Another Spademan thriller hits the mark, NEAR ENEMY by Adam Sternberg

In 2014 hubby and I went to the L.A. Times Festival of Books and had a wonderful time. We are both bibliophiles and were in heaven; books, books, books and authors, authors, authors.  One of the panels we attended was hosted by the very funny, writer and podcaster Tod Goldberg, with Adam Sternberg introducing his first Spademan book SHOVEL READY. Being a fan of the mystery/thriller genre I picked up the book, after all the author was there ready to autograph it for me. Well as things often go SHOVEL READY sat on my "priority to read" shelf for around 6 months before I pulled it and jumped in.  Let me tell you, SHOVEL READY isn't the typical dystopian novel. This is a future  where you either live in a ravaged New York City decimated by a dirty bomb, or tap into the limnosphere to live a virtual reality of your own making. The protagonist, Spademan, is a garbageman turned hit-man, kinda the same, the difference being the garbage you dispose of.  In NEAR READY Spademan was contracted to dispose of a hacker and limn bed-hopper Jonathan Lesser, only when he meets up with Lesser he tells Spademan of an impossible occurrence he witnessed while bed-hopping a bankers virtual reality in the limn. What Spademan soon learns is terrorists are again threatening to bomb New York, only this time ground zero isn't Times Square this time it is the limn. As fun as the Spademan novels are they do have a serious side to them and NEAR ENEMY seems to be a tad edgier than the first book, SHOVEL READY. I loved both books and NEAR ENEMY didn't have to sit on my bookshelf for long as I began reading soon as I had it in my hands. But I will warn you, after reading NEAR ENEMY you will be standing on Adam Sternberg's front lawn with me holding banners demanding the third Spademan novel. Mr. Sternberg assures me he is working on the third Spademan.......at least he better be.

P.S. The L.A. Times Festival of Books for 2015 is being held at University of Southern California on April 18, 19, 20. I recommend you attend if you are a lover of books as you will meet authors, book sellers, publishers where you will pick up some fantastic books, many are give-a-ways by the publishers. And you will have a fabulous time.

GREAT HOUSE A NOVEL By Nicole Krauss

This book has sat on my bookshelf for several years; on the shelf I reserve for immediate reading. I don't know why it took me so long to pick it up and begin as I was mesmerized by this tale of a great looming desk that seemed hovered over everyone who sat at it, and the relationships of the people who owned, borrowed, or searched for this desk. The book is in two parts with four chapters in each part. The four chapters in part I are revisited in part II, and none of the chapters are told in order. As I read I admit I was confused to how the story played out in sequence, but when I got to part II it started to become more clear, albeit, still murky.  Upon finishing this wonderful book I went to the table of contents and made notes trying to link the sequence of the stories of these lives. The chapters in both parts have the same titles which helped me as I reread parts of the like named chapters to help with my sequencing of the story.  Some of you may be incredulous that I would even try to put the entire story in sequence. Normally when reading a book written in this style I am not concerned with analyzing and sequencing the story as I accept the book as I originally interpreted it. But with GREAT HOUSE I needed to make that connection, I needed the right sequence, and once I found it one of the mysteries of the book came to light. I am happy.

AGAINST THE COUNTRY A NOVEL by Ben Metcalf

I picked up this book and read the first page, the beautiful prose pulled me in.  However, I was unable to concentrate on a book written in this style as I had recently lost two close friends to sudden illness and cancer so I put it down. I am giving 4 stars as I believe the language and writing are unique, I will pick this book up at a later time when I am more able to lose myself in it.

THE ACCIDENT by Chris Pavone is a wonderful followup to his debut THE EXPATS

I love thrillers, mysteries and suspense...they are my favorite genres and Chris Pavone has satisfied my craving again with THE ACCIDENT. This is not a sequel to THE EXPATS, but characters from his debut do show up in the current thriller. That is something I like about certain authors, they don't necessarily write sequels or prequels but bring familiar characters into their work, it is like going to a party and knowing one other or two other people there. In THE ACCIDENT a manuscript has been hand delivered to a literary agent; not on jump drive or disc but hard copy, I'll bet this hasn't happened to an agent in this digital age, but it did happen here. The manuscript, titled "The Accident" is the title of an expose written about Charlie Wolf, an all around greedy silver-spooner and the founder of Wolf Worldwide Media. This expose tells of an accident that occurred during college when a young woman was killed by Charlie Wolf's car. The killing was vehicular manslaughter, an accident, that was never reported by Charlie or his roommate Dave Miller who were involved. But that is not the only revelation in "The Accident," during the course of building his empire Charlie became involved with nefarious dealings involving the CIA and foreign governments. The manuscript is so inflammatory that numerous people, government spooks and industry insiders are desperate to squash the publication by finding the original manuscript, any illicit copies that may have been made, anyone who may have read the manuscript or part of the manuscript, and destroying everything and everyone involved or peripheral to this expose. These people are serious about keeping secrets secret. Something else quite interesting is the story takes place all in one day and by the end of the book you will feel like it was the longest day of the year. This is nail biting, edge of your seat reading. If you liked THE EXPATS you will love THE ACCIDENT.

