The author tends to write stories that I consider "weird." This one is more captivating than previously read ones. It is interesting and weaves a good if strange tale. It is written as a mystery and the plot is easy to follow. I give it a 3 of 5 stars.
A very realistic story that is fiction but contains enough real names and places to almost be a true account of the CIA. organization from the beginning to relatively modern times. It is long but did not get boring. It has quite a detailed plot with a good list of characters but is easy to follow. If you like spy stores, this is a good one. I give it a 4 of 5 stars.
One of the best science fiction stores I have read. It is very interesting and almost believable. It may be more true than fiction if our children get any smarter. I give it 5 stars.
I have tried to read Ludlum in the past and thought I would give this book a try. It is an story about a new DNA computer. The story is not too outlandish, but the main character can run through a sea of bullets and come home without a scratch. I suspect Ludlum had little to do with the story. I give it 2 of 5 stars.
My first read by this author. It is a very good tale with a background of religious stories that are not new, but remain highly controversial. It is a page turner and very hard to put down. It was a great read. I give it 5 stars.
A very scary book to read. The author is the reader and has a strong English accent but easy to understand. It was very enlightening. I want to read it again to be sure I have all the facts right. It traces Islam from the beginning to modern times. I give it 3 of 5 stars.
A delightful story of a boy who is shipwrecked and stranded in the ocean with a few wild animals on board. If you want to laugh and have some fun, read this one. I give it 5 stars.
A son's research of the people and events surrounding the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima in World War II. It details the mystery and events clearly. He finds out things about his father (John Bradley) he never knew prior to his death. It pays great homage to a father who was a hero. I give it 3 of 5 stars.
The story of the Civil War battle of Gettysburg. It gives you the personalities of the generals on both the Union and the Southern armies. It is very well done, and as an audio book, the narrator was outstanding. I give it 5 stars.
This is a forty day read that may change our lives. It was suggested by my wife and our former pastor Mike Woods. It should be read by every Christian. It is a wake up call for us to spread the word about Jesus Christ. I give it 5 stars.
A great short book about the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It is well written and very informative of early English history. I give it 4 stars.
A good history of the Mexican American war with great information about Robert E. Lee. The author is Michael Shaara' son. I give it 4 stars.
High tech science fiction about the possibility of nanotechnology. Rather complicated technobabble but an interesting situation. I give it 3 stars.
A Christmas gift written by one of my favorite authors. A delightful love story and certainly a departure from previous Baldacci books I have read. I give it 4 stars.
I would not work for this man! If this is the best leader of industry America can produce, we are in trouble!
A shocking revelation of Jobs the man. He alienated all of his friends, old and new. I give it 2 stars.
A former Pulitzer prize winner and a great book about one of my favorite presidents. It goes into detail about HST's early life. I have also read his book about John Adams. I give it 5 stars.
A good tale about the events before and during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 A.D.
I give it 4 stars.
Another "way out" book by this author. Each time I read one of his stores, I say it will be the last, but I keep on! This book starts out very slowly and I almost gave up. After you are well into it, it gets better and even exciting. I give it 3 stars.
I gave up on this book after a few minutes. He is throwing big rocks and making very strong accusations. I know nothing of his real qualifications to do so. I give it 0 stars.
If you like J.R.R. Tokein, you will like this book. It is fantasy at its best. I was blown away when I learned this book was written by the author when he was fifteen years old! I yearn for more from this author. I give it 5 stars.
A book of mystery and intrigue. It is very well written and read. I enjoyed it
thoroughly.
I give if five stars.
I have previously read several books by this author. Either my taste has changed, or this is not up to his previous works. I give it three stars.
A detailed account of New Life Church's "free market small group model." Pastor Ted Haggard is senior pastor of the largest church in Colorado with a membership of 8700. There are 800 small groups with 8000 people participating! A remarkable effort. The question I have is can this be replicated? I give it five stars.
