HISTORY BUFF ALERT (FEBRUARY 2016)

 

For those readers who enjoy politics and history, businessman, political pundit and blog reader,  Gary S. is my "go to" person for reviews. Recently he commented on Killing Reagon: The Violent Assault that Changed a Presidency by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. 

Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard are a well known team with many successful best sellers. Gary S. actually personally knows Dugard, an accomplished historian and political author. Dugard lives in California and allegedly is responsible for most of the writing....no surprise there....

Here's what Gary S. had to say.....

I finished Killing Reagan and would classify it as basically a biography of Reagan from his Hollywood days until he died. The assassination attempt played a small part in the book. There was no mention of his economic theories of 'trickle down' by cutting taxes for the rich. I thought it was really interesting but was definitely leaning towards the conservative narrative, that he was a great leader. The book focused very heavily on his dementia while in office and after he retired......

Definitely a good read.

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HE'S BACK (NOVEMBER 2015)

So I heard that Grisham has a new book out...Yawn....Another lawyer saga...But NO, they say this one is different...has an unusual premise ..Yes, there are still lawyers, but maybe, just maybe I'll give it a chance...After all, a good legal thriller is hard to resist....so here goes....downloading....

ROGUE LAWYER by John Grisham (Legal Thriller) Sebastian Rudd defends people other lawyers won’t go near: a drug-addled, tattooed kid rumored to be in a satanic cult, who is accused of molesting and murdering two little girls; a vicious crime lord on death row; a homeowner arrested for shooting at a SWAT team that mistakenly invaded his house. Sebastian believes everyone is entitled to a fair trial, even if he has to cheat to secure one. He hates injustice, doesn’t like insurance companies, banks or big corporations; he distrusts all levels of government and laughs at the justice system’s notions of ethical behavior. Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman. And Bill O'Reilly/Martin Dugard team up again. Many critics say this book restates old claims and rumors that have been discredited by the historical record. It sounds like a good read, although not that accurate...but lots of juicy stuff about Nancy!  KILLING REAGAN: The Violent Assault That Changed a Presidency by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard (History/Politics) Just two months into his presidency, Ronald Reagan lay near death after a gunman's bullet came within inches of his heart. His recovery was nothing short of remarkable --- or so it seemed. But Reagan was grievously injured, forcing him to encounter a challenge that few men ever face. Could he silently overcome his traumatic experience while at the same time carrying out the duties of the most powerful man in the world? Reviewed by Maggie Harding. Thankyou BookReporter.com Order these books now directly from this blog. Click on the Amazon Searchbox in the Sidebar.

JUNE BOOKMARKS (2015)

Did you know that Andrew Jackson was a sleaze? Do you care? Well, for history buffs out there, JACKSONLAND depicts our seventh president in not such a good light. According to the editors on Bookpage.com, Jackson left a messy legacy and this lively narrative by award winning journalist, Steve Inskeep of NPR fame, is a page turner.

On a different note, if you were a fan of THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL SOCIETY, you'll want to read Annie Barrow's new book, THE TRUTH ACCORDING TO US. Evoking the same charm, style and appeal, it captivated critics and blog readers alike. It's on the top of my TBR list....

The Truth According to Us By Annie Barrows HISTORICAL FICTION The co-author of the 2008 reader favorite The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society returns with a thoroughly charming small-town story. When a socialite arrives in tiny Macedonia, West Virginia, during the Great Depression to write a town history, she stirs up a whole lot of secrets—and 12-year-old Willa’s life will never be the same. Barrows blends letters and multiple narrators to provide a panoramic view of a community bursting with vivid personalities. Jacksonland By Steve Inskeep HISTORY For now, at least, Andrew Jackson still graces the front of our 20-dollar bill. But the reputation of our seventh president will be jolted by this riveting look at how Old Hickory prevailed in taking land from the Cherokee and enriching himself and his associates in the process. Inskeep, an award-winning journalist and cohost of NPR's "Morning Edition" pairs Jackson's story with the struggles of John Ross, the eloquent Cherokee chief who went all the way to the Supreme Court in a failing effort to hold on to the tribe's ancestral lands.

UNDER A PALM TREE (December 2014)

Yes, I am on vacation...I've been gone three days (two days of rain...) and just finished EUPHORIA BY LILY KING, a novel loosely based on an episode in the life of Margaret Mead. I thought I would hate this book...who wants to read about tribes in New Guinea? To my surprise, I did!

It's a meticulously researched homage to the anthropologist blended into a steamy and intelligent story. A love triangle...compelling, sensuous and beautifully written. Everything from competing egos and desires, violence, and tragedy are combined making EUPHORIA an expertly crafted satisfying drama....and what a drama!! In my opinion this is a must read....

To order immediatly, click on the Amazon Search Box in the Sidebar....

PROBABLY WORTH NOTING

       

 

Here's two debuts in time for the holidays and it appears to be an unconventional mix...History,  crime, and good old dysfunction...What more could anyone want?  Well, maybe a few things, but these will keep you entertained for awhile. 

