Books I've Read
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Futuristic Violence And Fancy Suits
Originally published under author's pseudonym, David Wong. Zoey Ashe #1. A bit in the future, Zoey lives in a trailer park and works at a small coffee shop. A LOT of violence happens, but works out OK except for all the folks who die/are injured.
Smoke Quote:
She shouldn't be in this bad of shape, she had quit smoking when she was fifteen.Quote:
Zoey was disappointed that the van didn't explode into a fireball like in old action movies, but was one of the downsides of electric car technology.Quote:
We want to sew doubt about why she's so confident. -- "sew"? How about sow?Quote:
Without turning away from the wall, Armando said, "This man, is he still around?" -- WOAH, I said!Quote:
...paint it, modify it, put real tactical sites on it... -- "sites"?? Maybe, "sights"?Read:
1/2024
I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom
Synopsis from Good Reads: Outside Los Angeles, a driver pulls up to find a young woman sitting on a large black box. She offers him $200,000 cash to transport her and that box across the country, to Washington, DC. -- Yeah, outside of Los Angeles...like 86 miles in Victorville!!
Quote:
Sometimes she liked to have a little puddle of [sugar] granules at the end; it was like the coffee's dessert.Quote:
"If you think about it," she said, "Party City is kind of the apex of human civilization."Read:
1/2024
John Dies At The End
John Dies at the End, #1. Originally published as authored by David Wong, which is the pseudonym of Jason Pargin.
I am not reading anymore books in this series!!!
Quote:
... one wall was still covered by an incompetent mural of a dusky woman riding a bull and proudly flying the flag of Mexico, carrying a cartoon burrito the size of a pig under her arm.Quote:
... in Korean, 'chachi' means 'penis'. -- No, it does not. Quote:
I let the naked man, hairy as Robin Williams, help me up... -- Now THERE'S a vision! Read:
2/2025
Zoey Is Too Drunk For This Dystopia
Zoey Ashe, #3. There's an election going on. Who is Zoey and her crew supporting? Plus, there are three women missing from a brothel. One that Zoey owns, of course.
Quote:
She looked down at the Doritos bag, the animated flaming-triangle logo dancing above a heap of dusted chips, as if looking to it for advice. Receiving none, she started running. Quote:
... depending on the publication. -- Chapter 3, page 26.Quote:
... depending on the publication. -- Chapter 3, page 28.Quote:
... depending on the publication. -- Chapter 3, page 33.Quote:
... depending on the publication. -- Chapter 3, page 59.Quote:
... depending on the publication. -- Chapter 6, page 93. Quote:
... depending on the publication. -- Chapter 6, page 94. Quote:
... depending on the publication. -- Chapter 6, page 101. Quote:
... depending on the publication. -- Chapter 9, page 165. Quote:
The socks were her favorite, they were thick and cushioned and had little nubs on the bottom. -- Yes, I love hospital socks!Quote:
"Aviv, we don't even know if we can tolerate each others company for longer than it takes to have sex and get dressed."Read:
2/2024
Zoey Punches The Future In The Dick
Zoey Ashe, #2. Very funny, and violent. I think I could do with less of the cannibalism, but it IS funny. Sometimes.
Quote:
"...A bodyguard who hides and shoots from fifty yards away is probably being a bit too proactive in his duties."Quote:
"Ah, it's a solid life rule that if Will Blackwater hands you a weapon, it either isn't loaded, or there is a much larger one pointed at your back."Read:
2/2024
Project Mulberry
Julia is not too enthused about her and Patrick's new project, breeding silkworms. It's too Korean.
Read:
12/2009
Click
One novel, ten authors,neat book jacket. Each chapter written by a different author, telling events in the lives of people who knew George "Gee" Keane, a photojournalist. I really enjoyed the story until the strange separate personality weirdness.
Read:
9/2009
A Catskill Eagle
Spencer travels to Mill Valley, California, to assist Hawk and Susan.
Words I Had To Look Up:
Jocasta (pg. 235) -- Mother of Oedipus.
Quote:
She dog-eared the page to mark her place and smiled at me. (pg. 232) Caitiff!!! (Not the first word I thought of)
Read:
7/2008
Back Story
A friend of Paul asks Spencer to look into who killed her mother during a bank robbery 28 years ago.
