November 30, 2012

“The Last Man” by Vince Flynn – You Only Get Betrayed by Your Own

I don’t know about you, but I have always had a sweet spot for political/military mysteries and thrillers, mostly because there is always some kind of deep and complex conspiracy at work covered up by a large and convoluted web of deceit. 

There is just something exciting about imagining the people at the very top fighting each other with intelligence rather than their fists. In any case, that expectation is what drove me to check out The Last Man by Vince Flynn. 

November 28, 2012

“The Joy of Hate” by Greg Gutfeld – How to Fight Stupidity for Dummies

Like many of us (I assume), Greg Gutfeld hates stupidity and how it has made our daily lives into a joke, at least the second we take the time to step away and look at ourselves from a distance. Greg believes that all of it stems from our so-called open-mindedness and unconditional tolerance.

It’s as if people can be as stupid as they want as long as they do it in a socially-approved way… you can easily live as a racist bigot, as long as you are politically-correct about it.

November 26, 2012

“The Forgotten” by David Baldacci – Trouble in Paradise

It seems that David Baldacci has a certain liking for writing stories about super special agents from governmental agencies, as was seen in one of his most prominent works, The Innocent.

In The Forgotten, Baldacci revisits a similar concept, following the work of John Puller, a special agent in the U.S. Army. Right before his aunt died living out her days in the ironically-named town of Paradise, Florida, she sent a letter to Puller in which she suggested that beneath this tranquil resort inhabited by retirees and wealthy old white men lies a great danger.

November 25, 2012

“The Casual Vacancy” by J.K. Rowling – Pagford’s War

Most of you know J.K. Rowling as the author of the Harry Potter books which have become immensely popular over the last decade, with each one of them having a movie based on it. I’ll be the first to admit that contrary to pretty much everyone, I never really liked the Harry Potter series. 

My exposition to it was limited to the first fifty pages of the first book and to the first movie. I can’t really explain it, but it just never stuck with me. In any case, regardless of whether you liked Harry Potter or not, you’ll probably be interested in J.K. Rowling’s first attempt at an adult novel (no, not that kind of adult novel), The Casual Vacancy.

November 24, 2012

“Following Atticus” by Tom Ryan – A Snowy Adventure Melted by Love

Tom Ryan was a newspaperman like many others before him, and nothing really set him apart from anyone else. However, on a sad day one his very close friends passed away from cancer, an even which ended up spinning Tom inside out, making him re-evaluate his own life and his decisions. 

As a manner of paying tribute to his deceased friend, Tom decided to do the most daring thing he will probably attempt in his lifetime: climbing the forty-eight four-thousand foot peaks found in New Hampshire… twice in a single winter. Apart from paying tribute to his friend, Ryan’s exploits would also be an effort to raise money for charity.

November 22, 2012

“The Life of Pi” by Yann Martel – The Odd Couple Redefined

I’m sure that many of you have heard of this book right about now; ever since it was published in 2001 it has become more and more popular, which may very well be God’s way of laughing at the five publishing houses that decided to reject it.

In any case, a feature film has just been released about it(or has it already been released a long time ago? I can’t possibly predict when you are going to be reading this), and needless to say, more and more people are wondering what it’s all about… it actually reminds me of all the Matrix buzz back when it came out; everyone knew about it, but most didn't have a clue what the plot was.

November 20, 2012

“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky

While our kids may not be able to believe it, all of us were teenagers once, and we all went (or are going or will go through, for our younger readers) through a coming of age period. While in the moment it may have seemed quite overwhelming, and in some cases not a lot of fun, in hindsight it’s a whole different story… many adults talk about it as one of the best periods in their lives.

As such, it’s no wonder that countless books have been written around the concept of "coming of age". However, at some point it seems as if the books on the subject became quite repetitive; nevertheless, a few stood out, at least in my opinion, and one of them is The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, which by the way had a feature movie released about it recently.

November 19, 2012

“The Light Between Oceans” by M.L . Stedman – Lost and Found Children

Tom Sherbourne spent four years of his life fighting on the Western Front, and at long last he returns to his homeland of Australia where he becomes a lighthouse keeper on a piece of land, along with his young and beautiful wife Isabel. 

