Tales from the Old West, Volume One, by Various Authors

Title:. Tales from the Old West, Volume One

Authors: Zane Gray, Max Brand, Louis L'Amore

Borrowed from Fairfax county va public library Audiobook

Started: 12/28/2017

Finished: 12/31/2017

Squeezed one more into 2017.  Loved the second story by Max Brand (Black Sheep), didn't care for the Zane Gray story.  L'Amore was very short but good.  

Black Money, by Ross MacDonald

• Title: Black Money 
  
• Author: Ross MacDonald 
  
• Borrowed from DC Public Library (audiobook) 
  
• Started: 12/22/2017 
  
• Finished: 12/28/2017 
  

Lew Archer story I read back in 2017 on a road trip, but I can't help myself with these books.  So enjoyable.  Maybe the last book I finish reading in 2017 too.

The Terra-Cotta Dog, by Andrea Camilleri

Title: The Terra-Cotta Dog

Author: Andrea Camilleri

Borrowed from Hoopla Digital via Worcester County Public Library

Started: 12/16/2017

Finished: 12/21/2017

Book 2 in the inspector Montalbano series. Very enjoyable. 

The Shape of Water, by Andrea Camilleri

• Title:  The Shape of Water
  
• Author:  Andrea Camilleri
  
• Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library (Audiobook)
  
• Started:  12/12/2017
  
• Finished:  12/15/2017
  

Found this one the way I have so many new series -- searching for books read by a narrator I liked, in this case, Gover Gardner (who reads the Lew Archer series).

I loved this book, a very quick listen.  Good mystery, great characters.  Dialog witty and smart.  Will definitely continue through a few more in the Montalbano series.

The Vanishing, by Wendy Webb

• Title:  The Vanishing
• Author:  Wendy Webb
  
• Borrowed from Hoopla Digital via Worcester County Public Library Audiobook
  
• Started:  12/11/2017
  
• Finished: 12/12/2017
  

My quest for great haunted house books continues, not sure where I got the recommendation for this one.  Liked it ok, but didn't love it.  I had a day off in which to relax on a winter day at home and this book helped pass the time pleasantly enough.

The Chill, by Ross MacDonald

• Title:  The Chill
  
• Author:  Ross MacDonald
  
• Borrowed from DC Public Library (AudioBook)
  
• Started: 12/7/2017
  
• Finished: 12/10/2017

I was in the mood for something comfortable to listen to, so I opted for my favorite book from the Lew Archer series.  I still love it, in fact, I think I'm going to listen to a few of these over the coming weeks.  They're just about perfect.

The Shores of Tripoli: Lieutenant Putnam and the Barbary Pirates, by James L. Haley

• Title: The Shores of Tripoli: Lieutenant Putnam and the Barbary Pirates
• Author:  James L. Haley
  
• Borrowed via Audible (free trial), Audiobook
  
• Started:  11/29/2017
  
• Finished: 12/7/2017
  

Finally made it through this work I've been wanting to read for some time.  The narration isn't great, and the book isn't as good as advertised.  A while back a WSJ book review said this was the American equivilent of the Aubrey/Maturin Master & Commander series -- not quite.  The plot is interesting, but the writing is no where near as good, and overall the feeling is just off.

Having said that, I ultimately enjoyed the book, but it is a poor companion to the beloved Aubrey/Maturin books by Patrick O'Brian.

The Beekeeper's Apprentice: or, On the Segregation of the Queen, by Laurie R. King

• Title:  The Beekeeper's Apprentice: or, On the Segregation of the Queen
  
• Author:  Laurie R. King
  
• Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Audiobook
  
• Started:  11/28/2017
  
• Finished: 12/4/2017
  

I initially really liked this one, until about the halfway point or so when there was a bizarre switch to a religious pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  That really took me out of the book, and I never found my way back as interested as at the start.  So first half great, second half terrible, in my opinion.

An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic, by Daniel Mendelsohn

• Title: An Odyssey: A Father, a Son, and an Epic
  
• Author: Daniel Mendelsohn
  
• Trial on Audible via Amazon.com (Audiobook)
  
• Started: 11/24/2017
  
• Finished: 11/27/2017
  

Book club selection by another member.  Saving commentary for the meeting.

Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson, by Lyndsay Faye

Title: Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson

Author: Lyndsay Faye 

Borrowed from Hoopla Digital via Worcester County Public Library Audiobook

Started: 11/11/2017

Finished: 11/17/2017

Another Holmes pastiche, good stuff. 

MAMA: The Collected Stories of Alice Bozeman Embry, Edited by Anthony Paul Minerva

• Title:  MAMA: The Collected Stories of Alice Bozeman Embry
  
• Editor:  Anthony Paul Minerva
  
• Purchased from Amazon.com
  
• Started:  9/15/2017
  
• Finished:  10/22/2017
  

Rather than review this one, I'm going to do a bit of self promotion.  This one is mine.  I didn't write the stories, my grandmother (Alice Bozeman Embry) did.  But I did edit and publish them. 

