The CBS Evening News

The only news I watch IS the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley. Why? Because I like my news REAL without fluff, without fake opinion, full of  REAL Journalism. And as Journalists go, Scott Pelley is one of the best, an Old School Journalist out of that Old School where every real journalist who wants to use the title "Journalist" should be from.

So, suffice it to say, I was completely excited to find how the "CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley" has grown year to year and is the only evening newscast making ratings gains. CBS deserves this success and Scott does too. This does not mean that I know Scott, but being somebody who watches this newscast nightly, and have watched Scott Pelley for years on "60 Minutes", I can tell you that he is one of the hardest working journalists. And he's someone that I trust to give me the news and the truth -- just like in the old days, when we trusted Walter Cronkite and people like him.

Evening news has evolved a lot in the past 30 years. It has had its low points (Connie Chung and Dan Rather together) and its high points (Peter Jennings post 9/11). Now, 'evening news' has a new champion, and his name is Scott Pelley, on CBS.

The Incredible Slowness of Posting

At this point in time, I find myself approximately two years behind in posting my book reviews online! That's over 75 books that I have read and have not "officially" reviewed.  I have started a blog post about each individual book, but I never completed that post. For various reasons, I have fallen behind.

How could I have let this happen?

Well, it's time for a massive review dump. Let's kick it! Let's do these reviews, and let's make me famous... or maybe not! Either way, I need to have some fun.

1093. The Sanctuary

Raymond Khoury was born in Beirut and studied Architecture. These things alone endear him to my heart, because he not only came from a difficult part of the world, but he also studied one of the sacred sciences with the intent to go back and rebuilt the once great city of Beirut. That may not have worked out as he planned, but at least he did design and built a number of novels, including this one. And for a bonus, he gets to use his knowledge of Beirut as a main character in this story line. This is the first novel of Khoury's that I have read, and whether it is a good starting point or not for this author, I do not know, because I am given to understand that "The Last Templar" was a much better story. But I have not read that book, nor am I reviewing it here. I can only judge Mr. Khoury based on this work.

By telling you some of the plot points of this book, I don't think I would be giving away the store so bear with me.  I, personally, have always enjoyed, stories involving immortality, including "The Eight" and a book from my past, "The Boat of A Million Years". The other thing that hints at this is the symbol on the cover, the Ouroboros, the serpent eating its own tail. The Ouroboros means a lot of different things, and has had many uses in the past, but one of them does bring us back to the quest for immortality. A hint of this is whispered at the beginning of the book when during the inquisition, a priest is entrusted with a secret from a man who falls prey to the inquisitors. This priest goes on a search across the continents and across the centuries for the missing pages of a book. But so do his pursuers who have realized what he has in his possession.

Meanwhile, in the 21st Century, Archaeology Professor Evelyn Bishop is kidnapped shortly after an Iraqi man contacts her about selling her some manuscripts. Her interest in this is simply as an archaeologist. It is right after the invasion and fall of Baghdad, and the Iraqi Museum of Antiquities has been raided. Many pieces are hitting the black marker and Evelyn is trying to ensure that these pieces somehow get returned to their rightful home. Evelyn's daughter is in town (Beirut), visiting to spend some time with a mother who wasn't all that involved in her upbringing. Mia was the result of a dalliance Evelyn had while at an Iraqi dig, back in the 1970s, back before Saddam, back before the Middle East and Beirut turned really dangerous.

Evelyn gets kidnapped, and Mia somehow is in the middle of it. There is a helpful CIA officer stationed in Beirut and there are the folks working for a shadowy doctor who is trying to get whatever that Iraqi man was going to deliver to Evelyn. It all becomes mystical, and mysterious with clues and puzzles to solve, as the past continues to enlighten us as to who the players are. Especially after the appearance of one of the mystery outsiders who is making a play for the manuscript and with whom Mia eventually hooks-up. Could he be working with the Shadowy doctor?

