DWD's Reviews

Published in 2006 by DC Comics So, what happens when you take a best-selling author of thrillers and have him work with a great comics team? You get Identity Crisis - a strong story, great art and some of the cherished ideas of comics are re-worked. To quote the introduction by Joss Whedon, "it's unlikely that Elongated Man is your favorite-ever character. But halfway into issue one he was certainly mine. Brad and Rags paint a portrait of a man - and a marriage - that is so unassumingly lovely, it's unbearable to think anything bad might happen to either. And inevitable that it will." ****Spoiler alert**** Thank novelist Brad Meltzer for making you care and thank artist Rags Morales for making you feel the pain of Elongated Man's loss on page 31 (even now, I just glanced at THE page and I felt it all over again). Meltzer re-works some of the bad guys and makes them truly awful. Why shouldn't they be. Regular villains stalk, kill, rape, mai...

Good historical fiction about an oft-forgotten era of American History Published in 2003. The Fire Eaters is the sequel to Long Hunters , a book about Timothy Barlow and his experiences as a young officer during the War of 1812 and the Creek Uprising with Andrew Jackson. You do not have to have read the first book to read this one. In this second book of a Barlow Trilogy, Captain Barlow is asked by Andrew Jackson to go on a fact-finding mission to find out the source of a dispute between the Cherokee and White Georgians. Jackson is pre-disposed to remove the Cherokee and Barlow is upset by the idea. However, he fulfills his mission since he is honor-bound to fulfill his duty as a soldier. Later, he is sent on another mission to deal with the nullifiers of South Carolina (AKA the 'Fire-eaters'). Andrew Jackson  (1767-1845) If you are not familiar with the real life Fire-eaters or with the issues involved with the Cherokee disputes, Manning does an excep...

'It's not about golf,' said the student to this teacher. Originally published in 1995. The Legend of Bagger Vance: A Novel of Golf and the Game of Life was on the shelf in my classroom. I hadn't read it yet and was discussing it with one of my students who was looking for something to read. I had suggested it to him since he is a fan of many sports. He said he'd already read it. I told him I had not, since I am not a fan of golf. He looked at me like I was a small, silly child and said, 'It's not about golf.' At that moment, I determined to read this book. So, this was my first free choice of a book this summer and I enjoyed it. First things first. You do not have to understand golf to understand the book. The golf match is merely the vehicle to move the story forward. When Bagger Vance encourages his pupil to find his 'authentic swing' I simply inserted my own experiences with baseball to understand the feeling. Steven Pressfi...

An enjoyable read but does it do what it claims to do? Published in 2005. Malcolm Gladwell's Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking is an enjoyable read - I breezed right through it and found it to be a book that I would look forward to opening up. Gladwell does a masterful job of weaving together 3 or more points at the same time without losing the reader and frequently leaving me amazed at his organizational skills. That being said, does Blink get the job done? Does he prove his thesis about "The power of thinking without thinking"? Yes and no. He starts out with a great example of a supposed piece of Greek art that may or may not be a real piece of ancient art. His thesis plays out well there, with his comments on why certain musicians make it and others don't and his comments on police and the need to think quickly are all strong. His arguments about Paul Van Riper and the war game he won, however, were more about the power of de-central...

Hits the spot Originally published in 1993. So, here I am reviewing an old Sue Grafton novel. What does this tell me? It could be telling me that I need to find more current things to read, but I remember 1993 just fine so this book did not feel old to me. What it really tells me is that I have not come anywhere near reading this series in alphabetical order and have never went out of my way to find them. Not that I don't like them - I have liked all but a couple. It is more like they have been my backup books when I'm needing something that I know is going to be solidly written and interesting. In this case, I am knee deep in my summer reading marathon in which I feel I need to catch up on a bit of some of my more difficult reads in my to-be-read pile. Now, wait. I know that the Kinsey Millhone series hardly qualifies as difficult reading. This book was an easy one in the middle - dessert, so to speak. Sue Grafton "J" is for Judgment features Kinsey Millhon...

