The first time I read Treasure Island, I was a teenager and the adventure and the first person storytelling was captivating. The characters Long John Silver, Old Pew, Black Dog, Ben Gunn, Captain Smollett, and Jim seemed larger than life. Pirate treasure, mutiny, murders, secrets, and battles made other books seem boring. This was before television and movies had expanded … Continue reading →
Sharpe’s Assassin is the latest book (#22) in the series about Richard Sharpe, a soldier in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. “The best battle scenes of any writer I’ve ever read, past or present. Cornwell really makes history come alive.” – George R.R. Martin “Cornwell’s skill is in aging his warrior-hero, who now creaks as he fights and … Continue reading →
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson My rating: This book is a bit of a dupe. The author uses a gimmick to attract a select audience. The first two chapters are full of f-bombs, hyperbole, illogical generalizations, and unstructured conclusions. By chapter three he settles into more … Continue reading →
Murder in G Major is a murder mystery set in Ireland. The premise is that a music teacher can communicate with a ghost of a musician murdered 25 years ago. Gethsemane Brown finds herself as a reluctant investigator, tracking down evidence for an old cold case, and as she does so more murders multiply as the details start to emerge. … Continue reading →
1979 by Val McDermid My rating: This book did not work for me. I found it to be a little formulaic and cliched. The characters seemed a little thin and the development was slow and uninspired. But, I have enjoyed other Val McDermid stories. Part of the problem for me was that I had just finished a series of engaging … Continue reading →
Cover Her face was the first book of the Adam Dalgliesh murder mystery series by P. D. James. For many writers this would be the premier work, but P.D. James had set high standards in her writing career and this book shows great promise, but does not engage the reader fully. The author herself wasn’t happy with this first venture. … Continue reading →
Born to Run is a refreshing memoir written by Bruce Springsteen. The storytelling is forthright, down-to-earth, and earnest. He focuses on the influences in his early years growing up in New Jersey. His father was a bus driver who had recurring mental illness problems. His mother was a legal secretary and the person who provided stability and support. He went … Continue reading →
The House at Pooh Corner is a 1928 collection of Winnie the Pooh stories, some of which are now embedded in modern culture by reading to our children and by watching adaptations on TV. But they are a delightful read for all ages at any time. The title story is about Winnie the Pooh and Piglet building a house for … Continue reading →
The Dead Zone is a psychological thriller, a crime story, and a science fiction story in a slow-burning mystery format. Stephen King’s protagonist, Johnny Smith, awakens from a coma after 5 years and finds that he has some psychic powers. He can read some people and see the future, but he also has had some brain damage so he has … Continue reading →
Shadow and Bone is a fantasy series about the Grisha, humans who practice the “small science”, specialized magic. Most of the Grisha are one of three orders – Materialki, Corperalki, or Atherealki, but there are sub-order of each type too, all defined within a guild-like hierarchy. The Grisha are an elite group enlisted as soldiers in the nation of … Continue reading →
Squeeze Me is a satirical novel set in South Florida. It is also a murder mystery with bouts of action and and it is full of humor and edgy dialogue. At times it is raucous and absurd. At other times it has scathing political satire. The characters are interesting and the story moves along well. There are a series of … Continue reading →
The Midnight Library is speculative fiction which uses the metaphor of a library of books that provide opportunities to live different versions of a life. Nora Seed arrives at the library at a point between life and death and is offered the chance to examine her choices, her regrets, and the possible paths from various points in her life’s journey. … Continue reading →
The Midnight Library is speculative fiction which uses the metaphor of a library of books that provide opportunities to live different versions of a life. Nora Seed arrives at the library at a point between life and death and is offered the chance to examine her choices, her regrets, and the possible paths from various points in her life’s journey. … Continue reading →
Catcher in the Rye was published in 1951 and became famous, but also notorious. With swearing and references to sexuality there was some outrage. The literary world, though, admired the writing and it has stayed on many best books lists for 70 years. The story is told by Holden Caulfield, a 17 year old New York teenager with lots … Continue reading →
Eight Perfect Murders is a murder-mystery set in the world of the historical mystery literature genre. The main character is Malcolm Kershaw, a bookstore owner and a blogger who writes about murder mysteries. One of his articles is called “Eight Perfect Murders”, a meta-analysis of the the most perfect murder methods found in famous mystery novels. Each murder is different … Continue reading →
The House on the Cerulean Sea is a fantasy about an orphanage of very unusual magical children. Each of the children are interesting and unique characters and this could have been the central part of the story, but it is a tale of redemption, compassion, and humanity as seen through the lead character, Linus Baker. As a worn-out case worker … Continue reading →
