Currently Reading...

[Laurel]

Terry wrote: "Laurel wrote: "Terry wrote: "Laurel wrote: "Riya wrote: "How are the Game of Thrones books??? I've been meaning to read them!"

Fantastic! Takes a little while at first, to learn all of the charact..."

Sounds familiar! Thank goodness for GR, so we have a chance to find like-minded souls.

[Terry ~ Huntress of Erudition]

Yes! I'm taking a breather between books 2 and 3, but I plan to start reading book 3 in November, so be prepared!!

[Dustin]

I couldn't agree with you two more about the highly addictive nature of ASOIAF, I love these books so very, very much!!

A Feast for Crows is going pretty well for me. It's different than the first 3 books, but I love the fact that GRRM made it all-encompassing. I have much respect and admiration for the man. I'm really digging all the new characters and I'm learning a lot!

[Dustin]

Riya wrote: "How are the Game of Thrones books??? I've been meaning to read them!"

I can't recommend them nearly highly enough. Happy reading, Riya!

[Riya]

Wow- thanks Laurel, Terry, and Dustin!!! I totally have to read them ASAP and I'll definitely come let you gusy know when I do so we can discuss!! You all seem so happy so I'm super excited to start them- I need to get a copy :)

[Laurel]

Riya wrote: "Wow- thanks Laurel, Terry, and Dustin!!! I totally have to read them ASAP and I'll definitely come let you gusy know when I do so we can discuss!! You all seem so happy so I'm super excited to star..."

Try looking for one of the boxed sets of 4...may be cheaper??? But it's a lot of pages to see sitting on your shelf. I did find that as soon as I finished the first, I went out and bought 2 & 3 together.

[Riya]

Laurel wrote: "Riya wrote: "Wow- thanks Laurel, Terry, and Dustin!!! I totally have to read them ASAP and I'll definitely come let you gusy know when I do so we can discuss!! You all seem so happy so I'm super ex..."

Good to know. I'll probably get the first one from the library and if I love it I'll go get the boxed set since it will probably be WAY cheaper (as long as they're not all hardcover!)

[Laurel]

Riya wrote: "Laurel wrote: "Riya wrote: "Wow- thanks Laurel, Terry, and Dustin!!! I totally have to read them ASAP and I'll definitely come let you gusy know when I do so we can discuss!! You all seem so happy ..."

Good plan. You can definitely get the boxed set in paperback here in Canada, so I am guessing it is available wherever you live.

[Riya]

Laurel wrote: "Riya wrote: "Laurel wrote: "Riya wrote: "Wow- thanks Laurel, Terry, and Dustin!!! I totally have to read them ASAP and I'll definitely come let you gusy know when I do so we can discuss!! You all s..."

I live in America, so it'll be no trouble at all!!!

[Scott]

Had to back off Atonement for a few days...reading Gideon by [Russell Andrews] and its a great ride.

[Dustin]

Laurel wrote: "Riya wrote: "Wow- thanks Laurel, Terry, and Dustin!!! I totally have to read them ASAP and I'll definitely come let you gusy know when I do so we can discuss!! You all seem so happy so I'm super ex..."

Yes, great idea, Laurel! You can sometimes get them a cheaper price with the box sets, too.

You're most welcome, Riya. I'm happy to help!

[Virginia]

I'm just now finishing Susan Mary Malone's "I Just Came Here to Dance," which is the second book by the author this year.

I've read everything by this author, and this novel put her in a different league. For me, it wove together reality, the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, and that part of our fantasy and mythological worlds that steep our hopes and desires. All these things come into play for a bible-belt Texas girl who just wanted to dance (though it was strictly taboo). She doesn't really want to think about WHY she thinks and behaves as she does but, at the same time, she wishes she knew the answers.

[Virginia]

I also wanted to mention the book I finished a few weeks before "I Just Came Here to Dance," by the same author.

Her book from earlier this year is "What's Wrong With My Family? and How to Life Your Best Life Anyway" the second book written by award-winning author Susan Mary Malone and her therapist/doctor brother, Gary Malone, and though it is a psych book, it is really easy to understand.

