The following is a list of books I have read recently
{The last couple of months of 2005 and so far in 2006)
"Without Blood" Alessandro Baricco
"Silk" Alessandro Baricco
"The Ocean Sea" Alessandro Baricco
"City" Alessandro Baricco
I have commented on this fascinating author in another section; I keep a separate file on his novels as I read them. "Silk" and "Without Blood"were my favorites.
"The Camel Club" David Baldacci
A group of four rather odd men who have dedicated their lives to "finding out the truth" and trying to make Americas’s leaders accountable for what they do. Chilling story, lots of action.
"Brokeback Mountain" Annie Proulx
A love story about two cowboys who find themselves attracted to each other while on a lonesome cattle watch. The relationship goes on for many years. Ho Hum!
"Love In a Dry Season" Shelby Foot
Shelby Foot is best known as a Civil War historian and for his "Shiloh" and "The Civil War" documentaries. I had trouble getting into this twisted tale of three Southern families with their greed and lust and unhappiness. Not for me.
"King Kong" (1933 version) Wallace & Cooper
This is the book that started all those great "Kong" movies. You must read it and determine for yourself which movie was most faithful to the novel.
"The Heart Of The Matter" Graham Green
"Split Second" David Baldacci
Two "failed" secret service agents work together to uncover an assignation attempt. Good plot and good action.
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"The Secret Life Of Bees" Sue Monk Kidd
A touching story of a troubled young white girl who goes to live with black sisters that raise bees and have a marvelous outlook on life; they have a secret relating to the girl and her mother. Wonderful Southern characters and dialog.
"Asylum" Patric McGrath
The wife of a doctor at an insane asylum is duped into a love affair by a clever and scheming patient.
"Death of a Snob" (Hamish MacBeth mystery) M. C. Beaton
Hamish is just a plain Scottish cop; he is easy going (some would say lazy) and knows every thing that goes on in his colorful Highland community. He is on holiday, freeloading on a friend, when a murder occurs. Hamish is called on to solve the mystery. Author Beaton creates some very interesting people.
"Bandits" Elmore Leonard
Did not like this one at all! An evil couple prey on innocent people for money and fun. No reason for people to be this mean and uncaring for their fellow man. Leonard tells it like it is, I guess, but I still don’t Like it.
"Wolf Point" Edward Falco
The dialog was pure porno. Disgusting story.
"The Looking Glass" Richard Paul Evans
A moving story of a man who seems to be running from his unhappy past. His experiences in a lonely mining cabin and his aid and comfort to a brutalized woman bring him to realize that faith and hope can be found again.
"Gentlemen and Players " Joanne Harris
Interesting story about a boy from a common background who finds a way to sneak into and become accepted at an exclusive boys school where his father is a gatekeeper and his efforts to discredit the staff and his fellow classmates who he considers snobs.
"The Big Bounce" Elmore Leonard
Vintage Leonard; reformed petty thief meets glamorous girl and they plan a heist. Machine gun like dialog.
"Tyrannosaur Canyon Douglas Preston
A dinosaur fossil hunter is shot by a professional killer who was hired to learn his secret and obtain a coded notebook he carries .A scientist has analyzed some samples obtained from the old hunter and has discovered a strange virus. A nasty and greedy director of a museum wants the notebook because he thinks it will lead to the location of a perfect Tyrannosaur specimen. The Government has a deep and terrible secret that requires that notebook.
"The Cat That Went Bananas" Lillian Jackson Braun
Typical Jackson fare. This one was a little weak - hope she isn’t running out of steam.
"The Hadassah Covenant" Tommy Tenney
Hadassah is the Jewish name for Queen Esther. Story is set in modern day Iraq and Israel and it moves back to Persia some 1500 years earlier. Esther is no longer Queen, there is a new king and she is corresponding with a young girl named Leah who is in the royal harem and after being with the king only one time, she and the king are in love and Leah expects to be queen. But because king finds out that she is a Jew she is rejected. There is some tender and enlightening correspondence between Leah and Esther. Mordecai is active as an Exilarch who is representing Jewish people in exile trying to maintain peace and harmony. In modern days, there is a wave of anti-Semitic murders in Iraq and in Israel, the wife of the Prime Minister (her name is Hadassah) is the target of an assassination. Seems that some of the correspondence between Esther and Leah has been found and it includes bloodlines and names of Jews living in Iraq. It is a mystery and an adventure; the idea is to find an acceptable modern day Exilarch who cam bring peace to the Middle East.
"The Locket" Richard Paul Evans
An enchanting story about a young man who works in a nursing home and meets a lovely old lady. She shares the things that happened in her life in an old mining town. The young man is having a crises in his life and the woman, Esther, helps him keep faith and get through his problems. Kind of a bittersweet story that Evans usually tells. I would like to share it.
"Islandia" Austin Tappan Wright
A novel that is "special" to me; a reread. See my "Islandia" review Use this link
"Kingston By Starlight" Christopher Farley
A Jamaican born author writing about Anne Bonny who went to sea disguised as a boy and became a pirate. Interesting view of Jamaica, The West Indies and the pirates that roamed the Carribean sea.
"Travels With My Aunt" Graham Green
What a romp! I laughed out loud. The book has a delightful introduction by Gloria Green ("Loving Graham Green")
"Polar Shift" Clive Cussler & Paul Kempress
Kurt Austin of NUMA saves the world again and gets the girl (again). A fiend is trying to cause an electromagnetic polar shift which could turn into a geological shift and destroy the world. As technical and far fetched as Cussler ever gets. Enjoyed it a lot!
