One Shot by Lee Child

New Author

Lee Child started his Jack Reacher series in 1997, but I didn't delve into it until now and against my normal practice of starting a series with Book #1, I picked up the only one I had, Book #9.

It read as a typical suspense/thriller.  Jack Reacher is the typical far too realistic protagonist - damaged and therefore appealing to women, action hero, elusive.

It was a decent read, but I doubt that I'll follow the series.  I'd much rather pick up a Harlan Cobin (stand alone, not the Myron Bolitar series), a Lisa Unger or a Dean Koontz (though not his King-like horror novels) that offer a bit more depth within their writing.

The Wettest County in the World   -  Matt Bondurant

                     Historical Fiction

Franklin County, Virginia.  1929.  Prohibition.   Moonshine.  Bootleggers.   Violence.    Hard times.

Matt tells a fictional story about the family facts of his grandfather and two great-uncles.  The story was good,  I just had a very had time following it because of the way it jumped around.  It was 1929 and then it was 1935 and then it was 1930.  I don't mind books that go back and forth but I still need some consistency  in the traveling back and forth .  

All in all,  living in that time period would have been very difficult and if you were in the business of moonshine, making or running it,  it was a dangerous time.

Lucy by Laurence Gonzales

"G" Author

Wow!  The first half of the book did little for me.  It settled into a story of a typical teenager, adapting and trying to finding herself.  But the second half of the book - Wow!

I am simultaneously amazed and disappointed by the Human Race.  At times I think we need to step back from wanting to control and intricately understand EVERYTHING.  Sometimes we need to simply appreciate the mystery and beauty of the world we live in.  We need to put our egos in check.  While humans are a pretty incredible species, we are not superior to ALL in this world/universe.
We are too quick to judge based on misguided religious and political ideals or by our own limited knowledge and experience.  How much better our world would be if we approached everything with empathy and open-mindedness first.

Reading opens up worlds that I may never know otherwise and introduces me to characters and their experiences that allows me to go into the real world with a different perspective.  It creates in me empathy so that I may approach others with compassion and without judgment.  This is the true gift reading bestows on a reader.

Quote: "She was given the gift of adversity."

Pirate King by Laurie R. King

Series

#11 in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series.  This one took a bit of a turn and delved into the making of a silent film.  I found parts of it interesting and there were some suspenseful moments, but I wasn't as enrapt in this one as I have been in previous books.

Though, I am still enjoying the series and look forward to the next three, Garment of Shadows, Dreaming of Spies and The Murder of Mary Russell (hope this doesn't mean the series is coming to an end!!)