One of the best attributes of the book is its use of well-known figures in pop culture as analogies for chapter titles to easily and quickly inform the reader of the exact situation discussed. The whole book is like that - even the cover depicts "Alice in Wonderland" characters - the Mad Hatter tells Alice and Rabbit "We're all quite mad here!" Part Two: Parenting and Other Foibles, utilizes popular movie titles such as "War of the Roses: Marital couples in constant conflict."

I got my copy through Amazon, as I couldn't find it at B&N, and read the whole book even though some chapters didn't apply to my situation because those sections really helped me understand a lot of other people.

Their first book, "Five Keys for Understanding Men" helped me through a lengthy divorce recovery period - although I really should refer to that time as a period of preparation for a new, healthy relationship.

[Maya]

I just finished Tales of the Otherworld and I really
enjoyed it, definitely one of my favourites of the series

[Michael]

I have had What Is the What by Dave Eggers on my currently reading for a month. Yesterday I finally jumped in to it.

It is wonderful. I really love Dave's style of writing and wanted to get this done before his new book The Circle comes out next month.

[KyleB]

Finished reading...

I almost didn’t buy this book from a poor review I read on Amazon that didn’t finish the book, but something inside me asked, how could so many other people absolutely rave about it? So I gave this new author a chance and am so thankful I did. You can’t judge this book if you don’t finish it till the end. I think this is such a misunderstood read by mediocre minded people who lack to see the depth in this book. Yes, there are some disturbing scenes, but they should be! The author deftly navigated the horrifying sequences without being too graphic in detail. Isn’t that the reason we all read thrillers because it scares us and we like to despise the bad guy? These things happen in the world we live in...why should we stick our heads in the sand and act like it’s not out there. It doesn’t make it go away. It has opened my eyes to being more aware of my children and not taking the life I have for granted. I can’t imagine what these unfortunate families must go through when these tragedies strike. It could happen to anyone. How do they ever pick up the pieces and live a normal life again? First Night of Summer is a gritty, yet emotional and pulse-pounding read that will stick to your thoughts long after you finish it. This is not a surface level thriller, it digs deep into the psyche of a darkened mind and pulls your heartstrings into the abyss of one family’s despair. To my surprise, it has become one of my favorite reads of all time.

[Terry ~ Huntress of Erudition]

KyleB wrote: "
Finished reading...

I almost didn’t buy this book from a poor review I read on Amazon that didn’t finish the book, but something inside me asked, how co..."

Excellent review! Well thought out and concise.
I just skimmed over that title before - now I want to read it.

[Laurel]

Totally frustrated! Just finished writing my very lengthy review of American Assassin, went to post it and somehow hit a key on my super sensitive IPad screen/GR book review template, and LOST the whole thing!!! My response was not ladylike!!! You know when you have the words just right...well, back to the drawing board. Let's see how much I can remember.

I just had an idea. This happened to me before, and I think I have come up with a solution. I will write my review in my corner where I can save it periodically, and then copy it onto the book review template to post it. I should have thought of this sooner!

[Scott]

Me Talk Pretty One Day...it's really just a fun read... David Sedaris has that special blend of droll sarcasm

[Dustin]

Laurel wrote: "Totally frustrated! Just finished writing my very lengthy review of American Assassin, went to post it and somehow hit a key on my super sensitive IPad screen/GR book review template, and LOST the ..."

Oh, that's a great idea, Laurel! I, too, have lost several reviews by accidentally hitting a wrong key or other! It is sooooo frustrating!!

[Laurel]

Dustin wrote: "Laurel wrote: "Totally frustrated! Just finished writing my very lengthy review of American Assassin, went to post it and somehow hit a key on my super sensitive IPad screen/GR book review template..."

Glad I could help. I have lost so many almost finished reviews this way. Hopefully, no longer.

[Dustin]

Laurel wrote: "Dustin wrote: "Laurel wrote: "Totally frustrated! Just finished writing my very lengthy review of American Assassin, went to post it and somehow hit a key on my super sensitive IPad screen/GR book ..."

It's the worst...:(

[Raymond]

The Only Way Out by Don De Lene – Book Review

Problems, problems, problems… Solutions?
Hannah Lane, the seven year old girl we remember from The Power, The Miracle and The Dream, is now 22 years old and a “Pulitzer Prize winning photographer and renowned peace activist” (Ch. 1). She is with a National Geographic team that has just landed on Mars, and has become officially the first woman to set foot on the planet. Hannah has come a very long way since her loosing childhood days as an asthmatic, but how exactly did she get here? Was it really the secret of “the power within … [her] … mind” (Ch. 12) that brought her to these heights?