GOD'll CUT YOU DOWN by John Safran 

This stranger-than-fiction true crime story finds Safran—a white, Jewish documentary filmmaker from Australia—relocating to Rankin County, Miss., to dig deep into the grisly stabbing murder of a 67-year-old white supremacist in April 2010. A 23-year-old African-American man named Vincent McGee pleaded guilty in the case, but this was no run-of-the-mill race crime. With allegations swirling of a money-for-sex relationship between the founder of a white nationalist organization and his black neighbor, the lure was too great for Safran (a self-proclaimed “Race Trekkie”) to resist. Armed with his Dictaphone and a thirst for the truth, Safran tracks down and interviews nearly all individuals associated with the case, resulting in wildly opposing accounts of what happened that spring evening. The result is a bizarrely unsettling, yet often witty book that paints a disturbing picture of the deep South today.    

                            

               

SINS OF OUR FATHERS by Shawn Lawrence Otto 

This stylish novel from Otto concerns J.W., a smalltown bank president whose gambling addiction causes his life to spiral out of control. One year after his son Chris’s dies in an auto crash while driving stoned, J.W. abandons his harried wife, Carol, and his teenaged daughter, Julie. When J.W.’s embezzlement of bank funds to cover his betting losses is uncovered, his boss fires him and then coerces him into spying on the local competition. J.W. relocates to live in a trailer and spies on Johnny Eagle, who is establishing a new tribal bank on the Ojibwe reservation. Otto's wonderfully vivid debut culminates in a rousing and satisfying climax. 

ISABEL'S WAR by Lila Perl 

(This book is appropriate for YA readers as well as adults)

Published posthumously, Perl’s moving WWII novel set in the Bronx traces a Jewish girl’s growing awareness of the atrocities occurring overseas. At first, 12-year-old Isabel views the war as an inconvenience, bemoaning new rationing rules and the growing shortages of luxury items. Similarly, she resents the arrival of Helga, a beautiful German refugee with “a swanlike neck, and luminous gray-green eyes,” who ends up living with Isabel’s family when Helga’s American guardian turns ill. But as Isabel gleans bits of information about Helga’s horrific experiences in Germany and in England, where she was delivered as part of the Kindertransport, Isabel’s heart gradually softens. Now her problem is getting others to believe Helga’s tales and persuading Helga that she is not to blame for what her family suffered. This coming-of-age story offers an authentic glimpse of the 1940s American war effort and corresponding sentiments while introducing a realistically flawed heroine whose well-meaning efforts sometimes backfire.

Be sure to read Publishers Weekly for timely book news...

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SO WHAT ELSE IS NEW? (November 2014)

Stephen  King is releasing a new book, which is no surprise. Although it's been touted as a departure from his usual horrifying storylines, it's still pretty horrifying! King followers will revel in REVIVAL. Critics have labeled it "one of King's most disturbing and satisfying books."

If you're into history, ISABELLA by Kristen Downey is an engaging and detailed biography of the fascinating, controversial ruler of Spain. This biography has been labeled a "dramatic page-turner" by critics, so If you're in the  mood for a well researched bio this would be it....

Revival By Stephen King King mines deeper territory—the transformative power of grief—in a thriller that showcases his unmatched ability to evoke sheer terror through prose. Six-year-old Jamie Morton and the new minister of his church, the Rev. Charles Jacobs, have a shared obsession: the power of electricity. Their lives will intersect strangely over the next 50 years—when Jacobs' life is shattered by a tragic accident and much later when Jamie reaches his own rock-bottom of despair and addiction. King explores the dual meanings of "revival" as the story spins its way to a horrifying conclusion.

Isabella By Kirstin Downey Most schoolchildren know Queen Isabella of Spain as half of the royal couple that financed Columbus' expedition to the New World. But Downey, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, asserts that Isabella was a far more forceful and influential leader than her husband Ferdinand. This engaging biography brings readers all the facets of a remarkable but overlooked woman: from the farsighted ruler who helped to unify Spain to the ardently devout Catholic who pursued a brutal religious Inquisition. To Order NOW Click on the Amazon Search Box in the Blog Sidebar.

ATTENTION HISTORY BUFFS..OR NOT.. (07/20/2013)

Finally, a well written, easy to follow, informative, fresh look at the War for Independence...not overly detailed...to the point and not a bunch of superflous words!  (This history book sounds readable, even to me, a fiction lover)

REVOLUTIONARY SUMMER by Pulitzer Prize Winner, Joseph J. Ellis fills in the blanks that other books on the American Revolution cover briefly.

Check my blog for an upcoming review from Gary S, an American Revolution specialist. In the meantime, buy it from Amazon directly from this blog and settle in for an engrossing account of  history that any reader would enjoy.

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BOOK UPDATE:
Gary S. is currently reading THIS TOWN by Mark Leibovitch.(Scroll down for blog review or use Search Box)

HERE ARE HIS COMMENTS:

 I’ve only read very little, but if it remains at the current pace, I’m going to give it a thumbs down. Too much trash talk and it never lets up.
Trash talk can be fun, so I’ll stick with it for awhile. The book has gotten a lot of buzz, and I love the current events/politics story line......

......It’s entertaining but not satisfying. Maybe that’s what Washington DC is all about anyway. Will keep at it and keep you posted. I think the author is a still a journalist for the NY Times, so not sure why he would write such a tell all mockery of the people he needs access to. HHmmm.