The Little Drummer Girl (69)

The Little Drummer Girl (69)
John le Carre'

This book took me forever to finish.. I won't even say how long I have been reading it. I have been off work and trying to read it, but not making much headway. Sometimes the leCarre books take me a while.. they are good but so complex that it is hard to get into a rhythm with them.
**spoilers**
This is the story of Charlie, a stage actress from England that is recruited by the Isrealies to be a counter agent to get close to a Palistenian they want to kill. As with many of leCarre's book you can never quite tell who side anybody is on.. even at the very end you are not sure which side Charlie is on.. and in the end the side doesn't matter because she is dead inside and unsure what to think.

It was a good book but very confusing at times.. read it when you have the time to read it quickly so you can keep track of all the characters and which side they are (suppose) to be on.

The Only Travel Guide You'll Ever Need (68)

The Only Travel Guide You'll Ever Need
Dave Barry

Ah, Dave Barry.. what more do I need to say... A quick book to try to get my year end total up to 70.. I am also working on a LeCarre book that is taking much longer than I anticipated to get through.
Dave takes a look at travel, restaurants, airlines, and currency exchange, through his twisted view of reality.

December 6 (67)

December 6
Martin Cruz Smith

Smith is one of my favorite authors.. known for taking a deep (and often historical accurate) look in his books. This concerns Harry Niles a gaijin (foreigner) living in Japan. Except he IS Japanese, son of missionaries, he grew up in Japan, and lived among the Japanese as his parents (whom he detested) traveled trying to convert souls. Now an adult and owns a bar, and runs various scams. The war with China has brought mixed feelings, the diplomatic community does not think that Japan will attack the US.. But Harry has bigger problems like the Col who wants him dead, and his girlfriend who thinks double suicide is romantic.. and the husband of his mistress.
He seems to avoid the bigger problems.. but will he escape Japan and return to the US like his money did?
The book has more to do with his problems, and very little to do with Perl Harbor.. but still a good book.

SS-GB (66)

SS-GB
Len Deighton

Deighton sets a premise that in 1941 Hitler invades Great Britain and wins. The story follows Archer, a Scotland Yard detective with his new Nazi masters. He is investigating a murder which everybody in Berlin is *very* interested in. He slips between the Nazi power brokers and the resistance with equal ease and you are never quite sure which side he is on. Set against the backdrop you learn about life in GB under Nazi occupation. Not quite the police state you might expect.. but more like war time in GB.. rations, curfews, shortages.
I understand that this is one of the great books in the alternative ending genere. Many people criticized Deighton because he was light on details about how England lost the war etc. But that is not the point of the book. It is just the back drop.. by giving few details it leaves it up to the reader to decide what must have happened.
One thing that struck me while I was reading this was the similarity between the main character Douglas Archer and Bernard Sampson lead character of the Game, Set, Match - Hook, Line, Sinker - Hope, Faith, Charity trilogies. SS-GB was written in 1978, five years before Berlin Game came out in 1983 introducing Bernard Sampson. Both characters have lost their wife (Archer loses Jill in a bombing, Sampson's wife defects) and have small children to raise (Archer a son, Sampson son and daughter). Both have "foreign" bosses. Archer has his Nazi masters, and Keller is trying hard to be British, just as Brett, the American tries to be in the Sampson stories. Their techniques seem similar also.. lots of looking things over and trying to figure out what is going on.. moving easily between different opposing groups.. always lots of friends to help out... I think in some ways Archer was the early character development which would become Sampson.

Fill'er Up (65)

Fill'er Up
An Architectural History of Americas Gas Stations
by Daniel I Vieyra

This was a look at the architecture of gas stations. I was hoping this might be more about the gas stations from the standpoint of the gas companies, styles, time periods etc. But this did give some insight into the development of the gas station. Originally they did not have to do anything.. people would find them.. as cars grew in popularity, the gas stations had to find a way to disquingish themselves from every other gas station. One way to do this was with a consistent image. So, even though you were far from home.. you could stop that the friendly Standard station and it would be just like at home..
There were 3 phases.. Respectable.. stations that fit into the community... that did not stand out, but that mimicked and complimented the other buildings in the community.
Domestic.. Minimizing community opposition.. this was often done by disguising the stations and equipment.
Functions was championed by people like Frank Lloyd Wright.. being just what it is and nothing more or less. He foresaw the gas station becoming a neighborhood distribution center, a meeting place, a restaurant, a restroom..
In the 60's First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson headed up a beautiful America campaign, and called together the oil companies to see what they could do to beautiful gas stations.. Interesting that the look of a gas station would be elevated to a presidential issues :)
It is intersting to reflect that there are no service stations anymore.. I live in a fair sized town.. and there are none that I can find. If you want your car serviced take it to a dealership. I remember only 15 years ago taking my car to the Shell station down the street for service... the station is still there.. but gone are the service bays... there is a McDonalds there now in its place.

Tutankhamun (64)

Tutankhamun, The Golden age of the Pharohs
Zahi Hawass

This is the companion book that goes with the Tutankhamun exhibit that is touring the US right now. Written by Zahi Hawass, who is the Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and published by National Geographic. This books gives detail on the life of Tutankhamun, from the days of his father and the Aten, to his life, and what normal life was like in Egypt at this time. It also looks in detail at the pieces that are in the exhibit, giving background, history, and meaning of each piece.
Where the last exhibit in the late 70s was only of Tut items and only from his tobm. This tour includes things that were from his ancestors, as well as items from Karnak. I saw the exhibits at the Field Museum this weekend and it was amazing.. having read the book beforehand made it that much more interesting.

Starship Troopers (63)

Starship Troopers (63)
Robert A Heinlein

A co-worker loaned me this book.. it is one of his favorites. Set in the future where there is a confederation of planets.. War is much the same.. it is still the job of the foot solider.. even if he is in a 'super suit'. This is the story of one solider, how he ended up in the service almost against his own wishes and how he grew to enjoy it. Against the background is a lot of social commentary, and you learn almost in passing how the society has changed.
Overall an enjoyable book.. I like the Social commentary more than the combat stuff.. another alternate view of the future. I was surprised to learn the book was written in 1959.. it was amazingly readable.. and gives an interesting view of future society and future technology.. both which seem believable.