A strong and relatively short re-telling of the classic tale Published in 2007 by Candlewick. If you are like me and are well read, are mildly interested in Beowulf but just plain lack the desire to read a 3000-line long medieval poem, this volume may be the answer. I plowed through this graphic novel in about a half an hour and certainly was entertained and a bit more enlightened as to the tone and nature of the Beowulf saga. I was aware of the outlines of the first two sections of this story which are about the battle against Grendel and the battle against Grendel's mother. I was totally unaware of the story of Beowulf's death from the fight against a dragon. To his credit, Gareth Hinds includes sections of a translation of the original text to narrate his text. Hinds' artwork is fantastic, especially his renderings of the beasts that Beowulf fights. Does it replace the original? No, of course not. But, it's a pretty good stopgap substitute and its pre...

A more "grown up" fairy tale Published in 2003. Inspired by a friend's son who wanted DiCamillo to write a story about "an unlikely hero...with exceptionally large ears," The Tale of Despereaux is both dark and joyful. It is a story of fear, hate,sadness, greed and the awful things of life as well as being the story of love, kindness, pity and courage. There are many vocal detractors of this book. I am not one of them. I am not entirely happy with the book. For example, no one mourns the jailer and the rat is essentially pardoned for his death for it is not brought up at the end of the book - but I don't hate it - its many strengths greatly outweigh its weaknesses. For those that don't like its themes of abuse, servitude and death I would refer you to this lengthy, but appropriate comment from C.S. Lewis: "Those who say that children must not be frightened may mean two things. They may mean (1) that we must not do anything likely ...

Not up to the standards of later Gastner mysteries Originally published in 1994. Having read several of the later Undersheriff Bill Gastner mysteries I found myself a little torn with Twice Buried . I love the character of Bill Gastner. The characters in this series are particularly well-developed and realistic. The procedures in this book are thorough and seemingly well-depicted (I'm not a police officer, but it seemed pretty kosher to me) except for one very large hole in the way the investigation developed - a whole line of investigation was ignored that seemed obvious to me. This hurt the integrity of the book in my eyes, but I still give it 4 stars. If you are a fan of Tony Hillerman's Navajo Tribal Police books you should check out this series. I rate this book 4 stars out of 5. This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Twice Buried . Reviewed on December 29, 2008.

Published in 2000 by Basic Books Brian Fagan's The Little Ice Age: How Climate Made History, 1300-1850 is, by definition, an introduction to the climate phenomenon of the same name. Actually, it is quite similar to a History Channel documentary of the same name. On page xix Fagan notes that historians are either "parachutists" (big picture) or "truffle hunters" (love all of the details of one particular era or topic). Fagan warns that this is a parachutist book - an overview. So, what of this overview? Fagan starts with the Vikings and covers an area that is better covered by Jared Diamond's Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed . However, his stories of how the fishing industry was affected by the shift to a colder climate was surprisingly interesting. A lengthy discussion of how the colder climate change brought more disease, famine and general mayhem is punctuated by the single best one page description of the changes in farming ...

Strong start. Best Spenser novel in a while. Published in 2008 by Putnam Adult. By my count Rough Weather may be the 35th Spenser novel. As others have noted, the traditional elements of a Spenser novel are here - Susan and Spenser's deep discussions about Spenser's code of honor, Spenser and Hawk trading witty banter, Spenser pulling at the loose ends of the case until someone tries to kill him. It's a formula, but I like the formula. The book starts out differently and with much more action than is normal in a Spenser book and I'd give the first half 5 stars. But it eventually slows down to the point that I'd give the last half a mere 3 stars. Thus, the average score is the final score - 4 stars. Interestingly, Rough Weather is the only Spenser book that I can remember that actually mentions time passing as the series progresses. Spenser notes to Rita Fiore that she's been pursuing him for 20 years. Hawk and Susan also make some sort of c...

