Have you ever wanted to read a book about a boring board game nerd who isn't funny and not sociable? Then this book may be for you!
A lot of thrilling Have you ever wanted to read a book about a boring board game nerd who isn't funny and not sociable? Then this book may be for you!
A lot of thrilling and interesting action happens within this book, but the blandness of the main character almost made me put it down. (And also the excessive amount of non-existent contractions.) Fortunately, the author made things interesting before my 100 page cut-off since I did eventually become invested in the story. Why, though, would you make your main character such a dry stick-in-the-mud?
I remember Ian Fleming said something along the line of James Bond is an uninteresting person who has interesting situations happen to him. But Bond was interesting, wasn't he? He was an emotionally damaged orphan who had cool gadgets, nice cars, nice clothes, a penchant for poker and a way with women. The protagonist here is boring, obsessed with game theory, and collects board games. Bluh.
Edge was good popcorn fiction, or beach read, or however you want to put it, with short chapters that were just interesting enough for you to tell yourself "okay, maybe another chapter", even though it was past bedtime. If Deaver made a sequel, though, I would not Pass Go....more
Depressing, would be the first word that comes to mind.
Harry Harrison had me interested in his characters within the first two chapters of this book. Depressing, would be the first word that comes to mind.
Harry Harrison had me interested in his characters within the first two chapters of this book. Sounds like a good start. But then he deviated a bit from what I thought was the main plot to explain how a relationship might work and be strained in the future world of 1999.
It's crazy to think that we have surpassed Harry's population numbers and don't quite live in the dystopic world he depicted. We are, however, a population running on fumes. There's nothing in the tank, but we still huff on those sweet gases we call credit. We build up, we build out, we level nature for more farmland to feed the masses, we even have billionaires trying to escape to Mars. How can it be solved? Can it be solved? Culling might be frowned upon--depending on who you ask.
The birthcontrol pill was a recent invention when this book came out. Harry Harrison had his characters delve into monologues about the importance of birthcontrol, which was probably quite popular with the youth at the time thanks to the sexual revolution, and he even went into criticisms of the Catholic church and its stance on the topic. Again, probably not popular, but this was a cautionary tale of the future's plight. You don't always get a solution tabled by a sci-fi author.
When the book was over, I found myself wondering, 'What was the point of this book?' I usually do that anyway, but only after I find a book particularly engaging, but with Make Room! Make Room! my thoughts were of frustration. Until I started thinking about the static nature of the character. This guy was shown avenues of change, but he refused to tread. Or he did tread, but then circled back around to his old route. By the end of the book, he was back at the starting line. Was Andy an allegory for the whole human race?
There was a lot happening in the '60s and this book is as culturally relevant as a song made about the Vietnam War. I enjoyed the read, but by the end I couldn't help but wonder: 'Is that all there is?'...more
I wanted to learn more about H.H. Holmes and his madness, which is why I picked up this book. The book, although titled such, is not about the Devil iI wanted to learn more about H.H. Holmes and his madness, which is why I picked up this book. The book, although titled such, is not about the Devil in the White City so much as it is about the White City itself: the Chicago Fair of 1893.
I spent most of the early chapters waiting for death. How the fair was won and designed weren't what I was interested in reading. However, the author's enthusiasm for the minutia of the fair percolated through the pages to create an interest I didn't realize I had: one of the World's Fair. No one really talks about the legacy of the fair due to the shadow of the Devil.
The author does a wonderful job of sticking to the facts and not embellishing theories of H.H. Holmes murders. The result is one of innuendo, crafting a lurking menace of evil during a transition into a new age of humanity. Holmes's murders were heinous, but that wasn't the only aspect of his persona that made him truly detestable.
The novel was a very interesting read about the dichotomy of a city. In one chapter you read about the optimism and gumption of men in competition with the past, in the next you read of negativity and cheats to achieve a future. In one chapter you read of awe and wonder, in the next you read of destruction and deception. And it all took place across the street from one another.