The Moonshine War (62)

The Moonshine War
Elmore Leonard

This was set in the 1930s in southern KY. Where bootlegging is a way of life, even during prohibition. The story revolves around one man who lost his mother and wife to influenza while he was away fighting in WWI. I returns home and his father dies shortly after. His daddy an old bootlegger is reported to have put up 150 barrels of whiskey to age for 8 years.. and the time is almost up.. Greed sets in as everybody wants the whiskey.
The story becomes a familiar Leonard plot line.. it reminded me a lot of The Hunted. Out numbered and overwhelmed the siege sets in.
A very typical Leonard ending.. very fast and leaving the reader to assume how certain things work out.. I love endings like this.. because it is always as you want it :)

The World Trade Center: A Tribute (61)

The World Trade Center: A Tribute
By: Bill Harris

This was an interesting book. I looks at New York dating back to 1600's up to present to place the WTC in historical perspective. Talks about the skyscraper races of the 20's and then the lack of building after the war. The problems with getting WTC project going, and the reaction after it was done.. Then talked about World Financial Center that was build next to it (and survived). It was more than just about the building or just about the attacks.. but a nice look at it in context. I was surprised how well done the book was considering it was Copyright 2001, so it must have been shortly after the attacks. I picked it up at the dollar store 2 years ago and just now got around to reading it. Full of wonderful pictures both of New York, the building under construction and interior and exterior on the finished.

McNally's Luck (60)

McNally's Luck
Lawrence Sanders

I am not a big fan of the McNally series by Sanders, however this was a pretty good book. Archie gets involved in finding a missing cat that is being held for ransom. Then another client is receiving death threats, and is soon after killed... As the time goes by there are connections between the two cases. Lots of characters.. and you are trying to figure out the motivations in interconnections between them.
Sanders does a decent job in interconnecting characters.. The know each other or have links that are not obvious at first.

Over all a quick and enjoyable book!

Velocity (59)

Velocity (59)
Dean Koontz

Dean Koontz is an author I never get too excited about, yet I always enjoy his book. They are a fast read and it is usually a good story.
This is the story of Billy, he is a bartender with an odd past.. which we learn of in bits and pieces as the story unfolds.
I psycho is killing people, but making Billy decide who. Billy gets notes and his actions decide who dies. Even though Billy wants no part of this. But as Rush says in one of their songs, even when you dont choose, you still make a choice.
Billy races against time to try to figure out who is doing this, and also to cover up the growing number of bodies.
A good book, the ending was a bit weak, but he did wrap it up nicely!

Rivethead (58)

Rivethead
Ben Hamper

Ben Hamper works for GM in Flint. This is the story of life on the line. I have been aware of this book for many years.. Its seems like my (late) uncle read it and was talking about it. I also recall hearing an interview on the radio with him. A co-worker had to read it for a college class. It was recently listed as one of the 10 books you should read my Michigan authors.. so I added it to my reading list. Then I was visiting a friend and saw he had it so I borrowed it. I read it more because I felt I should, than because I thought I would enjoy it.. WOW, was I wrong.. I *really* enjoyed the book! I expected it to be a lot of rah, rah union stuff.. it was more about how he could not believe HOW much they were paying him... And when you are young and have a lot of money there is only 1 thing to do PARTY! Ben does a lot of drinking on and off the job.. they run scams, invent games, and do anything they can to beat the dreaded clock. In the end Ben has a nervous breakdown and in the end will not be able to work again...
It is an interesting story about a guy who never wanted to work at an auto plant.
I *highly* recommend this book!

Air Frame (57)

Air Frame
Michael Crichton

I always enjoy Crichton books, and this was not exception. He has this wonderful way of getting into technical details, but in a way that engages, rather than loses the reader. This book was about an airplane accident, and the woman who works for the mfg that is in charge of finding out what happened. There is a new multi-billion sale coming up and the problems of the accident need to be discovered and resoved before it effects the sale.. add to it a TV 'journalist' who has decided the plane is a 'deathtrap' and you can feel the frustration.
An excellent book :)

An Expensive Place to Die (56)

An Expensive Place to Die (56)
By Len Deighton

This was one of Deightons series of book about "Harry Palmer" although he is nameless in the book (Harry Palmer was the name given to him in the movies based on some of the books).
This one seemed somewhat pointless.. I never understood the motivations of the characters until toward the end. It was also set in Paris, with lots of French thrown in.. (I like the German books better- lol). In the end it was an interesting counter-espinoge premise..
The book was written in 1966, the year of my birth, 40 years ago.. It is interesting how the world has changed.. at least in political views. This talks about winning a nuclear war.. Also about a large battle of WWI fought in Europe.. that was still fresh in people memories. This didnt seem to have the typical style of Deighton in his Sampson books. It reminded me of John LeCarre's early books.. which would have been written about the same time. Perhaps this was the style of spy writting in the mid 60's?
Think I will read another one before I form a full opinion!

The Passion of Molly T (55)

The Passion of Molly T
by Lawrence Sanders

The Passion of Molly T, is actually more about her sister Ann H - lol. This is a book about a militant woman's group who basically become an organized, national, vigilante group, killing and destroying as they see fit. On the other side is a Southern Senator who is using them to propel himself into the national spotlight to get better name recogintion of the upcoming Presidential race. It is a Lawrence Sanders book so there is lots of sex (lesbian, married, gay, affairs, and devients).
This book is written in the style of an investigative report set about 3 ~ 5 years in the future. The cover page has a note from the author signed 9 years in the future (from when the book was published). Lots of side notes that talk about how historians view the period or event. It is an interesting way to forshadow things.
Over all I was not thrilled with the book, it was not one of Sanders best. On the other hand it was not bad either.. there are lots of players, and you are always trying to figure out what their real purpose is.
I did dislike the ending.. Brother Nabisco deserved better!

The DaVinci Code (54)

The DaVinci Code
Dan Brown

Wow... another great book by Dan Brown. I now understand what all the hype was about... I also see why the Catholics are all up in arms - lol.. But it is important to remember this is FICTION :) He weaves just enough fact to make people start believing... just like any good conspiracy theory should - lol.
I found this book extremely entertaining, and well written! I almost think I liked Angels and Demons better but both were excellent! One of the interesting thing is he talks a lot about art and historic churches and sites.. it is interesting to look these (real) places and art up to look at it. No it doesnt reveal secret information, but it is interesting! To show how popular the book is, I looked up the Mona Lisa which is mentioned in the book. The Lourve on their website actually address some of the claims made in his book, as they say they get a LOT of questions about it now. People come to see the painting for the connection to the book.
And I suppose anything that gets people interested in arts isn't all bad :)

Dave Barry Turns 40 (53)

Dave Barry Turns 40
By Dave Barry

I bought this book in 1992 and never read it... As I became active in reading again, and started reading a lot of Dave Barry books again, I have been saving this book until this year.. and then more toward September. I will turn 40 on Sept 10.
The book was amusing as I find all of Dave Barry's books... however I guess it wasnt as pointed to me turning 40 as I hoped it would be. A lot of the age based humor was aimed at his generation... lots of hippy/drug/60s music references. The book was good, just not quite what I hoped it would be.

