What are you reading at the moment?

[siderussianlegsweep]

The Final Days by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.

The story of the last days of the Nixon Presidency.

This was a book that was unexpectedly emotional. The story of Richard Nixon and his battle to remain President felt just so real, this book made Nixon appear extremely human while the public vision of him was of a man with no self-doubt and full confidence in his abilities.

I am always surprised by the amount of insider knowledge that the authors find. Surely it is not hard to work out who spilled the beans in these stories and one would think that the politicians would be more circumspect in what they say.

The book itself is not as fast moving as other Woodward/Bernstein collaborations but it is a solid read about an interesting time in the US Presidency. It gave me additional respect for Nixon.

[Dakotapix]

Two I recently completed are Vince Flynn's "Extreme Measures" and "The Gate House" by Nelson DeMille. Flynn's book is another in the Mitch Rapp CIA operative series and this book openly deals with the use of severe tactics in the questioning of prisoners suspected of having terroristic information against the U.S. No matter what your own human and political views may be on this subject, you'll find yourself wondering how far we should go on this issue.

"The Gate House" is a 10-year-later sequel to DeMille's earlier "The Gold Coast." If you haven't read the earlier novel, it's helpful if you can find a copy and read it first, but not absolutely necessary. The hero, John Sutter, returns to his Long Island home after 10 years and becomes ensnared in another situation involving his former wife who had killed a Mafia Don in the earlier book. That Don's son is now on the scene. There's a lot of guilty pleasure in reading about life on Long Island and this is no exception.

[aussiepete]

Mitch Rapp always strikes me as a comic-book superhuman Superhero, rather like Lee Child's Jack Reacher.
What a fantastic study of conditions in the former Soviet Union DeMille's the Charm School was...I will be looking out for The Gate House- DeMille's The Gold Coast was a great read, the jarring habit of the characters saying ""I do"" or "I am" rather than a simple "yes" , as in all DeMille's novels aside.

[pat]

I am starting to re-read Mr. Burke.
I know that I have read every word in each of his books but what one would think was old is sooo new. I don’t know how he does it, I have read a lot of books since I completed them but I just don’t have to skip to another page or paragraph because I remember what is coming next because I don’t. I have a lot of books on my list to purchase but I am spending the winter with Mr. Burke. Gee that doesn’t sound quite right but he doesn’t read this section, do you. Those of you who have read some of his books, get all of them and read them in order, you will not be disappointed.
Pat

[jbenham]

Starting to read the Billy Bob Holland series, Cimarron Rose. Liking it so far.

[siderussianlegsweep]

The Delta Star by Joseph Wambaugh.

This was weak. Wambaugh is the ex-cop turned author and is capable of writing some excellent black comedy combined with drama. When he is in form, he is unbeatably funny, Carl Hiaasen-level funny.

But this time, he was pedestrian. The stories were not well fleshed out and the humour was lacking.

[CaribooRose]

HI Guys
Just finished Cormac McCarthy's "All The Pretty Horses" ... oh my goodness, it grabbed me from the start ... I thought it'd be a simple Western ... hmmmmm well, there are horses and there are cowboys and there are pretty girls ... and there's poor folk and rich folk ... even some law enforcement dudes ... yep, all the ingredients necessary for a grand, good duster ... but to suggest "simple" is just very, very wrong LOL

Now I'm knee-deep in "The Lost Get-Back Boogie" ... JLB? You've done it again ... I'm hooked, lined and sunk
Regards!!
Rose

[tonyd]

I just finished "Serena" by Ron Rash. What a great book. I highly recommend it, especially for fans of James Lee Burke. Rash writes similarly beautiful (and violent) prose. The story is set in the Appalachians during the Great Depression during the time they were trying to establish Great Smokey Mountains National Park. The main conflict centers on a newly wed couple Serena and George Pemberton (I think his name was George, but generally goes by Pemberton), who are establishing a timber empire in the mountains, and a teenage girl whom Pemberton fathered an illegitimate child with. The Pembertons abuse of power and wealth will be familiar ground for JLB fans. A great book by an author new to me.

[M.O.D]

Just finished Black Cherry Blues and A Morning For Flamingos, Currently reading Great Expectations by Dickens.

[aussiepete]

Just finished John Le Carre's The Mission Song, a warts and all spy novel with racial undertones and dark refelections on the casual thuggery employed by those in government who say they have our best interests at heart.