Just look at the shelf alongside my PC

I always have a stack of books to be read.  I puck up books wherver thrift stores, garage sales, book sales and even new, online.  I will never be without books.  My compulsion, perhaps, but I would rather be a reader than not.

The truth about books, by Carl Sagan

4 Jack Reachers by Lee Childs

Published in 2012, The Affair is a prequel to all the other Reacher novels and  relates how he began of his nomadic  life after the Army, but in this novel Reacher is still active Army.  I reflected on the characters who became familiar in the other novels, Graber for one.  The Washington Times  review declares this is one of the tow or three best Reacher novels.  "Mr. Child has written a veritable tour de force, the almost  perfect prequel to his 15 previous books."  It begins March 11, 1997, a Tuesday, "The pentagon is the world's largest office building, six and a half million square feet, thirty thousand people, more than seventeen miles of corridors, but it was build with just three street doors, each one of them opening into a guarded pedestrian lobby."   

This is set between DC and Carter Crossing, Missiissippi Kelham Army base.  Page 11 discusses the common law test for criminal culpability, Latin and law.  Timely for today with lingering brouhaha from the disgraced, fired FBI Director, James Comey  set a new standard for intent in interpretation of why he would not prosecute Hillary Clinton, she didn't intend  to do it.  Hah!  But here is page 11, "Action plus intention is the standard.  They were waiting for me to prove my intention.."  And true to other Reacher novels there is surprising detail about various aspects of Army life, interesting to me, a civilian, page 11, "Army regulations are surprisingly vague about shoes,.  Plain black lace up oxfords or close equivalents, conservative, no designs on them, minimum of 3 pair of eyelets, closed toe, maximum two inch heel."  Reacher is on a mission to be alert outside the base in MS and blend with the civilian population while another  Army major has been assigned inside the base. Local women have been killed, throats cut ear to ear over  months and the locals are certain that a soldier  from Kelham, a home for Army Rangers shipping in and out  on secret missions, is responsible.  Meantime the Army wants to prove it is a civilian responsible.  The town of Carter Crossing depends on the base to exist.  The local sheriff who becomes involved with Reacher is Elizabeth Devereaux, an ex Marine and also a native of the town.   Another intrigue, kept me guessing and another 5 *****.

This paperback edition also included the short story, "The Second Son" about Reacher's childhood and family. It opens August 1974 in Paris with references to an old man, Jack's,  maternal grandfather, only that is not known until subsequently pages later.  His father, Stan, was a Marine and the family moved around a lot.  As early as 13 years of age he had become Jack Reacher.  Interesting that everyone called him Reacher no other nick name, even his brother, it stuck.  His perspective on taking tests  was formed solid by age 13, if 51% is passing, that is good enough, no need to expend extra effort studying for a higher score than passing.  His father's thoughts about him, are that he was not academic like Joe, the older brother,  "but the kid could think too.  ..His IQ was about the same but it was a get the job done, street smart IQ."  The closing paragraph is memorable, about the death of his grandfather.  "Laurent Moutier was gone, at the age of ninety, taking with him like everyone does, a lifetime of unknown private hopes and dreams and fears and experiences and leaving behind him, like most people do, a thin trace of himself in his living descendants.".   Another 5 ***** read.  

I read Gone Tomorrow, in March.  It is the 13th of the Reacher novels  published in 2009, and opens in New York City, 2:00AM, on a subway ride,  discussing suicide bombers and  the Israeli counterintelligence tactics,  which Reacher memorized 20 years ago and still relies on. Page 1, "Suicide bombers are easy to spot.  They give out all kinds of tell tale signs.  Mostly because they're nervous. By definition they're all first timers."  From the front cover flap, " Susan Mark was the fifth passenger.  She had a lonely heart, an estranged son, and a big secret.  Reacher, working with a woman cop and a host of shadowy feds wants to know just how big a hole Susan Mark was in, how many lives had already been twisted before hers, and what danger is looming around him now.....plain little life was critical to dozens of others in Washington, California, Afghanistan..from a former Del;ta force operator now running for the US Senate to a beautiful young woman with a fantastic story to tell--and a host of others who have just one thing in common, they're all lying to Reacher."  Pages 252-3 describe regions of New York City, trains to boroughs and distinctions of each.  More interesting trivia on page 256 about the word, "hello"."..developed as a greeting only after the invention of the telephone.  People felt they needed something to say when they picked up the receiver.  It was a corruption of the old word, halloo. Which was really an expression of temporary shock or surprise.  You would come upon something unexpected and you would go, Halloo!"  Pages 322-327 discusses Reagan's administration and Bin Laden and even Rumsfeld with Saddam Hussein in Baghdad.  In reference to these prior dealings with today's terrorists, pg 329, "Sometimes our friends become our enemies and sometimes our enemies become our friends."  .And  to open Chapter 82, page 400, "Scientists measure time all the way down to the picosecond.  A trillionth of a regular second."   Five stars*****

And the last for this post, Worth Dying For published in 2010..   I have yet to read a Reacher novel that is not 5 ***** in my ratings, so that said, perfect scores so far.  I read this in April.  I will  edit and add to this review tomorrow or later on.  This novel is set in the corn country of Nebraska and a local clan, Duncans who rule the entire town.  Reacher becomes involved determined to solve the unsolved case  of a missing child, already decades old.This novel surprised me again and again. Just when I think I know something it twisted and I was wrong. 

