Nate's Library

Dan Armstrong: Prarie Fire

2009-11-14T14:17:00.004-06:00

Guest Review by Kit Bradley September 20, 2009 Readers of my contributions to this blog, at least those with very good memories, will have noticed that I went a little crazy at the annual Authors and Artists Fair (benefiting the Eugene Public Library) in December of 2007 and bought eight books written by local authors. I bought Prairie Fire by Dan Armstrong that day,

David Wroblewki: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

2009-07-19T19:41:00.002-05:00

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski is a pretty impressive first novel. In many ways it is not my kind of book, not the least of which is that it is an Oprah’s Book Club selection. That’s normally too artsy, emotional for me.But I was attracted by the story line. Edgar Sawtelle is growing up on a farm in Northern Wisconsin where his family breeds dogs. Edgar was born mute, and

Dan Brown: Angels & Demons

2009-07-16T22:52:00.002-05:00

Guest Review by Kit BradleyJuly 8, 2009I bought Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons a couple years ago but never got around to reading it. Now that the movie is out, I decided to read it right away. I’m now looking forward to seeing the movie and comparing it to the book.As the story starts, some violently explosive “antimatter” has been stolen from CERN, a physics lab in Switzerland, and the scientist

Scott Turow: Reversible Errors

2009-06-08T22:06:00.003-05:00

Guest Review by Kit BradleyMay 25, 2009I don’t seem to settle on a favorite type of book, so this time it’s a legal thriller. I’d read Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow years ago, and I was a little surprised to find Turow’s Reversible Errors on my to-read bookshelf recently. It has a sticker on the back identifying it as an “Amazon.com Bargain Book.” It must have caught my eye once. Well,

John Grisham: The Associate

2009-04-25T21:26:00.003-05:00

Kyle McAvoy is the top law student at Yale at the beginning of John Grisham’s new book, The Associate. As he is ready to graduate, an unpleasant episode from his drunken undergraduate years surfaces. Although Kyle’s involvement was more embarrassing than criminal, he would like to keep it buried.So Kyle succumbs to blackmail and accepts a job in New York at the world’s largest law firm. His

Patrick F. McManus: The Blight Way

2009-04-23T20:15:00.003-05:00

Guest Review by Kit BradleyApril 23, 2009After Nate reviewed Avalanche, another Sheriff Bo Tully mystery, I decided to read a Patrick McManus book. The Blight Way is set in Blight County, Idaho, with the action shifting between Blight City and the small town of Famine. As the story commences, Batim Scragg, a rancher more likely to be on the wrong side of the law, calls the county sheriff, Bo

Janet Evanovich: Plum Lovin'

2009-04-22T21:55:00.003-05:00

A few years ago I picked up Three Plums in One, a volume that contained Janet Evanovich’s first three Stephanie Plum novels. I enjoyed them, although I was careful to set it aside between each novel and read something else. I did not want to get burned out. I keep telling myself that someday I’ll start moving forward again from Four to Score.But in the meantime I ran across Plum Lovin’, a “

Joseph Finder: Killer Instinct

2009-04-21T19:05:00.003-05:00

I like Joseph Finder because he writes about the corporate world. Although it’s not quite the same corporate world I remember. I found a copy of Killer Instinct on a discount table and bought it.We meet Jason Steadman, a district sales manager for Entronics, a company that makes flat screen TVs of all sizes. He likes what he does, and is good at it. He has reached a plateau in his career and

Mark Haddon: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

2009-04-19T16:07:00.003-05:00

Guest Review by Kit BradleyApril 17, 2009I found The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night-Time in my shelf of books to be read. It had a Borders “Buy Two, Get One Free” sticker on it. I’m not sure if this was one of the two or the one free, but I’m glad I read it.Christopher is a unique 15 year old who happens to be out late one evening and sees his neighbor’s dog Wellington lying in the yard,

J. K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

2009-04-12T23:21:00.005-05:00

Guest Review by Kit BradleyApril 12, 2009Well, it took awhile to get to it, but we finally read J. K. Rowling’s final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I read it aloud to my wife, one chapter an evening. It was quite an experience trying to imitate all the voices and moods, which swung from dull to intensely exciting, and back again.So, finally after six years we find

Jeffery Deaver: The Bodies Left Behind

2009-04-06T22:02:00.003-05:00

I know I’ve read Jeffery Deaver before, but I’m not a regular. I’m not sure why. I was attracted to The Bodies Left Behind by its Book-of-the-Month Club review.A call comes in to 911, a man’s voice says, “This”, and the call ends. The phone goes to voice mail when the operator tries to call back. Sheriff Tom Dahl of Kennesha County, Wisconsin learns that the call came from Lake Mondac in

Patrick F. McManus: Avalanche

2009-03-31T22:36:00.003-05:00

For a rip-roarin’ good time, read Patrick F. McManus. I first encountered him years ago when I heard someone reading from The Grasshopper Trap on public radio. I bought the book and enjoyed it. But I could not read it out load because I would start laughing too hard. At the time, all his books were collections of outdoorsy stories that were simply hilarious.Then a couple years ago, I found out

