Category: Book Review

Monday Book Review: One Page Reviews

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The SAS Fighting Techniques Handbook – Terry White

oh god. this book. so very, very badly written. I have read other books in a similar vein, in fact I read a lot of books in a similar vein. This one was just bad.

First complaint, badly written. Bad word choice. Bad grammar. Misspellings and the wrong word.

Second complaint, random excerpt boxes that break the flow of the narrative(what little there was), all over the place.

Third complaint, the title reads SAS fighting techniques. The author threw in whatever he liked. If he was talking about sniper rifles, he doesn’t talk about which ones the SAS use. Nope, he throws in the Spetsnaz or Army Rangers or Navy Seals. WTF?

If I wrote a book on cooking and suddenly started talking about how to rotate your tires instead of how long to braise the pork….yeah.

℘ – one page. Could not finish it. By 100 pages in I was skimming for any facts I might use in my spy novel. By 200 pages in I was flipping wildly so I could return the damn thing to the library.

The Duff – Kody Keplinger

I read this after seeing a review that made it sound super entertaining. sigh

um….yeah…It was not very well written, better than the SAS book but that isn’t saying much. It was almost mindless entertainment but done badly so I fell out of it constantly.

I had a hard time believing the characters. They were tele novella dramatists masquerading as teenagers. I don’t recall anyone acting like that or reacting like that in my high school or among the junior high and high school students I worked with for years before I had my own sprocket.

℘℘ – Technically this is a two pager. I did finish it, partly out of stubbornness and partly because I was reading it in bed and if I didn’t I would have had to get up as I had no other books on my kindle in that moment. LOL

Monday Book Review: King Leopold’s Ghost

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It’s rare that I read a book I liked so very much and yet find myself hard pressed to come up with words to talk about it. King Leopold’s Ghost, subtitled A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa, by Adam Hochschild, is a powerful, detailed reading of one man’s ability to wield awesome power amassing an amazing fortune, killing roughly ten million people in the process.

But wait, I hear your brain asking…..ten million people is practically genocide, how have I heard nothing about this?

Again I say awesome power.

King Leopold II of Belgium wanted a colony of his own. Not for Belgium, no, for himself. He saw the potential to make unheard of millions out of a colony. All the big kids were doing it after all; France, Germany, Great Britain, United States….Heck even the little kids; Dutch, Portuguese, and Spanish were dabbling in colonialism. Using a blend of bribery, flattery, and pure lies Leopold got his hands on the Congo, well he named it that. The Independent State of the Congo, was it’s full christened name. Leopold promised things to everyone, got signatures of deeds of lands from people who did not read French, and the press tauted his humanitarian efforts to civilize the savage.

Long story short. He actually used forced labor to steal all the ivory that could be found and then to garner rubber. I know a fortune made of rubber, who knew. Forced labor was just a bit different in the Congo. Men were told to work and to ensure they did, their wives and children were taken hostage. Workers and hostages were NOT fed. It is estimated at the peak, men had to devote 25 days per month working for the rubber effort. Villages that tried to rebelled were slaughtered and their right hands cut off as proof. In some cases other bits were removed, I won’t get specific but men, go ahead and cross your legs.

Few who went to the Congo said much. Either they enjoyed the life or they had no idea what to do. Joseph Conrad went out as a steam ship captain and canceled his contract after just one trip up the river and into the interior. He wrote Heart of Darkness upon his return to England. You can learn volumes about where he got his ideas. Hochschild explains the people Conrad met in Congo and what they are on record as doing, row of skulls ringing your garden anyone?

One black missionary attempted to shed light on the situation but as his own past was not quite, quite, he was disgraced in the papers and Leopold reigned on. Another man who ran a prominent paper, was fond of traveling with his mistress. Leopold invited him to see the gardens at the royal castle. The man attended with his mistress and a lovely time was had by all. Leopold thought he had a convert. Until the man continued to publish detrimental articles about Leopold and the Congo. So Leopold had a large flower arrangement sent to his home. The card read, in remembrance of Mr and Mrs newspaperman’s visit to the royal gardens.

Finally, finally, enter E.D. Morel. He was a shipping clerk for the shipping company with a monopoly to carry goods into or out of Congo. Because Morel spoke English and French, he was chosen to go to Brussels and verify the shipments. It didn’t take him long to realize the quantity of rubber coming out of the Congo was 10 times greater than the goods going back in. To him this meant slavery. How else could one procure so many exports at the cost of so few imports. He brought the situation to the attention of his superiors who ignored him. So he quit. And he began to agitate full time for change in the Congo. The louder he shouted the more people whispered facts he could use.

