It's a new year and I'm still in the midst of Dennis Lehane's The Given Day, the book I took with me to read on the plane to and from Australia (my wife and I took a trip there over the Christmas holidays, to visit my sister in Melbourne). I didn't do quite as much reading as I thought I might--too many other activities, including trips to Phillip Island, the Great Ocean Road and the Twelve Apostles, and several trips into downtown Melbourne on the train. I also got in a couple of very nice… Continue

so sorry if anyone's been coming to my page and wondering why it's not updated. I've been spending a lot of my time over at Goodreads.com lately. I haven't been able to read as much as in the past (last year, I'd read 30 books by this time; this year, a disappointing 14!), so that may be part of it. Plus, busy at work. The most recent book I read (and loved) was Nevada Barr's Winter Study, which marks a return to Isle Royale for her park ranger heroine, Anna Pigeon (an earlier book, A Superior… Continue

I didn't have quite as productive a month of reading in July as in June (10 books!), but here is what I read and what I thought of it:



Michael Connelly. The Overlook.



I enjoyed the book, though it was certainly lesser Connelly, befitting its original status as a serial novella in the New York Times (or wherever). It's always nice to spend some time in the company of Harry Bosch and friends, though this really was a rather slight book. Looking forward to a Bosch novel… Continue

It's been awhile since my last post (if anyone cares) and I've gotten in a number of books. First up, Lee Child's latest Jack Reacher novel, Bad Luck and Trouble. I can remember the first Reacher I read, not that long ago, Persuader. I actively hated that book, but I stuck with Child and I've loved all the books since (still have to go back some time and read the first 4-5 in the series) and this one is just as good. Followed this up with the latest Dortmunder novel, Donald E.… Continue

I read and enjoyed thoroughly Craig Johnson's third Walt Longmire mystery, Kindness Goes Unpunished. Normally, I don't like it when a series I read largely for the settings moves, as this one does, replacing Wyoming with Philadelphia for most of the action. But I think it works here, as Johnson gives us an outsider's/visitor's glimpse of a city that is both welcoming and threatening. Still, I can't help but hope the action returns to Wyoming next time out.



Next up was What… Continue

I'm in the midst of David Morrell's Scavenger, the follow-up to Creepers, which I really liked (I think it would make a great movie). This one isn't as good; in fact, it's a bit far-fetched, but I'm far enough in to keep going. Next up: Craig Johnson's Kindness Goes Unpunished.

I started One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson over the weekend and got pretty far into it, only to receive notice from the library that Peter Abrahams' Nerve Damage and Craig Johnson's Kindness Goes Unpunished were waiting for me. It was a toss-up, but I started Nerve Damage and now have two books going concurrently. This usually doesn't work well for me, so we'll see how things go (whether I finish either one).

Well, I finished up the Lansdale over the weekend and, while I liked it, I felt a bit disappointed. A couple of loose threads were left hanging at the end, very uncharacteristic of what I've read of Lansdale before. I immediately started on the Robert Crais book, The Watchman: A Joe Pike Novel and finished that on Saturday, diving into Adrian McKinty's The Bloomsday Dead, which I finished Sunday. Both great books--fast-moving, gritty, violent. I really don't read that fast,… Continue

Joe R. Lansdale's Lost Echoes. So far, it's a great book about a young man who can pick up images of violent deaths and actions based on the sound waves absorbed in the surrounding areas (sounds complicated, but Lansdale explains it clearly and makes it work). He's depressed and an alcoholic (alcohol helps keep the impressions out) and meets another man, an alcoholic former martial arts instructor, who helps him to get a handle on his abilities and who becomes something of a surrogate… Continue