I don't expect anyone other than family to purchase/borrow/enjoy this collection, but it meant a lot to me to publish.  And I did read them (hell, I transcribed them), so it counts as one read for my list...

The Whole Art of Detection, by Lyndsay Faye

• Title:  The Whole Art of Detection
  
• Author:  Lyndsay Faye
  
• Borrowed from Hoopla Digital via Worcester County, MD Public Library (Audiobook)
  
• Started: 11/4/2017
  
• Finished: 11/8/2017
  

I'm a sucker for Sherlock Holmes pastiches, even bad ones.  Luckily for me, this was a great one, read by my favorite, Simon Vance.  

This House is Haunted, by John Boyne

• Title:  This House is Haunted
  
• Author:  John Boyne
  
• Borrowed from Hoopla Digital via Worcester County Public Library 
  
• Started: 10/31/2017
  
• Finished: 11/3/2017
  

I wanted to like this one, kept hoping for more, but ultimately it was not scary nor was it that interesting.  

The Ghost Writer, by John Harwood

Title: The Ghost Writer

Author: John Harwood

Borrowed from Hoopla Digital via Worcester County Public Library

Started: 10/20/2017

Finished: 10/30/2017

So-so gothic/horror novel. 

The House Next Door, by Anne Rivers Siddons

Title: The House Next Door

Author: Anne Rivers Siddons

Purchased from Amazon print edition

Started:10/16/2017

Finished:10/22/2017

Loved this when I read it earlier this year. Cheated a bit and choose it for my book club. Second reading was good, I noticed much more foreshadowing. Still love this book. 

A Stir of Echos, by Richard Matheson

Title: A Stir of Echos

Author: Richard Matheson

Borrowed from HooplaDigital via Worcester MD Public Library Audiobook

Started: 10/16/2017

Finished: 10/19/2017

Only so-so, I usually like Richard Matheson, and often enjoy ghost stories, but this one felt off. 

Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy: Annihilation; Authority; Acceptance, by Jeff VanderMeer

• Title:  Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy: Annihilation; Authority; Acceptance
  
• Author:  Jeff VanderMeer
  
• Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library (Audiobook)
  
• Started: 10/5/2017
  
• Finished: 10/16/2017
  

Three books in one big set, more than 20 hours of audio.  As is often the case, the first book was pretty good, the next two only so-so.  

The Likeness, by Tana French

• Title:  The Likeness
  
• Author: Tana French
  
• Borrowed From: Fairfax County Public Library (Kindle Edition)
  
• Started:
  
• Finished: 10/15/2017
  

Book 2 following on In The Woods.  I loved In the Woods, not so much The Likeness.  It was ok, but not great.

Strangers on a Train, by Patricia Highsmith

• Title: Strangers on a Train
  
• Author: Patricia Highsmith
  
• Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library (Audiobook)
  
• Started: 10/1/2017
  
• Finished: 10/3/2017
  

I enjoyed Highsmith's Ripley series, and I've of course seen the movie version of Strangers on a Train.  So I was expecting to love this one, but I didn't.  I liked it well enough, but thought many of the actions & reactions by Guy really seemed very unrealistic.  I couldn't understand the do-nothing-and-hope-it-goes-away attitude.  Highsmith tries to explain it away near the end, but that didn't work for me.

I will say the twist at the very end was great.  I did not see that coming.  Almost made me change my mind on the book, but I'm going to stand firm.  Decent, but not amazing.

On Stranger Tides, by Tim Powers

Title: On Stranger Tides

Author: Tim Powers

Borrowed from Worcester MD Public Library Audiobook

Started: 9/26/2017

Finished: 9/30/2017

Enjoyable book, I don't love fantasy but I don't hate it either.  This was overall a good read. 

Brown Dog - Novellas, by Jim Harrison

Title; Brown Dog - Novellas

Author: Jim Harrison

Borrowed from DC Public Library Audiobook

Started: 9/16/2017

Finished; 9/25/2017

The first story in this long collection (close to 20 hours of audiobook) was fantastic.   The stories following got progressively worse, but all were entertaining.  

I'd never heard of the Brown Dog character before, very interesting and enjoyable.  

Stranger from Tonto, by Zane Grey

Title: Stranger from Tonto

Author: Zane Grey

Borrowed from take one leave one Library in Ocean City MD print edition

Started: 8/8/2017

Finished: 9/23/2017

Another Zane Grey Western, not great.  Left it at the beach so I only read from it periodically, which is why it took so long to finish.  

The Couple Next Door, Shari Lapena

Title: The Couple Next Door

Author: Shari Lapena

Borrowed from Little Library in DC, Print Edition

Started: 9/16/2017

Finished: 9/17/2017

Wow, what a terrible book. One of the worst I've ever read.  