With luck and a lot of ingenuity THE MARTIAN just may survive being stranded on the Red planet.

Are we sure Andy Weir isn't a NASA astronaut? He sure has me fooled. Mark Watney is one lucky guy, he is part of a Mars mission crew and they have landed on Mars. Yes, he is one of the six people to ever walk on Mars, HOTDOG! They have been on Mars for six Sols, or six Mars days as a Mars day is slightly longer than an earth day, when a severe dust storm arrives and threatens their safety. Looks like Mark's luck just ran out. Written with such attention to detail you would think Mr. Weir actually lived the tale he is telling. There is a lot of science in this book, as you would expect from a tale of an earthling stranded on Mars, but don't let that deter you from picking up this fabulously entertaining book. FYI, the protagonist Mark Watney is a botanist and engineer as well as a well trained NASA astronaut so you know he is smart enough to figure out how to survive with what is on hand. And thanks to NASA's being well prepared for any event there is quite a lot of equipment that is at his disposal. The one thing he is lacking is food to get him through till the next Mars landing. But remember, Mark is foremost a botanist....so, well let's just say he manages to come up with an idea.  This is an edge of your seat thrill, pick it up and take a trip to Mars, it may be the only way you will get there.

The Woman Who Would Be King by Kara Cooney

"The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt" by Kara Cooney is an interesting foray into how ancient Egypt was ruled, not only by boy kings but by the King Mothers and the God's Wives.  Even though the life of Hatshepsut and how she came to rule was based on interpretation of the artifacts and history of Egypt, and really is conjecture, it is an eye opening book on the power that women had in ancient Egypt, and the power they had with the Gods. Reading this book you cannot help but believe that ancient Egypt was a matriarchal society, as it is not only about Hatshepsut's life and rise to power but about the sway women held over the dynasties as wives to the Gods and the power they had as mothers over their boy Kings.

"Pilgrim's Wilderness A true Story of Faith and Madness on the Alaska Frontier by Tom Kizza

"Pilgrim's Wilderness" is like a train wreck, as disturbing as the tale is you can't take your eyes away from what is written on the page. Tom Kizza, an Alaska journalist, has deftly written a well researched page turner, a book that kept me awake at night and seeped into my dreams turning them into nightmares.  This is a true story about a heinous being masquerading as a man, even more heinous masquerading as a family man.  Bobby Hale, aka Firefly Sunstar, aka Holy Bob, aka Papa Pilgrim was a Texas boy who grew up in the top echelons of Texas society. His family socialized with John Connally's family, Bobby even ran away with Connally's 16 year old daughter and drove to Oklahoma where they were married, despite their young ages. That marriage lasted 44 days before Kathleen Connally was shot in the back of the head, purported to be a suicide due in part to the testimonial of Bobby Hale. Even at that time Bobby Hale, prior to becoming Papa Pilgrim, showed signs of a manic, aggressive behavior that caused him to lash out and become threatening and abusive to those around him.  This will manifest itself daily as he becomes more obsessed with his vision of "God's plan" for him and his family to live in the wilderness following the gospel of the bible. By the time the family arrived in Alaska in 2002 Bobby Hale had morphed into Papa Pilgrim and was towing a family of 14 children living under Papa's stringent rules he professed to be the word of God. This was a man who allowed only 2 books in his home; the bible and "The Pilgrim's Progress" and he read from them daily, teaching his wife and children how to live by the word of God. Papa Pilgrim proselytized himself as a devout Christian, he was not a Christian he was a monster who searched the text of the bible to justify his daily abuse and enslavement of his family, and the thievery he practiced against his neighbors and the state of Alaska. He was a master of manipulation and disarmament, spouting bible verses anytime someone approached him on his actions and behavior.  However, this book is not only about the Pilgrim family, it is also a story of wilderness living in Alaska, depending on and offering assistance to neighbors. Where good grace is essential. As disturbing as I found the Pilgrim family the book is highly recommended.