The Switch (52)

The Switch
Elmore Leonard

I have reached a milestone! My goal in reading is to read the average of 1 book per week or 52 books per year. So I have reached this goal on 9/1/06 this year. This is a month ahead of the 9/29/05 where I reached 52 books last year.
It is also fitting that my 52nd book this year is a Leonard book, as he is my favorite author. This was a good book, in the classic Leonard style. Takes place in Detroit and the suburbs. This book involves kidnapping a woman to ransom her husband to give up some of the money is is skimming off his business and hiding in an off shore account.
This book has Ordell Robbie and Louis Garza who I am sure show up in another book, as well as Mickey Dawson who also seems familiar. I have started working on documenting Leonards books to see the overlap in the characters, but this will take a while.

Angels and Demons (51)

Angels and Demons
Dan Brown

Wow! This is prehaps the best book I have read all year.. Very interesting on a number of different levels.. History, ritual, science, secrets, puzzles, artwork...
The story was good.. at in the begining it seems like it would be predictable.. it was anyting but that.. the ending has more twists and turns than a mountain road.
This is Dan Browns 2nd book, which introduces the character that is also in his 4th book The DaVinci Cod.
I also picked up DaVinci Code and will be getting to that soon.

The Big Bounce (50)

The Big Bounce (50)
Elmore Leonard

This is an earlier Leonard book, that was republished after it was made into a movie. I picked up the paperback in a Dollar Store in Union SC :) Although this was written in 1969 it is still fresh and does not seem dated. Although at one point the main character is watching a Tigers game and Denny Mclain is pitching :0
Good story, but the ending is a bit different than I expected... Leonard books often have a twist at the end but this is different even for him.

I have decided I need to work harder to make sense of Leonard characters.. many of them reappear either in small or large rolls in different books.. will try to start documentaing that...

The House of Thunder (49)

The House of Thunder (49)
Dean Knoontz

This was a book originally released under a pen name, then later re-released under Knoontz own name. The story is good, but gets a bit tedious in the detail sometimes. Girl wakes up from a coma and finds that she doesnt remember much... soon details of her life come back, but she can not remember anything about her job.
When she was in college her boyfriend was killed in a hazing 'accident' she testifies against 4 people. 1 goes to jail, 2 others get killed some years later in a car accident and she loses track of the 4th.
**spoiler**
So she is very surpsied and frightened when she starts seeing these people in the hospital, especially the dead ones. The strange thing is, even through 13 years has passed the people look the same. She thinks she is going mad, until she starts to see cracks in the story...
The lead up to the story takes a bit long, then the conclusion is too fast... She learns she has been kidnapped by the Russians, she works for a defense contractor, and they are trying to find out information from her... The stay in the hospital was an elobrate rouge to make her break down so they could get information out of her.
Really intersting idea, and I wish he would have spent some more time on the ending and less on when she thought she was going crazy.
Overall a good book.. but certainly not one of his best.

Dave Barry is not making this up

Dave Barry is not making this up.
Dave Barry

I just realized I finished this book between Smileys People and Hey Ranger. This was the time I was on vacation and I never marked it down.. so we will call this #48 even though it occured earlier.
A great collection of Dave's columns. My favorites concern his boat called Buster and their adventures together ;0

Hey Ranger! (47)

Hey Ranger!
Jim Burnett

I picked this book up at the gift shop in the Great Smoky Mountains Nationa Park.. seemed like an appropriate place to buy a book by a retired ranger about interesting and amusing things that happen to Park Rangers.
An intersting look at silly, stupid and illegal things people do at National Parks.. It is meant to be light hearted and entertaining, which it was. It is amazing the things people will will say and do!
Much more than that, it gives you a deep apprecation for the job of park ranger.. many nights spend up working looking for lost people, helping at accidents, cleaning up enviromental spills, fighting fires, etc. etc. It is not so much a job in the sense of 9-5 but more like a lifestyle.. something you do all the time, and also involves your family.
As well as an understanding of the job and the people, Jim also gives great descriptions of the Parks themselves.. makes you want to go out and visit them!!

For more information please see the website Hey Ranger!

Smiley's People (46)

Smiley's People
By John LeCarre

The final book of the Karla trilogy.. and a very good story. In the end George wins, yet feels an odd sense of anti climax about the whole thing.
A wonderfully crafted book.. which in the end left me wondering.. what the hell was the second book all about? It really didnt seem to fit.. the only link to this story was some vauge reference to changes at the Circus while George was away.. Where were you George? Oh Yes Hong Kong....
This book was well done.. And I was very happy that I figured out the riddle of Tatiana along the way :)

1984 (44)

1984
George Orwell

This book has always been special to me as it is the year I graduated from High School. It is interesting to see how this book has influnced so many other books and authors. My favorite is The Tomorrow Files by Lawrence Sanders, which is not quite so dark, but still very enjoyable.
I found this book online and read it while at work. A nice way to get a little extra reading in.. a few minutes a day and had it read in a couple of weeks. I think I will continue with this.
There is really nothing to say about 1984.. if you have not read it, you should! And in the end "He loved Big Brother. "

The Honourable Schoolboy (43)

The Honourable Schoolboy
By John LeCarre

This is the second book in the Karla trilogy... It seemed to take me forever to read. And in the end.. I didn't really understand the significance... At best I hope this is a set up for the final book and that more will become evident..
This story concerns itself with Smiley getting his department together again, and investigating a 'gold seal' money paid from Russia to an agent? It was too much money for just an agent.. Nobody knows the whole story of anything that is going on.. so you are constantly trying to guess and fill in the missing pieces.. prehaps I did not do a good enough job of that. It isn't that I didnt enjoy the novel.. I just didnt quite get it.. In the end it seemed like a large setup for a very small pay off.. but maybe that was the point?

Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys (42)

Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys
Dave Barry

Dave Barry examines what a guy is... Why guy does the things he does? Well... because he is a GUY, of course! Also examines lots of stupid things that guys do.. and why women will never understand us!

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (41)

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
John LeCarre

Wow... is all I can say about this book! For those who don't like LeCarre, or think this book is a snoozer.. All I can say is you are missing the point. Not everything has to filled with excitement, car chases, shoot-outs etc. Sometimes the excitement is in the details... of pouring over information to find the connections between seemingly unconnected events. This is what Smiley did to find the biggest mole in the history of the Circus..
The book is *very* complex and detailed... Near the end I spent an hour and made notes and maps of the story to try to puzzle out what was happening.. the ending still surprised me... Brilliant!

Dave Barry In Cyberspace (40)

Dave Barry In Cyberspace
Dave Barry

I discovered Dave Barry when I was in 10th grade, and took a "Current Events" class which mostly involved watching the news on TV and reading the newspaper. Dave Barry's humor column was in the Detroit paper and I have always enjoyed his twisted sense of humor.
This book written in 1996 holds up very well.. while some of the technology is out of date, the basic premise is still valid.. No matter what computer you buy.. a better and cheaper one will come out minutes after you buy yours - lol.
He also takes a look at the Internet and all its "useful" sites.