A Gentleman in Moscow, by Amor Towles

Title: A Gentleman in Moscow

Author: Amor Towles

Purchased from Amazon Kindle Edition

Started: 8/25/2017

Finished: 9/16/2017

Book club book so I'll save the review for the discussion. Overall liked but did not love it.  

Other Kingdoms, by Richard Matheson

• Title:  Other Kingdoms
  
• Author:  Richard Matheson
  
• Borrowed from Worcester, MD Public Library (Audiobook)
  
• Started: 9/13/2017
  
• Finished: 9/15/2017
  

This was not the book I expected, but I really enjoyed it.  A sweet (if that's the right word) fantasy novel.  I've always liked Matheson, loved "I am Legend" and "Hell House".

Part of what made this novel for me was the fantastic narration of Bronson Pinchot.  It took me a while to figure out why I knew that name, but as a child of the 80's it then hit me, "Perfect Strangers."  Anyway, he read this book exceptionally.  So much so, that I will seek out books he's narrated simply because he is reading them.

The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne

• Title:  The Scarlet Letter
  
• Author:  Nathaniel Hawthorn
  
• Borrowed from HooplaDigital via Worcester MD Public Library, Audiobook
  
• Started: 9/62017
  
• Finished: 9/13/2017
  

I continue to play catch up books that should have been required in High School (whom am I kidding, I'd have only read the Cliff Notes version anyway) or college (I did get a degree in literature).  Yet somehow I never read or was assigned The Scarlet Letter.

I liked it, it was different from what I had imagined.  I didn't love it, but probably would have liked it more if I'd read it as part of a discussion group.

Cuba Libre, by Elmore Leonard

Title: Cuba Libre

Author: Elmore Leonard

Borrowed via HooplaDigital via Worcester MD Public Library Audiobook

Started: 8/29/2017

Finished: 9/5/2017

Enjoyed this one, solid Elmore Leonard novel. 

HMS Marlborough Will Enter Harbor, by Nicholas Monsarrat

• Title:  HMS Marlborough Will Enter Harbor
  
• Author:  Nicholas Monsarrat
  
• Borrowed from Hoopla Digital via Worcester County (MD) Public Library
  
• Started: 8/20/2017
  
• Finished: 8/23/2017
  

This is actually a collection of three short stories, but I only read the first, and it was as good as expected.  I really loved Monsarrat's "The Cruel Sea" and HMS Marlborough was fantastic.

A Western Duo -- A Man Called Trent, and The Rider of Lost Creek, by Louis L'Amour

• Title: A Western Duo -- A Man Called Trent, and The Rider of Lost Creek
  
• Author: Louis L'Amour
  
• Borrowed from Hoopla Digital via Worcester County (MD) Public Library
  
• Started:  8/24/2017
  
• Finished:  8/28/2017
  

A couple of Lance Kilkenny stories, reasonably enjoyable westerns.

The Red Badge of Courage, by Stephen Crane

• Title:  The Red Badge of Courage
  
• Author:  Stephen Crane
  
• Borrowed from DC Public Library (Audiobook)
  
• Started: 8/16/2017
  
• Finished: 8/18/2017
  

Read this one once before when I was very young, Jr High I think.  In fact I doubt if I really read it, probably just skimmed it and bought the cliff notes.  No matter what, I did not absorb anything by it at the time.

Reading it now, essentially for the first time, I understand why it is a classic.  

Interview with the Vampire, by Anne Rice

• Title: Interview with the Vampire
  
• Author: Anne Rice
  
• Borrowed from Worcester MD Public Library (Audiobook)
  
• Started: 7/27/2017
  
• Finished: 8/16/2017
  

Desperate for something to read I decided to give this one a try.  Never a huge vampire fan, I avoided this one when it reached popularity in my youth when the film was due to come out.

I liked the book a reasonable amount -- much of that, I suspect, is due to one of my favorite narrators reading the book -- Simon Vance.  But I give credit to the author for an overall interesting story, even if the background isn't my thing.

The Beguiled, by Thomas Cullinan

Title:. The Beguiled

Author: Thomas Cullinan

Borrowed from free library in Northside Park Ocean City MD

Started: 7/25/2017

Finished: 8/11/2017

My wife and I read this one aloud to each other over the course of a few weeks. I know how disgustingly cute that might sound, but we are that kind of couple (sometimes).  Loved the book, and enjoyed reading it out loud.  I've listened to enough audiobooks that it was fun to finally be the one doing the story-telling. 

And this was a great story, really enjoyed the book and our conversations about it as we made our way through it. 

Bleak House, by Charles Dickens

• Title:  Bleak House
  
• Author:  Charles Dickens
  
• Borrowed from DC Public Library (Audiobook)
  
• Started:  7/20/2017
  
• Finished: (sort of) 7/26/2017
  

Cheating a bit with this one (more than a bit, really) because I did not come close to finishing this one.  The audiobook was almost 40 hours long (average novel is 6-12 hours, big novels maybe 20-25 hours).  I got about 10 hours in, and was enjoying it, but not enough to keep going for 30 more hours.

