Bradley's bookshelf: all en-US Sat, 19 Apr 2025 13:43:35 -0700 60 Bradley's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg The Homesman 18143918 Soon to be a major motion picture directed by Tommy Lee Jones. The Homesman is a devastating story of early pioneers in 1850s American West. It celebrates the ones we hear nothing of: the brave women whose hearts and minds were broken by a life of bitter hardship. A spokesman; must be found to escort a handful of them back East to a sanitarium. When none of the county's men steps up, the job falls to Mary Bee Cuddy, ex-teacher, spinster, indomitable and resourceful. Brave as she is, Mary Bee knows she cannot succeed alone. The only companion she can find is the low-life claim jumper George Briggs. Thus begins a trek east, against the tide of colonization, against hardship, Indian attacks, ice storms, and loneliness; a timeless classic told in a series of tough, fast-paced adventures. In an unprecedented sweep, Glendon Swarthout's novel won both the Western Writers of America's Spur Award and the Western Heritage Wrangler Award. A new afterword by the author's son Miles Swarthout tells of his parents Glendon and Kathryn's discovery of and research into the lives of the often forgotten frontier women who make The Homesman as moving and believable as it is unforgettable.]]> 255 Glendon Swarthout 1476754268 Bradley 0 currently-reading 3.84 1988 The Homesman
author: Glendon Swarthout
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.84
book published: 1988
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[I'm Your Huckleberry: A Memoir]]> 54304078 Legendary actor Val Kilmer shares the stories behind his most beloved roles, reminisces about his star-studded career and love life, and reveals the truth behind his recent health struggles in a remarkably candid autobiography.

Val Kilmer has played many iconic roles over his nearly four-decade film career. A table-dancing Cold War agent in Top Secret! A troublemaking science prodigy in Real Genius. A brash fighter pilot in Top Gun. A swashbuckling knight in Willow. A lovelorn bank robber in Heat. A charming master of disguise in The Saint. A wise-cracking detective in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Of course, Batman, Jim Morrison and the sharp-shooting Doc Holliday.

But who is the real Val Kilmer? With I’m Your Huckleberry—published ahead of next summer’s highly anticipated sequel Top Gun: Maverick, in which Kilmer returns to the big screen as Tom “Iceman� Kazansky—the enigmatic actor at last steps out of character and reveals his true self.

In this uniquely assembled memoir—featuring vivid prose, snippets of poetry and rarely-seen photos—Kilmer reflects on his acclaimed career, including becoming the youngest actor ever admitted to the Juilliard School’s famed drama department, determinedly campaigning to win the lead part in The Doors, and realizing a years-long dream of performing a one-man show as his hero Mark Twain. He shares candid stories of working with screen legends Marlon Brando, Tom Cruise, Robert Downey Jr. and Robert De Niro, and recounts high-profile romances with Cher, Cindy Crawford, Daryl Hannah, and former wife Joanne Whalley. He chronicles his spiritual journey and lifelong belief in Christian Science, and describes travels to far-flung locales such as a scarcely inhabited island in the Indian Ocean where he suffered from delirium and was cared for by the resident tribe. And he reveals details of his recent throat cancer diagnosis and recovery—about which he has disclosed little until now.

While containing plenty of tantalizing celebrity anecdotes, I’m Your Huckleberry—taken from the famous line Kilmer delivers as Holliday in Tombstone—is ultimately a singularly written and deeply moving reflection on mortality and the mysteries of life.]]> 320 Val Kilmer 1982144904 Bradley 0 to-read 3.98 2020 I'm Your Huckleberry: A Memoir
author: Val Kilmer
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A Confederacy of Dunces 310612
His mother thinks he needs to go to work. He does, in a succession of jobs. Each job rapidly escalates into a lunatic adventure, a full-blown disaster; yet each has, like Don Quixote's, its own eerie logic.

His girlfriend, Myrna Minkoff of the Bronx, thinks he needs sex.

Ignatius is an intellectual, ideologue, deadbeat, goof-off, glutton, who should repel the reader with his gargantuan bloats, his thunderous contempt, and one-man war against everybody: Freud, homosexuals, heterosexuals, Protestants, and the assorted excesses of modern times.

A tragicomedy, set in New Orleans.]]> 394 John Kennedy Toole 0802130208 Bradley 0 to-read 3.89 1980 A Confederacy of Dunces
author: John Kennedy Toole
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1980
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Tales from Watership Down (Watership Down, #2)]]> 13572866
Return to the warren with this treasured collection of short stories, an epic encore to the timeless classic Watership Down.

Dig deeper into the extraordinary inner lives of Bigwig, Dandelion, Fiver, Hazel, and the legendary El-ahrairah steeped in rich tradition and unearth the untold legends, passed down through generations, that shaped their destinies. . .]]> 336 Richard Adams 0307950190 Bradley 3 4.02 1996 Tales from Watership Down (Watership Down, #2)
author: Richard Adams
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1996
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/27
date added: 2025/02/27
shelves:
review:
Parts I and II are really just filler—flushing out a bit more of the mythology of the rabbits. I didn’t get near the enjoyment from those pages as I did from part III. Kinda cool in its own way though. It was fun to return to Watership Down and check in on the rabbits.
]]> Shane 32767749 168 Jack Schaefer 0826358411 Bradley 3 4.22 1949 Shane
author: Jack Schaefer
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.22
book published: 1949
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/18
date added: 2025/02/19
shelves:
review:
I wanted to like it more. The relationship between Bob’s father Joe, his mother Marian, and Shane felt a half a bubble off of comfortable—some Ben Rumson, Pardner, and Elizabeth vibes almost. And the reverence that was afforded Shane seemed unrealistic and unwarranted. Even considering this was written from the perspective of a moon-eyed young boy. But that’s just my feelings and impressions.
]]> <![CDATA[The Cardinal of the Kremlin (Jack Ryan, #4)]]> 382549 Red October affair.

Each must use all his craft to arrive at the truth, but Filitov gets there first -- and that's when all hell breaks loose. Because Filitov, code-named Cardinal, is America's highest agent in the Kremlin, and he is about to be betrayed to the KGB. His rescue could spell the difference between peace and war, and it is up to Jack Ryan to accomplish it -- if he can -- as, in a breathtaking sequence of hunter and hunted, Filitov's life, and Ryan's and that of the world itself literally hang in the balance.

]]> 547 Tom Clancy 0425116840 Bradley 4 4.08 1988 The Cardinal of the Kremlin (Jack Ryan, #4)
author: Tom Clancy
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1988
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/09
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves:
review:

]]> Monte Walsh 34916446 560 Jack Schaefer 0826358578 Bradley 0 to-read 4.54 1963 Monte Walsh
author: Jack Schaefer
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.54
book published: 1963
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Persuader (Jack Reacher, #7) 6617104
Staging a brilliant ruse, Reacher hurtles into the dark heart of a vast criminal enterprise. Trying to rescue an agent whose time is running out, Reacher enters a crime lord's waterfront fortress. There he will find a world of secrecy and violence --- and confront some unfinished business from his own past.]]> 465 Lee Child 0440245982 Bradley 4 4.08 2003 Persuader (Jack Reacher, #7)
author: Lee Child
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/13
date added: 2025/01/13
shelves:
review:
I think this is the first Reacher novel told in first-person. At first, I didn’t like it—it felt off and odd. But I got used to it. Good story. Read the last third in one sitting.
]]> <![CDATA[I Hate Running and You Can Too: How to Get Started, Keep Going, and Make Sense of an Irrational Passion]]> 54110572
Packed with wisdom, humor, attitude, tips, and quotes—and more than sixty illuminating charts� I Hate Running and You Can Too delivers a powerful message of motivation from a truly relatable mentor.

