The City, by Dean Koontz →

. RSS

The City is a novel by Dean Koontz and is a different approach that we who are fans of this author are used to. Some may have felt it was slow and spent their time thinking about how different it was. It did take some time to get into but it was a story that pulled you in more and more as your read.

It is the story of Jonah Kirk, son of an exceptional singer and grandson of an great “piano man” and on his own way to becoming a “piano man”. We meet Jonah at 8 years old and follow him closely as he grows up. Years later in his fifties he writes us the story and says:

“The city change my life and showed me that the world is deeply mysterious. I need to tell you about her and some terrible things and wonderful things and amazing things that happened… and how I am still haunted by them. Including one night when I died and woke and lived again.

I enjoyed the city of the 50’s and 60’s and 70’s and the story and experienced a very different Dean Koontz

See more about Dean Koontz in Favorite Author Section

Don't Overthink It, by Anne Bogel →

. RSS

“Don’t Overthink It: Make Easier Decisions, Stop Second-Guessing, and Bring More Joy to Your Life, tackles life problems of indecision and fear of making the wrong decision. She says that people spend their lives constantly overthinking their decisions believing they are just wired to do it that way.

Anne says that you overcome negative thought patterns that are repetitive, unhealthy, and unhelpful and replace them with positive thought patterns that will bring more peace, joy, and love intoyour lifef Heranswerrjustt toosayy no. No overthinking.

The book presents things you can do that can make an immediate difference and will free up energy consumed by overthinking.  Her approaches are practically based on her own life experiences.  

Overthinking about things isn't just a nuisance. It can take a severe toll on your well-being. Research says dwelling on your shortcomings, mistakes, and problems increases your risk of mental health problems.

More about Anne Bogel

Anne Bogel is also the author of Reading People, and I’d Rather Be Reading and is known for her Podcast, What Should I Read Next, and her blog Modern Mrs. Darcy.

Quotes by Anne Bogel

“A good book, when we return to it, will always have something new to say. It's not the same book, and we're not the same reader.”

“People read for an assortment of reasons. Nearly forty years in, I can tell you why I inhale books like oxygen: I'm grateful for my one life, but I'd prefer to live a thousand --and my favorite books allow me to experience more on the page than I ever could in my actual life.”

”When we share our favorite titles, we cannot help but share ourselves. Shakespeare said the eyes are the windows to the soul, but we readers know one's bookshelves reveal just as much.”

“We can’t know what a book will mean to us until we read it. And so we leap and choose.”

“You’re sad because whatever you read next can’t possibly be as good as the book you just finished. You despair because nothing you read can ever be as good.”

‘“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.

Daylight by David Baldacci →

. RSS

FBI Agent Atlee Pine's twin sister, Mercy, was abducted at six and never seen again. Pine continues to search for this sister throughout the Atlee Pine series.

After finding out that her sister’s kidnapper was Ito Vincenzo, she and her assistant Carol Blum race to Vincenzo's last known location in Trenton, New Jersey, where they find that they are in the middle of John Puller's case, disrupting his arrest during a drug ring investigation involving a military installation. Pine and Puller begin joint research and find a connection between Vincenzo's family and both cases with global implications for conspiracy.

The story, book 3 in the series, was not the best one in this series and did disappoint.

Win, by Harlan Coben →

. RSS

Over twenty years ago, heiress Patricia Lockwood was kidnapped during a robbery of her family's estate, then locked inside an isolated cabin for months. Patricia escaped, but so did her captors, and the items stolen from her family were never recovered.

On New York's Upper West Side at the Beresford, one of the most prestigious buildings in Manhattan, a hermit is murdered in his penthouse apartment, alongside two objects of note: a stolen Vermeer painting and a leather suitcase bearing the initials WHL3. For the first time in years, the authorities have a lead on Patricia’s kidnapping and another FBI cold case - with the suitcase and painting both pointing them towards one man.

Windsor Horne Lockwood III - or Win as his few friends call him - doesn't know how his suitcase and his family's stolen painting ended up in this dead man's apartment. But he's interested - especially when the FBI tells him that the man who kidnapped his cousin was also behind an act of domestic terrorism and that he may still be at large.

The two cases have baffled the FBI for decades. But Win has three things the FBI does not: a personal connection to the case, a large fortune, and his unique brand of justice.

The character Win’s profile and approach to life is a story of its own and, in some ways, competes with the mystery of what happened in that cabin years ago and the outcome of events.

In contrast to the Win character, Lee Child’s Jack Reacher character comes to mind. Reacher always got his man and some women along the way, but Win seems to be a rich and sleazy version of that bold approach. We never really grew tired of Jack Reacher, but Win is just a little too much already.

