Rating this GOOD is not accurate. But it is a Must Read unless what's going on now in America os not affecting you, or you don't care.
This is a ...moreRating this GOOD is not accurate. But it is a Must Read unless what's going on now in America os not affecting you, or you don't care.
This is a reread from years ago in my social activist days. Amazing how one can see these techniques in use if our eyes are open.(less)
(Going back and forth between this and Dick Morris' book "Fleeced" Let's see which scares me more and is more mind blowing.)
In t...more(Going back and forth between this and Dick Morris' book "Fleeced" Let's see which scares me more and is more mind blowing.)
In the end this was a disappointment after the other Donna Leon Brunetti books. To say why would be most difficult without not just giving away the ending but how it blends in with the rest of the storytelling. Worth reading as always, but not a favorite.(less)
I'd give it almost a three star - 2.5 at least - but it was not as good as the other Leon books I've read. She includes much less color commentary on ...moreI'd give it almost a three star - 2.5 at least - but it was not as good as the other Leon books I've read. She includes much less color commentary on the surroundings and to my taste the characters are not fleshed out as well.
But it still occupied me all day and I didn't put it down until the very end, though I admit to skimming near the end.(less)
"In the backwoods of Maine, a man goes missing" the cover proclaims. Only it's not exactly the backwoods, as the picturesque little town and...more"In the backwoods of Maine, a man goes missing" the cover proclaims. Only it's not exactly the backwoods, as the picturesque little town and its police department play heavily in this Jack McMorrow mystery, with the writer digging into the mystery it seems only he cares about.
You'll learn a little about the history of both Maine and Quebec as Jack, halfheartedly researching an article for a historical travel magazine piece, retraces the trek to Montreal made by Benedict Arnold as he also looks into the interrupted journey of a bus passenger who disappeared mid-trip.
A mystery to me until the last page, this was one of the few books that not only keep me guessing but also keep the specter of lurking menace alive cover to cover.(less)
The second Brunetti mystery I've read brings me a more fleshed out character in both wife and daughter of the Commissario's household and shows off au...moreThe second Brunetti mystery I've read brings me a more fleshed out character in both wife and daughter of the Commissario's household and shows off author Donna Leon's way with both dialogue and storytelling.
Though I found the story more interesting than the first I read, Dressed for Death, the ending of this one very much disappointed me with abruptness.(less)
A well crafted story of intrigue and deaths that might not be what they seem, Dressed for Death is told with agile turns of phrase and a well crafted ...moreA well crafted story of intrigue and deaths that might not be what they seem, Dressed for Death is told with agile turns of phrase and a well crafted plot-line set in the heat of a Venetian summer and with a seamy rather than steamy sex-trade backdrop. (less)
Firefight is a story about the people who responded to the Pentagon on the morning of September 11, 2001. But beyond that it is a glimpse into their a...moreFirefight is a story about the people who responded to the Pentagon on the morning of September 11, 2001. But beyond that it is a glimpse into their actions, reactions and interactions that day and in the weeks that followed.
In a former life I was a fire department wife. Then I was an Army wife. On September 11th I was an Air Force mom. So I could be predjudiced to like this book.
It's not a story however that has much to do with the military or the fire service per se; and is not just a book for history students, 9/11 junkies and firefighter groupies.
What this inside story does have is a very personal voice, reading with heart, insight, plus an unflinching dedication to accuracy in retelling both positives and negatives. And the surprise inside? There's a love story you will first surmise and then have confirmed. Bonuses like this sometimes make all the difference and these authors get it.
Small details of the everyday people whose names I don't see on TV allow Firefight to read almost like a memoir although it's not. And at the same time the same small details were what made me feel guilty as I was reading.
While I was paralyzed with fear in front of my bedroom tv just a bit upriver from the Pentagon, I now know I should have been driving a few miles to Costco to buy cases of gatorade for the firefighters who weren't any more prepared for their basic needs that day than any of the rest of us were to smell burning jet fuel along the Potomac.
Although I have studied the story of September eleventh extensively, now I have a much greater understanding of what was happening around and in the Pentagon that day, how various emergency departments and agencies struggled to do their parts of a tough job in the face of inherent dangers, unexpected hazards, and roadblocks thrown up by the system.
It's a thick book that you won't want to put down.(less)
This one ties with Catch as Cat Can as my biggest waste of reading time in December 2008 with a dumb premise and tired sitcom-ish jokes that try way t...moreThis one ties with Catch as Cat Can as my biggest waste of reading time in December 2008 with a dumb premise and tired sitcom-ish jokes that try way too hard. In short, don't bother.(less)
I tried, honestly. After all, anyone who reads Meg Langslow Mysteries should like these but I found it trite at best, and not all that clever with th...moreI tried, honestly. After all, anyone who reads Meg Langslow Mysteries should like these but I found it trite at best, and not all that clever with the cat who supposedly writes along with the mistress. As many times as I've heard this author's name, she's not someone I've read and doubt I'll be doing so in the future.(less)
The thirty five year flashback concept and not so well developed multitude of character sketches from the way back machine didn't do anything for me. ...moreThe thirty five year flashback concept and not so well developed multitude of character sketches from the way back machine didn't do anything for me. To be honest, as she's getting close to the end of the alphabet I worried a bit that Sue Grafton may be running out of believable ideas - until I read the next installment: T is for Trespass. My advice is to skip the Silence and go directly to T.(less)
How does a community ban on plastic yard ornaments fit in with a revolutionary war reenactment, a murder, and blacksmithing? Leave it to Meg Langslow'...moreHow does a community ban on plastic yard ornaments fit in with a revolutionary war reenactment, a murder, and blacksmithing? Leave it to Meg Langslow's character to bring the story together in Yorktown VA where she and the handy boyfriend character Michael, who we really know far too little about, are participating in the festivities of encampment and craft show in period garb and with cannons firing.
