That's right, I've been posting this blog monthly for four years now, and I'm still having a good time with it, largely because I love doing it. I get to tell you about the books I've read - once in a while about a movie I've seen - and, to some extent, express my opinions on other things. So, let's get into this month's selections.
Series
The Bookman's Wake - John Dunning ($5.99/Free, copyright 1995, 432 pages, Paperback)
I've written - and raved - about this series before. Dunning's Janeway is now a book seller in Denver but he had been a cop. In this one he reluctantly takes a bail-jumper case in Seattle for an old acquaintance because he gets convinced it's a quick and easy way to pick up 5 grand and all expenses are paid. Of course, things don't work out that way. The jumper turns out to be a young woman named Eleanor Rigby (seriously) and she turns out to be a book scout (someone who spends their life scouting out books in thrift stores, yard sales, etc.) - which intrigues Janeway. That's when things spiral out of control. It revolves around the printing of books - specifically a Poe edition - and how a specific printer's editions can be more important then the actual book. To be honest, there was a lot of detail here on the printing process that I found tedious and the "big bad" turned out to be pretty mundane. They can't all be great. It was OK.
Night And Day - Robert B. Parker ($9.99/$.50, copyright 2009, 307 pages, Paperback)
This is one of Parker's Jesse Stone books. Jesse is the Chief of Police in Paradise, a small town along the Massachusetts coast.He has a long history of failed jobs and a failed marriage. Here he's faced with a Peeping Tom case that escalates, a group of "swingers" who's actions affect their children, and a female principal who oversteps her bounds. And he's still dealing with a drinking problem and an obsession for his ex-wife. In fact, it all has to do with obsessions. Parker excels in the use of conversations, and his back-and-forth between Jesse and his fellow officers (and during his conversations with suspects/victims) are amusing and revealing at the same time. There's no real mystery here, just a good story. I enjoyed it.
Miscellaneous
The Bormann Testament - Jack Higgins ($7.99/$.50, copyright 1962, 292 pages, Paperback)
I've mentioned Jack Higgins' books before and how I've enjoyed them. One of those even featured this book's main character - Special Agent Paul Chavasse. This one is set in 1962, and Chavasse is sent into Germany after a manuscript written by Martin Bormann ( a former Nazi official) and, possibly, Bormann himself, who disappeared after the war. He gets involved with neo-Nazis, Israeli agents, and a woman. I admit that parts of it dragged but there is a lot of action at the end. It was OK.
Beau Geste - P. C. Wren ($5.99/$3.97, written 1924, 341 pages, Paperback)
One of the earliest TV shows that I remember is "Captain Gallant of the Foreign Legion" starring Buster Crabbe,which aired in the mid '50's. I have had a fascination with the Foreign Legion ever since then and have seen several TV/movie adaptations of this story (the best being the 1939 version with Gary Cooper). It's a curious mix of mystery and adventure, revolving around the 3 Geste brothers, Beau being the youngest. TV The theft of a jewel creates a family crisis and all 3 brothers windup enlisting. The bulk of the book deals with the brutal situations at a fort in the African desert, a
sadistic sergeant, and what happens when the enemy attacks. Wren brings this all to life although the language is kind of flowery and the sentences tend to run on too long, but that was the style at that time. It took a while to get through and I think that, in this case, the movie did a better job with the story. It was OK.
Recap
It's been an interesting year and I've come across some new authors and discovered some new series. Here are this year's totals. 17 Series books with a cover price of $139.81 that I paid $23.61 for. 20 Miscellaneous books with a cover price of $201.80 that I paid $30.20 for. 1 Graphic Novel with a cover price of $19.99 that I paid $5.00. And 1 Sherlock Holmes book with a cover price of $13.95 that I used a Gift Card for. The total for this year is 40 books with a cover price of $389.55 that I paid $59.31 for. My four year total is now 187 books with a cover price of $2020.00 that I paid $178.01 for.
God, I'm loving this!
Keep reading!
