involved storyline. It mainly follows the Mexican Cartels, they are given fake names but you can pretty much figure out who they are. They also throw in the CIA, Italian Mob, Westies and the Colombians, where they use their actual names Escobar, Ochoa, Orejula. It does incorporate a lot of real life happenings into the storyline which boiled down to it is one DEA agents vendetta against a couple of the Patrones in Mexico and his quest to bring them down.

Awesome. I think *that* will go on the ol' Prime Day list, and hope I get a good deal on it.

I don't mind long books at all. Given the subjects I read about, I prefer more detail, not less.

 

[pgb-ohio]

Re: Book Thread number ?

I'm still #97 (of 311) on the hold list. Thanks for your input, looking forward to reading it. Definitely sounds right up my alley.

Misinterpreted one of your posts! Thought you were on Page 251, not #251 on the hold list. But I think my feedback still works without becoming a spoiler.

 

[jen]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Just finished <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Girls-Atomic-City-Untold/dp/1451617534">The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II</a>. Really enjoyed it. It's about the women that worked in Oak Ridge on the Manhattan Project (and the women whose research led to developing the bomb at all). It was very interesting to read about the female scientists and their place (or lack thereof) in the workforce and the culture at the time (although the book isn't all about the scientists, or all about only the women). One woman was standing in line to enroll in the School of Engineering at her college, and someone actually made her get out of line and go into stats instead, because they didn't admit women for engineering.

The book didn't get very deep into some of the topics, but with what was the world's biggest military project, it'd have to be about 2,000 pages long. It was just the right length.

 

[burd]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Returned recently to Wendel Berry's The Memory of Old Jack. Elegant prose, yet real. The opening narrative is worth reading on its own.

 

[Probert]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Recent Reads

The Code: The Unwritten Rules of Fighting and Retaliation in the NHL by Ross Bernstein, This book describes the code of fighting and retaliation in the NHL and the evolution of it over the years. It describes some of the major incidents over the years, McSorely/Brashear, Bertuzzi/Moore and how they have affected the various rule changes to crack down on fighting. All in all an okay book if you are a hockey and hockey fight fan.

The Presidency of William Howard Taft by Paolo E. Coletta, You can tell that this is an older book because it appears to have been written for a scholarly audience rather than for the general public. This book tells of the presidency of William Taft the man who really didn’t want to be President and reached his dream job post presidency when appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. It tells of his early political life, where he was never elected to anything only appointed, ending up as Teddy Roosevelt’s Secretary of War. When chosen as Roosevelt’s heir apparent after he declines to run the book describes how he differed from Roosevelt’s policies in many ways, cabinet appointments, the environment, trust busting etc. It tells how he tended to favor the conservative rather than the Progressive Wing of Republican Party and alienated the press. This eventually led to the break with Roosevelt and their battle for the Republican nomination in 1912 which ended up with Taft getting the nod, Roosevelt running as a Bull Moose candidate and Woodrow Wilson winning the election.

The Skin Gods (Jessica Balzano & Kevin Byrne #2) by Richard Montanari The latest detective thriller has Kevin returning to partial duty after being shot at the end of the 1st book. They are trying to track down a killer called the actor who is killing people and recreating killing scenes from films of the past. Can the actor be connected to a movie shooting in town? Is it connected to an old case of Kevin’s? Good read.

Beat to Quarters (Hornblower Saga: Chronological Order #6) by C.S. Forester This book finds Captain Hornblower in Central America trying to foment rebellion amongst the Spanish colonies currently allied with France. He takes a Spanish gunship and turns it over to the rebel leader only to find out later that England and Spain have signed a peace treaty and is forced to fight it. He also is forced to take Lady Barbara The Duke of Wellington’s sister home to England from Panama putting her in danger during the battle. Good read.

Ship of the Line (Hornblower Saga: Chronological Order #7) by C.S. Forester The latest Hornblower book finds him in command of the Sutherland, under the command of a squadron commanded by Lady Barbara’s husband Rear Admiral Leighton. He attacks the Spanish coast capturing several prizes including the wrecking of a French column. He has a unsuccessful attack on a French city when the promised Spanish troops don’t arrive. He also helps to tow the admiral’s ship away from danger when it falters in a storm. The end of the book ends with Hornblower imprisoned awaiting transport to Paris to be executed for crimes against the state after taking on 4 French warships single handedly.

