"Book Reviews" by Token

[AU_Tiger_2000]

The Pirate Coast.  This was OK, it is about an interesting time in American history (Barbary pirate wars) and the first real test for the US Navy (one of the largest and most impressive US battleships surrendered without firing a shot after running aground in Tripoli harbor) and when the Marines came into their own (you know, "from the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli").  But this book seriously drags on and on and on.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter.  Tom Franklin is my new favorite author.  I've talked about his previous books Hell at the Breech (Eastwood was attached to a movie project on this one at one time but it got dropped), Smonk, and Poachers before and they are all great and this one is no exception.  Franklin is from a small town in south Alabama about 5 miles from where I grew up and he absolutely nails the people of that area, I actually recognize some of the surnames that he used, too many of them to be coincidental.

Anyway for plot, it centers around two people, a black sheriff's deputy and a poor white man who is the town boogey man after a girl disappears that is on a date with him in high school.  These two are childhood friends until circumstances and racism by the white guy's father tears them apart.  As adults another girl disappears and everyone suspects white guy, when the deputy goes to pick him for questioning they find him alive but shot in his house.  The book starts at this point and works forward through the investigation and backwards through flashbacks from both men showing how their stories have been intertwined in ways that neither of them could see at the time.  Highly recommend it.

[Token]

Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy - Douglas Adams

It's a classic, so I've heard, so this will probably piss someone off.  Some potentially great characters never really panned out in my opinion.  I felt terrible for Arthur Dent, and really, the ending left me unsatisfied.  Marvin the paranoid android was really the only character that I was pleased with.  But hey, the damn book may not be finished yet, so i probably should have held off on the criticism.

6 years - Harlan Cobin

Really, I kinda had an idea where this book would go.  Then, from the first chapter, I was guessing.  Couldn't really figure where it was heading until well through the book.  Had a lot of plot twist, but ultimately, ended up where I thought it would.  It's a short book, it could occupy you for a full day or two, but again, the ending has the potential to anger you.  Im not giving any detail on this book in case any of you read it.  Trying to guess is most of the fun with this book.

And now I'm starting "Atlas Shrugged".  Looks to be a long read.  I've seen a lot of quotes from Ayn Rand, but never read this book.  Someone told me it would probably piss me off from a religious standpoint, but I'm through a chapter and haven't seen a hint on religious views yet.

[GH2001]

Someone told me it would probably piss me off from a religious standpoint


but I'm through a chapter and haven't seen a hint on religious views yet.

I think you just answered your own question. Seeing as how she is regarded as the ultimate objectivist, religion didn't have a lot of play into her logic. She was agnostic and while I don't agree with her in that area, I respect her entire body of work and agree with pretty much everything else she says. I think she just felt the need to remove emotion and religion from any objective argument because they can tend to skew ones conclusion. Both the book and movie are great.

[Saniflush]

Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy - Douglas Adams

It's a classic, so I've heard, so this will probably piss someone off.  Some potentially great characters never really panned out in my opinion.  I felt terrible for Arthur Dent, and really, the ending left me unsatisfied.  Marvin the paranoid android was really the only character that I was pleased with.  But hey, the damn book may not be finished yet, so i probably should have held off on the criticism.

Not sure if serious....

If serious then you should be told about the other five books in the series... "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe", "Life, the Universe and Everything", "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish", "Mostly Harmless", "And Another Thing..."

[Token]

Not sure if serious....

If serious then you should be told about the other five books in the series... "The Restaurant at the End of the Universe", "Life, the Universe and Everything", "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish", "Mostly Harmless", "And Another Thing..."

I was under the impression that I bought the most recent book that had all of the stories.  I'll investigate further.

[AU_Tiger_2000]

The Camel Club by David Baldacci

Anybody else read any of this series?  Neat little conspiracy/mystery type book, one where you know who the bad guys are from the beginning, but the mystery lies in the why.  Lots of strawman/exposition characters that start getting annoying, but a good quick read.  Only $5 on Kindle, might have to read a few more of the series to see if Baldacci starts fleshing out the characters more.

[Tiger Wench]

The Camel Club by David Baldacci

Anybody else read any of this series?  Neat little conspiracy/mystery type book, one where you know who the bad guys are from the beginning, but the mystery lies in the why.  Lots of strawman/exposition characters that start getting annoying, but a good quick read.  Only $5 on Kindle, might have to read a few more of the series to see if Baldacci starts fleshing out the characters more.