Leonard nails the love-hate relationship most runners have with the sport. He knows the difficulty of getting off the couch, teaches us to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, embraces the mix of running with walking. And he shares all that he’s learned—celebrating the mantra of “Easy, light, smooth, and fast,� observing that any body that runs is a runner’s body.

Plus Leonard knows all the practical stuff, from training methods to advice for when you hit a setback or get injured. Even the answer to that big question a lot of runners occasionally Why? Running helps us understand commitment, develop patience, discover self-discipline, find mental toughness, and prove to ourselves that we can do something demanding. And, of course, burn off that extra serving of nachos.]]> 160 Brendan Leonard 1579659888 Bradley 4
I like this one though. At just over 150 pages, with many of those filled with illustrations, it’s my kind of self-help book. Add to that the subject matter and I’m all in. Or at least 4 out of 5 stars in.

It is formulaic, as all self-help books are, but I relate to this running thing. And I relate to the steps prescribed. Even if I could easily change the words, analogies, and experiences and write my own self-help book.

I’ll end with a quote from the tail end of the book: “Running will never, however, lawyer up, take you to court, or one day leave you for a personal trainer who’s way too you for it.”]]> 4.32 I Hate Running and You Can Too: How to Get Started, Keep Going, and Make Sense of an Irrational Passion
author: Brendan Leonard
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.32
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/04
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves:
review:
I’m going to throw this in the self-help category of books. Most self-help books I’ve read are 300 pages or more of a set of often used suggestions that apply to almost any subject you want it to, and could be easily and adequately covered in about 100 pages. Change up the words, add some analogies that apply, relate personal experiences (yours or somebody else’s) and voila!

I like this one though. At just over 150 pages, with many of those filled with illustrations, it’s my kind of self-help book. Add to that the subject matter and I’m all in. Or at least 4 out of 5 stars in.

It is formulaic, as all self-help books are, but I relate to this running thing. And I relate to the steps prescribed. Even if I could easily change the words, analogies, and experiences and write my own self-help book.

I’ll end with a quote from the tail end of the book: “Running will never, however, lawyer up, take you to court, or one day leave you for a personal trainer who’s way too you for it.�
]]> <![CDATA[Without Fail (Jack Reacher, #6)]]> 37322173
With each new book, more and more join the chorus of praise for "one of the most original and daring heroes in suspense fiction" (The Providence Journal-Bulletin), Lee Child's ex-military cop Jack Reacher.
In Without Fail, Reacher is approached by a Secret Service agent who needs a favor. "I want to hire you to assassinate the Vice President of the United States," she asks. She is the newly appointed head of the VP's security detail and wants Reacher to try to penetrate her team's shield. He has the skills and the stealth, and no one knows him. How else can she be sure her protection is truly effective?

What she doesn't tell Reacher-but what he soon discovers-is that a very determined and deadly team of assassins has just put the VP in its sights. These men have planned well, but they haven't planned on Reacher. For only Reacher has the head and the heart to corner his prey and bring them to justice-without fail.

]]> 596 Lee Child Bradley 4 3.91 2002 Without Fail (Jack Reacher, #6)
author: Lee Child
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/16
date added: 2024/12/16
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Third Pole: Mystery, Obsession, and Death on Mount Everest]]> 60895137
“If you’re only going to read one Everest book this decade, make it The Third Pole. . . . Ariveting adventure.”� Outside

Shivering, exhausted, gasping for oxygen, beyond doubt . . .

A hundred-year mystery lured veteran climber Mark Synnott into an unlikely expedition up Mount Everest during the spring 2019 season that came to be known as “the Year Everest Broke.� What he found was a gripping human story of impassioned characters from around the globe and a mountain that will consume your soul—and your life—if you let it.

The mystery? On June 8, 1924, George Mallory and Sandy Irvine set out to stand on the roof of the world, where no one had stood before. They were last seen eight hundred feet shy of Everest’s summit still “going strong� for the top. Could they have succeeded decades before Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay? Irvine is believed to have carried a Kodak camera with him to record their attempt, but it, along with his body, had never been found. Did the frozen film in that camera have a photograph of Mallory and Irvine on the summit before they disappeared into the clouds, never to be seen again? Kodak says the film might still be viable. . . .

Mark Synnott made his own ascent up the infamous North Face along with his friend Renan Ozturk, a filmmaker using drones higher than any had previously flown. Readers witness first-hand how Synnott’s quest led him from oxygen-deprivation training to archives and museums in England, to Kathmandu, the Tibetan high plateau, and up the North Face into a massive storm. The infamous traffic jams of climbers at the very summit immediately resulted in tragic deaths. Sherpas revolted. Chinese officials turned on Synnott’s team. An Indian woman miraculously crawled her way to frostbitten survival. Synnott himself went off the safety rope—one slip and no one would have been able to save him—committed to solving the mystery.

Eleven climbers died on Everest that season, all of them mesmerized by an irresistible magic. The Third Pole is a rapidly accelerating ride to the limitless joy and horror of human obsession.]]> 464 Mark Synnott 1524745596 Bradley 5 4.30 2021 The Third Pole: Mystery, Obsession, and Death on Mount Everest
author: Mark Synnott
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/01
date added: 2024/12/02
shelves:
review:
Of all the books I’ve read regarding Everest, I think this one is the best. Simultaneously taking the reader through what is known of the Mallory and Irvine attempt in 1924, the author’s attempt in 2019, and various others at other times in between, it paints a very interesting picture. Its narrative gripped me like a top notch novel. I did find myself frustrated with the map that spanned two pages—the key sections were located in or near the spine of the book making it difficult to see specific points on the map.
]]> <![CDATA[Prepared: A Manual for Surviving Worst-Case Scenarios]]> 62802772
A former Green Beret’s indispensable course in preparedness, teaching the keys to building a resilient and fearless life

Most people think that being prepared for catastrophe means stocking up on MREs and building a bunker in their backyard, but this approach leaves you vulnerable in the real world of car accidents, natural disasters, grid failures, and global pandemics. Prepared overturns today’s paranoid survival wisdom and teaches the foundational skills of preparedness that will not only help you build situational awareness and achieve greater mobility but that will also help you build resilient mental habits.