Leopold would burn all of the official government record of the Congo before he turned it over to the Belgian government in response to pressure by Morel and his efforts. “I will give them my Congo but they have no right to know what I did there.” Snort. Let’s sum it up shall we, in the Mongo language “to send someone to harvest rubber” is an idiom meaning “to tyrannize.”

℘℘℘℘ – between four and five pages. It wasn’t the sort of book one can read in one sitting. It is heavy material. But it’s really well written. And I’m a firm believer if we don’t learn about what happened in the past, it will happen again in the future. Forewarned is forearmed.

Monday Book Review: The Stranger Beside Me

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I’ve never really read Ann Rule before. I knew who she was of course and had seen her books on the shelf at the library in the True Crime section, which I tend to haunt when I have the chance. I think I might have once read a book by her. I think. But I couldn’t tell you which one it was it’s been so very long ago.

So a few weeks ago I was walking my dog and one of my neighbors came out with his dog. We walked part of the way around the block together before going our separate ways and somehow we got talking about Ted Bundy. My neighbor mentions this used to be one of Ted Bundy’s burial grounds or so they say. That intrigued me. So I got The Stranger Beside Me at the library.

The most up to date version of the book is almost 700 pages. Oof. Even though I knew how it ended (he’s dead) I couldn’t stop reading the book. I found myself irritated at Ann Rule occasionally. She talks about the ridiculousness of girls who think they love Ted Bundy despite knowing only his facade. But she believes in him and loves him for years without actually knowing the real Ted Bundy, either. And she doesn’t make that connection for eons.

Other than that, the book is compelling. Seriously compelling. I plowed through the 700 pages in three days while still taking care of my normal duties including the kiddo. And when I was done, I was actually a little sad there wasn’t more. I’m not sure what the more could possibly cover (again, he’s dead) but I wanted more pages. The book is so well written, I didn’t want it to stop.

I had never before read a book about a criminal who did so much where I live. He abducted several women from Lake Sam State Park. That was the first family outing we took after moving to Washington. I take my son there ALL the time. Weird.

And that burial ground isn’t actually on the mountain I live on. It’s on the one next door. Still, pretty creepy.

℘℘℘℘℘/℘ I can’t decide if this book is 5 pages or 6. I loved the book. I could barely put it down. I didn’t read it in one sitting but I might have had I been alone for like 24 hours. I will certainly pick up more from Ann Rule. Again I will just say, the book is so well written, I didn’t want it to end.

Monday Book Review: Hooked on Murder

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I do read guilty pleasures, every now and again. Generally, when my son is being difficult at the library and I don’t have time to search out something to read, usually non fiction, that will serve multiple purposes (yes, I multi task too much, get over it), I grab a guilty pleasure book. For some reason my local library has a ton of mystery series books on the reader’s choice shelf. The shelf is near the front check out so I can grab one as I walk by. I’ve tried a lot of them since we moved here two years ago. At least half I never finish, including one where I thought the main character was a girl until 20 pages in when someone referred to him as a he. But I digress.

The crochet murder series by Betty Hechtman was the single exception. I loved the first one I picked up and sought them all out, read them all in order, then started in on her other series, the yarn retreat mysteries. I’m not sure why her books spoke to me, exactly. Perhaps partly because I am a crocheter but I think partly also because when I moved I seized the chance to start over and figure out who I was and what I wanted. Molly Pink, the main sleuth in the crochet series, is in a similar position.

Hooked on Murder, is the first in the crochet mystery series. You meet Molly who works at a local book store handing public relations and marketing. A crochet group has recently started meeting at the book store. When the leader of the group is killed, Molly has the bad luck to find the body. A mystery ensues. Trying to figure out who really done it, is the only way Molly can think of to stay out of hand cuffs herself.

I think the series is up to eight books now. All amusing. All entertaining. All come with crochet patterns. LOL.

℘℘℘℘℘ – Five pages. I actually stayed up late to finish the book after driving home 14 hours, even though I had already read it before, because I wanted to see how it all turned out. That’s a well written journey.

Monday Book Review: The Code of the Woosters

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This is my first dive into the world of P.G. Wodehouse. And I have to thank my dear friend V for not only recommending Wodehouse to me, she was sure I would love his sense of humor, but she actually loaned me the book. (!)

What I adore about Bertie, he constantly has these amazing comments that he doesn’t use. He always tells himself he can’t say that. I love his running thought commentary though.

If you haven’t read Wodehouse, the style is intriguing as well. He uses abbreviations. Like when Bertie is saying something in satirical bitterness, two paragraphs later he says something “with s.b., as before.”

