Lately I have been able to get back into reading a little bit. It has been great and daunting at the same time. There are so many books to read and so little time. Last year I started reading Michael Connelly's books in preparation for watching The Lincoln Lawyer. I enjoyed the book quite a bit and the movie was OK. I probably would have liked the film better had I not read the book, but that is pretty typical. Connelly's
The Poet is one of the better books I've ever read. Great storytelling. Now I've made it through almost all of his catalog and haven't been disappointed yet.
Books I've read in 2012 so far (as of February 20th).
The Drop.
The latest from Connelly continues the tradition of quality work. Fans of Harry Bosch won't be let down.
The Bourne Dominion.
Another installment of the Ludlum character by Eric Van Lustbader. I originally read Ludlums first three Bourne books back in 2003. They are really good and have very little to do with the movies, which are also very good. Just enjoy them seperately. When I read these I started reading Lustbader's continuation of the series. I thought that the first couple where a great extension from where Ludlum left off. His latest books have taken a different direction in my opinion. However, that doesn't matter too much as they are still a really good read. I thought The Bourne Dominion was better than the Bourne Objective and the Bourne Betrayal, but not quite as good the Bourne Sanction, which might be my favorite Lustbader Bourne book.
Double Dexter
Jeff Lindsay's latest Dexter book. I think each book gets better than the last.
11/22/63 - A Novel
Stephen King's epic about a time traveler who goes back in time to stop the assassination of Kennedy. I just finished this book and thought it was really well done. At 850 pages it is a commitment in time and effort to read, but well worth it. Not your typical King novel, but executed with near perfection. When Jake, the main character goes back in time, it is to 1958, so a majority of the novel is spent filling in the five years. A decision that explains the books high page count, but a decision that pays great emotional dividends. I believe that King has a real fondness of the late fifties and early sixties and based on the experiences detailed here I can see why.
I've also been reading a lot of Mo Willems's books. Unlike most kid's books, they're entertaining and don't get old after the 136th reading. Now that's a feat.
June
Another Connelly novel, Chasing the Dime. This one doesn't involve his normal set of characters, but was solid nonetheless. He flat out doesn't disappoint.
Also, City of Bones, another Harry Bosch story, again, very well done.
I guess I haven't read the Dexter books in the correct order, but that hasn't diminished my enjoyment of the series. I just read the first one that set everything off. Darkly Dreaming Dexter. I can see where the first season of the Showtime series played pretty close to the book and then went in their own direction.
September
We took two late summer camping trips this year which afforded me some downtime and the chance to flip through some books. A co-worker, at my request, provided me with a list of authors of the same ilk as Michael Connelly. The first that I tried was Harlan Coben's Just One Look. It was pretty good, but I will say that there were just a few too many twists and gotchas at the end. It kept me on my toes though, I wasn't able to figure it out which is more than I can say for most books. I followed that up with Caught. I thought this was a bit better, these stories are pretty dense and have lots of detail. Much like the Poet, all of the little details play a role in the bigger picture and their place in the puzzle are ultimately revealed.
November
This doesn't technically count since I haven't finished, but it was taking up some of my time. Devil in the White City. So far so good - an interesting tale, kinda of hard to believe it is real.
Angels Flight by Michael Connelly, another Harry Bosch story. Solid as usual.
December
Lee Child's Gone Tomorrow. Maybe I was just a little more sensitive to it this time, but I thought that this one seemed a little more violent than some of the other Reacher novels.
Books I've read in 2012 so far (as of February 20th).
The Drop.
The latest from Connelly continues the tradition of quality work. Fans of Harry Bosch won't be let down.
The Bourne Dominion.
Another installment of the Ludlum character by Eric Van Lustbader. I originally read Ludlums first three Bourne books back in 2003. They are really good and have very little to do with the movies, which are also very good. Just enjoy them seperately. When I read these I started reading Lustbader's continuation of the series. I thought that the first couple where a great extension from where Ludlum left off. His latest books have taken a different direction in my opinion. However, that doesn't matter too much as they are still a really good read. I thought The Bourne Dominion was better than the Bourne Objective and the Bourne Betrayal, but not quite as good the Bourne Sanction, which might be my favorite Lustbader Bourne book.
Double Dexter
Jeff Lindsay's latest Dexter book. I think each book gets better than the last.
11/22/63 - A Novel
Stephen King's epic about a time traveler who goes back in time to stop the assassination of Kennedy. I just finished this book and thought it was really well done. At 850 pages it is a commitment in time and effort to read, but well worth it. Not your typical King novel, but executed with near perfection. When Jake, the main character goes back in time, it is to 1958, so a majority of the novel is spent filling in the five years. A decision that explains the books high page count, but a decision that pays great emotional dividends. I believe that King has a real fondness of the late fifties and early sixties and based on the experiences detailed here I can see why.
I've also been reading a lot of Mo Willems's books. Unlike most kid's books, they're entertaining and don't get old after the 136th reading. Now that's a feat.
June
Another Connelly novel, Chasing the Dime. This one doesn't involve his normal set of characters, but was solid nonetheless. He flat out doesn't disappoint.
Also, City of Bones, another Harry Bosch story, again, very well done.
I guess I haven't read the Dexter books in the correct order, but that hasn't diminished my enjoyment of the series. I just read the first one that set everything off. Darkly Dreaming Dexter. I can see where the first season of the Showtime series played pretty close to the book and then went in their own direction.
September
We took two late summer camping trips this year which afforded me some downtime and the chance to flip through some books. A co-worker, at my request, provided me with a list of authors of the same ilk as Michael Connelly. The first that I tried was Harlan Coben's Just One Look. It was pretty good, but I will say that there were just a few too many twists and gotchas at the end. It kept me on my toes though, I wasn't able to figure it out which is more than I can say for most books. I followed that up with Caught. I thought this was a bit better, these stories are pretty dense and have lots of detail. Much like the Poet, all of the little details play a role in the bigger picture and their place in the puzzle are ultimately revealed.
November
This doesn't technically count since I haven't finished, but it was taking up some of my time. Devil in the White City. So far so good - an interesting tale, kinda of hard to believe it is real.
Angels Flight by Michael Connelly, another Harry Bosch story. Solid as usual.
December
Lee Child's Gone Tomorrow. Maybe I was just a little more sensitive to it this time, but I thought that this one seemed a little more violent than some of the other Reacher novels.
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