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Agent Running in the Field

Thu, 11 Jun 2020 23:20:29 +0000

Agent Running in the Field by John le Carre. From Goodreads: “Nat, a 47 year-old veteran of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, believes his years as an agent runner are over. He is back in London with his wife, the long-suffering Prue. But with the growing threat from Moscow Centre, the office has one more job for him. Nat is to take over The Haven, a defunct substation of London General with a rag-tag band of spies. The only bright light on the team is young Florence, who has her eye on Russia Department and a Ukrainian oligarch with a finger in the Russia pie. Nat is not only a spy, he is a passionate badminton player. His regular Monday evening opponent is half his age: the introspective and solitary Ed. Ed hates Brexit, hates Trump and hates his job at some soulless media agency. And it is Ed, of all unlikely people, who will take Prue, Florence and Nat himself down the path of political anger that will ensnare them all.”

American Kingpin

Thu, 06 Jun 2019 23:36:38 +0000

American Kingpin by Nick Bilton. The true story about a programmer-turned-drug czar who started the Silk Road, a billion-dollar online drug empire, and almost got away with it.

Black List

Wed, 04 Jun 2014 07:57:19 +0000

Black List: A Thrillerby Brad Thor. “This is the eleventh book in Thor’s series about ex-Navy Seal Scot Harvath. It opens with an attempt to kill Harvath and his entire company in what turns out to be part of an attempt to overthrow the U.S. government. The pseudonymous black list is buried in some government basement somewhere, seen only by the president and a handful of advisors. Once your name is on the list, it never comes off, until you are dead. Great thriller.”

Body of Lies

Mon, 08 Sep 2014 00:09:47 +0000

Body of Liesby David Ignatius. "No, not another book bashing the Bush Administration, but a post-9/11 spy thriller novel by the Washington Post columnist that many of us know and read." Roger Ferris is one of the CIA's soldiers in the war on terrorism. He has come out of Iraq with a shattered leg and an intense mission—to penetrate the network of a master terrorist known only as "Suleiman." Ferris's plan for getting inside Suleiman's tent is inspired by a masterpiece of British intelligence during World War II: He prepares a body of lies, literally the corpse of an imaginary CIA officer who appears to have accomplished the impossible by recruiting an agent within the enemy's ranks.

Boys in the Boat

Tue, 03 Jun 2014 07:24:59 +0000

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown "I knew nothing about rowing before reading this, but now get I why people get hooked on the sport. Great history of Germany before WW 2 and the 1936 Olympics. Wonderful read." "Getting raving reviews from my in laws ... it has popped up in other must read lists."

Caddyshack

Thu, 06 Jun 2019 06:06:33 +0000

Caddyshack: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story by Chris Nashawaty. From Amazon: “In Caddyshack:The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story film critic for Entertainment Weekly Chris Nashawaty goes behind the scenes of the iconic film, chronicling the rise of comedy’s greatest deranged minds as they form The National Lampoon, turn the entertainment industry on its head, and ultimately blow up both a golf course and popular culture as we know it.”

Dancing at the Rascal Fair

Mon, 08 Sep 2014 02:29:18 +0000

Dancing at the Rascal Fair by Ivan Doig. “an older book but a newly discovered author for me…beautiful writer… I want to read more of his books.” From Amazon: The central volume in Ivan Doig's acclaimed Montana trilogy, Dancing at the Rascal Fair is an authentic saga of the American experience at the turn of this century and a passionate, portrayal of the immigrants who dared to try new lives in the imposing Rocky Mountains.

Flashman

Tue, 09 Sep 2014 00:30:49 +0000

Flashman by George Macdonald Fraser (and others in the Flashman series). These are guy books. Drew has really enjoyed them. They are “satirical histiography” about this a rascal -- Harry Flashman – who finds himself amid great events of the 19th century, while being chased by jealous husbands and getting (and accepting) credit for courage that he didn’t actually possess.

Legal Limit

Fri, 12 Jun 2020 23:47:28 +0000

The Legal Limit by Martin Clark. “Think of John Grisham-like legal thrillers, but with more developed and funnier characters.There are enough off-shore bank accounts and legal trickery for everyone.”

Lords of Discipline

Fri, 05 Sep 2014 00:52:49 +0000

The Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy. "I LOVED this book and read it so fast at the beach that I had to force myself to put it down to make it last longer. It's about the Citadel military life and insight into that world is fascinating. But there is also a lot of story and character about fathers and friendships and families."

