What I've Been Reading
September 23, 2011
I'll get back to Dire Straits next week for sure. In the meantime, here are the last 10 books I read.
Ghost Watch by David Rollins
Another fine outing with Rollins's wonderful character, Vin Cooper, a U.S. Air Force investigator. In this case, after the death of a partner/lover, he volunteers for the worst possible assignment - providing security for several rap/hip-hop stars who are going to give performances to U.S. military bases in Congo. But when their helicopter gets shot down by rebels, Vin's got major trouble on his hands just keeping his people alive.
The Devil Colony by James Rollins
As far as I know, David and Jim are not related (Jim Rollins is a pseudonym anyway). Another Sigma Force novel, this time involving the Founding Fathers, volcanos, nanotechnology and a significant amount of mayhem. Great fun.
Dick Francis's Gamble by Felix Francis
I was slightly ambivalent about getting this because I wasn't really sure Felix could follow in his father's footprints. I liked some of the books they wrote together better than others. In this case, for the most part I really enjoyed the novel, which is about a former jockey (of course) turned investment advisor, who is at a race (of course) with a fellow employee who gets assassinated right in front of him.
In The Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson
I listened to this as an audio book, which is a terrible way to go. Terrific book focusing on the U.S. Ambassador to Germany just prior to World War II and his daughter.
I'll get back to Dire Straits next week for sure. In the meantime, here are the last 10 books I read.
Ghost Watch by David Rollins
Another fine outing with Rollins's wonderful character, Vin Cooper, a U.S. Air Force investigator. In this case, after the death of a partner/lover, he volunteers for the worst possible assignment - providing security for several rap/hip-hop stars who are going to give performances to U.S. military bases in Congo. But when their helicopter gets shot down by rebels, Vin's got major trouble on his hands just keeping his people alive.
The Devil Colony by James Rollins
As far as I know, David and Jim are not related (Jim Rollins is a pseudonym anyway). Another Sigma Force novel, this time involving the Founding Fathers, volcanos, nanotechnology and a significant amount of mayhem. Great fun.
Dick Francis's Gamble by Felix Francis
I was slightly ambivalent about getting this because I wasn't really sure Felix could follow in his father's footprints. I liked some of the books they wrote together better than others. In this case, for the most part I really enjoyed the novel, which is about a former jockey (of course) turned investment advisor, who is at a race (of course) with a fellow employee who gets assassinated right in front of him.
In The Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson
I listened to this as an audio book, which is a terrible way to go. Terrific book focusing on the U.S. Ambassador to Germany just prior to World War II and his daughter.
1. An Accidental Athlete: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Middle Age by John Bingham
More or less a memoir, there's not a lot that's new here if you've read any of Bingham's other books about running, but much of it is hilarious.
Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
Wonderful SF, co-written by two guys. Part hard SF, part military SF, part space opera. In a reasonably near-future, although we don't have the technology to get us to the stars, we have colonized many of the planets and asteroids. But when a freighter stops to help out an SOS and is instead attacked by ships, it's the beginning of an inter-planetary war, politics, space battles, shootouts, vomit zombies, extra-planetary alien life forms...
Adrenaline by Jeff Abbott
CIA Agent in London, his office blows up, his wife is probably involved, the CIA thinks he's in on it, all hell breaks loose, rendition, waterboarding, escapes, mysterious cabals, action, adventure, and a fairly dumb MacGuffin from a technological point of view, but overall I enjoyed it.
Lassiter by Paul Levine
After 14 years Paul Levine wrote another legal thriller featuring Miami lawyer Jake Lassiter, a man who graduated in the top half of the bottom third of his night school law class. The sister of a missing girl demands to know what he knows about the night her sister went missing (got that?) 18 years before, and Jake was one of the last people to see her. Involves prostitution, the porn industry, organized crime and other stuff. Great to see Jake back.
The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva
Espionage novel featuring Israeli agent Gabriel Allon, involves Islamist terrorists in London, the kidnapped daughter of the U.S. Ambassador to the UK, and was very, very good.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling
I doubt I need to say anything about this, except that I was fairly intrigued both by what was left out of the films and how, even after all these many readings and viewings, this book is wonderfully engrossing.
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posted by Mark Terry at 5:48 AM
2 Comments:
Always interesting to see what others are reading even when there is little overlap. I have read and enjoyed a lot of Dick Francis even though I don't care anything about horses. I also loved The Butchers Boy which I read recently because Thomas Perry is one of the authors you keep recommending, as I recall. So I try to expand my reading. Hey, a night school lawyer (Jake Lassister).I can relate to that. My last year of law school I went to night classes because I'd run out of money and had to work full time during the day!
The Thomas Perry books wouldn't have been me. Haven't read anything by him.
Yeah, you'd probably like Paul Levine's novels, even the ones in between the Lassiter books. His lawyers are most definitely not the heroic learned types and his books are funny.
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