Monday, September 26, 2005

The Teeth of the Tiger by Tom Clancy

Yes! I admit it! I'm a Tom Clancy fan. I have been since I was a teenager. Is that soooo baaaaaad?

But, seriously, though. I'm a foreign policy/politics fanatic who enjoys James Bond and big explosions, so Clancy has always been a draw. While he comes from a stance to the right of center (and I definitely do not), his books are still very reasonable, articulate, and exceedingly detailed. While many have criticized his prose, I actually enjoy it. Some of his best books (Clear and Present Danger, Patriot Games) artfully manage numerous sublpots, and then magically draw them together for a big climax.

Now, on to his latest. It was clear from Clancy's last few books that he took his Jack Ryan character as far as it could go - to the Presidency during a time of world war. Where to go next? His SON of course.

"Teeth" stars Jack Ryan, Jr. and two of his young cousins as they become part of a secret intelligence unit set up by Jack Ryan, Sr. before leaving office. The unit is completely "off-the-books" and begins carrying out assassinations in response to a terrorist attack on U.S. soil. I won't give away any more in case you decide to read it.

Overall, the book is a good read - better than "Red Rabbit" which I felt came up short. However, I kept getting the feeling that Clancy was less interested in establishing a new character or in creating a masterpiece, than in showing the current Administration how an effective War on Terrorism should be fought.

You see, the title of the book comes from a phrase: "if you kick a tiger in the ass, you better have a plan for dealing with it's teeth." And that pretty much sums up the point of the novel, and Clancy's own view towards the Bush administration's attempt to deal with the threat of international terrorism: we kicked the tiger in the teeth with our attacks against Afghanistan and Iraq and had no plan for dealing what would come next.

Clancy clearly favors a clandestine approach, identifying and eliminating terrorist targets - and nobody, not even most of the government or fellow terrorists, knowing it happened. It's an old spy story: bad guy is made to look like he had a heart attack. This has the advantages of not stirring up additional anti-U.S. fervor, keeps terrorists off-guard, and keeps the general public from having to live with the daily fear of terrorism.

Clancy picks apart the current approach of the War on Terror with criticisms disguised as dialogue. This is an excellent read, if not just for the story alone. It will get you to think about what we are doing wrong in today's foreign policy, and how we might do it right. Whether or not you agree with the Clancy Solution, you will certainly be forced to think about it.

***

Friday, September 09, 2005

Mission Accomplished -- Book 52



I started the year with the goal of finishing 52 books in one year. I have reached my goal. This goal was directly copied from SZG. I have been brief with many of my descriptions of the books but that is because they are pretty similar in nature to each other.

Reading... for the past few books has been a bit disappointing and I have not been wow'ed by anyone. My 52nd book was no exception.

Faye Kellerman is a good writer and she went off her beaten path to write a historical fiction novel entitled Straight Into Darkness. THe book drags longer than a man with a club foot lost in the desert. It makes no sense at times and drives the reader batty as Faye obviously has a politically correct agenda.

This could be my interest in history as I have a Bachelor's degree in it. I find that when folks write about history in the 90's and the 2000's they revise it to put it into the context of today. To me, that is dangerous as history is a product of its time. We can learn our lessons from it and recognize that people in the past were bad, but there is no need to revise the way we view it because societal norms have changed.

Straight into Darkness falls victim to that and it frustrated me beyond comprehension.


Book Description
In 1920s Munich, the body of Anna Gross, a young society wife, has been found in the English Gardens, still clothed in finery. Soon a second body is discovered, also a woman of high society. When a third body is found, homicide detective Axel Berg realizes he’s dealing with unprecedented evil. Is the murderer politically motivated? Is he a lone madman? Or worse, is the killer possessed by both political and personal demons? Detective Berg soon finds himself entangled in a web of dangerous intrigue, surrounded by potential enemies. As Munich slips further into turmoil, overrun by political factions and the rise of Hitler, a dedicated policeman can never know who to trust--and one simple mistake could be deadly.

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Book 51 -- Lifeguard by James Patterson


Lifeguard is James Patterson's 89th book of the year.

It is his best book of the year and I was able to finish it in two days... I cannot believe how proficient I feel when I finish a 400 page book in two days.

This books suffers less from the syndrome that james Patterson suffers from.

Get my minimal amount of pages in and then...end the book.

The ending is actually developed.

I love reading UNIMPORTANT books.

Friday, September 02, 2005

Book 50 -- Phillip Margolin's Lost Lake



Ho hum....

It's done... Time to read James Patterson's summer book.

I think he has a book for every season.

Lifeguard.

Oh wait... I already read Lost Lake...

It wasn't bad... It wasn't great either... It served its purpose.

At least it featured Portland.

Monday, August 29, 2005

Book 49 -- Sleeping Beauty by Phillip Margolin



Book 49 -- Sleeping Beauty by Phillip Margolin

Ever read a book and feel as though... "Been there.... done that?"

That's how I felt about this book.

I am now reading his last book Lost Lake and I can already tell you (being 25% done with it) that it is a better book.

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Book 48 -- Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason


I have been laboring through a rather well written book The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason that has been compared tot he Da Vinci Code. It is similar to the DVC in that it is a book about a group of really smart people trying to break the code of a book/piece of art. It also combines the riddles of literature and art with a thriller as dead bodies pop up everywhere.

The book is NOT like the DVC in that it is a superbly written book. The details and imagery are fantastic and I especially like it since the whole book takes place on Princeton university.

Now... it deserves the praise that it is receiving...

But here is where I diverge... I recognize all the compliments about the book.. HOWEVER, unlike the DVC, I really don't care about a book called the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, a Renaissance text that has vexed scholars throughout history. The DVC gave me an insight into something I know about... the Bible.

This book asks me to solve riddles about a book I don't know or care about.

Whatever... it is still a good book. :)

Monday, August 15, 2005

What I Did on My Summer Vacation (Books 42-47)

Books 42 through 47

This blog is to be known as the What Did I Do on My Summer
Vacation blog. Muh wife and I went to the beach for the week. We had sunny
days and we had some rainy days. It didn't really matter what the weather
was. I read.






There were four books that I can lump all into one group of books. They
were all by Phillip Margolin. They were. The Undertaker's Widow, Wild Justice, The Associate, and The Ties That Bind. They were relatively easy reads as they were all the same style yet the plots were all unique and interesting. Of the four, Wild Justice was an interesting read as it was easily the
darkest read of the books. Margolin tapped into some really weird shit when he wrote that one and it actually made me laugh with the final words (they will be completely taken out of context here. "The head Arty. Send them the head."


Book 46 was Faithful by Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan. The sub title for the book is entitled "Two Diehard Boston Red Sox Fans Chronicle the Historic 2004 Season." I am an avid Yankee fan so it gave me great pains to read one of my favorite authors writing about his passion - the Boston Red Sox. This was being written before the season was underway and they just happened to get "lucky" that the Red Sox won the World Series.

Quick side story - I was on my honeymoon when the Yankees collapsed in the ACLS. Muh wife and I got on the boat when it was 3 games to none. When we got off the boat we found out what happened. That set of entries were read with great interest by me as I never followed up how the Yankees collapsed. I just had to accept it as fact when we returned.

The book is laborious to read but it was an interesting tale of insight in what it means to be a fan and to have your dreams finally come to fruition. I don't recommend this book to many, but I was still interested.


My favorite book over the trip was recommended to me by Kelly. (Thanks
Kelly) It was entitled A Man Walks Into a Room by Nicole Krauss. I have NO
IDEA why I was expecting this book to be a romance novel but it was the antithesis of it. It was about a man who loses 24 years of his life to amnesia due to a removal of a tumor. He essentially has to grow up again. His personal trip on a road of discovery is a fascinating read. It should really be read by everyone.

What I did on my summer vacation. I read.