Mark T. Sullivan: Triple Cross

2009-03-30T21:14:00.005-05:00

I have signed up for several “Early Reviewer” books through my LibraryThing account. I finally got one from St. Martin’s Press that is due to be published soon – April, 2009. I don’t feel obligated to give it a good review, but I do feel obligated to give it a prompt review. So I have jumped it ahead of my unconsciously long backlog of completed books.Triple Cross by Mark T. Sullivan is a fast

Neal Stephenson: Cryptonomicon

2009-03-28T21:43:00.003-05:00

Guest Review by Kit BradleyMarch 28, 2009I like Neal Stephenson’s science fiction books. And I also liked volume one of The Baroque Cycle, a three (or eight, depending on how you buy it) volume narrative of historical/scientific fiction set in the 17th and 18th centuries. A book named Cryptonomicon was mentioned there, so I bought it. Well, this isn’t it, but the book Cryptonomicon is mentioned

David Liss: The Whiskey Rebels

2009-03-14T21:45:00.004-05:00

The Whiskey Rebels by David Liss is the best historic novel I’ve read in a long time. I wasn’t expecting that. I expected it to be interesting, and informative, but not this much. On the other hand, it was not quite as much about the Whiskey Rebellion as I expected.The 1790s were an important time in the establishment of the United States. The Constitution was still new, and Washington was still

Gerald Rottman: The Geometry of Light: Galileo’s Telescope, Kepler’s Optics

2009-03-07T23:05:00.003-06:00

Guest Review by Kit BradleyThe United Nations and the International Astronomical Union have declared 2009 to be the International Year of Astronomy, commemorating the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s use of a telescope to study the skies, and Kepler’s publication of Astronomia Nova. Through my membership in the Eugene Astronomical Society, I learned of a book self-published by Gerald Rottman, The

Professor S. James Gates, Jr: Superstring Theory: The DNA of Reality

2009-03-02T22:17:00.005-06:00

Guest Review by Kit BradleyMarch 2, 2009I recently finished an astronomy course that re-ignited my interest in physics, and so I decided to learn about something that wasn’t taught in physics way back when I was in college – string theory. I went to The Teaching Company and ordered their course Superstring Theory: The DNA of Reality, by Professor James Gates. The course contains 24 half hour

Wilcomb E. Washburn: Red Man's Land - White Man's Law, 2nd Edition

2009-02-27T21:10:00.004-06:00

After berating myself for waiting so long to read Washburn’s Red Man’s Land - White Man’s Law, I found a used paperback Second Edition. This edition is from 1995, and I did not wait 37 more years to get around to it. But even a 1995 edition is dated when compared to the 2008 American Indians and the Law by Bruce Duthu.I probably appreciated some of the historical background more this time around,

J.K. Rowling: The Tales of Beedle the Bard

2009-02-05T22:36:00.004-06:00

If you are a Harry Potter fan, you need The Tales of Beedle the Bard. No Harry Potter collection is complete without it. That being said, if you are not a Harry Potter fan, stay away. This won’t make you one.Beedle’s tales are cute, moderately fun. But Dumbledore’s commentary is better. Dumbledore explores the prejudices of “pure blood” wizards against those of mixed heritage. It seems that by

N. Bruce Duthu: American Indians and the Law

2009-02-01T22:44:00.003-06:00

I was a little put out with myself for taking so long to read Washburn’s Red Man’s Land, White Man’s Law. So I picked up a newer book, American Indians and the Law by N. Bruce Duthu. This book was published in 2008 as part of the Penguin Library of American Indian History. And I read it right after buying it.American Indians and the Law left me confused about the state of Indian sovereignty. But

David Guterson: Snow Falling on Cedars

2009-01-09T09:04:00.003-06:00

Back in December, someone named Donna left a comment on my review of The Other by David Guterson. She said some things that made me think that I would like Guterson’s Snow Falling on Cedars. Although it is still not my standard fare, I did like it. And it reminds me that I need to move off my traditional Mystery/Suspense thriller once in a while.On one level, the year is 1954 on San Pedro Island

Joseph Garber: Vertical Run

2009-01-03T22:48:00.004-06:00

I recently re-read Vertical Run by Joseph Garber. It is another of my favorites where someone’s life is suddenly and inexplicably turned upside-down. The protagonist is left trying to survive, while wondering what changed.In this case, Dave Elliot goes to work as an executive running a few divisions for the conglomerate, Senterex. As he is preparing for his day in his 45th floor Manhattan office,

David Baldacci: The Christmas Train

2009-01-03T14:00:00.003-06:00

In the spirit of the season, I recently re-read The Christmas Train by David Baldacci. I remembered liking it better than Grisham’s Skipping Christmas. In fact this was my third reading. And I do indeed prefer it to Grisham’s book. It’s got humor, a couple plot twists, interesting characters, romance, and Christmas spirit. What’s not to like?Tom Langdon is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who

Jan Brett: Jan Brett's Christmas Treasury

2009-01-02T12:58:00.004-06:00

My wife has had a copy of Jan Brett’s Christmas Treasury for several years. I can’t remember if she got it for herself, or if either my mother or brother’s wife gave it to her. I’m vaguely remembering a coincidence where she gave one away, and got one the same Christmas. In any case she has been a Jan Brett fan for years.This year I pulled Jan Brett’s Christmas Treasury down from the shelf to

