Spoiler Free Book Reviews

Echo Park by Michael Connelly is a crime novel centered around one of the most interesting cop characters I have ever read, Harry Bosch. This installment takes place in Hollywood, CA and is about an old rape and murder case that was never solved.

I am a fan of Micheal Connelly’s novels and I highly recommend the raw, intense atmosphere that surrounds all of his crime stories. Each and every one of the Harry Bosch novels has a twist ending. Nothing is predictable and his characterization is full and true to life.

Michael Connelly’s novels make me want to quit my job and apply for the local police department. Even though his world is centered around some of the most perverse criminal minds, I find Harry’s struggle to rise above all of it uplifting and inspiring.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell is a nonfiction book that explores why some people are more successful than others. And it is surprisingly engaging! I typically read books of fiction, so it was with a bit of trepidation that I picked up Outliers, but within the first 30 pages I found a refreshing, encouraging energy that I have been able to directly apply to my own life.

Achieving success at the level of Bill Gates or a professional sports star seems like an impossible task, but Mr. Gladwell pulls the statistical outliers together to help us understand what brought these successful people to their pinnacle of achievement. I started the book off believing that these superstars have something different from everyone else or that they were just incredibly lucky. But after taking a look at the steps that brought about so overwhelming success, it becomes obvious that there actually are some very specific things that can enable a person to become successful. To become an outlier. A statistical marvel.

Mr. Gladwell’s analysis of the characteristics of success is an uplifting and motivational essay. I’m still just another latter climbing dreamer, but when you breakdown the steps and process of a successful individual’s journey, the sky doesn’t seem quite as high as it used to. That mountain, not as steep.

Rating: 7 out 10

Be sure and pick up Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell on November 18th at your local bookstore or at my favorite bookstore, Amazon.

The Black Ice by Michael Connelly is the second book in the Harry Bosch crime series. I’ve read just about everything Mr. Connelly has put out on paper and I have started to doubt that his writing talent is even human. Michael Connelly is able to paint an elegant portrait on a rough unfinished canvas that can move your soul.

No movie or TV show can give the depth and passion that Mr. Connelly is able to sketch out in every one of his crime novels. I’ve read all of his latest works, so I thought I would start from the beginning of the story figuring his earlier work would not be as clean and refined, but Connelly is a talented and masterful author. Not to downplay his ability to weave a twisting and action packed storyline, but what makes this book shine is the rich character development. Even though Harry Bosch’s stories are centered in Hollywood there are no bright glossy finishes to this scared veteran cop. We are given a rare glimpse into the sullied underworld of Los Angeles. The only saving grace is the thin red line between being a mercenary or an outlaw.

I highly recommend any book from the Harry Bosch series. Each book is a self contained story, so no matter where you pick up the story you’ll fall right into the pulsing rhythm of Michael Connelly’s calculous Hollywood.

Rating 9 out of 10

Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman is the first book in the Dragonlance series (which has over 190 books in the whole series!) and is yet another fun and engaging read by the fantasy dream team. So many books get lost in the art of telling a story and end up a work of art rather than a strongly structured novel and that’s why I enjoyed this book so much. It didn’t get lost in the world it was trying to create. Instead I found a very enjoyable story about a group of characters that were interesting and invited the reader to read further into the story.

I feel like this initial novel was only an introduction to all that Weis and Hickman have to offer in this world where dragons and magic play a very large role. After closing the cover I felt excited to get into the next adventure in the Dragonlance series… and the next book in the series is very highly rated on Amazon, so I might be reading it sooner rather than later.

Overall, it was a fun book and a worthy investment for any magic or fantasy fan. It is a solid fast moving adventure with witty characters and mildly in depth character development.

Rating: 6 out of 10

Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind is a masterful work of art. It will forever be a cornerstone in the fantasy genera, but it is so much more than a book about magic and swords. This is my second time to read this book (I first read it 4 years ago in 2004) and I was still breathless and in awe this second time at the power behind Mr. Goodkind’s wisdom that he poured into this novel.

Wizard’s First Rule inspires me to live my life in such a way that reflects the ideals that Mr. Goodkind’s characters struggled to live in theirs. Between the lines of this book lies a story of love and courage that transcends the boundary of fiction. Self sacrifice and humility are the core characteristics of love and the main characters fight to stand against a man devoted only to himself and a sense of perverted love. Raw gritty explorations into the darkest corners of hate will leave you breathless at the sickening depths of what a world could be like without love.

Wizard’s First Rule is a world of magic, but it is still a world of limits. No power exists without an equal and opposite counterpart. Because of this, the world is a vibrant and real place where one’s actions have a direct result in the resolution. This “2 sided” system of magic plays a key role in the story line and although there are many scenes of gruesome acts of violence and hate, it only builds the foundation that there can be no freedom without sacrifice. Uncompromising love can not exist without hate.

I have convinced 4 other people to read Wizard’s First Rule and each and every one of them were moved by the powerful philosophy hidden behind a simple story of enduring love and self sacrifice. I don’t believe I will ever read another book of fiction that inspires me more than Wizard’s First Rule. And if I ever do, you can bet I’ll blog about it right here on Bookologists.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C Clarke should not be labeled a “classic”, because this brilliant work is a timeless masterpiece that transcends any time stamp. I’ve never read anything by Mr. Clarke, but I will be rushing to the library to pick up anything else with his name on it. This story of science fiction comes alive from the very first chapter and there is no loss in momentum as the reader is thrust into a world that makes a startling discovery that is headed straight for Earth.

Clarke wrote this book back in 1973, but if you were to put a new cover on it and give it that glossy 2008 look there wouldn’t be any hint that this book is 35 years old! It’s full of fresh ideas and it left this book lover looking up to the stars contemplating just how big Space really is.