All My Sins Are Relatives (39)

All My Sins Are Relatives
W. S. Penn

This book was a gift from my wife. She knows the author, a prof at Michigan State University.
Penn's father is Indian, but does not speak of it. His mother is white and despises all things Indian... He is caught in the middle.. and it is his grandfather who tells him the stories of his Indian heritage. He works for much of his life trying to understand and reconcile these worlds... This autobiographical book looks at his rememberances and thoughts from his childhood, about his relationship with his own children, about his college days, about his VietNam expereince, about his encounter with his maternal grandfather. The experiences are interesting, yet not in chronogical order.. but as we learn, this is partial the point.. that time can be looked at differently.
And interesting, although somewhat heavy book. Also deals a lot with early "Indian" writers and how much of their books were their words.. and how much of it was editors. And what makes someone an "Indian" writer.. can a mixed blood really be an "Indian" writer. He examines that question as well as some of his own expereices with Editors that wanted to change his word so the book would sell.

Out Of Sight (38)

Out of Sight
Elmore Leonard

Another Leonard book.. the ending is set in Detroit. It concerns a guy who breaks out of Prison, then he and his partner head to Detroit to reconnect with some associates with prison with the thoughts of robbing someone they have heard who keeps large sums of cash in the house... In the mean time there is a federal marshall persuing them.

Set in Detroit in the winter with lots of familiar landmarks included in the book. The plot is a bit different than some of Leonards... at times I was trying to figure out what they were doing.. overall an enjoyable book.

Mr Paradise (37)

Mr Paradise
Elmore Leonard

I took a break from LeCarre to read a Leonard book... This one is great and classic Leonard.. revolves around the murder of a 86 yr old and rich man.. and his 20 something girlfriend. Withing the first 1/3 of the book we know everything that has happened to all the characters and why.. what is left is to see how it will play out.. between the groups of bad guys.. various characters and interests.. will everybody figure it out.. how will some characters react... The fun of the Leonard books isn't what happened.. but how everybody will react to it :)
Book was also set in Detroit.. so this makes it even more fun for me :)

The Looking Glass War (36)

The Looking Glass War
John LeCarre

This was my next LeCarre book. Involves Smiley as a background character. Involves a young agent who is sent to claim the body of an agent who was "accidently" killed in an auto accident while retreiving film from a pilot. Plot revolves around fear that the Soviets are building Missle batteries in E Germany.. so they activate one of their old operatives from the war and send him over... after a month of intensive training.. The agent runs into immediate trouble.. and then makes some fatal mistakes...
The ending is very vauge... it doesnt say what happens to everybody.. but rather leaves it for you to imagine.. a very effective literay device. This book reminded me very much of Deighton's Spy Story... There are the upper mgt types who take everything in stride, while the young agent is anxious and concerned about the people.. rather than the mission objective in the whole... And of course they are British.. so they are drinking lots of tea while they do everything - lol

A Murder of Quality (35)

A Murder of Quality
John LeCarre

This was LeCarre's second book.. also centered around George Smiley.. In this book he looks into the death of the wife of a teacher at a boys religious school. Has nothing to do with Foreign Service, but a good mystery. LeCarre is rather precise about his endings.. there may be surprises.. but you will understand the result.. no guessing about what happened. On to my next LeCarre book :)

Call for the Dead (34)

Call for the Dead
John leCarre'

This is leCarre's first book, written in 1961 which introduces us to George Smiley. He interviews a person reported as being communist. Routine interview... nothing really there, but everything has to be followed up on. The next day the man is dead from an apparent sucide.. While speaking with the widow the dead man receives a wake up call. While everybody wants to put this one away.. Smiley has doubts about it.. and keeps poking into it.

I really enjoyed this book.. and am almost through my next LeCarre book. I was worried after reading A Small Town In Germany.. than maybe I was mistaken about leCarre.. this is not the case. I read an article about leCarre, who actually was a British intellegence officer.. that when he started writing Ian Flemming and 007 were very popular.. yet Bond is not what an intellegence officer should be.. so he created Smiley to show what intellegence work is really like.. always to blend in and not be noticed.. not to be flashy and stand out. So in many ways Smiley is the antithesis of James Bond.

McNally's Secret (33)

McNally's Secret
By Lawrence Sanders

I bought this book years ago new, started it and never finished it. At the time I was not impressed by the lead character Archy McNally... Sort of typical of many of Sanders characters.. rich.. carefree life.. very sort of prim and proper...
As I read it now.. the character is not quite so abrasive.. and I actually see many similiarities to The Tomorrow File which is my favorite Sanders book, and one of my very favorite books.. The relationship he has with his parents especially his mother is almost the same as Nicholas Flair in TF. There are even some similar words...
Actually this turned out to be quite a good mystery.. starting with a simple theft and resulting in dead people and all sorts of twists and turns with the characters.

Tales of the Dark Knight (32)

Tales of the Dark Knight
By Mark Cotta Vaz

This book about Bat Man was written in 1989 on the 50th anniversary of the character. The book was surprisingly good.. looking at many different aspects of BatMan. Starting with Bob Kane and the beginning of the character. The book contained many comics to support the book, including many from the "golden age of comics" ie.. the late 30's and early 40's. It was interesting to see differences in the comic.. Batman looked roughly the same.. but the car was a 40's type car with a bat mask on the front.. the dialog was different also.. Robin often said 'thats a corker'.. whatever that means - lol.
This also dealth with a lot of the behind the scenes work of the artist and writers, and what they were trying to do with the comic.
During the war the comic was heavy on the propoganda.. buy war bonds, and Batman was fighting the Nazi's... The 50's brought hard times and a bit anti-comic book movement that made the quite bland.. this continued well into the 70's... During the 60's the TV show really boosted the popularity.. but also made it very campy... It wasn't until the 80s that BatMan returned the the dark brooding character that has been is orgins.
The book also looked at the adventures of BatMan from his comics, looking at his emenies, the Bat Cave, love interest, time travel, monsters etc. etc.
Over all this was a very enjoyable book.. I have always like BatMan but realized much of what I know about him comes from the more recent Bat Man animated TV show that started in the early 90's.

Spy Story (31)

Spy Story (31)
By Len Deighton

The story of Patrick Armstrong.. but you were well into the book before you learn his name. He works at a 'war games' section of govt. But we learn that he, nor many of the other people around him are quite what they seem. From his friend Ferdy, to his boss the Col. from USA. The book sort of draws you in.. you learn things in bits and pieces.. often to figure out important parts after they have happened.. And much like leCarre the point is something that is happening in the background of the story.
It is interesting to look at the ending and see their reasoning on why German could not be reunited and how if they did it would lead to the end of western civizilation.. the thing that all these writers missed in the 60's & 70's was the idea that the Soviet Union would crumble and impolde.. nobody saw that one coming... even after the fact it is hard to believe it happened... :)

The Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamen (30)

The Discovery of the Tomb of Tutankhamen
By: Howard Carter, A. C. Mace

I actually finished reading this book several weeks ago. But in the end were a number of pictures with descriptions that I had never gotten though.
This book written in 1923 (republished in 1977) describes some of the background of archeloegy in the Valley of the Kings in the 1800's and early in 1900's. It talks about Carter's work and his frustration.. then of the discover of the step.. and what they found afterwards. I was surprised how readable this book was.. I was expecting it to be thick.. but written with a sense of wonder and explaination for the average person. Includes information on the discover, as well as problems with guests, cataloging and moving the items, and preserving them.
This was evidently the first book (of several?) This only covers the first season.. so it covers mostly the antechamber. They talk about looking into the tomb room, but do not go into much detail.
This is the first of several Tut books I will be reading this year getting ready for the exhibit opening in Chicago later this month!

