Reading

What am I reading these days? M.M.Kaye "The Far Pavillions", C.J. Box "Dark Sky", and Paul Doherty "Satan in St. Mary's".

Pulitzer Prize

 

I don't think you read Pulitzer prize winning books for pleasure.

Books in Heaven

I wonder if you are allowed to read books in heaven or if you have to pray and sing hymns all the time? After all, I'll have all of eternity. If I am able to read, then I will be able to read all the books I have. 

History

I love reading history. The only problem is that there is so much of it.

The Art of Reading

On the last cruise I had taken, two years ago, I ran into this guy carrying an armload of books. As it turned out, it was six books and he was reading them at the same time. If it had been a contest to see how many books you could carry, I would have won hands down with my kindle downloaded with twelve books. As to the number of books to read, I  myself always read two books. It's the recommended number I'm told. I tried reading three books but found it too confusing. Every time I saw this guy, he was reading. At the dinner table he sat alone, five books stacked on the table, one book in one hand, fork in the other. I wish I had asked him how many books he read in a year.

Dr. Who

I have been a fan of Dr. Who for many years. Having at one time seen all the old reruns, I've probably seen all the shows. This year, while the show may be on in the room, I am usually reading a book at the same time. My enthusiasm has waned. The problem seems to be the Doctor. She rants and raves, spinning around in circles, waving her little prop, looking like a marionette with the strings twisted. 
The characters are rehashes of old characters, although in the latest episode I saw a spark of genius. I am referring to the Cyber men Drones. Modern, yet classical, flying in formation, distributing mayhem with a flash. If we gave out stars, it would be five stars for the drones.

On the backs of books, one can fly out of prison.

You don't know anything about a person until you read it in the obituary, then you find out what a great person they were.

I’m reading this story and the man says, “My name is Ahmed.”

It reminds me of yesterday when I was returning from Halifax. Almost all the way home, I was following a car with the license plate, AHMED.  

Just finished reading James A. Michener's book "Return to Paradise". I'm amazed that his earlier works have not been banned. Probably his books are too much reading by those that do the complaining.

Books and Friends

Review: Rites of Passage (To the Ends of the Earth, #1) by William Golding

"Rites of Passage," a book by William Golding, is a narrative, written in a journal, by a snobbish passenger. It takes place on an outdated warship on the way to Australia around 1812. The story deals with the behavior of the Officers and upper crust passengers, as well as some of the crew.
There are good references to the condition of the ship and the behavior of the characters.
Written in old English, I found it sometimes hard to read and found myself skipping paragraphs. Still, it was an interesting read, at times sad, which appears to be the main plot of the story. Interesting ending that I did not expect.

Review: Goliath (A Ryan Mitchell Thriller - Book 1) by Richard Turner

"Goliath" by Richard Turner is a fast paced book that would appeal to action/adventure readers. The cover is ample and gets the point across. The story is a good concept, but the level of unnecessary violence and the continual good luck like parked vehicles always having keys inside, and doors always unlocked took away from the story. Everyone seems to have a temper, always fighting a fit of rage. The lack of editing is noticeable - too many adverbs and words missing.

A cruise on the Mediterranean can be more than a boat trip.

http://amzn.to/1eNrAM1

What Causes Writers Bloc?

Review: Hunting Shadows by Charles Todd

      "Hunting Shadows," is the 14th in the series of Ian Rutledge belonging to the 'Mystery' genre. The title and cover are very appropriate for the story. It is set against rural and isolated villages in England, where gossip is the main source of news. There are good references to the local areas, and the description of the characters are well developed. All the characters are strong, with loneliness a common thread among them.
      The story is well plotted and well written. With the war never far from his mind, a voice from the past like a shadow, he must solve a crime by a sniper using a WW1 weapon. The story holds on to the end, but the end doesn't seem like a big surprise - more like something expected.

Completing A Book is Like Having a Baby

Completing a book, it’s a little like having a baby. There’s a feeling of relief and satisfaction when you get to the end. A feeling that you have brought your family, your characters, home. Then a sort of post-natal depression and then, very quickly, the horizon of a new book. The consolation that next time I will do it better.

JOHN LE CARRÉ

My Reviews.

      I seem always to have a different hobby. Maybe I can't call it a hobby, more like an interest for a period. A couple of years ago, my interest was to learn how to repair a lawnmower. Not that I planned on going into the repair business - it was because of my neighbor. At the time, I was using an electric mower, and he kept giving me a hard time. He said that he couldn't stand to see my feet getting tied up in the cord. So I picked up some mowers from people and learned how to fix them.
      This summer my interest is learning to do book reviews. Normally, I just gave them stars. Now, I write reviews and put them on Goodreads, Amazon, and my blog. I guess I use something like a template. I've written down all the things I want to cover and them put the book through it. I notice the reviews are getting longer.
      I used to belong to this book club, not Wattpad, where everyone wrote stories, and anyone could comment. It was ok, I got some useful hints. I read this story one time and gave it four stars. Well, it was a woman author and she was livid. How dare I give her only four when it should have been a five. Afterwards, I quit that group. If that were now, I would change the four to a three.
      On Goodreads, they have these threads where people offer reviews for reviews. I thought about that for myself but changed my mind as I read on. This one guy wrote that if you gave him a review he would do one right away without reading the book. Now, the reviews I read, I take with a grain of salt. So I thought that this might not work out too well for me because I would read the book and give it an honest review.

Review: WW 2 Women by Cyrus J. Zachary

"WW 2 Women" is a historical read about women spies from that war. It is a very short read. It is possible that the title on Goodreads is longer than the book. The cover seems to have no bearing on the characters in the book. I have a free copy, and that is what it is worth for information readily accessible on the net. Regularly priced at $4.99. Really!

Review: The Lost Codex by Alan Jacobson.

"The Lost Codex," is an action adventure novel by Alan Jacobson. It is a book I won on Goodreads. It seems aimed at male and female readers. There is some violence, but not an overabundance. It tries to mime "Sigma Force," but falls short. The title "Lost Codex," could refer to its location in he book. Mentioned in the Prologue, it then disappears for the next 30% of the book.
During this 30% hiatus, there was a long winded explanation of the motives and workings of a suicide bomber given to heads of Homeland, CIA, NSA, and FBI. I'm sure these gentlemen have sufficient knowledge of suicide bombers. It seems unnecessary, making the book long.
Being used to my Kindle, I found the printing small. The book has short chapters making it easy to stop reading. I thought the book had too many characters, the Arab names confusing.
After 40%, the story seemed to get back on track and live up more to its hype. From then on, it was continual action.
 I found the ending nothing to get excited about - the author looking for a way to finish it of.