My attention has been elsewhere. Enjoyable trips to favorite places. Reorganizing closets and bins. (Hey-- reorganizing my stuff makes me almost as happy as spending time shelving books.) Mentally kicking myself for damaging my camera beyond repair. Enjoying the type of weather the snowbirds flock here for. All of which means that I've neglected keeping you posted on what I've been reading.
I do have some normal-length reviews planned, but right now, I'm going to do a series of shorter ones. If you want to learn more about a book, I've included a link to Amazon US in its title.
The clock is ticking, so I'd better get started!
Non-Fiction, 432 pages
Rating: B+
My Thoughts: I've had a weakness for thieves like Robin Hood, Alexander Mundy, and John Robie since I was a teenager, and Jobb's book is about a real-life "second story" man named Arthur Barry. Surviving a tough childhood, Barry served with distinction as a medic during World War I, but when he came home, he couldn't find a job. His good looks and charm soon took him into the world of jewel theft.
Barry melted easily into high society, even taking the Prince of Wales out on a night on the town during the prince's visit. (He also burgled one of the women in the royal party.)
Barry believed that the use of violence was the mark of an amateur, and he also stated: "I only robbed the rich. If a woman can carry around a necklace worth $750,000, she knows where her next meal is coming from."
A Gentleman and a Thief was a fascinating look at not only the man himself, but the time period as well. (I also picked up some tips on burglar-proofing the house.)
Thriller, 429 pages
Rating: D+
My Thoughts: I found this first book in the Thomas Lourds series very amateurish. Lourds is a bad cross between Ian Fleming's James Bond and Dan Brown's Robert Langdon.
Lourds finds himself in a race with a megalomaniac Catholic cardinal to find the lost continent of Atlantis. I did enjoy the author's views on the importance of language as well as the African history he included, but I tired quickly of the evil cardinal, his crew of deadly assassins, and Lourds' bed hopping.
#8 in the Ryder Creed K-9 series, 343 pages
Rating: B+
My Thoughts: I've found myself working to catch up on some of the series I enjoy, and with Midnight Creed, I'm all caught up with this one.
I love this series for the family of characters Kava has created, and-- it goes without saying-- the dogs. After what happened in the last book, Creed finds himself reluctant to put any of his dogs in danger, but you know he's going to be forced to.
Kava has a magic touch with her hair-raising stories and with her characters. (And don't ever skip her Author's Notes in the back!) She makes even one-shot characters like the homeless woman, Nessie, very real and memorable. I also look forward to how she incorporates information such as getting war dogs back home from Afghanistan into her stories. One of the most important lessons to be found in any book in this series is a simple one: "Trust your dog." I know the importance of this rule in my own life, and it's one that characters in this series have had to learn as well.
#6 in the Tracy Crosswhite police procedural series, 410 pages
Rating: A
My Thoughts: This book has Tracy working on a murder case and trying to keep her pregnancy a secret. Good luck with that, since her despised boss has already brought in a new cop to replace her.
The book focuses more on her colleague Vic "Faz" Fazzio, which is a smooth move by Dugoni to keep the pregnant woman out of harm's way. Faz's investigation into the murder of a local community activist turns violent, and he has his hands full trying to find the truth and keep his job.
A Steep Price moves quickly and kept me guessing. It also has one of my favorite descriptive passages so far this year concerning glass shards and a stained-glass window.
#1 Ian Ludlow thriller, 254 pages
Rating: A+
My Thoughts: I've read two A+ books so far this year, and True Fiction is one of them. This is the first book I've read by Goldberg and I have a feeling that it won't be my last.
Bestselling thriller writer Ian Ludlow knows that the flying of a passenger jet onto the crowded beaches of Waikiki wasn't a tragic accident. Years before, the CIA had enlisted him to dream up terrorist scenarios to prepare the government for nightmare situations. One of those scenarios has come true, and Ian is the only one alive who knows how it was done.
This book was so much fun to read. Was it actually plausible? Not really, but sometimes that just doesn't matter. What matters here is Ian Ludlow and the two characters who join him in his quest for justice-- and survival. Goldberg has created a villain you love to hate and heroes you can laugh at (and with) and root on to victory. I loathed, laughed, and cheered.
The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn
Fiction. Translated from the German. 186 pages
Rating: B
My Thoughts: Bookseller Carl Kollhoff walks through the streets of his city in the evenings, delivering books to his special customers after closing time. Carl is quiet and introverted, and these customers could actually be considered his friends. When he loses his job, it threatens to sever these valuable connections. Little does he know that a little nine-year-old girl holds the key to putting his life back together.
This is a heartwarming little tale about the power of books and friendship that reminded me of the books of Fredrik Backman (A Man Called Ove).
There you go-- six reviews! Am I caught up now? Not exactly, but that's beside the point. Have you read any of these? Which ones? Did I encourage you to add any to your own Need to Read lists? Do tell!
