Books I've Read
Books Listed by Author
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z All
The Name Of This Book Is Secret
Cass, equipped her backpack full of survival supplies, is constantly predicting doom. With the passing of magician, doom arrives! Good story, some puzzles, some crypto, and a glossary of circus terms. Oh, and a magic trick!
Read:
5/2008
This Book Is Not Good For You
Cass and her friends investigate a plot to discover The Secret using chocolate.
Words I Had To Look Up:
Curate ut Valeatis (pg. 118) -- Take care that you fare well.
Read:
1/2011
Get The Picture:
Subtitle: A Mind-Bending Journey Among the Inspired Artists and Obsessive Art Fiends Who Taught Me How to See.
Here is what I got from this book, on how to see art:
1. Look at the art for at least five minutes. At least. Forty would be better. Four hours is not unheard of.
2. Find five things about it that catch your senses. Then find five more.
3. Then read the information sign about the piece. If you must.
That's what I got out of it!
Quote:
If you didn't, good luck unseeing it now. -- I never could see it!Quote:
The best art-history education I ever got was staring at art while Guggenheim.Read:
3/2024
A Treasury of Southern Folklore
I FINALLY FINISHED this 776 page book! It is NOT a page-turner! I could only read about 10 pages a day. Very interesting, in parts, not so much, in others. I am NOT READING the Western and New England compilations!
Read:
7/2007
Planet of the apes
A little different than the movie.
Read:
9/2004
Kitchen Confidential
Tony recounts the madcap life of a chef: sex, drugs, rock and roll, drugs, alcohol, and more drugs. Interesting, funny in parts, disgusting in others. Will read his other books. Two references to Lou Reed/Velvets.
Read:
11/2002
Moonwar
Ok, let's get started: Reminded me of Heinlein's "The Moon Is Harsh Mistress". Page 296, "We should have this kloodge put together...". Shouldn't that be "kludge"? Page 317, "Main buss has cut out." My dictionary sez "bus". "Buss" is a brand name for fuses, I think. Page 296 again, "I've saved this freak for private conversations." I don't like "freak", but I found a dictionary that sez it's ok. I like "freq." instead.
QUOTE:
"Yep, I'm absolutely, positively certain. I might be wrong, but I'm sure." BONUS QUOTE:
"I remember a professor of mine saying that if something scratches or bites, it's biology; if it stinks or pops, it's chemistry; and if...it doesn't work, it's physics."Read:
1/1999
My Favorites: A Collection Of Short Stories
I enjoyed all the stories in this book very much, and gave it five stars because, darn it, I'd read it again!
Quote:
"A Catholic, a Jew, and a Muslim are stuck in the middle of Mars," said Rashid Faiyum.
"That isn't funny," Jacob Bernstein replied wearily.
Patrick O'Conner, the leader of the three-man team, shook his head...Quote:
"...When, in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes..." -- Hey, that's familiar!Quote:
At that instant we felt a slight lurch. Spacecrafts don't lurch, not unless something bad has happened to them ...Read:
4/2024
Powersat
Terrorists eventually use Dan Randolph's power generating satellite in an presedential assa....crap, too many big words. Technothriller. Sort of Clancyish.
Read:
7/2005
Return To Mars
Sequel to "Mars". Good story.
Read:
3/2000
Sam Gunn, Jr.
Sam Gunn dies, his son takes over. I was gonna include a bunch quotes, poor treatment of women, mistakes, and oddities. But it's too much effort. The book is OK, in a 50s sort of way, the author died before it was published, we move on.
Read:
5/2024
Collateral Damage
Richard Michaelson solves another locked-room mystery in Washington, D.C. Excellant story!
Read:
8/2000
Corruptly Procured
Richard Michaelson finds out why German nationalists steal the Library Of Congress's copy of the Gutenberg Bible.
QUOTE:
"I wanted to have what they had even though I wasn't like them. I resented them for having what I didn't. My sin was envy, the most useless sin, the only sin that brings evil without pleasure or satisfaction."Read:
7/1999
Washington Deceased
Richard Michaelson tries to find out how a prisoner was killed inside a locked room. This series is humorous and interesting!
Read:
8/1999
Breaking Point
I wonder if the first of two references to a baked potato was a foreshadowing. Good story. Too many brand names mentioned. Someone has an iPhone? How does that advance the plot. Sure wish my local library had all the series titles so I could read them in order!
Read:
9/2016
Off The Grid
Nate and Jack separately end up at a deserted sheep ranch to foil the plans of some terrorists who have take over a patriot's project to incapacitate the NSA installation in Utah. You know, THAT one!
Read:
9/2016
Blue Skies
Eco disaster novel of the near future. Everyone has terrible things happen to them. Book ends suddenly. As in, I'm turning more pages trying find the rest of story. No real conclusion. I prefer books with a conclusion. Otherwise, nice writing.