Black Wind" Clive Cussler & Dirk Cussler
This is classic Cussler; Dirk Pitt is the hero (and he has the girls). Two Japanese submarine wrecks from WW II have a strain of biological virus still in their hulls. Dirk has to find it before the bad guys do,
"The Carousel" Richard Paul Evans
Michael and Fay the two lovers from "The Locket"face life together with it’s problems and hardships. Evans has a special way of making you really care about them and want them to win or succeed. A favorite quote in this book: "Rarely do we invest the time to open the book of another’s life. When we do, we are usually surprised to find its cover so misleading and its reviews so flawed".
"Purity of Blood" Arturo Perez Reverte
Captain Alatriste, a mercenary, must solve a complex problem involving a young girl in a convent and a lascivious priest who preys on her.
"I Capture The Castle" Dodie Smith
The story of Cassandra, the narrator, she tells the story of her poor family and how their life is changed and broadened by the visits of a wealthy American family who are the actual owners and landlords of the "Castile" that they live in..
"I Claudius" Robert Graves
Robert Graves did a heroic job researching this historical fiction novel about the life of Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanieus a stammerer and lame member of the ruling family who survived all of the intrigues and horrors of the rule of Tiberius and the mad man Caligula to become Emperor of Rome.
"Irish Crystal" Andrew Greeley
Nuella Ann is harassed by "Homeland Security; easy reading snappy dialogue and always interesting characters.
"A Savage Place" Frank Slaughter
Vintage Slaughter; a doctor returns to the home town where he delivered groceries when he was a boy. He interacts with the people in his past. Slaughter always develops good characters.
"The Q Document" James Hall Roberts
Written in 1964, I found this book in a used book box. A fairly fast moving story about a "discovered" papyrus that may have a profound effect on existing religious beliefs - is it genuine? Should it be repressed? Also a story of a man who, because of a family tragedy, has lost total interest in life. He is "Cooper" the famous ancient document translator who is hired to work on the "Q" . Other compelling characters are "Father O. Malley a priest who seems to have lost faith but is trying hard to regain it and trying to get "Cooper back to his church. "Hawkins" is an evil and unscrupulous business man who deals in stolen goods and buying and selling women. "Willa" a journalist who hasn’t had a good "write" for a long time. A fascinating premise and interesting story. It deals with Suetious Paulinius, Joseph of Aramathea and his son John and a murder supposedly committed by Paul.
"Rite of Passage" Richard D’Agostino
One of the more interesting pieces of fiction relating to ancient and modern day Egypt that I have read. It rewrites history; the Spinx’s age is much older; determined to be constructed as early as 15,000 (BC), Egyptian history is traced back to 25,000 years (BC), there are underground passages beneath the Great Pyramid of Cheops going towards the Sphinx, there is magic, secret passages and carefully constructed traps in the passageways ,Egyptian Gods still live and ancient scrolls are used to control evils. What a yarn!! I will reread this .
"The Templar Legacy" Steve Berry
A splendid novel about the "Warrior Priests", The Knights Templar. This religious group fought in the crusades and when the holy land was taken back from the "infidels" they set up a network to protect pilgrims traveling to the holy land. The Templars had great wealth and more important, knowledge and power which gave them power over kings and popes. When the Spanish Inquisition and King Phillip came to power, the Templars were hunted, captured, tortured and killed as heretics. Berry’s story deals with the small group of Templars remaining; what was the secret knowledge they used against the popes?, where was the treasure of the Templars hidden? The theory was that the documents could be devastating to the church. The search is on by a crazed, evil head of the remaining group of Templars and a group of scholars and some treasure hunters. Barry and Dan Brown should collaborate on a novel.
"There and Back Again" an Actors Tale Sean Astin
An interesting story mainly about how Sean got the acting role of "Sam Wise" in the "Lord of The Rings" trilogy. Sam Wise, in my mind, is the real hero of the story. This is a recorded book. Sean is the son of Patty Duke and adopted son of John Astin who played Gomez in "The Adams Family".
"Gun Sights" Leonard Elmore
An early Western; Two gunfighters who once were friends and fought together find themselves on opposite sides in a copper mine feud. Quick, snappy dialogue and an interesting story development of his two major characters.
"S is For Silence" Sue Grafton
A recorded book. I did not particularly enjoy this novel I did not like the characters or the premise of a woman who had been missing for a very long time and Kinsey trying to learn about her fate was weak.
"Remembrance of Things Past" Marcel Proust
I, finally, located the first three volumes:
"Swann’s Way"
"Within a Budding Grove"
"The Captive", "The Fugitive", "Time Regained"
This in no simple exercise; It took several days to get over my intimidation - it was hard, at first, to deal with sentences that went on for over a page at times. It flows pretty well if you just get into it but the extremely long descriptive passages are difficult for me. I will soldier on for a while and explore the memories of Proust and the events and people that he wrote about. I was struck by the name of the faithless woman Swann married; "Odette"; that is the name of the black swan in the ballet "Swan Lake".
I intend to stretch this reading out over a period of a year or so; meanwhile I, like Proust, will reach into my memories and make some poor effort to document them. I may or may not understand the appeal that Proust has for my friend the "realist" but I will try.
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