Book 17 - Brian Haig's The President's Assassin

As you know, I pick up an author and generally read everytihing by him or her in chronological order until I am finished. I then keep up with the author's new books as they come out.

One of the newer authors out there trying to write interesting mystery/thrillers is the son of Alexander Haig -- Brian Haig. Brian is an accomplished and retired Army fella himself and writes about an Army Lawyer who deals with the top secret cases.

The latest installment is about the same character, Sean Drummond, working to track down a group of killers that are trying to get to the President.

You can see the book here.

The previous four books are all better than this one. I really recommend giving one of his earlier books a shot if you are into the mystery thriller type stuff. As a former Army soldier, he has a lot of insight into the ways of the Army.

He is also a resident of Princeton, NJ, so you gotta give him the props that he deserves.

Next book -- Undecided...

Book 16 - How to Be Good by Nick Hornby

Nick Hornby has written a set of novels and they are all good for their various reasons.

High Fidelity is my favorite book with About a Boy coming in a close second.

His last novel of fiction was entitled How to Be Good and wasn't up to snuff with his other books. It is the account of a couple and their possible divorce until the husband goes to extremes of kindness when he reviews his bitter life and attempts to "be good". The catch is that he brings in his two kids and estranged wife with him on his misguided adventure.

I read it about 4 years ago when it first came out and I didn't think much of it then. I couldn't emote with the characters.... and I have to say... that although I can relate more with the characters this time by the virtue of being married, it still isn't as good as Nick Hornby is capable of.

I recommend reading it though if you want to get a flare for Nick Hornby and what he is capable of.

Next up... The President's Assassain by Brian Haig

Books 14 and 15

My recent trip to Vegas allowed me to read a bunch more on planes and in my spare time.

I finished two and a half books on the plane... but let's just discuss what I DID finish.

I read Blinded by Stephen White. It is the 2004 installment of the serious that I have written about numerous times on here and not his best. His latest one came out a couple of weeks ago... once I read that one, I will be all caught up on his books.

Book 15 was the original Manchurain Candidate by Richard Condon from the 1960s. As a huge fan of the ORIGINAL movie, I found the book form to be a decent read. It was a bit rough in terms of flow but still very well written.

Good reads.

Next Up (1/2 way done) -- Nick Hornby's How to Be Good

Books 12 & 13 - Jack by A.M. Homes & Honeymoon by James Patterson

I have been a busy little reader recently.

I picked up two books recently. In my mind, the books were dramataically different from each other.

The first book was Jack by A.M. Homes. The book centers around a 15 year old boy who learns why his parents divorced a few years prior. He is a boy that is an athlete and joins in the taunting of boys who are not like him. He is a "man's man" type of kid. The problem is that his father has recently come out and Jack has to deal with the new world that he is forced to live in.

Jack's father being gay is almost incidental to the main theme of the book - the growth of Jack. For a book that was published in 1989, this was pretty insightful. I have seen copmparisons to Catcher in the Rye and A Separate Piece as it is about a young boy who is forced to grow up quicker than he wanted.

I find this to still be one of my favorite books. The dialogue of the kids is exactly as I remember it in the early 1990's as Jack's character in terms of chronology is only 3 years older than me. So the book seems more real to me than anything else I have read.

One note about the book... A.M. Homes is a woman...and this book caused a similar reaction that The Outsiders did when it was written. Many people questioned how a woman could write about the inner feelings of a boy...well... the answer is simple. They can and did.

It is a worthwhile book...

The other book I read is the latest number one seller by James Patterson entitled Honeymoon. For James Patterson, this is one of his better and recent books. It introduces some new characters yet, they feel comfortable to me. His formula is to write 3-4 page chapters and try to leave you hanging at the end of each chapter. He does so adeptly in this book as well. If you are looking for a good book to read this summer that is smart yet brainless then I have found your book!