A story about the relationship between Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt. It developed during WWII, and was greatly influential in getting the United States involved in the war in Europe. It also gives more understanding how men with great egos interact. Both men came from wealthy and influential families. The countries of England and the United States are better for having them as leaders in a very critical time in history. I give it five stars.
Dr. Bock, a New Testament scholar, reveals the errors presented as "fact" in the book "The Da Vinci Code." When I read this book some time ago, I found it interesting and took it for what it is....fiction. Apparently, many others accepted the various tales in the book as fact. The book says Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and she was the mother of his children. What a fairy tale! It is mind boggling to think some people would think this was the truth. I give it five stars.
A biography of the early life of Theodore Roosevelt. I enjoy books written by this author very much. I found it readable, interesting and gave me insight into the Roosevelt family. I give it five stars.
A very long book with bits of scientific knowledge related to when things were invented or discovered. If you have no interest in science, don't read this book. I give it three stars.
An English comedy science fiction. It leaves you hanging, waiting for the next installment. I saw it on TV recently.
I give it 3 stars.
A good listen to a style of writing that is a little
different. A story of ancient Japan. I give it 3 stars.
A new author for me. A somewhat light mystery that
leaves you hanging. I give it 3 stars.
A very interesting story of
how a United States Congressman had so much influence on the war in Afghanistan
against the Russians. I give it 4 stars.
A detailed account of the
events of June 6, 1044. I give it 2 stars. It is not up to the usual
Ambrose book.
A very interesting listen
of the events starting with September 11th and how the terrorist attack was
handled by the Bush administration. I give it 4 stars.
This book is very long and has way too much detail and
Army jargon. It does give the reader a great insight into the politics of
war and how the Bush administration handled the situation in the Middle East.
I give it 4 stars.
I give the man 5 stars.
A complicated but
intriguing tale told by an expert teller. I enjoy Mr. Forsyth's writing.
I just recently rediscovered this author. I give it 4 stars.
An interesting true story about the development and events
surrounding the Chicago World's Fair of 1893. How it is connected with a
serial murderer who happened to live close to the fair and in the same time frame
is a bit much. I give it 3 stars.
"
A detailed account by the author, based upon personal
interviews with leading scientists who acknowledge that there must be a supreme
being. I noted in the newspaper recently that a major award (The Templeton
Prize for Progress Toward Research or Discoveries about Spiritual Realities was
founded in 1972 by pioneering global investor and philanthropist Sir John
Templeton) was given to a scientist, Charles Townes, who advocates the presence
of God. I give it 3 stars. It gave me more detail than interested
me!
"The Deceiver" by Frederich Forsyth (January 2005)
Another good spy story by one of my favorite authors.
I give it 4 stars.
"Angels and Demons" by Dan Brown (January & February 2005)
I read the author's first book, "The Da Vinci Code", and
this was his first book on a similar subject. I find him to be an
exceptional writer and he again weaves a bizarre and controversial tale with the
Catholic church as the target/object. I give it 4 stars for its ability to
capture my interest.
"Night Fall" by Nelson Demille (March 2005)
This author is new to me. The story line is about
TWA Flight 800 that crashed in mysterious circumstances off the shore of Long
Island, NY in 1997. I give it three stars.
"
"His Excellency George Washington" by Joseph J. Ellis (May 2005)
In progress
"Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow (June 2005)
A great book about an outstanding man and his part in the
early history of this country. It should be a must read for every
citizen. Our founding fathers, and especially Mr. Hamilton, did much to
establish this great country and the privileges we now take for granted. I
give it five stars.
In progress.
"Deadline" by Randy Alcorn (June 2005)
In progress
"1776" by David McCullough (August 2005)
A great book about the American Revolution. It should
be a must read for every citizen. Our founding fathers did much to
establish this great country and the privileges we now take for granted. I
give it five stars.
