Book Reviews

Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond  A wildly acclaimed book that is mostly boring.  It has its moments of greatness such as the account of Francisco Pizarro that is worth the price of the book.  Mr. Diamond explains things turned out in most of the world.  Some of his theories hold some water in my mind.  But, if you believe in Karma and collective Karma then you finish the book thinking he doesn't know what he is talking about.  He never mentions the concept of Karma so I guess he doesn't know about it.  All well read individuals should read this book. 

The Moonlit Mind by Dean Koontz   A Kindle single that was too long in my mind.  Entertaining, and I am sure Dean Koontz fans will like this book.

Dark That Day After All by all-Jason Mcintyre  A Kindle single that was a Bit wierd.

Hunter A Thriller by Robert Bidinotto  The first novel by this award winning investigative author.  This is a really good book.

The Leopard by Jo Nesbo  I have been a big fan of Jo Nesbo's books and I have read several of them.  I wish I had never read this one.  I am not going to read any more of his books and I am not going to read any more detective mysteries for a long time.  It's time for me to read more non fiction books for a while.  This was a good book I am just overload with this type of book.

Blood on the Tracks by Cecelia Holland  A Kindle Single about a union strike and the terrible violence that transpired about twelve years after the Civil War.  

The Informationists by Taylor Stevens    Wow! This was really a nice mystery thriller that I really enjoyed reading.

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson  I never did like Steve Jobs but I always admired him for being a great product promoter.  This book was based on forty interviews Isaacson had with Steve Jobs over a two year period and he did a great job writing this book.  It's a must read for anyone interested, even remotely, on how Steve Jobs accomplished what he did during his life, which was quite a trip.

The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Alder-Olsen  This book was written by Denmark's premier mystery writer.  A good book.

The First Assassin by John J. Miller  This is Millers first novel but he did an outstanding job.  I really enjoyed large portions of he book.

The Getaway Car by Ann Patchett's  A Kindle Single that takes you on a brief journey about her writing a book.  It was very interesting for me because at some point in the future I plan on writing a book myself.  That is if I live long enough.  Because, I may never feel that I have reached the right point in time, to start before I end.  

Shock Wave by John Sandford  A new Virgil Flowers mystery that I found entertaining.  I was the first book of this long series and I doubt if I will ever read another one ever again.  But I did enjoy it.

Philip Dru Administrator by Edwad Mandell House  I read this book because I heard Glen Beck suggest everyone should read it.  Amazon.com has this book for Kindle at no cost.  His recommendation came near the beginning of the occupy movement in New York city which Glen thinks is the beginning of a movement to overthrow our form of government.  The author of this book was an important advisor for President Woodrow Wilson.  The story of this book tells is about the violent overthrow of the US  and replacing the government with a communist/socialist government.  It's frightening to read this book because there have always been people in this country and in the world that want the eventual overthrow of our form of government. We have to be aware of the risks that we face from these evil people.   We must be informed and alert. 

Head Hunter by Jo Nesbo  I have been a big fan of Jo Nebo's writing and have read several of his detective novels.  But this book is not a good book.  It was a waste of time to read it.

Beyond the Sun by Chris Isaak A Kindle single and a very interesting short piece on the rock musician Chris Isaak.

Book Reviews

The Devil's Star by Jo Nesbo  This was the forth Jo Nesbo book I have recently read in the Harry Hole Police Detective series.  It was another great book by this great writer.  My only complaint about these books is the books are too long but I keep on reading them.  I am going to give this series a rest.  Jo Nesbo has written eight Harry Hole novels.  The first two have not been translated yet and the last two are not in Kindle format yet.

In My Time by Dick Cheney and Liz Cheney  I wish everyone could read this book.  Especially the Liberal population of this country who have unjustly "beaten up" Dick Cheney for years.  Read this book and you will learn a lot about this man who has served his country most of his life. 

Farewell by Sregei Kostin  It's a true story about a KBG spy who eventually turns on Russia. This book takes you from the beginning of his life to the end.  A bit longer than it needed to be but a good journey and a look into a life that none of us will ever live through.

Stop the Islamization of America by Pamala Geller A lot of this book can be skimmed through and be used for reference later on.  Saull Alinsky's Rules for Radicals was written as a guideline and used by liberals to disrupt the country.  In the same way this book was written for average Americans to combat the spread of radical Islam in America.  If you don't believe this is happening then you probably will think this book is a bunch of crap.  If you believe this is happening in America then you will gain some insight into what is going on.  You be the judge some of this book is a bit radical no matter who you are.

