Book of the Week
Silken prey / John Sandford.
“If you haven’t read Sandford yet, you have been missing one
of the great summer-read novelists of all time” – Stephen King, Entertainment
Weekly.
I really enjoyed this political thriller where the author knows
how to ratchet up the suspense. There
are just nine days before an election for a U.S. Senate seat in Minnesota and
the Democratic governor has hired Lucas Davenport to investigate and discredit
the finding of kiddie porn on the Republican candidate’s personal
computer. The Democratic candidate for
the Senate will almost certainly win unless Davenport proves that the kiddie
porn was a set-up. The clock is ticking
as the days go by and the investigation becomes deeper, even identifying the
Minneapolis Police Department as a supplier of the porn. Thankfully, the book includes virtually no
description at all of the images. If it
was any more graphically described than a couple of neutral words, I would not
be reading it.
The action really speeds up toward the end of the novel and
is a real rollercoaster ride. For the
last few pages, after all the pieces have fallen into place, I said “Wow” for
the political results. And this is
spoken as a Canadian with no emotional investment in either U.S. political
party.
Booklist review: *Starred Review* A tight race for
a U.S. Senate seat is drawing to a close when Lucas Davenport gets a call. A
volunteer aide to the Republican incumbent inadvertently has found a cache of
kiddie porn on the candidate's personal computer. Given the consequences of the
discovery, Davenport, the lead investigator for Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal
Apprehension, is asked by the Democratic governor to handle a quick, discreet
inquiry. Though in the opposing party, the governor has known the accused since
grade school and is adamant that his friend is innocent. Inevitably, the story
leaks and the Democratic candidate begins making up ground in the polls. Her
name is Taryn Grant. She's in her mid-thirties, strikingly beautiful, and
richer than God, and her ambition knows no limit. As the kiddie-porn scandal
breaks, an amoral political operative disappears. When Davenport questions
Grant about the scandal, he's taken aback by her vehement denial of any
involvement. Is she guilty and attempting to intimidate him, or genuinely
offended? Sandford's Davenport novels are always very good, and this is the
best one in a long time. It's suspenseful, witty, and wise in the ways of
modern politics. And the conclusion is darkly unforgettable. A superb thriller.”
Comments (12)
11 years ago- 11 years ago
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Comments (0)When breath becomes air / Paul Kalanithi ; foreword by Abraham Verghese NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST • THE NEW YORK TIMES • NPR We have all heard of or experienced a situation where a doctor has ignored the concerns of a patient and refused thorough testing. That is what happened to 35 year old Paul Kalanithi despite the fact that he was a physician himself, in training to be a neurosurgeon and possessing several other degrees as well. He saw a doctor because with his weight loss and severe back pain, he suspected that he had cancer. An x-ray would not show abnormalities as well as an MRI, but an x-ray is what the doctor insisted upon. This test was normal. Continuing to be in discomfort, Kalanithi took painkillers in order to function and a few weeks later he developed extreme chest pain. Tests now showed that his lungs were riddled with tumors and these had spread to other areas of his body. He now became a patient. This book is very, very good and is intelligently written. It’s remarkable in the way it shows the journey of a physician through education, training and treatment of patients, and a patient’s journey through diagnosis, receiving treatment and finally having to make decisions for end-of-life care. The most poignant sections of the book are when the author had to re-assess the goals he had in life and realize his life objectives have changed. He was fortunate throughout to have the support of his wife, also a physician, and his family. For a smaller book, it has lots to think about. Booklist review: “Can life remain full and rewarding even while one is living under a death sentence? This is the question now-deceased neurosurgeon Kalanithi asked himself after receiving a late-stage lung cancer diagnosis. Newly married and almost ready to complete his residency, at 34 Kalanithi was faced with a momentous decision: Should he continue with a promising medical career, or fall back on his first love of writing while taking care of his health? Fortunately for the readers of this moving memoir, he decided to do both. Kalanithi describes his life-changing decision to set aside the pursuit of a doctorate in literature in favor of attending medical school and then recounts the discovery and progress of his illness, along with the inevitable upheaval in his personal life. A precious highlight here is the heartrending epilogue penned by his wife, Lucy, following Kalanithi's passing shortly after she became pregnant. This eloquent, heartfelt meditation on the choices that make life worth living, even as death looms, will prompt readers to contemplate their own values and mortality.”...See MoreBook of the Week
Comments (0)Lessons from Tara : life advice from the world’s most brilliant dog / David Rosenfelt Many people know David Rosenfelt from his mysteries, such as Play Dead that I reviewed a few weeks ago. Lessons from Tara is about the dog rescue that he and his wife Debbie run through their Tara Foundation, inspired by their love of Tara, their golden retriever. The couple has a real affection for dogs and have had as many as 42 of the animals in their home as well as re-homing about 4,000 others. This book is a very entertaining, quick read with lots of humor. The author doesn’t hesitate to poke fun at himself and is often very humorous in describing the quirky personalities and habits of the dogs he encounters. The way in which the Rosenfelts deal with many canines, some of whom are troubled, together with the sad moments that are inevitable with pet ownership, testifies to their great dedication. I would recommend this book in audio format as well since I enjoyed it greatly while taking my walks. Although there is some overlap with this book, Rosenfelt’s Dogtripping describes how they moved 25 dogs in 3 RVs from California to Maine. The well-being of dogs is altogether a labor of love for David and Debbie Rosenfelt....See MoreBook of the Week
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Comments (8)When my daughter was about ten, she stopped reading. Said she didn't have any books she liked. I tried my favorites on her -- Little Women, Anne of Green Gables. No interest at all. I asked a much younger colleague where I worked for suggestions. She told me about Harriet the Spy and Judy Blume. My daughter loved them. I took her to the library a lot -- they had a great librarian there who picked out books that she would probably like. I started a Book of the Month club for her -- once a month we went to a bookstore and she could pick out a book and I paid for it. She's in her 40s now, and reads magazines once in a while, but has no interest in going back to reading books. I tried......See More- 11 years ago
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Elmer J Fudd