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Blackout (audiobook) by Connie Willis

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Be prepared - this is only half the story Published in 2010. 18 hours, 44 minutes Read by Katherine Kellgren Connie Willis continues her on again/off again time travel series with Blackout , a book about time travelling historians from mid 21st century Oxford who are visiting World War II England. Katherine Kellgren does a fantastic job of nailing the great variety of English accents and the one American accent as well as the male voices. Time travel has become routine for these historians - they have teams to help prepare them for their jumps into the past, including clothing, paperwork and implants to help them with accents. They are also able to learn vast amounts of information by way of sleep learning, which can be helpful for memorizing such things as every location of a V-1 attack or what time all of the air raids happened during the Blitz. But, the routine of time travel belies a deeper problem - that of "slippage".  The trips back and forth are becoming less ...

Void Moon by Michael Connelly

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In Void Moon Connelly takes a break from the Harry Bosch stories and introduces a new character, a professional thief named Cassie Black. Black is sexy, smart and very good at picking locks. Currently, she is on parole in Los Angeles working at a high end car dealership where her specialty is selling cars to up and coming script writers. Black was convicted for being involved in the crime that caused the death of her partner in crime (and in romance) several years earlier in Las Vegas (apparently states can exchange parole cases which is how she ended up in L.A.) Black's specialty was robbing high rollers in Vegas casinos, usually in their rooms while they slept. She has been contacted to do one last job with a big payoff by an old colleague and, of course, things go wrong. Soon enough, the Vegas underworld is after Black and mayhem and destruction are on her tail.  Michael Connelly It would be a spoiler to tell you why Black needs the money and even more so to tell yo...

Defiant Joy: The Remarkable Life & Impact of G.K. Chesterton by Kevin Belmonte

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A great introduction to a terrifically important writer For most people, including this reviewer, C.S. Lewis was the gateway to G.K. Chesterton. Lewis, of course, is famous for being THE Christian apologist for his generation - a man who did not believe but then, after his conversion, was able to voice the thoughts and beliefs for millions with such landmark books as Mere Christianity . When I found out that it was the writings of G.K. Chesterton that helped to convert Lewis I had to start to looking into Chesterton (fortunately I have a Kindle - they have more than 2 dozen Chesterton books and essays for free, so I was able to get my feet wet in the ocean of writing that Chesterton produced without any worries). That being said, I am a relative newbie to Chesterton so this biography was a welcome addition to my on again off again studies of the man. Rather than give a blow by blow book report of this biography, I'll outline its general st...

Pest Control by Bill Fitzhugh

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Entertaining, but not his best work. Fitzhugh specializes in filling his books with absurd characters in absurd situations. This is my third Fitzhugh book and I have to rank it in second. It is funny, but at times his characterization of New Yorkers as oblivious and callous to the violence that can be inherent in that city is even a bit much for me. Bill Fitzhugh The premise of Pest Control is that a down and out exterminator who has come up with an entirely new way to control pests is confused for a professional hit man - a top level hit man. Soon, other top level hit men are swarming after the exterminator in an effort to eliminate the newest "star" in the hit man world. The overall premise is funny but the book somehow fails to hit the high level of promise that this reader anticipated. That said, this would be a heck of a good movie if you get the right actors involved. If you've never read a Fitzhugh novel, I'd recommend Cross Dressing ...

Codes of Betrayal (audiobook) by Dorothy Uhnak

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What's the point? There's better stuff out there. Bruce Weitz Published by DH Audio in 1997 Read by Bruce Weitz Codes of Betrayal is about betrayal (thus, the title) and family and it ultimately left this listener (I heard it as an audiobook, narrated by Bruce Weitz of 'Hill Street Blues' fame) wondering what the point of the novel was. Nick O'Hara, our protagonist and NYPD detective, is upset when he discovers that his grandfather on his mother's side ordered the killing of his father when he was a boy and was obliquely responsible for the death of his son in a gangland dispute. So, Nick goes after his grandfather by becoming a spy in the family organization. Along the way, he betrays his own wife and breaks his relationship with his father's brother - his only blood relative he trusts. So, while avenging part of his family he ends up screwing up the rest of his family. So, when I finished this dark novel I had to wonder, "Wh...

Charles Kuralt's Summer (audiobook) by Charles Kuralt

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For fans of Kuralt, this will be a treat! Originally published by Audioworks in 1997 Read by the author, Charles Kuralt Duration: 1 hour, 9 minutes Abridged I hadn't thought about Charles Kuralt for years - until I ran into Charles Kuralt's Summer . Kuralt pulls summer-based items from his reports from CBS News and reminds us (this listener anyway) that we've missed his folksy approach on the reporting on everyday life in America since his passing a few years ago. Kuralt lays it on a bit thick from time to time but he avoids being too schmaltzy as he reports to us about Maypole dances in Minnesota and tubin' down the Apple River in Wisconsin. The best reports are on side two, where he focuses on the Fourth of July. He travels to Gettysburg and Independence Hall, New York City and Brazil and takes us along for an emotional ride. Although he takes a lot of his audio from his actual television reports, only once or twice did this listener feel that he was missi...