Quibble:
On page 9 the text refers to a "M1 carbine. Fully-automatic." DISCLAIMER: I am not a weapons expert! As far as I can find, the M1 is semi-automatic, and it is the M2 that is fully-automatic. And there is a big difference between semi and fully.Read:
8/2008
Bad Business
Spencer is hired for a little marital investigation, finds out he is not the only one on the job, plus there's some other sordid stuff going on.
Words I Had To Look Up:
Portman lobbies (pg.17) -- John Portman, an American architect, is known for his atrium hotel designs.
Atrium -- Glazed courtyard often extending through several floors at the entrance to a building.
Cantabrigian (pg. 142) -- A student or graduate of Cambridge University; or a native or resident of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Read:
8/2008
Brimstone
First of the Westerns I have read. Seems very like the Boston books, don't ya think? Still, they are fun.
Read:
7/2013
Chance
Spenser ends up in Vegas looking for a gangster's son-in-law. Meets that short guy there.
Words I Had To Look Up:
Postlapsarian (pg. 73)-- Of, relating to, or characteristic of the time or state after the fall of humankind described in the Bible.
Tripartile (pg. 231 --Divided into or composed of three parts
Quote:
Outside the bright desert air hinted faintly of carbon monoxide as we walked down the Strip. -- (pg. 293) I think it is odorless and colorless, but i know what he means!Donut Quote:
I opend the box. Plain donuts. Perfect.
"Do you know how to eat a donut?" I said.
"I'll watch you on the first one," Susan said.
...I ate half a donut.
"Ugh," Susan said. "Is that how it's done?"
"Girls sometimes take smaller bites," I said. -- (pg. 181)
Read:
8/2008
Chasing The Bear
Spencer tells Susan about his adventures growing up.
Read:
12/2009
Cold Service
Hawk is almost killed while protecting a bookie. When he recovers, he and Spencer go after the Ukranian gangster responsible.
Quote:
My favorite quote is about the pumpkin pie Susan made, on page 41. To wit, in part, "Don't call her that thing," she said. "What if she hears you?"
Read:
8/2008
Double Deauce
Spencer and Hawk investigate the murder of a kid and her kid in the 'hood.
Read:
7/2008
Edenville Owls
Parker's first book for younger readers. But not TOO young! A lot less cussing and violence than his adult books. A bit of bad language and teen yearnings by 14-year-old Bobby, who tries to help out his new teacher who is being threatened by a strange man. I enjoyed it.
Read:
5/2009
Hugger Mugger
Spenser travels to Georgia to investigate race horse shootings.
Donut Quote:
"Donuts put a nice foundation under your morning." -- pg. 51.
Words I Had To Look Up:
Club Man (pg. 136) -- Probably refers to the Clubman line of colognes and such. I never heard of it, I was more of a Russian Leather kind of guy, back in the day when I used the stuff.
Quote:
"Just so we're clear,", I said. "I'm not after your wife."... -- (pg. 31) I didn't understand the point of this exchange.
Read:
8/2008
Hundred-Dollar Baby
April Kyle asks Spenser to deals with some guys trying to cut in on her house of ill repute.
Words I Had To Look Up:
Tsimmis (pg. 174) -- Probably Tzimmis, one meaning of which is a state of confusion.
Read:
7/2008
Hush Money
Spenser helps out Hawk by investigating why a professor was denied tenure.
Words I Had To Look Up:
Defenestrated (pg. 65) -- Throwing of a person or thing out of a window.
Linguiça (pg. 104) -- Portuguese cured pork sausage.
Polemic (pg. 136) -- An aggressive attack on or refutation of the opinions or principles of another.
Formulaic Berbers (pg. 213) -- Don't know, maybe refers to something earlier in the story that I missed?
Quote:
"What she does," I said, "is she tries not to want me to do things I don't want to do." -- (pg. 123) Spenser on the successful male/female relationship.
Read:
8/2008
Night Passage
For some reason I thought this was another Spencer story, but although it takes place in the same world (i.e., Gino and Vinnie are present), it introduces a new guy, Jesse Stone, who just got a new job as a small-town police chief after getting fired from the LAPD for being a drunk.
