A Wanted Man, by Lee Child

I had all the best intentions about chores this afternoon.  But there, on the new releases shelf at the public library this morning, the "Jack Reacher" novel that I'd not yet read.   Well it's never difficult to postpone chores...

I liked this book.   The pace was relaxed (some reviewers think too relaxed), but I enjoyed it.  No complaints:  true to my expectations for Mr. Child's novels.

Surprising, then, the number of negative reviews.   As of this writing, on Amazon's review page there are 2,337 reviews of which 22% are negative.  That seems to me a large number.  With 16% undeclared (three stars), that leaves but 62% positive.   Words used include:  sluggish, running out of steam, and too much like the rest.

Maybe all true, but it did keep my full attention this afternoon.

Black Pawn, by Mel Lebrun

The book could have been good.  The plot was interesting and nearly believable, as were the key characters (with some caveats to follow).   So what went wrong?

The author writes like someone who has taken writing classes and done well.   He uses clear and descriptive sentence.   Unfortunately, though, there's a palpable absence of - well, soul isn't precisely the right word.  Energy?  The sentences are grammatical and "well written" yet flat.  That's it:  flat.

Another problem is that one of the major characters, Jessica, is so deeply flawed and unlikeable that her magical and convenient (to the plot) relationship with hero Michael Cailen strains credibility.

I suspect there will be a sequel and I will try to avoid it.

The Orphan Master's Son, by Adam Johnson

Read this book.  I've been recommending it to everyone I know who enjoys literature.

So what else can I say about Mr. Johnson's work?   I'll just quote Sam Sacks' comments from his Wall Street Journal article:

"...the single best work of fiction published in 2012. The novel is set in North Korea, and Mr. Johnson's imagined rendering of the late dictator Kim Jong Il gives us an apotheosis of modern-day insanity. The tyrant (who actually wrote and directed movies in real life) acts as though the whole world is his personal reality TV show. But though this world is profoundly absurd, Mr. Johnson unforgettably depicts the savage measures needed to uphold the delusion. The book's cunning, flair and pathos are testaments to the still-formidable power of the written word."

Oh, and Mr. Johnson won the Pulitzer Prize for this novel.

Cold Days, by Jim Butcher

The sub-title is, "A novel of the Dresden files," which makes this a continuation (the 14th) of Mr. Butcher's series about Chicago -based wizard, Harry Dresden.

When I wrote about Mr. Butcher's earlier book in this series I said I wouldn't bother reading the rest.  But this was on the library shelf just at eye level and I'd forgotten about my earlier comments.

So the good news:  well written, interesting, good plot.  All said with the grain of salt that it is, after all, about a wizard for heaven's sake!  There are weird books and then there's this one; weird with a splash of loony.

The bad news:  for much of the book, the Harry Dresden is a wise cracking, obnoxious and annoying caricature.  You know the type: the hero who has a smart ass comment about everything, especially when it is inappropriate and especially when it will lead to more trouble.   It is this that I dislike about the novel.  Although the character did get a bit better towards the end.

I'm reversing my earlier comment; I will continue to read this series.  And I will continue to think of it as weird and loony.

The Twelve, by Justin Cronin

This novel is a continuation to, and expansion of, Mr. Cronin's The Passage.   I was quite taken by the earlier book, but am far less enthusiastic about this one.

Some background:  both books fit in the post-apocalyptic genre.  A branch of the US defense / intelligence community does biological weapons research with a twist:  they've decided that creating an enhanced human fighter would be useful.   The enhancement in this case is vampire -like capabilities.  They do their testing on a population of convicted criminals; not, in general, good guys.   The monsters get out, havoc ensues, and there's a new civilization across North America that doesn't go out at night.

The Twelve continues the story of key characters in The Passage and introduces many new ones.   Almost too many.   And while the character development is quite good, there are all sorts of crazy things going on.  Well, you might say, that's the point, right?

I didn't find this novel scary, the way you might think about a Stephen King novel.  It certainly was creepy.  There were plenty of positive scenes, but my overall sense was despair fatigue.  In fact, that was my predominant emotional reaction; this book just wore me out.

If you're curious about what might happen next after reading The Passage, you'll find answers here, but I'm not going to recommend you bother with it if you're on the fence of disinterest.   There will probably be a third novel in this sequence, and I doubt that I'll read it.

Finding Ultra, by Rich Roll

I have quite mixed emotions about this book which is both inspiring and annoying.  I'll summarize this autobiography:

• Mr. Roll has a privileged youth, going to a prep school, accepted to Ivy League schools, ending up at Stanford. 
• He is an alcoholic, and a barely functioning one at that. 
• He gets sober. 
• He finds true love. 
• He notices he is not fit nor healthy. 
• He addresses this with a mix of narcissism and the zeal of a true addict to participate in Ironman and Ultra-marathon events, and finally a sequence of five ironman -type events in just a few days. 
• He discovers the benefits of a vegan diet. He pushes his own brand of vegan supplements. 
• He runs crazy long distances, prioritizing this obsession over time with his family and over running his law practice.