Anyway, I got enough of this one to count it for this site.  Not necessarily a "read it" but a "read enough to know I don't need to pick it up again."

The Jealous Kind, by James Lee Burke

• Title:  The Jealous Kind
  
• Author: James Lee Burke
  
• Borrowed from Worcester, MD Public Library (Audiobook)
  
• Started: 7/26/2017
  
• Finished: 8/2/2017
  

Wanted to like this one more than I did, which is how I think I feel about all Burke novels.  Not quite my thing, but they're read masterfully by Will Patton so I give them a pass...

Exit West, By Mohsi Hamid

Title: Exit West

Author: Mohsi Hamid

Purchased from Amazon Kindle Edition

Started: 7/15/2017

Finished: 7/22/2017

Book club book. 

The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares, by Joyce Carol Oates

• Title:  The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares
  
• Author:  Joyce Carol Oates
  
• Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library (Audiobook)
  
• Started: 7/14/2017
  
• Finished: 7/20/2017
  

This was a tough collection to get through.  10 hours of audiobook, the titular story (Corn Maiden) comprising the longest overall -- and the best.

The Corn Maiden was a great story, very hard to listen to, yet hard to stop listening to as well.  I really liked this one, although as I said it was tough to get through at times.

The others were all so-so, some better than others, but none nearly as good as the opening.

The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories, by Agatha Christie

Title: The Harlequin Tea Set and Other Stories

Author: Agatha Christie

Borrowed from Fairfax county public library Audiobook

Started: 7/11/2017

Finished: 7/13/2017

Didn't love this set of stories. One decent Poirot, and I liked the love story "The Lonely God" but the rest were just ok. The titular story I hated. 

Sherlock Holmes and the Hapsburg Tiara, by Alan Vanneman

Title: Sherlock Holmes and the Hapsburg Tiara

Author:  Alan Vanneman

Borrowed from Fairfax county public library Audiobook

Started: 7/9/2017

Finished: 7/11/2017

Pretty terrible, Watson with a foot fetish...

In the Woods, by Tana French

• Title:  In the Woods
• Author:  Tana French
• Borrowed from DC Public Library (Audiobook)
• Started: 6/30/2017
• Finished: 7/9/2017

I had read this one before, as it turns out, but prior to starting the blog.  I think I read it in print, not audiobook like this time.  But I loved it both ways, the audiobook version was great.

Devil in a Blue Dress, by Walter Mosley

Title: Devil in a Blue Dress

Author: Walter Mosley

Borrowed from take one leave one Library in DC

Started: 7/1/2017

Finished: 7/3/2017

First Easy Rawlins book, pretty good. 

Calamity Town, by Ellery Queen

Title: Calamity Town

Author: Ellery Queen

Borrowed from free library in Northside Park, Ocean City MD

Started 6/17/2017

Finished: 7/1/2017

This book was terrible.  I'd never read an Ellery Queen before and won't seek one out anytime soon. The solution to the mystery was obvious, and the melodrama a bore.  

One other note, book didn't really take me three weeks to finish. I started it at the beach in June on day, left the book there, and picked it up on July 1st to finish. Took two days to plow through, only struggling because I was bored with it. 

Flashman's Lady, by George MacDonald Fraser

• Title:  Flashman's Lady
• Author:  George MacDonald Fraser
• Purchased Used on Amazon.com (print edition)
• Started: 6/18/2017
• Finished: 6/28/2017

This was my final Flashman novel.  When I first started this series I hated Flashy and couldn't believe anyone liked these books (I started with what I think was the worst, Royal Flash).  Now, I couldn't love them more and hate that I've finished the series.

I only read a few of them (like this one) in print, most were audiobooks.  I might go back and read the print versions because, while the audiobooks are fantastic (David Case gives the perfect voice to Flashy), you lose the footnotes.  I also don't know if any other books feature extracts of Elspeth's diary -- if they do then I missed out by listening to the audiobook version.

This was probably my second least favorite Flashman novel, but it was still a great read.  I might start the series over again before the end of the year, I loved them that much.

The Sentinel, by Jeffrey Konvitz

• Title:  The Sentinel
• Author:  Jeffrey Konvitz
• Borrowed from Hoopla (AudioBook)
• Started 6/26/2017
• Finished: 6/29/2017

This was terrible.  I imagine it was a reasonably good book in the 70s when written, riding the tide of Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist.  But damn, it did not age well ("oh no, vile lesbians!") and the whole book is just so hokey and not scary.  But Konvitz clearly hit the Catholic-horror note at the right time and made a bundle off this piece of crap and the subsequent movie (movie is better than book, rare occurrence).

I hate to bag on Hoopla too, because I love that service for TV and Movies from the public library.  But for audiobooks on an android device -- forget it.  Way too much bizarre skipping and issues with playback.  Very frustrating.

