What I've Been Reading

May 7, 2009

I'll get back to Flat-footed as soon as I re-learn how to concentrate. Here's the last 10 books I've read.

Terminal Freeze by Lincoln Child

I like Lincoln Child a lot, singly or with Doug Preston, but this is not his best book. Sorry, but I thought it needed a re-write. Or something. I felt disappointed.

Night and Day by Robert B. Parker

Ummm, boy, it's sad when you don't even remember the plot. I just went and looked. I thought it was a Spenser novel. It was a Jesse Stone novel and, um, it sucked. Jesse gets tangled up in a case of the high school principal making female student show their underwear. Stupid and unlikely. Sorry.

The 39 Clues: The Sword Thief by Peter Lerangis

The third book in this 10-book series for middle grades. It was good. The kids went to Japan. Not quite as satisfying as I would hope, but I'm enjoying the series to-date.

The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston w/Mario Spezi

A resoundingly brilliant piece of true crime. If you want to figure out why the current trials about the American woman in Florence who might have murdered her friend, read this book. Frightening, fascinating, horrifying.

Six Days of the Condor by James Grady

I read this to write an essay on Essential Thrillers for a book coming out next year. I also interviewed James Grady. The book holds up pretty well, although I would have liked it to be less journalistic. It's hard to separate the book from the movie, Three Days of the Condor, but you can see how so much of what happened in the book sort of set a precedent for a lot of espionage thrillers to come.

Illegal by Paul Levine

I reviewed this already, but it's a terrific book by one of my favorite authors.

Goblin Quest by Jim C. Hines

A comic fantasy novel. For a premise, imagine this: Lord of the Rings told from the point of view of Gollum. You know, goblin minding his own business, is found by a group of adventurers who think he knows how to find a treasure, they put a rope on his neck, beat him and generally force him to do what they want. Hilarious fun.

The Second Perimeter by Mike Lawson

I wrote about this one already. It's a thriller. The main character is a troubleshooter/investigator for the Speaker of the House and he's doing a favor for the Secretary of the Navy and it blows up in his face. Involves espionage, etc. Really terrific.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

I reread the series over the last 9 or 10 months and finally wrapped it up. I found this more satisfying the second time than the first and I got a lot more out of it. I'm also still puzzling about the technical reasons for her compulsive readability and the immersive quality she brings to her books. I wish I could duplicate it, though.

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts On Reclaiming The American Dream by Barack Obama

I liked this quite a bit and probably should have read it before I voted for him. If anyone's surprised by what he's doing in the White House, you should read this, because it's all there. He's a good writer and a clear thinker and he at least suggests that he understands how complex the world economy and foreign relations is.

Cheers,

Mark Terry