David Baldacci: Absolute Power

2009-01-01T11:19:00.004-06:00

Guest Review by Kit BradleyDecember 24, 2008After reading Nate’s enthusiastic reviews of several Baldacci books, I decided to read one, and with Nate’s advice I started with Baldacci’s first novel, Absolute Power.Lord Acton, a British historian, said “Power tends to currupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” As I read the book, I wondered if I would see “absolute power” in practice. Would

Jim Fay & Charles Fay: Love and Logic Magic® for Early Childhood

2008-12-21T21:52:00.005-06:00

I’ve got a three-year-old granddaughter living with me. That can raise the occasional (or frequent) challenge. My wife’s school (she’s a teacher) has been offering “Love and Logic” training to their parents this year. She thought the program looked interesting. So we ordered some of the materials from the Love and Logic Institute. I’ve watched the first DVD, and just completed reading Love and

John Grisham: Skipping Christmas

2008-12-17T14:38:00.004-06:00

I read Skipping Christmas by John Grisham many years ago. Probably in 2001 when it first came out. I remembered the basic story line, especially after being reminded by watching previews for Christmas with the Kranks. The movie previews turned me off on the prospect of a re-read. Plus I remembered that there were aspects of the book I did not like. But this year I thought, “It’s Christmas! Why

Daniel Silva: Moscow Rules

2008-12-15T14:20:00.003-06:00

How refreshing! After just two more serious books, it felt good to read another fun, hard-to-put-down story. If you don’t know Gabriel Allon, then you have never read Daniel Silva. Allon is an art restorer, restoring great masters paintings in various settings around Europe. He’s the best, and he loves it. But he never uses the name Allon when he is working on old paintings.Gabriel Allon got his

Wilcomb E. Washburn: Red Man's Land - White Man's Law

2008-12-12T15:35:00.003-06:00

I bought Red Man’s Land – White Man’s Law by Wilcomb E. Washburn before going into the Army in 1971. It has languished on my bookshelves, or in a box, ever since. At the time, my intentions toward non-fiction were much greater than my actions. At the same time I bought (and read) Dee Brown’s Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. I had thought Washburn’s book would be another look at American history

John Le Carré: A Most Wanted Man

2008-12-10T12:06:00.003-06:00

As I was reading A Most Wanted Man, I kept asking myself, “Why do I keep reading Le Carré?” John Le Carrré’s books certainly are not as much fun as David Baldacci’s. Any yet, he has the reputation as being the premier writer of espionage fiction. In hindsight, it occurs to me that I enjoy about half of Le Carré’s stuff. I bought A Most Wanted Man because I was interested in seeing Le Carré’s take

Gore Vidal: Inventing a Nation: Washington, Adams, Jefferson

2008-11-23T20:00:00.003-06:00

Guest Review by Kit BradleyNovember 23, 2008Over the years I’ve been attracted to books on the formation of our nation and biographies of the leaders who did it. I’ve been intriqued by that period in our history when a few dedicated people were able to do such apparently great things. Given what I’ve seen of national-level leaders and politicians over the last few decades, it seems almost

Alan Siporin: Fire's Edge

2008-11-22T22:11:00.002-06:00

Guest Review by Kit BradleyNovember 16, 2008Hannah is a middle-aged white school teacher, who happens to be Jewish. Fil is some sort of investigative researcher, who happens to be black. Billy (“The Kid”) is a teenager, a Nazi skinhead who hates everyone, including his friends. These three meet by chance in a Portland, Oregon courthouse, and the encounter would have led to violence if there

David Baldacci: Divine Justice

2008-11-22T21:46:00.003-06:00

I started David Baldacci’s Divine Justice, and six pages into it I felt like I was missing important background. Well, duh! It picks it seconds after Stone Cold ends. We literally start with the first breath Oliver Stone takes following the end of the last book. So it’s going to be hard to say very much without spoiling the last book. I went back and re-read the whole series from the beginning.I

David Baldacci: Stone Cold - Again

2008-11-22T16:34:00.003-06:00

I read (and reviewed - http://nates-library.blogspot.com/2007/11/david-baldacci-stone-cold.html) Stone Cold by David Baldacci when it first came out. I enjoyed it, but I can’t believe I read it without first re-reading The Collectors. Big mistake! Stone Cold picks up a few days after The Collectors leaves off.We meet Harry Finn, a really fascinating character. He is a doting father and husband

David Baldacci: The Collectors

2008-11-15T15:21:00.003-06:00

The Collectors by David Baldacci is the second Oliver Stone novel. He is still the leader of the Camel Club, a group of conspiracy theorists. And they are all still about as quirky as before. This book includes memories back to the first book, The Camel Club. Those memories add richness to the characters, but are not critical to the plot. So it would be OK to read this book without first reading

David Baldacci: The Camel Club

2008-11-11T16:08:00.005-06:00

I got six pages into David Baldacci’s latest Oliver Stone novel – Divine Justice. But I just felt that I was missing something. It seemed to be assuming that I should remember information from the previous episode (Stone Cold). So I backed off and decided to reread from the start.Oliver Stone and his friends are introduced in The Camel Club. They are four friends who believe in government

Katherine Neville: The Fire

2008-11-08T16:28:00.004-06:00

I’ve been looking forward to reading The Fire by Katherine Neville since hearing that she was writing a sequel to The Eight. In preparation, I re-read The Eight ( http://nates-library.blogspot.com/2008/10/katherine-neville-eight.html ), and I think I’m glad I did. In the sequel we don’t get a lot of background on the Montglane Service or The Game, but both are important to the story. Again we