Open: An Autobiography

Sat, 06 Sep 2014 20:01:20 +0000

Open: An Autobiography by J R Moerhinger. “This may be an unpopular opinion, but OHMYGOD is Andre Agassi a whiny little bitch. I love JR Moerhinger's memoir (The Tender Bar), so I wanted to read this Agassi memoir to see how one of my favorite writers handled Agassi's story. The writing is only as strong as Agassi's life will allow, but it's relatively well written. I'll confess to having skimmed through some of the earlier chapters because I wanted to get to the parts about Brooke Shields (I know, I'm shallow). Worth the read whether in paperback, second-hand hardcover, or from the library.” and: “Andre opens up his life, heart and mind for inspection in a highly detailed personal account notable for its eloquence and humor. One need not be a tennis or an Agassi fan to be gripped by the experiences of a little boy whose relentless father determined that his son would one day be the best tennis player in the world.”

Shoedog

Wed, 14 Jun 2017 10:28:37 +0000

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike. By Phil Knight. "Knight’s unvarnished memoir about the company he birthed—Nike. Bill Gates puts it best, “Shoe Dog is a refreshingly honest reminder of what the path to business success really looks like. It’s a messy, perilous, and chaotic journey riddled with mistakes, endless struggles, and sacrifice. In fact, the only thing that seems inevitable in page after page of Knight’s story is that his company will end in failure.” So many books written by entrepreneurs make their path to success seem like a pre-ordained endeavor that the entrepreneur somehow willed to success and fortune with careful planning and a well thought out business plan. Not Phil Knight’s journey. He shows the real path warts and all. This is not a 'how to' book with another contrived formula for success. This amazing tale is real. A young man with no money assembled an unlikely band of misfits, lives precariously for a decade at the mercy of unmerciful bankers until an unlikely potential nemesis becomes a benefactor, he pays an art student $35 to design the swoosh logo because he needed one by the next day, he doesn’t like the name “Nike” but goes along with his staff’s suggestion and say’s what the hell,”maybe it will grow on us”. Reading this book is as close as most of us will get to having a beer with Phil and letting him regale us with this extraordinary story, you will want him to relay one more experience, one more stroke of luck, one more personal tragedy. And then you will understand in the final pages why, despite all of the hardships he experienced along the way, Knight says, 'God, how I wish I could relive the whole thing.'"

Slow Horses

Fri, 12 Jun 2020 23:49:51 +0000

Slow Horses (Slough House) by Mick Herron. “Mick Herron’s The Slough House series (Jackson Lamb) is based on a group of MI-5 misfits who despite their quirks usually save the UK from some terrorist threat (Slow Horses, Real Tigers, London Rules, Dead Lions). Jackson Lamb is like a George Smiley (John Le Carre) character that has gone on a bender but is still in Her Majesty’s Service.”

Talking to the Dead

Wed, 14 Jun 2017 08:50:07 +0000

Talking to the Dead by Harry Bingham. "This suspenseful novel is the first in a series by Bingham featuring Welsh detective Fiona Griffiths, Cambridge-educated and idiosyncratic (to say the least). Fiona frequently obliges the reader (if not her bosses) by going rogue. The whole series is good, but start with the first." Editor's note: As of this writing, the kindle version of this book is FREE. if, like me, you are perversely put off by free books (or by the cheesy cover) don't be. It's an excellent series.

This is Where I Leave You

Mon, 01 Sep 2014 20:41:56 +0000

This Is Where I Leave You: A Novel by Jonathan Tropper. "Think back to the early days of chick lit... when it was good. Now, imagine it from a male perspective. Jonathan Tropper writes fiction from a guy's perspective that, I think, appeals to women (at least it did to me). The book opens with the main character's wife cheating on him, then leads to him joining his family in their childhood home while they all sit shiva for his dead father (who was an atheist). Forced to be in a room with four brothers and sisters day in and day out, stories unfold, hilarity ensues, and some sexual secrets are laid bare... all the chick-lit cliches, but written in a way that doesn't make you want to barf or stab someone." "Laugh out loud funny but tragic at the same time. Read it before they make the movie." "Jonathan Trooper writes compulsively readable, laugh-out-loud funny novels, and his fifth book, This Is Where I Leave You is his best yet." "I laughed out loud with this one and some things are over the top, but a delightful read."