"Washington's Crossing" by David Hackett (September 2005)
A good follow on to "1776" if
you are interested in the detailed accounts of one of the most important battles
in the American Revolution, the battle of Trenton. I give it 4 stars.
"Eldest, Volume I by Christopher Paolini (October 2005)
The second book by this young
author. It extends the tale of Eragon a book read some time back. It
is almost as good as his first book. I give it 4 stars.
"Shibumi" by Trevanian (October 2005)
This book was published in paper
form in 1979. I enjoyed it very much. I like the style of the author
and the suspense woven into the tale. I give it 5 stars. I plan to
read other of his books.
"Consent to Kill" by Vince Flynn (October 2005)
My first read of the author.
It is a good tale of suspense. I give it 4 stars.
"No Country for Old Men" by Cormac McCarthy (October & December 2005)
I read this book twice it is so
good. It has a real message. The author is a wonderful painter of
word pictures. Some say he is the modern day William Faulkner.
Others say less than good things about this book. I does have a downer
ending. I liked the moral message at the end. I
give it 5 stars.
"The Third Option" by Vince Flynn (December 2005)
Another good tale. I hope
it is not true. I give it four stars.
"The Lincoln Lawyer" by Michael Connelly (December 2005)
My first read of this author.
I like the story and ending. I give it four stars.
"The Broker" by John Grisham (December 2005)
I have read most of Grisham's
books. This book is his first attempt at a "spy" type of novel. I
think he should stick to lawyer stuff. I give it three stars.
"All The Pretty Horses" by Cormac McCarthy (January 2006)
I love the way this author can
paint pictures with words. This is a great "love" story. I give it
five stars.
I intend to read more of his work.
"In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote (February 2006)
Somehow I missed this book when
it came out years ago. I read it to prepare for the movie "Capote."
It was a good read of a terrible situation of two pathetic young men who caused
grief on a good family and community. I give it five stars.
"Whiteout" by Ken Follett (March 2006)
A tale somewhat different
from other books I have read by this author, and there have been many through
the years. A story of greed within a family exhibited by a son who tries
to steal from his father to aid terrorists. I give it 4 stars.
"Memorial Day" by Vince Flynn (March 2006)
I really like this author's
writing style and content. I understand he is one of the writers of the TV
program "24." It keeps you reading to find out what is going to happen
next. I give it five stars.
"The Mysterious Stranger and Other Stories" by Mark Twain (April 2006)
"Heaven" by Randy Alcorn (Summer 2006)
We studied this book in our Sunday school class and I thought we would never
finish. It is a great book with great information, but highly repetitive
in nature. If you ever wondered what Heaven will be like for believers,
you should read this book. It is scripturally based and is a departure
from Mr. Alcorn's usual Christian novel.
It is very readable and informative. I give it 5 stars.
"Lion's Game" by Nelson DeMille
(June 2006)
A very long book but another good tale by this author. It is a story of
the revenge of his family's death by a bombing raid that happened in Lybia in
1986. I give it 4 stars.
"The Journey" by Billy Graham (July
2006)
This book has something for everyone. Dr. Graham gives advice for all
stages of life. It is a wonderful book, and again he presents the Gospel
in almost every chapter. I give it 5 stars.
"Operatives, Spies, and Saboteurs: The Unknown Story of World War II's OSS" by Patrick K. O'Donnell (August 2006)
A collection of stories about non-soldier events in WWII. It reveals the
many men and women of all countries who fought to win the war. I give it 3
stars.
"Mayflower" by Nathaniel Philbrick (September 2006)
A very detailed historical book about the real story of the Pilgrims who landed
on the New England coast in 1620. It changes my view of this period of
history. The Pilgrims did not follow the teachings of any of their
Christian ancestors. They did not love their brothers. In fact, they
killed most of the native Americans to get their land. I give it 3 stars.
It was a hard read, very detailed and many difficult names.