Frederick Forsyth: The Deceiver

2008-10-27T08:25:00.004-05:00

I just re-read The Deceiver by Frederick Forsyth. Forsyth has been one of my favorite authors since Day of the Jackal came out in paperback as I was graduating from college. (I did not buy many hardbacks in those days.) I love the meticulous detail he goes through to explain, believably, everything that his characters do. (It may have been too much detail in Dogs of War, but I’ve lost my copy

Lee Child: The Enemy

2008-10-26T17:34:00.004-05:00

In my continuing effort to understand the source of Jack Reacher’s financial independence, I picked up a copy of Lee Child’s The Enemy. It is the prequel to the Reacher books. Unfortunately, it did not resolve the mystery. Fortunately, it was still a fun book – as I knew it would be.In this case Reacher is still in the Army as a Major in the MPs. The Berlin Wall is coming down; Reacher has been

Katherine Neville: The Eight

2008-10-24T23:01:00.004-05:00

When I saw that Katherine Neville’s new book, The Fire, was to be a sequel to her first book, The Eight, I decided to re-read The Eight. I think this is my third time through, over a twenty year time span.The Eight is a complicated book, told across two time spans, with many flashbacks. Our main characters are Catherine Velis, a musician and a computer expert at a Big Eight accounting firm in New

Sandra Brown: Smoke Screen

2008-10-24T15:13:00.002-05:00

After seeing Sandra Brown awarded an honorary doctorate, I read a randomly selected paperback. I liked it, so now I’ve read her latest, Smoke Screen. (No similarity to a book with the same title by Kyle Mills. This is a mystery. Mills’ book is about the tobacco industry.)Britt Shelley, a prominent Charleston TV news personality wakes up in bed with Detective Jay Burgess, a police hero. She can’t

Christopher Reich: Rules of Deception

2008-10-13T12:07:00.003-05:00

I recently re-read Christopher Reich’s Numbered Account, which took place in Switzerland. Now I’ve read his new book, Rules of Deception, in which he returns to Switzerland. I did not remember all his books being Swiss, so I checked my shelves for a couple of his other books. I was right. One of them took place across Europe, the other in Washington, DC.Rules of Deception follows one of my

Christopher Paolini: Brisingr

2008-10-07T16:05:00.003-05:00

I’ve been looking forward to Brisingr by Christopher Paolini. So I picked up a copy not long after it became available. And then it jumped to the front of my line. Eragon and his dragon Saphira continue their adventures in Alagaesia, helping the rebel Varden, and their allies the dwarves and elves to overthrow the evil King Galbatorix. The ancient word for fire, brisingr, takes on special meaning

Ellen Morris Bishop: In Search of Ancient Oregon

2008-10-06T20:47:00.003-05:00

Guest Review by Kit BradleyOctober 6, 2008The last book I reviewed was Oregon’s Greatest Natural Disasters, which, if you think about it for a moment, is a geology book. So it is not surprising that I would be attracted to Ellen Morris Bishop’s In Search of Ancient Oregon: A Geological and Natural History, which is a much more detailed geology book, but still targeted at the interested layman.I

Thomas L. Friedman: Hot, Flat, and Crowded

2008-10-05T22:05:00.003-05:00

Wow! I’ve read fun books, exciting books, and informative books. Thomas Friedman’s Hot, Flat, and Crowded just might be an important book. I enjoyed his The World Is Flat, although I was way behind the world in reading it. I thought he made some very clear and coherent points about the international market place, and how silly some politicians sound railing against forces of economics and free

Robert A Heinlein: Friday

2008-09-13T16:03:00.003-05:00

I’ve had a copy of Robert A. Heinlein’s Friday since it came out in paperback in 1982. I’m sure I read it back then, but as I re-read it I remembered absolutely NOTHING. Normally I would remember major plot lines, or significant events, just not contextual details. Maybe the difference this time is that there are no major plot lines or significant events.Miss Friday is a genetically enhanced and

W. S. Nye: Carbine & Lance

2008-09-07T17:24:00.004-05:00

I bought Carbine & Lance The Story of Old Fort Sill by Colonel W. S. Nye a long time ago when I was stationed at Fort Sill. I started it back then, but did not get more than a few pages into it. I was not really very good with non-fiction in those days. I finally read it a few months ago at a time that I was applying for a job with the Oklahoma Historical Society. The first edition was written in

Brad Meltzer: The Book of Lies

2008-09-07T15:24:00.003-05:00

How do you tie Cain’s murder of Able, the creation of the Superman comics, and a modern day thriller together? That’s the challenge Brad Meltzer accepted in The Book of Lies. Apparently he has wanted to write this story for years. I suppose his success with earlier books gave him the courage to write, and his publisher courage to accept this story.We already know that early in Genesis Cain kills

Lee Child: Killing Floor

2008-09-05T14:47:00.004-05:00

Lee Child wrote the Jack Reacher novels in a way that it does not matter what order you read them in. At least that’s what his web site says. And I mostly agree. But after reading several, I still had some questions about Reacher’s background – why he lives the way he does. So I picked up a copy of Killing Floor – it seemed to have the oldest copyright date.I did learn more about Reacher’s past,