A very entertaining read, just be sure you know it's not just about the Devil in the White City--it's about the loss of a city's innocence. Perhaps the loss of the world's innocence....more
The main character is tough as nails, but also clever in the way he manoeuvres the others around him. He will ocA daring book about greed and justice.
The main character is tough as nails, but also clever in the way he manoeuvres the others around him. He will occasionally exaggerate the truth, or give false truths, to gauge reactions, which adds to the verisimilitude of a cop-like investigator. The author must be a close copy to the personality of his character, as Hammett never allows us inside Sam Spade's head. As a reader, you must remember the situation and assume Spade is up to something. Just the facts.
The book is tightly plotted, and reads like a novel that was written yesterday, making it the timeless classic it is accused of being. "Horse feathers" notwithstanding. Although, I could see this phrase coming back into style, for what is horse feathers but a polite man's bullshit?
Crime-noir excellence! Taking four stars from me whether I like it or not....more
I started reading this thinking it would be my Halloween read in October. A book that won a Stoker Award should be scary, right? While this one wasn'tI started reading this thinking it would be my Halloween read in October. A book that won a Stoker Award should be scary, right? While this one wasn't horrific, it sure was terrific.
The book's title is quite appropriate. It starts out tempting you with a mystery, but soon becomes a collection of fascinating and nostalgic adventures told through the recollections of an adult author. These adventures dip their toes in and out of many different genres, making it accessible to most reading audiences. It felt as if McCammon made a checklist of every subject he was interested in as a boy and made subplots for each to weave through the main plot.
McCammon has a wonderful collection of characters passing through the pages with vivid descriptions of their quirks and faces to accompany the vivid descriptions of small town life. The author seems to know every writing trick in the book and applies them all to this novel.
Boy's Life is a story that belongs on the reading list of anyone who enjoyed the adventures of Tom Sawyer, or Huckleberry Finn, or Scout Finch, or Gordie Lachance, or Mikey Walsh. It's a story that can be thoroughly enjoyed at any time of the year....more
The author explains in his afterword that this novel is a love letter to Agatha Christie. He also explains that it's a bit of a deviation from his harThe author explains in his afterword that this novel is a love letter to Agatha Christie. He also explains that it's a bit of a deviation from his hardboiled crime novels. I happen to enjoy hardboiled crime, so I probably shouldn't have chosen this as a jumping in point for Max Allan Collins. No offense to Agatha Christie, of course.
It was a short read that had interesting moments in it, and cleverly tied together snippets from history, but it just wasn't what I was hoping. I think the author became too distracted with the fact that his protagonist was The Great Agatha Christie and lost a little of the promise of the title. That being said, he was able to create a convincing portrayal of London living under, and becoming accustomed to, the constant threat of annihilation from above.
The writing was good enough that I kept reading, so that's something, and I wouldn't hesitate to try another of Collins's work, but this one was just okay. 2.5, I guess?...more
The Postman Always Rings Twice is a book written for the current modern era, albeit with a 30's twang. It's a story that has been told a hundred timesThe Postman Always Rings Twice is a book written for the current modern era, albeit with a 30's twang. It's a story that has been told a hundred times since--boy meets girl, boy knocks off girl's husband, but the prose has bones not seen at the time. It was a crime noir, but vividly violent and with a sexual nature that surely got it cancelled by the squares of the day.
It read like a true crime journal, giving any detail you want--as long as you can stomach it. The protagonist is lust, the antagonist monogamy. Then, just when you figure it's all fixed up to perfection, doubt and betrayal move the story in different directions.
A terrific and absorbing tale for anyone who fancies himself a noir-nut. The only aspect that may turn some off was the dialogue sometimes sounded like it was straight out of a black-and-white moving picture--a 'talkie' they call 'em, see?...more
Stephanie Plum? That's the name? Are you sure? You can choose any name you want, this isn't non-fiction, you know. No? You are sticking with StephanieStephanie Plum? That's the name? Are you sure? You can choose any name you want, this isn't non-fiction, you know. No? You are sticking with Stephanie Plum? Ok then.