The characters are interesting and easy to connect with, but Clarke doesn’t use a large character base to build his storyline. Instead the reader is immersed in the mystery of what it would be like if scientists discovered an alien object floating in space. The engine of this novel is driven by how the characters react to their environment and certain situations. This type of writing can lead to a strong disconnect between the reader and the characters, but Mr. Clarke is able to command your attention through every gripping chapter.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. It is a timeless masterpiece and it is one of the best books I have read this year. I know I’m a little late on the Arthur C Clark train, but I’m reading as fast as I can!

Rating: 10 out of 10

Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk is yet another twisted unpredictable story about characters that are anything but normal. Mr. Palahniuk is most famously known as the writer of Fight Club and if you have ever seen that movie then you might have some sense of the unconventional standards that his writing style takes.

This story takes on the agony of beauty and the shallow ways that people judge and characterize each other. There is a huge twist ending to the novel as can be expected with most Palahniuk novels. Without getting into the meat of the novel’s plotline (go read Amazon reviews for that) I found Invisible Monsters to be an enjoyable story mixed with some artistic mumbo jumbo ramblings. Some chapters were very entertaining. There were hilarious moments that were very engaging, but as a whole the book took too many twists and turns for the reader to easily follow the complex storyline.

By the end of the story I was very frustrated with the complexity of the novel, not because it was too hard to understand, but because Mr. Palahniuk wrote the story in such a convoluted way one finds it difficult to follow just one line of thought. There were brief moments of enjoyment, but the frustrating moments in between were disheartening.

Overall, I think Invisible Monsters was over the top. Half the ramblings were very unnecessary and only made it more difficult to read. I do not recommend this book.

Rating: 4 out of 10

The Road is the very last Cormac McCarthy book I will be reading. I’ve read two books of his so far (No Country for Old Men was the first one) and I was not happy with either one. The Road is screaming with reviews about how wonderful the book is, but I was very disappointed. Again Mr. McCarthy lacks puncuation, character development, and I’ve seen more plot details in the trailer of a movie!

The Road won the Pulitzer Prize, but I guess Mr. Pulitzer and I don’t see eye to eye, because I thought this book sucked. I’m left with the sense that Cormac writes better movies than he does books. So I’ll be sure and watch the movie coming out in November, but the book was boring and lacked depth of plot and character.

Rating: 2 out of 10

Kathleen Kent’s introductory novel deals with the life of one family in colonial Massachusetts during the era of the witch trials. The story revolves around the Carrier family, headed by a feared ex-soldier and his fiercely confrontational wife. Their five children are as different as siblings often are, Richard the quick-tempered,  quiet Tom, Andrew who’s wits were ravaged by illness, needy little baby Hannah, and Sarah, the book’s namesake. Sarah takes the most after her mother with her determination to accept nothing less than what is owed, yet isn’t quite ready to acknowledge that fact.

The story opens with Sarah as an old woman, entrusting her secrets to her only progeny kind to her in her old infirmity in a letter. In this first chapter Kent foreshadows more secrets than the scandal of witchcraft, and that perhaps the Carrier family held scars much older than the Salem scandal. After our first introduction, the book changes pace and switches to the past to tell the story of the Carrier family from the oldest daughter, Sarah, at the age in which the events unfolded for her. She deals with a harsh family life she little understands, and the brief respite of a different sort of familial love when she is fostered with her cousin’s family while her own fights off the pox. Yet even as discord is sown among relatives, more is brewing in the isolated village of Salem. Accusations of witchcraft seem to fall on old and young as well as male and female alike. Few are spared from the spiteful accusations.

Though told through the eyes of a ten year old girl, The Heretic’s Daughter effectively balances the maturity and advancement of how a girl of that age would process and understand the world around her. It seemed to join the adolescent recollections of a much older woman with the true feelings a young girl would have. I thought the balance was nicely struck, and the book was enhanced because of it. It brought a very fresh outlook on a story many have heard throughout history classes. I especially learned much of it, growing up in Massachusetts myself, we took field trips to Salem and the other important historical sights. Kent successfully kept this age old drama new by portraying it through the eyes of a child watching her family suffer unjust and cruel punishments for the sake of pacifying a petrified parsonage. I found the narrative to be cohesive and engaging, and felt it had enough nuance and mystery to keep me turning those pages.

Pros: Engaging plot, interesting narrative, mysteries laced throughout. Poignant look at family life in the colonial age.

Cons: Pacing can be slow at times. Some characters lack development.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

Another big shout out to the Hatchett Publishing Group for this awesome read. Get it here.

The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly is another wonderful installment in the Harry Bosch series. This one takes the view point from a previous character from The Lincoln Lawyer, Mickey Haller, the kick ass lawyer. But this time, we get to view our favorite detective from a different view point.

I’ll just interrupt myself here for a second and say if you have not read any books by Michael Connelly, I could not find a better author to recommend to just about anyone. Connelly has quite a library of amazing stories to choose from, but I highly suggest that you start from the beginning of the story. Pick up The Black Echo and after that you’ll see why I rave so much about anything with Michael Connelly’s name on it.

So, The Brass Verdict was a fast moving crime novel with just enough “law and order” to keep the reader’s attention way past bedtime. If you were to throw David Baldacci and John Grisham into a blender and sprinkle in a little Hollywood glitter, you’d come out with the sweet tasting stories of Mr. Connelly. The perfect blend of crime solving and courtroom drama.

I highly recommend The Brass Verdict. It was an awesome book. You can find it at all book stores starting on October 14, 2008. Pre-order it today!

Rating: 9 out of 10