Dear George (29)

Dear George
By George Burns

This book written by George Burns in 1986 when he was 89 years old. The book takes the format of an advice column. A loose plot of one person who writes for advice about buying his wife a car... this person keeps writing back and is upset when Georges advice seems to upset his wife. The book is full of pictures including one segment which I thought was particuallary good. He went though and listed many old Vaudville perfomers, with pics and some information about them and their acts.. many of the names are familar, some are not.. some I had hears of, but never seen pics of.. Over all I thought that was a neat tribute, and enough of a reasont to check out the book.

The Hunted (28)

The Hunted
Elmore Leonard

I have not read a Leonard book since January. This one had a different setting (Israel) but the same type of characters.. Davis, the Marine, Rosen, the hunted, Tali, the girl. A basic scam.. a bit slow in developing.. because you are not sure what the motivation of the bad guys is.. and there is a lot of money involved which skews everything.
Not a bad book, but not his best eith... an enjoyable read through....

Fahrenheit 451 (27)

Fahrenheit 451
By Ray Bradbury

This was recommend by a co-worker at the City. It is in a similar vein as 1984. In a world of fireproof homes, fireman don't put out the fires the start them. 451F is the temp that paper burns at. Owning books is illegal, and when found the Firemen come and burn them... Our lead character meets the odd 17 year old neighbor girl who makes him look at thing differently... We then find out he has been stealing books.. and get a good lesson on why books were outlawed.. and then his escape.
Nice glimpses of a futuristic world both in the physical world, as well as policical/socialigical.
I didnt care for the development of the neighbor girl.. and he actually addresss that in the afterword piece. The ending is a bit vaugue..
Over all not a great book.. but the topic gives you a lot to think about.. if you like 1984 then this is a must read.

Only When I Laugh (26)

Only When I Laugh (26)
by Len Deighton

I enjoy Deighton, and he has quite a range of books... This was about 3 British con artist.. An older man, retired Army type, younger girl, his lover, and a young guy. Each chapter is written from a different persons view point. So we often see the same scene from different view points.. it is interesting to 'get inside' someones head.
Of course they all see the same thing differently, which is probably the point.
The story is a bit weak.. they run several cons.. but you are not really sure where they are going with it.. The ending is a bit of a surprise.. I, at least did not see it coming.. yet in the ending is different.. but it makes you smile :)

A Small Town In Germany (25)

A Small Town In Germany
By John le Carre

Ok.. we are into April now, so I am re-reading authors... And I am also a bit behind. I have not been workin nearly as much so that cuts into my reading time which shows in how many books I have read recently.. Only 1 so far in April. However I was also reading Carter's book on Tut's tomb.. the first season.. so that is nearly done also.

This book was a bit hard to get through... it was heavy on dialog, and you were never sure what was going on.. It took me about 40 pages to figure out that someone was missing and so were some files.. and it is not really until the last 70 pages that the action heats up and you start to understand the big story. Over all it wasnt a bad book.. It was heavy on Bonn politics, and the conversations were heavy with British slang.. so it was not quick reading. I do like leCarre and look forward to reading more of his stuff.. hopefully it will go a bit quicker ;)
Interesting point is that this book ended in a very similar fashion to The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. I wonder if that is a pattern with leCarre? I will have to read more to find out!

Dirty Jokes and Beer (24)

Dirty Jokes and Beer
Stories of the Unrefined
By: Drew Carey

Picked this up at the library book sale one day.. It was a bit different than I thought it would be.. It was a lot about the behind the scenes of The Drew Carey Show along with how his life changed when the show hit it big. I have seen the show a few times, but I seldom watch TV, so a lot of this was lost on me. Each chapter starts with a classis joke. The best part is the last section which are stories he wrote.. slightly twisted "dark" stories as he describes them.. They are funny in a wrong sort of way.. Mostly about misery.. I really enjoyed them!
Over all the book was worthwhile.. but probably even better if you watch his show.

Frontsoldaten (23)

Frontsoldaten
The German Soldier in World War II
By Stephen G Fritz

This book looked at the life of the common foot soldier (the landser) in the German Army during World War II. The text of the book was from letters written by the soliders and diaries kept during that period. It looked at all aspects from training, comradeship, weather (good and bad), philosophy of what they were fighting for, and reflection on the end.
The book was really interesting.. a bit thick to get through.. but interesting to read the thoughts of the men who were there.. many passages ended with the note.. was killed later that spring.. was killed a few days later... was killed later that day.. Many, many men did not make it out alive..
I recommend the book.. it is about what it was like.. from those who were there.

Reflex (22)

Reflex
Stephen Gould

This was a science fiction book that I found throught Dear Reader It was not bad.. but I never felt it reached its full potential.. or it did reach it, it just took too long. Some parts of the story were very detailed.. other parts just skipped over... There wasnt a good conintunity to the story lines.. Over all it was an enjoyable story and it wasn't a chore to read.. but still it missed something...
Still trying to get through until April without repeating an author.. this has been much harder than I thought it would be... so now when April comes, I don't know who I will read first :)

2061: Odyssey Three (21)

2061: Odyssey Three
By Arthur C. Clarke

The third book in one of the best known stories in all of science fiction.. This book loosely picks up on where 2010 leaves off.. With a lot of flashback to the previous 2 books. Dr Floyd is still alive and one of the main characters in this book.
Europa is off limits, but what would happen if a ship crash landed there.. this is about what happens when that occurs, along with a side line to Halleys comet;) In the end we learn more about the monoliths.. but just a tease... but I see there is one more book in this series.. 3001 The Final Odyssey...
I was also interested and surprised to see that Clarke is still alive.. :)

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (20)