I gave up on Baldacci.  This series was why.  Ok for a brainless read on the beach, but the others aren't much better.

[Token]

Geez Atlas Shrugged is a long book.  And honestly, I get pissed reading it because of all of the socialist leeches that are scattered throughout the book. 

That is all. 

[Kaos]

The Killing Floor

So I decided to see if I was missing anything by not following the Jack Reacher series.  Started with the first book. 

Yeah, I know it won awards and the whole Jack Reacher thing has been hailed here, there and everywhere but I just gotta say pffffffftttttttttt.  What a load of crapola. 

Terrible book.  Poorly formed characters. Impossible, improbable, ridiculous contrivances.  Idiotic set ups. 

Let's list a few. 

1) Guy comes into town by picking a Georgia intersection at random off a bus.  On the way in he walks 14 miles in the rain and just happens to stroll past the dead body of his brother who he hasn't spoken to in seven years.  PFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT.
2) In the middle of establishing his alibi, the only single woman in the entire town, a cop, becomes so smitten with him that she creams her jeans in the parking lot and then lets him stay with her, despite knowing absolutely nothing about him. PFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT.
3) This small town is run by a counterfeiter who got his start at Mississippi State.  PFFFFFTTTFFFTTTFFTT.
4) People get nailed to walls in this sleepy little town and CNN (which is in Atlanta, apparently about an hour away) doesn't send Nancy Grace to find out what's going on.  PFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTT.
5) This Reacher character figures out what alias a dude on the run based on some random comment and an album cover.  PFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTT.
6) The lead detective is the only person in the town not in on the scam going down AND without knowing much of anything about this Reacher character, turns a blind eye to about nine murders and lets him stroll.  PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTTTTTTTT. 

I could go on, but won't.  Was horribly, terribly disappointed in this potboiler crap.  Maybe Tom Cruise wasn't the right guy to play this cardboard character in the movies. Would have been better with Will Ferrell or Adam Sandler. 

[AU_Tiger_2000]

Ender's Game - saw this was going to be a movie soon so I picked it up for the Kindle.  I really enjoyed this one.  It seems to work for everyone, lefty's love it for showing how cruel and heartless military minds can be, the Marines make it suggested reading for officers as it shows how fresh perspectives and new ideas are needed on the battlefield.

In the future humans have twice fought off invasion by insect resembling aliens, in preparation for round three the best and brightest of the world's children are monitored and those who exhibit the qualities needed are taken at age 6 to Battle School.  Child prodigy Ender is soon shown to be man's last hope and is isolated and pushed to the breaking point in order to defeat the bugs.  All the while his equally intelligent but sociopathic brother is plotting to position himself to take over the earth government with the help of his sister.

Reminded me of Ray Bradbury in that while science fiction it does not constantly rely on or get bogged down in unbelievable technology, the bugs are barely described allowing your imagination to take over and make them what you want (kind of like a good horror flick), and while Ender and his brother are both shown to be ruthless Machiavellian geniuses the author will suddenly remind you of their young age and vulnerability.

Really looking forward to the movie now, just hope that it doesn't get drug down in politics (the author plays it pretty much right down the middle, it would be very easy for a director to push this in any direction he wants), or in the calls for boycotting that are starting (the author, Orson Scott Card, is a devout member of the LDS Church and has been open about calling for a ban on gay marriage).

[AU_Tiger_2000]

Just found this, this guy is funny and really good with his summary and analysis on classic books.  Just give a few a watch.

[Townhallsavoy]

James Patterson -

What a steaming pile of horseshit.  I bet it takes him an hour to write his books.  His chapters take about 5 minutes to get through, and they're as thin and vapid as a grandma telling about lunch options at her assisted living. 

And he's worth what?  250 million dollars or some shit? 

Fuck me. 

[AU_Tiger_2000]

James Patterson -

What a steaming pile of horseshoot.  I bet it takes him an hour to write his books.  His chapters take about 5 minutes to get through, and they're as thin and vapid as a grandma telling about lunch options at her assisted living. 

And he's worth what?  250 million dollars or some shoot? 

fudge me.

Funny thing about pandering to the lowest common denominator, there's a lot of them and they will throw their money at you.

I read "Along Came a Spider" a long time ago.  I cracked up when I found out that Patterson was an old white dude waxing poetic about inner city problems in DC.

[Townhallsavoy]

Just finished Catch-22.  Can't believe it took me this long to read it.  I definitely recommend it. 