After 20 years in the US Army, Special Forces, and as a government contractor for the CIA, Mike Glover has trained thousands of men, women, and families in the art and science of survival. In this book, he shows you how

� Harness your brain chemistry to eliminate the freeze response and increase your stress tolerance during a crisis
� Fortify your home by learning how to use and store essential foods, water, supplies, first aid, and ammunition in your everyday life
� Equip your vehicle with sufficient first aid, so you can respond to injuries even before an ambulance arrives—dramatically increasing your chance of survival in an accident

Drawing on Glover’s most dire experiences in combat and in the real world, this book shows you how almost no disaster is more powerful than someone who is truly prepared. For Glover, surviving catastrophe is not about fearing crisis, but creating more resilient habits so that you can be ready for whatever comes your way.]]> 256 Mike Glover 0593538145 Bradley 0 to-read 4.06 Prepared: A Manual for Surviving Worst-Case Scenarios
author: Mike Glover
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.06
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Anger: Psychological Reasons Why It Rises and How to Reduce It]]> 210716421
People can be puzzled why anger rises and remains for themselves or others. As it can erupt quickly, be disruptive and upsetting, as well as seemingly animalistic, counterproductive, baseless, unpredictable, illogical, random, and uncontrollable, it’s often viewed as an innate reflex or unstoppable natural result of some cause, such as a chemical imbalance, brain injury, physiological issues, or genetics. Identifying angry relatives also supports the belief heritable or innate factors cause anger, as do phrases such as, “I’m hardwired this way,� “I’ve got my father’s anger,� or “It’s my nature.�

While psychiatric reasons for anger exist, complete understanding, assessment, and treatment also require knowing psychological factors, such as individual choice, people’s personality, their idiosyncratic collection of rules, goals, and information they use to define reality and survive and thrive, can be related to anger. For instance, as individuals can get angry after failing, experiencing an injustice, getting stuck in traffic, being ridiculed, rejected, abandoned, or experiencing social discord. While people may view this as additional causes of anger, there’s much more to know.

For example, social elements can account for when, why, how, and with whom anger rises and recedes, and reveals people’s mindset and goals. Often, people use symptoms including anger to achieve good and healthy outcomes, say to defend themselves or others, or to motivate themselves.

This book provides a comprehensive, encouraging, effective, and empowering understanding of anger. It investigates, identifies, and explains three psychological reasons why anger erupts, its various forms, factors that maintain it, its purposefulness, how to avoid getting or remaining angry, as well as how to handle other people’s anger.

This is a theoretical approach to understanding certain forms of anger. This book is not about physical abuse, child abuse, intimate partner violence, domestic violence, sexual abuse, or any situations or conditions that involve injury or death. This is not a self-help book, nor is it to be used for diagnosis. This book is not a substitute for therapy.]]> 274 Roger Di Pietro Bradley 0 to-read 4.00 Anger: Psychological Reasons Why It Rises and How to Reduce It
author: Roger Di Pietro
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography]]> 39022876 Flying Circus to The Meaning of Life. Now, Eric Idle reflects on the meaning of his own life in this entertaining memoir that takes us on an unforgettable journey from his childhood in an austere boarding school through his successful career in comedy, television, theater, and film. Coming of age as a writer and comedian during the Sixties and Seventies, Eric stumbled into the crossroads of the cultural revolution and found himself rubbing shoulders with the likes of George Harrison, David Bowie, and Robin Williams, all of whom became dear lifelong friends. With anecdotes sprinkled throughout involving other close friends and luminaries such as Mike Nichols, Mick Jagger, Steve Martin, Paul Simon, Lorne Michaels, and many more, as well as the Pythons themselves, Eric captures a time of tremendous creative output with equal parts hilarity and heart. In Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, named for the song he wrote for Life of Brian (the film which he originally gave the irreverent title Jesus Christ: Lust for Glory) and that has since become the number one song played at funerals in the UK, he shares the highlights of his life and career with the kind of offbeat humor that has delighted audiences for five decades. The year 2019 marks the fiftieth anniversary of The Pythons, and Eric is marking the occasion with this hilarious memoir chock full of behind-the-scenes stories from a high-flying life featuring everyone from Princess Leia to Queen Elizabeth.]]> 290 Eric Idle 1984822586 Bradley 0 to-read 3.87 2018 Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography
author: Eric Idle
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[True Believer: A Thriller (2) (Terminal List)]]> 56898258 INSTANT BESTSELLER

“Jack Carr and his alter-ego protagonist, James Reece, continue to blow me away.� —Mark Greaney, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Mission Critical

In acclaimed author Jack Carr’s follow-up to The Terminal List, former Navy SEAL James Reece’s skill, cunning, and heroism put the US government back in his debt and set him on another path of revenge.

When a string of horrific terrorist attacks plagues the Western world during the holiday season, the broader markets fall into a tailspin. The attacks are being coordinated by a shadowy former Iraqi commando who has disappeared into Europe’s underground. The United States government has an asset who can turn the Iraqi against his masters: James Reece, the most-wanted domestic terrorist alive.

After avenging the deaths of his family and team members, Reece emerges deep in the wilds of Mozambique, protected by the family of his estranged best friend and former SEAL Team member. When a series of events uncovers his whereabouts, the CIA recruits him, using a Presidential pardon for Reece and immunity for the friends who helped him in his mission of vengeance.

Now a reluctant tool of the United States government, Reece travels the globe, targeting terrorist leaders, unraveling a geopolitical conspiracy that exposes a traitorous CIA officer, and uncovering a sinister assassination plot with worldwide repercussions.

A high-intensity roller-coaster race against time, True Believer is “one of this year’s hottest thrillers, and a perfect fit for fans of Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, and Daniel Silva� (The Real Book Spy).]]> 496 Jack Carr 1982171448 Bradley 0 to-read 4.39 2019 True Believer: A Thriller (2) (Terminal List)
author: Jack Carr
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Robin 41556029 A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITOR'S CHOICE
A SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
A VULTURE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

"A generous, appreciative biography of Robin Williams by a New York Times culture reporter. The author, who had access to Williams and members of the comedian’s family, is an unabashed fan but doesn’t shy away from the abundant messiness in his subject’s personal life."� The New York Times Book Review

From New York Times culture reporter Dave Itzkoff, the definitive biography of Robin Williams � a compelling portrait of one of America’s most beloved and misunderstood entertainers.

From his rapid-fire stand-up comedy riffs to his breakout role in Mork & Mindy and his Academy Award-winning performance in Good Will Hunting , Robin Williams was a singularly innovative and beloved entertainer. He often came across as a man possessed, holding forth on culture and politics while mixing in personal revelations � all with mercurial, tongue-twisting intensity as he inhabited and shed one character after another with lightning speed.

But as Dave Itzkoff shows in this revelatory biography, Williams’s comic brilliance masked a deep well of conflicting emotions and self-doubt, which he drew upon in his comedy and in celebrated films like Dead Poets Society ; Good Morning, Vietnam ; The Fisher King ; Aladdin ; and Mrs. Doubtfire , where he showcased his limitless gift for improvisation to bring to life a wide range of characters. And in Good Will Hunting he gave an intense and controlled performance that revealed the true range of his talent.

Itzkoff also shows how Williams struggled mightily with addiction and depression � topics he discussed openly while performing and during interviews � and with a debilitating condition at the end of his life that affected him in ways his fans never knew. Drawing on more than a hundred original interviews with family, friends, and colleagues, as well as extensive archival research, Robin is a fresh and original look at a man whose work touched so many lives.]]> 529 Dave Itzkoff 1250214815 Bradley 0 to-read 4.17 2018 Robin
author: Dave Itzkoff
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Last Wish (The Witcher, #1)]]> 60617128 Geralt the Witcher—revered and hated—holds the line against the monsters plaguing humanity in this collection of adventures, the first chapter in Andrzej Sapkowski’s groundbreaking epic fantasy series that inspired the hit Netflix show and the blockbuster video games.

