Sunday, December 31, 2017

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.  

Thursday, December 28, 2017

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.

Thursday, December 21, 2017

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. 

Friday, December 15, 2017

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.

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

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.

Thursday, December 7, 2017

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

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.

Monday, December 4, 2017

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


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.