Bland Ambition: From Adams to Quayle - the Cranks, Criminals, Tax Cheats and Golfers Who Made it to Vice President by Steve Tally

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An irreverent look at the vice presidency In Bland Ambition: From Adams to Quayle - the Cranks, Criminals, Tax Cheats and Golfers Who Made it to Vice President , Steve Tally looks at America's vice presidents and gives us the inside scoop on each of these men's foibles and character flaws. The chapters are short and sweet and hilarious! Dan Quayle, VP for President George H.W. Bush Tally introduces us to Vice Presidents who assumed that they were really assistant presidents, vice presidents who never really showed up to work, vice presidents who showed up to work but really shouldn't have bothered and vice presidents who never really grasped the idea that they were supposed to work with their presidents to get things passed through the Congress. For the researcher paper writers out there, Tally's work would be inappropriate to use as the main source of your information, but it would make a fantastic book to add that little bit of extra to make your paper mor...

Glory Lane by Alan Dean Foster

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  I liked Glory Lane , with the single glaring exception of... Alan Dean Foster ...all three human characters. They do not grow. They remain petty, impudent little pests and I found myself wondering why the other races tolerated the human species if this was all the better that they were going to meet! Seriously, the actual sci-fi was top-notch. There were a multitude of worlds and species that were well-done. But, it was marred by the inclusion of a punk rocker, a geek and a ditzy blond who continued to bicker, and sometimes actually fistfight with one another, no matter the situation. I wish he'd haven given that aspect of the story a rest. I rate this book 3 stars out of 5. Reviewed on May 15, 2005.

To America: Personal Reflections of a Historian by Stephen E. Ambrose

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Originally published in 2002. To America: Personal Reflections of a Historian  wanders and meanders its way through American history and, while this may bother others, personally, I love it. For me, it was as if I were able to sit and listen in on a conversation with a master story-teller. Ambrose discusses such things as the hypocrisy of Jefferson ('unalienable rights' for all men - how about your own slaves?) and most of the Founding Fathers - but still he does not just topple them for their hypocrisy - he also points out, with wonder, that they accomplished the near-impossible. He also notes the seeds for social change that they all planted, such as universal education (Jefferson). In fact, he directly confronts the 'but he was a slaveholder' mentality - acknowledge the terrible fault - in fact, insist on acknowledging it. But, judge them by the whole of their work. Stephen E. Ambrose (1936-2002) Ambrose covers such flawed men as Andrew Jackson, Theodore Ro...

Cold Service by Robert B. Parker

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Reading a Spenser novel is better than not reading one but.. ...this one doesn't make me want to run out and get another one, either. I've read every Spenser novel and just about everything else Parker has produced and Cold Service just felt tired. This book started out so well - the action was moving, the lines were crisp. I laughed out loud and I couldn't wait to open the book back up.  Robert B. Parker (1932-2010) Then, the psychobabble began. There was way, way, way too much relationship study between Spenser and Susan about Spenser and Hawk. Enough already! We know that they'd do anything for each other - not out of debt but out of male-bonded love! We got that during the last book and the other 15 or so that have had this exact same conversation (except in shorter form!)!! Too bad, because Parker's last Jesse Stone novel was the best of the series and his Jackie Robinson book Double Play was very, very good. This one was not up to those hi...

Chance by Robert B. Parker

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Check out the audiobook - it is worth it Published by Phoenix Books Read by Burt Reynolds Duration: 6 hours, 52 minutes Unabridged I avoided this audiobook performance of Chance because its read by Burt Reynolds and I figured that if anybody has a chance to ruin a Spenser novel it would be Burt Reynolds. Not that Burt is a bad actor, but he tends to do what he wants to do rather than what he's told to do. Boy, was I wrong. Despite his talent for finding bad movies, Reynolds is, underneath it all, a real actor. He finds the voice for the wise-cracking Spenser and hits it dead on. Spenser's observations and one-liners are read perfectly. Not only that, but he covers the voices of all of the mob leaders and his characterization of Shirley Meeker/Ventura gives the reader a great deal of sympathy for how truly pathetic and harmless she was as she got herself caught up in events beyond her control. Burt Reynolds Reynold's portrayal of Hawke was different (more...

Darwin's Plantation: Evolution's Racist Roots by Ken Ham and A. Charles Ware

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Published in 2007. Ken Ham is a lightning rod of a figure for outspoken atheists, especially for those who use evolutionary biology as the basis for their beliefs about religion. The internet is full of attacks and counterattacks on this topic. Ken Ham gets a lot of attention from people who have really not read his work. Whether you disagree with a person or not, it makes no difference to me, but at least be somewhat familiar with the person's work before you attack it. Darwin's Plantation: Evolution's Racist Roots , in particular, has attracted some attention, mostly because of its provocative title. So, let me start this review with a general rundown about Ham's theses. Ken Ham's point in the book is this (made in this quote by a quite famous evolutionary scientist): " Biological arguments for racism may have been common before 1859, but they increased by orders of magnitude following the acceptance of evolutionary theory. " - Stephen Jay Goul...