In many ways this is standard Thriller fare, but in many other ways there is an excitement underneath as the cloth is slowly pulled away to reveal more of the canvas. How are all of these characters connected? Is there something in this manuscript of very high importance? In some ways, I wish that the pacing of this story was a little tighter, and I also wish that a clearer focus was maintained on the singular objective of the 21st century characters. Because, especially after a while, the interludes into the past looked like random tangents going no-where. Once you established the main, critical, over-arching conflict of the book, it is not necessary to beat us with it time and time again. Maybe one brief interlude to either show us how the chase continued down into time, and then update us into the present. After a while, the past interludes got REALLY boring. But, you always come back into the present to see how the main characters were fairing.

In the end, a decent book that read like a quick adventure movie. I would recommend it without hesitation, and of course, I now have to read more Raymond Khoury. Three stars.

My tbr List

What is a tbr?

"tbr" is a "To be Read" list. Due to BookMooch and PaperBackSwap it has become huge in the last three years. The truth is though, that I can't read at the pace I used to be able to read, 1-3 minutes a page. So, now a 300 page book, can take me well over a week. Gone are the days where I used to be able to get through 2-3 books in a week. It's not only because of reading comprehension or speed of course. Life, work, chores and other things are part of this equation. Plus, there are always new books that come out that look interesting or are from an author that I want to read, and in the fullness of time, I acquire some of these books, and then they go on my "tbr". As slow as I now read, you'd be surprised how quickly my tbr gets filled-up. It's a losing battle.

I decided therefore, to list some of the books on my tbr here and ask people to choose for me the book I should read next. Why? Because, I can't decide. The last four books I read were kind of disappointing, and I Want something to shake the "cobwebs". I want, "a good read". Something that will really capture my attention or imagination. So, fell free to comment, or e-mail me at BookMooch or LibraryThing with your recommendation. Here is the list (a partial list at that):

1. The Strain: Book One of The Strain Trilogy
2. The Host: A Novel
3. Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries
4. Queen of the Road: The True Tale of 47 States, 22,000 Miles, 200 Shoes, 2 Cats, 1 Poodle, a Husband, and a Bus with a Will of Its Own
5. The Terror: A Novel
6. Lottery
7. The Army of the Republic: A Novel
8. The Star Fraction
9. The Secret History of Moscow
10. Solar
11. Across the Nightingale Floor (Tales of the Otori, Book 1)
12. Water for Elephants: A Novel
13. Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World
14. Outliers: The Story of Success
15. The Last Open Road (The Last Open Road)
16. Suzanne Collins'sThe Hunger Games (Hardcover)(2008)
17. Lost Star of Myth and Time
18. A Gentleman's Game: A Queen & Country Novel
19. Eon
20. The Unnamed
21. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
22. Daniel X: Watch the Skies
23. The 47th Samurai (Bob Lee Swagger Novels)
24. The Siege
25. Chindi
26. Running With the Demon (The Word and the Void Trilogy, Book 1)
27. The Eight: A Novel
28. Lost and Found: A Novel
29. Directive 51
30. CrazyBusy: Overstretched, Overbooked, and About to Snap! Strategies for Coping in a World Gone ADD

That's it. I am stopping at 30 (note: I have most of the follow-up books in the series implied here, except for #18 and #21)... If I was to list my whole library, it would never end. These particular books have been in my mind for a while, either because they start a series, or because I've had them for a while. Some actually continue series that I have already started. So what say you the educated reader? What should I read next? Feel free to provide some input and help me enjoy my Holiday Weekend (Thanksgiving weekend in the USA).

1053. Blasphemy

Blasphemy is the first book in which Wyman Ford, appears. Wyman Ford is the main character in Douglas Preston's Blasphemy and Impact. He's a Private Investigator, an ex-CIA Agent, a monk, and many other things. He's not really a Jack-of-all-trades, like the guy in Human Target or some other such heroes. He's, however, a man who tries to get the job done.

In this first real job for Wyman, we see him utilizing some of his knowledge of the Navajo language, which is really difficult to learn, getting on the rez (reservation) out in Arizona as a liaison with the tribe on the big project on their land. The US Government built a Giant Super-Collider near Red Mesa to explore the mysteries of the Big Bang. After all, we don't want the Europeans with their Large Hadron Collider to beat us. Wyman, knows one of the scientists at the project, apart from knowing a bit of the Navajo culture so he's embedded to find out why the project has fallen behind. Money has been spent, but there have been no results.

