Private Down Under by James Patterson & Michael White

So maybe I have read most of Mr. Patterson's books.  So maybe my favorites are the Murder Club and Michael Bennet.    This does not necessarily mean I totally embrace all of his books.

Critics of James Patterson contend that many of "his" titles are just a conveyance for other authors who are not as prolific as he is.  This may be so but I have enjoyed many of them.  However,  I would be remiss if I did not indicate that this latest title just did not move along with intensity as some of his other books have. Examples being: The Postcard Killers, Sail, Beach Road and Now You See Her to name but a few.

This story has several stories going on simultaneously.  I think it would be a great thing if one mystery could be focused on and fleshed out.  I had some difficulty with plausibility as well.

One of the "stories" involves a series of murders in an upscale neighborhood.  The neighborhood just happens to be where the Deputy Commissioner lives with his family.  The Commissioner and his wife are going to a birthday party one night and at the last minute their usual babysitter fails to show up and a stranger is there to take her place.  The Commissioner and his wife engage the total stranger to babysit for their children.  First, this is the Commissioner.  Secondly, the Commissioner's wife knows all the victims.  One would think they would not have allowed a total stranger to sit for their children.  Unknown to them of course is that the sitter is also the killer.

In another story, the son of a wealthy man is kidnapped.  Later in the same story another son is kidnapped. The wealthy man has plenty of bodyguards and was a former policeman.  One might think he would have done more to protect the second son from the same fate.

This was an "okay" read but I have come to expect much more.

Ladybookbug!

New Life, No Instructions by Gail Caldwell

A new memoir from this Pulitzer Prize winning author. This one speaks about her contracting polio at an early age and living with the after affects of the disease for most of her life.

This was  not the first time I have read anything by this author. I have also read Let's Take the Long Way Home which was published in 2010.  However, this time I was blown away by her verbiage and her innate ability to convey exactly whatever she was feeling at any particular time.  Her descriptions are so well presented that one can really step into her shoes and walk the path with her.

She speaks about her relationship with dogs and how they have stretched her life by the nature of their being. She introduces us to her friends in a way that makes us want to know them too.  She also talks about her mother and the special relationship that they shared.

One of the best things about this book, in my opinion, is the author's resiliency.  She was a baby who crawled for a long time before she walked.  She often fell down but picked herself up and tried again.  She suffered excruciating pain for a long period of time but kept on moving forward.  She never gave up.  One of my favorite lines in the book is  "strength is how you keep yourself from falling".  I believe this is true be it emotional, physical or mental.

Thank you Ms. Caldwell for having the courage to share your inmost thoughts.  They are both inspiring and emboldening.

Ladybookbug!

Eyes on Target by Scott McEwen and Richard Miniter

The subtitle on this book is "inside stories from the brotherhood of the U.S. Navy Seals".  This book tells several stories about the US. Navy Seals, including the battle in Afghanistan called Operation Red Wings, Fallujah and an extensive and intense depiction of the Benghazi incident including five scenarios that could have changed the outcome of that heinous crime.

The book also gives a brief history of the origins of the U.S. Navy Seals and includes their Creed and Code. From their early beginnings as Frogman to J.F.K's sign off on the creation of the U.S.Navy Seals in 1962, there is no typical U.S. Navy Seal as far as ethnicity, socioeconomic background or education are concerned. What they do have in common is a quality that they do not realize they possess until it is evidenced in their behavior.

Intense physical and mental training prepares U.S. Navy Seals to be ready to defend the U.S.A. in the most precarious of circumstances.  They premise their participation in this elite group on loyalty, honor and integrity.  One of the tenets of the group is anonymity.  They prefer not to have any public accolades.  They draw their strength from the men who have gone before them and who work with them side-by-side to defeat our Nation's enemies.

One cannot come away from reading this book without a feeling of pride and perhaps a wish to be a member of this very special brotherhood.

Ladybookbug!