So what's inspiring? That someone at middle age (39) can so dramatically reshape their health through diet and exercise. So what's annoying? Pretty much every single page of the book - except for appendix I which discusses the effectiveness of not using animal -based protein even while training for strenuous events.  (And even that section annoyed me when it became blatant advertising for Mr. Roll's supplement business -- where a 20 serving container of protein supplement sells for $75, not including shipping.  Yikes.)

The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking, by Ed Burger and Michael Starbird

This is a useful little book.  Its thesis is that anyone can become a better thinker using five specific strategies.  The authors had my complete attention from the first page where they point out that brilliant students are not necessarily born brilliant.   Do you imagine, they ask, that "Einstein teases his hair and relativity falls out" -- this tickled me.

As a memory aid, the authors relate each of their five strategies to a corresponding classical element.  So we have:

•  Earth, to remind us to deeply understand the material.   In other words, if I'm confused by the basic building blocks of how to do something, I'm unlikely to grasp more complex materials.
• Fire, to remind us that making mistakes is not only okay, it is necessary as we grapple with complex problems.  At this particular strategy I feel rather over-qualified.
• Air, to remind us to raise questions.  Conventional wisdom is not necessarily correct (or we'd still be thinking that the sun revolves around the earth, which is flat, held on the back of a turtle).  Plus, it is by asking questions that we can learn more deeply and discover more possibilities.
• Water, to remind us to follow the flow of ideas.  As folks start with a fundamental insight they begin to develop it, to extend it, learn more about it.  The auto of today is quite different from the 1896 Duryea.
• The quintessential element, both to fit in a fifth concept (!) and to remind us that change is essential to good thinking.   The authors make a very important point when they notice that politicians engaged in discussion or debate never say, "That's a better idea, I'm going to change my mind." [p130]   They correctly add, "The unchangeable mind is a closed mind.  The result in politics is a calcified lack of innovation and flexibility -- gridlock."

A good test of advice is that once you've read it, you realize that it is obvious.  Of course, not quite as obvious before you read it.   That's this book in a nutshell:  it makes perfect sense, and it is useful to have folks point a strategy out clearly and memorably so that we can remember to actually follow the advice.

Fun & Games, by Duane Swierczynski

Wow.  This is an outstanding novel.  How to classify it?  The cover claims it is an "explosive pulp thriller."   Hmmm.   It is suspenseful, quirky, clever.   Amusing, interesting.   Plot turns galore.  Character development is brilliant.  But "pulp?"

Find out for yourself.   Mr. Swierczynski's book is worth the read.

And oh, did I mention, this is the first in a trilogy featuring the same main character, Charlie Hardie?  The next one up is "Hell and Gone ."

Tiny Beautiful Things, by Cheryl Strayed

The sub-title of this collection of essays is "Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar."    Sugar is Ms. Strayed pseudonym for the advice column she writes for The Rumpus website, aptly titled, "Dear Sugar."   The book is a collection of her responses to emails from readers.

The beauty and brilliance of Ms. Strayed is that Sugar's responses to the typical collection of confused and troubled letters are far, far different than anything you may have read in a newspaper.   Each response is simply lovely:  it is loving yet brutally crisp, it is supportive yet direct, and on the more difficult or complex topics, Sugar shares her personal experiences and difficulties as a way of setting context or explaining that the writer isn't alone in his or her problem.

Two caveats:  brace yourself for profane language if that's not something to which you're accustomed, and also, as you might expect, many of the letters seeking advice describe harsh situations involving abuse, sexual habits, and the like.   So all in all, it is an "R -rated" book.   But that's not a criticism, simply a note that it might be a bit much for, say, your precocious nine year old early reader.

I confess that I did feel a bit fatigued at the end.  Maybe this isn't the sort of material one should read in a single sitting.   So I can't tell if it is a critique (too long, or poor selection choices at the end) or not.   So I'm going with "highly recommended" as my net-net.

Defender, by Chris Allen

Mr. Allen hopes to publish a series of suspense / spy novels featuring the "Intrepid" organization of action oriented operators within Interpol.  The hero of this first in the bunch is Alex Morgan.

The novel followed the predictable outline for the genre, from the nature and placement of the bad guys, to the inevitable love interest.   In that context, it was okay.   If you're looking for something less hackneyed or more interesting than the baseline, then this won't do the trick.

While the novel was okay, and moderately entertaining, I don't plan on reading more of Mr. Allen's writing.