Colon Health, by Norman Walker

This is the first of a series of books I'll be reading over the next week or two, and blogging about here, relative to health. These books were a gift from an amazingly healthy advocate of fresh, organic raw fruit juicing and a vegan diet.

The author, Dr. Walker, is passionate, and after reading this I do believe that I should think about the overall health of my colon. But. He doesn't come across particularly credibly in general as a health adviser. For example, he shares an anecdote (page 66) where in his recommendation for someone suffering a heart attach is foot massage.

Now it may well be that foot massage is the answer for a heart attack. But if I keel over, I'd sure prefer to go to the Heart Hospital and get a full suite of therapy to keep me alive.

Overall, I suspect that if one carefully separates the items of real value from the hype, there's some positive content in this book.

Shadow of Power, by Steve Martini

This book is longer than it needs to be, but other than occasionally dragging under its own weight, it is an entertaining legal thriller.

In fairness, I rushed through it a bit, eager to get to a few new books that were given to me today.

Quicksand, by Iris Johansen

A mystery about a serial killer (yuck) and touching upon psychic phenomena. And a bit too much relationship trauma for my taste.

In many ways, not my cup of tea. But a well written and engaging book.

The Wrong Hostage, by Elizabeth Lowell

I enjoyed Ms. Lowell's other book enough to want to read more - even though this was a prequel to "Blue Smoke and Murder," it was worth reading. A fun, interesting action novel.

Silent Joe, by T. Jefferson Parker

The best action / police / mystery novels transcend the genre with depth and texture, with characters who pull you into a relationship and writing that moves you through the work without even noticing you're reading a mystery at all.

That's this book. Nothing negative to say about it. Just plain outstandingly good writing.

The Echelon Vendetta, by David Stone

This is an outstanding spy novel. I'd give it four and three-quarter stars, imposing a small penalty for an ending that felt unnecessarily rushed.

Unlike an all-action novel, there's real depth to the main character, and an interesting and complex approach to the writing.

Blood Noir, by Laurell K. Hamilton

If you're thinking of reading this, let me help: just say no!

It is primarily a painfully long sequence of vampire porn. Now I'm not opposed to the occasional gratuitous sex scene within a well plotted novel. Ah, but that's the rub - a plot.

In its 352 pages, there might be as many as five pages that advance a plot line. Maybe.

Yuck.

Unlikely Heroes, by Ron Carter

Since I don't usually read history, I was surprised that I enjoyed this book. It is odd, in that it is a collection of essays about historical figures, but amplified by fictional detail and dialog, in the spirit of Schama, but on steroids. Kind of a Readers Digest vibe though.

The Laws of Simplicity, by John Maeda

Maeda is a professor at MIT and associate director of the MIT Media Lab. This is a worthwhile little book whose target audience is probably folks who do product design (hardware or software). I particularly liked the first four of Maeda's 10 laws; you can read about them on his web site at lawsofsimplicity.com.

Nothing to Lose, by Lee Child

I like the Reacher series, by Lee Child. This one wasn't his best work though.