Flying Colours (Hornblower Saga: Chronological Order #8) by C.S. Forester This book finds Hornblower and Lieutenant Bush awaiting transport from the French Coast back to Paris where they will be tried for war crimes. Along the way Hornblower, Bush and Coxswain Brown manage to escape in a boat and find refuge with a sympathetic French noble. Given up for dead they are forced to wait the winter out in France before making their escape back to England. Once there he finds himself a hero for his heroic effort with the Sutherland and his escape and though the court martial he fears happens he escapes and end up being knighted. Tragedy also befalls him as he finds out his wife died in childbirth and his young son is being raised by Lady Barbara who has also become widowed.

The Power of the Dog (Power of the Dog #1) by Don Winslow This book is a complicated thriller involving the Mexican Drug Cartels and there battle with the DEA, one agent in particular, but it also includes the CIA, Colombians and Italian Mafia. You can tell that many of the characters are based on real life people, very thinly veiled, although for other characters like Pablo Escobar he uses his real name. Many of the real life incidents from the drug wars are incorporated into the storyline. Good read.

Map of Bones (Sigma Force #2) by James Rollins The second Sigma Force novel finds them teaming up with a Monsignor from the Vatican and his niece a Carbineri in the Italian policy to track down the Dragon Court a secret society that commits a mass murder in a Cathedral in Cologne and appears to be collecting the bones of the Magi for some unspeakable purpose. Finding clues left many centuries ago at the 7 Wonders of the World they seek to beat the Dragon Court and their allies the Guild to punch but find themselves beat out almost every time. Good read, very similar to Steve Berry and Dan Brown

The Main Enemy: The Inside Story of the CIA's Final Showdown with the KGB by Milton Bearden, James Risen This book details the career of Milt Bearden thru the CIA. It starts with the year of the spy in 1985 when spies in the Soviet Union start to disappear after being betrayed by Aldrich Ames and Robert Hansen. It then follows him when he goes to Pakistan to help run the war against the Soviets thru the Muhajadeen and shows the various factions at work in Afganistan pre-September 11th. It tells the story of some of the defectors and Soviets who spied for the US and were betrayed by Ames and Hansen. Good read.

Under Fire (Jack Ryan, Jr. #8) by Grant Blackwood This is a Jack Ryan Jr book with very little Campus involvement. Meeting an old school chum in Iran he finds himself drawn into a coup attempt orchestrated by his friend. With the Russians and other elements of the spy business arrayed against him he struggles to stay ahead of a spy master in his attempt to stop the coup. Ok read.

Solitude Creek (Kathryn Dance #4) by Jeffery Deaver Pretty good Kathryn Dance novel where she finds herself stripped of her gun and sent to the civilian division investigating a fire and stamped at a music venue. She also manages to find herself caught in the middle of the trafficking case that caused her the trouble in the first place.

Truth or Die by James Patterson Attorney Trevor Mann receives a call that his girlfriend is dead. As he identifies her body he finds himself drawn into an investigation that pits him and a boy genius against the might of the CIA with bodies dropping all around. Ok read

 

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Probert reads a dozen books (at least) for every one I read. Instead of a post count, USCHO should put his book count. He'd be in Ralph Baer's rarified air I'm sure!

Just read Lincoln and the Power Of the Press, the War for Public Opinion, by Harold Holzer. Interesting book and as always people like to make the claim that the dueling left and right media of the 21st century hasn't got squat on what went on in the middle of the 19th. I have my disagreements with that theory, even if it is in many ways an accurate take. I think most people know how well Lincoln used (manipulated even?) the press to further his aims, but this book goes into great detail and also tells us the stories of those who covered the 16th president and the war. Clunky in parts but I enjoyed the book.

 

[joecct]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Probert

After you finish with Hornblower, I would recommend the Richard Bolitho series by Alexander Kent. I first picked up the series while in high school in the early 70s when book 2 (Form Line of Battle!) was released and have not stopped since.

 

[Probert]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Probert

After you finish with Hornblower, I would recommend the Richard Bolitho series by Alexander Kent. I first picked up the series while in high school in the early 70s when book 2 (Form Line of Battle!) was released and have not stopped since.

