pontalba Posted May 10, 2014 Author Share Posted May 10, 2014 LOL, hope the hay fever is better. I've finished a couple of books in the last few days, will put up reviews in a while. Wanted to mention Zone One by Colson Whitehead. Twice I've started and abandoned this book. Both times I've only managed to get to page 23 or 24. Usually not enough to really judge a book, I've thought in the past. However I believe this one has changed my mind. I've had the book since not long after it's 2011 publication. A fellow poster over on Constant Reader (goodreads) spoke of the author being one of the speakers at the annual Key West Seminar. That is held in..........Key West, Florida.....(giggle). It's held in January of the year. She said that he was an excellent and very interesting speaker. She'd read the book and was impressed. Zombies are not her usual thing, so I thought, why not? Maybe it's just me. But Colson's level of callousness, casual callousness, is just more than I could take. The aura of those first pages is totally smart aleck and shows a complete disregard for human......anything. Dignity, feeling, substance...you name it. They say, never say never, so I won't, but I do not foresee ever finishing this book. It is truly abandoned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted May 10, 2014 Author Share Posted May 10, 2014 The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters 3/5If an asteroid is due to smash into the earth in 6 months, does it really matter if an alleged suicide is in fact a murder? What are the moral implications of just letting it go? People are committing suicide left and right, so what's one more or less?Hank Palace a newly minted detective in a small town in New Hampshire, United States thinks it matters. He cannot let it go, won't let it go until he finds out what happened. Why it happened, and whodunit.The first of a trilogy, The Last Policeman shows how a small town comes to grips with imminent disaster. And how one man can really and truly make a difference. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Recoil by Jim Thompson 3/5Why would a powerful political insider help a man in prison obtain parole? Could it be out of the goodness of his heart? Or, could there be an ulterior motive? And, is that possible motive be personal or political? This is just what happens in this 1953 neo-noir suspenseful story of corruption.How can Patrick Cosgrove, a fairly innocent convict (I know how contradictory that sounds) understand and combat the machinations of a powerful man?The story is a bit dated, but the suspense is kept high, and the reader confused. Always a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 That poem is really nice! You've read a lot of books lately, I'm glad you enjoyed most of them . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 LOL, hope the hay fever is better. Thanks. Ii`m feeling less brain-bunged-up today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted May 16, 2014 Share Posted May 16, 2014 Thanks. Ii`m feeling less brain-bunged-up today. Just noticed I couldn`t spell properly that day. Tee-hee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted May 16, 2014 Author Share Posted May 16, 2014 Just noticed I couldn`t spell properly that day. Tee-hee. LOL, I didn't notice until you pointed it out! I think my brain automatically filters...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted May 17, 2014 Share Posted May 17, 2014 LOL, I didn't notice until you pointed it out! I think my brain automatically filters...... Excselentt ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted May 17, 2014 Author Share Posted May 17, 2014 Hah! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted May 17, 2014 Share Posted May 17, 2014 The Last Policeman sounds interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted May 17, 2014 Author Share Posted May 17, 2014 The Last Policeman sounds interesting. It is, I'm shortly going to read the second in that trilogy. The more I think on it, the more I know I've liked it a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted May 17, 2014 Share Posted May 17, 2014 I looked up Zone One and then got sidetracked into wondering what the difference is between literary fiction amd genre fiction....apparently literary fiction is a good book and genre fiction is .......basically not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted May 17, 2014 Author Share Posted May 17, 2014 I looked up Zone One and then got sidetracked into wondering what the difference is between literary fiction amd genre fiction....apparently literary fiction is a good book and genre fiction is .......basically not Hah, what horse hockey! Some of the books I see advertised on Amazon as "literary fiction" are (IMHO) pure dreck. Really. I read an article in the NYT yesterday about the author of Zone One, and boy. He sounds pretentious as heck, and like his book sounds, just too smart aleck for my taste. Here is the article if you're interested. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/18/books/review/colson-whitehead-by-the-book.html?ref=books&_r=0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted May 17, 2014 Share Posted May 17, 2014 Oh wow yes you are right. He better not bend over he will disappear up his own bottom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 Hah! I`m here all week, try the veal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted May 18, 2014 Share Posted May 18, 2014 Oh wow yes you are right. He better not bend over he will disappear up his own bottom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted May 20, 2014 Author Share Posted May 20, 2014 Well, thanks to certain posters here.....you know who you are!! I am halfway into the third of the Dresden File books. Will review in bulk later.... LOL. But will say they have a way of dragging the reader along. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted May 21, 2014 Author Share Posted May 21, 2014 A Dish Taken Cold A Novella by Anne Perry 4/5Revenge is a dish best taken cold.Anne Perry has sliced off a bit of the French Revolution and personalized it in the form of Celie, a young woman whose baby has died. Malicious gossip, true or not, bends the young woman to find her revenge in a most cold-blooded manner.The Revolution itself is a wonderfully drawn character. The madness is certainly felt at every turn.Will her revenge succeed? Should it? Take an hour and read it and find out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted May 21, 2014 Author Share Posted May 21, 2014 Storm Front (The Dresden Files #1) 3/5Fool Moon (The Dresden Files #2) 3/5Grave Peril (The Dresden Files #3) by Jim Butcher 4/5Since I read the first three of the Harry Dresden books together, I thought I'd simply write one review.Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is the Wizardly incarnation of Sam Spade, wisecracking his way through murders by Werewolves of all stripe, Vampire Queens, Bad Wizards and Faerie Queens, not to mention your run of the mill ghosts, goblins and various and sundry spooks littering the Chicago landscape. Then there is Harry's "home life", a whole 'nuther ball of wax.He has a side gig with the Chicago P.D.'s Special Investigations Unit that investigates, um, weirdness. But not all of the Department believes in the um, weirdness, so Harry has his hands full on that field of operation as well.Butcher's descriptions, and character sketches are very well done, and the story just pulls the reader along. I had to know what happened. And, how on earth was Harry going to get out of this one.These are the only three I've read so far, and I'll certainly read more. They are different enough to keep my interest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 I have these on my wishlist, I'm glad to read you enjoyed them . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Ooh!!!...... going to have to check out the Dresden Files Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Good to know books 2 and 3 of the Dresden Files are so good ; the first one I tried ( charity shop purchase ) turned out to be Book 13, and I can still recall some of the lines from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted May 21, 2014 Author Share Posted May 21, 2014 I read somewhere that The Dresden Files should be read in order. From the first three, I can believe it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 I read somewhere that The Dresden Files should be read in order. Definitely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 Definitely. By the time I get to Book 13 again, it`ll all be new to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted May 22, 2014 Share Posted May 22, 2014 By the time I get to Book 13 again, it`ll all be new to me. By the time you get to book 13 again your TBR list might be over 2,000! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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