THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB discussion
WHAT BOOKS HAVE YOU FINISHED?
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WHAT BOOKS HAVE YOU FINISHED?
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by Lawrence RobbinsIn this legal thriller, a one-term former president is arrested for murdering a lawyer he'd been having an affair with.
The author is a Washington D.C. lawyer, so the book has an authentic vibe. 3 stars
My review: /review/show...
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by Lee ChildJack Reacher helps a private detective search for her missing business partner in this action-filled story.
Reacher is as tough as ever, which is my favorite thing about this series. 3 stars
My review: /review/show...
Barbara wrote: "Make Me by Lee ChildJack Reacher helps a private detective search for her missing business partner in this action-filled story.
Reacher..."
It's been ages since I visited with Reacher. I need to dust my next book off.
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by J. Dana TrentIn this memoir, Baptist Minister and college professor J. Dana Trent writes about her dysfunctional upbringing with a schizophrenic drug lord father and a narcissistic difficult mother.
In the end it's an inspirational story. 4 stars
My review: /review/show...
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by S.A. Barnes'Space sickness' is affecting people working on distant planets, and a psychologist is sent to counsel the space crews. Once the doctor arrives, scary things start happening.
Pretty good sci-fi horror novel. 3.5 stars
My review: /review/show...
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by Emily St. John MandelMandel's books are always off the beaten path. In this novel, characters experiencing a glitch in spacetime leads to speculation about all sorts of interesting things: family, love, blame, science, pandemics, reality, and more.
Very good story. 4 stars
My review: /review/show...
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by Mick HerronIn this addition to the 'Slow Horses' series, the 'disgraced' MI5 agents at Slough House try to stop a new terrorist group.
These novels are a mixture of espionage and humor. 4 stars
My review: /review/show...
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by RuPaulIn this memoir, RuPaul - drag queen and host of 'RuPaul's Drag Race' - recounts stories about his life and the long hard road to success.
Good book. 3.5 star
My review: /review/show...
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by Sally HepworthHuman remains (bones) are found beneath a house once used as a foster home, and three women who resided there long ago are asked to come in for interviews.
Good suspense novel, as expected from Hepworth. 3.5 stars
My review: /review/show...
A few days ago, I finished reading "De Havilland DH2 and The Men Who Flew Them" by Mike Davis, Barry Gray, Mike Kelsey, and Trevor Henshaw.
The De Havilland DH2 was among the Royal Flying Corps' (RFC) first true fighter planes. It entered service in February 1916 and gave the British aerial supremacy over the Somme Front until the introduction by the German Luftstreitkräfte in the late summer and fall of 1916 of the Halberstadt DV (armament: 1 forward-firing machine gun) and Albatros series of fighters (the DI, DII, and DIII) which boasted 2 forward-firing Spandau machine guns, synchronized to fire through the propeller. These planes, in terms of performance, were superior to the DH2 in terms of speed, firepower, and rate of climb. But until the RFC could introduce to the Front advanced fighters, it had to soldier on with the DH2, which it did well into the spring of 1917.
This book offers a full and definitive story --- rich with photos --- of the DH2's service on the Western Front, in addition to its later service in Salonika (Macedonia), Egypt and the Middle East. There is also extensive information about the aircraft's characteristics, full color illustrations of the DH2, the tactics it deployed in combat, and the squadrons that flew the DH2 overseas and with Home Defence in the UK.
I highly recommend DeHAVILLAND DH2 AND THE MEN WHO FLEW THEM for any World War I aviation enthusiast. It's an absolute keeper.
Around the time of the total solar eclipse earlier this month, I read "The Lost Prince: Young Joe, the Forgotten Kennedy" by Hank Searls, which was originally published in 1969. (BTW, a TV movie based on the book was broadcast in 1977 with Peter Strauss in the role of Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.)
For those of us with a fascination or interest in the lives of the Kennedys, the story of the eldest child, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (aka Joe Kennedy), is one of unrealized promise. Unlike his brother JFK (who was not quite 2 years his junior), who had suffered from a host of ailments from childhood - yet managed to persevere, Joe was the "Golden Boy." He seemingly breezed through life from prep school to Harvard, to the London School of Economics, and to Harvard Law School.