Kinky Friedman "on the road again" with Willie Nelson Published in 1997 by Macmillan Audio Read by Kinky Friedman. Duration: about 3 hours. Abridged. Kinky, feeling like he has to get out of New York City for a change of pace, jumps at the chance to ride with Willie Nelson for part of his tour. However, Willie is not acting like himself and soon one of Willie's roadies is shot. Kinky looks into it and crazy characters from Willie's life spill into Kinky's seriously odd world of friends. The mystery in Roadkill is not too hard, but it is worth the listen just to hear Friedman's odd twists of phrase. Lots of fun. Kinky Friedman and Willie Nelson An audiobook note: I was disappointed to discover that Willie Nelson did not read his own parts in the book. He has read audiobooks before and this seemed like a natural fit. I give this one 4 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: Roadkill by Kinky Friedman. Reviewed on May 7, 20...

A good beginning to a new series Published in 2002 by Five Star. Ron Shade is a Chicago-based PI in the vein of Robert B. Parker's Spenser. However, he is not a clone in any stretch of the imagination. Since A Killing Frost is one of Michael A. Black's first fiction books, it is expected for there to be a few hiccups along the way. However, Black's effort was well-done with less problems than many established authors have exhibited. The plot involves the disappearance of an illegal alien. Shade is hired to find him. Along the way, his car is stolen and he finds romance and romantic difficulties. Like a Spenser novel, it is not the suspense of finding out whodunnit that keeps the reader turning pages. Rather, it is the interest in finding out how the hero will stick it to the bad guys. Solid read. I rate this one 4 stars out of 5 and I'll be looking for the sequels. This book can be found on Amazon.com here: A Killing Frost by Michael A. Black . ...

Good history - for 4th to 8th graders I am reviewing this as a high school world history teacher who is looking for high-quality historical fiction of all skill levels that I can add to my classroom library. While Spy for the Night Riders: Martin Luther is too easy for the average high school student, it would be a good fit for the 'reluctant reader' or the student interested in the Reformation. The plot moves along pretty quickly and does a good job of telling about Martin Luther's big moment at the Diet of Worms and his travels immediately before and after his hearing. Some previous knowledge of the Reformation would be helpful. I give this one 4 stars out of 5. This book can be found on Amazon here:  Spy for the Night Riders (Trailblazer Books Book 3) Reviewed on May 6, 2006.

Winner of the 2008 Man Booker Prize Published in 2008. Aravind Adiga 's The White Tiger: A Novel is many things. It is a fascinating look at modern India and how it is still stuck in a sort of feudalistic state combined with the very modern world of democracy, high technology and international influences. It is also the story of corruption and how one young man rose above the masses to become an entrepreneur by using that corrupt system for himself. It is the story of how a young man who has lost his moral compass can make it through tricks, hard work and murder. Most importantly, it is very, very readable - a well-written story that pulls the reader into its world.  For many, this look at the third world - with its rampant corruption, absolute poverty and, sadly, a strong sentiment of "life is cheap" will come as a surprise. This is not the sanitized travelogue view of India. The characters are between cultures - they are old India and new India at the same time - an...

An entertaining look at the Lewis and Clark adventure Published in 2003. Lewis and Clark's famous Voyage of Discovery lasted from 1803-1806. Besides Lewis and Clark there were a number of French trappers, Seaman (Lewis' dog) soldiers, frontier hunters, Clark's slave named York, Sacagawea and her son and George Drouillard, a half-French/half-Shawnee man brought along with the dual role of sign-language interpreter and hunter. Meriwether Lewis called Drouillard "One of the two or three most valuable members of the expedition..." A memorial in Jefferson City, Mo.  from left to right:  York (sitting),  Meriwether Lewis,  Seaman the dog,  William Clark, and  George Drouillard (crouching) In Sign-Talker , James Alexander Thom tells the story of Drouillard, focusing on his journey with Lewis and Clark. This book is James Alexander Thom at his descriptive best - the descriptions of camp life, hunting with Drouillard and the look into his presumed spiri...