Unfortunately, during their time together Isabelle has suffered through two miscarriages and one stillbirth… however, it seems that God smiled on her when a dead man with a living baby washed up on shore.

November 18, 2012

“No Mark Upon Her” by Deborah Crombie – A Web of Murders

Murder mysteries are a classic genre in literature, and possibly one of the most popular ones as it appeals to practically everyone out there. Solving mysteries is one of man’s favorite past-times it seems, and there are few mysteries more intriguing than murder. Unfortunately, I simply do not have the time to read all the murder mysteries I would like to, but No Mark Upon Her by Deborah Crombie is one I truly enjoyed recently.

It starts with a K9 research team discovering a woman’s body in a river, at which point the case is dumped in the lap of Scotland Yard superintendent Duncan Kinkaid. As it turns out, the victim wasn't your average citizen; she was Rebecca Meredith, an Olympic contender on the verge of making a comeback, and needless to say, she had her share of admirers and enemies. The plot thickens even more when it is discovered that Rebecca also happens to be leading a double-life as a detective for the metropolitan police.

November 17, 2012

“America Again” by Stephen Colbert

Most of you know Stephen Colbert either from watching him as a correspondent on The Daily Show, or from watching him in his own show, The Colbert Report. For those who don’t know who Colbert is, I’ll try and give you a brief idea: he tackles issues ranging from global relations to cooking, and in the process he majestically explains why everyone except for him has the wrong take on the issue. One could say he is one of the true patriots this great country has.

And so, it seems that Colbert has put his skills to use once again in his book titled American Again. In it, he proceeds to describe everything that is wrong with this country, including how we are indebted up to our necks to the Chinese, how all the products we have aren't even made here anymore, and most importantly, why some hotels don’t have phone buttons to contact the spa directly.

November 16, 2012

“The Outpost” by Jake Tapper – Words Can Kill

Some of you may remember the events of October 3rd, 2009, when Outpost Keating was attacked by over four hundred Taliban insurgents, with there only being fifty-three U.S. troops available to defend. 

While it is true that the Americans won the battle in the end, they sustained the largest number of casualties in a single battle since the start of their insurgence into the Middle East. The camp itself was located at the bottom of mountains, fourteen miles from the border with Pakistan, in the middle of desert… in other words, it was a death sentence.

November 15, 2012

“Team of Rivals” by Doris Kearns Goodwin – The Master of Men

There have been countless biographies in regards to Abraham Lincoln over many years, with countless authors having tried to dissect his life as best they could. It would seem that at this point, we pretty much have all the information about Abraham that we could ever need, and there is simply no room left for any more biographies.

Well, at least it seemed so until Doris Kearns Goodwin went ahead and proved everybody wrong when she published her book titled Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.

November 14, 2012

“The Panther” by Nelson DeMille – The Elusive Bomber

I've already written a review on a novel which followed the life of John Corey, The Lion’s Game. That book was published over ten years ago. Fast forward to today, and John Corey is still kicking, along with his wife Kate Mayfield, who is an FBI agent while John is part of an anti-terrorist task force. 

In John Corey’s latest adventure, he and his wife are sent to Yemen in hopes of tracking a high-ranking Al Qaeda operative, known as The Panther, held responsible for the bombing on the USS Cole. Needless to say, he needs to be brought down at any cost, and that cost turns out to be a deadly game of chess and cat-and-mouse.

November 13, 2012

“The Lion’s Game” by Nelson DeMille – The King of Terror

Ever since 9/11 occurred it seems that every third word pronounced by people was "terrorism". Indeed, the unspeakable tragedy has opened the eyes of many Americans, showing them the true evil which lurks in some men’s hearts. 

Naturally, it goes without saying that many writers were inspired into writing something in relation to those events, and so we shouldn't be surprised at the amount of books related to terrorism which came out during that time. One of my favorite novels from that time is The Lion’s Game by Nelson DeMille, and before getting into why, I’d best give you a brief idea of what the story is about.