Support and Defend by Mark Greaney

Mr. Greaney had written several titles with the late Tom Clancy but to my knowledge, this is the first that he has written on his own under Mr. Clancy's name.  While I have not read all of Mr. Clancy's books, I have read several of them and enjoyed them.  Let me say thank you! to Mr. Greaney for carrying on the tradition.

Support and Defend is about Dominic Caruso, an FBI agent and operator for a top-secret intelligence agency.  He suffered a profound loss in the death of his brother and as the story opens he and a close friend are embroiled in a terrorist attack.  Unfortunately, the terrorists are able to kill the friend and his family.  The big question  is how the terrorists came to know about Caruso's friend.

The main thrust of this novel is uncovering the person who leaked highly confidential information about the locations and identities of agents working for the USA.  Caruso is able to isolate the person responsible and begins a solo manhunt to capture him.

A fast-paced thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.  I enjoyed Mr. Greaney's style of writing very much and have his solo works on hold.  The titles are The Gray Man, On Target, 
Ballistic and Dead Eye.

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Virtual Unreality by Charles Seife

Another book which is a must-have for your collection.  Filled with interesting information about the Internet, this is a book you'll find yourself referring to again and again.

The author has written five previous books.  He is a professor of journalism at New York University.  This book is an eye-opener for those of us who may assume if it's on the Internet, it must be true.  It reminded me of a recent television commercial where a young woman is telling someone that she is meeting a French man she met online.  The "French" man comes ambling down the street, takes her hand an in an accent that reeks of a New York borough says bonjour.

This book gives sound advice on some of the ways users can determine what is fact and what is falsehood on the Internet.  He takes us to popular sites and debunks some of the information contained therein.  As a student, master or just someone who occasionally delves into the digital arena, this is a book that is well worth the read.

I think I'll purchase a copy for myself.

Ladybookbug!

A Continual Feast by Jan Karon

A book containing "words of comfort and celebration, collected by Father Tim."  If you've read one of my recent entries entitled Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good you'll recognize this as the same author.  This book is a very short read.  It contains quotations from a myriad of people.  It is definitely a good book to have as a reference book in your own collection. You might find it helpful if you are writing a paper and need a succinct quotation.  On the other hand, you may just want to read it for the pure enjoyment of recognizing that people have something to say and often it is something profound that should be remembered.

There are quotes from statesmen such as Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt.  There are poignant words from Mother Theresa and Thomas Merton.  There are humorous quotations from Ogden Nash and  Peter Benchley.  There are quotations from the obscure and the predominant people who are living and those who have passed.  Some of the quotations have a theme such as dogs--one of my favorite themes. I found myself laughing, crying and sometimes just thinking about what was said and how it applies to my own life.

So although you won't need a long span of time to read this book, you may want to keep a pad and pen handy.  I'm sure you'll find a quote you'll want to savor.  I have a friend who often writes down quotations she is particularly fond of and will pass them on.  You may want to do that to.

Here is one of my favorite quotes from this book:

"I've been in love three hundred times in my life and all but five were with books."-Lee Glickstein

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Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good by Jan Karon

Have you ever visited the town of Mitford?  It's located in the hills of North Carolina.  It's a sleepy little town that is filled with a myriad of interesting characters.  There's Father Tim, the now retired vicar of The Lord's Chapel, and his lovely wife Cynthia, author of several children's books.  There's Dooley, Fr. Tim's adopted son and Kenny, Puny, Sammy and Lace to name just a few.

Jan Karon is the author of The Mitford Series.   A total of nine books in the original series, it takes the reader back to an innocent time, filled with down-to-earth values and people who somehow seem familiar.

Ms. Karon's latest entry connects all the dots from the previous books.  Although her books seem simple and unadorned, they convey many truths about issues current in today's world.  One of my favorite things about her writing is that it speaks to my heart and my faith in God and my fellow men.  She often quotes directly from The Book of Common Prayer and refers to "the prayer that never fails" which is......Not my will but Thine be done.

If you are looking for an uplifting excursion into life in a small town, you will want to read the books about Mitford.  You may be so inspired you'll want to read her entire body of work.  I am.

Ladybookbug!