Not much meat on the bones of this one in the series, but the story behind her making iron flamingos is believable to any condo or Homeowners' association resident and the rest of the book is lightweight entertainment with amusing conversation and colorful characters.(less)
Leave your expectations about believability at the first page and enjoy the best developed of the Meg Langslow mysteries I've read to date. Book six a...moreLeave your expectations about believability at the first page and enjoy the best developed of the Meg Langslow mysteries I've read to date. Book six adds richer detail in scene setting while retaining the same tongue-in-cheek and lighthearted approach Andrews has carried through the series, complete with more relatives than I'd want to have, much less hold a yard sale with.
I even learned something about sheep, more about owls, and am glad that Meg's character is coming around to see her mom as more than just an annoyance. For that, I might bump this one up to four stars :)
While not high brow literature, this goofy series is an entertaining quick read while battling the flu, making Owl's Well that Ends Well a good fit for me this week.(less)
A fairly large book, I nonetheless devoured it in two days and for the first time understand at least something about the command on both sides of the...moreA fairly large book, I nonetheless devoured it in two days and for the first time understand at least something about the command on both sides of the lines and the experience of the tank battalions in North Africa and eventually the invasion of Sicily and Italy, not to mention the importance of the North African campaign to the success of the Allies in World War II.
Maybe someone should have required reading like this as part of my high school curriculum because apparently historical fiction is the way to give me the perspective I never got from maps, documentaries or classes in my school years or since.
Admittedly, this book was heavy on history and light on fiction, with little interest in manufacturing diversions from the story to throw some romance or drama into the mix that wasn't there already. That said, through the telling of the stories of individual's day to day experience however I found myself caring to understand something about the men behind the names: Patton, Rommel, Marshall and their staffs. Understanding their conflicts, problems with supplies and more, I was able to form a picture of what some of what happened before the invasion in Normandy, a topic I'd given little thought to before.(less)
Amusing, though not as mysterious as the story could be, Meg remains hard to take seriously as she flits about hither and yon, mingling with colorful ...moreAmusing, though not as mysterious as the story could be, Meg remains hard to take seriously as she flits about hither and yon, mingling with colorful characters at a family enclave off the Maine coast.
Better set closer to home on one hand, Meg Lanslow was slightly more believable in the first of this series, Murder with Peacocks. But she comes off as slightly less of a patsy in this novel.
As a follow up to the first in the series it's not a necessary read at all and will, disappointingly, tell you little of the story of the inside of the romance with the dressmaker's son. I'm afraid he, and I perhaps, like Meg's dad better than I do the heroine. (less)
Light mystery readers will enjoy the interesting if unlikely heroine and her more unlikely family if they're not seeing her as naive for agreeing to b...moreLight mystery readers will enjoy the interesting if unlikely heroine and her more unlikely family if they're not seeing her as naive for agreeing to be Maid of Honor at the weddings of a friend, a brother, and her mother, all within a month's time but moreover somewhat of a patsy for acting throughout the story as unpaid go-fer and problem solvers for the brides as she gives up her own work life and moves home for three months to be handmaiden and murder-solver and herder of wedding peacocks.(less)
At over 500 pages this memoir was far too long by far and gave even a 60s democrat like me an opportunity to see Ted Sorensen, even tempered by age, a...moreAt over 500 pages this memoir was far too long by far and gave even a 60s democrat like me an opportunity to see Ted Sorensen, even tempered by age, as far too critical of anyone any everyone who was not John Kennedy. There's a mean-spirited undercurrent to much of what he writes here, though if you're looking for minuscule details that are probably not important to many others besides Sorensen, you'll find them here.(less)
The action is a bit harder to follow than in some of Silva's work and many of the characters are presented in such a superficial shadowy form that it'...moreThe action is a bit harder to follow than in some of Silva's work and many of the characters are presented in such a superficial shadowy form that it's difficult to know, much less like or care about them.
But if you're looking for an excuse to paint Catholicism with a broad brush, this is a book that will help you do it. Silva, while doing a good job with minute details of his story that takes us from modern day Europe to Rome and Germany during the Nazi persecution in WWII, unfortunately - perhaps unwittingly - supplies reviewers with ammunition to comment "I always secretly thought the church was evil and now I know that it is."
For a book showing a slice of the true story it's not a bad piece of fiction, but reader beware: you need more information to make informed decisions.(less)
The addition of a young American blonde art expert from the Phillips collection in DC gave this thriller an unexpected touch of humanity. Finally, a S...moreThe addition of a young American blonde art expert from the Phillips collection in DC gave this thriller an unexpected touch of humanity. Finally, a Silva character who is developed well enough for me to like!
But have no fears, though part of the story involves a newly discovered VanGough, Israeli security, the CIA, safe houses scattered through Europe, even threats against the papal state come into play in what I feel is among the most promising of Silva's work and one which shows a deep understanding of the financial ties of terrorism to the radical Islam of the Saudi Kingdom.
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