Persuader by Lee Child

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Excellent narration on this audiobook made me imagine Reacher was telling me his story.



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The Confession by John Grisham

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I thought it was "Just OK Grisham" which is still a lot better than so many other writers. It will be hard to recommend to other readers for Grisham has written better and more entertaining legal thrillers.



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I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Bless her heart, Fannie Flagg has once again given me characters I will remember.



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Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I recommend this for book clubs.



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Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child

My rating: 4 of 5 stars






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Worth Dying For by Lee Child

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


When my request for library copy became available, I immediately read #15 because I could not wait to see how Reacher got out of the last mess at the end of 61 Hours.

It took awhile for Mr. Child to work the explanation into this storyline but he did.

This book is another enjoyable read for fans of the series.



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Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas by Ace Collins

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This book was a pleasant reading experience that can be read in small doses to enhance enjoyment of the holiday season.



If this review is similar to the last book by Ace Collins on which I commented,it is because Mr. Collins recycled much of his material in these two books, and he tells his stories in similar styles.







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25 Days, 26 Ways to Make This Your Best Christmas Ever by Ace Collins

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This book was a pleasant reading experience that can be read in small doses to enhance enjoyment of the holiday season.



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Running Blind by Lee Child

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Just when I thought I had who-dunnit figured out and thought it was confirmed by the clues, Lee Child again twisted the plot.

Touche!



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Tripwire by Lee Child

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


What a creepy villian and his henchmen! However hard reading about mental torture was, it was important for this reader to have the scenes of manipulating torture to people Reacher does not know and even more offstage violence to the two cops to really want this villan destroyed by Reacher.



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The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride




I enjoyed the narration by Andre Braugher and Lainie Kazan so I recommend this for those who will listen to an audiobook. I'm not sure that I would have enjoyed reading this book as much as I enjoyed the audio version.



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Echo Burning by Lee Child

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


When people ask for my advice, I feel frustrated when they don't take it. I was feeling frustrated when Carmen was not listening to the advice Jack Reacher gave her about getting out from an abusive marriage before her husband was released from prison. Of course, it turns out Lee Child was just setting up another page-turning action thriller.



It is worth the read if you are a fan of this series. It also holds up if you are reading the books out of sequence.



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Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I included this book on my genealogy-history shelf for the fictional protagonist Lyman Ward is doing something that I imagined doing some day. He is writing the history of his paternal grandmother. The book takes a turn from my own reason for choosing this book when Lyman reveals to his irritating son Rodman that he is really writing about a marriage. By this time, I'm caught up in the fictive drama with these human-like characters and the strong sense of the places they lived.



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Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques, Second Edition by Steve Nison

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques is a classic book for study and reference for those who use charts as part of a trading plan. It has been recommended to me by several different traders who are much more successful than I am.



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Die Trying by Lee Child

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I enjoyed yet another book of the Jack Reacher series, and yet this book's first paragraph hooked me without Reacher being nearby.



"Nathan Rubin died because he got brave. Not the sustained kind of thing that wins you a medal in a war, but the split-second kind of blurting outrage that gets you killed on the street."



Thank you, Lee Child.





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Naked Heat by Richard Castle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I enjoyed it and I have no problem recommending it to readers who enjoy watching the TV series. It gets only 4 stars because I will never read it again now that I know who dunnit.



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Who We Were: A Snapshot History of America by Michael Williams

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I like the concept of this book: the USA history as depicted by snapshots of ordinary people, right there, right then. I was not fond of the execution of the concept but I don't know that I could do better selecting snapshots from the sources they chose.

The last snapshot of the book is compelling. It was taken by an astronaut who photographed a snapshot of his family he left on the moon.

This last snapshot was taken in 1972, 37 years before this book was published. To end the book so far away from current history reminded me too much of outdated school history textbooks and teachers who never got to the Korean conflict even though our country was in the midst of the Vietnam War. It left me feeling frustrated because it seems inadequate as a history book and it seems inadequate as an art book to spark creativity in those who read it.



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One Shot by Lee Child

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"...Reacher checked his watch. Time ticking away.He stepped up close.

"You got medical Insurance?" he asked.

The guy nodded.

"Dental plan?"

The guy nodded again.

Reacher hit him in the mouth. Right-handed, short swing, hard blow."



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Pelham Fell Here: P.I. Frank Johnson Mystery #1 by Ed Lynskey

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I wanted to like this book more for I am interested in this genre of rural noir and for its introduction to ex-MP and part-time gunsmith Frank Johnson and his pet ferret Mr. Bojangles.

