On opposite ends of the spectrum, Carl Hiassen and Eoin Colfer are guilty pleasures of mine. Hiaasen's books are typically over the top and chock full...moreOn opposite ends of the spectrum, Carl Hiassen and Eoin Colfer are guilty pleasures of mine. Hiaasen's books are typically over the top and chock full of outrageous characters and situations, Star Island was no exception.
Pop star Cherry Pye is an alcoholic, sex-craved, drug loving, train wreck on the cusp of losing it all, yet maintaining a chance of redemption with her soon to be released CD Scantily Klad. Covering when Cherry is incapacitated is Ann DeLusia, an unknown to Cherry double, who is kidnapped by a crazed paparazzo.
From that point Ann tries to escape from the life of being Cherry, as Cherry spirals out of control and her entourage, as dysfunctional in its own myriad of ways as she is, only gets worse as the problems mount.
Ann finds an unexpected ally in the form of Skink, a three tour Vietnam Vet, turned Governor of Florida, turned swamp survivor, who has a personal code focused on nature's preservation and little fear of the law.
Hiassen brings all of these characters and their desires together and blends them into a story only he can tell. The final club scene does a fantastic job of pulling together the right characters and letting them sort things out.
I had read The Book of Lost Tales, Part One and Part Two in the early 1990's, but hadn't read any of this series since.
I had started The R...moreI had read The Book of Lost Tales, Part One and Part Two in the early 1990's, but hadn't read any of this series since.
I had started The Return of the Shadow, but switched to Sauron Defeated and finally finished it this weekend.
These books are for either super fans of Tolkien or those who want insight into Tolkien's writing process.
Reading these I wonder if it will even be possible to explore the writing process given digital 'overwriting' of text. There really aren't any side notes or comments in most instances.
At any rate, I loved seeing the story develop and evolve and read this at a very leisurely pace.
The first,maybe 20% of the book is the final part of The Return of the King and the bulk of it is regarding The Notion Club Papers, a previously unreleased work that attempts to connect the future (for Tolkien at least - the 1980s) with Middle-Earth. It also delves into 'ancient' languages.
Looking forward to reading The Return of the Shadow, The Treason of Isengard, and the War of the Ring (don't you prefer those titles?) to complete the LOTR portion of this series. (less)
now four month old shepherd pup and I really forgot what it takes to raise a puppy right. Last one was lab/shepherd mix or lepherd and she was simply ...morenow four month old shepherd pup and I really forgot what it takes to raise a puppy right. Last one was lab/shepherd mix or lepherd and she was simply too easy to train. Back to basics.
Our GSD is now 10 months, a bundle of energy, and great fun. This book was good to have on hand with lots of important reminders, particularly about how the signals we give sometimes have the opposite affect and you have to be thinking about that.
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I raised alot of money for my local library with this one.
I believe it was three different fines, before I said no mas.
There are f...moreI raised alot of money for my local library with this one.
I believe it was three different fines, before I said no mas.
There are few books I give up on, but this was one. It was intriguing, I was interested to learn more, but I couldn't justify yet another renewal so I turned it in without finishing. I was about half way though.
This isn't necessarily Kostova's fault or the book, when I read Dostevsky it takes forever for me to finish, I simply read chunks, read other books, read more chunks and in a year or so its over - and I love it.
The Historian was very good, slower, but not this slow. I read on as others have mentioned because they ultimately enjoyed her first work and hoped for the same.
I had picked up "In the Garden of Beasts" at the library this fall and after reading a chapter or so, realized that this was a book that I w...moreI had picked up "In the Garden of Beasts" at the library this fall and after reading a chapter or so, realized that this was a book that I wanted to have in my collection.
I'd read "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" many years ago, and found it to be very factual to the point of clinical. I thought "In the Garden of Beasts" would be a good compliment to show a little more context of the times through the eyes of U.S. Ambassador Dodd's families' perspective. I got it for Christmas and started over at the beginning of this month.
This book tells the story of William Dodd, professor turned first US Ambassador in Hitler's Germany. Dodd, along with his wife, and adult children Martha and Bill Jr., leave Chicago for Germany. Not only are they experiencing a dramatic culture shock, but professionally Dodd is not accepted within the rank of the US diplomatic corps as he was not independently wealthy, let alone a member of their "club".
I found the story to be very intriguing, at times I was concerned that Larson was being a bit 'revisionist', but felt in the end it was based on the impressions and thoughts of the Dodd's based on the records and diaries available.
Overall a good book, but probably needs to be read by someone with an understanding of history at that point in time, in that location, with those individuals.(less)
It was the book that wouldn't end. Had someone edited about 100 pages out of this book, mostly taking out the lectures, it would have moved along more...moreIt was the book that wouldn't end. Had someone edited about 100 pages out of this book, mostly taking out the lectures, it would have moved along more swiftly and made it an enjoyable suspense quest novel.
