A Supremely Bad Idea: Three Mad Birders and Their Quest to See It All by Luke Dempsey
This book is kind of a travel memoir around the author's birding trips with his friends. He gives some of his personal background, some local history of the areas he visits, and lots of information about the birds he sees. He and his traveling partners run into some colorful folk along the way that make for entertaining stories.
The writing is light-hearted and humorous but I didn't find myself getting carried away by it. It was entertaining but not a "must read." I never got caught up in the birding aspect either although I do find myself paying a bit more attention now when a bird flies by.
Review originally posted to LibraryThing (LT review, 10/13/09) as part of its Early Reviewers program
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Sunday, August 09, 2009
Book Review: Guardian of Lies
Guardian of Lies by Steve Martini
This was my first Steve Martini book in about 10 years, featuring attorney Paul Madriani. This time around Paul meets a young woman in a grocery store and gets mixed up in a terrorist plot ... complete with a Soviet scientist, nuclear weapons, and escapees from Guantanamo. At times the technical details of the weapon got to be a bit much for me, but skimming over them didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the story. There were also several references to previous Paul Madriani novels that regular readers would understand, but, again, nothing that kept me from following the storyline.
Overall, it was an entertaining read. A great way to escape for a few hours.
Review originally posted to LibraryThing (LT review, 8/9/09) as part of its Early Reviewers program
This was my first Steve Martini book in about 10 years, featuring attorney Paul Madriani. This time around Paul meets a young woman in a grocery store and gets mixed up in a terrorist plot ... complete with a Soviet scientist, nuclear weapons, and escapees from Guantanamo. At times the technical details of the weapon got to be a bit much for me, but skimming over them didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the story. There were also several references to previous Paul Madriani novels that regular readers would understand, but, again, nothing that kept me from following the storyline.
Overall, it was an entertaining read. A great way to escape for a few hours.
Review originally posted to LibraryThing (LT review, 8/9/09) as part of its Early Reviewers program
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Book Review: Soldier's Heart
Soldier's Heart: Reading Literature Through Peace and War at West Point by Elizabeth D. Samet
This was an interesting book by a civilian English teacher at West Point. She shares her initial impressions of the school and how she adapts to the military lifestyle ... gives some history of the school and its alumni ... and shares her experiences getting to know her students, both while they are at school and also after they have entered active service.
It was interesting to see which books she chose to teach and how she connected the themes in them to the experiences of the cadets, the military, and current events. In addition, she includes insights shared with her via email by former students serving in Iraq. I also loved that she included discussions of classic movies as well as books. (I added several titles to my Netflix queue as I read!)
Overall, it was a good read although it dragged in parts for me. I never quite clicked with her writing style and found myself somewhat annoyed at having to stop and re-read sentences that just didn't "flow" for me.
Review originally posted to LibraryThing (LT review, 6/20/09) as part of its Early Reviewers program
This was an interesting book by a civilian English teacher at West Point. She shares her initial impressions of the school and how she adapts to the military lifestyle ... gives some history of the school and its alumni ... and shares her experiences getting to know her students, both while they are at school and also after they have entered active service.
It was interesting to see which books she chose to teach and how she connected the themes in them to the experiences of the cadets, the military, and current events. In addition, she includes insights shared with her via email by former students serving in Iraq. I also loved that she included discussions of classic movies as well as books. (I added several titles to my Netflix queue as I read!)
Overall, it was a good read although it dragged in parts for me. I never quite clicked with her writing style and found myself somewhat annoyed at having to stop and re-read sentences that just didn't "flow" for me.
Review originally posted to LibraryThing (LT review, 6/20/09) as part of its Early Reviewers program
Book Review: Beat the Reaper
Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell
This is the story of Dr. Peter Brown ... a former mob hitman, now in the witness protection program, and a hospital intern. His former life and his current life collide when a former mob associate comes into the hospital as a patient. While the story moves along in the current day, we also learn through flashbacks about his early life in the mob and his search for answers to his grandparents' murder.
It is an incredibly violent story at times but it was a fun read. I had to suspend disbelief through much of it, because one person could not possibly experience all this ... but it was certainly entertaining.
Review originally posted to LibraryThing (LT review, 6/20/09) as part of its Early Reviewers program
This is the story of Dr. Peter Brown ... a former mob hitman, now in the witness protection program, and a hospital intern. His former life and his current life collide when a former mob associate comes into the hospital as a patient. While the story moves along in the current day, we also learn through flashbacks about his early life in the mob and his search for answers to his grandparents' murder.
It is an incredibly violent story at times but it was a fun read. I had to suspend disbelief through much of it, because one person could not possibly experience all this ... but it was certainly entertaining.
Review originally posted to LibraryThing (LT review, 6/20/09) as part of its Early Reviewers program
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