A reason I did not like it more was sentences like, "The door, our objective twenty paces away, laughed at us." My fictive dream was broken repeatedly, and I was confounded by eyes that clashed, crescendos that died down, and many other examples of descriptions that did not work for this reader.



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Nature's Keepers : On the Front Lines of the Fight to Save Wildlife in America by Michael Tobias




This has been on my to-read shelf since 1998. I hope some of the concerns about wildlife protection have been addressed in the time period of 1998-now.



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Lost Empire by Clive Cussler

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Sam and Remi Fargo took me on so many twists and turns I forgot what treasure they were seeking in the first chapter. Oh yeah, they were just scuba diving in an interesting location in Tanzania. Then they travel the world before they solve the mystery and find two sites for archealogists to dig.

Sam and Remi Fargo remind me of the tv series Hart to Hart, but that comparison really dates me.

I enjoy the history and geography lessons in these books.



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One Thousand Moons by Eddie Soloway

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Seventy-seven photographs and twenty-one essays from Eddie Soloway are in this self-published book. By self-publishing, he could control the color of the images and could publish what others may think are highly personal.

I attended a Nature and Outdoor Photography seminar taught by him and Michael Melford. This book provides some inspiration and motivation to expand my idea files and photo sketches.



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Killing Floor by Lee Child

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is the first Jack Reacher novel. I'm planning to read all of them as they are fun and great entertainment for action-adventure. How can it not be exciting when Jack Reacher is arrested for murder in the first chapter? There are some interesting comments about our society from the character who has found freedom from the military lifestyle into which he was born, raised and made his own career until his services were no longer needed.



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Goodbye Summer by Patricia Gaffney

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Free from Adobe, but turns out only 40 pages of the novel are free. Forty pages was enough to tell me I need not seek out the book to finish it.



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The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


I did not like this audiobook. The narrator did a good job. The problem with an audioversion of this book is the inability to scan or ignore unimportant or repetitive parts. The author tells your the facts, then spends a lot of time speculating and explaining how this fits into the historical context, AND then she states something like, "But all we really know is..." what she told you four hours ago.



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Bearers of the Black Staff by Terry Brooks

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Just when I thought The Gypsy Morph was the end of a prequel series, Terry Brooks manages to start another series, Legends of Shannara, which explains even more about how Shannara came into being.



I don't think fans of Terry Brooks will be disappointed, and this book can be an introduction to his books for new readers. This book is fast-paced, plot-driven with interesting characters. Some of the characters explain their genealogy to connect this book to The Gypsy Morph, and it sets up the connection to The Measure of Magic, which I eagerly anticipate.



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Nothing to Lose by Lee Child

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Congratulations to Lee Child for the honor of Distinguished Contribution to the Genre at The World Mystery Convention.



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Spartan Gold by Clive Cussler

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I enjoyed this first of a new series with Sam and Remi Fargo.



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Star Island by Carl Hiaasen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Just good fun!



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Heat Wave by Richard Castle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I enjoy this book as entertainment, and I found it as entertaining as the TV series.



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Black Moonlight by Amy Patricia Meade

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is the most recent book in an entertaining series. The tone is much lighter than the Maise Dobbs series written by Jacqueline Winspear even though both are set in the same historical time period.



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Royal Blood by Rhys Bowen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book is for fans of the series.



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Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I heard of this book while researching Colorado Springs for the author, Helen Hunt Jackson, lived there. This book was published in 1884 and has been made into two movies. Mary Pickford was Ramona in 1910, and Loretta Young played the role in 1936. Neither versions are available through Netflix at this time.

Before young girls had the debate of Edward or Jacob, young women could be torn by thoughts of Alessandro or Felipe. The popularity of its romantic entertainment overshadowed the author's intention of writing a book that had the same impact of Uncle Tom's Cabin to change treatment of Indians and Mexicans and their property rights when government boundaries changed.

This historical book is worth reading and discussing.



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The Southern Belles of Honeysuckle Way by Linda Bruckheimer

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This book had potential, and it did not live up to it. It's a wonder its characters aren't clucking their tongues and saying, "It's jest a shame that had to happen." I liked the characters; it was the plot and storyline that disappointed me.







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The Help by Kathryn Stockett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The librarian recommended this as a possible book club selection, and I did not read it until after our book club disbanded. I wish we had discussed this as most members of our club were born after the Civil Rights movement. Our discussions might have been lively. This book tells an interesting story of an historical time.