The Murders in the Rue Morgue and Other Stories, by Edgar Alan Poe

• Title:  The Murders in the Rue Morgue
• Author:  Edgar Alan Poe
  
• Borrowed from DC Public Library Audiobook
  
• Started: 6/24/2017
  
• Finished: 6/26/2017
  

Several Poe tales, enjoyable, particularly David Case's narration.

Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott

Title: Little Women

Author: Louisa May Alcott

Borrowed from Fairfax county public library Audiobook

Started: 6/20/2017

Finished: 6/23/2017

I've always wondered about this book and finally gave it a try.  Pretty damn good, obvious why it is a classic.  A bit preachy sometimes, but I barely noticed.  I was sucked in immediately and found myself smiling or tearing up with each chapter. I'm an old softy. 

The book I listened to was book 1 in the series, ending with the proposal to Me one year after the start of the book.  I understand subsequent volumes go through the adult lives, but I might stop here. Almost too perfect to carry on. 

Missing Person, by Patrick Modiano

Title: Missing Person

Author: Patrick Modiano

Borrowed from Fairfax county public library Audiobook

Started: 6/16/2017

Finished: 6/20/2017

Been waiting to read this one for a few years.  Audiobook narrator was terrible, but I'm not sure I can blame.him for my lack of appreciation.  I struggled with this one, didn't really like it.  But Modiano won the Nobel prize for literature, so what the hell do I know?

The Vanishing, by Tim Krabbe

Title: The Vanishing

Author: Tim Krabbe

Purchased used on Amazon.com in print

Started: 6/17/2017

Finished: 6/17/2017

More of a short story than a book, but very enjoyable.  Read it on a beautiful day at the beach in about 90 mins.  Never saw either movie but had a rough idea of the plot from when the movie's we're released.  

The Lost City of Z, by David Grann

Title: The Lost City of Z

Author: David Grann

Borrowed from Little Library in Ocean City MD (print)

Started: 6/4/2017

Finished: 6/16/2017

I enjoyed this one, similar to Lost City of the Monkey God.  I liked that one better, but this was good too. 

Three Jack Reacher Novellas: Deep Down, Second Son, High Heat, by Lee Child, by Lee Child

Title: Three Jack Reacher Novellas: Deep Down, Second Son, High Heat

Author: Lee Child

Borrowed from DC Public Library Audiobook

Started: 6/11/2017

Finished: 6/13/2017

Punishing myself with more Reacher. 

Doctor Sleep, by Steven King

• Title:  Doctor Sleep
• Author:  Steven King
• Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library, Audiobook
• Started: 6/1/2017
• Finished: 6/11/2017

First King book I've ready since I was a teen, a long time ago.  Didn't love this, but I'm honestly not sure I ever really loved any of his books.  I liked them all, as far as I can remember, but never loved them.  I did read the Shining, so I knew what this picking up from.

Decent enough, but not scary.  King addresses this (at least in the audiobook version) saying nothing can ever seem as scary as your memory of the original scare.

I'll just throw in one more note -- just cannot get enough of Will Patton's narration.  That guy has a real gift for narration & performance of audiobooks.

Cork Dork, by Bianca Bosker

Title: Cork Dork

Author: Bianca Bosket

Purchased from Amazon Kindle Edition

Started: 5/25/2017

Finished: 6/4/2017

Book club book, struggled with this one, did not enjoy. 

The Thomas Berryman Number, by James Patterson

• Title:  The Thomas Berryman Number
  
• Author:  James Patterson
  
• Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library Audiobook
  
• Started: 5/24/2017
  
• Finished: 5/30/2017
  

Really liked this one, although the ending seemed abrupt.  Never know how much of my enjoyment is based on Will Patton's outstanding narration though...

Containment, by Christian Cantrell

Title:. Containment

Author: Christian Cantrell

Borrowed from a friend

Started: 5/15/2017

Finished: 5/23/2017

A decent idea for a novel but not executed well.  Read like an unpolished first novel, which it may be. 

The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova

Title: The Historian

Author: Elizabeth Kostova

Borrowed from Fairfax county public library Audiobook

Started: 5/14/2017

Finished: 5/23/2017

Way too melodramatic for me.  Really struggled with finishing this one -- not a book for me. No more vampires. 

Flashman in the Great Game, by George MacDonald Fraser

Title: Flashman in the Great Game

Author: George MacDonald Fraser

Purchase in print used from Amazon

Started: 5/1/2017

Finished: 5/14/2017

This might be my favorite Flashman novel yet.  Really enjoyed this one. 

THE CHILDREN OF MEN, by P. D. James

Title: The Children of Men

Author: P.D. James

Borrowed from Fairfax county public library Audiobook

Started: 5/8/2017

Finished: 5/13/2017

Loved this one, and liked the movie when I say it years ago -- no idea why I waited so long to read it. 