Douglas Preston: Blasphemy

2008-09-04T15:17:00.003-05:00

I bought Douglas Preston’s Blasphemy because I was interested in the context. It deals with a fictional US supercollider and the friction between science and religion. I was disappointed when the real US supercollider lost funding, so I was interested to see what Preston would do with the theme. This is my first Preston book, so I was not sure what to expect.In this story, Gregory North Hazelius

David Guterson: The Other

2008-08-31T10:48:00.002-05:00

The Other by David Guterson came highly recommended by Book of the Month Club. And it actually is pretty good. I suspect my brother would love it. But even though it is relatively short (256 pages), I have to give it credit for helping me catch up on my reviews – because it is so put-downable.John William Barry and Neil Countryman meet in high school on opposing teams at a Seattle track meet.

Brad Meltzer: The First Counsel

2008-08-30T14:08:00.003-05:00

My first Brad Meltzer book is The First Counsel. I re-read it, partly to see why I started buying his books. I’ve read three more since the first reading. As a matter of fact, I’ve been doing quite a bit or re-reading lately because I have slowed down on buying new books. Besides, if you never re-read, what’s the point of owning books in the first place.We meet Michael Garrick on his first date

Christopher Paolini: Eldest

2008-08-29T11:58:00.002-05:00

With the approach of the publication of Brisingr, final volume of Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance cycle, on September 20, I have re-read the second volume, Eldest. (I re-read and reviewed Eragon in April.) I mainly wanted to get back up to speed on the story line.A quick observation is that either I was in a better mood with Eldest than Eragon, or Paolini’s writing has improved as he has added

Christopher Reich: Numbered Account

2008-08-28T14:05:00.002-05:00

I’ve read several books by Christopher Reich, but Numbered Account was his first. I decided to re-read it. I figured it must have been good, or I would never have bought any more. I was right.Nick Neumann is a top grad from Harvard Business School, and gives up a prestigious job on Wall Street to move to Zurich and work for the United Swiss Bank. Nick has dual US /Swiss citizenship, because his

Michael Crichton: The Great Train Robbery

2008-08-26T12:17:00.003-05:00

The Great Train Robbery was the first Michael Crichton book I ever read. In some ways that probably helps explain why it was eighteen years before I read another. Before re-reading it this summer, I remember almost nothing. About all I could tell you was that some folks robbed a train, and that at some point in the preparations a boy was sent through a small window to let other conspirators

Robert B. Parker: Resolution

2008-08-26T10:16:00.002-05:00

Robert B. Parker’s Resolution is a follow on to his first western, Appaloosa. It features the same main characters, Everett Hitch and Virgil Cole. Although in this case Hitch is in the town of Resolution for quite a while before Virgil Cole drifts in to hang out with him.Everett Hitch takes a job in Resolution as “looout” in a saloon owned by Amos Wolfson. His eight gauge shotgun proves to be an

Judy Mercer: Fast Forward

2008-08-23T14:32:00.002-05:00

I enjoy stories where an unusual event changes the life of an otherwise normal person. Fast Forward by Judy Mercer falls into this category.The book opens with a woman waking up, the room is a blur, and she does not recognize it. She also does not recognize the face in the mirror. The blurring cleared up when she found a pair of glasses. She found a German Shepard in the house, who seemed to be

Lee Child: Nothing to Lose

2008-08-21T14:28:00.002-05:00

I first met Jack Reacher in Lee Child’s One Shot. He is quite a character, so I’ve joined him for several more of his escapades. The latest one is in Nothing to Lose.Jack Reacher is an ex-major in the Army Military Police. But he has dramatically simplified his life. He has no encumbrances, no home, no luggage, no vehicle. But he does have an ATM card that seems able to take care of most of his

Robert B. Parker: Appaloosa

2008-08-21T11:06:00.001-05:00

I recently saw an announcement for Robert B. Parker’s new western, Resolution. As I added it to my wish list, I decided to re-read his first western, Appaloosa. Parker is best known for he Spencer detective novels, as well as his Jesse Stone and Sunny Randall mysteries. As far as I know, Appaloosa is his first foray into the western genre.The story is told from the perspective of Everett Hitch,

Nelson DeMille: Spencerville

2008-08-18T21:43:00.003-05:00

I enjoyed Nelson DeMille’s Spencerville fourteen years ago, so decided to read it again. It is pure escapism, and enjoyable for that. I remembered a guy, a girl, a romantic attachment, and a corrupt cop that they were trying to get away from.Well, the guy is Keith Landry. After 25 years of service as a “Cold Warrior” he is forcibly retired as part of the “Peace Dividend”. So he leaves Washington

Jeff Shaara: The Steel Wave

2008-08-18T11:47:00.002-05:00

Since I’m running so far behind on my reviews, I might as well do The Steel Wave now. As I said in the review of The Rising Tide, this is the second volume in Jeff Shaara’s World War II trilogy. This volume covers the D-Day landing in Normandy, and the Allied breakout from their beachheads.Key characters again include Erwin Rommel, Dwight Eisenhower, George Patton, Bernard Montgomery, and in an