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival. Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

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Believe the hype - this is a fantastic book! Originally published in 2010. Sometimes books, movies, or restaurants get a lot of hype and buzz but really are not what they are cracked up to be.  Unbroken is everywhere nowadays - bookstores, my local grocery store is selling it. I just saw online that there is a movie deal.  Is it the real deal?  Laura Hillenbrand  Yes, Unbroken is an amazing biography, and it is most definitely the real deal. I plowed right through 450 pages of text in near-record time, devouring chunks of a story that continued to take new twists and turns and lead me to follow Louis Zamperini from the heights of athletic glory in the 1936 Berlin Olympics to the literal pits of despair in a digging out prison camp latrine with his bare hands in order to earn enough grains of rice to barely fuel his ravaged, starved body. Louis Zamperini grew up as a juvenile delinquent in Torrance, California - a restless kid who, at the...

The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz

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Not very complicated plot, lots of info about rescue dogs I have not read a Koontz book for over five years but a relative passed this one off to me in an informal family book exchange. What did I think? Having just added a rescue dog to our family the week I started reading this book I had some interest in one of the over-arching theme of the book: the tragedy of wasting the lives that fills our world, especially those of our pets. Koontz hits his other basic themes such as good vs. evil and the good cannot flee evil - they must confront it. But, was it a good book? Yes and no. I read it quickly - Koontz's writing style remains breezy and easy to digest. But, the evil sociopaths were so over the top that I felt that they weren't even interesting. Their prisoner is so saintly that she is equally over the top. Dean Koontz The extended lecture on the need for adopting dogs gets old after a bit. Maybe it's a preaching to the choir thing, but I was alread...

Joker One: A Marine Platoon's Story of Courage, Leadership and Brotherhood by Donovan Campbell

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An enthusiastic 5 stars! A fantastic book. Published in 2009. I was offered  Joker One  as part of the Amazon Vine program and I decided to take it because I am a history teacher and I decided I needed to read a book about the Iraq War just to have a greater sense of what was/is going on and to be able to speak more intelligently about it to my classes. So, I picked  Joker One  and I let it sit on my pile of books. I let it sit and sit because I was afraid it would be preachy, depressing and difficult. Finally, with classes over I picked up  Joker One  and I was hooked by page 2 with Lt. Campbell's description of an explosion that he had just avoided. It was filled with honest emotions, including a bit of honest, self-deprecating humor. I shot through Joker One . I carried it everywhere I went. I read passages to my long-suffering wife. I told her shortened versions of the stories. Literally, I laughed (his account of their first night missio...

The Patron Saint of Used Cars And Second Chances: A Memoir by Mark Milhone

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Fun story, but not completely resolved Published in 2008 by Rodale Books. Mark Milhone's memoir is about his self-described "Year from Hell," which included marriage troubles, a reconciliation with his dad and a road trip to pick up a used BMW he purchased on E-Bay (who does that?) is a fun, sad read. Millhone tells his story about the death of his mother, the death of his first dog, the near-death of his newborn son, the dog bite his oldest son suffers and the deterioration of his marriage. So, does he resolve these issues? Not really. He tells his story in an entertaining manner. His relationship with his father is strengthened (as a kid, his father sent his number one man from the office to take him to see The Empire Strikes Back because he has no time for his family) but the other issues are not fixed, there is just a renewed resolve to work on them. Nonetheless, it's still a fun read - good for a summer trip. Lots of parts to read and discuss w...

The Complete Idiot's Guide to World Religions (3rd edition) by Brandon Toropov & Luke Buckles

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Fits the Bill Perfectly Published in 2004 Some people have criticized this book for not having enough detail. Well, this book is just intended to be an introduction to a number of the world's great religions: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and Shinto. The descriptions are short (20-40 pages) and full of enough detail to give the reader a useful outline of the religion's teachings. For more detail on a particular religion, I would recommend the 'Complete Idiot's Guide to Islam (or Buddhism, or Judaism, etc.) I was searching for a textbook to use for my school's new 9 weeks-long program on world religions. This book fits the bill perfectly - there is enough here to get us off to a very good start towards discussing any of these religions. Less useful are the sections on similar ideas that span all world religions and the section on ancient and (basically) dead religions such as worship of the Ancient Egyptian...

Melancholy Baby by Robert B. Parker

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Sunny and Spenser's worlds come ever so closer together... Melancholy Baby  is probably my 40th plus Parker book. While the Jesse Stone series was much improved by its last offering, I think this was the weakest of the Sunny Randall series. The mystery part of  Melancholy Baby  was excellent, but Sunny spends forever in a day seeing Susan Silverman, expert psycholgist and also Spenser's girlfriend. The book gets bogged down with too much detail about feelings, Oedipal complexes and the like. Robert B. Parker Don't get me wrong, I like Sunny and I'll read the next Sunny Randall book. I'm just hoping that this book was a bridge to Sunny going on to bigger and better things and moving away from this self-pitying/loathing over her strange relationship with her ex-husband. One has to wonder, will Spenser and Randall bump into one another? Randall knows cops that Spenser knows, she's been to his girlfriend's house... Do I want to see that? yes and no...