Not sure if the reference to Berry's Cotton Malone was indicating some future collaboration or simply acknowledging a similar readership and of course the very similarly titled prior efforts by both authors which were released very close to one another (The Templar Legacy by Berry, and The Last Templar by Khoury).
In this work, Khoury revives two characters from his Last Templar novel and again sets them in motion to hunt down a bad guy who is seeking ancient religious texts. Tess Chaykin is at a dig when she and others are kidnapped. A call is made to FBI agent Sean Reilly who travels to Rome to help her.
It is soon apparent that the 'bad guy' is a very bad guy who finds bombs to be a good security tool.
From Rome the chase leads to Turkey, where the bulk of the story takes place.
It turns out that the prize are a set of books from the Council of Nicea, that were written in the earliest days of Christianity, but didn't make it into the official church Cannon, and were to have been destroyed, but weren't. These texts were used by the Templars to gain concessions from the Pope in exchange for keeping them secret. During the siege of Constantinople the books were removed and lost once again. The bad guy has hopes to bring down christianity with them.
This book could have been better, it had action, but that was too often broken up with lectures. The story drug on longer than need be, and made me want to finish because of my investment in time rather than my desire to turn the page for the sake of the story.(less)
Okay, so I've read these books about a hundred times, but when I need a pick-me up I inevitably reach for the series and I plowed through Hitchhikers ...moreOkay, so I've read these books about a hundred times, but when I need a pick-me up I inevitably reach for the series and I plowed through Hitchhikers Guide and am now at Milliways, just about ready to see the meat.
And a few short weeks later I was through Mostly Harmless, wanting more, but haven't had it in me to read the Coelfer, not Adams, sequel.(less)
I've read all the Cotton Malone novels by Steve Berry and this one was better than the last few, but thought it dragged on a bit too much.
As...moreI've read all the Cotton Malone novels by Steve Berry and this one was better than the last few, but thought it dragged on a bit too much.
As is the case in each, retired agent Cotton Malone is drawn back into service, this time to ultimately recover documents intentionally removed and hidden by President Jackson.
The documents are a part of the Congressional Record which authorized a collective of four men to act in perpetuity as privateers. The group continues to operate into modern times, but the latest President, Daniels, is intent on ending there operations following an attempt on his life.
The story involves competing intelligence agencies, the privateers, private contractors, and a host of double deals.
This was only the second book by Salmon Rushdie that I'd read (the first being the Enchantress of Florence) and I really enjoyed it.
Luka a...moreThis was only the second book by Salmon Rushdie that I'd read (the first being the Enchantress of Florence) and I really enjoyed it.
Luka and the Fire of Life is a quest story about Luka, son of the great storyteller Rashid Khalifa, who has been cursed. Luka must find, capture and bring to his father the Fire of Life, to keep him alive.
Rushdie's storytelling and ability to herd mythological characters into a magical world modeled after a video game kept me reading throughout.
While some reviewers have complained about certain aspects, such as a bear named Dog, and a dog named Bear, I found it amusing and it didn't get old.
I was disappointed that my library didn't have Haroun and the Sea of Stories, which appears to have been a prequel of sorts, but not having read it didn't seem to make a difference.
Over the holidays I got the four books that comprise TLOTR and decided to mostly delve into these over the course of the year. I've been jumping from ...moreOver the holidays I got the four books that comprise TLOTR and decided to mostly delve into these over the course of the year. I've been jumping from the Return of the Shadow to the Fellowship of the Ring and to some earlier works and appendixes, which has made it very interesting to see both the history and how the story developed.
Reading the first book in the series, I found I liked the fact that the stories are set in medieval times, because it is not what I typically read. I ...moreReading the first book in the series, I found I liked the fact that the stories are set in medieval times, because it is not what I typically read. I enjoyed the character and how the story progressed. The lone flaw was that the writing in certain spots didn't work for me.
In book 2, I felt the same way. The pacing was good, there were some nice twists as the story progressed. I was glad to see that there wasn't as much interaction with the local sheriff in this book. And the development of Crispin with his servant in training Jack was good.
All in all pleased with the book, it is an entertaining, quick read.(less)
The story of Michael Oher is without a question compelling. The book was a quick read, and yes I had seen the movie and am a football fan so was well ...moreThe story of Michael Oher is without a question compelling. The book was a quick read, and yes I had seen the movie and am a football fan so was well aware of the story in general.
What I thought brought the book down was Lewis' attempt to depict the 'evolution of a game'.
These sections slowed the book way down and didn't add anything to the story. I also admit to not being a fan of Lawrence Taylor, who admitted to drug addiction during his playing days and was recently accused of raping a minor, and is the focal point of Lewis' evolution.
That being said, the sections which addressed Michael's life were stunning and well worth the read.
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