Powerhouse Five

March 6, 2010

by William Heuman

I mentioned this book a few months ago when I read a piece of teen fiction called The Hoopster. It was shortly after reading that book that I ordered this one from Abe Books (it’s out of print). This book has a lot of nostalgic value because it’s the first book of fiction I remember reading. Read on –>

Great Interview with Cormac McCarthy

March 4, 2010

I’ve had this excerpt from a WSJ journal article sitting in my notes for a few months and wanted to be sure I put it in a place where I wouldn’t forget it. It’s from an interview with Cormac McCarthy in the WSJ dated Friday, November 13, 2009. In it, the author John Jurgensen asks McCarthy a question about getting old (McCarthy is 76 and still writing). Read on –>

Called Out of Darkness

February 28, 2010

by Anne Rice
For some reason, this book grabbed me. I’ve never read any Anne Rice nor seen an Anne Rice movie, and I’m completely unfamiliar with her biography. But the idea of a Catholic leaving the church for an extended period of time then finding her way back to the church late in life seemed [...]

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A Morning for Flamingos

February 27, 2010

by James Lee Burke
This is book four in the Dave Robicheaux series. Robicheaux is fifty plus and it’s early in the series, yet he’s already quit two police departments: New Orleans and New Iberia (where his home is). Now, early in this novel, he takes a leave from the New Iberia sheriff’s department after getting [...]

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The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

February 17, 2010

by Stieg Larsson
I bought this because the cover looked cool and it seemed to be receiving some critical acclaim. I’m a fool for the cool cover/rumors of critical acclaim combination. I’m pretty sure I saw a study last year that said cover design does matter even for electronic book purchases (I read the Kindle version). [...]

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The 50th Law

February 9, 2010

by Robert Greene and 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson)
I’m not sure how I heard about this book. It may have been an Amazon suggestion. I do recall reading an article on it in the WSJ or Newsweek, it kind of grabbed me for some reason. The idea that Fifty (Curtis Jackson), if I may call him [...]

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The Name of the Rose

January 31, 2010

by Umberto Eco
So I’m starting early this year with what I’m going to classify as literature. And yeah, it felt like lit. This was a long, slow read for me but it was rewarding when it was over; not so much because it was exciting or dramatic, but because I feel like I learned a [...]

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Fallen Angels

January 29, 2010

by Walter Dean Myers
Myers writes mostly teen lit. This is a war story about a group of guys in Vietnam during a twelve month period in the late 60’s. It’s told from the first person perspective by a young soldier named Richie Perry. It’s a horrors-of-war story for the most part but with some hopefulness. [...]

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The Shooters

January 7, 2010

by W.E.B. Griffin
This book is just about all dialogue. I noticed it earlier in the series but it really seemed to stand out in this one. Especially in the first half. Griffin basically tells the bulk of the story with dialogue. It’s amazing, and really cool. It’s non-stop chatter that moves rather rapidly. The violence [...]

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The Year in Books 2009

December 31, 2009

Wow, I think this will stick out as a year to remember for me, but not necessarily for my book selections. Reading was a struggle at times but there were many rewards. Once again I was shooting for 40 books but ended up well short. Oh well, let’s not lament. We’ll dig right into it.

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