The Only Way Out: Forgiveness - The Path To Peace & Happiness takes us deeper into the spiritual philosophy set out in De Lene’s earlier book, concentrating on our desire to hurt others, and the solution of reconciliation through absolution. We can never really be at peace unless we are willing to forgive wrong. In this book De Lene digs deeper into a metaphysical view of the world, particularly the idea of God, however, the philosophy presented is not at all ‘orthodox’ religion. De Lene instead derives his inspiration from the non-fiction book A Course In Miracles (Helen Schucman, Foundation for Inner Peace:__ 3rd ed.:__ 2007). De Lene’s book is an unusual blend of novel and teaching manual, and is a very enjoyable and easy way of looking deeper into philosophy.



http://goo.gl/TgTBg5 The Only Way Out (Book ed.)

http://goo.gl/oVXkFg The Only Way Out (Kindle ed.)


For the full review please click:

http://raymondmathiesenbookreviews.bl...

[Raymond]

American Crow by Jack Lacey – Book Review
Reviewed by Susan McMichael
5 out of 5 stars

Move over Rebus, here comes Blake…
Detective fiction is a little like drinking wine: there is a lot around and everyone has their favourite. When something new comes on the market, the drinker or the reader, looks longingly to their favourite brand or book and says, "I hope the new one is like the old one..." It's not an exact science of course: there is a chemistry to it. The reader can like a new detective story, and then the reader can love a new detective story.

I am a fan of detective stories. I began with Agatha Christie back when I was eleven. I read Sherlock Holmes and moved onto the feminist detectives in the early eighties. It's a little hard to define what I like: sometimes I think that reading anything is really a love story and so is undefinable, but....

I picked up American Crow by Jack Lacey and was hooked. I love American Crow. The character of Sibelius Blake is strongly written and interesting. Blake’s back story comes out through the novel. The plot ending ties beautifully with the beginning: it is very well structured.



http://goo.gl/mdsvFa American Crow (Kindle ed.)



For the full review please click:

http://raymondmathiesenbookreviews.bl...

[Raymond]

Hypocrites In His Midst: A Story About Flawed Human Beings by Donnell Wilson – Book Review

4.5 out of 5 stars


The long road from street gangs to success…
Wilton Latso is seventy two years old and a grandfather. In the middle of a heated argument with his adult daughter Abbie, Wilton realizes that she has no idea of who he is, where he came from, and why he did the things he did when he was bringing her up. Spontaneously Wilton starts remembering and soon he decides to write down the story of his life. Wilton came from a poor family living in a poor suburb of St. Louis, Missouri in the late 1940’s / early 1950s. In this era of street gangs Wilton is soon introduced to a world of violence, ego and selfishness. Wilton’s parents are staunch Pentecostal Christians, but Wilton doubts that faith from the start. The trouble is that he can see all too clearly his parent’s hypocrisy, particularly his mother’s. Throughout his life Wilton will continue to observe people, noting many to be hollow, offering friendship, espousing beliefs but proving to be fakes.

Donnell Wilson’s Hypocrites In His Midst: A Story About Flawed Human Beings is a fictional autobiography spanning seven decades. It is a story of “redemption” (Ch. 8) in a secular sense. This is a book about trying to “do the right thing” (Ch. 3), though the “right thing” (Ch. 2) is not always obvious or easy to achieve. Wilson’s novel, especially in the first three Parts, is broadly comparable to Nicky Cruz’s real life autobiography Run Baby Run (Logos, 1972), though that book is firmly Christian, while this book is firmly agnostic (Ch. 31). Most of all, this book is about how a person can growing to maturity (or avoid it).


http://goo.gl/5kL3R0 Hypocrites In His Midst (Kindle ed.)

http://goo.gl/G3Vom5 Hypocrites In His Midst (Facebook page)


For the full review please click:

http://raymondmathiesenbookreviews.bl...

[Raymond]

A 3rd Time To Die by George A. Bernstein
Book Review by Susan McMichael
4 out of 5 stars

What is it about you stranger?
This is a love story with a mystery at the heart of it, a paranormal mystery. Why can Ashley Easton speak French so well? Why can she ride a horse so well, after only riding for just a few weeks? Who is the mysterious young man she meets in the dressage competition, and why is he so alluring? A 3rd Time to Die by George A. Bernstein is a love story and a mystery, rolled into one. It uses the concept of reincarnation as an interesting plot device.