The Tumor by John Grisham

. RSS

THE TUMOR presents a medical fiction story about a patient Paul who is 35 years old and diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Paul’s treatment is shown, and his future looks like it will end soon.

In comparison, the potential of a different reality is shown using medical fiction based on the direction of natural science in a fictional future.

John Grisham says THE TUMOR is the most important book he has ever written. In this short book, he provides readers with a fictional account of how a real, new medical technology could revolutionize the future of medicine by curing with sound.

The book is, of course, not a legal thriller. It is short and well written. If the story offers hope, then it shows that science clearly brings hope and that hope could be considered far more valuable than just offering a well-written legal thriller. Even so, an excellent legal thriller has more value than Grishan wants to admit. Not the best statement, and the book wasn’t that great.

(2 Stars)

The Poet by Michael Connelly →

. RSS

Death is reporter Jack McEvoy's beat: his calling, his obsession, and we are told that right at the start. This story is about a serial killer who is cunning and brutally savage. Stephen Kings said of the book in the introduction that he wrote that the book scared him.

Jack McEvoy is a crime reporter for the Rocky Mountain News, and this time he is searching for information about a killer who targets homicide cops, each haunted by a murder case he couldn't crack. The killers leave a signature with each victim, a quotation from Edgar Allan Poe's works.

The latest victim is McEvoy's brother, so Jack digs even more profound, making himself so visible that he becomes a target. After much investigation, Jack concludes that his brother's death was made to look like a suicide by a serial killer.

This was the 5th book written by Michael Connelly, and it was published in 1996. It clearly shows that Connelly is a master storyteller.

Later, by Stephen King →

. RSS

Stephen King's book "Later" is "hard-boiled crime fiction.” The third book in the series included The Colorado Kid and Joyland.

In “Later, “The son of a struggling single mother, Jamie Conklin, just wants an ordinary childhood. But Jamie is no ordinary child. Born with an unnatural ability, his mom urges him to keep it secret; Jamie can see what no one else can see and learn what no one else can. But the cost of using this ability is higher than Jamie can imagine—as he discovers when an NYPD detective draws him into pursuing a killer who has threatened to strike from beyond the grave.”

Stephen King commented about this book “I love the Hard Case format, and this story—combining a boy who sees beyond our world and strong elements of crime and suspense—seemed a perfect fit.”

Of course, this book is worth reading.

Daylight by David Baldacci →

. RSS

FBI Agent Atlee Pine's twin sister, Mercy, was abducted at six and never seen again. Pine continues to search for this sister throughout the Atlee Pine series.

After finding out that her sister’s kidnapper was Ito Vincenzo, she and her assistant Carol Blum race to Vincenzo's last known location in Trenton, New Jersey, where they find that they are in the middle of John Puller's case, disrupting his arrest during a drug ring investigation involving a military installation.

Pine and Puller begin a joint investigation and find a connection between Vincenzo's family and both cases with global implications for conspiracy.

The story, book 3 in the series, was not the best one in this series and did disappoint. 2 Stars

A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green →

. RSS

Maybe this is an ambitious book because it asks some challenging questions.

Who has the right to change the world forever?

How will we live online?

How do we find comfort in an increasingly isolated world?

 

Each of the characters in the plot has a role in these questions, but understanding why the “Carls” came and who or what they were. I don’t think this book would work well if you haven’t read Hank Green’s first novel, AN REMARKABLE THING.

The Carls disappeared the same way they appeared in an instant. While on Earth, they caused confusion and destruction with only their presence. Part of the turmoil of their arrival was the sudden viral fame and untimely death of April May: a young woman who stumbled into Carl’s path, giving them their name, becoming their advocate, and putting herself in the middle of an avalanche of conspiracy theories.

Months later, April’s friends try to find their footing in a post-Carl world. Andy has picked up April’s mantle of fame, speaking at conferences and online; Maya, ravaged by grief, begins to follow a string of mysteries that she is convinced will lead her to April; and Miranda is contemplating defying her friends’ advice and pursuing a new scientific operation…one that might have repercussions beyond anyone’s comprehension. Just as it is starting to seem like the gang may never learn the real story behind the events that changed their lives forever, a series of clues arrive—mysterious books that seem to predict the future and control the actions of their readers—all of which seems to suggest that April could be very much alive.

Amid the search for the truth and the search for April is a growing force, something that wants to capture our consciousness and even control our reality.

A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor is the bold and exciting follow-up to Green’s first book. Both books are a quirky and fast-paced adventure that wants to make some significant social commentary by asking questions about how we live, our freedoms, our future, and how we handle the unknown.