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold
by John le Carre

I am still on my quest to no re-read an author until after April 1.. This has forced me to look deep into my book shelf for things over looked.. Including this book. I had always heard that le Carre was overly detailed and tedious to read. I did not find this book that way at all.. It was very interesting.. and adventure.. but you were confused where it was going.. lots of turns and twists.. This book reminded me very much of the Deighton spy books.. and of course they are in the same genre. The ending was surprising.. not the happy ending many books have.. yet kept very much in line with the book. So today I went out and bought 5 more leCarre books, along with the 2 I already had.. I will get to them some day.. The point of no re reading an author for 3 months is to force me to read different people.. rather than reading the same authors to exhaustion. This has been largely sucessful and I have found several authors I want to read more of.. and have purchased many books to this effect.
I have been recently reminded that I do like science fiction.. reading some Asimov short stories now.. next up is 2061 by Clarke.
As a side note.. I believe the copy of the book that I have is an original edition (1963 Coward McCann publishers). Rather interesting to have a first edition of the third book written by an author that went on to become very sucessful and have several of his books made into movies.. A review of the Internet show this 46 year old first editon is worth... $1.97
Good thing I enjoy books, because I am sure not going to get rich doing this - lol

The Place of the Pike

The Place of the Pike (Gnoozhekaaning)
Charles E Cleland

This was an excellent book!! It is the history of the Bay Mills Indians from the begining, until present day. It was extremely well written, you got a feel for the people and what their lives were like.. not just a bunch of facts. Really gave me the insite I was looking for about the tribe. It talks about the early days when white settlers first came.. and the many treatys that each took more from the Indians. The hardships of the 1900's bacsically from the beginning on... Starting with losing their land, and their ability to hunt & fish to survive. Through extreme poverty and battles for recognition and help.
In the end they now have a stable community which is able to help its people. Money from gambling helps to support that.. but there were many other things. Bay Mills are the tribe that got the gil netting law changed. I have heard about this since I was a child.. but had never heard their side of the story. Also they were able to get the government to release the funds set aside for restitution for the land swindles of the 1800's. In 1997 more than 160 years after the wrong.. the money was finally released.
The author of the book is Prof. Emeritus of Anthropolgy at Michigan State. I found out about the book from information on the website It took me a while to find the book, but it was well worth it. Some of the information is particualar to this tribe and the area they live. But I imagine much of their story is the same as many other Indian tribes faced over the past 200 years.

Hemingway (18)

Hemingway
Christopher Cook Gilmore

This book is based on the 1988 movie . It is a brief overview of Hemingway's life from 1918 when he was first in war as a medic, up until his death. It glosses over a lot and moves quickly mostly centering on his 4 wives, his drinking and boasting, and his involvement in endless wars.
The book is ok, you can tell it was written for TV, as it jumps around a bit.. more like scence that like a book.. but still not bad, I think it captures his life.

My First Years in the Fur Trade

My First years in the Fur Trade 1802 ~ 1804
by George Nelson

The story of a 15 yr old boy that signs on to work as a fur trader.. but really has not idea what he is getting into. The book is oddly written... In 1802 when this happened, he kept a journal of what was happening.. he later gave these journals to a friend.. the friend later burned the journals rather than letting them fall into the hands of a rival fur company. So in 1811 he re-wrote the journals.. this is the basis for most of the book. In 1836 he wrote is memiors.. so for each day/even there are 2 entries.. one written in 1811, and one in 1836.. the entries are very different.. time soften his view of most events.. things that seem terrifying in 1811 where everyday in 1836. So that was hard to follow.. worse was that there was no rythm or story being told.. it was a collection of events.. largly concerned with recording how much run they gave away to the Indians, and what they had to eat.. which was not much in the later year... They seems disorganized and clueless. I have read other books of this sort Sandy MacDonald's man was an excellent book that detailed what it was like to be in the fur trade. This book was not!

Schoolcraft's Ojibwa Lodge Stories

Schoolcraft's Ojibwa Lodge Stories
Henry Schoolcraft

in 1826 Henry Schoolcraft, a native New Yorker, was living in Sault Ste. Marie, in the (then) Michigan Territory. He was in charge of Indian affairs there. As such he had a lot of contact with the native indians of the area. He was taken in by Mr. John Johnson and family when he first moved there. Mr Johnson was an indepentant fur trader, and his wife was Indian. Related to chief of the Objibwa of the area. Schoolcraft ended up marrying one of the daugthers Jane. Being in a remote area, he wrote (longhand) a literay journal, a sort of magazine, for other people in the area who were interested in literay persuits. The magazine, called the Literary Voyager, contained many stories about his observations of the indian people, as well as translated fables, and ledgens of the Objibwa. It also included a lot of poetry, both his and from indians who contributed.. I am not a big fan of poetry... Some of the stories were quite interesting.. especially as it realates to local history. Two of note were the story of the Ash tree on the hill that was removed when the fort built a stree to the water (Ashmon St). And the story of Irquois point.. which I was at least aware of, having been there.
This was interesting, although I am still interested in the history of the Indians, which this book did not address.

If Tomorrow Comes

If Tomorrow Comes
by Sidney Sheldon

Oh god.. what a terrible book... It was written like a bad TV movie.. which maybe that was his intention. Sheldon was the creator and writer for I Dream of Jeanie. I have read other books by Sheldon and enjoyed them.. most notably Masters Of The Game which I really enjoyed... Now I am wondering if they were this bad.. and my tastes have changed? Or if this book was just a fluke? I will probably try another one sometime just to see.

79 Park Avenue (14)

79 Park Avenue
by Harold Robbins

I have read Robbins books before.. always have a sexual edge to them.. but still very tasteful... I found this book at my parents house.. probably belonged to an aunt of mine.. she and my father use to trade books a lot. I was very surprised to see that it was written in 1955... the story held up wonderfully.. it did not seem dated at all.. The book is about a woman who is on trial for running a prostitution ring.. and the man who is prosceuting her.. we find out they grew up together.. and most of the book is flashbacks to things that happened to their lives along the way..
A decent book.. quick read.. and the ending was cool.. leaves you with a good feeling.

Hannibal (13)

Hannibal
by Thomas Harris

This is a the sequel to Silence of the Lambs which I read forever ago.. before the movie came out. We follow Clarice 7 years later.. and her career with the FBI is stalling... she is on leave pending the investigation of a raid that went wrong.. and lots of dead people as a result... in the midst of this Dr Lector writes to offer her encouragment.. the story centers around Mason, the only survivor of one of Dr Lectors attacks.. and his obsession to get revenge on Dr Lector.. the story follow Dr Lector, and also Mason and his political cronies, as well as Clarice... This blends lots of new and old characters.. as well as some bizare side stories.. the ending is very strange and unexpected..
Over all the book was good.. it got too far off track some times... the section in Italy could have been summed up in a chaper or two.. rather than 100 pages.. and the side story on Clarices father.. didnt fit into the story well... Over all I enjoyed it.

The Timothy Files (12)

The Timothy Files
By Lawrence Sanders

This book written in 1987 in pure Sanders. The book is divided into 3 stories of investegator Timothy Cone. Nam vet, loner, dresses and lives like a bum, but always figures out the con. The stories revolve around eating and drinking, with rich details of the food people are eating. Almost makes you hungry! The stories are quick and entertaining. Unlinke Tales of the Wolf I think this was written as 1 novel with 3 parts, rather than 3 short stories. Or at least someone edited it to appear as 1 story.

