3-6-10 Mariposa by Greg Bear - Fiction

4 - A high flying action ride, Mariposa brings back the characters from Quantico. Yes, they have to save the world yet again. this time from a megalomaniacal businessman whose intention is to buy the United States. Sounds unbelievable? Well, with the current financial situation of the world and a severe extended drought it's not only possible but the gears are already turning toward the collapse of the Union. Bear uses a truckload of incredible technology making this almost, but not quite, a science fiction novel, but the basic story line is a hard hitting military, espionage, technothriller. Good fun.

3-2-10 Dear American Airlines by Johnathan Miles - Fiction

3 - Interesting. Benjamin R. Ford is on his way to his estranged daughter's wedding in California when, in typical fashion, his flight is cancelled and he ends up stranded at O'Hare airport. So he begins a very angry letter to American Airlines which turns into a cathartic review of his life. In turns funny and morose, Dear American Airlines hits all the frustrations and anger of a waylaid traveler as well as the same emotions of a man realizing how screwed up his life has truly been. A little bit of regret and self abasement is also evident as Benjamin Ford intersperses his angry tirade with stories about his parents, his daughter's mother, and his life in general. an unusual and touching novel.

I totally missed an anniversary!

I realized that as of 2/19 I had been keeping this book journal for 5 years! So, out of curiosity I counted all the books to see how many I had read in that time. The grand total: 530 books in 5 years! Yes, some of the books I re-read 3, 4, 5, or more times but I still counted them each time. That's 106 books a year, approximately 1 book every 3 days. And people say physical books are dead. Ha! There are so many wonderful stories out there with only the occasional dud and you can't get them all on your Kindle. so support your local library or bookstore and get out there and read!

2-27-10 Black Magic Sanction by Kim Harrison - Fiction

4 - Rachel Morgan steps in the shit every time she goes outside. This time she's just swimming in it. she's been shunned, she's the student of a demon, and now she's the target of yet another death threat. This one had been issued by the coven of moral and ethical standards. It's not exactly a death threat, she does have a choice: be chemically neutered so she can;t have children or do magic OR death. Harrison keeps the continuing story moving and lets her characters grow and change and that's what makes these books so good and so addicting. You really don't know what will happen next.

2-24-10 The Bordeaux Betrayal by Ellen Crosby - Fiction

5 - I really liked this one because the subject, other than the standard murder, is collectible wine. Specifically a bottle of Bordeaux that Thomas Jefferson ordered from France for George Washington. I love books that not only tell a great story but also give the reader factual information and Crosby does so well explaining the wine world to laymen. Plus, she develops her characters layer by layer so the reader doesn't get bored from book to book. I think that now I'm caught up in this series so I'll be watching for her next Wine Country Mystery.

2-22-10 Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping by Judith Levine - Non-Fiction

3 - Overall, an interesting look at how bad our consumer culture has gotten. But I can't say I empathize with Levine or feel sorry for the difficulties she faced early on having to give up buying everything but necessities. A year without movies but keeping cable? Big F'n Deal. We haven;t watched or paid for cable, even basic, for over a year and we're richer for it even if people think we're pixilated. We use Netflix and the library and get to see almost everything we want. we get our news from the internet so we can see all sides of a story. Plus we throw some NPR in there for good measure. Clothes shopping? Yeah, when what we already have has too many holes to make it decent or functional. Where does our money go? To the things we deem important: Music (he has his vinyl almost all used, not new, and I have my violin), books (OK, that one is mostly me but I rarely purchase new anymore if I don't have a gift card and even then only select authors. Support your local library!), and food (he's studying at Le Cordon Bleu). So we don't deprive ourselves but we don't shop to excess either. I do applaud her for the project but feel she made it more difficult for herself and her boyfriend by not cutting off so many of the "free" things that urge the public to randomly spend.

2-20-10 Pulse by Jeremy Robinson - Fiction

5 - Robinson's thrillers get better and better! This one is like Jurassic Park with an elite commando team steeped in Greek mythology. Fantastic! Robinson builds the story on the mythology of Hercules and a genetics company's founder's quest for immortality. Throw in the elite Delta team and you have a great military technothriller. One of the best things about Robinson's books is that they are meticulously researched but he presents the information in such an entertaining way that you almost absorb the factual knowledge by osmosis. No dry and boring recitations here! A winning thriller. I cannot recommend strongly enough that you add this author to your go to list with Cussler, Follett, and Morrell.