Stephanie Plum is a hot mess. When she comes upon hard times, an unlikely sequence of events draws her into the world of bounty hunting. She has no idea what she's doing, but that's a part of her charm. Charming, though, is not how one would describe Miss Plum. She is quirky, and a bit of a pill.
I really like quirky characters--in fiction and in real life. Some might even consider me to be a little quirky. And to them I say: shut up. I think this book might fall into the category of one of those stories in which the character herself is more memorable than the story. There was a movie producer who once said: "No one remembers what the story for Lethal Weapon was, people just remember Riggs and Murtaugh." Fair enough. But that name . . . Stephanie Plum. Why?
One thing I noticed (aside from the barfy character name) was something that might agitate a few feminists. I'm not a feminist myself, in fact, if I know you are a feminist I will probably make a tasteless joke about voting rights to see your face go sour. It's the little things that make my day. But in this book, I couldn't help but notice that not only is Stephanie infatuated with a man who sexually assaulted her in her youth, but every time she gets in trouble she needs to phone a man to rescue her. Or she needs a man to stay with her to provide protection. There are women like this, sure, but if this had been written by a man I feel like there would be a lot of people crying foul.
Last thing I will mention is that one reviewer compared Evanovich to Elmore Leonard. Now . . . the name Stephanie Plum didn't immediately make me vomit, but that review sure got me bent over a bowl.
Enjoyable, but for a certain audience. 3.2347 stars....more
After reading this, I am now fully convinced that 'Die Hard' . . . is a Christmas movie. There are a lot of movies that take place on Christmas, but oAfter reading this, I am now fully convinced that 'Die Hard' . . . is a Christmas movie. There are a lot of movies that take place on Christmas, but only certain ones feel Christmas-y. Right?
Nothing Lasts Forever is the inspiration for the movie 'Die Hard', which is the only reason I picked it up. I don't usually like to start with Book #2, but I've seen the movie based on 'The Detective', and it bored me to tears. The book The Detective is also around six hundred pages long, and has a lot of GR reviewers calling it one of the worst reads of their lives. So, . . . nope. Not for me.
There was a part of me that wanted the book to be better than the movie, which is so often the case. Granted, there is a heavy dose of nostalgia with which Roderick Thorp had to compete, but I still had high hopes that he would come out on top--much like his hero. There are still familiar scenes in the book that echo the movie, but the movie added a little something to each of these scenes to make them iconic. How? With a great sense of humour. The book has no sense of humour until about the half-way point, making it seem out of place.
Also out of place is the multi-page breaks in the action to discuss terrorism. The '70s had brought the idea of terrorism into the mainstream with events like the Munich Massacre and the constant skyjackings of passenger planes, so Thorp naturally had some thoughts to get off his chest. This, however, hurt the pacing of the story.
In the movie 'Die Hard', John McClane is just a regular guy--with police training--who is trying to survive an untenable situation. The fights between him and the bad guys are messy street scuffles that he barely wins. His goal is simple: the woman he loves needs to be rescued from certain death at the hands of a madman. But in Nothing Lasts Forever, Joe Leland (protagonist) is cold and calculating as he murders the terrorists in the building as if he were a high-end assassin. He seems to be more interested in securing a new love interest--who lives a few cities away--than his own daughter who is being held hostage below. And Joe Leland just so happens to be an expert on terrorism and terrorists, so he has an almost superhero status as the guy who is at the right place at the right time. Not like poor old John McClane, who is always at the wrong place, at the wrong time.
'Die Hard' is a movie about a separated family coming together for the holidays; it's about conquering greed, reviewing your priorities, and redeeming yourself; it's about good versus evil. (It's the adult Home Alone) And it gives each of the main characters a satisfying arc that leaves the audience with hope for the future by the roll of the credits.
Nothing Lasts Forever has some fun, recognizable scenes and an oddly surprising ending, but it has none of the elements I listed above. So that must mean that the 'Die Hard' production team inserted those endearing qualities to make a movie that would last forever....more