I am trying something new for this year... So far I have not re-read an author in 2006. I enjoy reading all of an author, and often read the books one after another. We will see how long I can keep this up - lol When I find an author I like I buy up all the books I can find by them... I figure by sampling the books I have already bought I can read at least another 3 authors before repeat. Some of these are 500+ page paperbacks, so they will probably take me the better part of a week each to get through. I might see if I can make it until April 1 without repeating an author. That might be stretching it? But it is an interesting and frustrating game I play with myself :)

Violent Ward (11)

Violent Ward
Len Deighton

This books follows lawyer Mickey Murphy.. he works in a bad neighborhood in LA.. his partners are Asian, one dead, and another dealing with forged papers, passports etc.. which also involves a "Rev" who runs the local homeless shelter (and provides the bodies, Drs etc for the paperwork). But none of this has much to do with the story.. Murphy is divorced although his ex-wife is always around.. but seldom causing too much trouble... His son is in college.. maybe.. he seems to sit around his apt all day with his girlfriend. None of this has much to do with the story Murphy's clients are a mix of old show biz people with odd personalities... and his secretary is a stern German woman who can not type. This has little to do with the story.
His law firm is being bought out by a zillionaire.. who happens to be married to a girl Murphy when to High School with and was in love with... The new boss has a questionable deal in the works with one of Murphy's other clients.. and his wife thinks she is trying to kill him...
Meanwhile Murphy gets involved in a murder.. well sort of.. But most of all he is very fond of his 1959 gold Cadillac.
At the end of the book.. the Rodney King trial ends.. and the riot ensue in LA...
The point of the story is hard to find.. you are never sure what the point is.. but never really care... as with so many of Deightons books you are happy to tag along with the character and see what happens next :)

Disclosure (10)

Disclosure (10)
by Michael Crichton

This was an interesting book... mostly about sexual harrassment.. and how it effects everbody.. from the principles.. to the company.. to the other employees etc.
This is also set against the backdrop of a High Tech company in the early 90's. Reading this now over 10 years later it is amazing how well he predicted (then) emerging technologies of cellular and Internet. Maybe a bit off on CD rom.. but I was amazed at how accurate the book was.. He obviously did his homework!
When I was in high school I read the Terminal Man.. a year or so later I saw The Andomida Strain.. Crichton is a wonderful writer.. and his subjects always seem varied.. he is not one to be catagorized.

The Eye Of Darkness (9)

The Eye Of Darkness
by Dean Koontz

I had not read a Dean Koontz book in years and years. I found out this was one of his earlier books that had originally been published under a different name. He had cleaned it up a bit and republished it under a different name.
It concerns a woman who lost her young son in an accidnet over a year ago.. except strange things start happening again and she starts to believe he is alive... Then people try to kill her... the adventure is on.
Koontz books are a fairly quick read.. and one thing I have always loved about them.. is there is all this strange stuff going on.. stuff that could never possibly happen.. and the characters realize that... they are as skeptical as you are.. which makes it more enjoyable!
I think this is going to become one of my serial authors.. where I will read everything he has done.. Now the trick will be to see if I can remember the books I have already read... I dont recall titles, but do remember some of the story lines.. I will have to work at this a bit.

A Long Way From Home (8)

A Long Way From Home
by Tom Brokaw

A biography of newsman's Tom Brokaws childhood in S. Dakota. The book starts with his grandparents and parents.. then moves on to his own childhood.. A rememberance of what life was like in the post war boom.. and how much things have changed... With brief flashes to his current life..
Interesting primarily because everybody knows him.. but at one time he was just Tommy Brokaw.. The book is rather objective.. it isnt just about how great Brokaw is.. he is quite forthcoming about his failures. The book is more about life on the paririe in the 40's & 50's.
Over a worthwhile read...

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (7)

Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!
By Richard P Feynman

Richard Feynman... Physicist, Genius, Nobel Prize winner... curious character... An interesting collection of stories... From his childhood.. and fixing radios for neighbors.. to the working on the A bomb during the war.. to teaching.. but the interesting parts of the books are the looks at his life... meeting girls in Arizona, hanging out in Las Vegas, learning to draw (and becoming quite good), visiting Japan, living in Brazil.. The man had a lot of experiences in his life.. and you get the idea that he did it by being very genuine.. and talking with people...
Dr Feynman died of cancer in 1988, at the age of 69. This book was published the year before his death.

Stallions Gate (5)

Stallions Gate
By Martin Cruz Smith

This was about the Los Almos project to develop the nuclear bomb during WW II. The story revolves around Joe, and Indian, who got into trouble for sleeping with an officers wife while in the service. He gets out of a military prison to be driver and body guard for 'Oppy' (J Robert Openhimer) who was a childhood friend.
Joe finds he doesnt really belong anywhere.. not quite an Indian, as he left years before, not a white person, not really intot he Army..
There are many side stories in this book.. about the scientist.. the work on the bomb.. music which may be Joes only real passion.. His uncle who is trying to cause problems with the project, and instead gets into trouble with Indian Service.
The book is going in many directions.. but never really sure what is important.. is his love life the story.. the drama with his family.. with the Capt that got him out of the brig.. is there espionage going on... lots of questions with few answers.. in the end most of the smallers stories come to some conclusion.. I did not care for the end.. but it was one way to end it.. all in all the book was a bit vaugue and confusing.. just like real life

Family - The Ties That Bind.. And Gag (4)

Family- The Ties That Bind.. And Gag!
Erma Bombeck

Erma is gone, but her books live on. This was written late in her life, and is in many ways a 'greatest hits' The children (now grown) come home for a visit.. this sets off a nastalgia of memories taken from previous books.. but also is a pointinet look at how children impact the lives of their parents.. and how they feel looking at the 'all grown up'
I do enjoy Erma and laughed out loud at many parts.. she has the dry sense of humor that I so enjoy.. A female Bob Newhart in many respects. I must say I now see her work a bit differently.. now that I have children :)

Batman: The Stone King (3)

Batman: The Stone King
Justice League of America
By Alan Grant

This is a novel, not a comic book.. but written about the JLA and the varios superheros.. in the era of Justice League TV show.. IE Jon, the Martian, The Watchtower etc. The main emphasis was on Batman, although all the superheros made appearances, and were part of the story. Not a bad story.. didn't like the evil the best.. it was hard to understand the threat.. and how to beat it... But overall an enjoyable book!
Finished 1/13/06

Hard Living On Clay Street (2)

Hard Living on Clay Street
Portraits of Blue Collar Families
Joseph T. Howell

I first encountered this book in 1986. I was in college.. bored one day I picked up a book belonging to my roommate and opened to a random page and read some of it.. It seemed real.. and interesting.. Later in the year he threw the book out, not wanting it anymore.. I picked to book out of the trash and said I would take it...
So I have hauled this book around for 19 years.. I finally got around to reading it...
It is the non-fiction account of a working class neighborhood in DC in 1970/71. It looks mostly at 2 families.. The first is a young family, lots of kids.. dirt poor.. with the daily struggle to pay bills and have enough money to eat.. mostly because the husband is too busy drinking to bother going to work. The family has little structure.. everything is a crisis... They also seem to have a lot of medical problems. Of the 7 family membmers aged 3 ~ 65, 3 are hospitalized, and the wife puts her surgery off until the following year.
The second family is older.. the couple together 6 years each have 3 adult children from previous marriages. The husband, and auto mechanic makes good money, and they are financially comfortable. The drama comes from the wifes 3 children and their marriage woes.. each has problems, breakups, and ongoing crisis.. which the mother worries about continunally.
A very interesting book which could have been written today.. just change the amounts they earned and paid for things... Very little analysis.. their stories are presented for the view to evaluate.
It appears another edition of this book was put out in 1991.. with a new epiloug.. I will have to look for this and see what became of our players.

