STEVE'S 50 BOOKS READ IN 2015

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Steve, here is your new thread in 2015. Happy reading in the new year.

Our Required Format:

JANUARY

1. by Winston S. Churchill
Finish date: January 2015
Genre: (whatever genre the book happens to be)
Rating: A
Review: You can add text from a review you have written but no links to any review elsewhere even goodreads. And that is about it. Just make sure to number consecutively and just add the months.

[Steve]

JANUARY

1. by Patrick J. Buchanan
Finish Date January 2015
Genre: Non Fiction/History
Rating: A
Review The Greatest Comeback is the story of Richard Nixon 1968 presidential campaign. After losing the 1960 presidential election and the 1962 California gubernatorial election, Nixon’s political career appeared to be dead. This book tells the story of How Nixon overcame these defeats, won the Presidency in 1968, and in the process resurrected a fractured republican party. It also shows how Nixon was his ability to bring together the liberal and conservative wings of the republican party.
The book is Written by Pat Buchanan's one of Nixon’s Speechwriters and senior advisers Buchanan is often regarded as a partisan conservative and it is evident that in the book that he is huge Nixon Fan. However, I thought he wrote a very balanced account of Nixon campaign that includes a look at both the ups and downs of the campaign. An interesting feature of The book are the copies of Buchanan’s own memos to Nixon, along with Nixon’s scribbled replies to these memos.

Nixon is one of the most controversial figures in American History and some people who can’t stand Nixon probably would not like this book. Personally, I enjoyed reading the book and I thought it was very fair and balanced. I would recommend it to anybody who wants to learn more about the 1960’s, Nixon or campaigns in general.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Great job - only one nit to make the month stand out more - just cap and bold

JANUARY

You only have to add each month for the first book of each month completed. If you bold and cap - the months pop right out in the list and you see the demarcation in the list from one month to the other.

[Steve]

[]JANUARY,(cont from last post)
1. by Mary Elise Sarotte(no photo)
Finish date: January 82015
Genre: Non Fiction/history
Rating: A
Review:Grade: A
Date: January 8
Review: The Collapse is a book about the Collapse of the Berlin Wall. It describes, in vivid detail, the events that took place on the night of November 9, 1989. This is the day on which the Eastern German Government announced that it’s citizens could cross the wall and travel legally to West Germany for the first time. It provides some gripping first hand accounts from eastern German’s who crossed the wall. There are also stories from Eastern German Border guards. The author, prize-winning historian Mary Elise Sarotte also illustrates how a series of decisions sparked an unexpected series of events culminating in the chaotic fall of the Wall. I thought that was a very interesting book that was easy to read. It provides some interesting insight into one of the most important events in the end of the Cold War.


2. by Brad Meltzer
Finish date: January 22 2015
Genre: Fiction/legal thriller
Rating: A
The tenth Justice. Brad Meltzer
The tenth justice is a book about a young supreme court clerk named Ben Addison. He gets into big trouble when he is tricked into the leaking the results of a supreme court decision on a corporate merger. He enlists his co worker Lisa and his three roommates in an effort to try to track down the person who tricked Ben. As they try to find this blackmailer, they discover that their careers and lives are in jeopardy.www

I enjoyed reading this book. I found his writing style somewhat similar to John Girsham, (although probably not as good.) This is the first Meltzer book and I have read, and I plan on reading more.

3. by Dean Koontz
Finish date: January 29 2015
Gender:Mystery/romance
Rating:B
Review: This is a story about a man named Addison Goodheart and a women named Gwyneth. He is a good man lives in who lives in solitude beneath the city. However, but must never be seen. Meanwhile, she hides her face because she cannot stand to be seen. Despite, these obstacles they eventually fall in love even though they cannot see each other. Together, they must face a terrifying night and possibly the end of the world.

In many ways, this was kind of a strange book that I had a hard time following at times. However, I still liked reading part of it.

[Bryan]

Good Steve. you seem to have a bracket [] in January, and for book 1, you can delete the Date: January 8, since you have the Finish Date there.

[Steve]

FEBRUARY 2015

1. BY Brad Meltzer
Finish Date: Febuary 14,2015
Genre: Fiction/Mystery
Rating: A
Review: Beecher Stowe is an archivist at the National Archives. When he finds a 200 year old Dictionary belong to George Washington i in the archives he is very curious. He becomes even more curious when he learns that the President of the United States is the person who hides the book in archives. Beecher soon realizes that he must figure out the answer to this question: Why does the president have the dictionary and why would he put in the archives, The answers to the questions take Beecher into world of murder conspiracy , and powerful secrets. Beecher Stowe childhood sweetheart is also involved in the story, which adds an interesting twist to the book.

I have worked in several libriares and enjoy spending time in libraries, why may be why I liked this book so much. I thought that it was a well written story, with a lot of twists at turns. This is the second Brad Meltzer's book I have read, and I am finding that i like is his wrrting style very much.

2. byRobert W McChesney(no Photo)
Finish Date: Febuary 28
Genre: Non Ficton/Technology
Rating: C-
Review: This book tires to argue that the Internet has become too commercialized and an undemocratic force.
To support his argument, he uses antitrust violations, the increase in patents on digital technology and proprietary systems and massive indirect subsidies as examples.

I do not want to jump into a political discussion, so I will just say that I do not agree with much what was into this book. I was disappointed that this book was not more balanced.

In my opinion, the author spend too much time attacking capitalism. (Just my opinion-others are free to disagree)

I am going to give it a C-,since I have hard time giving any kind of book a D or F.

[Bryan]

Keep on going, Steve, good. Just use the little "d" in Finish date: and you are rolling.