Jamie Conklin can see dead people.
He lives with his single mother, Tia, in New York City.
In Later, the dead must answer Jamie’s questions honestly. This leads to some surprising incidents.
For example, a criminal known as “Thumper” committed suicide after planting one final bomb somewhere in the city. Jamie gets the dead Thumper to reveal the hidden bomb’s location.
It’s a good short novel.
Jeffery Archer is a terrific story teller.
His most recent series features Detective William Warwick. In book 1 he’s a stumbling, bumbling rookie. But with potential.
I enjoyed it.
William somehow becomes intrinsically involved in two separate — simultaneous — court cases. It’s an interesting plot.
Published August 2021, this book is set about 6 months before the pandemic.
It got great reviews and I do recommend it for everyone.
Stephen King is one of the most popular authors all time. Net worth is $500 million plus.
Though nobody ever called his books literature, he is one of the best story tellers. And Billy Summers is a great story.
Billy Summers is a killer for hire and the best in the business. But he’ll do the job only if the target is a truly bad guy. And now Billy wants out.
But first there is one last hit. Billy is among the best snipers in the world, a decorated Iraq war vet, a Houdini when it comes to vanishing after the job is done.
So what could possibly go wrong?
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
I like King’s political activism. He hates Trump and most things GOP. Feels rich guys (like himself) should pay more tax.
This is book #26 in the Jack Reacher series. Quite good, in my opinion. Better than the previous Andrew Child book.
As always, Reacher stumbles into an incredible scenario … by accident.
He bumps into Michaela Fenton, an army veteran turned FBI agent, trying to find her twin brother, who might be mixed up with some dangerous people.
Fenton is a badass herself, a good compliment for Reacher.
This book kept me going from start to finish.
Good book. I’m not sure I’d call it Young Adult, however. though it’s often listed amongst the top YA novels of all time.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a coming-of-age young adult novel by American author Benjamin Alire Sáenz.
Aristotle “Ari” Mendoza is the main protagonist.
He’s a typically angry, bored and confused teen. A loner.
Set in El Paso, Texas in 1987, the story starts when Ari meets another Mexican-American teen, Dante Quintana.
Dante is an admirable person in every way. It’s his influence and their friendship which finally helps Ari grow up.
A happy ending.
Several themes feature prominently. These include Mexican-American identity, gender and sexuality, particular masculine gender roles and homosexuality, intellectualism and artistic expression, as well as family relationships and friendship.
I was happy to get my hands on the sequel to Thursday Murder Club.
Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron and Ibrahim—the Thursday Murder Club—are still riding high off their recent real-life murder case and are looking forward to a bit of peace and quiet at Cooper’s Chase, their posh retirement village. …
The writing is witty. The old folks endearing, especially Ibrahim.
It’s a lark. Don’t take the plot — or the murders — too seriously.
And soon to be a major motion picture from Steven Spielberg. It will be more like Best Exotic Marigold Hotel than a murder mystery.
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My favourite post-apocalyptic novel is The Road (2006) by Cormac McCarthy. It won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Dog Stars (2012) is not as good. But similar. And it’s well written. I do recommend the book.
Hig survived the flu that killed everyone he knows.
His wife is gone, his friends are dead, he lives in the hangar of a small abandoned airport with his dog, his only neighbor a gun-toting misanthrope.
In his 1956 Cessna, Hig flies the perimeter of the airfield or sneaks off to the mountains to fish and pretend that things are the way they used to be.
But when a random transmission somehow beams through his radio, the voice ignites a hope deep inside him that a better life–something like his old life–exists beyond the airport.
Risking everything, he flies past his point of no return–not enough fuel to get him home–following the trail of the static-broken voice on the radio. But what he encounters and what he must face–in the people he meets, and in himself–is both better and worse than anything he could have hoped for.
peterheller.net
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I’ve always been a big fan of the original Dune published 1965.
Such a fan that I even loved the 1984 film adaptation by David Lynch. Recall Sting was Feyd-Rautha, Baron Harkonnen’s younger nephew. It was widely panned.
I booked an IMAX ticket online. Sat in the second row so the screen would fill my vision. I wanted to be engulfed by sand.
And I was not disappointed.
Denis Villeneuve was the right person to remake this story.
Dune is BIG. Dark. Gritty. Dusty. Beautiful.
I hiked that area of Jordan. Fond memories.
Though the cast was all excellent, Timothée Chalamet makes this film. He’s perfect as Paul Atreides. In contrast, Kyle MacLachlan was not believable in the 1984 version.
Villeneuve stated that Chalamet was his first and only choice to play the role.
Stellan Skarsgård was intimidating as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. He reminded me of Marlon Brando when he reached 300 lbs.
Zendaya as Chani is excellent too, but doesn’t have much screen time. She’ll be a central character in Dune part 2.
The only casting I’d question is Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Dr. Liet-Kynes. Not sure that worked.
Great soundtrack by Hans Zimmer.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Tsangpo Gorge in Tibet is likely the deepest canyon in the world. And at 504.6 kilometres (313.5 mi) is slightly longer than the Grand Canyon.
In 2002 a group of the best kayakers in the world led by Scott Lindgren set out to “paddle” the gorge.
That’s nearly impossible. But they did accomplish some first descents. And surprisingly none of the party died.
It was the most dangerous water they’d ever tried.
This is one intense book.
Peter Heller was assigned to cover the expedition for Outside and, despite having completely worn out the cartilage in one hip, he decided to go for it.
… Heller is unflinchingly honest about the hostility he faced from Lindgren and his companions, who openly attack the journalist for “getting rich” from their story, as well as the resentment that begins to well inside him at their condescension.
Meanwhile, the locals hired to carry the equipment realize they have the upper hand and start extorting more money for their services.
The drama on shore, however, is easily matched—sometimes surpassed—by the action on the river, which includes a few chilling brushes with death.
Heller nimbly blends the history of the region into his gripping modern trek, as the crew lives up to the legacy of the great explorers before them. …
China plans to build the world’s largest hydroelectric project there.
The Shadow is a collection of serialized dramas, originally in 1930s pulp novels and later in a variety of media. …
The introductory line from the radio adaptation of The Shadow – “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!” – spoken by actor Frank Readick, has earned a place in the American idiom.
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A good idea. The Shadow is reawakened in 2087 New York City dystopia.
Only two people know that 1930s society man Lamont Cranston has a secret identity as the Shadow, a crusader for justice. One is his greatest love, Margo Lane, and the other is fiercest enemy, Shiwan Khan. When Khan ambushes the couple, they must risk everything for the slimmest chance of survival . . . in the future.
Amazon
A century and a half later, Lamont awakens in a world both unknown and disturbingly familiar. The first person he meets is Maddy Gomes, a teenager with her own mysterious secrets, including a knowledge of the legend of the Shadow. …
Still, I’m quite lukewarm on this book as I am with a lot of Patterson.
Can’t particularly recommend it.
Rick McCharles 