Geralt is a Witcher, a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless hunter. Yet he is no ordinary killer. His sole purpose: to destroy the monsters that plague the world.

But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good . . . and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.

Witcher collections
The Last Wish
Sword of Destiny

Witcher novels
Blood of Elves
The Time of Contempt
Baptism of Fire
The Tower of Swallows
Lady of the Lake
Season of Storms

Hussite Trilogy
The Tower of Fools
Warriors of God

Translated from original Polish by Danusia Stok]]> 352 Andrzej Sapkowski 0316452467 Bradley 2 3.97 1993 The Last Wish (The Witcher, #1)
author: Andrzej Sapkowski
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1993
rating: 2
read at: 2024/10/29
date added: 2024/10/29
shelves:
review:
Part of me couldn’t wait to be done—please, just let it end. But it wasn’t the worst either.
]]> The Count of Monte Cristo 7131 1488 Alexandre Dumas 037576030X Bradley 4 4.34 1846 The Count of Monte Cristo
author: Alexandre Dumas
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.34
book published: 1846
rating: 4
read at: 2010/11/01
date added: 2024/10/24
shelves:
review:

]]> The Navigator's Children 60097938
The Hayholt is besieged by the Norns. Once the home of their immortal brethren, the Sithi, now capital of the kingdom of men, the fabled castle is under attack. And as the world is distracted by this strike against humankind, the Norns� deathless witch-queen Utuk’ku turns towards the mysterious fateful valley called Tanakirú—the Vale of Mists.

Meanwhile, Queen Miriamele hurries to save the Hayholt and capture the treacherous noble Pasevalles, but arrives to discover the traitor has escaped.

And inside Tanakirú, Vale of Mists, the bond between Prince Morgan and Nezeru, a renegade Norn, has become something deeper and stranger than either of them could have anticipated. They journey ever deeper to the heart of the valley’s mystery, encountering wonder and horror, and come face to face at last with the ancient secret that has kindled the Norn Queen’s war—a secret that will destroy immortals and humans alike.]]> 752 Tad Williams 0756418550 Bradley 0 to-read 4.62 2024 The Navigator's Children
author: Tad Williams
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.62
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Managing Expectations: A Memoir in Essays]]> 62668978 288 Minnie Driver 006311531X Bradley 4 4.09 2022 Managing Expectations: A Memoir in Essays
author: Minnie Driver
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/14
date added: 2024/10/14
shelves:
review:
It took her vocal performance in Tarzan to really get me to key into Minnie Driver. There's just something about her voice as Tarzan’s Jane that hooked me. Grosse Pointe Blank was probably my favorite film of hers. But I digress. Being hooked on her voice, you'd think I'd have listed to all her music. Nope. Not a note. But I did have an interest in her memoir. Well written and interesting. I think the most rewarding part for me was that it began and ended with her mother in a perfect tribute.
]]> Ordinary Grace 17063903
When tragedy unexpectedly comes to call on his family, which includes his Methodist minister father, his passionate, artistic mother, Juilliard-bound older sister, and wise-beyond-his years kid brother, Frank finds himself thrust into an adult world full of secrets, lies, adultery, and betrayal.

On the surface, "Ordinary Grace" is the story of the murder of a beautiful young woman, a beloved daughter and sister. At heart, it's the story of what that tragedy does to a boy, his family, and ultimately the fabric of the small town in which he lives. Told from Frank's perspective forty years after that fateful summer, it is a moving account of a boy standing at the door of his young manhood, trying to understand a world that seems to be falling apart around him. It is an unforgettable novel about discovering the terrible price of wisdom and the enduring grace of God.]]> 307 William Kent Krueger 1451645856 Bradley 4
For much of the second half of the book, my heart didn't know whether to sink or crawl up into my throat. I felt quite of bit of resonance in this book; although I haven't experienced directly those things the book touches on, the emotions felt in my life I think cross over into many experiences.]]> 4.34 2013 Ordinary Grace
author: William Kent Krueger
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/01
date added: 2024/10/01
shelves:
review:
Good read, aptly named, about bad things that happen in life and how we respond: with bitterness and anger, or with grace and patience and faith and love and�

For much of the second half of the book, my heart didn't know whether to sink or crawl up into my throat. I felt quite of bit of resonance in this book; although I haven't experienced directly those things the book touches on, the emotions felt in my life I think cross over into many experiences.
]]> Hondo 43416492
Louis L'Amour's Lost Treasures is a project created to release some of the author's more unconventional manuscripts from the family archives.

In Louis L'Amour's Lost Treasures: Volumes 1, Beau L'Amour takes the reader on a guided tour through many of the finished and unfinished short stories, novels, and treatments that his father was never able to publish during his lifetime. L'Amour's never-before-seen first novel, No Traveller Returns, faithfully completed for this program, is a voyage into danger and violence on the high seas. These exciting publications will be followed by Louis L'Amour's Lost Treasures: Volume 2.

Additionally, many beloved classics will be rereleased with an exclusive Lost Treasures postscript featuring previously unpublished material, including outlines, plot notes, and alternate drafts. These postscripts tell the story behind the stories that millions of readers have come to know and cherish.]]> 272 Louis L'Amour 059312992X Bradley 2 3.87 1953 Hondo
author: Louis L'Amour
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1953
rating: 2
read at: 2024/09/24
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves:
review:

]]> Crossfire Trail 1177260
Rafe Caradec--gambler, soldier of fortune, wanderer from far-off places--had made a promise to a dying man. To save his ranch in Wyoming for his wife and daugther.

All Rafe knew was that a lot of mighty powerful men were out to get that ranch. Rafe couldn't understand why until he discovered the secret hidden deep in the land--the secret Rodney's enemies had found long before.

Right now Rodney's daugther believed Rafe was a crook, and she was playing into the hands of the men who were plotting to destroy her.

But Rafe figured a way to save the land--and the girl.

It was dangerous but it was the only way he knew.]]> 208 Louis L'Amour 0553280996 Bradley 4 4.00 1954 Crossfire Trail
author: Louis L'Amour
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1954
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/15
date added: 2024/09/15
shelves:
review:
I grew up reading my grandparents Louis L’Amour books. I remember being caught up in the Sackett series but never competed them. This was a nice reminder of those times and that I might need to read a few more.
]]> Hamlet 26883506 Hamlet's combination of violence and introspection is unusual among Shakespeare's tragedies. It is also full of curious riddles and fascinating paradoxes, making it one of his most widely discussed plays.

Illustrated throughout by Sir John Gilbert (1817-1897), famous for his depictions of historical scenes. As well as Shakespeare, he illustrated works of Sir Walter Scott, Cervantes, Wilkie Collins and Wordsworth.

With an Introduction by Dr Robert Mighall.