Hank Green’s first novel, AN ABSOLUTELY REMARKABLE THING,

The Law Of Innocence by Michael Connelly →

. RSS

A former police reporter for the Los Angeles Times, Michael Connelly is the best of the best crime writers bringing details to the story that pull you into the plot. In The Law of Innocence, Defense attorney Mickey Haller is pulled over by police, who find a client’s body in his Lincoln’s trunk. Haller is charged with murder and can’t make the exorbitant $5 million bail slapped on him by a vindictive judge.

Of course, Mickey decides to defend himself but is faced with building his defense from his jail cell in the Twin Towers Correctional Center in downtown Los Angeles where his safety is a problem.

Mickey knows he’s been framed, and his team has no doubts about that. His half-brother Harry Bosch joins the team to help move from his nousualole as on the prosecution team.

The time setting for the story is in early 2020, and Connelly weaves in rumors of a spreading virus, people begin wearing masks, and chaos breaks out in the communities.

Another great job by this talented author.

The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli →

. RSS

. RSS

The Prince was written as a handbook for rulers, not as a guide to finding the ideal, but focused on the reality that would-be leaders would face and have to deal with. The book brought the philosophy of political manipulation and differentiating truth from the "effectual" truth to become essential skills, and the mastery of these skills was considered "Machiavellian.

The Prince's general theme is accepting that princes' aims – such as glory and survival – can justify using immoral means to achieve those ends. Princes were advised to appear virtuous but not with a motive. Machiavelli wrote that a strong military was essential, and the best laws flowed from their presence. He noted that it was necessary for a prince if he wanted to remain in power not to be hated by the people, but he also of hatred and love for the leader were much safer than being feared by the people.

Quotes by Machiavelli

“There is no other way to guard yourself against flattery than by making men understand that telling you the truth will not offend you.”

“Never was anything great achieved without danger.”

“Never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception.”

“Everyone sees what you appear to be; few experience what you are.”

“If an injury has to be done to a man, it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.”

“The lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves.

Devoted, by Dean Koontz →

. RSS

 Woody Bookman is 11 years old and has not spoken a word. He lives with his widowed mother, Megan, but spends a lot of time in an imaginary world with virtual resources. His father was killed in a helicopter crash, and Woody uses the dark web to find out what happened.

Kipp is a Golden Retriever and one of a special few advanced dogs who can communicate with each other and even read. They hear each other’s thoughts on something they refer to as the wire. They call themselves the Mysterium.  If you have read Koontz’s “Watchers,” Kipp is very much the same character. Both dogs care deeply about their masters.

The plot seems to involve more subplots than needed. When Kipp’s caretaker dies, her estate and ownership of Kipp transfer to the former housekeeper, who is with us through the rest of the book, for some reason?

Multi-billionaire Dorian is the CEO of Refine, a multibillion-dollar division of his more giant conglomerate, and he has Lee Shacket running the company as COO. Everyone is killed except Shacket, who runs away and becomes a monster. Shacket had worked with Woody’s father before he died, and he remembers Megan and decides to go after her. After some grizzly deaths, he finds Megan and tells her saying. "I am becoming the king of beasts," boasting his new powers.

I thought the plot was messy. The violence might have been the book’s focus, but several things tried to be the focus. This book was a disappconsistentlynt for an author who has always delivered attention-grabbing plots and characters. If you want to read about a Golden Retriever who has everything going for him as Kipp does and gets a grand scheme to work with, read Watchers by Dean Koontz.

The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America, by Bill Bryson →

This book received only a 2 STARS review

. RSS

The Lost Continent had been lost primarily to Bill Bryson.  He returns from spending a decade in England, where he had spent a decade polishing his skill after growing up in Des Moines, Iowa. The comedy begins on the first page when he says, “I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to.” Flippant approach to comedy, and it is mostly downhill from this point.

He returns to attend his father’s funeral and decides to explore the US by driving around it. For a better approach to that plot, check out John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley. It is a great book and perhaps was the inspiration for Byson, but the attempt at the theme is similar, but Bryson’s version is not that good.

The plot unfolds with him crisscrossing the nation, complaining, and wisecracking most of the way, visiting mainly small towns. Bryson's grandparents' Iowa house, he tells us, is merely a "shack" surrounded by "cheap little houses." Mostly he finds plenty to complain about. His attempt to be positive comes with scenes like the Grand Canyon and the baseball Hall of Fame.

Finally returning to Des Moines, he declares that what he sees are all that make this city “friendly, decent and nice.”  How convenient the only place he finds worth like that is his hometown.

