More books in my Reading list from 2013. The first few I read are shown in this review, the second set is located in this set of reviews, and my review of The Devil in the White City was my previous review. Now I've compiled together a few more of my reviews from last year's reading rampage.
Quick Links
- The Secret Speech
- Agent 6
- Cryptonomicon
- The Way of Kings
- In the Garden of Beasts
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
- Beyond Band of Brothers
- Going Clear
- They're Watching
- Dark Places
- Dreams and Shadows
The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith
Tom Rob Smith's second book, The Secret Speech, in the Leo Demidov
trilogy is a bit of a departure from the first book. Child 44 was
a slow starting book that paid off big in the end. This second one jumped
right into the action, but had two distinct stories. The first was about the
release of Khrushchev's speech denouncing the practices of Stalin, and it's
effect on the already defiant people. Leo's adopted daughter gets caught up in one of these groups and Leo fights to get her free. The second part is a
story of the Hungarian uprising and a take on who was responsible. The book
is interesting in it's history and take on these real events, but it missed
the heart and character development of the first. It was an interesting ride
but very shallow.
3 Stars
Agent 6 by Tom Rob Smith
The third Leo Demidov book, Agent 6, is a few years after the second
book. Leo has left government service when his wife is in charge of an
elementary trip to the US to show the American's how Russia is no longer an
evil country. During the trip, Leo's wife is killed and he vows to uncover the
strange truth of the murder. In a brave move, Smith turns a beloved character,
Leo, and moves him to a dark place. I didn't care for this move and the book
only felt plodding with no real payoff for the effort. Smith is a good writer,
but falls somewhere short in this when it comes to plotting. Just felt like
whole book was forced. He needed a third and really had nothing to go on.
2 Stars
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
Again, for some reason I feel somewhat ashamed to say I don't think I'm a Neal
Stephenson fan. This book was interesting and half of it was
really good. The other half is slow and honestly adds no real value to the
real story. There's some history there, but all that history could have been
done differently. Some of it could have been thrown out and made the book much
better. It's a great story, very pertinent to today's BitCoin rush. I think
it really had the makings of being a great book, but Stephenson's writing got
in the way of the story. I'm pretty sure this will be my last Stephenson
novel I'll read...
3 Stars
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
After reading Sanderson's Legion, I knew I had to find something
else of his to read. I knew he finished Robert Jordan's series after his
death, but I didn't like the Wheel of Time books so I never grabbed a Sanderson
book. I'm sad I didn't. The Way of Kings is an amazing epic.
It is full of intrigue and fantasy and not too heavy on the politics. The
three characters the book follows, all have some great qualities in their own
right. The only reason I didn't give this book 5 Stars is because the main
female character, Shalan, is a very week and awkward character. The decisions
she makes feel out of place based on her reasoning. But Kaladin, Dalinar, and
the White Assassin are great characters and I cannot wait to see where it goes.
It is a long book, at times a bit "informative", but very much worth it. I
will definitely be picking up more Sanderson books.
4 Stars
In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
Like I said, The Devil in the White City was the best non-fiction book
I had ever read. So naturally I would give In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin a
try. And I was a bit disappointed. Understand, this review is based on the
fact that I loved the way The Devil in the White City was written and wanted
something similar. Not the same book, but more of the story told based of the
information gathered by the people and the time. This was really more just a
narration of the situations and events around the US Ambassador to Germany
during Hitler's rise to power. It is interesting and the Dodd family is
wrapped in controversy, but again it was more of a "here are the facts" style
of book instead of Larson wrapping stories around those facts. It was too
bad, there is so much potential here. I do think I will still look for other
books by Larson...hopefully more like the previous book.
2 Stars
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
I felt it was time to stop ignoring this series. After two movies are made
about a book, you really question why you haven't read it yet. It lives up to
the hype. If you've seen both the movies, there's really nothing left
(story-wise) in this book. There is much better (of course)
character development and insight into why characters did what they did. I
liked the expanded time-line, but felt some of the event were a bit
"convenient". All in all, still a worthy read. There are some heavy
circumstances which make this read not for the faint of heart, but still
doable. It's really hard to say anything about this book that hasn't already
been said.