But sadly, when all is said and done, I can’t help but feel “they are all very unpleasant people.” (A. Christie.) Everyone in the book is blackmailing everyone else because no one will help anyone and everyone thinks they know whats best for everyone else even while they do the dumbest things known to man themselves. Even the redoubtable Jeeves blackmails in the end.

If you haven’t read Wodehouse before, you really should. And I’ve been told this is a fabulous example of his work. So read it.

As much as I hate to say it…

℘℘ – 2 pages. I finished this book out of sheer stubbornness. Parts of it made me laugh. Frequently I yawned. Even more frequently I hit myself in the head because I couldn’t hit the characters. sigh.

Monday Book Review: Vanished

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It’s not often that I review YA probably because it is not often I read it. LOL. I read a lot of non-fiction, as anyone who follows my book reviews knows. Occasionally, I read some fiction, if it’s been highly recommended to me by someone who’s reading prowess I respect.

It all started when one night I was unable to sleep and surfing Netflix for something to watch that wouldn’t keep me too awake. It suggested I might like the TV show Missing, with three stars. Hrm. That sounded like just what I wanted, not too good, not too boring…just right. Sadly, Netflix was wrong and I totally loved the show, staying awake much too late for several nights in a row to binge watch it. Then I discovered it was based on a book series. A book series written by Meg Cabot.(!) I didn’t even bother with the library. Clickety Clack, I was on Amazon getting it shipped to my door. Four books in series called Vanished (also available under the name 1 800 Where R U). Woot.

Ok the TV series and the book series, so not the same thing. Loved the books as much as the show though, probably more.

Jess Mastriani is a sophomore in high school when she is struck by lightning. She discovers by complete accident she now has the ability to dream where someone is after looking at a picture of them. In the books you get to struggle with her as she tries to figure out her own moral code for using such a power. Of course the government would like her to help them out. And they are less than understanding when she declines. The books work you through Sophomore and Junior year of high school and then it all stops. NOOOOOOOO.

But Meg (Cabot) in all her wisdom, wrote a fifth book to please her readers.

In the fifth book Jess is older, she’s seen some stuff, done some stuff, and is trying to once again figure out her own set of rules for life. The fifth book actually references the TV show, which amused me. Meg ties up all the lose ends in the fifth one so I assume she’s done. Boo.

Over all I give the series ℘℘℘℘℘ – 5 pages. I love the books. I defy anyone to read them slowly. Binge is the only way to go. You’ll want to know what happens next. And I love Meg Cabot. I have most of her grown up books. They all get thumbs up.

Monday Book Review: The Demon in the Freezer

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Truth be told I had read this one before but I wanted to brush up a bit for my spy novel since The Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston actually inspired my spy novel. I’ve read everything by Preston and he never fails to simultaneous expand my mind in a frightening manner and entertain me.

While I was googling the book to make sure I had the name right (demon/ the demon?) I saw parts of some reviews panning the book. frown. Other reviewers complain it is disjointed because he talks about both anthrax and small pox. Wow, two potential bio-threats in one book, how can I possibly understand that? snort. And moving on.

Demon covers the eradication of small pox. It also talks about the anthrax attacks post 9/11. Many thought small pox had been mixed into the anthrax for those attacks. Anthrax and Small Pox are considered the two best bio terror weapons for a number of reasons. All of which Preston covers in depth in the book, so I won’t enumerate them here. Read the book if you want to know. Not everyone likes to be scared by realistic possibilities. I do though. chuckle.

As a side note, I love that this book follows up on people I met in previous books. It’s awesome to find out the kid in one of Preston’s previous books who had just started at USAMRIID is still there 15 years later and happily married to another scientist.

I’ve read The Hot Zone, about Ebola. Frightening and thrilling. I’ve read The Cobra Event, a fiction work about a bio terror attack. Frightening and thrilling. And I’ve read Panic in Level Four. All brilliant. All made me think while keeping me on the edge of my seat metaphorically. This isn’t science fiction fantasy. This is science. This is the reality of the world we live in and how little it can take for it to go hot.

℘℘℘℘℘ + Five and a half pages. I love Preston’s style. He makes a story out of the truths of multiple people who all played a role in the reality. If you are one of those people who get freaked out when you read an article about how the big one could hit, don’t read Preston. Everyone else should give him a gander, smiles.

Monday Book Review: I’ve Got Your Number

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After my disappointment with Wedding Night I decided to remind myself why I adore Sophie Kinsella by grabbing I’ve Got Your Number to entertain me on this last trip. I’ve read it before, but it’s been long enough that I could enjoy the story while driving through five wild fires, yes, I said five. That wasn’t a typo.