"The Afghan" by Frederick Forsyth (September 2006)
Another well written and interesting book by the author. It portrays a
future terrorist event in a manner that is typical Forsyth and could really
happen! I give it 5 stars.
"The Language of God" by Francis S. Collins (October 2006)
A fascinating account of a mans growth through being atheistic, agnostic to an
evangelical Christian. I really enjoyed the scientific content, thought
much of it was over my head. The index is a particularly good review
of the ethics associated with genetic manipulation, cloning, stem cells and
other controversial issues that we see in the news frequently.
I give it 5 stars.
"The Innocent Man" by John Grisham (October 2006)
I have read many Grisham books, and this is his worst. He needs to stick
to his "normal" writing style. I felt like I was reading the transcript of
a court trial. I give it one star.
"Act of Treason" by Vince Flynn (November 2006)
Another good tale by my current favorite writer. The hero, Mitch Rapp,
does it again. I will have a hard time waiting for his next book. I
give it five stars.
"Wild Fire" by Nelson DeMille (December 2006)
A tale that is certainly timely but not politically correct. A rich oil
man has a plan to eliminate the majority of the world's Muslims by exploding
several nuclear suitcase bombs in US cities that will trigger an "automatic"
response from the US. I did not enjoy this book as much as some of
his previous ones. The language is a bit too explicit. I give it two
stars.
"Water For Elephants" by Sara Gruen (December 2006)
A truly wonderful story and well read. I think the readers made the story
more realistic. It has a great surprise ending. I give it five
stars.
"Brother Odd" by Dean Koontz (January 2007)
I did not finished this book. It is too weird. I will not buy another of this authors' books. I don't give it any stars.
"Appaloosa" by Robert B. Parker (February 2007)
This author was recommended by a very good friend. I choose to read his
first attempt at a "western." I enjoyed it thoroughly. It is very
much in the style of the western writer Louis Lamour.
I give it 4 stars.
"The Assets" by Ted Allbeury (February 2007)
My first "read" of this author. It is a story of intrigue within the CIA.
I enjoyed the story and it was well written and well read. I give it 4
stars.
My first "Spencer" novel read. This author was recommended by my friend
Jerry Foster. I liked "Appaloosa" better. Light reading. I
give it 2 stars.
This book was recommended by my friend Mike Glasscock. The author is his
step-daughter. I liked the book very much. Interesting read. A
political thriller plot with twists. I give it 4 stars.
I lost interest in this book and never finished it. Unrated.
One of my favorite authors. A story of Washington intrigue. A very
good story but a lousy ending. We don't know what happened to the heroine.
I give it 4 stars.
The very best explanation of the Palestinian Arab/Israel/Jew situation I have
read to date. It is well written and a story that captures interest and is
easy to follow. I give it 5 stars.
One of my favorite authors with a very strange tale about a man and his son
wandering through the countryside after the Armageddon. I give it 4 stars.
"Transfer of Power" by Vince Flynn (July 2007)
One of Vince Flynn's earlier books that I had overlooked. Another tale
about the bullet-proof Mitch Rapp. I give it 4 stars.
"The Cleaner" by Brett Battles (August 2007)
A rather long and convoluted story. This is the first book of this author
I have read. I am not sure I will do another. I give it three stars.
"Killing Rain" by Barry Eisler (September 2007)
A new author for me. This is a well written story about an assassin for
hire and the world he lives in. I give it 4 stars.
"The Last Assassin" by Barry Eisler (September 2007
A continued story of an assassin who is having trouble trying to change his
life. I give it 4 stars.
"Rise To Rebellion" by Jeff Shaara (October 2007)
A historical novel about the events and people that led up to the American
Revolution. It is also a continuation of information about John Adams.
I give it four stars.