Meanwhile, the Navajo tribal council is having second thoughts. The lobbyists that were hired to represent their interests are trying to manipulate them AND public opinion. Additionally, a local preacher connects with a well known Evangelical Pastor who is aghast at the $40 Billion cost of the Super-Collider (called by the scientists "Isabella"). Wyman's history with a scientist on the project is that of a long ago love affair, when they were both young and in college. Her name is Kate Mercer. All these threads come into contact together with an immense discovery when the collider is first powered to 100%.

What is the discovery the scientists make and it's implications to theoretical physics? Does this discovery have theological implications? Can Wyman bring the truth out into the world or should he hide the truth from the President and his science adviser who recruited him for this mission? Why are the scientists hiding the truth? Why was a man killed to hide the truth?

This is a book worth staying-up all night for. It is the second Douglas Preston book that I have read, but is probably  the first Wyman Ford adventure. It is not as fantastical (in some sense) than "Impact" which I reviewed earlier in this blog -- since I read that one first! But I do think it stands very well on its own. It is an excellent book, because it shows the limits of this particular character in the face of an impossible situation. He's faced with something he knows to NOT be true, yet at the same time, he can not convince others of this fact. His faith is not the faith of others; OR, put another way -- Kate's faith is so strong that he can not change her mind without different evidence otherwise.

All in all, a highly satisfying book and highly recommended! 4 stars out of 5!

The BBC's Merlin, a fantasy series that delivers the promised magic - SFFMedia

The BBC's Merlin, a fantasy series that delivers the promised magic - SFFMedia




A very nice review, and one that I find agrees word for word with my sentiments on this excelent series. Read the review and come back to comment.

1048. Impact

Recently, I have had a run of good luck with the books I have been reading, as they have provided ample entertainment, and made for an exciting read. This includes this fantastic little gem of a book that I saw at the bookstore and I had to pick-up. It is called, Impact by Douglas Preston and it is a most unusual thriller.

Before, I get into the meat of this review, I am reminded that I had never read a book by Douglas Preston before this one, but he has been an author that I have kept my eye on in the past few years. For one reason or another, his titles have attracted me, but I had not had occasion to pick one up. I had previously purchased "Blasphemy", but I had not read it. Suffice it to say, I intend to change that oversight.

The other thing that I find interesting is the plot of this book. Without of course, giving away too many details, the book opens as your standard scientific-mystery-whodunit-cum-thriller. Recently (and this encompasses the past couple of years), I have been reading about the death of the Science Fiction Genre as a Literary Genre and how the amount of written material being produced in it, is nowhere near what we used to see during the Golden Age or even the Silver Age (anything after the 1960s into the 1980s) or even beyond.  Plus the written material has no coherence to it, and is all over the map, as in, there is no particular style that dominates science fiction as a Genre. This then, could be the reason why a lot of writers don't want to be categorized as Science Fiction writers anymore, even though they constantly delve into that Genre, and yet, their books are found on the more acceptable, mainstream, fiction sales, aisles. The supposition then is, that Douglas Preston here, has written a masterful Science Fiction novel, but one that will not be categorized as such in any bookstore or library, and similarly will never win any major Literary Science Fiction awards like the Nebula or Hugo. On the other hand, the author is able to sell his very masterful cautionary tale to a much wider audience. Is that an acceptable trade-off?  You be the judge.

The plot of this novel is simple enough: Something has impacted the Earth, hitting off the coast of Maine. In addition, one of the scientists from the Mars Mapping Mission at the California Institute of Technology has been found dead because of what he knows. Meanwhile, another scientist, has picked-up the mantle of the dead scientist and continued his research. Something is going on, on Mars. Is the Earth impact and the events on Mars related? This world spanning adventure, which is very well plotted, and paced, with good characters, will keep your interest through-out, and will leave you breathless in many places. It was hard to put down for very long and it was definitely one of those books that I finished in less than 3 days. If it wasn't for other obligations, I would have read it in one sitting.

Yes, some of the side characters are kind of sketchy, and some of the details are still left hanging out there, but in a book such as this, the main plot, and the people you really care about, who are at the center of things, are well conceived, and isn't that all you can ever expect from a well plotted book?