It's Star Trek. It's William Shatner. What More Can You Ask For? Published by Simon and Schuster Audio in 2001. Read by William Shatner Duration: 3 hours, 6 minutes Abridged The audiobook lasts about 3 hours and is read by William Shatner, who is also one of the authors. I admit, I picked Star Trek: The Return on a whim - the fact that it was read by Shatner himself was a big plus. Shatner is nothing, if not interesting. His book is much like the man himself (at least his well-known public persona) - lots of action, bluster, bravado, noise and Shatner's well-known and unique speaking style. This book takes place immediately after the events of the Star Trek: Generations movie. If you haven't seen the movie lately, don't fret. Shatner uses it as a launching point only and goes on his own way.  William Shatner in Star Trek: Generations At the end of Star Trek: Generations , Kirk has been killed by sacrificing himself to save a planet and possib...

The strong points are very strong but there are flaws Originally published in 2007 by Scribner. America, 1908 covers some of the key cultural, political, manufacturing and just plain odd events that happened in 1908 in the United States in an easy-to-read, often fun format. These include the Race to the North Pole, the New York to Paris automobile race, the introduction of the Model T, the last time the Cubs won the World Series for more than a century, the Wright Brothers proving to the world that they really could fly (and do it for hours, not just seconds) and a series of horrible race-based lynchings. While I enjoyed learning more about the Wright Brothers and the Model T, other parts seemed more than a bit skewed towards events in New York City (the Cubs win their last World Series and it's told from the point of view of the New York Giants?) and against rural areas and the South (the only references to the South are from newspapers mentioning events in NYC or ...

A nice twist on the detective story Published in 2009. The premise of Dog On It is a simple one. It's a buddy book. Partners fighting crime like Holmes and Watson, Spenser and Hawk and now Bernie and Chet. Except for one important point - Chet is Bernie's dog. The story is told from the point of view of Chet, a trained police dog that never quite graduated from the academy to a "leaping" incident that "involved blood." Chet understands enough about human society so that the story doesn't bog down but he has that easily distractable live-in-the-moment quality that all dog lovers recognize. The mystery is pretty good, too. Bernie is hired to find a 15 year old girl who may be a runaway and may be the victim of foul play due to her father's shady real estate deals. Chet's unique perspective and talents as a dog and Bernie Little's ability to make the occasional intuitive leap make the Little Detective Agency a real threat to crime ...

A solid, more upbeat sequel to Dead Irish Published in 1990. Although The Vig is intended to be a stand alone, I would strongly recommend reading the previous Dismas Hardy book entitled Dead Irish to understand some of the self-torment on the part of Dismas Hardy that continues into this book. For those that have read Dead Irish , this book is not nearly so dark and tortured. Not that it's a comedy since there are plenty of people dying, being set up in criminal schemes and hard choices are faced by many of the main characters. However, the overall climate of the book is much less severe. As to the general plot - an old colleague of Hardy's named Rusty from the DA's office warns him that a murderer who had threatened to kill them both when he was released was being released soon. Rusty's houseboat becomes the scene of an apparent double murder and it turns out that lots of people had a motive to kill Rusty, including an ex-cop, a jealous husband, th...

Strong plot + annoying writing habits = 4 stars Published in 1996. The Judge is my second Martini book (the first as an audiobook) and I am almost embarrassed to say that I really liked it. I didn't realize that I was such a literary elitist (especially if you looked at the stuff I've reviewed) but deep-down inside I guess that there are just some books that I want to hate simply because everyone else likes them. Well, there's a reason why Martini's books have been perennial best-sellers - they're entertaining legal thrillers. Plot synopsis: Shenanigans in the police union have attracted the attention of an abrasive judge. He is leading a grand jury investigation into the union's finances when he is arrested for prostitution and later murder. Steve Martini Paul Madriani is dragged into the case as the judge's defense attorney as a favor to a friend and soon everyone is stuck in a web of intrigue that involves the police, the prosecutor ...