Like all the Kennedy children, Joe was a keen competitor and risk taker. He also took a special interest in his younger siblings that, as this book illustrates, was heartfelt and unselfish. I think that of all the Kennedy children, he was most like the Old Man. Joe was the standard bearer of that generation of Kennedys. Indeed he would assert to anyone who knew him that his great ambition was to be the first Roman Catholic to be elected President of the United States.
Joe was entering his final year at law school when he willingly opened himself to the draft and enlisted in the U.S. Navy as an aviation cadet in May 1941. A year of arduous flight training followed which led to Joe earning his golden wings and commission. What erked Joe, however, was that his brother JFK (who managed to get into the Navy with the Old Man's help) earned his commission as a Lieutenant (jg) before him. (Joe was an ensign, which ranks below Lieutenant.) Next to JFK having had his Harvard senior thesis published and become a best seller in 1940, this was the first time Joe had been eclipsed by his younger brother. Furthermore, JFK (through pulling more strings) managed to get transferred from a desk job in Washington into a program in which he learned to operate patrol torpedo boats. This was hazardous duty. Subsequently, JFK was posted to combat duty in the South Pacific early in 1943 - several months before Joe (who was impatient to see action) was posted from Puerto Rico (where he flew flying boats with a patrol squadron tasked with seeking out and destroying German U-boats; the squadron was also stationed for a time in Norfolk VA) managed a transfer to VB-110. This unit flew the naval version of the U.S. Army Air Force's B-24 Liberator heavy bomber, flying long range missions out of England into the Atlantic and the Bay of Biscay hunting for U-boats.
Unlike Joe's previous posting, there were many more hazards with which to contend. Examples: the vagaries of the English weather, flak, and enemy fighters (both long-range and short-range operating out of German Occupied France).
Joe flew 2 combat tours (in excess of 50 missions, each of which lasted on average 12 hours). He was "tour expired" shortly after D-Day and could've returned to the States. But he was dissatisfied with his war experience, having failed to earn any medal or commendation. That was in contrast to JFK, whose ship had been cut in two by a Japanese destroyer on a night patrol deep in enemy waters in August 1943. Though seriously wounded, JFK managed to bring together the survivors of his crew and swim to a nearby island, where they sheltered for several days. All the while, JFK swam into shark-infested waters, seeking help. Eventually, JFK and his crew were found by Allied coastwatchers and friendly natives in the area, and spirited away to Allied territory. JFK was later decorated and his story was published worldwide.
Joe would volunteer for an extremely hazardous secret mission which would lead to his death on August 12, 1944. He was 29 years old.
This is a rather remarkable book. Hank Searls (who had himself been a naval pilot during WWII) was able to interview many people who knew Joe Kennedy Jr., including his mother Rose and brothers Bobby and Ted. He also consulted a wealth of resources from different phases of Joe's life.
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by David RosenfeltIn this addition to the humorous 'Andy Carpenter' series, the New Jersey lawyer tries to get a new trial for a man convicted of murder.
The usual Andy hijinks, all good fun. 3 star
My review: /review/show...
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by Linda ReillyIn this addition to the 'grilled cheese mystery series', restaurateur/amateur sleuth Carly Hale investigates when her delivery boy is suspected of murder.
Recipes included in this fun cozy. 3 stars
My review: /review/show...
And Then We Heard The Thunder by John Oliver KillensMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A fictional account (I'm not so sure) of the African American GIs views of service to their country during the Nation's Jim Crow era.
href="/review/show...
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by Spencer QuinnAnother adventure of the 'Little Detective Agency' which is trying to help a country singer accused of murder.
3 stars
My review: /review/show...
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And Then We Heard The Thunder by John Oliver Killens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A fictional account (I'm not so sure) of the African American GIs views of service to their country during the Nati..."
Sounds very interesting.
