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John
John is reading The Sympathizer
I just finished The Sympathizer: A Novel and gave it 5 stars. This an outstanding work. Time is elastic & intriguing. Parts of the read are difficult but well worth effort.
Jan 07, 2016 09:56AM Add a comment
The Sympathizer

John
John is reading House of Thieves
I just finished House of Thieves: A Novel and gave it 4 stars. This is a great story that would make an even better film. It has holiday blockbuster written all over it.
Dec 30, 2015 11:11AM Add a comment
House of Thieves

John
John is reading Tom Clancy Commander-in-Chief (Jack Ryan Universe, #20)
I just finished Tom Clancy Commander in Chief: A Jack Ryan Novel and gave it 5 stars. Very entertaining & well paced. Perfect holiday read.
Dec 27, 2015 09:05PM Add a comment
Tom Clancy Commander-in-Chief (Jack Ryan Universe, #20)

John
John is reading Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man’s Fight for Justice
I just finished Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man’s Fight for Justice and gave it 4 stars. A frightening story that reads too much like a novel.
Dec 13, 2015 06:42AM Add a comment
Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man’s Fight for Justice

John
John is reading Elizabeth Street
Read Elizabeth Street & gave it 4 stars...another one of those "if you're interested in the history of NYC you'll like it books." Excellent renderings of the immigrants' experience & their courage.
Dec 06, 2015 05:54AM Add a comment
Elizabeth Street

John
John is reading The Looming Tower
I just finished The Looming Tower and gave it 5 stars. Some years ago I was told to read this book while at a conference in New York overlooking Ground Zero. It's a sad and at times unbelievable tale. It makes a good effort to explain the terrorists' actions, but you're still left wondering why. My friend Paul was asking what to read to help understand the Paris attacks. This will help.
Nov 28, 2015 05:53AM Add a comment
The Looming Tower

John
John is reading The Things They Carried
I just finished The Things They Carried and gave it 5 stars---4 years after being told that it is remarkable piece of work. It is & should be read by everyone who has any interest in literature & "what an author does." Other work by Tim O'Brien will be read soon.
Nov 18, 2015 11:38AM Add a comment
The Things They Carried

John
John is reading Trapeze
I just finished Trapeze and gave it 5 stars. This is surprisingly complex story that is very, very good. Will definitely read other work by Mawer.
Nov 15, 2015 08:19AM Add a comment
Trapeze

John
John is reading Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
I just finished Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell and gave it 5 stars. Hard to describe--hypnotic--ambitious--complete--compelling--unique--well worth the time.
Oct 31, 2015 05:47AM Add a comment
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

John
John is reading The Bone Tree (Penn Cage #5)
I just finished The Bone Tree: A Novel (Penn Cage Book 5) and gave it 4 stars. This book might set a record for the number of adjectives. It reads like The Da Vinci Code or Robert Ludlum on steroids. The bad guys are really, really bad & the good guys are really, really noble. Will need months of rest before tackling the planned sequel.
Oct 21, 2015 08:53AM Add a comment
The Bone Tree (Penn Cage #5)

John
John is reading The Fateful Lightning: A Novel of the Civil War
I just finished The Fateful Lightning: A Novel of the Civil War and gave it 5 stars. Another excellent book by Shaara -- can't wait to see what he turns to next.
Sep 13, 2015 09:03PM Add a comment
The Fateful Lightning: A Novel of the Civil War

John
John is reading The Trip to Echo Spring: On Writers and Drinking
I just finished The Trip to Echo Spring: On Writers and Drinking and gave it 4 stars. This is a bleak text that seemed hard to get through--yet is worth the effort. The author works too hard at injecting her experiences and this is at the expense of the larger story. The segments on Hemingway & Fitzgerald are outstanding.
Aug 08, 2015 05:57AM Add a comment
The Trip to Echo Spring: On Writers and Drinking

