Book Thread number ?

[The Rube]

Re: Book Thread number ?

I just finished the Cartel and enjoyed it even more that The Power of the Dog, it had a much more streamlined plot it didn't jump around as much and have as many side plot lines. It might be best to read them close to one another as they reference some stuff from the earlier book in this one that I forgot.

Very good to know.

And also wondering about The Girl book. I have my doubts, but......

[St. Clown]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Has anyone read The Girl in the Spider's Web (Millennium#4)? I'm up to #10 on the hold list (out of 138) at the library. It got 3.74 stars at Goodreads.

I have it on my Kindle, but I've not yet gotten to it. A few books ahead of it and I've not been reading as much for the last few weeks.

[RaceBoarder]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Finally gave into the curiosity that the Marvel movies have sparked and spent the last few weeks reading through some of the more prominent stories in the Marvel Comic world... So far I've gone through The Infinity Gauntlet and Civil War events...

I'm really kind of shocked at how much I'm enjoying the medium... I haven't read any fiction since college, so it's quite the change to be some 1000+ pages into this... The world is just so much deeper than what you get in the movies... Reading through, you can really see what makes the different characters tick... I really feel like I've been missing out all these years since I've had a passing interest in various Marvel characters from TV and film... Just seems like you got the Cliff Notes version there however

[Probert]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Recent reads

The Fall (Dismas Hardy #16) by John Lescroart The latest Dismas Hardy book follows the case of his daughter Rebecca recently out of law school who is defending a young man accused of killing a teenager. In a politically charged environment she struggles to win his case while having doubts about his innocence and despite his wanting to have her stand on her own, Dismas can’t help but try to help her out. Good read

The Solomon Curse (Fargo Adventure #7) by Clive Cussler, Russell Blake The latest Fargo adventure finds them in the Solomon Islands searching for a long lost city. After they find it and start their exploration they find that the city was looted by the Japanese during WWII. With no find publicized they seek to find out what happened to the treasure. Weird things start to happen on the island and a rebel faction is causing dissention by killing politicians and locals. Not one of the better Cussler series but an ok read.

Alert (Michael Bennett #8) by James Patterson (Goodreads Author), Michael Ledwidge The Michael Bennett series by Patterson/Ledwidge is my current favorite offering from Patterson. Unlike many of the others it usually just has one storyline rather than 2 or 3 and Bennett and his extend family make for an interesting read. In this one he is trying to track down terrorists holding NYC for ransom after blowing up a subway tunnel and setting of a EMP bomb they threaten to unleash a tsunami on the Eastern seaboard unless they get 3 billion dollars.

The Enemy Inside (Paul Madriani #13) by Steve Martini At the beginning of this book I thought Martini was going to abandon the global intrigue he has taken in his last few novel and go back to writing cases about a legal case as he and Harry are hired to defend a young man accused of killing a prominent attorney when drunk. But when the attorney has connections to high profile politicians who wanted to keep her silent as well as his client they once again are involved in a global intrigue with political influence, overseas accounts and assassin trying to kill the witness involved. If you like Martini’s last 2-3 books this is for you if you prefer his earlier novels you will probably just think it is okay.

The Cartel by Don Winslow Art Keller is back on the case after his nemesis Adan Barrerra works a deal and subsequently escapes from prison and attempts to reestablish his drug empire. It follows the war within Mexico as Keller fights against the major cartels making some questionable alliances in the process. Following the lines of the current drug war in Mexico with some real names being used and some others where you can pretty much pick up who they are Winslow tells a riveting story about the violence and it’s effect on life in Mexico. I actually liked it better than Power of the Dog because it had a much more focused storyline. Great read.

Memory Man (Amos Decker #1) by David Baldacci Amos Decker is a man haunted by his memories, after a brutal hit on the football field leaves him with an unflappable memory he is haunted by the murder of his wife and child. Wandering aimlessly after his death he is brought back to the real world after a man walks in and confesses to the crime. After he is released with an alibi it turns out the school shooting in town is linked to his case and he is asked to consult as the killer seems to be haunting him. Another good character from Baldacci, good read.

Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty by Charles Leerhsen This is a good biography of Cobb, it skips over some of his playing years but tells the story of his rise in the game and his battles with fans umpires teammates and everyone else. It puts to death many of the rumors of Cobb that have been spread throughout the years. Could have told a little more about the end of his career and his post playing career.

House Justice (Joe DeMarco #5) by Mike Lawson Another good Demarco book which finds him investigating a CIA leak that got an agent killed. Unfortunately the reporter has a relationship with the Speaker of the House and Joe is given orders to help end the mess. Teaming with a CIA agent they attempt to find the people who leaked the story to the reporter only to find the principals dropping dead either before or after they visit them.

Stealing Secrets: How a Few Daring Women Deceived Generals, Impacted Battles, and Altered the Course of the Civil War by H. Donald Winkler An interesting book which tells short stories of female spies, saboteurs and scouts on both sides during the Civil War. He tells the stories of the famous one, Belle Boyd, Elizabeth Lew and Rose Greenhow along with many other not well known ones. Some of the stories are brief and leave a lot of details lacking as many of the Union and Confederate records from the period were lost.

Badlands (Jessica Balzano & Kevin Byrne #4) by Richard Montanari The latest from Montanari finds the detective trying to track down a magician and puzzle maker who is killing women using classic magic tricks. Not as much plot development as some of his earlier books but an okay read.

[jen]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Has anyone read The Girl in the Spider's Web (Millennium#4)? I'm up to #10 on the hold list (out of 138) at the library. It got 3.74 stars at Goodreads.

Finished this. I enjoyed it, and the plot line kept me interested, especially near the end as it switched between two perspectives of the same story. I felt like Lisbeth's perspective wasn't as well-written as it was with Larsson, though - I didn't feel like he "got" her. Still, worth the read.

[MissThundercat]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Endurance Sports Nutrition by Suzanne Girard Eberle, MS, RDN, CSSD.

At this time, I'm just reading up on sports nutrition and seeing what the current wisdom is.

[geezer]

Re: Book Thread number ?

You know what's an unexpectedly very entertaining and well-written book which was on sale on kindle a few days ago? The Last Kingdom. And it turns out Cornwell has written about 25 exhaustively researched historical novels. There goes my 2016.

[bostonewe]

Re: Book Thread number ?

You know what's an unexpectedly very entertaining and well-written book which was on sale on kindle a few days ago? The Last Kingdom. And it turns out Cornwell has written about 25 exhaustively researched historical novels. There goes my 2016.

I'll have to check this out!
Finished reading "The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane". Per husband, "history nerd girl porn" - modern female graduate student in history story that details the research she is going by talking about the character in their time period. This goes back and forth between the 1690s to early 1800s in New England and 1991 in New England. Lauren Willig's Flower series bounces between Napoleonic France (and England) and modern London.

[leswp1]

Re: Book Thread number ?

I'll have to check this out!
Finished reading "The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane". Per husband, "history nerd girl porn" - modern female graduate student in history story that details the research she is going by talking about the character in their time period. This goes back and forth between the 1690s to early 1800s in New England and 1991 in New England. Lauren Willig's Flower series bounces between Napoleonic France (and England) and modern London.

Have you read the Outlander series by Gabaldon? The main character is a nurse who goes back to Scotland at the time of Stuart uprising. I read the book jacket, thought it would be horrible and put it back. Then asked the woman who owned the store for a recommendation. She made a beeline for it. 8 books later still my favorite series. History, medical stuff. Great escapist fiction.

[bostonewe]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Have you read the Outlander series by Gabaldon? The main character is a nurse who goes back to Scotland at the time of Stuart uprising. I read the book jacket, thought it would be horrible and put it back. Then asked the woman who owned the store for a recommendation. She made a beeline for it. 8 books later still my favorite series. History, medical stuff. Great escapist fiction.