An Unpardonable Crime, by Andrew Taylor

Title: An Unpardonable Crime

Author: Andrew Taylor

Borrowed from DC Public Library Audiobook

Started: 4/25/2017

Finished: 5/7/2017

A decent book with a slight connection to a you Edgar Allen Poe.  So-so mystery, but overall enjoyable. 

Scoop, by Evelyn Waugh

Title: Scoop

Author: Evelyn Waugh

Borrowed from DC Public Library Kindle edition

Started: 4/26/2017

Finished: 4/30/2017

Book club selection. 

Flashman on the March, by George MacDonald Fraser

Title:. Flashman on the March

Author: George MacDonald Fraser

Borrowed from Fairfax county public library Kindle edition

Started:. 4/4/2017

Finished: 4/26/2017

Love these Flashman books, this was a good one. Also my first Flashman in print as opposed to audiobook. I love the audiobooks. It missed the annotations of the print. Might need to re-read these in the future. 

Gambit, by Rex Stout

Title: Gambit

Author: Rex Stout

Borrowed from DC Public Library Audiobook

Started: 4/22/2017

Finished: 4/24/2017

Pretty sure I read this one before, but it wasn't on this site so I did again. An enjoyable Nero Wolfe mystery. 

The Sleep Room, by F.R. Tallis

• Title:  The Sleep Room
• Author: F.R. Tallis
• Borrowed from Fairfax, VA Public Library (AudioBook)
• Started:  4/18/2017
• Finished:  4/22/2017

My second book by Tallis, the first one of which I read two years ago, The Voices.  I liked the Voices better, overall, but as I mentioned in that review it left too many questions unanswered.

The Sleep Room, on the other hand, wraps things up at the end.  A pretty good gothic-ish haunted (kind of) novel, overall I enjoyed it.

Dodge City: Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and the Wickedest Town in the American West, by Tom Clavin

• Title:  Dodge City:  Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and the Wickedest Town in the American West
  
• Author:  Tom Clavin
  
• Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library (AudioBook)
  
• Started: 4/9/2017
  
• Finished:  4/18/2017
  

Read a favorable review of this book in the WSJ and with my interested in Westerns and the Old West I wanted to give it a try.  Overall an enjoyable book, not as engaging as some historical novels but still entertaining.

Flashman and the Tiger, by George MacDonald Fraser

Title: Flashman and the Tiger

Author: George MacDonald Fraser

Borrowed from Fairfax VA public library Audiobook

Started: 4/4/2017

Finished: 4/8/2017

Another Flashman book, really love these. This one was made up of three stories.  The first was not great, and it was the longest by far, but it was still entertaining. The second two, though very short, were great fun. 

Night School, by Lee Child

• Title:  Night School
  
• Author:  Lee Child
  
• Borrowed from Take-One-Leave-One Library at my office (hardback)
  
• Started:  3/22/2017
  
• Finished: 4/3/2017
  

My long nightmare is over, this is the final Jac-Reacher book (at least so far), and I've completed my reading of them in order.

Mr. American, by George MacDonald Fraser

• Title:  Mr. American
  
• Author:  George MacDonald Fraser
  
• Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library (AudioBook)
  
• Started: 3/17/2017
  
• Finished: 3/30/2017
  

A book by the author of the Flashman Papers (which I've read most of and loved), Mr. American was a long, wonderful story.  This book has a much more serious tone, somber even, than any of the Flashman books, although Flashy does make a couple of appearances in this one.  

I won't bother to recount the plot, plenty of sites and reviews do just that.  But I really enjoyed this one, as I have most of Fraser's work.  Fraser as an author was a big find for me in 2016, I suspect by the end of 2017 I'll have finished everything he has written that is available to me.

Death on Deadline, by Robert Goldsborough

• Title: Death on Deadline
  
• Author:  Robert Goldsborough
  
• Borrowed from Fairfax County Public Library (Kindle Edition)
  
• Started: 3/18/2017
  
• Finished: 3/21/2017
  

Another Nero Wolfe mystery by someone other than Rex Stout -- very enjoyable.

The Lost City of the Monkey God, by Douglas Preston

• Title:  The Lost City of the Monkey God
  
• Author:  Douglas Preston
  
• Purchased from Amazon.com, Kindle Edition
  
• Started:  3/11/2017
  
• Finished: 3/18/2017
  

Book club selection, mine, liked the first half but the second half was a bit too heavy handed.  I suspect it will be popular in the book club though.

Make Me, by Lee Child

• Title:  Make Me
  
• Author:  Lee Child
  
• Borrowed from DC Public Library
  
• Started: 3/12/2017
  
• Finished: 3/16/2017
  

Another Jack Reacher novel, really terrible, but of course I'll keep with this stupid series because I'm strangely addicted.

Closer Casket, Sophie Hannah

Title: Closed Casket

Author: Sophie Hannah

Borrowed from Worcester, MD Public Library Audiobook

Started 3/8/2017

Finished 3/11/2017

A non-Christie Poirot novel.  I liked it, but Amazon reviews were not kind.  The performer of the audiobook was outstanding. 