[AU_Tiger_2000]

Just finished Catch-22.  Can't believe it took me this long to read it.  I definitely recommend it.

I've read it a couple of times.  Great book and changed the English language by entering the phrase Catch-22, but I found Yossarian to be the most unlikable protagonist in about any book I've read.

Nerdy side note:  When I was working on one program for NASA all the computer servers were named things like Orr, Clevinger, Nately, McWatt, etc.  All the names of the dead pilots from Catch-22

[Snaggletiger]

My Conference Can Beat Your Conference

Paul Finebaum

I know most of you are dying to pick this one up so I won't spoil it for you.  Actually an easy and pretty entertaining read if you can duck the constant barrage of Saban slooge.  He does love him some Saban and makes no apologies for it.  However, the last quarter of the book is the best part.  Really focuses on the Auburn/Bama rivalry and pimps it as the most intense and passionate in all of sports.  Then, he does a lot on our miracle season.  Yeah, he thought Bama would win it all again last year but jumped firmly in our corner, admitting he'd witnessed some of the best moments in sports history. 

I know no one will run out and buy it so you're welcome to borrow mine.

Let me say this about Finebaum.  I'm well aware most of you wouldn't piss on him if he were on fire.  Not saying I would either.  But the book really shed some light on why he is the way he is and why we perceive him as a Bama/Saban homer.  Well, because in a way, he is.  Why?  Because he had a mildly successful local show in the Ham until Lord Saybinz arrived at the Crapstoned.  He readily admits that Bama fan is the most fanatical, over the top lunatic whose whole outlook on life ebbs and flows with the success and failures of the football team.  When LS came in and started giving them what they firmly believe is their birth right, his show started picking up momentum and took off.  In other words, he knows what butters his bread.  He needs them to be on top and he needs Auburn to chop them down occasionally because it's all about ratings.  He's fiercely loyal to his callers because he knows full well the majority are Bammers and when the Tahd...and Auburn are having success, so does he.     

[bgreene]

I just finished "The Lone Survivor".  I had seen the movie already, but wanted to read the book.  It gives more  detail about the battle and how he survived for a week before being found.  Very tragic story put to paper made a good book. 

[chinook]

Undaunted Courage   

Stephen Ambrose

Preface: Honestly, history classes in Georgia completely glossed over the Lewis and Clark expedition or I wasn't paying attention.  Nevertheless, European Vacation introduced me to the famous American Explorers.  Twenty years removed from my southern roots and living in Oregon Country...I still didn't  know much about these fellas or about the expedition other than seeing silhouettes of the duo plastered on markers along the Columbia River Gorge highway. 

Ultimately it took a 4th grader to percolate my interest. It started with a small narative of L & C's passage over the divide heading to the giant waters of the Pacific...ultimately establishing Ft. Clatsop, just a 2 hour drive from my house.  I enjoyed the narrative from the Ginger but needed more 411. Much to my surprise he placed his book on the Corps of Discovery under my pillow for reading. It was less than 100 pages and made for the likes of  WiregrassTiger.  I needed more...

Undaunted Courage fulfilled my passage to understand the expedition and the men that journeyed from The United States to the Pacific.   The book is an adventure in itself.  It tells the story of Jefferson's desires [role] to open the American West, the fortitude of a military company who become accomplished wilderness survivalists, the beginnings of US policy on Indian affairs, the bond of 2 Captains and the struggles of Lewis after the expedition.   Ambrose balances the book with passages from the expedition journals along with other scholarly documents along with his independent thoughts. 

Anyway, I would 4:20 recommend this book to all souls and a must for US History peeps.

A few take always...I'm amazed by the fact there are living trees in Philadelphia grown from the seed collected by Lewis.  The fact I live so close to the rad parts of the expedition which I explored partially  last fall in Idaho and more recently this summer in Montana. Next up is Ft. Clatsop.   

Adventure on! 

[Katyablop]

How's it going?
 
What do you say?
 
Let me introduce myself. My name is Yan.
 
I produced a funny channel on YouTube with different videos.
 

 
Some video I shared on my timeline. Hope you'll like it.
 
I am very grateful to you.

[Katyablop]

Well hello!
 
How are you doing?
 
I just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Yan.
 
I made a funny channel on YouTube with videos compilation.
 

 
A lot of video you can find on my timeline. Please subscribe and enjoy.
 
Thanks a lot.