4 Stars
Beyond Band of Brothers by Major Dick Winters
After the reading the book, watching the greatest television
miniseries of all time, Beyond Band of Brothers was
instantly added to my reading list. When I saw it in my library's catalog, I
jumped on it. If you are a fan of Ambrose's writing or of military history,
this is an excellent companion. Don't expect the same you would from Ambrose,
this is Major Winter's personal accounts...not a history lesson. It filled in
some blanks to some items that happened in the original Band of Brothers. Also
found that, some of the events the miniseries covered that wasn't in the
Ambrose book were not artistic licensing, just additional events from personal
accounts like this. It is a good story about a good man. I'd really like
anyone to read it, it was simply a good read.
4 Stars
Going Clear by Lawrence Wright
Two words, Cra-zy. There's two stories in Going Clear:
Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief. One is of the genius
madman, L. Ron Hubbard, and the other is of the current leader, David
Miscavige. It talks of what drove Hubbard, his early life, and his final days.
After reading this book and other reports and stories, I'm come to the
following conclusion: L. Ron Hubbard was a genius, deeply troubled, and
horribly misguided. Everything started out good. Hubbard was looking for a
form of psychotherapy during a time of really bad psychotherapy practices. He
felt he was on the path of stopping some of the egregious practices of the
time, and help people out of their mental troubles. But due to his warped
state of mind and greed, he transformed from his initial noble efforts and
developed a religion that literally imprisons people. Then there is
Miscavige, who is the poster boy for small man syndrome, and how he usurped
the reigns of the church from it's leaders and brought Hollywood into the
folds of the church. It's impeccably researched and well sited. If you are
interested in the goings on of the Church of Scientology, I'd start here.
4 Stars
They're Watching by Gregg Hurwitz
Picked this one up after hearing it's one of Scott Brick's favorite
reads--it's not this one by the way, it's You're Next. I liked it immensely.
They're Watching follow a washed up screen-writer who somehow
gets mixed up in a crazy web of military grade surveillance and the deeper he
gets in the web, the crazier it gets. I was pleasantly surprised by it's
insanely good plotting. I keep thinking about all the information Hurwitz had
to keep in mind to make sure no holes were left in the plot. Everything is
there and well placed. Step-by-step events unfold and you think it can't do
more...but it does. But don't worry all plot points are well understood and
kept in place, there are next no zero holes in what is a surprisingly intricate
story. I'm definitely going to find more from Hurwitz...maybe You're Next.
5 Stars
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
I know this isn't Flynn's latest novel, so I'm really unsure why I started with
it. Another well plotted book that makes you guess until the end...well maybe
not the very end. The hints to the ending were good, they kept you interested
and never were you simply hoping the book would end. I ended up guessing the
ending about 2/3rd into the story, and although I wasn't completely correct, I
was close enough. This may turn you off, but I really had no trouble with that
aspect of the book. I still wanted to read it to its conclusion, I wanted to
know the full story and wanted validation for my guesses. So it keeps you
enthralled. Definitely, not a bad start for the author.
4 Stars
Dreams and Shadows by C. Robert Cargill
I picked up Dreams and Shadows because the author is a native Texan,
has a hit film to his name, and the story sounded interesting. It's best
described as an "urban fantasy", in the style similar to a Neil Gaiman novel.
Most people will shutter at the comparison, but it's the only one to compare it
against. It is not a bad story. Fairy tale elements, boy getting wrapped up
in something he shouldn't, fight between real and fairly land...it is all
there. But there isn't much meat...just a ton of events. Characters are weak,
nothing is fully fleshed out, and what is nearly a world ending event occurs
down a couple streets of south Austin. Lastly, the narrator for the audiobook
was hideous. Fairy folk had to have strange voices and every one of the
children's voices were high pitched and yelling. I think a new narrator would
go a long way to making this book more bearable.
2 Stars