Riding The Rap (1)

Riding The Rap
Elmore Leonard

Starting out 2006 with a great Elmore Leonard book.. I just flew through the pages.. great characters! The begining of the book starts with a character from Maximum Bob, but it is not about him, but rather the Marshal that is transporting him. A very enjoyable book in the best of Leonard style :)

Books Read in 2005

Here is a list of the 78 books I read in 2005.

1/7/2005 Underneath It All Traci Lords
1/12/2005 K Is For Killer Sue Grafton
1/25/05 Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil John Berendt
2/10/2005 Highway To Hell Clinton Walker
2/12/2005 Statler & Book Cadillac David Kohrman
2/13/2005 Detroit Now & Then
2/18/2005 Detroit's Michigan Central Station
2/23/2005 Henry & Edsel Richard Bak
3/6/2005 Lumberjack William S. Crowe
3/11/2005 Fitzgerald's Storm Joseph MacInnis
3/11/2005 RE Olds Industrial Lansing Michael Rodriguez
3/12/2005 The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald Fredrick Stonehouse
3/14/2005 Great Lake Light House Tales Fredrick Stonehouse
3/21/2005 Lighthouse Adventures Wes Oleszewski
3/23/05 Sole Survivor Dennis Hale
3/28/2005 The Night The Fitz Went Down Dudley Paquette
3/31/2005 How To Make Love Like A Porn Star Jenna Jameson
4/5/2005 Pledged Alexandra Robbins
4/11/2005 White Pine Days On The Taquhamenon William Davenport Hulbert
4/15/2005 Detroit 1930-1969 David Lee Poremba
4/27/2005 When Pine Was King Lewis Reimann
5/2/2005 Going Back To Central Lon L. Emerick
5/3/2005 Charlevoix Dianne Foster
5/4/2005 Michigan Memories Richard Emmons
5/23/2005 Out Of A Wilderness Justin L. Kestenbaum
6/1/2005 Incredible Seney Lewis Charles Riemann
6/9/2005 I Married A Logger Julie Anderson
6/15/2005 The Dilbert Future Scott Anderson
6/16/2005 Know Your Ships
6/22/2005 A Sailor's Logbook: A Season Aboard Great Lakes Freighters Mark L Thompson
6/30/2005 Building The Straits Lawrence A Rubin
7/2/2005 Mighty Mac Lawrence A Rubin
7/14/2005 A Picture History of the Brooklyn Bridge Mary J. Shapiro
7/15/2005 Freemasons - Inside the Worlds Oldest Secret Society J Paul Jeffers
7/21/2005 Tales of the Wolf Lawrence Sanders
7/27/2005 Swag Elmore Leonard
8/1/2005 West World Michael Criton
8/2/2005 Maximum Bob Elmore Leonard
8/11/2005 Gold Coast Elmore Leonard
8/13/2005 The Loves Of Harry Dancer Lawrence Sanders
8/15/2005 The Pleasures Of Helen Lawrence Sanders
8/18/2005 Private Pleasures Lawrence Sanders
8/26/2005 Stick Elmore Leonard
8/30/2005 The Dream Lover Lawrence Sanders
9/2/2005 Shockwaves Clive Cussler
9/8/2005 Red Square Martin Cruz Smith
9/11/2005 The Hapless Handyman's Home Repair and Weekend Project Guide Sonny "Bubba" Ferguson
9/13/2005 Polar Star Martin Cruz Smith
9/20/2005 Havana Bay Martin Cruz Smith
9/29/2005 Faith Len Deighton
9/26/2005 Hope Len Deighton
9/29/2005 Charity Len Deighton
10/4/2005 Wolves Eat Dogs Martin Cruz Smith
10/5/2005 Final Warning: The Legacy of Chernobyl Dr Robert Gale
10/9/2005 Dr Burns Prescription George Burns
10/14/2005 City Of Gold Len Deighton
10/20/2005 Voices Of Chernobyl Svetlana Alexievich
10/25/2005 Bandits Elmore Leonard
10/28/2005 Dogberts Top Secret Management Handbook Scott Adams
10/31/2005 Unknown Man #89 Elmore Leonard
11/4/2005 A World Called Solitude Stephin Goldin
11/16/2005 Appetite For Destruction Danny Sugerman
11/21/2005 United States Of Europe T. R. Reid
11/22/2005 The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy Douglas Adams
11/24/2005 The Resturant At The End Of the Universe Douglas Adams
11/25/2005 The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe C S Lewis
11/27/2005 Prince Caspian C S Lewis
11/29/2005 The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader C S Lewis
12/1/2005 The Silver Chair C S Lewis
12/2/2005 The Horse And His Boy C S Lewis
12/4/2005 The Magicians Nephew C S Lewis
12/5/2005 The Final Battle C S Lewis
12/8/2005 Life, The Universe, And Everything Douglas Adams
12/15/2005 The Mind of Adolf Hitler William C Langer
12/17/2005 Old Twentieth Joe Haldeman
12/19/2005 Mr Majestyk Elmore Leonard
12/22/2005 Tangent Objective Lawrence Sanders
12/28/2005 Tangent Factor Lawrence Sanders

Tangent Factor (78)

Ok.. I meant to post this on Friday, but did not get to it... My final book of the year.. the Tangent Factor.. picks up the story where the Tangent Objective leaves off.. This is another one of those Sanders books where someone is running a 'secret' plan.. and several opposing forces are involved.. and you cant figure out what the hell is going on.. only that people are being pitted against each other.. Similar to the Loves of Harry Dancer. This was a good book, none the less.. I am glad I read them together.. since the characters and places were the same..and it continued several story lines. In the end I started to wonder about the outcome.. Knowing Sanders only wrote these 2 books in this series.. and the story easily could have been expanded to more give the plot.. I was wondering if some of the main characters get killed in the end.. or if the plot goes wrong and backfires.. but this was not the case.. all ended well... I guess we are left to wonder what the 'little captain' did next.