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The Rulebreaker: The Life and Times of Barbara Walters by Susan PageI reviewed this back in October 2023 and it's finally available.
The book is an excellent overview of the life and career of an iconic newswoman. 4.5 stars
My review: /review/show...
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Extinction
by Douglas PrestonA 'luxury resort' has de-extincted some prehistoric animals, and things start to go badly.
My review: /review/show...
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The Wisdom of Plagues: Lessons from 25 Years of Covering Pandemics by Donald G. Mcneil Jr.Long time science and health reporter for The New York Times, Donald G. McNeil Jr., shares his insights about pandemics in this book.
Very thorough and informative treatise. 4.5 stars
My review: /review/show...
Yesterday, finished reading "Peter the Great: His Life and World by Robert K. Massie. 
A highly fascinating and insightful biography of an extraordinary man and monarch.
KOMET wrote: "Yesterday, finished reading "Peter the Great: His Life and World by Robert K. Massie. A highly fascinating and insightful biogra..."
I really and enjoyed the book also. I felt that no one seems to do the Russian monarchy like Massie. Wish he had lived to take on Alexander II or Nicholas I. Enjoyed the TV movie with Maximillian Schell as Peter the Great.
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by J.D. RobbNew York police detective Eve Dallas tries to track down a cop killer.
Pretty good police procedural. 3 stars
My review: /review/show...
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by David BaldacciDuring the struggle for civil rights, a Black handyman is accused of killing a white couple in Virginia. But in 1968, Black people don't get fair trials in this state.
Good courtroom drama. 3.5 stars
My review: /review/show...
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by David BaldacciArmy investigator John Puller looks into a cold case that involves his mother's disappearance 30 years ago.
Action packed thriller with a sci-fi vibe. 3.5 stars
My review: /review/show...
I just finished up the 1967 sci-fi classic, Logan's Run Quite enjoyable read (in a dystopic, scary way). /review/show...
Yesterday finished reading the crime novel "The Mayors of New York" by S.J. Rozan.
What starts out in THE MAYORS OF NEW YORK as a seemingly straightforward undertaking by PIs Lydia Chin and Bill Smith to find the teenage son of New York's first newly elected woman mayor (who had hired them for the job) turns out to be a convoluted, murky, and perilous trek across the city that uncovers a nest of crimes.
The Confidential Agent: An Entertainment
by Graham Greene DNF, NR, read 60 pages of it./review/show...
At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance--A New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power by Danielle L. McGuireMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
In the Jim Crow South, there was very little if any light for black men and women, especially at "At the Dark End of the Street."
/review/show...
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by Shawntelle MadisonThe African-American Bridge family has a unique 'curse.' One sibling in each family falls back in time.
Very intriguing story. 3.5 stars
My review: /review/show...
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by Ariel LawhonA midwife in late 1700s Maine takes it upon herself to investigate the death of a prominent citizen accused of rape. Good historical novel/courtroom drama/murder mystery.
Highly recommended. 4 stars
My review: /review/show...
Bill wrote: "The Girl Who Electrified Tesla 
by Cynthia von Buhler (Minky Woodcock #2) 3.0 stars/rev..."
Hey Bill, I love some of those Hard Case Crime books. I've read some that have been very underrated. I think some are a little over the top too. I didn't even realize they had some graphic novels in there.
Franky wrote: "Bill wrote: "The Girl Who Electrified Tesla by Cynthia von Buhler (Minky Woodcock #2) 3.0 stars..."
I like the Max Allan Collins books. His Ms. Tree graphics are quite good. Gun Honey by Charles Ardai is also quite good.
Franky wrote: "Just finished another reading of this guy Shakespeare's Macbeth: /review/show..."
He sounds familiar.
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/review/show..."
He sounds familiar."
I liked Jo Nesbo's modern version of Macbeth
THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB
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A prion disease epidemic, which originated in Guatemala, threatens Los Angeles, and possibly the world.
Good medical thriller with fascinating bits about Mayan culture. 4 stars
My review: /review/show...