Designed to appeal to the book lover, Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautifully bound hardback gift editions of much loved classic titles. Bound in real cloth, printed on high quality paper, and featuring ribbon markers and gilt edges, Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure.]]> 159 William Shakespeare 1909621862 Bradley 3 4.17 1601 Hamlet
author: William Shakespeare
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1601
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/06
date added: 2024/09/06
shelves:
review:
I felt an obligation to finish this. But same as when I was younger, Shakespeare doth not a connection make in me.
]]> <![CDATA[Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster]]> 871781
Into Thin Air is the definitive account of the deadliest season in the history of Everest by the acclaimed journalist and author of the bestseller Into the Wild. On assignment for Outside Magazine to report on the growing commercialization of the mountain, Krakauer, an accomplished climber, went to the Himalayas as a client of Rob Hall, the most respected high-altitude guide in the world.A rangy, thirty-five-year-old New Zealander, Hall had summited Everest four times between 1990 and 1995 and had led thirty-nine climbers to the top. Ascending the mountain in close proximity to Hall's team was a guided expedition led by Scott Fischer, a forty-year-old American with legendary strength and drive who had climbed the peak without supplemental oxygen in 1994. But neither Hall nor Fischer survived the rogue storm that struck in May 1996.

Krakauer examines what it is about Everest that has compelled so many people -- including himself -- to throw caution to the wind, ignore the concerns of loved ones, and willingly subject themselves to such risk, hardship, and expense. Written with emotional clarity and supported by his unimpeachable reporting, Krakauer's eyewitness account of what happened on the roof of the world is a singular achievement.

Into the Wild is available on audio, read by actor Campbell Scott.]]> 293 Jon Krakauer 0679457526 Bradley 4 4.31 1997 Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster
author: Jon Krakauer
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/08/18
shelves:
review:

]]> Rememberings 59064536
Blessed with a singular voice and a fiery temperament, Sinéad O’Connor rose to massive fame in the late 1980s and 1990s with a string of gold records. By the time she was twenty, she was world-famous—living a rock-star life out loud. From her trademark shaved head to her 1992 appearance on Saturday Night Live when she tore up Pope John Paul II’s photograph, Sinéad has fascinated and outraged millions.

In Rememberings, O’Connor recounts her painful tale of growing up in Dublin in a dysfunctional, abusive household. Inspired by a brother’s Bob Dylan records, she escaped into music. She relates her early forays with local Irish bands; we see Sinéad completing her first album while eight months pregnant, hanging with Rastas in the East Village, and soaring to unimaginable popularity with her cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U.�

Intimate, replete with candid anecdotes and told in a singular form true to her unconventional career, Sinéad’s memoir is a remarkable chronicle of an enduring and influential artist.]]> 288 Sinéad O'Connor 0358695260 Bradley 3
Her recent death kinda brought her back into my consciousness and I was hoping to learn more about her life--one that was full of troubles, turmoil, fame, and the choices we make in life.]]> 4.22 2021 Rememberings
author: Sinéad O'Connor
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/14
date added: 2024/08/14
shelves:
review:
I really enjoyed Sinéad's music--at least the music from her first two releases: The Lion and the Cobra and I Do Not Want What I Have Not Got--plus her greatest hits compilation. But then, she went "off the rails" and I stopped paying attention. She does a good job of telling her life's story, and while many of us had written her off as two bricks short, she appears in her writing to be very much in control. To me it comes down to choices, no matter what your past experience. Those choices are guided by the past, but they are made and you live with them. And she seems completely content with many of those. Good for her.

Her recent death kinda brought her back into my consciousness and I was hoping to learn more about her life--one that was full of troubles, turmoil, fame, and the choices we make in life.
]]> <![CDATA[Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing (International Edition)]]> 64398191 INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
#1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

The BELOVED STAR OF FRIENDS takes us behind the scenes of the hit sitcom and his struggles with addiction in this “CANDID, DARKLY FUNNY...POIGNANT� memoir (The New York Times)

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK by Time, Associated Press, ŷ, USA Today, and more!

“Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead.�

So begins the riveting story of acclaimed actor Matthew Perry, taking us along on his journey from childhood ambition to fame to addiction and recovery in the aftermath of a life-threatening health scare. Before the frequent hospital visits and stints in rehab, there was five-year-old Matthew, who traveled from Montreal to Los Angeles, shuffling between his separated parents; fourteen-year-old Matthew, who was a nationally ranked tennis star in Canada; twenty-four-year-old Matthew, who nabbed a coveted role as a lead cast member on the talked-about pilot then called Friends Like Us. . . and so much more.

In an extraordinary story that only he could tell—and in the heartfelt, hilarious, and warmly familiar way only he could tell it—Matthew Perry lays bare the fractured family that raised him (and also left him to his own devices), the desire for recognition that drove him to fame, and the void inside him that could not be filled even by his greatest dreams coming true. But he also details the peace he’s found in sobriety and how he feels about the ubiquity of Friends, sharing stories about his castmates and other stars he met along the way. Frank, self-aware, and with his trademark humor, Perry vividly depicts his lifelong battle with addiction and what fueled it despite seemingly having it all.

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is an unforgettable memoir that is both intimate and eye-opening—as well as a hand extended to anyone struggling with sobriety. Unflinchingly honest, moving, and uproariously funny, this is the book fans have been waiting for.]]> 272 Matthew Perry 125087954X Bradley 4
So I read it. and it's one of those repeating stories--Matthew even refers to the movie Groundhog Day a few times. It gets very repetitive and part of you wants to reach through time and space and slap the poor guy around a bit. Dude! But addictions are funny things (in a completely non-funny way)--they don't give a rat sass about what you know you should or shouldn't do. All common sense related to that addiction and your choices related to it might as well not exist in those key moments.

In the end, he talks of redemption in that he no longer feels the desire (because he realizes that no dosage of his drug of choice will get him the high he once got). And the fear of the permanent colostomy bag. Hell, I worry about that possibility and I don't have a drug addiction problem.

So he ends the book being made free from his addiction, although he acknowledges he'll fight it for the rest of his life. But in the end, he dies an unfortunate death indirectly, and also maybe directly, as a result of his prior drug use and addiction. ]]> 3.94 2022 Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing (International Edition)
author: Matthew Perry
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/28
date added: 2024/07/29
shelves:
review:
I wasn't going to read this book. "Another celebrity looking to cash in on the sympathy related to addiction, booze, women, and poor choices." But I liked Matthew Perry. I thought he was very funny in Friends, and I loved The Whole Nine Yards movie he did with Bruce Willis--still watch it every now and then (probably more for Natasha Henstridge than Matthew, but I digress). When he passed not too long after I thought maybe I would read it. We all have our demons. Some are addictions to substances and some are addictions to behaviors. They all take a certain toll on a person and they all have emotional, mental, and physical effects.

So I read it. and it's one of those repeating stories--Matthew even refers to the movie Groundhog Day a few times. It gets very repetitive and part of you wants to reach through time and space and slap the poor guy around a bit. Dude! But addictions are funny things (in a completely non-funny way)--they don't give a rat sass about what you know you should or shouldn't do. All common sense related to that addiction and your choices related to it might as well not exist in those key moments.

In the end, he talks of redemption in that he no longer feels the desire (because he realizes that no dosage of his drug of choice will get him the high he once got). And the fear of the permanent colostomy bag. Hell, I worry about that possibility and I don't have a drug addiction problem.