I had looked at that series as Goodreads recommended it to me, I'll put it on my list. I was planning on moving onto the Sharpe series next, I also have the Aubrey Maturin series on my list. I have the last Hornblower novel, which is the final 3 stories and since I have jury duty tomorrow should make a good dent in it, I had it last Monday and read the whole Clancy novel plus the first 200 pages of Deaver before they let me leave. I do have Allan Folsom's Exile to finish up but should read most of that on the train ride in.

 

[SJHovey]

Re: Book Thread number ?

I also have the Aubrey Maturin series on my list.

I started that series as O'Brian released #15, The Truelove in the early 90's. They are fast reads, and I was easily caught up before #16 came out. Very sad day when Mr. O'Brian passed. Pure enjoyment, those books.

 

[aygwm2]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Since my last post, here are the books I've read since April:

The Blue Buick: New and Selected Poems, B. H. Fairchild (2014)

The Moviegoer, Walker Percy (1961)

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin, Erik Larson (2011)

For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ernest Hemingway (1940)

The Spanish Civil War: Reaction, Revolution, and Revenge Rev. & exp. ed.,
Paul Preston (1986, 1996, 2006)

Poisoning the Pecks of Grand Rapids: The Scandalous 1916 Murder Plot,
Tobin T. Buhk (2014)

A Man Called Ove, Fredrik Backman (2014)

The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon, David Grann (2005, 2009)

1491: New Revelations of the Americas before Columbus, Charles C. Mann (2005)

All worth the read.

If you like poetry, B. H. Fairchild is a poet who is very accessible and readable.

If you like reading true tales of the Amazon, Lost City is a page turner about the British explorer Percy Fawcett. Other books about the Amazon that I've read recently are: The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard; Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City by Greg Grandin and Conquest of the Useless: Reflections from the Making of Fitzcarraldo by Werner Herzog. All recommended.

1491, still a controversial book I suspect, is an incredible adventure into what may have actually existed in the Americas before the European conquest. ! ! ! ! !

 

[jen]

Re: Book Thread number ?

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Daniel James Brown (2013)

Very good read! The story of the University of Washington's eight-oar rowing team in the early and mid 1930s, with a special focus on the resilient and determined life of Joe Rantz, one of the crew members. This should be required reading for sports teams and sports enthusiasts. Really enjoyed it. Looks like it's in development for a movie.

Just finished this - very good, and I didn't know anything about rowing. Would love to see the movie. It started a little slow, but picked up. I think in today's world, Joe's parents would have been on Jerry Springer.

 

[jen]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Finished <a href="http://www.amazon.com/All-Light-We-Cannot-See/dp/1476746583">All the Light We Cannot See</a> over the weekend. Excellent book - a rare five-star book for me. About 50 pages in, I couldn't put it down. Well-written and engrossing storyline. It was definitely worth waiting through 300+ spots on the hold list. I felt like the ending was slightly anti-climactic, but it didn't ruin the book for me at all.

 

[pgb-ohio]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Glad you enjoyed it.

I had the same reaction to the ending. But maybe that reflected the actual post-war experience. No fully satisfying resolution; just an opportunity to pick of the pieces and try to create a new normal.

 

[Probert]

Re: Book Thread number ?

I am currently reading The Godfather which I have never read before and I also have the Family and one of the one's not written by Mario Puzo does anybody know if these should be read in order or are they all stand alone books?

 

[Greyeagle]

I am currently reading The Godfather which I have never read before and I also have the Family and one of the one's not written by Mario Puzo does anybody know if these should be read in order or are they all stand alone books?

Stand alone. If I remember correctly the family is a historical novel about the papacy.

 

[geezer]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Anyone read "The Power Of The Dog" or "The Cartel" (sequel book) by Don Winslow? Based on true stories (names and places have been changed, etc, but he swears the events are pretty darn accurate).

My curiosity is piqued.

I heard a very interesting review for the new one and so bought The Power of the Dog. It's great, a very wide story covering the '80s and 90s.. I was so into this book I missed my turn to get off a plane. It definitely has the feel of true-to-life in methods & motivations, some of the characters are a bit of a reach but the background and.... "societal web" around the cartels is fascinating stuff. Really looking forward to finishing this off and getting the new one.

 

[Probert]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Stand alone. If I remember correctly the family is a historical novel about the papacy.