Murder in E Minor, by Robert Goldsborough

• Title:  Murder in E Minor
  
• Author:  Robert Goldsborough
  
• Borrowed from Fairfax, VA Public Library (Kindle Edition)
  
• Started:  3/7/2017
  
• Finished: 3/10/2017
  

A continuation of the Rex Stout Nero Wolfe series, Goldsborough does a great job of getting just close enough to Stout's prose, without completely copying or mimicking.  

In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead*, by James Lee Burke

• Title:  In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead*
  
• Author:  James Lee Burke
  
• Borrowed from Fairfax, VA Public Library (AudioBook)
  
• Started: 3/5/2017
  
• Finished:  3/7/2017
  

Was really enjoying this one, had been wanting to get the whole Robicheaux series read by my favorite reader Will Patton, starting with book 1.  But none of my libraries had the first 5 books, so I started with this one, book 6.

I enjoyed it from the start, but could not get over how short it was at just 3.5 hours (most audiobooks are 8 hours minimum).  Then I got to the end, and heard "we hope you've enjoyed this ABRIDGED..."

God Dammit.  This is the first time this has happened to me, I usually screen out abridged version but I was so excited to see Will Patton reading I skipped right over that abridged nonsense.  I hesitate to add this as a book I've read when I'm getting the readers digest version.

So I've added an asterisks to the title to note that it was abridged.  Oh well.

* -- Abridged, probably shouldn't count

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher, by Kate Summerscale

Title: The Suspicions of Mr. Witcher

Author: Kate Summerscale

Borrowed from DC Public Library (Audiobook)

Started: 3/1/2017

Finished: 3/5/2017

This was one of three books I suggested for my book club.  This one wasn't chosen so I listened to it on my own.  Very enjoyable, but wouldn't have been good for book club so I'm glad it worked out the way it did. 

Personal, by Lee Child

• Title:  Personal
  
• Author:  Lee Child
  
• Borrowed from DC Public Library (AudioBook)
  
• Started: 2/27/2017
  
• Finished: 3/1/2017
  

Yup, another damn Reacher book.

Never Go Back, by Lee Child

• Title:  Never Go Back
  
• Author:  Lee Child
  
• Borrowed from Take-One/Leave-One Library found in Northside Park, Ocean City, MD
  
• Started: 2/19/2017
  
• Finished: 2/24/2017 
  

This is the book that started it all for me.  I blame my wife.

We have a small condo in Ocean City, MD that sits on top of a big park (Northside Park).  We take our dog on long, lazy walks through the park each time we head to the condo.  In the park is a take-one/leave-one book box (one of these "little free library" boxes) and we often grab or deposit items.

One day last year my wife walked the park with our dog (I was not there) and brought back the book I'm blogging about today, Lee Child's Never Go Back.  I had never read a Reacher book, so I thought I might as well start them in order before reading this one.

And thus began my saga with Jack Reacher.  As I've said repeatedly on this blog through the reading of these books -- they are terrible AND YET I CANNOT STOP READING THEM.

So, another terrible Reacher book down, the one that started it all for me.  And I blame my wife.

The House Next Door, by Anne Rivers Siddons

• Title:  The House Next Door
  
• Author:  Anne Rivers Siddons
  
• Borrowed from DC Public Library (Kindle Edition)
  
• Started: 2/22/2017
  
• Finished: 2/23/2017
  

I LOVED this book.  Absolutely loved it.  Pulled in from the start through the end.  Read it nonstop for 6 or so hours the first day, finished up the last hour of reading the following morning.

Can't believe I had not heard of this before, with as much as I love haunted house books.

I even liked the protagonist (didn't love the name Colquitt though), really identified with the life/love of the two main characters -- although I think we're supposed to think they are selfish and vapid (traits I suspect I carry).  Thoroughly enjoyed this book.

The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead

Title: The Underground Railroad

Author: Colson Whitehead

Borrowed from a neighbor (print)

Started: 2/13/2017

Finished: 2/18/2017

Loved the first 100 or so pages, not as enjoyable after that but still a worthwhile read. 

The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscripts, by Joshua Hammer

• Title:  The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World's Most Precious Manuscripts
  
• Author:  Joshua Hammer
  
• Borrowed from Worcester MD Public Library (AudioBook)
  
• Started: 2/12/2017
  
• Finished: 2/16/2017
  

I think I've mentioned this before but I am a librarian, so the author/publisher did a good job of roping people like me into checking this book out.  I had high hopes for it, but was pretty disappointed.  It isn't a bad story, in fact it is an interesting overview of the rise of Islamic extremism in Mali in the last decade or so.  But the manuscript rescue (referenced in the subtitle) felt really forced into this book -- like it could have been a side mention, because most of the book did not feel connected to the manuscript rescue at all.

