November Books
Dec. 5th, 2013 08:40 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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christianreaderTheodrore Boone: The Activist
by John Grisham
The final book in the Theodore Boone series, this one was pretty disappointing It was about Theodore trying to stop a pork project that will build a huge highway bypass around the town he lives in due to the impact it would have on the town, the environment, etc. There's some political corruption and a minor crime thrown in, but overall it was a pretty dull read. 2.5/5
The Art of the Steal: Inside the Sotheby's-Christie's Auction House Scandal
by Christopher Mason
I randomly saw this book while I was searching for something else online at the library. It sounded interesting so I grabbed it. It's about the two biggest auction houses in the world agreeing to fix prices to make more money on auctions. It was an interesting story but it was also an inside look at the world of high-value art, which you'll be shocked to find out I don't keep great tabs on. The money people pay for these works of art is amazing. This book did throw a lot of names at you and it was sometimes hard to keep track of who was who, but overall a good read. 3/5
1776 [audio book]
by David McCullough
A nice recommendation by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jennymae, this was a really in-depth look at the first year of the Revolutionary War. Through the use of personal correspondence, battle records, merchant receipts, and other historical records (it’s amazing how much of that stuff has survived) McCullough gives a fascinating look at the events that started the formation of our country. George Washington served as the focal point, along with his counterpart in the British army, General William Howe, but there were plenty of other interesting characters like Henry Knox and Nathaniel Green, two men pressed into service who ended up serving the Continental Army very well. It’s pretty narrowly focused on the military aspects of that year and not very much on the overall happenings. Good read, reminded me a lot of Stephen Ambrose, a popular history author I really enjoy. 3.5/5
The Fall of Five
by Pittacus Lore
Dang it people, why did you let me start a series that isn’t finished? Not only is it not finished, this is only book 4 out of 7 and it just came out! I’m really enjoying it and now I’m one of those suckers that has to sit around and wait for the new books to come out, which could be years! You all were supposed to remind me of the whole Wheel of Time and Dark Tower debacles and not let me start another unfinished series ever again. I’m very disappointed in all of you. Anyway, once I read a few pages in and remembered who all these characters were and what the heck this story was all about I really flew through this latest installment. Even though I’m always keenly aware of how long books are (I’m kind of obsessive about seeing how far along in a book I am), I still did the whole “What, it’s over?!” thing when I finished. The next book hasn’t even been announced yet either : ( 4/5
Blowing my Cover My Life as a CIA Spy
by Lindsay Moran
This wasn't as interesting as I thought it might be. Lindsay was a real CIA spy and gives us an inside look at the recruitment and training but it's not as insightful as you might think. Plus she's a little melodramatic; I had the same feeling reading this book as I did Garlic and Sapphires, like she was exaggerating for effect. Not a bad read, but could have been better. 3/5
The Burning Man
by Phillip Margolin
Margolin continues to impress. It's really neat to have several good murder-mystery writers to choose from (the ones I've gotten into lately that is). The identity of the murderer was a surprise but it still made perfect sense. It did have a little bit of a "and they lived happily ever after" ending, but that can be forgiven. Highly recommended if you're looking for a good m/m author. 4/5
Card Turner [audio book]
by Louis Sachar
A great recommendation byhestergray, this is a novel about a teenager who helps his blind (and rich) uncle play bridge by telling him what cards he has and then playing them as his uncle instructs. It’s a really neat little story and of course I enjoyed the “bridge gibberish” as Sachar refers to it. At the start of the novel there was more bridge gibberish, talk of hands, that sort of thing, but it tapered off more towards the end. I was hoping the bridge gibberish would remain through the whole book, but it was fine. My one regret is that I listened to the audio version instead of reading the printed version; it’s hard to remember all the hands, see the problem being presented, and figure out the answer all while driving. Much easier to leisurely flip pages back and forth. But it was read by the author and he did a nice job, so no problems there. I found it amusing that when he was about to get deep into the bridge gibberish he would warn the reader with a foghorn. And since it was the audio version, you would actually hear the foghorn sound before the bridge gibberish started in. Fun read, and there’s a nice story in there besides the bridge gibberish, so even if you don’t care about bridge and just want to ignore all the game details you can still enjoy the story. 4/5
Books for November: 7
Books for 2013: 61
by John Grisham
The final book in the Theodore Boone series, this one was pretty disappointing It was about Theodore trying to stop a pork project that will build a huge highway bypass around the town he lives in due to the impact it would have on the town, the environment, etc. There's some political corruption and a minor crime thrown in, but overall it was a pretty dull read. 2.5/5