Our first glimpse of Ashley Easton is of a woman rescuing a horse:
"Hey quit that!" Her shout raspy, she banged the gate with the side of the pitchfork. (p. 25)
The horse has always represented passion and desire in literature, and A 3rd Time to Die is no exception. Ashley's new horse brings her excitement and energy into her life and allows a new relationship to flourish. Ashley is revitalised and energised by rescuing the horse; it also brings into sharp relief the way her life has changed. Ashley is an engaging character who knows her own mind and who is financially independent. She feels a great deal, but takes a long time to act on these feelings: this is Ashley Easton's challenge.

http://goo.gl/Jg40jh A 3rd Time To Die (Book ed.)
http://goo.gl/eg6sE5 A 3rd Time To Die (Kindle ed.)
http://goo.gl/uTOJg9 George Bernstein (Facebook page)
http://goo.gl/xp0Wvc George Bernstein (Goodreads page)

For the full review please click:
http://raymondmathiesenbookreviews.bl...

[Raymond]

Crimson Footprints by Shewanda Pugh - Book Review
5 out of 5 stars

The balancing act of life…
Deena Hammond is a 24 year old architect living and working in her home town of Miami, Florida. In some ways Deena is very successful, but she comes from a poor background, and in many ways she is still inextricably tied up with those origins. Her grandmother, Emma Hammond, who brought Deena up, is constantly demanding and never satisfied. Deena’s adult brother Anthony is a small-time criminal, and her sister Lizzie, though still at school, is incorrigibly wayward and seems headed for a disaster of a life. Deena is half African-American and half white and feels that she was never really accepted by the black side of her family when they took her in as a child. In very harrowing circumstances Deena meets Takumi (Tak for short) Tanaka, the son of her world famous, distant and demanding boss Daichi Tanaka. Immediately the personal chemistry and attraction seems right, but everything else between these two people seems impossible. Deena is a mere underling. Should she even be talking to the son of the owner of the business she works for? What is more Deena’s family very much expects her to date a black man. Can these two people overcome the odds and form a friendship, or even the romance they both desire?

Shewanda Pugh’s Crimson Footprints can certainly be classified as a romance; however, it is much more than that. It is a story of class consciousness and racial division. It is about the struggle to find the right equilibrium between work and family, and it is a story about trying to ‘do the right thing’. Most of all, this novel is about balance in all things. We are all different, but we must overcome our resistances and come to the centre ground if we are truly going to be a success in life.

http://goo.gl/HwV0jG Crimsin Footprints (Book ed.)
http://goo.gl/vyOHiw Crimson Footprints (Kindle ed.)

http://goo.gl/aTcWKT Shewanda Pugh’s Blog
http://goo.gl/gcUo06 Shewanda Pugh’s Facebook Page

For the full review please click:
http://raymondmathiesenbookreviews.bl...

[Alyssa]

Currently reading by Lizzy Ford.

[Christen]

Currently reading book2 of the IFICS series by Lizzy Ford.

[Raymond]

Armageddon and the 4th Timeline by Don Mardak
Book Review by Susan McMichael
4.5 out of 5 stars

A thrilling ride from the first page…

Armageddon and the 4th Timeline by Don Mardak is a thrilling ride from the first page. This science fiction novel combines time travel, spiritual themes, a fascinating mix of characters and modern intrigue to create an unputtable down novel.

We meet the CIA Director, Scott Cunningham, a former Navy SEAL, and his Assistant Lori Colbert, addressing a meeting after a terrible terrorists attacks. We also meet husband and wife Kathy and Eric who are in Lhasa, Tibet, on a spiritual quest. Through Eric's time travel, both worlds intersect. Mardak's premise throughout the novel is that there "is a spiritual universe, and mankind has the ability to rise into a higher level of consciousness where all conflicts can be resolved peacefully without resorting to wars, or threatening a nuclear holocaust.”

http://goo.gl/QnimWA (Armageddon and the 4th Timeline Book ed.)
http://goo.gl/iDrGMJ (Armageddon and the 4th Timeline Kindle ed.)
http://goo.gl/EglbSd (Don Mardak Facebook Author Page)
http://goo.gl/UJW8Wt (Don Mardak Web Page)

For the full review please click:
http://raymondmathiesenbookreviews.bl...