Read:
7/2008
20 books displayed
[Abadzis - Addison] [Addison - Alexander] [Alexander - Anderson] [Anderson - Asimov] [Asimov - Bacigalupi] [Backman - Baldree] [Baldree - Barnard] [Barnard - Barnes] [Barnes - Barr] [Barr - Beanton] [Beanton - Beaton] [Beaton - Beaton] [Beaton - Belzer] [Bender - Block] [Block - Block] [Block - Bodett] [Bohjalian - Bova] [Bova - Brink] [Briody - Bryson] [Buchanan - Bujold] [Bujold - Bythell] [Cain - Card] [Card - Carey] [Carlson editor - Chambers] [Chambers - Choldenko] [Choldenko - Clarke] [Clarke - Cody] [Cody - Colfer] [Colfer - Collins] [Collins - Connelly] [Connelly - Constantine] [Constantine - Corbett] [Corcoran - Cornwell] [Cornwell - Crais] [Crais - Crichton] [Crichton - Curry] [Curry - Cussler] [Cussler - Davis] [Davis - Dilloway] [Dionne - Dorsey] [Dorsey - Dowell] [Dowell - Duncan] [Duncan - Elkins] [Elkins - Evanovich] [Evanovich - Fairstein] [Fairstein - Ferris] [Ferris - Flanagan] [Flanagan - Flint] [Flint - Foster] [Fournier - Francis] [Francis - Francis] [Francis - Freedman] [Freedman - Gaiman] [Gaiman - Gash] [Gash - Goffard] [Going - Grady] [Grafton - Grant] [Grant - Greenleaf] [Greenleaf - Grimes] [Grimes - Gruwell] [Gutman - Haldeman] [Haldeman - Hall] [Hallett - Hannigan] [Hard - Heat-Moon] [Heat-Moon - Heinlein] [Heinlein - Heller] [Hemingway - Herrera] [Herriot - Hiaasen] [Hiaasen - Hiaasen] [Hiaasen - Hobb] [Hobb - Holt] [Hoose - Hudgens] [Hudson - Jackson] [Jackson - Johnson] [Johnson - Kaminsky] [Kaminsky - Keating] [Keene - Kienzle] [Kienzle - Kingsolver] [Kingsolver - Koontz] [Korman - Kurson] [Kushner - Larsson] [Lasky - Leckie] [Leckie - Leitch] [Leitch - Lescroart] [Lescroart - Linsdau] [Linville - Lovegrove] [Lovegrove - Luttrell] [Lutz - Macleod] [Macleod - Manley] [Marcinko - Martine] [Martini - Matas] [Matthews - McCall Smith] [McCall Smith - McCrumb] [McCrumb - McSwigan] [Meader - Mikaelsen] [Miles - Moon] [Moon - Morressy] [Morris - Myers] [Myers - Nimmo] [Nimmo - Norton] [Norton - O'Brian] [O'Brian - O'Nan] [O'Nan - Palmer] [Palmer - Paretsky] [Pargin - Parker] [Parker - Parker] [Parker - Patterson] [Patterson - Pavesi] [Peacock - Perez-Reverte] [Perkins - Piper] [Piper - Poyer] [Poyer - Pratchett] [Pratchett - Pratchett] [Pratchett - Pronzini] [Pronzini - Pullman] [Pullman - Quinn] [Quinn - Reeve] [Reeve - Ringo] [Ringo - Robinson] [Robinson - Rowling] [Rowling - Russo] [Russo - Sanders] [Sanders - Scalzi] [Scalzi - Schmidt] [Schmidt - Scottoline] [Scottoline - Seranella] [Setterfield - Shusterman] [Shusterman - Smith] [Smith - Soto] [Sparks - Stark] [Stark - Stephenson] [Stephenson - Stroke] [Stroke - Stroud] [Stroud - Tappy] [Tappyly - Towles] [Townsend - Twain] [Twain - Van Draanen] [Van Dyne, pseud. - Walker] [Waller - Weber] [Weber - Wells] [Wells - Westerfeld] [Westerfeld - Westlake] [Westlake - Wiles] [Wilks - Wodehouse] [Wodehouse - Wouk] [Wrede - Zevin] [Zimmerman - Zusak]