Thursday, November 14, 2019

Cold Hearted River by Keith McCafferty

Book 6 of the Sean Stranahan series. This is a good one with a good mystery and a tie-in with Ernest Hemingway.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Angels Flight by Michael Connelly

Next in the Harry Bosch series. Solid entry.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Fields of Fire by James Webb

Vietnam War novel I've been intending to read for many years, and finally got around to it. An excellent read and highly recommended, although I don't think it is quite as good as Matterhorn or The 13th Valley. All three are outstanding.

Thursday, September 5, 2019

Aftermath by James Rickards

Rickards latest book that discusses the financial and economic crisis and how to deal with it.

Saturday, August 10, 2019

The Return of Captain John Emmett by Elizabeth Speller

My favorite reading experience is finding a book that looks interesting at a library sale or used bookstore, and reading it without knowing much about it. I found this book at a Topsfield Library booksale at a craft fair.

It's a mystery story set during and right after WW1. The Captain John Emmett of the title is a man we never meet, the story starting after this man has (ostensibly) committed suicide. The main character, Laurance Bartram, is another WW1 veteran with a past, although slight, relationship to Emmett. He investigates Emmett's death at the behest of Emmett's sister Mary, who Bartram has an interest in.

Naturally there is more to Captain Emmett's death than first meets the eye. This is a good, satisfying mystery story.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Aristotle's Revenge by Edward Feser

Detailed defense of the notion that the philosophy of Aristotle is actually the best foundation for modern science - rather than something that has been superseded by modern science. Feser is always worth reading

The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger

Decent novel concerning admissions to a school for the gifted, and the strain this puts on a circle of moms all vying to get their kids admitted. If you've seen the TV show Big Little Lies, it's that sort of story.

It was good enough that I will likely try Holsinger's other novels, which are historical fiction.

Sunday, July 7, 2019

China's Great Wall of Debt by Dinny McMahon

Eye-opening exploration of the Chinese economic miracle, how it came about, and the challenges it faces. Suffice it to say that China has big, big problems.

Sunday, June 23, 2019

Edmund Campion by Evelyn Waugh

Waugh's short and very readable biography of the Jesuit martyr. Salutary reading in these days when it will likely become increasingly difficult to remain a faithful Catholic.

Saturday, May 25, 2019

Wolf Pack by CJ Box

Latest in the Joe Pickett series - number 19 I believe. It's a solid entry, but at this point the series isn't breaking much new ground and is a bit formulaic. The series is still good enough that I'll keep up with further installments.

Sunday, May 19, 2019

Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard

I've not read Leonard before, but Jackie Brown is one of my favorite movies, so I thought I'd read the book on which it is based. The movie has the same general plot as the book, but differs in some details (for instance, Jackie is white in the book and her name is Jackie Burke).  The book is excellent.

Friday, May 10, 2019

Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

April Book of the Month Club selection. A legal thriller in the context of a Korean immigrant family. Excellent.

Friday, May 3, 2019

Submission by Michel Houellebecq

Written in 2015, this a novel set in the early 2020's in France. It tells the story of a university professor caught up in the transformation of France into an Islamic State. An excellent story and a quick read.

Monday, April 22, 2019

Hitler's Greatest Defeat by Paul Adair

This refers to Operation Bagration, the Soviet Summer Offensive that began on June 22, 1944. We in the West focus primarily on DDay as the major military event of Summer '44, but it was Bagration that really did in the Wehrmacht, which saw 30 divisions destroyed in the matter of a few weeks.  This book is a concise, quick read on the subject.

Saturday, April 13, 2019

Suicide of the West by James Burnham

Conservative classic written in the early 60's that I finally got around to reading.

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

The Disappeared by CJ Box

Second to latest in the Joe Pickett series. Nothing special for the series, but then the series is pretty consistently good.

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson

My March selection for the Book of the Month Club and a decent if not exceptional thriller.

Buffalo Jump Blues by Keith McCafferty

Book 5 in the Sean Stranahan series and a solid entry.

Sunday, January 27, 2019

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Aaron got me a book-of-the-month subscription for Christmas, and this was my January selection. It's a decent psychological thriller. Not the type of book I would have normally selected for myself. I think it's good Aaron has got me reading things I normally wouldn't.

The Idol of Our Age by Daniel J. Mahoney

Nice book discussing the "religion of humanity" and its subversion of Christianity.