So he ends the book being made free from his addiction, although he acknowledges he'll fight it for the rest of his life. But in the end, he dies an unfortunate death indirectly, and also maybe directly, as a result of his prior drug use and addiction.
]]> <![CDATA[Echo Burning (Jack Reacher, #5)]]> 394715 557 Lee Child 0515143820 Bradley 4 4.00 2001 Echo Burning (Jack Reacher, #5)
author: Lee Child
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2024/07/15
date added: 2024/07/15
shelves:
review:
Somebody suggest something other than Lee Child for me to read, will ya? I mean, not really--I've got a boat load of unread books I need to read. But I've not been able to get fixed on any of them. Jack Reacher just does it for me as of late, and this one is as good as any of the previous Jack Reacher books I've read.
]]> Disappointing Affirmations 202469969
Pairing lovely vacation photos taken by the author himself with sayings that are amusingly self-critical, encouraging, disillusioned, or all three at once, Tarnowski points to feelings commonly unacknowledged or hidden and spotlights them with humor, wit, and empathy. You can do it! But you probably won’t. But Be kind to yourself, asshole. Transforming and re-envisioning the material for print while adding tons of new work, this is the funny-because-it’s-true, sneaky self-help gift book for anyone who isn’t happy all the time and doesn’t feel seenin the whole “positive mental attitude� culture.Unfollow your dreams!

IT REALLY IS OKAY TO NOT BE People say, “It’s okay to not be okay,� but then it feels like they need you to be okay. This subversively funny book is the perfect way to remind ourselves, or anyone who needs it, that it's better to deal with our feelings honestly than fall into the “positive vibes only� self-help trap.

COMEDY FOR A NEW Wellness has been slowly taking a darker turn in popular culture, and comedy is no exception. From Inside by Bo Burnham to the absurdity of TV giant Succession, audiences are drawn to media that embraces discomfort rather than drowning it out. Disappointing Affirmations may not look very comforting, but not all self-care comes in the form of warm hugs and sunrise yoga.

FOR HUMOR BOOK Seeking a gift for the anti-optimist in your life? This one fits the bill for fans of satirical doom classics and self-help antidotes such as All My Friends Are Dead, Am I Overthinking This?, the Worst Case Scenario series, and The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck.

THERE’S MORE: See also the Disappointing AffirmationsPencils and Disappointing Affirmations: 30 Postcards set. You won’t be disappointed.]]> 96 Dave Tarnowski 1797226665 Bradley 5 4.49 Disappointing Affirmations
author: Dave Tarnowski
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.49
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/07/03
date added: 2024/07/03
shelves:
review:
Truer and more insightful nuggets of wisdom, or bits of reality, you’ll be hard pressed to find. Thanks, Dave!
]]> <![CDATA[Running Blind (Jack Reacher, #4)]]> 461181 Alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here

Jack Reacher races to solve the perfect crime in the fourth novel in Lee Child’s New York Times bestselling series.

Across the country, women are being murdered, victims of a disciplined and clever killer who leaves no trace evidence, no fatal wounds, no signs of struggle, and no clues to an apparent motive. They are, truly, perfect crimes. In fact, there’s only one thing that links the victims. Each one of the women knew Jack Reacher—and it’s got him running blind.]]> 519 Lee Child 0515143502 Bradley 4 4.09 2000 Running Blind (Jack Reacher, #4)
author: Lee Child
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at: 2024/06/29
date added: 2024/06/29
shelves:
review:
I was pretty sure I knew but dismissed my suspicions. Turns out I was right. I liked this book.
]]> <![CDATA[Into the Narrowdark (The Last King of Osten Ard, #3)]]> 59350587 The New York Times bestselling world of Osten Ard returns in the third Last King of Osten Ard novel, as threats to the kingdom loom...

The High Throne of Erkynland is tottering, its royal family divided and diminished. Queen Miriamele has been caught up in a brutal rebellion in the south and thought to have died in a fiery attack. Her grandson Morgan, heir to the throne, has been captured by one of Utuk’ku’s soldiers in the ruins of an abandoned city. Miriamele’s husband, King Simon, is overwhelmed by grief and hopelessness, unaware that many of these terrible things have been caused by Pasevalles, a murderous traitor inside Simon’s own court at the Hayholt.

Meanwhile, a deadly army of Norns led by the ageless, vengeful Queen Utuk’ku, has swept into Erkynland and thrown down the fortress of Naglimund, slaughtering the inhabitants and digging up the ancient grave of Ruyan the Navigator. Utuk’ku plans to use the Navigator’s fabled armor to call up the spirit of Hakatri, the evil Storm King’s brother.

Even the Sithi, fairy-kin to the Norns, are helpless to stop Utuk’ku’s triumph as her armies simultaneously march on the Hayholt and force their way into the forbidden, ogre-guarded valley of Tanakirú—the Narrowdark—where a secret waits that might bring Simon’s people and their Sithi allies salvation—or doom.]]> 580 Tad Williams 0756410649 Bradley 3
Still and all, the book kept me interested and wanting to keep reading; although I found myself frustrated in parts wondering if there would ever be any kind of reprieve or break in all the seemingly endless bad news--folks went form the frying pan into the fire constantly and I felt like they deserved some sort of a break.]]> 4.47 2022 Into the Narrowdark (The Last King of Osten Ard, #3)
author: Tad Williams
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/06/19
date added: 2024/06/19
shelves:
review:
First things first: my gripes. 1) That Michael Whelan was dropped as the artist for the cover, whatever rationale the publisher or whoever was involved in that call, screwed up. Had it not been for the cover art on Dragonbone Chair and Stone of Farewell, I may very well have never started down the Tad Williams road. 2) The continuity of the various stories didn't seem to always line up. Chapters would often tell the stories of two or more separated, but still close in proximity, characters or groups of characters. We'd hit a climax or a cliffhanger at the end of a chapter and then in the next move to another group of characters. When we come back to resolve the climax or cliffhanger from a chapter or two previous, one group had gone days of travel or wandering, while another is dealing with the immediate consequences of whatever happened--but it's only been seconds. 3) Some minor editing issues.

Still and all, the book kept me interested and wanting to keep reading; although I found myself frustrated in parts wondering if there would ever be any kind of reprieve or break in all the seemingly endless bad news--folks went form the frying pan into the fire constantly and I felt like they deserved some sort of a break.
]]> <![CDATA[The Hard Way (Jack Reacher, #10)]]> 7000297
Lane runs a highly illegal soldiers-for-hire operation. He will use any tool to find his beautiful wife and child. And Jack Reacher is the best manhunter in the world.

On the trail of vicious kidnappers, Reacher learns the chilling secrets of his employer’s past . . . and of a horrific drama in the heart of a nasty little war. He knows that Edward Lane is hiding something. Something dirty. Something big. But Reacher also knows He’s already in way too deep to stop now. And if he has to do it the hard way, he will.]]> 477 Lee Child 0440246008 Bradley 0 to-read 4.20 2006 The Hard Way (Jack Reacher, #10)
author: Lee Child
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/06/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Hobbit 74377 THE RELUCTANT HOBBIT

Bilbo Baggins was a hobbit who wanted to be left alone in quiet comfort. But the wizard Gandalf came along with a band of homeless dwarves. Soon Bilbo was drawn into their quest, facing evil orcs, savage wolves, giant spiders, and worse unknown dangers. Finally, it was Bilbo—alone and unaided—who had to confront the great dragon Smaug, the terror of an entire countryside!