"The Ezekiel Option" by Joel C. Rosenberg (October 2007)
The is the first paper book I have read in some time. It was recommended
by my friend and neighbor, a fellow Christian. It is a very scary story
and some of the things are too real. It is based upon end times as found
in the Book of Ezekiel in the Bible. It is very well written and I had a
hard time putting it down. I read the last few chapters so fast I will
need to read them again. I wanted to find out how it ended! I give
it five stars.
"The Last Jihad" by Joel C. Rosenberg (November 2007)
This is the first novel written by this author. I should have started this
one first. It was written just before the 9-11 incident. It is
spooky how much he has in this book is similar to what really happened. It
is a good book, well written. I give it four stars.
"The Last Days" by Joel C. Rosenberg (November 2007)
The second novel by this author. It is a continuation of the story started
in The Last Jihad. It is more political thriller material based on Bible
prophesy found in the book of Ezekiel. I give it four stars.
"The Copper Scroll" by Joel C. Rosenberg (August 2008)
I was disappointed in this book and not motivated to finish it at first. It was not
as good as previous books. I finally did finish it and it got better. I give it
three stars.
"World Without End" by Ken Follett (December 2007)
A very long story about life in the 14th century in a small town in England. In progress.
"Protect And Defend" by Vince Flynn (February 2008)
Another great book by my current favorite author. Mitch Rapp at his best
with a very current topic. The Israeli's sabotage the Iranian nuclear
production facility and Iran blames it on the US and tries to provoke a war.
I give it five stars.
"Lone Survivor" by Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson (January 2008)
The story of a Navy SEAL who was the only one come back alive from a raid deep
in Afghanistan. The story is ok, but way too much verbiage on how tough
the SEALs are, how they survived their rigorous training and other pat yourself
on the back information. No doubt the SEALs are a tough and dedicated
bunch, this story sounds like they are brainwashed and trained to think they are
invincible. There were not in this story. Way too many four letter
words for my taste. I give it two stars.
"Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends" by William "Wild Bill" Guarnere and Edward "Babe" Heffron (February 2008)
If you have seen and or read "Band of Brothers" you should read this book. It is a narrative by each of these two remarkable men who met in England and learned they grew up in the same area in South Philadelphia. They both survived the war and have been inseparable friends ever since. You will hear their side of the stories told in the movie. I give it 5 stars.
"The Crossing" by Cormac McCarthy (March 2008)
I gave up after a few chapters. Too dark for me. I give it one star.
"The Faithful Spy" by Alex Berenson (March 2008)
In progress.
"The Whole Truth" by David Baldacci (May 2008)
The most recent thriller by one of my favorite authors. This book got good about half way through. It is a geopolitical thriller and very timely, including a part about high oil prices. A corrupt arms dealer creates a conflict between Russia and China to start a "cold war" for his company's profit. This is Mr. Baldacci's 15th book, but not his best in my humble opinion.
I give it four stars.
Spend 'Til the End: The Revolutionary Guide to Raising Your Living Standard--Today and When You Retire by Laurence J. Kotlikoff and Scott Burns (September 2008)
I have followed Scott Burns in the Dallas Morning News
for years. I learned about Larry from his column and bought his
consumption smoothing software a couple of years ago when I was trying to
see if and when I could retire. The book is interesting, very readable
and offers practical advice. Some of the predictions are scary.
They say that by the time someone who is currently 30 is 65, his Social
Security check will not be big enough to pay the Medicare premium.
They also predict many will lose their pensions due to business failure.
They say the only safe investment in retirement are government bonds, and
they particularly recommend TIPS. I am writing this after the worst
day on Wall street since the great depression. They may be right!
I give the book five stars.
Extreme Measures by Vince Flynn (November 2008)
The latest in the Mitch Rapp series. It is a little different, in that he tells something about the personal lives of some of the characters. It is timely, relating to our worry about another terrorist strike in the United States by al-Qaeda. This time, the attack is on some of our government officials, including senators and representatives. It changes their mind about Rapp's methods and role in protecting us. I give the book four stars.