[Michael]

[[deleted user]]

I'm currently reading My Sisters Keeper -2004 publication.

[Gary]

I am currently reading Doctor Sleep by Stephen King. I'm still early in the book, but it doesn't look like this will be up there with his other great novels.

[[deleted user]]

Currently reading Midnight Sun

[Jeffrey]

Russell Shorto, Island at the Center of the World. Early history during the founding era of Manhattan Island when it was trading outpost of the Dutch empire called New Netherland. It's filled with fascinating detail some of which has only recently been translated from bits and pieces of manuscripts. Extremely well written.

[[deleted user]]

I'm now reading Others

[Raymond]

Pest On The Run by Gerry Burke – Book Review
Reviewed by Raymond Mathiesen
4.5 out of 5 stars


Big trouble and light hearted investigations…

A beautiful stage show star, come whore house madam, is suddenly foully murdered, despite her apparent gangster protection. A disgruntled Japanese business tycoon hires a hit man to assassinate Australia’s Prime Minister. An unbeatable game show contestant takes a recreational bungee-jump, only to have her rope break in what her friend thinks is dubious circumstances. Enter the low-life world of Paddy Pest, sometimes Private Investigator and sometimes secret agent for Australia’s spy bureau ASIO. Pest is based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, though is very frequently an international traveler. He is a master of dubious disguises, and often manages to solve the case despite his shortcomings. Here is a world where virtually everybody has a rancorous underbelly, and where murder is a common life event, but where good will eventually win out (even if by fluke). These humorous short stories with beguile you, entertain you and make you chuckle. Gerry Burke’s Pest On The Run: More Humorous Short Stories From The Paddy Pest Chronicles (iUniverse, c2012) is ideal for the lover of crime and murder mystery tales, but will also suit busy people looking for a witty amusement to fill a free hour or two.

http://goo.gl/pfzodA Pest On The Run (Book ed.)
http://goo.gl/PJDHzw Pest On The Run (Kindle ed.)
http://goo.gl/rxzUnD Gerry Burke’s Facebook Author Page
http://goo.gl/QisYTm Gerry Burke’s Web Site

For the full review please click:
http://raymondmathiesenbookreviews.bl...

[Doug]

I'm reading "Dirty Wars" great book but a lot of overwhelming information, kind of depressing.

Also an Edgar Allan Poe collection. I've avoided Poe most my life, bad mistake.

[Raymond]

Finding Devo: A Novel Adventure by Seve Verdad – Book Review
Reviewed by Raymond Mathiesen
4 out of 5 stars

Escape from the system?

Sports journalist Russell Martell is on holiday in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico . His wife Rosalita has recently died and Russell feels lost and hurt, drifting through life. Then his journalistic senses begin to come alive as he starts to get the hints of stories: not sports stories, but crime and current events, with a hint of politics. What is the real story behind a body found in strange circumstances near the beach front? Is the rumor of a police raid on a suburban house really connected to drug cartels? Who is the colorful character Devon (Devo) that appears to be making a splash in town, at least according to the bar scuttlebutt? All these questions seem to draw together, but only more questions emerge. Soon Russell and his friend, Johnny Miles, will become caught up in an adventure where mystery and uncertainty abounds. How will ordinary citizens survive, let alone take action in a world of gangs, police and government? Seve Verdad’s Finding Devo: A Novel Adventure is a story of mystery and action which will intrigue and excite the reader as they follow Russell and Johnny in their desperate attempt to escape disaster.


http://goo.gl/LWIZdd Finding Devo (Book ed.)

http://goo.gl/S9h4QJ Finding Devo (Kindle ed.)

http://goo.gl/WlAAv1 Seve Verdad’s Facebook Page

http://goo.gl/i2Fgl9 Seve Verdad’s Web Site


For the full review please click:
http://raymondmathiesenbookreviews.bl...

[[deleted user]]

I just finished Sarah's Key. It was one of the most beautiful books I have ever read

[Missy]

One of my favorites! A Secret Kept is very good as well.