Jeff Shaara: The Rising Tide

2008-08-16T13:35:00.002-05:00

I re-read The Rising Tide by Jeff Shaara since I was about to read the second volume of his World War II trilogy, The Steel Wave. Jeff Shaara made his success with Civil War novels, picking up where his father (Michael Shaara) left off. The Shaara approach is to pick key players, particularly opposing generals, as well as representative small players, and to tell the story in their words.These

David Baldacci: The Winner

2008-08-15T15:44:00.003-05:00

I remembered The Winner as being one of my favorite David Baldacci books. So I decided to re-read it. I did not remember much. But I did remember that it was about someone fixing the lottery. And I remembered that someone caught on because for a twelve month period none of the winners went bankrupt. I always thought it was in interesting commentary that most lottery winners lose everything within

William L Sullivan: Oregon’s Greatest Natural Disasters

2008-08-11T22:11:00.002-05:00

Guest Review by Kit BradleyAugust 2, 2008The Cascadia subduction zone lies a few miles off the Oregon coast. Every three to six hundred years the Pacific Plate and Juan de Fuca Plate slide, and Oregon gets a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and resulting tsunami. The last event was in 1700, so we’re due any time now for the next. Unfortunately, those beautiful 1930’s coast river bridges I mentioned in

Harlan Coben: Hold Tight

2008-08-11T21:59:00.002-05:00

I’ve been reading Harlan Coben since Just One Look. I love the turmoil he causes ordinary people through a simple incident.In Hold Tight, Tia and Mike Baye install a spy program on their 16 year old son’s computer. Adam Baye has been acting strangely since a good friend, Spencer Hill killed himself. They find a message “It’s long over. Just stay quiet and all safe.” So what’s going on with Adam?

William L Sullivan: The Case of Einstein’s Violin

2008-08-10T15:12:00.003-05:00

Guest Review by Kit BradleyJuly 31, 2008Bill Sullivan is a Eugene author, best known for his 100 Hiking Trails In… genre of books. In recent years he has been expanding his repertoire with various travel books, some history, and now fiction. The Case of Einstein’s Violin is his second novel. I’d read his first novel, and it was interesting, but largely because of its Eugene and Oregon

Kyle Mills: Rising Phoenix

2008-08-10T14:58:00.003-05:00

Can we eliminate the drug problem in the US by poisoning the supply of illegal narcotics? That’s the central theme of Rising Phoenix a first novel by Kyle Mills. I recently re-read the book. And reminded myself of why I have bought several of his later books.According to ex-DEA agent, John Hobart, poisoning the narcotics supply is the secret dream of many law-enforcement officers. It certainly

Joe R Blakely: Lifting Oregon Out of the Mud: Building the Oregon Coast Highway and Kidnapped…On Oregon’s Coast Highway

2008-08-09T14:54:00.007-05:00

Guest Review by Kit BradleyJuly 28, 2008If you read my earlier reviews, you can guess where I met Joe Blakely… Yes, at the Authors and Artists fair last December, benefiting the Eugene Public Library. I am an easy mark for authors that I meet in person, and I bought quite a few books that day, including these two from Joe Blakely.I was intrigued with Blakely’s two-book effort. First he

David Baldacci: The Whole Truth

2008-07-27T22:57:00.003-05:00

David Baldacci takes his style of thriller international with The Whole Truth. And he gives us a new suite of interesting characters. Shaw is a reluctant “good guy”, working for some strange agency and boss that he hates. Anna Fischer is the love of his life. Katie James is a journalist with a glorious past and disastrous present. Nicolas Creel is a defense contractor, and Dick Pender is his

Sandra Brown: Ricochet

2008-07-08T22:49:00.003-05:00

Earlier this year I attended a graduation ceremony at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. At the beginning of the ceremony, they awarded an honorary doctorate to Sandra Brown. I had been aware of her books for a long time, but for some reason that I can’t explain, I had never read one. I was impressed by what they said about her, so I decided it was time to try her.I picked Ricochet out of

Barbara Kingsolver: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - A Year of Food Life

2008-07-06T21:37:00.002-05:00

Guest Review by Kit BradleyJune 25, 2008A friend loaned us Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. I wasn’t really planning on reading this book, but there it was. Since we’d better give it back before too long, I put it at the top of the pile.To read, or not to read? On the plus side, I’d recently finished reading (out loud to my wife Sue) Animal Dreams, a novel by Barabara Kingsolver

Howard Fast: April Morning

2008-07-06T20:20:00.003-05:00

I picked up a copy of April Morning by Howard Fast because somewhere I read that it was the first novel in John Jakes’ library of historical fiction. I figured Jakes would know historical fiction because he wrote some commercially successful Civil War novels. His North and South made a pretty good mini-series. And I like historical fiction, especially set in the American Revolution.Adam Cooper

Robert A Heinlein: Time Enough For Love

2008-07-05T22:56:00.003-05:00

Guest Review by Kit BradleyJune 14, 2008Time Enough For Love has been sitting on the top shelf of a bookcase facing my favorite chair in the library, staring down at me for many years now. I first read this science fiction story by Robert Heinlein when I was in college, and it really appealed to me. The hero, Lazarus Long, has lived for a couple thousand years, and he has had time to do about