John
John is reading 1906
I just finished 1906: A Novel and gave it 3 stars. This could have been a great book, but the author tried to do too much, making it dense & at times melodramatic. Would make a good movie.
Jul 25, 2015 07:34PM Add a comment
1906

John
John is reading The Smoke at Dawn (Civil War: 1861-1865, Western Theater, #3)
I just finished The Smoke at Dawn: A Novel of the Civil War (Civil War: 1861-1865, Western Theater series) and gave it 4 stars. Outstanding historical fiction, this is part of a series that is standard-setting. Shaara is gifted--can't wait to get to the next one.
Jul 14, 2015 04:54PM Add a comment
The Smoke at Dawn (Civil War: 1861-1865, Western Theater, #3)

John
John is reading The Losing Role (Kaspar Brothers #1)
I just finished The Losing Role and gave it 3 stars. A pretty good story poorly told. Author lacked an editor.
Jun 21, 2015 08:36AM Add a comment
The Losing Role (Kaspar Brothers #1)

John
John is reading Empire of Deception: The Incredible Story of a Master Swindler Who Seduced a City and Captivated the Nation
I just finished Empire of Deception: The Incredible Story of a Master Swindler Who Seduced a City and Captivated the Nation and gave it 5 stars. Fascinating story very well told. Highly recommended.
Jun 20, 2015 03:25AM Add a comment
Empire of Deception: The Incredible Story of a Master Swindler Who Seduced a City and Captivated the Nation

John
John is reading Fortune's Fool: The Life of John Wilkes Booth
I just finished Fortune's Fool: The Life of John Wilkes Booth and gave it 4 stars. This is good biography -- incredibly well researched.
Jun 16, 2015 04:47AM Add a comment
Fortune's Fool: The Life of John Wilkes Booth

John
John is reading The Winter Family
The Winter Family: A Novel--4 stars---a brutal & really well constructed text...similar to Tom Franklin's "Hell at the Breech"...in the end there is a hint of redemption for some but not for all
Apr 29, 2015 06:51PM Add a comment
The Winter Family

John
John is reading Flowers from Berlin
I just finished Flowers From Berlin - The Classic American Spy Novel (25th Anniversary Edition) and gave it 4 stars. Much like early Ken Follett...but the low-price Kindle edition was full of typos, which are more problematic on a screen than the printed page. Anyway, well worth $1.99.
Apr 26, 2015 02:31PM Add a comment
Flowers from Berlin

John
John is reading World Gone By (Coughlin #3)
I just finished World Gone By: A Novel (Joe Coughlin Series) and gave it 5 stars. Lehane is an exceptional writer who manages time & tension with endless grace. You know he will surprise, but you're still surprised.
Mar 15, 2015 08:42AM Add a comment
World Gone By (Coughlin #3)

John
John is reading All the Light We Cannot See
I just finished All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel and gave it 5 stars. A beautiful piece of work. Just read it!
Mar 12, 2015 07:01AM Add a comment
All the Light We Cannot See

John
John is reading Shame and the Captives
I just finished Shame and the Captives: A Novel and gave it 5 stars. This is a very good book that tells a number of stories around a single event. Will be looking up more by Keneally.
Mar 08, 2015 09:01AM Add a comment
Shame and the Captives

John
John is reading Hot Springs (Earl Swagger #1)
Just finished Hot Springs (Earl Swagger Book 1) and gave it 5 stars. One of the best by one of the best. Worth the re-read!
Feb 26, 2015 03:44PM Add a comment
Hot Springs (Earl Swagger #1)

John
John is reading Serpents in the Cold (The Boston Saga Book 1)
Just finished Serpents in the Cold (The Boston Saga) and gave it 4 stars--a dark, bleak story. The city of Boston is really the main character--and in the early 1950s it was a troubled place.
Jan 30, 2015 08:58AM Add a comment
Serpents in the Cold (The Boston Saga Book 1)

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