Required Reading

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Books I have authored.

Many times I receive books for FREE to give them an honest review. I do not get paid to give a good or bad review. Spotlights are promotional and should be regarded as advertising for the book spotlighted. Regardless of where or how I got a book, my review will be as honest as I can make it.

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Broken Trust by W.E.B. Griffin

I particularly Griffin's books about Philadelphia cops as I live nearby.  This is another book set in the years when the term Killadelphia was applied to the city due to the number of murders in the city.   Matt Payne or Wyatt Earp is the main protagonist again.

I liked this book better than Deadly Assets which was the last Philly cop story I read from Griffin.   A disjointed aspect in that book decreased my affection for the story.   Broken Trust flowed better and it was much easier to follow.  

Griffin most definitely is familiar with Philadelphia and regardless of their names, political figures in the book are easily identified.   Sadly Griffin's cynicism does not seem at all far fetched.   Looking at the number of Philadelphia notables who have recently been convicted and incarcerated, his book smacks more of non-fiction than fiction.  This book is better than the last but still not up to  the standards of his past books. 

This book was an entertaining read with a sad but realistic commentary on politics.

Web Site:  http://www.webgriffin.com/home.html


This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Growing Old: Aging Explained



This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Night School by Lee Child

Reacher is back and thank goodness it is a full blown book and not those short teasers I have been complaining about.   This story takes place while Reacher is still and MP Major.  The Cold War is over but remnants of the conflict still exist.   The story is about a terrorist threat that overlaps the historic aspects of the Cold War. 

Reacher's favorite Sgt., Neagley is tasked to Reacher for his current assignment.  Said assignment is top secret and supposedly is a school to teach interagency cooperation.  (If that were only accomplished, would wonders never cease.)  Reacher demonstrates his normal fly by the seat of his pants, lets use common sense and then thump someone.

This is a normal, must finish at all cost, Reacher book.

I really enjoyed it.

Web Site: http://www.leechild.com/
           

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Saturday, December 17, 2016

Dead Lawyers Don't Lie by Mark Nolan


A mystery title that won't be terribly amusing to attorneys.   This was a mystery that involved a retired special ops agent, a laid off  Russian agent, a swarm of sleazy ambulance chasers and a mysterious cabal.

Jake Wolfe was the protagonist and from his description, the book would probably gather a larger female audience of his image was depicted shirtless on the cover.  Of course, then I won't have read it and that would be my loss.   The author did a superlative job putting together believable characters in a plot that on occasion had you rooting for the bad guy.

If you are a dog person, then perhaps having Cody on the cover would have garnered your attention.  I am not demeaning the cover, just looking at aspects of the book that will be appealing to special interests. 

I really enjoyed the book and the author appears to be setting up a series.

web: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14844422.Mark_Nolan


This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Friday, December 9, 2016

The Seventh Plague by James Rollins


This is a Sigma Force Novel.  Apparently the Sigma Force is a quasi-commando organization operating under the auspices of the DOD.  Regardless of whether you have read any of the series, this book is worth reading.  It stands alone very well.   This would be a great script for an Indiana Jones movie.   There are biblical references, strange phenomena and futuristic action.   A historic incident leads to a current devastating disease and an archaeologist's children and Sigma Force and responsible to find a cure. 

An aspect of the book that I found very interesting was Rollin's commentary at the finish.   He provided insight as to the inclusion of factors that made the book more interesting.   The addition of Mark Twain, Stanley, Livingston and Tesla was not done randomly.   Rollins did a great job in providing background and rationale for much of his work.

The story and plot were excellent.  The characterizations were not as satisfying.  I guess that Sigma Force fans will know the background of some of the protagonists and will be better able to empathize and identify with them.  I just found them a touch too superficial and would have liked more depth on what made them who they are.

Again the story line is excellent and I recommend the book.

Web: http://jamesrollins.com/

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Monday, December 5, 2016

Fool Me Once By Harlan Coben


Maya is a down to earth, well as a special-ops pilot perhaps not down to earth but more rooted in reality of a nitty-gritty nature person who may be suffering from PSTD.   She is married to the scion of an enormously wealthy family and dealing with both a military snafu and the loss of her sister when further tragedy strikes.

The book highlights the difference between the well to do and the truly wealthy.  It also explored the dangers and need for whistle blowing.   The situation is not hard to imagine which is one of the reasons Coben's books are compelling.   They are often not too hard to believe. 

The plot was intricate and not immediately solvable.

This was a compelling book.

I highly recommend.



This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Mr. Waldorf Travels to the Huge Russia by By Barbara Terry, Beth Ann Stifflemire and Vladimir Kirichenko


As picture books for children go this offers more than just a pleasant reading experience.   This is the beginning of a series and said series provides information and education in a very entertaining and painless manner.   In addition, the oft used but still extremely effective act of, including a lost or hidden object turns the reading experience into a game, in this case Mr Waldorf's spectacles.

This specific book deals with a visit to Russia where Mr. Waldorf, a walking upright and talking Golden Labrador, discovers the sights and sounds of travel.  Russia provides abundant wildlife such as the sturgeon and Siberian Tiger.   The only other time I have heard of Irkutsk is the game of Risk.   Irkutsk is the closest city to the world's oldest and  deepest lake,  Lake Baikal.   The lake is over 400 miles long and has an astounding number of unique species inhabiting it.  All this information is due to the interest that the authors piqued with their picture book.  I see these books having a fairly wide age span as the older kids can be encouraged to Google the facts and find more in depth information.  Heck I did it and I am a really, really old kid.

Another feature that I particularly like is that the authors infuse the love of reading into Mr. Waldorf's character.  Encouraging children to read should be a goal of every author. 

I recommend the book.

Web: http://waldorfpublishing.com/category/childrens/

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.