[Raymond]

The Neurotic’s Guide To Avoiding Enlightenment by Chris Niebauer, Ph.D. – Book Review
Reviewed by Raymond Mathiesen
4 out of 5 stars

Deep thoughts about the self and self-improvement…

Even a quick look at the self-help shelf at any bookstore will quickly reveal that the industry is booming and that most of us seem to have a secret desire to ‘be a better person’. We search for that magic formula which will give us enlightenment, hopefully the quicker the better. But is enlightenment, as we understand it, really achievable? If we did have a better life what would it be like? Would it be very different from our current life? Even more, what if we found that this ‘self’, which we are so bent on improving, turned out not to really exist, to be a myth, an unreliable creation of our own brain? Can modern neuroscience throw any light on this subject, and if so do you have to be an expert to understand it? If you are confused already get ready to have many of your ideas challenged by Chris Niebauer’s thought provoking book The Neurotics Guide To Avoiding Enlightenment: How The Left-brain Plays Unending Games Of Self-improvement.

Many self-help books are written from a New Age / Eastern Mysticism perspective and in a way Niebauer’s book fits into this category. Niebauer is strongly influenced both by the mid twentieth century author Alan Watts and the contemporary writer Eckhart Tolle. Watts wrote on a variety of Eastern Religions including Zen, Hinduism and Taoism and Tolle is greatly influenced by Buddhism. To describe the book as being purely of this ilk, however, would be greatly misleading. Also, to describe The Neurotics Guide simply as a self-help book, would be equally deceptive. Certainly there are mind-exercises and meditation techniques included which the reader may find helps them achieve a new mind-state, and which gives them a new approach to life, but this is very much a book of theory / philosophy which concentrates on challenging our standard ideas about ourselves and our lives. Niebauer is indeed “a college professor specializing in cognitive neuropsychology” (Preface) and the book has a heavy neuroscience content. In essence Niebauer is attempting to give Eastern Mysticism a neuroscience framework, taking it from the world of pure ideas and giving it a firm background in science.


http://goo.gl/oKlcFz The Neurotics Guide (Book ed.)

http://goo.gl/z8HkhM The Neurotics Guide (Kindle ed.)

http://goo.gl/IgXUcJ Chris Niebauer’s Facebook Page

http://goo.gl/HBAXap Chris Niebauer’s Web Site


For the full review please click:

http://raymondmathiesenbookreviews.bl...

[Michael]

Dashing Through The Snow

[Paula]

I am currently reading by Sandra Brown. Sooooo good.

[Missy]

Flesh and Blood by Patricia Cornwell.

[H]

Brisingr by Christopher Paolini. A childhood favourite and third time reading it. Book 3 in the Inheritance Cycle.

[Galaxy Press]

Really, REALLY good.


♥,
Cat at Galaxy Press

[Neal]

I got a hold of the galley of this book and it was the best thriller I have read in years. There is an amazing secret world for the black market for organs that I knew nothing about and the protagonist in this novel explains it all, while racing around the globe trying to prevent a murder and trying to make up for his own sins. Incredible book. Mark it "to read" right now. The Organ Broker

[Raymond]

Book Review of Backward Compatible: A Geek Love Story by Sara Daltry and Pete Clark
Reviewed by Raymond Mathiesen
4 out of 5 stars

Is there someone for everyone? Even me?

Time is passing and the Y Generation have now become young adults. During this social period computers and the Internet have become household items, at least in the Upper and Middle classes. Online gaming has now become a subculture complete with language, social activities and dress. The word 'geek' has become more a description of an alternate subculture than a derogatory term. Daltry and Clarke take us on a wacky trip into the world of computer geeks, as they follow the hectic lives of Katie Garretty and George Lindell. Will this young woman and man come together in a sweet romance, or will they be doomed to remain single forever? Does being a computer geek mean you can never have self-respect, or can these young people grow in self-confidence? Will the pair ever battle their way to the end of Fatal Destiny, the game which dominates their young lives? Backward Compatible is a romantic comedy that will entertain those who enjoy reading New Adult or Young Adult fiction.


http://goo.gl/tTgTVO\ Backward Compatible (Kindle ed.)


For the full review please click:
http://raymondmathiesenbookreviews.bl...

[Maggie the Muskoka Library Mouse]

I have just started the novel "The Coffee Trader" by David Liss. So far, I am enjoying the way he writes.