November 12, 2012

“The Dark Side of Genius: The Life of Alfred Hitchcock” by Donald Spoto – The Birth of a Cinematic Einstein

I’m sure you have heard of the name Alfred Hitchcock before; he incontestably the greatest horror director in cinema’s short history, single-handedly crafting the genre with classics such as
, and countless others. Many call him the grandfather of horror cinema, and I’m sure you can understand why if you are remotely familiar with his movies. If you are familiar with the man himself however, you’ll know that he was a very peculiar man who liked to remain more or less secluded from everyone else. When he received his Oscar, his only words were "Thank You". Doesn't get much more enigmatic than this as far as geniuses go.

November 11, 2012

“The Beautiful Mystery” by Louise Penny – The Evil that Monks Do

It seems sort of surprising that the province of Quebec, Canada doesn't pop up in literature often… perhaps such is the case because it was overshadowed by Canada’s image. Make no mistake, while Quebec is indeed a great place to live, it has a very violent history, not to mention that it contains the biggest Hell’s Angels Chapter and serves as the "base of operations" for the Italian mafia in Canada due to the massively important port located in Montreal. 

In any case, what I’m getting at is that Quebec is no stranger to crime and murder, and it seems Louise Penny makes it her job to showcase that in her novel titled The Beautiful Mystery: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel.

November 10, 2012

“Rosencrants and Guildenstem Are Dead” by Tom Stoppard

We all know the classic play of Hamlet by Shakespeare; some of us have had it engrained in our skulls during our school years. Regardless, the point is that the story has been around for a long time, and if you look around, you’ll see that many authors have taken the liberty of adding their own twists to it. Tom Stoppard is one of these authors, and in my opinion, his twist is one of the more clever ones.

In Rosencrants and Guildenstem Are Dead, Tom Stoppard recounts the story of Hamlet with only one minor difference: it is done from the perspective of two minor characters, Rosencrants and Guildenstem. While it may not sound like a very innovative twist, just bear with me for a paragraph or two. 

November 9, 2012

“Ready Player One” by Ernest Cline – A Virtual Quest for the Ultimate Prize

Ernest Cline is a young author whose debut novel, Ready Player One, has earned a tremendous following of people who simply cannot wait for him to bang out his next masterpiece. In this article, I’d like to discuss why I believe Ernest Cline to be an author you should keep an eye on, and of course, what makes Ready Player One such a compelling read.

To give you a bit of context, Ready Player One happens in the year 2044 where most people distract themselves from their daily troubles by plugging their minds a-la-Matrix into the OASIS, a virtual utopia where anyone can be whatever they want, on any planet they want.

November 8, 2012

“Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries” by Jon Ronson

Jon Ronson has always been known for his willingness to write about the facts which are stranger than fiction. As it happens, the world has more than enough weirdness to go around, and Jon has made it his goal to explore that weirdness, and bring it to the rest of us, no matter how it may be, in a way which allows us to relate to it, and that’s precisely what he did in Lost at Sea, his latest novel right after his widely-acclaimed The Psychopath Test.

November 6, 2012

“Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury – An Eerily Possible Scenario

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (Book cover)
The concept of the dystopian future was once extremely popular amongst science-fiction writers, and very few have capitalized on it as well as Ray Bradbury in his novel Fahrenheit 451¸at least in my opinion.

Before getting into what I think about it though, I just want to give a quick recap of what it’s about for those unfamiliar with or have forgotten it. In Fahrenheit 451, we follow the life of Guy Montag, a fireman… in the sense that he burns illegal possessions in the name of the government, such as books, and the houses they are stored in.

Being oblivious to what he is doing (destroying culture), Guy returns to his wife every night to live out his bleak and bland life.

November 1, 2012

“Killing Lincoln” by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard – Life is Better than Fiction

Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard (Book cover)
Bill O’Reilly has always been known as a bit of a smart sensationalist who can make even big and important issues understandable to the layman.

He runs his own show, and despite having some personal biases and preferences, he does his best to depict and describe things the way in which he truly sees them.

Many people, me included, find it commendable that he turned his efforts to writing books, as he does a pretty good job at it, as can be seen in what is arguably his and Martin Dugards's most famous work, Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever.