75 Books...More or Less! discussion
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Alecia's 2014 Challenge
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Alecia wrote: "Karol,I don't read a lot of spy novels, but Cumming is an exception, and I think you should give him a try. I see by my reviews that I liked A Foreign Country best ..."
Alecia, thanks for the recommendation. I'm putting "A Foreign Country" on my to-read list.
Book # 60 Let's Get Visible: How To Get Noticed And Sell More Books 4/5 starsThis is a very good overview, nicely and clearly written, with suggestions and plans for marketing a self-published book, whatever the genre. Because things change so rapidly in our technical, digital word, the fact that it was written in 2013 may mean some things have already changed. But the basic suggestions with links that go to the particular web pages appear very helpful. I would read his other books.
Book # 61 Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood 3/5 starsWilliam Mann is a very good, engaging writer. I enjoyed two of his previous movie star biographies very much, so I was looking forward to this book. Although very well researched and certainly based on an interesting homicide, the story jumped around the various characters a bit too much for me. Mann casts the time period (1920's in Hollywood) almost as a character, and gives equal weight to background characters such as Adolph Zuckor and William Hays.
William Desmond Taylor was mysteriously murdered, and this murder caused sensational headlines and remains unsolved to this day. Taylor was a man with many secrets, and the perception of him as viewed through the lens of others is quite interesting. But the man himself remains a cipher.
I have heard that this book may be optioned for a TV mini-series, and this story might be better told in this way. There is a lot of background and historical detail from the era that might best be represented visually.
I know, but this is the 1st year since I joined that I seriously doubt that I can make it...we shall see.
Mod
I'm with you on the thinner books (if I can find enough I like:), but I don't do audio.
Book # 62 The Killer Next Door 3/5 starsThis was an ambitious novel full of gore and well drawn-out characters. I think it could have been pared down a bit, and leaner might have been better. Set in a seedy part of London, a disparate group of people live in a run-down building. Each one has their own story and is running from something in their lives. They are ruled by an obese landlord who is clearly operating on the dark side of humanity. But the gruesome character tying this whole novel together is a very creative serial killer who lives with them in the apartment. Some of the characters were fleshed-out quite well, including the serial killer. The identity of the killer is withheld until near the end, but it went on a little too long for me.
Book # 63 The Laughing Monsters 3/5 starsThis is a tough one for me to review, and I wavered about my rating. I'm not sure if this was meant to be a tongue-in-cheek spy novel or a damning work on our post 9/11 world. Or both. It's a cynical spy versus spy novel set in many parts of Africa, and it is narrated by a character whose actions and behavior mystified me throughout the book (as did the actions of the other characters). Yet as incomprehensible as I found much of this story to be, parts of it were strangely compelling. Johnsons's writing is very good and it moves along, but the concept and plot left me scratching my head.
To avoid confusion (and this is confusing...even to me), I wanted to let all of you know that I have written a graphic memoir under a pen name Chronically Me: Flushing Out My Life and Times With IBS: A Memoir in Comics Because my author page is now listed under Joy Spencer, apparently Alecia is no longer on Goodreads, at least as far as posting goes. So, when a posting comes up as Joy, it's me, Alecia!
And let me add that I read Joy's (Alecia's) book and it's excellent! I highly recommend it!
Jan, Alecia and Joy both thank you!! Actually, Joy is my middle name (little known fact:)
Alecia, congratulations on your book! It looks very good and I'm sure it will be helpful to many people.
Thanks, Karol, I hope so. The book is in the Giveaways program on Goodreads until early January. I am in the process of trying to do a Kindle conversion. It is taking a lot longer than anyone had thought to do it correctly.
Book # 64 Dry Bones in the ValleyI read this 3/4 of the way through and DNF. It did not hold my attention, and I was not engaged enough to care about the ending.
Book # 65 News from Heaven: The Bakerton Stories 4/5 starsI thoroughly enjoyed these short stories by an author I really like. Usually I shy away from short stories, as I want to know more about the characters if the story engages me, and I hate to see them go so soon. But in this case, the stories are set in Bakerton, PA, and they feel somewhat related, with Bakerton as a common backdrop. This was a very good read.
Book # 66 The Bone Orchard 2/5 starsWhile I thought the writing was good, I was not kept engaged by the story line. The character of a game warden in the Maine Warden Service, Mike Bowditch, is the protagonist, and this is the latest entry in a series I have not read before.
Book # 67 The Burning Room by Michael Connelly 3/5 starsI am a Michael Connelly fan, and have read all of his books. This one has got Harry Bosch trying to solve 2 cold cases with his new young partner, Lucy Soto. He's getting ready to retire, but there may be a few more books left In the series. I realized, especially while reading this book, that Connelly's prose is quite dry. Where he excels is in his plotting. This one was not quite as twisty as some of his others, but still done well. I enjoyed the sly reference to Bosch's daughter seeing a film staring Matthew McConaughey, who actually starred in an adaption of his book, The Lincoln Lawyer. While not one of his best, it was serviceable Connelly.
Book # 68 The Kings of Midnight by Wallace Stroby 4/5 starsI love Wallace Stroby's writing, and have read several of his books. This one doesn't disappoint, and the main character, Crissa Stone, has shades of Richard Stark's Parker in her makeup. The plotting, pace and dialogue were all terrific, making this a very good noir read.
Book # 69 Revival by Stephen King 3.5/5 starsI would rate this a 3.5/5 stars. I enjoy King's writing, and most of this is quintessential King. The narrator, from the usual small town in Maine, draws us in, and we know some bad stuff is going to happen as the tale is told as a recollection. As usual, I found it to be a bit too long, but mostly an enjoyable read. It is a very bleak novel, however. And that bleakness, covering faith, the loss of faith, death and what comes after, is what is most terrifying.
Book # 70 Cold in July 3/5 starsHere is a rare case where I saw the movie before I read this book. It all came flooding back to me as I read it, as it quite an unusual plot.The movie was made quite a few years after the book was written.
The main character kills a burglar who has has broken into his house while he, his wife and his som were sleeping. While this appears to be a cut and dried case (no charges are brought against him, as it is a clear case of self-defense), the plot becomes quite twisty. I didn't quite buy the ending in the movie, and the same went for the book. It is quite a moralistic tale, in a way, steeped in father-son angst. But it is an enjoyable, quick read, with folksy characters (especially the PI, played by Don Johnson in the movie), even though these folksy characters are quite capable of murder.
75 Books...More or Less!
Books mentioned in this topic
Cold in July (other topics)The Bone Orchard (other topics)
News from Heaven: The Bakerton Stories (other topics)
Dry Bones in the Valley (other topics)
Chronically Me: Flushing Out My Life and Times With IBS: A Memoir in Comics (other topics)
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Similar to the writing of Duane Swierczynski, this is a fast-paced, roller coaster of an action book, and all belief should be supeneded while reading. Part-time deputy Toby is the narrator, and he starts off the book as a total screw-up, chafing at the bit in his marriage to Doris, while sneaking off to his high-school mistress. Things in his quiet small town take a sudden turn when he is guarding a dead body, leaves the body for awhile to see his mistress, and the body is not there when he returns. There is comic book-like action where acts of extreme violence occur and Toby seems none the worse for wear. Also, in my Kindle version, there were a few glaring typos that should have been caught in the editing process. Nonetheless, this is a fast, fun read.