And rescue is really pushing it.  The main archivist even admits that the manuscripts might have come out of this with less overall damage had they just left them in basement storage in the first place.

Not a bad book, but the library/manuscript angle was way overdone.  

Submission, by Michel Houellebecq

Title: Submission

Author: Michel Houellebecq

Purchased from Amazon, Kindle Edition

Started:  2/10/2017

Finished: 2/12/2017

Book club book. 

A Wanted Man, by Lee Child

• Title:  A Wanted Man
• Author:  Lee Child
• Borrowed from DC Public Library (Audiobook)
• Started: 2/5/2017
• Finished: 2/9/2017

Another in the Reacher series.  This one actually got some bad reviews from other people, which surprised me, because I thought this one was just as stupid, but not more so, than all of the other Reacher books I have read (and complained about).  He does go on a Rambo like killing spree at the end, 22 people or so, but is that more far fetched than taking on 6 guys at once and winning?

The Affair, by Lee Child

Title: The Affair
Author: Lee Child
Borrowed from D.C. Public Library Audiobook
Started: 1/30/2017
Finished: 2/5/2017

Yup, another Reacher. Hanging my head in shame.

How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life, by Scott Adams

• Title:  How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life
  
• Author: Scott Adams
  
• Borrowed from Worcester, MD Public Library (Kindle Edition)
  
• Started: 1/18/2017
  
• Finished: 2/1/2017
  

Scott Adams of Dilbert fame wrote this one.  I'm not much into self help books (Adams would hate that description -- no disrespect meant) but like a lot of people I was intrigued by Adams ability to correctly predict Trump as President way before anyone else took Trump seriously (I mean WAY back, August 2015...).  

So along with now regularly reading his blog I thought I would read one of his books.  Overall enjoyable, much like Trump's "The Art of the Deal" which I read last year when it looked like he might really become president.  Both were enjoyable reads, but I'm not sure I had major take-aways from either -- but Adams book does offer up way of approaching life that can make it more enjoyable.

Please don't take this post as an indication of my being a Trump supporter.  My political views fall under the irrational "they're all crooks" line of thinking, so I'm not here to pick or promote either side.  

Worth Dying For, by Lee Child

Title: Worth Dying For

Author:. Lee Child

Borrowed from DC Public Library Audiobook

Started: 1/24/2017

Finished: 1/28/2017

Just blowing through the Jack Reacher series now.  My first in audiobook form, terrible reader but I needed an audiobook. 

61 Hours, by Lee Child

• Title:  61 Hours
  
• Author:  Lee Child
  
• Borrowed from Worcester County, MD Public Library (Kindle Edition)
  
• Started: 1/18/2017
  
• Finished: 1/23/2017
  

Is Jack Reacher dead?  Well no, because there are a bunch of books following this one.  

Gone Tomorrow, by Lee Child

• Title:  Gone Tomorrow
  
• Author:  Lee Child
  
• Borrowed from DC Public Library (Kindle Edition)
  
• Started: 1/13/2017
  
• Finished: 1/17/2017
  

Blowing through the Jack Reacher books, just as dumb, a return to first person narrative. Still enjoying these in my own sick way.

Nothing to Lose, by Lee Child

• Title:  Nothing to Lose
  
• Author:  Lee Child
  
• Borrowed from DC Public Library (Kindle Edition)
  
• Started: 1/10/2017
  
• Finished: 1/12/2017
  

Another Jack Reacher novel...

The Father Hunt, by Rex Stout

• Title:  The Father Hunt
  
• Author: Rex Stout
  
• Borrowed from DC Public Library
  
• Started: 1/7/2017
  
• Finished: 1/10/2017
  

The last Nero Wolfe book I had left to read on any of the public library catalogs I have access to (DC, MD, VA).  Enjoyable for a late Wolfe book.

Bad Luck and Trouble, by Lee Child

• Title:  Bad Luck and Trouble
  
• Author:  Lee Child
  
• Borrowed from DC Public Library
  
• Started:  1/7/2017
  
• Finished: 1/10/2017
  

Book 11 in the horrible Jack Reacher series that I continue to be unable to resist.  Just as stupid as all of the others, and as usual I couldn't turn away from it.

The Sellout, by Paul Beatty

Title:. The Sellout

Author: Paul Beatty 

Purchased from Amazon (Kindle edition)

Started: 12/22/2016

Finished: 1/7/2017

Book club book, 2016 Man Booker prize winner.  Really liked this one, saving comments for book club meeting. 

The Invisible Man, by HG Wells

Title: The Invisible Man

Author: HG Wells

Borrowed from DC Public Library (Audiobook)

Started: 1/2/2017

Finished: 1/6/2017

One of the few classics of horror/science fiction I had not read.  Enjoyed it -- funnier than I would have expected.  Need to watch a few of the movies again. 

Also, first book of 2017. Not going to try to best or even match my 2016 book total...