Read the jacket of The Family it appears to be about the Borgias

 

[jen]

Re: Book Thread number ?

I am working my way through my To-Read list, starting with the books that have been there the longest. Best one of the bunch so far is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Suzy-Zeus-Gets-Organized-Novel/dp/B001G8WDXM">Suzy Zeus Gets Organized</a>. It's written in poem form (with chapters), and while it made my head go a little crazy with the meter and the rhyming, I really enjoyed it. I think the author was more efficiently creative in her storytelling than she would've been in prose. Was not expecting to like it as much as I did.

 

[Probert]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Recent Reads

The Exile (John Barron/Nicholas Marten #1) by Allan Folsom This book finds a young cop John Barron involved in an international manhunt for an assassin who is terrorizing Los Angeles. Haunted by the actions of his squad he finds himself an outcast and living under another identity in London where he becomes involved in a plot to murder members of the Romanov family just as Russia is considering bring back the Czar. Is this connected to the earlier case in L.A. Okay read

Commodore Hornblower by C.S. Forester This book finds Commodore Hornblower in the Baltics helping keep the peace before Bonaparte invades Russia. Walking a narrow line between neutral but leaning towards France Sweden and the undecided Russia. When Napoleon finally invades the Commodore launches into a spirited defense of Riga against the French invaders. Good read

Lord Hornblower by C.S. Forester This book finds Hornblower dispatched to deal with a mutiny aboard a Royal Naval vessel. It also finds him aiding the Bourbons return to the throne after Napoleon abdicates. The last tale finds him acting the part of the guerilla with his French friends to stop Bonaparte and his allies when he returns from exile. The book ends with him just escaping execution after it is revealed that Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo by his brother in law.

Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies (Hornblower Saga: Chronological Order #11) by C.S. Forester The last Chronologically of the Hornblower series finds his Lordship a Rear Admiral in command in the West Indies. Rather than one adventure this is really a series of short adventures finding him matched against the French Imperial Guard seeking to return Napoleon to power from St Helena, a slave ship attempting to evade them with it’s human cargo, being captured by Pirates, interceding in the Simon Bolivar revolutions in South America and surviving a hurricane with Lady Barbara on the way home. Good read

End Game (Jonathan Grave #6) by John Gilstrap This book finds Scorpion and Big Guy on the hunt of a teenager who holds a secret that people are willing to kill for. His parents murdered and on the run with a bodyguard they try to find him before the Chechens or the Russians catch up to him. OK read

Blacklist Aftermath (Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell #7) by Peter Telep This book picks up with the start of 4th Echelon the successor to 3rd Echelon with Sam Fisher in command. A Russian Tech billionaire is on the run and Sam and his team attempt to bring him back to the US before he is killed by assassins. Ok read.

Inferno (Robert Langdon #4) by Dan Brown I liked this Dan Brown book a lot more than the Lost Symbol but not quite as much as Angels and Demons or the Da Vinci Code at least part is probably due to the fact that the main settings are Istanbul, Venice and Florence 3 of my favorite cities. Robert Langdon finds himself in a hospital in Florence with no memory of what happened to him the previous couple of days. Just when he is starting to figure out what is going on a assassin burst into his room and he is on the run with a young genius. He has to decipher a riddle laid down by a madman based on Dante’s Inferno being chased by the policy and soldiers at every turn. Good read.

The Captain: The Journey of Derek Jeter by Ian O'Connor A good biography of Derek Jeter telling his childhood, his years in the minors and his long career with the Yankees. Not too much personal stuff focusing mainly on his baseball career and his relationships with his teammates and opponents.

Commanding the Storm: Civil War Battles in the Words of the Generals Who Fought Them by John Richard Stephens An excellent book detailing the major engagements of the Civil War from the men who commanded the troops in battle. Utilizing their field reports, memoirs and testimony in front of committee’s and other places it tells the stories of the major battles and Sherman’s March to the Sea. Good read.

The Godfather by Mario Puzo I picked this up at the Library’s used book sale and couldn’t believe I had never read it. A fabulous book which differs slightly from the movie and add a little bit. Awesome read.

The Family by Mario Puzo This book is Puzo’s fictional account of Pope Alexander VI, Rodrigo Borgia, and his infamous children. While a lot of it is factually accurate he also delves into a lot of the gossip and rumors that haunted the family. Good read