I’ve Got Your Number entertains by crossing a line most people would consider beyond the pale. Imagine two people sharing an in-box on their cell phone. Messages and emails available for viewing. Sharing. Now imagine the other person is a perfect stranger. How long would you remain strangers with this level of forced intimacy?

When Poppy loses her priceless family heirloom engagement ring just before her fiance’s parents are due to return from the states and has her cell phone stolen in the frantic search for the ring, she decides she has no choice to but to appropriate a cell phone she finds in a bin. After all they threw it away, right? It’s now public property. Hilarity ensues.

℘℘℘℘℘ – 5 pages. I listened in two sittings, ha-ha. I have read many other things by this author and will continue to try out whatever I find at the library by her. It’s definitely a beach read or listen. A note about the audio production, fab on this one. None of the issues I had in Wedding Night.

Monday Book Review: World War Z

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Let me reiterate, Book Review. This is not the Brad Pitt action movie. All commentary will be about the book World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks. It was actually a discussion on Facebook about how the movie resembled the book only in name that persuaded me to pick up the book while at the library with my son(in other words I didn’t have time to look for books for myself and needed to grab something as I walked by the “good reads” shelf on my way to check out).

I was surprised to discover, I really liked this book. Partly because it is extremely well written. It’s also a fabulous pastiche of an oral history, which I love as well. The historian in me could really buy the style and tone of the work as an authentic oral history. The war historian in me was thrilled with the first person accounts from not only soldiers but those in occupied territories (so to speak) and the aftermath of war.

The book takes place after the majority of the war. An interviewer for the United Nations Postwar Commission spends years traveling and talking to people about their lives before the war, during the war, and then after the war. That first person up close trauma is what grips me. Certain stories still cling to my mind. The young hacker who takes weeks to slowly lower himself down from balcony to balcony to escape the high rise he lived in, after he finally realizes something has happened, no one is logging in, the internet is not working. He has no idea what happened to his family or friends. He can only focus on the effort to get free. Heavy, heavy stuff.

℘℘℘℘℘ – 5 pages. I loved it. Checked for other things by the author but sadly there is nothing I am interested in. I would probably read this again except…It’s been almost two years since I read this book and I still have nightmares about Zombies. When the dog barks in the middle of the night and I get up to look outside, I think about how indefensible my home is should it come to that. Too much glass. Too easy to breach. What this says to me, is the book, whether you like zombie novels or not (I don’t), is powerful. It’s commentary on the survival of man, the ineffectiveness of government to protect us, and the need to accept there will always be winners and losers in the battle for life, is powerful.

All that said, honey, I’d like throwing knives for Christmas this year….

Monday Book Review: In Cold Blood

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I finally read In Cold Blood by Truman Capote in the last two days. It’s been vaguely in the back of my mind for some time. It’s frequently referenced as amazing and the thing to read if you like true crime. I just hadn’t done it. I’m very much an organic reader. I read what I feel like reading when I feel like reading it. It just doesn’t work for me any other way. So I had been reading Wodehouse, all week, for review. The problem with Wodehouse is, he’s funny. And Friday I got some bad news. The last thing I wanted was funny. I wanted dark. Enter Capote.

I have to agree with practically everything I have ever read about In Cold Blood. It is beautifully written. The prose is outstanding, especially considering the topic. Capote weaves in source material which stands in sharp contrast the gorgeous crafted style Capote uses. His story flow is excellent. His pacing well executed.

He gives an even perspective of all concerned. Victims, perpetrators, detectives, and witnesses. He shows their positive attributes and their negative. He paints a fairly realistic picture. How dead to the truth it is one can little know, but I believe he conducted the interviews he says he did. If he spins it ever so slightly to make the story more readable, I’m comfortable with that, because I believe the substance.

In Cold Blood, is the story of four family members murdered in a small town. The entire town is sure it is one of them, the warmth and trust is gone. The criminals are also gone, off on a rampage of criminal “fun”. Capote tracks the tale from beginning, getting to know the victims, into the murders, through the investigation, the run, and finally the gallows swinging end. It is oddly not all that brutal, the way he writes it. Despite what I know must have been heinous. It flows by easily. Which is necessary for Capote to paint the bad guys with any positive qualities.

Would I recommend this book? No. Because I think if you like true crime, you’ve probably already read it. (Considering the number of holds on the book and how long it took for my number to come up, it’s still hopping popular some 50 years after publication.) And if you don’t like true crime, you won’t like it no matter how beautiful his prose.

℘℘℘℘ + I give 4 and 1/2 pages. I finished it in two sittings. But I doubt I will read anything else by Capote despite how much I liked this one.