So, I highly recommend this book, and I give it a well earned 5 stars out of 5. A most enjoyable first read for me from Mr. Douglas Preston.

1043. Plague Zone

On a recent trip I got to finish, "Plague Zone" by Jeff Carlson. It is the third book in his Post-Apocalyptic, Nano-technology, Plague Year Trilogy. (Duh! - Obviously, though, one wonders, if the trilogy might grow to more books...but that's a story for different paragraph). Almost six months after the last book, a little band of survivors, including Cam Najarro and Ruth Goldman, the Nano-technology researcher have holed-up not far from the US Government's seat of power, high-up in the Rocky Mountains. Even though the human race has achieved a level of immunity and can descent below the 10,000 foot level, not too many people stray too far below that barrier still. Yes, the Chinese live in Los Angeles, and the Russians north of them, but most American and Canadian forces are still centered around the Rocky Mountains. Strength comes from numbers, but numbers can be easily attacked when people are located in one particular "zone".

A new "nano" attacks the World, not just the Americans, but everyone. There are few survivors. Among them, Cam and Ruth who try to unlock its secret. The journey in this third book is to figure out where the attack came from, why and who create the new  "nano". I don't know, why the author stopped calling the nano-technology "snowflakes" like he did in the other books... that was a bit jarring. Still, the reveal as to who the "nano's" creator was is quite a bit stunning, and an important part of the plot.  The other part that advances the story spectacularly are the people who survive the attack and respond to it this time. I have always been kind of confused as to Ruth's motivations. I am starting to believe that the reason has more to do with Jeff Carlson's writing and something about the way he writes her character and that I am not picking this up, and nothing more.

For the problems and reviews of the first two books go here:
Plague Year
Plague War

There is a lot more exposition and discussion of the Geopolitical situation as well as the effects of the "nano" on the whole world. It's as if, in the first two books, Jeff Carlson was testing his feet in the water... now he has finally jumped in head first.

I enjoyed the third book in this series, even if the conclusion was a bit uneven, even if I get the feeling that there might be another book. I just wish that Ruth Goldman (and by extension the author) had arrived at some different conclusions and a different course of action. The future of what remains of the human race depends on her, and even after this, I expect greatness, or at least that what Classic Science Fiction of the Golden Age always led me to believe.

All in all, a worthy effort. 4 stars out of 5. The last one for effort.

1038. Dead Until Dark

I had to see what all the fuss was about you know. I had to read for myself, at least the first book in this series about this woman, Sookie Stackhouse who meets this Vampire at her place of work, and falls in love with him. Oh, there are so many books with that theme in the marketplace, and unaccountable number of books on the subject. What makes writers, write this type of book? Is every one of these books a singular creation, or does each of these writers sit down and think, I can do the Vampire Story better than everybody else? So, on a company trip I decided to stop at local Barnes & Noble and pick-up the book (and the first sequel).... oh, it turns out there are lots and lots of these books coming out of the imagination of Charlaine Harris!

Meanwhile, there is TV series that airs on HBO called True Blood that covers the events in the books? I don't know, because a) I haven't read all the books, and b) I haven't watched the TV series since I can't afford HBO. So, back in the real world of an adult male, I decide to read a fantasy book written about a young, good looking waitress from Louisiana who can can read minds, and where Vampires exist (they are an every day accepted phenomenon, accepted, and regulated?) Sookie (our heroine) falls for Bill, a Vampire who lives down the street from her house, and they share something intimate and maybe something more. How far back does their history go back? Is their some relationship in their family's past? But Bill has problems of his own. He has come back into town with reputation problems and maybe people pursuing him? Not that Sookie has the easiest life, having to take care of her grandmother and her brother who seems to get into trouble with every women he beds.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, more as a distraction than anything else. It appears that there are now, 10+ books in the series. I definitely have the second one, and I will read it, but I don't know whether I will read anymore in the series. As for the HBO series, since I know nothing about what is going in the books themselves, even though I have sampled it, I can't say I was impressed by it. It is a pretty graphic series. There is something about the printed word that leaves a lot to the imagination.... I like that!

I suspect this book, appeals to a different demographic, but Charlaine Harris IS a pretty good writer, and her characters are well actualized. For this reason, I will give this book 3 and a half stars.