John Lescroart: Betrayal

2008-04-23T14:50:00.003-05:00

I’ve only read one John Lescroart novel before – The Hunt Club. But I enjoyed it, so I decided to try his latest – Betrayal. As it turn out, Wyatt Hunt makes a cameo appearance in the new book.The book opens with a Prologue set in 2006. Dismas Hardy is a San Francisco lawyer who agrees to clean up the open cases of a lawyer who has disappeared. The only interesting case deals with the National

Christopher Paolini: Eragon

2008-04-22T21:43:00.002-05:00

I recently saw an email announcing Brisingr, Book Three in the Inheritance cycle by Christopher Paolini. So to bring myself back up to speed on the story, I decided it was time to re-read Eragon, the first book. After I finished, I noticed that the announcement was earlier than I expected. The new book is not due until September 20. So obviously I jumped the gun. I’ll re-read Eldest in August or

Kate Wilhelm: Sleight of Hand - A Barbara Holloway Legal Thriller

2008-04-21T13:07:00.003-05:00

Guest Review by Kit BradleyApril 19, 2008My wife Sue meets Kate Wilhelm each year at the Eugene (Oregon) Library Authors and Artists fair, and each year picks up another one or two of Kate’s mystery novels. Wanting some relaxing, easy reading, I grabbed Sleight of Hand off our to-be-read bookcase and gave it a go. It was what I hoped for, a good murder mystery that was easy to pick up and keep

Alexandre Dumas: The Count of Monte Cristo

2008-04-09T13:40:00.004-05:00

After being disappointed by Alexandre Dumas’ The Last Cavalier, I needed to find out if my fond memories of The Count of Monte Cristo were justified. Did The Last Cavalier suffer from bad translation, lack of polish due to Dumas’ death, or overly high expectations based on my faulty memory.I remembered absolutely nothing from my reading 40 years ago. In his introduction, the interpreter, Robin

John Grisham: The Appeal

2008-03-21T10:27:00.005-05:00

What does a company do when faced with a huge settlement after losing a law suit? Appeal of course. In John Grisham’s new book, The Appeal, that is exactly what Krane Chemical Corporation does.But this is after all, a John Grisham novel, so someone’s going to play dirty. In this case Carl Trudeau steps up to keep the plot moving. He is the majority owner of Krane Chemical and many other companies

Robert Harris: The Ghost

2008-03-17T13:01:00.002-05:00

How refreshing! I just finished a book that was fun, fast paced, and hard to put down. Several of the books I’ve read recently were harder than this. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by Robert Harris (which is almost everything he’s written). The Ghost did not disappoint.Our protagonist is a professional ghostwriter. He has several celebrity autobiographies to his credit. But now he is selected

Alexandre Dumas: The Last Cavalier

2008-03-13T12:56:00.004-05:00

As a long time fan of Alexandre Dumas (The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, etc.) I was excited to hear of an English translation of a long lost novel – The Last Cavalier. With the subtitle – Being the Adventures of Count Sainte-Hermine in the Age of Napolean – I anticipated a 19th century D’Artagnan running around doing brave, foolish, and occasionally humorous things. I expected

John Daniel: Rogue River Journal, A Winter Alone

2008-03-11T09:59:00.004-05:00

Guest Review by Kit BradleyMarch 10, 2008I met John Daniel at an authors and artists fair benefiting the Eugene Public Library. He told me Rogue River Journal was not about hardship and roughing it for the winter, but rather about his experiment with solitude and creativity. That sounded good, so I bought the book, and read it – but it wasn’t at all what I expected. John takes off in

Elizabeth Gilbert: Eat, Pray, Love

2008-02-21T09:19:00.004-06:00

Guest Review by Kit BradleyFebruary 20, 2008After going through a devastating divorce, Elizabeth Gilbert takes a year long trip to Italy, India, and Bali – and rebuilds herself emotionally and spiritually. I’d say this is a chick flick, er… chick book. Roughly two thirds of the reviews quoted on Gilbert’s web site are by women. The book is full of emotional and spiritual crises and enlightenments

Joseph Weisberg: An Ordinary Spy

2008-02-17T13:21:00.003-06:00

An Ordinary Spy by Joseph Weisberg is unlike any spy novel I’ve ever read. Since I like spy stories, that’s not necessarily a good thing. But actually, in this case, it works out.The story is an intertwining narrative of two CIA case officers operating in the same foreign city separated by a few years. The protagonist is Mark Ruttenburg, a struggling new CIA employee. His predecessor is Bobby

Stef Penney: The Tenderness of Wolves

2008-02-16T23:16:00.003-06:00

I find myself wondering what the difference is between literary fiction, historical fiction, and a murder mystery. The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney seems to be all three. Two things we don’t see a lot of are tenderness and wolves.The story takes place in the 1860’s in the Canadian wilderness, north of Lake Huron. That’s a historical period. The protagonist, Mrs. Ross, finds the body of a

Richard North Patterson: The Race

2008-02-13T13:15:00.005-06:00

Richard North Patterson is known for his murder/lawyer stories with political overtones. I’ve always enjoyed them. In The Race he skips the murder and lawyers, sticking strictly to politics – a presidential election.Corey Grace is a Republican Senator and war hero who tends toward the moderate wing of his party. He votes for what he believes is correct, regardless of what party leadership would