It's been recommended to me by about 8 people. I will likely start it tomorrow. I bought the first book in paperback, but am not a fan of how large it is (hurts my hand to hold it) so I may splurge and buy the Kindle version anyway. I left my entire work bag at home tonight (stethoscope, watch, special pens, report sheets) that has my Kindle in it. My MIL was the first to recommend it, but I have had several others now (both at my old workplace and new) who are crazy about it, so I feel like I should give it a try.

[SJHovey]

It's been recommended to me by about 8 people. I will likely start it tomorrow. I bought the first book in paperback, but am not a fan of how large it is (hurts my hand to hold it) so I may splurge and buy the Kindle version anyway. I left my entire work bag at home tonight (stethoscope, watch, special pens, report sheets) that has my Kindle in it. My MIL was the first to recommend it, but I have had several others now (both at my old workplace and new) who are crazy about it, so I feel like I should give it a try.

Starz has a series based upon the books.

[bostonewe]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Starz has a series based upon the books.

I'm not much for watching a movie/show until I've read the book. I do know of the series (plus we don't have fancy cable)

[leswp1]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Starz has a series based upon the books.

Never watched it. I love the books. Have read them at least 5 times. No real man is going to be what I have in my head. I would rather keep the characters the way I imagine them.

[geezer]

Re: Book Thread number ?

I just finished the Cartel and enjoyed it even more that The Power of the Dog, it had a much more streamlined plot it didn't jump around as much and have as many side plot lines. It might be best to read them close to one another as they reference some stuff from the earlier book in this one that I forgot.

Here's a good nonfiction summary of many of the books' plot points. Play "match the names to the characters." I'm really appreciating the fine journalism at The Atlantic lately.

[Probert]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Recent reads

Against All Enemies (Jonathan Grave #7) by John Gilstrap The latest Jonathan Grave books finds him tasked to track down a Delta Force member who has gone rogue and is killing CIA analysts and leaking classified intelligence to America's enemies. Once they track him down they find out that is not the whole story as they have to try and stop an attack on the United States that is being launched from within. Didn't like this as much as the previous Grave books, not as much plot development or as interesting of a storyline.

Tough Jews: Fathers, Sons, and Gangster Dreams by Rich Cohen An OK analysis of the Jewish Mobsters of the 20's and 30's. Focusing mainly on Murder Inc, Abe Reles, Many Weiss et al along with Lepke Buchalter it does spend a little bit of time on Meyer Lansky, Dutch Schultz and Bugsy Siegel. It just doesn't have a detailed story line of any one gang just kind of an overall storyline of these were the Jewish Gangsters until they faded from the scene by going to jail, the electric chair or in the case of Lansky dying in jail.

Beyond Suspicion (Jack Swyteck #2) by James Grippando My major issue with this book is that it's story line is so similar to the first one. Jack Swyteck wins a case and then is framed for murder and comes under investigation and has to dig into to find out who is out to get him. Parts of the case tear him and his wife Cindy, girlfriend in book 1, apart. It's an okay read but I would like a little more courtroom action and maybe someone other than Jack could end up being the suspect and he can just be the defense attorney.

On the Trail of Genghis Khan: An Epic Journey Through the Land of the Nomads by Tim Cope An interesting tale of a man’s quest to ride a horse across the length of the Genghis Khan’s Mongolian empire. Parts of it were really interesting the way some of the ethinic tribes within the former Soviet Union were treated and how they are adapting now after the break up. Parts of it a really repetitive, make camp find a place to water the horses etc. I also didn’t like that he didn’t hit places that were specific to the Mongols, sights of battles, regional capital etc. though he does include stories of such events.