This stirring adventure fantasy begins the tale of the hobbits that was continued by J.R.R. Tolkien in his bestselling epic The Lord of the Rings.
--back cover]]> 287 J.R.R. Tolkien 0345296044 Bradley 5 4.35 1937 The Hobbit
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.35
book published: 1937
rating: 5
read at: 1983/04/01
date added: 2024/06/06
shelves:
review:
I just finished reading this book for the umpteenth time. This reading was spurred by the release of the first of the three-part movie. Maybe that's not a good idea. I seem to always leave the theater disappointed. Such is the case here. As good as the film is, it's overkill in my opinion. The Hobbit is supposed to be a children's story. Oh well. But this is a review of the book--not the film(s). The book is a classic, plain and simple. And I've got three grand-daughters growing up that I get to read this classic book to in the next few years.
]]> <![CDATA[The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)]]> 273438 The dark fearsome Ringwraiths were searching for a hobbit. Frodo Baggins knew they were seeking him and the Ring he bore - the Ring of Power that would enable evil Sauron to destroy all that was good in Middle-earth. Now it was up to Frodo and his faithful servant Sam, with a small band of companions, to carry the Ring to the one place it could be destroyed - Mount Doom, in the very center of Sauron's dark kingdom.

--back cover]]> 527 J.R.R. Tolkien 0345296052 Bradley 0 4.50 1954 The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1)
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.50
book published: 1954
rating: 0
read at: 1983/05/10
date added: 2024/06/06
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings, #2)]]> 35052708
Thus continues the magnificent, bestselling tale of adventure begun in The Fellowship of the Ring, which reaches its soul-stirring climax in The Return of the King.
--back cover]]> 447 J.R.R. Tolkien 0345296060 Bradley 0 4.58 1954 The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings, #2)
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.58
book published: 1954
rating: 0
read at: 1983/06/10
date added: 2024/06/06
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings, #3)]]> 222912 --back cover]]> 544 J.R.R. Tolkien 0345296087 Bradley 0 4.57 1955 The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings, #3)
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.57
book published: 1955
rating: 0
read at: 1983/07/10
date added: 2024/06/06
shelves:
review:

]]> Rickles' Book: A Memoir 3590260
Why you need to buy Rickles' Book

Rickles' Book will help you win friends and influence people.

Rickles' Book will introduce you to all of his famous friends, from Frank Sinatra to Johnny Carson.

Rickles' Book will help you lose weight.

Rickles' Book will help you gain weight.

Rickles' Book will improve your love life.

Rickles' Book will make you cry (If your love life doesn't improve).

Rickles' Book will make you laugh (If your love life does improve).

Rickles' Book will make you love one of the great Americans of our time, Don Rickles.

Rickles' Book will give you something to talk about at parties (If you're ever invited to parties).

Rickles' Book , along with the Bible and War and Peace , will grace your bookshelf and upgrade your literary status.

Rickles' Book will keep you up at night.

Rickles' Book will put you to sleep at night.

Rickles' Book will make you rich (If you treasure great humor).]]> 256 Don Rickles 0743293061 Bradley 3
What I really was hoping for in this book was more autobiography, but I did enjoy what was there, even if the stories and recollections were extremely brief.]]> 3.87 2007 Rickles' Book: A Memoir
author: Don Rickles
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/21
date added: 2024/05/22
shelves:
review:
I really wanted to like this more. I really enjoy watching old clips of Don Rickles and that generation of comics. The old Dean Martin roasts are epic! And Don is a favorite part of those. Such good memories. I wish comedy now was more like that—celebrity roasts now are offensive, crude, dirty, and full of needless bad language. The era of Don Rickles is gone.

What I really was hoping for in this book was more autobiography, but I did enjoy what was there, even if the stories and recollections were extremely brief.
]]> Tripwire (Jack Reacher, #3) 42741709 600 Lee Child Bradley 3 3.86 1999 Tripwire (Jack Reacher, #3)
author: Lee Child
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1999
rating: 3
read at: 2024/05/07
date added: 2024/05/07
shelves:
review:
I sure plowed through it pretty quick (relatively) for it being only a 3-star book.
]]> <![CDATA[The Terminal List (Terminal List, #1)]]> 51323306 A Navy SEAL has nothing left to live for and everything to kill for after he discovers that the American government is behind the deaths of his team in this ripped-from-the-headlines political thriller that is “so powerful, so pulse-pounding, so well-written—rarely do you read a debut novel this damn good� (Brad Thor, #1 New York Times bestselling author).

On his last combat deployment, Lieutenant Commander James Reece’s entire team was killed in a catastrophic ambush. But when those dearest to him are murdered on the day of his homecoming, Reece discovers that this was not an act of war by a foreign enemy but a conspiracy that runs to the highest levels of government.

Now, with no family and free from the military’s command structure, Reece applies the lessons that he’s learned in over a decade of constant warfare toward avenging the deaths of his family and teammates. With breathless pacing and relentless suspense, Reece ruthlessly targets his enemies in the upper echelons of power without regard for the laws of combat or the rule of law.

With “crackerjack plotting, vivid characters both in and out of uniform, and a relentless pace to a worthy finish� (Stephen Hunter, #1 New York Times bestselling author), The Terminal List is perfect for fans of Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, and Nelson DeMille.]]> 432 Jack Carr 1982158115 Bradley 3 4.44 2018 The Terminal List (Terminal List, #1)
author: Jack Carr
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/28
date added: 2024/04/28
shelves:
review:
While lacking in style and panache that other authors have, Jack Carr brings a knowledge, understanding, and experience that brings this story to life. When he describes something, I’m fairly certain, based on his resume and my limited understanding of how things work, they’re pretty spot on. Felt like there was a lot of name dropping going on throughout. Not people but products—down to specific details. Made me wonder if there were a few paid sponsorships involved. Overall I enjoyed the book and will likely pick up the next in the series.
]]> <![CDATA[Death In Paradise (Jesse Stone, #3)]]> 297486
We catch up with Stone and his buddies finishing off a great game of softball with a few brews in the parking lot. Jesse knows he should lay off but the camaraderie is so enjoyable. Then a couple of them call him from the shore of the nearby lake. They've found something and they need the Chief quick.

It's the body of a teenage girl. Very soon, Stone is looking for two things: the killer of the girl—and someone, anyone, who is willing to claim the body.]]> 320 Robert B. Parker 0425187063 Bradley 3 Meh. 3.89 2001 Death In Paradise (Jesse Stone, #3)
author: Robert B. Parker
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/22
date added: 2024/04/22
shelves:
review:
Meh.
]]> One Shot (Jack Reacher, #9) 7145108
“Pure, escapist gold . . . Mr. Child’s tough talk and thoughtful plotting make an ingenious combination.”� The New York Times

Six shots. Five dead. One heartland city thrown into a state of terror. But within hours the cops have it solved: a slam-dunk case. Except for one thing. The accused man says: You got the wrong guy. Then he says: Get Reacher for me.

And sure enough, ex—military investigator Jack Reacher is coming. He knows this shooter–a trained military sniper who never should have missed a shot. Reacher is certain something is not right–and soon the slam-dunk case explodes.