The Art of the Steal: Inside the Sotheby's-Christie's Auction House Scandal
by Christopher Mason
I randomly saw this book while I was searching for something else online at the library. It sounded interesting so I grabbed it. It's about the two biggest auction houses in the world agreeing to fix prices to make more money on auctions. It was an interesting story but it was also an inside look at the world of high-value art, which you'll be shocked to find out I don't keep great tabs on. The money people pay for these works of art is amazing. This book did throw a lot of names at you and it was sometimes hard to keep track of who was who, but overall a good read. 3/5
1776 [audio book]
by David McCullough
A nice recommendation by
jennymae, this was a really in-depth look at the first year of the Revolutionary War. Through the use of personal correspondence, battle records, merchant receipts, and other historical records (it’s amazing how much of that stuff has survived) McCullough gives a fascinating look at the events that started the formation of our country. George Washington served as the focal point, along with his counterpart in the British army, General William Howe, but there were plenty of other interesting characters like Henry Knox and Nathaniel Green, two men pressed into service who ended up serving the Continental Army very well. It’s pretty narrowly focused on the military aspects of that year and not very much on the overall happenings. Good read, reminded me a lot of Stephen Ambrose, a popular history author I really enjoy. 3.5/5The Fall of Five
by Pittacus Lore
Dang it people, why did you let me start a series that isn’t finished? Not only is it not finished, this is only book 4 out of 7 and it just came out! I’m really enjoying it and now I’m one of those suckers that has to sit around and wait for the new books to come out, which could be years! You all were supposed to remind me of the whole Wheel of Time and Dark Tower debacles and not let me start another unfinished series ever again. I’m very disappointed in all of you. Anyway, once I read a few pages in and remembered who all these characters were and what the heck this story was all about I really flew through this latest installment. Even though I’m always keenly aware of how long books are (I’m kind of obsessive about seeing how far along in a book I am), I still did the whole “What, it’s over?!” thing when I finished. The next book hasn’t even been announced yet either : ( 4/5
Blowing my Cover My Life as a CIA Spy
by Lindsay Moran
This wasn't as interesting as I thought it might be. Lindsay was a real CIA spy and gives us an inside look at the recruitment and training but it's not as insightful as you might think. Plus she's a little melodramatic; I had the same feeling reading this book as I did Garlic and Sapphires, like she was exaggerating for effect. Not a bad read, but could have been better. 3/5
The Burning Man
by Phillip Margolin
Margolin continues to impress. It's really neat to have several good murder-mystery writers to choose from (the ones I've gotten into lately that is). The identity of the murderer was a surprise but it still made perfect sense. It did have a little bit of a "and they lived happily ever after" ending, but that can be forgiven. Highly recommended if you're looking for a good m/m author. 4/5
Card Turner [audio book]
by Louis Sachar
A great recommendation by
hestergray, this is a novel about a teenager who helps his blind (and rich) uncle play bridge by telling him what cards he has and then playing them as his uncle instructs. It’s a really neat little story and of course I enjoyed the “bridge gibberish” as Sachar refers to it. At the start of the novel there was more bridge gibberish, talk of hands, that sort of thing, but it tapered off more towards the end. I was hoping the bridge gibberish would remain through the whole book, but it was fine. My one regret is that I listened to the audio version instead of reading the printed version; it’s hard to remember all the hands, see the problem being presented, and figure out the answer all while driving. Much easier to leisurely flip pages back and forth. But it was read by the author and he did a nice job, so no problems there. I found it amusing that when he was about to get deep into the bridge gibberish he would warn the reader with a foghorn. And since it was the audio version, you would actually hear the foghorn sound before the bridge gibberish started in. Fun read, and there’s a nice story in there besides the bridge gibberish, so even if you don’t care about bridge and just want to ignore all the game details you can still enjoy the story. 4/5Books for November: 7
Books for 2013: 61
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no subject
Date: 2013-12-06 06:01 am (UTC)an inside look at the world of high-value art, which you'll be shocked to find out I don't keep great tabs on.
Oh right.. then what's all your talk about Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael and Leonardo?!
no subject
Date: 2013-12-09 05:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-12-06 06:54 am (UTC)The foghorn must be a funny addition. In the printed book, the "bridge gibberish" parts were in rectangles with thick, black borders so they were easy to distinguish. I had never played bridge before, so I definitely wouldn't have been able to follow the games at all if I was trying to listen to it first. It helped me to be able to re-read parts until I understood what was going on.
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