Bryson may seem funnier and smoother if you have read all his books and allow him to be on the pedestal he preaches from

#bookreview

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman →

. RSS

Fredrik Backman’s latest novel, Anxious People, brings together various characters at an apartment viewing when you first encounter them. They seem like a band of misfits that each have their own confusing story, but eventually, your perception changes and they steal the show.

The story takes place in a Swedish small-town the day before New Year’s Eve and is an odd time for the events to take place, but the unusual storyline pulls us in as we try to see how all the connections fit into the plot.   

The story starts with a distraught parent, short on rent and afraid of losing child custody, failing miserably to rob a bank to get rent money. It is a cashless bank, and with the failed attempt, the robber, who is wearing a ski mask and carrying a toy handgun, escapes to a nearby apartment building walking into an open house, apartment viewing, and unintentionally turns the event into an extraordinary hostage situation.

Inside that apartment, eight diverse, quite different people who were strangers before that day are checking out an apartment for sale. When confronted by the bank robber, they receive a tearful apology and are told, “I’m having quite a complicated day here!”

These strangers do not seem lovable or even likable at first; they all seem to carry a lifetime of grievances and hurtful events of their own, and soon they all seem to be boiling over.

Backman’s writing style is immediately recognizable, but the story’s outcome is a surprise. The book is excellent and is not only just a joy to read but a focus on human nature worth reading.

― Fredrik Backman, Anxious People Quotes

“The truth is that if people were as happy as they look on the Internet, they wouldn’t spend so much damn time on the Internet because no one having a perfect day spends half of it taking pictures of themselves. Anyone can nurture a myth about their life if they have enough manure, so if the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, that’s probably because it’s full of shit.”

“They say that a person’s personality is the sum of their experiences. But that isn’t true, at least not entirely, because if our past were all that defined us, we’d never be able to put up with ourselves. We need to be allowed to convince ourselves that we’re more than the mistakes we made yesterday. We are all of our next choices, too, all of our tomorrows.”

#bookreview

Moby-Dick: by Herman Melville, A Review →

. RSS

. RSS

Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville, was rated by “The Guardian” as #17 in the top 100 best novels ever written. Nathaniel Philbrick’s “Why Read Moby-Dick” claims that he read the book more than a dozen times, adding that he thinks this is the most outstanding American Novel ever written. It is too bad Melville didn’t get this feedback during his lifetime. Nathaniel Hawthorne and several well-known writers that day told Melville that they also saw the book as a masterpiece. Still, even with that, it didn’t even outsell Melville’s earlier books. 

The story begins, “Call me Ishmael. Some years ago-never mind how long precisely having little or no money in my purse and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world.”

Ishmael is the narrator, and Captain Ahab enters the Pequod, ready to sail. It takes 135 chapters to tell the story of his search to revenge himself on the great white whale that had bitten off his leg. He plots and plans and chases the “hooded phantom” across the oceans, and he feels as though he is fighting the God that becomes part of the symbolism of the whale. The story becomes an investigation into the meaning of life. 

As the Pequod and crew chase the great white whale, they meet other ships advising where the whale was last seen. They do kill and process several whales. Sperm oil is cooled to congeals and then squeezed back into the liquid state; blubber is boiled in pots on the deck, and warm oil is decanted into casks and stowed in the ship. Whale meat is eaten, and we learn more than we ever expected about whales and even squid, which is a crucial food for whales. The book is rich in technical information about whales which in a day when so much of the world needed and depended on whale oil was necessary.

Much has been written about the philosophy and meaning conveyed by this story. Ahab believes that Moby Dick is evil because he bit his leg off and that he needs to learn why it happened. He assumes he will know a great truth. This may lend to the idea that symbolically, the “whiteness” of the whale meant something, but Melville denied it.

The Epilogue offers us a quote from Job 1:14-19, “And I only am escaped alone to tell thee…..” Job, it seemed, had lost everything but on the Pequod. Who was that last survivor who lost everything?  Does the Epilogue seem to tell us that it is Ishmael? Whether Ishmael was just an imaginative character or a real one isn't clear, but he was the story’s narrator. He tells us that "It so chanced…that I was he whom the Fates ordained to take the place of Ahab's bowsman."

It seems that both Job and Ishmael survived their ordeal because, as we’re told, they escaped so someone would be left to tell us the story.

Quotes from Moby-Dick

“Better to sleep with a sober cannibal than a drunk Christian.“ “It is not down on any map; true places never are.” 

“As for me, I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote. I love to sail forbidden seas and land on barbarous coasts.”   

“Ignorance is the parent of fear.” 

“Talk not to me of blasphemy, man; I'd strike the sun if it insulted me.” 

“for there is no folly of the beast of the earth which is not infinitely outdone by the madness of men.”