Friday, February 24, 2017

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.

Thursday, February 23, 2017

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.

Sunday, February 19, 2017

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. 

Friday, February 17, 2017

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

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.  


Sunday, February 12, 2017

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. 

Saturday, February 11, 2017

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?

Sunday, February 5, 2017

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.

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

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


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.