 It opens, " Eldridge Taylor was driving a long straight two lane road in Nebraska when his cell phone rang.  It was very late in the afternoon.  He was taking his granddaughter home after  buying her shoes and the kid was flat on her back on the small rear seat.  She was not asleep."  By page 6 there is a thorough description of the Grand Alaskan rifle,  of interest to   me because I know little about rifles, etc, the author always includes some interesting descriptions in every Reacher novel.   Page 9 describes the setting of the bar/hotel in the area, " "The whole place was bizarre; like a 1960's version of Las Vegas transplanted to outer space."  Now  conjure that image for the  setting.  Page 34, fact about the US Canadian border should have alerted me to the importance it would have in this novel, but I did not realize that until I was almost at the end of the book.  "world's largest land border followed the 49th parallel over mountains and roads and rivers and streams and through towns and fields and woods."  I had formed an opinion that drugs were being smuggled but was very wrong and was astounded that it was human trafficking.  Page 98 explains the phrase, " our ship has come in" from old seafaring days when there was no communication, no radio, no phone, no telegraph.   Page 102 documents information about international shipping containers, corrugated metal boxes. which are easily swapped between different modes of transport.    

2011 reads copied from other blog

I found this old post on my other blog, the original blog which I neglect mostly now.  It is from 2011 and has a list of books that I read, crammed up at the last minute, not much has changed with my technique because I have a small stack awaiting review and posting here and then to be donated.  Apparently back then I did not scan the covers of all the books so I have only one to share here, the last one.  So here goes from 2011>>>>>


"When you sell a man a book, you don't sell him 12 ounces of paper and ink and glue--you sell him a whole new life." Christopher Morley

A stack of books grows higher by the week alongside my computer, books I have read from late October until now, books  I have just set aside until I have time to review them for the blog......but as I posted  a week back time is running out and my stack gets taller.   I will have a new blog in 2012 solely to record my readings and my reviews.  For now, to expedite the process and  move books into either  donation bags or, if a keeper,  to the shelf in our home  library, I am borrowing a technique from Kat Mortenson and assigning stars  *****  to rank the books,  with 1 low and 5 high:

5 ***** being a top notch read and a book I loved.  

No * indicates a book I did not finish,  which means it is  really  a poor read and  had no interest for me; oh does this mean I really have a 6 point rating system? 

1 * will mean a book I plowed through under some protest. 

I suppose  that technically I have six ranks from No to *****.   There would be few books with No and few with *****, most somewhere in between. 

It has taken me awhile to learn to discard a book that does not hold my interest, I have so many books to read and so little time to do so that it's not worth wasting my eyeballs on a bad one.  Why did I think I had to plod along when  the pages and words held no interest? 

 What I find enjoyable in reading and which will be my criteria in rating reflect my personal preferences.  I am not a fluff or what I term fiction comic book reader nor do I like science fiction.  I like to sink into a book like a nice comfy leather chair, so a novel has to envelop me.  My first preference is always non fiction or historical, memoir and biographies are first choice.  I look for excellent writing and research, well developed characters who appear lifelike with their tales, a sense of historical accuracy,  historical, memoirs that evoke emotion while reading, or a book that teaches me something.  I am as I have said many times before a life long reader from the time I learned to read as a tot.  I am never bored, lonely, or without something to do to entertain myself so long as I have a good book. 

No I do not e-read nor do I have any desire to do so, being the proud owner or stacks of books and a marvelous home library.   I never pass a book sale without picking up something.  You will see several on the list below that are used, older.  A book does not have to be on a current best seller list to attract my interest.  I have been exposed to wonderful books I might not have found nor read through my local book club where we meet monthly to discuss.

 Title,date published/comment             Author          Rating

Marilyn and Me-Sisters, Rivals, Friends 1992   Susan Strasberg       **               

Almost tedious reading but some interesting  pages
and reverie about the authors famous  parents. 

The Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay  2010          BeverlyJensen       *****      

A novel saga over 7 decades beginning in 1916,
sisters from Nova Scotia who immigrate to
America.  Fascinating and humorous in parts. "She was
worn to the shape of a gnarled tree...." describes their
paternal grandmother.

The Knitting Circle    2007 paperback             Ann Hood                           *****

  Our book club selection; a novel with great

characters and their stories and the grief of losing a child.

Based on the author's life.    

Left Neglected                 2011                    Lisa Genova                             *** 

 She wrote "Still Alice" about dementia, which I enjoyed. This
novel is about a condition resulting from an auto accident

where the left side of the body does not respond.

Lit                 2010 Paperback                  Mary Karr                                     **    

Her 3rd memoir and the least interesting despite its glowing

reviews; about her days in  alcoholism.  Dreary

The Quilters Apprentice    2000 Paperback     Jennifer Chiaverini                ** 

A ho hum novel, my curiosity about the process of learning to quilt

 dragged me along.  First book in the Elm Creek Quilt Series.

Our Story: The Quecreek Miners     2002     told to  Jeff Goodell                 ***

 Concise, true tale of these PA coal miner

 spent trapped underground for 77 hours

The Seventh Life of Pauline Johnson   2001        Katy King                 No stars

  If this isn't the dumbest book it is close to it. The author

hawked it at a craft show; it has been on my shelf for years

to be read.  Supposed to be a  mystery/ recipe book.

Blind Your Ponies         2011 Paperback           Stanley Gordon West             *****

Our book club selection.  Outstanding novel about  a high school

boys long time loosing basketball team, and their town. 
Excellent characters and writing by a MN author. Selection of the title  and what it represents is a story itself.  Will read more of his books.