Book Review: “A Dance With Dragons” by George R.R. Martin

(The adventure continues)

Genre: Fantasy

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“A Dance With Dragons” continues the story with emphasis on several of the more popular, still living, characters.  Jon Snow, Cersei, Daenerys, and Tyrion.

As with the other books, do not get attached to a character as they will most likely die.

As “A Dance With Dragons” ends we are left to wonder if two major characters are actually going to die (they are near death after trusted colleagues killed them).

Nothing is resolved except (spoiler alert) that……. all the dragons are now free.

To be continued, possibly several years from now…

This book was VERY long (over 1,000 pages) but fascinating.  I could not wait to see what happens next, and can’t wait to see how this ends, if in fact it does, in the next book.

 

Book Review: “The Great Gatsby”

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(Classic that is short and sad)

Genre:  Fiction

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“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.  It eluded us then, but that’s no matter–tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther….And one fine morning——-”

Yes, I decided to read (rather, re-read 30 years after the first reading) because of the upcoming Leonardo DiCaprio movie due out in May 2013.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel is short, glitzy, and sad.

Nick Carraway moved to Long Island while he commutes to New York City.   He rents a cheap house in a very ritzy area of Long Island fictitiously called West Egg.  West Egg is new money while East Egg is old money.

Nick’s neighbor throws parties and lives in a wonderfully large and expensive house.  His name is Jay Gatsby but no one really knows much about Gatsby….. he is pretty much an enigma.

Nick gets to know Gatsby as none other has been able to before, and what he finds is unexpected.

“The Great Gatsby” is an interesting book of romance, glitz, glamour, human frailty, and death.

A great read.

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Book Review: “The Columbus Affair” by Steve Berry

Genre:  Thriller

(Hidden Jewish Artifacts)

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Disgraced Pulitzer-prize winning reporter Tom Sagan had his gun to his head when Zachariah Simon (who we met in “The Admiral’s Mark”, see my review) entered his home and offered him a deal.

Simon would not kill his daughter, Alle, if Tom would help him locate priceless Jewish artifacts hidden from the world in 1492, by, none other than Christopher Columbus.

Putting off his own demise for awhile, Tom did what this intruder asked.

Sort of.

With his reporter instincts kicking back in, Tom, decided to take matters into his own hands as he decides to find the treasure himself.  Tom comes to learn that his father was the last male protector of the secret.  This secret could not be passed on to Tom since he renounced his Jewish faith, but, his father did take it to his grave, where Tom retrieved it.

“The Columbus Affair” is a mix of history and fiction.  The settings range from Florida, to Vienna, to Prague, to Jamaica.

Not Steve Berry’s best (read “The Amber Room”) but it is an interesting treasure-hunting jaunt around the world with a bit of Jewish history and facts we never knew about Columbus.

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Book Review: “Critical” by Robin Cook

Genre:  Medical Thriller

(Laurie Montgomery tackles MRSA)

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Laurie Montgomery (for those who don’t know Laurie is a NYC Medical Examiner) and her unstoppable curiosity find themselves entrenched in a medical mystery involving multiple cases of a fast evolving, and killing, MRSA bacteria.

Most of the cases of this virulent form of MRSA are coming from various specialty hospitals under the umbrella of Angels Healthcare.

Digging into the similarities of the case and the cause, Laurie attracts the attention of two sets of people who set out to kill her. To add spice to the story, Jack Montgomery is due for surgery in an Angels hospital.  Arrrghh.

To find out what happens, you will have to read “Critical”.  :-)

“Critical” is another excellent Robin Cook medical mystery thriller with thrills and chills galore.

A fun read….

“A Feast for Crows” by George R.R. Martin

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(The story continues with some dragging)

Genre:  Fantasy

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As explained at the end of this, the fourth book in the series, George R.R. Martin chose to focus on the Kings Landing area and the characters associated with that region.   Book 5 (“A Dance With Dragons”) will pick up the stories of the other characters that I missed in this book (i.e. Tyrion, Dany, Jon Snow and a few others).

I had a hard time getting thru a few hundred pages in the middle of “Feast” ….those pages REALLY dragged.  But….once I got through the quicksand, the pace picked up again and I was disappointed that it ended.

I downloaded “A Dance With Dragons” (book 5) on my Nook already and will start reading it soon.  With over 1,000 pages, it will take me a very long time (especially if I run into quicksand along the way).  There is talk of a sixth book, but, I do not know when.

As always, as you read “A Feast for Crows” don’t expect anyone you like to live.  This, once again, is a brutal book with a magnificent scope of adventure.

Happy reading…..

Book Review: “Zero Day” by David Baldacci

 (Exciting Thriller)

Genre:  Thriller

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John Puller is a an Army veteran employed by the elite Criminal Investigation Unit (CID) of the U.S. Army.

In this first of the series, Puller is sent to West Virginia (in a po-dunk mining town, Drake, WVA) to investigate the murder of a soon to be retired government employee (and 6 or 7 other people).

The fact that he is sent alone raises a caution flag in Puller, but, he continues the investigation as per orders (he is Army, and following orders is second nature).

Eventually, the magnitude of  the issue in Drake, West VA are realized and it is up to Puller (and the Sheriff of Drake, Samantha Cole) to solve and, hopefully, save everyone in the area.

What happens in Zero Day is up to you to find out…..buy the book.  It is not Baldacci’s best (read “The Winner”), but, it is a fun read.

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Book Review: “Skipping Christmas” by John Grisham

 (Light-hearted fun)

23 year old Blair Krank has just graduated from graduate school and is heading to Peru for a stint in the Peace Corps.  Her parents, Luther and Nora Krank say goodbye and return to an empty house.

Being Thanksgiving, Luther comes up with a plan for Christmas.  His plan is to skip it.  After all, they spent $6,100 last year on Christmas with nothing to show for it.  Being an accountant, he decides that he and Nora could save money this year and have some fun on a cruise.

No Christmas tree, no Frosty on the roof, no Christmas Eve party, no Police calendar, no Firemans fruitcake  no office parties….nothing.  They spend time getting a tan and planning  their vacation in paradise.

Until Christmas Eve morning.  The phone rings and Luther reluctantly answers it.  It is Blair calling from Miami telling her parents that she and her new fiance, Enrique, are headed home for Christmas so Enrique can see all the Christmas cheer, that, unfortunately, the Krank’s just skipped.

Ooops….they have only a few short hours to get it all together.

“Skipping Christmas”  is a hilarious account of how one couple bucks the norm and how everyone else pressures them to not skip Christmas. Then how everyone bands together to help.  This is a short book (less than 200 pages) and is a fast easy read. Great fun.

A movie “Christmas with the Kranks” is a fun, 2.5 Watertower, rendition of this book starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Tim Allen.

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