Kill Me If You Can by James Patterson and Marshall Karp  Patterson is one of the best selling authors on the New York Times bestsellers list which goes to show you that a lot of people have a taste for s*#?.  This is one of the stupidest books I have ever read.  I don't know how or why I finished it.  But I guarantee you I will never read another James Patterson book.  It reminded me of some stupid television program in the 60's of 70's like Maxwell Smart.  It's about a contract killer and if any contract killer read this book I am sure they would be embarrassed.  Mr. Patterson a good book has to be at least plausible. 

The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo  Another great Harry Hole Police Detective Novel.  Jo NesbØ is a Norwegian author and this book has been translated fairly well.  But the translation does not stop this from being a great police detective novel.  The detective is named Harry Hole and Harry is a great detective but a flawed individual.  He does thing he is not supposed to do, he smokes and drinks too much.  This is a great book, I recommended it highly.

Nemesis by Jo Nesbo  What can I say? Another great Harry Hole Police Detective Novel. Jo NesbØ is a Norwegian author and this book has been translated fairly well.  But the translation does not stop this from being a great police detective novel.  The detective is named Harry Hole and Harry is a great detective but a flawed individual.  He does thing he is not supposed to do, he smokes and drinks too much.  This is a great book, I recommended it highly.

The Jefferson Key by Steve Berry   A lot of peope like this mystery thriller.  I am not really one of the fans of this book.  Too much of this book is just un-believable.  The only reason I included this book is it has a very large fan base and maybe I just don't know what I am talking about. 

The Snowman by Jo Nesbo  Jo NesbØ is a Norwegian author and this book has been translated fairly well.  But the translation does not stop this from being a great police detective novel.  The detective is named Harry Hole and Harry is a great detective but a flawed individual.  He does thing he is not supposed to do, he smokes and drinks too much.  This is a great book, I recommended it highly.

The Instigators (Kindle Single) by David Wolman   A short article about the uprising in Egypt 201.  An idealistic look at how it all happened. Too bad it didn't work the way they thought it would but then revolutions hardly every work that way.   But, this is an interesting look at how it happened.

Sister: A Novel by Rosaund Lupton  A Very good mystery thriller that is about 90% believable.  A different type of story well worth reading if your looking for different mystery novels.  

Before I go to Sleep by S.J. Watson  I keep looking for believable mystery thriller books that are different.  This book came very close to filling the bill on all counts.  I was very good reading.  However the ending was a bit predictable.  It certainly will make you think and I doubt you will ever forget reading it.

The Miracle of Freedom by Chris Stewart  If nothing else if you read this book, you will understand how incredibly fortunate we are to be living in the United States.  You will also be scared to death because of the people in this country that do not like the way we live and want to change it so we live like everyone else in the world.

The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James D. Horfischer   Great book telling the story of the crew and closing navel battles in  WW II.  Until I read this book I had no ideal.

Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? by Steven Tyler  I always thought it would be a great life to be a "Rock Star" until I read this book.  It's a very good book that I enjoyed very much but there is no way I would have wanted to live a life like this.  

In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson  I really liked this book historic novel based on the real life accounts of two people in Germany just before WW II.  Based on William E. Dodd, who in 1933 became America’s first ambassador to Hitler’s regime, and his scandalously carefree daughter, Martha.  The way the Hitler government demonized the Jewish (who were seemed to be to successful in business) was very scary.   It is very freighting to see any government attacking any one group of the people in its country.

The Saint by Oliver Broudy   This is a Kindle "Single" which are short stories.  This story covers the adventures of a guy that is following a rich nut around the world.  Never the less an interesting story. 

Trojan Horse by David Lender  A very interesting mystery novel.  

Shipwrecked by Mishka Shubaly  A Kindle "Single" about a small group of people that are shipwrecked in a storm and wind up on a remote beach.  Interesting account of what happened.

Rogue Island by Bruce DeSilva   A fast paced mystery novel about an investigative reporter trying to track down an arsonist.

The Declaration of Independence of the United States  When was the last time you read it?

Chinese Dreams by Anand Giridharadas   This is a Kindle "Single" which are short stories.  This is a look at the life of some Chinese people. 

The Millionaire Messenger by Brendon Burchard  How to become an advice expert and this book can make you money if you just try real hard.  If your in business for yourself you should read this.

War Wounds by Jaqcues Leslie  A Kindle "Single" about a journalist who covered the Vietnam War.  It's about him returning to Vietnam years after the war was over to attend a reunion of journalists.  I enjoyed it a lot.

Physics of the Future by Michio Kaku   What a great book.  I really like this authors style and knowledge about things I wish I knew more about.