Sharpe's Triumph (Richard Sharpe, chronological order #2) by Bernard Cornwell The second Sharpe book, chronologically, finds him still in India with Arthur Wellesley’s army attempting to put down a rebellion. The only survivor of a massacre committed by a fomer English officer Sharpe aids Colonel Mcandless in tracking him down and bring Wellesley’s army against the rebels. Good read

The Arctic Event (Covert-One #7) by James H. Cobb This Covert One book finds Jon Smith and his team going to the Arctic to find a Russian Plane encased in the ice. The Russians state that it hold anthrax left from the Cold War and what other secrets? Weapons dealers are on route to grab it before them and they must operate against their own allies the Russians too. Ok read.

Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden--from 9/11 to Abbottabad by Peter L. Bergen Another excellent Bin Laden book from Peter Bergen one of the few Western journalists to interview the foreign leader. In this book he details the hunt that the CIA and others took over the 10 year period after September 11th until the raid that ended his life on the run.

Make Me (Jack Reacher #20) by Lee Child Intrigued by the name Mother’s Rest Jack Reacher steps of a train at a town in Oklahoma, and is par for the course becomes embroiled in an adventure when a woman at the train station mistakes him for someone she is waiting for who is missing. Teaming with a former FBI agent they seek to find her colleague and discover what is going on in the town called Mother’s Rest. Good read

Calvin Coolidge (The American Presidents #30) by David Greenberg I had always thought that Coolidge was one of those Presidents who happened to serve during a period where nothing major affected the Presidency. The major happening in the 20’s would have been the rise of gangsters but crime enforcement was mainly thought to be a local issue at the time. It is clear that the author is not a fan of Coolidge’s small government, minimal intervention tactics. It tells his rise from a boy in Vermont to Governor of Massachusetts and after a police strike in Boston garners him national attention the Vice Presidency. He succeeds to the Vice Presidency and serves the rest of Warren Harding’s term and a term of his own. Not a whole lot happens during his time in the White House. Ok read.

Wait for Signs: Twelve Longmire Stories by Craig Johnson A collection of Walt Longmire short stories. Some of them are a nice read while others are a little strange.

Commander-in-Chief (Jack Ryan #11) by Mark Greaney This Jack Ryan novel is written by Mark Greaney who in my opinion is the far superior of the writers continuing Clancy’s works. I enjoyed the book but found it very similar to The Bear and Dragon with the exception of the involvement of the Campus operatives; John Clark, Ding, Dom and Jack Jr. A very complicated plot that is close to the headlines of today with Russia acting belligerent towards it’s neighbors.

Cross Justice (Alex Cross #23) by James Patterson Two good Alex Cross books in a row after a bunch of ho hum ones. This one finds Alex down in North Carolina his hometown with he a Nana Momma fighting old demons. He is back there to help his cousin who is being defended by his cousin Naomi, from Kiss The Girls. He and Bree start to investigate and find themselves up against people from his mother and father’s past. Good read

Gotti's Rules: The Story of John Alite, Junior Gotti, and the Demise of the American Mafia by George Anastasia The story of John Alite and his association with John Gotti Junior. Tells of the Gambino family during the rule John Gotti and it’s fall from power after he goes to prison and Junior is left to run the family. Okay read.

Sharpe's Fortress (Richard Sharpe (chronological order) #3) by Bernard Cornwell This book follows Sharpe in India, a newly promoted Ensign he finds himself in a Scottish unit that is resentful of his presence. When the enemies army retreats of a unassailable fortress he finds himself working a wagon train with his nemesis Sgt Hakeswill and Captain Morris on the scene. Can he find a way to assault the fortress and get after Colonel Dodd. Good read.

Vinny Gorgeous: The Ugly Rise and Fall of a New York Mobster by Anthony M. Destefano This book tells of the demise of the Bonnano family, it tells the story of Vinny Basciano a family member from the Bronx who rises to become Street Boss while Boss Joe Massino is in prison only to be brought down by the testimony of his own boss who became a cooperating witness. Ok read.