I rate a book with 5 stars when I want to press the book into hands of acquaintances and say, "You have got to read this!" It was so good I shushed my husband when he asked a question while I was reading.



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The 9th Judgment by James Patterson

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This was the first James Patterson book I read, and it did not impress me enough to seek out any of his other books. I gave it two stars because it was an entertaining fast read and there is a market for books like this; but, I don't think I'm its target market.



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61 Hours by Lee Child

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I enjoyed this action-adventure book. Book #14 was my introduction to the character of Jack Reacher, and I'm likely to start adding earlier books in the series to my "to-read" shelf.



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Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Greatest Trips by National Geographic Society

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Before reading this book I would have never imagined there is The Great Pub Crawl in Australia where the designated driver is the pilot who flies you from pub to pub. It sounded like great fun. This is perfect gift for an armchair traveler or for the person in charge of vacation itineraries. Websites are given for each trip for more research.



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Angel by Colleen McCullough

It only rated 2 stars as it is a character-driven novel whose characters I did not like. I had higher hopes for this book when I started reading it.
My rating: 2 of 5 stars






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Three To Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich

My rating: 4 of 5 stars






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The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book works well as an audiobook: good narrator and a compelling story.



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Armadillos & Old Lace by Kinky Friedman

My rating: 2 of 5 stars






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Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Memorable characters like Swede and Reuben make this book worth reading.
I rate it 5 stars as I could read this again, even once I know its ending and epilogue.



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Mathew Brady and His World: Produced by Time-Life Books from Pictures in the Meserve Collection by Dorothy Meserve, Kunhardt

My rating: 5 of 5 stars






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Aerial Tram and Wildlife Park, Royal Gorge, 27 Aug 2010

The next ride we wanted to do was the Aerial Tram because this was the world's longest single-span aerial tram. Its length is 2,200 feet and the height above the Arkansas River is 1,178 feet.
Once we were across we walked through the Rocky Mountain Elk area of the Wapiti Western Wildlife Park down to Point Sublime for more pictures of Royal Gorge.
The ranger at the park gave us good advice that morning to drive across the bridge, walk across the bridge to take the world's steepest incline railway and start the world's longest single span aerial tram from the visitor center. For then, the walk is downhill from Point Sublime through the Wildlife Park to our car.
There were several attractions we did not have time to do before the time arrived for our trip back to Colorado Springs airport and our flights home. We did not have time for the petting zoo, the burro rides, and the mule rides.
The one attraction we did not consider doing was the Royal Rush Skycoaster. Those riders were strapped into harnesses in a Superman position, pulled back to a height of about 100 ft. and then swung at a speed of up to 50 mph until they are 1,300 feet above the Arkansas River. There were adrenaline junkies paying the price to do it. We heard one guy scream from about a half-mile away!

Click Aerial Tram and Wildlife Park, Royal Gorge, 27 Aug 2010for 20 pictures.

Incline Ride, Royal Gorge, 27 Aug 2010

The ride we most wanted to do at Royal Gorge Bridge and Park was the Incline down to the Arkansas River and back up again. The ride did not disappoint us. The canyon walls are so narrow and steep, the Arkansas River is so turbulent, and the sky was so blue.

Click Incline Ride, Royal Gorge, 27 Aug 2010 for 50 more pictures.

Colorado by Rick Shupper




Another souvenir from a great trip.



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All Aboard for America's Mountain: The Manitou and Pike's Peak Railway by Claude Wiatrowski

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This was an inexpensive souvenir that might be used as resource material for school reports.

It gets five stars because I'll look at its pictures again when I reminisce about this vacation.



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Royal Gorge Bridge and Park,27 Aug 2010

Our flight from Colorado Springs did not leave until late afternoon so we had time to travel to Royal Gorge Bridge and Park. We arrived early, drove across the highest suspension bridge, and walked back across while we took pictures from the bridge.
The Royal Gorge Bridge sits 1,053 feet above the Arkansas River.
Click Royal Gorge Bridge and Park,27 Aug 2010 for more photos to view.

Balanced Rock, Garden of the Gods, 26 Aug 2010

Balanced Rock is the most popular formation for us tourists to have our pictures taken with, and yet the lighting was less than favorable for the best shot at the time we were there. I guess the rock wanted to be the star.
Click Balanced Rock, Garden of the Gods, 26 Aug 2010for twelve more pictures.