Category: books
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Book review: Singapore Sapphire by A.M. Stuart
Singapore Sapphire by A.M. Stuart My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the first in a series (because, of course, I have finished reading all the other books in all the other series I have started). This book caught my attention because it takes place in Singapore in 1910 during British colonial rule, and…
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Book review: Priority Target by Ethan Jones
Priority Target by Ethan Jones My rating: 2 of 5 stars I don’t generally post reviews of books that I didn’t particularly like (mostly because books are a deeply personal thing, and authors work hard at their craft, regardless of whether I liked the book or not), but this book irked me in ways that…
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Book review: Ghost Recon by Tom Clancy and David Michaels
Ghost Recon by David Michaels My rating: 3 of 5 stars I love Tom Clancy’s novels, and I took a chance on this one, which is a spinoff of his by another author. The plot was interesting, and the action fast-paced. Maybe it was the mood I was in, but despite those factors, the book…
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Book review: The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson My rating: 4 of 5 stars Only an author as talented as Erik Larson could seamlessly weave together stories about the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair and a serial killer during that same time period and make…
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Book review: The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green My rating: 3 of 5 stars For those of you who are familiar with John Green because of books like “Fault in Our Stars,” the author also does a podcast called “The Anthropocene Reviewed,” a mix of the scientific and the personal. If you like the podcast, you’ll like…
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Book review: Rise and Kill First by Ronen Bergman
Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel’s Targeted Assassinations by Ronen Bergman My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a fascinating book about the history of Israeli intelligence and policies of targeted assassinations. The author is an Israeli investigative reporter, and the book is written originally in Hebrew. The translation is excellent,…
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Book review: Cleopatra’s Heir by Gillian Bradshaw
Cleopatra’s Heir by Gillian Bradshaw My rating: 4 of 5 stars I’ve enjoyed Gillian Bradshaw’s historical fiction for many many years. This book has an interesting premise: if Cleopatra and Julius Caesar’s son survived after Cleopatra’s defeat and death, what might have happened to him? Would he have tried to take his throne back? Would…
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Book review: The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone
The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine who Outwitted America’s Enemies by Jason Fagone My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book is a fascinating biography of Elizebeth Smith, a woman who, along with her better known husband–William Friedman–was responsible for the creation of the field of…
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Book review: The Cecilia & Kate Novels by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
The Cecilia & Kate Novels: Sorcery & Cecilia by Wrede & Stevermer My rating: 4 of 5 stars Instead of starting a new series, complaining about starting a new series, and not finishing a new series, I decided to read ALL THREE of the books in this series consecutively. (No applause necessary.)The conceit of this…
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Book review: A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee
A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book (the first in a series) is based on a clever premise: what if there was a female detective agency and what kind of women would be part of that effort? And off we go, launched into the story. A…