P.W. Atkins: The Periodic Kingdom

2008-02-11T21:10:00.003-06:00

Anyone who assumes that a book about the periodic table of chemical elements would be boring seems pretty rational. But they also have probably not been exposed to The Science Masters Series.The Periodic Kingdom: A Journey into the Land of the Chemical Elements by P.W. Atkins is from that series. It is a delightful little book (149 pages) written by an expert, for non-chemists. Not only does

Ken Follett: World Without End

2008-02-11T12:37:00.000-06:00

Fourteenth century England is not a gentle time. The word of the master is absolute law. Corporal and capital punishment is routine for the smallest infractions. And failure to pay debts, especially to the local lord, is unforgivable. Dangers abound in lawlessness, accidents, and illness. Most health issues are fatal, because medicine is based in dogma, not science.Ken Follett’s World Without End

Tony Hillerman: Skeleton Man

2008-02-05T09:15:00.000-06:00

Guest Review by Kit BradleyFebruary 4, 2008My wife Sue and I have enjoyed reading Tony Hillerman novels for years. I just now counted 15 of his books on our bookshelves. Skeleton Man continues Tony Hillerman’s genre of mysteries set in the desert southwest, although this time not on the Navaho reservation.We meet again the “legendary” Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, now retired, and the younger

Rick Atkinson: The Day of Battle

2008-02-02T12:47:00.000-06:00

The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943 - 1944 by Rick Atkinson is the second volume in the Liberation Trilogy. The first volume, An Army at Dawn dealt with the North Africa campaign. This volume covers the invasions of Sicily and Italy, through the capture of Rome.The book starts with the strategic discussions of what to do with all these troops that just finished conquering North

Ayn Rand: Atlas Shrugged

2008-02-02T11:38:00.002-06:00

Guest Review by Kit BradleyFebruary 1, 2008“I swear—by my life and my love of it—that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.”I just finished reading Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand, all one thousand one hundred and sixty eight pages of it. It was quite an experience.Ayn Rand has a very strong and comprehensive philosophy that describes the perfect man

Joseph Finder: Power Play

2007-11-20T20:01:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I read Power Play by Joseph Finder. Jake Landry is invited as a last minute substitute to a corporate retreat at a lodge in the Canadian wilderness. He’s not sure why he has been invited to rub shoulders with all the corporate top executives. He’s got strong technical skills that may be useful to some of the decisions to be made. But the corporate politics could be bad for his

David Baldacci: Stone Cold

2007-11-20T15:44:00.000-06:00

David Baldacci’s new book, Stone Cold features a third visit from Oliver Stone and the Camel Club. They are joined by their Secret Service friend, Alex Ford, whom we met in the fist book, The Camel Club, and by the con artist Annabelle Conroy, whom we met in The Collectors. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and tended to neglect my wife and granddaughter before finishing.This time Oliver Stone’s

Charles McCarry: Christopher's Ghosts

2007-11-15T21:34:00.000-06:00

In Christopher’s Ghosts by Charles McCarry we meet Paul Christopher as a 16 year old in Berlin in 1939. With an American father and a German mother and an American passport you might think he would be somewhat protected from Nazi abuses. But his family is no friend to the Nazis. So the Nazis, at personified by Gestapo officer Franz Stutzer, push hard on his family. Surprisingly, it seems that his

Patricia Beard: Blue Blood & Mutiny

2007-11-12T22:58:00.000-06:00

Blue Blood and Mutiny: The Fight for the Soul of MorganStanley by Patricia Beard is a business book about the importance of corporate culture.MorganStanley came into existence during the depression, when Congress passed a law prohibiting banks to be involved in both commercial and investment banking. JP Morgan remained in commercial banking, while several partners, including Henry Morgan and

John Ferling: Almost A Miracle

2007-11-11T22:04:00.002-06:00

I’ve just finished Almost a Miracle: The American Victory in the War of Independence by John Ferling.Back in 2003 I read A Leap in the Dark: The Struggle to Create the American Republic by the same author. A Leap in the Dark was a look at the amazing challenges faced and overcome in creating a republic in an age of monarchy. It covers the politics from colonial resistance, through establishment

J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the ...

2007-11-09T12:10:00.000-06:00

Can a grown man admit to liking Harry Potter? I hope so, because I’m doing that now. But it’s hard to think of what to say that hasn’t already been said. Mainly I feel that this series entered my life as a good friend, and it’s a little sad to know there aren’t more books coming. But I know that in a couple years I can reread the entire series and enjoy it again.I’ve always wondered about the

John Twelve Hawks: The Dark River and The Traveler

2007-10-31T12:21:00.000-05:00

Recently, John Twelve Hawks published The Dark River the second volume in his Fourth Realm Trilogy. I remember reading the first, The Traveler when it came out in 2005. I remember it being a little weird, and I don’t always like weird. So I pulled out The Traveler and re-read it. Turns out that this time weird is OK.In The Traveler we learn the underlying philosophy. Our life on Earth is part of

John Grisham: Playing for Pizza

2007-10-30T16:16:00.000-05:00

I just finished John Grisham's Playing for Pizza. It is a pleasant little book. Like his earlier A Painted House, it is not a lawyer book. Unlike A Painted House, this book is pretty light hearted.The basic story is about a not so great NFL quarterback who is not ever going to make it big. After all his choices run out, he goes to play in the Italian football league. The description of Rick