Quote:
"Insectos, por supuesto' [sic]Quote:
And she probably should have parked the car up on the ramp Todd had build for it... -- There was something about the ramp I wanted to point out, but I forget was it was.Quote:
...started the engine... -- There is an engine to start in a Tesla? What do I know.Quote:
"...'Babe, how do you call your lover boy?'" he said, quoting an old Lou Reed song he'd been fixated on since she'd got pregnant.Quote:
"But just in case, I'd better inspect your body, especially those hard-to-see places, right?..." -- Ticks, you know.Words I Had To Look Up:
Oases -- So I learned this is the plural of "oasis". Who knew?Read:
3/2024
Becoming George Sand
Maria, a Scottish professor and writer, deals with her love and husband, and the death of her friend, while writing a book about George Sand.
Words I Had To Look Up:
girning over trifles (pg. 35) -- To complain in a whining voice. To contort one's face; grimace.
arrived in a caléche (pg. 129) -- A light low-wheeled carriage with a removable folding hood.
leave the door on the snib (pg. 164) -- A snib is a manually operated catch for the internal locking of Yale type locks.
practicing a phrase on the Pleyel (pg. 317) -- Not an instrument, as I first thought, a piece of music by Ignace Pleyel.
Read:
10/2011
Quicker Than The Eye
A bunch of short stories, including Another Fine Mess, maybe my favorite, but the librarian one was pretty good, too.
Read:
11/2012
The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants
How four girls spent their summer. Very good, several weepy times.
Read:
3/2003
20 books displayed
[Abadzis - Aiken] [Aiken - Allinghamc] [Alvarez - Angelou] [Anthony - Atkins] [Atkinson - Backman] [Baen Publishing Enterprises - Balliett] [Balliett - Barnard] [Barnard - Barr] [Barr - Barrows] [Barry - Bear] [Bear - Beaton] [Beaton - Beaton] [Beaton - Bester] [Bingle - Block] [Block - Block] [Block - Bosch] [Bosch - Brashares] [Breathed - Bryson] [Bryson - Bujold] [Bujold - Bujold] [Bujold - Card] [Card - Card] [Card - Caunitz] [Caunitz - Cheaney] [Chesterton - Clancy] [Clare - Coben] [Coben - Colfer] [Colfer - Collins] [Collins - Connelly] [Connelly - Conroy] [Constantine - Cooper] [Corbett - Cornwell] [Cornwell - Crais] [Crais - Crichton] [Crichton - Crusie] [Curry - Cussler] [Cussler - Davis] [Davis - Dilloway] [Dionne - Dorsey] [Dorsey - Dowell] [Dowell - Duncan] [Duncan - Elkins] [Elkins - Evanovich] [Evanovich - Fairstein] [Fairstein - Ferris] [Fforde - Flanagan] [Flanagan - Ford] [Forester - Francis] [Francis - Francis] [Francis - Francis] [Francis - Frey] [Frey - Gantos] [Gantos - Gibson] [Gibson - Gores] [Gores - Granger] [Granger - Greenberg] [Greenfield - Grimes] [Grimes - Grisham] [Grisham - Haddix] [Haddix - Hall] [Hall - Hallinan] [Halpern - Haugaard] [Hautman - Heinlein] [Heinlein - Heller] [Heller - Herbert] [Herman - Hess] [Hess - Hiaasen] [Hiaasen - Hobb] [Hobb - Hoose] [Hopkinson - Hudson] [Huff - Jacobs] [James - Jones] [Jones - Kaminsky] [Kaminsky - Kellog] [Kellog - King] [King - Kline] [Klise - Kowal] [Kowal - Lamott] [Lampman - Lawrence] [Lawrence - Lee] [Lee - Lescroart] [Lescroart - Liebster] [Lindsay - London] [Long - Lubar] [Luna - MacLachlan] [Maclean - Mandel] [Mankell - Martin] [Martin - Mass] [Mass - McBain] [McCaffrey - McCrumb] [McCrumb - Medwed] [Meier - Millard] [Miller - Moon] [Moon - Morrison] [Mortimer - Mysterious Press] [Nance - Nimmo] [Niven - Novik] [Novik - O'Brian] [O'Brian - Oliver] [Oppel - Paretsky] [Paretsky - Parker] [Parker - Parker] [Parker - Paterson] [Paterson - Paulsen] [Paulsen - Peck] [Peck - Phelan] [Philbrick - Posey] [Powell - Poyer] [Poyer - Pratchett] [Pratchett - Prineas] [Pronzini - Pullman] [Pullman - Quinn] [Quinn - Reeve] [Reeve - Ringo] [Ringo - Robinson] [Robinson - Rowling] [Rowling - Russo] [Rust - Scalzi] [Scalzi - Schmidt] [Schmidt - Scottoline] [Scottoline - Seranella] [Setterfield - Shusterman] [Shusterman - Smith] [Smith - Soto] [Sparks - Stark] [Stark - Stephenson] [Stephenson - Stroke] [Stroke - Strunk] [Sturgeon - Taylor] [Taylor - Townsend] [Tracy - Updale] [Urban - Van Name] [van Vogt - Walsh] [Walsh - Weber] [Weber - Wells] [Wells - Westlake] [Westlake - Westlake] [Westlake - Willis] [Willis - Wodehouse] [Wodehouse - Yep] [Yep - Zusak]