Now Reacher is teamed with a beautiful young defense lawyer, moving closer to the unseen enemy who is pulling the strings. Reacher knows that no two opponents are created equal. This one has come to the heartland from his own kind of hell. And Reacher knows that the only way to take him down is to match his ruthlessness and cunning–and then beat him shot for shot.]]> 466 Lee Child 0440246075 Bradley 4
3 1/2 stars

Reacher said nothing.

Reacher said nothing.

Helen said nothing.

Hutton said nothing.

Cash said nothing.

Reacher said more of nothing.

A lot of people said nothing.

It almost got old. Well, actually, it did get old. But I didn't write it. And I still enjoyed the book.]]> 4.14 2005 One Shot (Jack Reacher, #9)
author: Lee Child
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/27
date added: 2024/02/27
shelves:
review:
Jack Reacher--the book one of the Tom Cruise movies is based on--the one with Rosamund Pike.

3 1/2 stars

Reacher said nothing.

Reacher said nothing.

Helen said nothing.

Hutton said nothing.

Cash said nothing.

Reacher said more of nothing.

A lot of people said nothing.

It almost got old. Well, actually, it did get old. But I didn't write it. And I still enjoyed the book.
]]> <![CDATA[Blood Memory: The Tragic Decline and Improbable Resurrection of the American Buffalo]]> 142392370
The American buffalo—our nation’s official mammal—is an improbable, shaggy beast that has found itself at the center of many of our most mythic and sometimes heartbreaking tales. The largest land animals in the Western Hemisphere, they are survivors of a mass extinction that erased ancient species that were even larger. For nearly 10,000 years, they evolved alongside Native people who weaved them into every aspect of daily life; relied on them for food, clothing, and shelter; and revered them as equals.

Newcomers to the continent found the buffalo fascinating at first, but in time they came to consider them a hindrance to a young nation’s expansion. And in the space of only a decade, they were slaughtered by the millions for their hides, with their carcasses left to rot on the prairies. Then, teetering on the brink of disappearing from the face of the earth, they would be rescued by a motley collection of Americans, each of them driven by different—and sometimes competing—impulses. This is the rich and complicated story of a young republic's heedless rush to conquer a continent, but also of the dawn of the conservation era—a story of America at its very best and worst.]]> 352 Dayton Duncan 0593537343 Bradley 0 currently-reading 4.41 2023 Blood Memory: The Tragic Decline and Improbable Resurrection of the American Buffalo
author: Dayton Duncan
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/29
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Vengeance Is Mine: The Mountain Meadows Massacre and Its Aftermath]]> 62366610 The long-awaited follow-up to the groundbreaking Massacre at Mountain Meadows.

Published in 2008, Massacre at Mountain Meadows was a bombshell of a book, revealing the story of one of the grimmest episodes in Latter-day Saint history, when settlers in southwestern Utah slaughtered more than 100 members of a California-bound wagon train in 1857. In this much-anticipated sequel, Richard E. Turley Jr. and Barbara Jones Brown examine the aftermath of this atrocity.

Vengeance Is Mine documents southern Utah leaders' attempts to cover up their crime by silencing witnesses and spreading lies. Investigations by both governmental and church bodies were stymied by stonewalling and political wrangling. While nine men were eventually indicted, five were captured and only one, John D. Lee, was executed.

The book examines the maneuvering of the defense and prosecution in Lee's two trials, the second ending in Lee's conviction. Turley and Brown explore the fraught relationship between Lee and church president Brigham Young, and assess what role, if any, Young played in the cover-up. And they trace the fates of the other perpetrators, including the harrowing end of Nephi Johnson, who screamed "Blood! Blood! Blood!" in his delirium as he was dying, more than sixty years after the massacre.

Turley and Brown also tell the story of the massacre's few seventeen children who witnessed the slaughter and eventually returned to Arkansas, where the ill-fated wagon train originated.

Vengeance Is Mine brings the hitherto untold story of this shameful episode in Mormon and Utah history to its dramatic conclusion.]]> 520 Richard E. Turley Jr. 0195397851 Bradley 5 4.39 2023 Vengeance Is Mine: The Mountain Meadows Massacre and Its Aftermath
author: Richard E. Turley Jr.
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/29
date added: 2024/01/29
shelves:
review:
Tough read. Very well researched and documented. Doesn’t attempt to make excuses for what happened, but sheds factual and verifiable light on all of it.
]]> A Serpent's Tooth 18667998
Walt’s got Cord locked up for his own good, but the Absaroka County jailhouse is getting crowded since the arrival of the boy’s self-appointed bodyguard, a dangerously spry old man who claims to be blessed by Joseph Smith himself. As Walt, Vic, and Henry butt heads with the Lynears, they hear whispers of Big Oil and the CIA and fear they might be dealing with a lot more than they bargained for.]]> 368 Craig Johnson 014312546X Bradley 2 4.28 2013 A Serpent's Tooth
author: Craig Johnson
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2013
rating: 2
read at: 2024/01/22
date added: 2024/01/23
shelves:
review:
Disjointed and anticlimactic. Vic’s language seems to have gotten worse. The humor you expect from Walt was there, but seemed off. And the whole LDS splinter group involvement with the Lost Boy and the religious extremism that you felt was what you were headed towards, kinda just goes away. Just a bunch of stuff combined lead to a somewhat unsatisfactory read for me.
]]> As the Crow Flies 16171296 On the heels of A&E’s blockbuster show DzԲ�the latest New York Times bestseller in a “a top-notch tale of complex emotions and misguided treachery� (USA Today)The recent A&E premiere of DzԲ�a television series based on Craig Johnson’s New York Times bestselling Walt Longmire Mystery Series—was the highest rated scripted drama in the network’s history and consistently held its viewers throughout the season. Its success has readers stampeding to the bookstore, making As the Crow Flies Johnson’s biggest hardcover success. In his eighth adventure, Walt Longmire doesn’t have time for criminals. His daughter is getting married in two weeks and the wedding locale arrangements have just gone up in smoke signals. He needs to find a new site for the nuptials—fast. Unfortunately, his expedition to the Cheyenne Reservation is derailed by a grisly death. It’s not Walt’s turf, but he’s coerced into the investigation by Lolo Long, the beautiful new tribal police chief.
]]> 308 Craig Johnson 0143123297 Bradley 4 4.32 2012 As the Crow Flies
author: Craig Johnson
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/17
date added: 2024/01/17
shelves:
review:
I like Walt. There’s even a Robert Taylor reference playfully included.
]]> Die Trying (Jack Reacher, #2) 28695879 Librarian's Note: Alternate-cover edition for ISBN-10: 0515142247 / ISBN-13: 9780515142242

Jack Reacher finds himself in bad company in the second novel in Lee Child’s New York Times bestselling series.

When a woman is kidnapped off a Chicago street in broad daylight, Jack Reacher’s in the wrong place at the wrong time. He’s kidnapped with her. Chained together and racing across America toward an unknown destination, they’re at the mercy of a group of men demanding an impossible ransom. Because Reacher’s female companion is worth more than he imagines. Now he has to save them both—from the inside out—or die trying…]]> 567 Lee Child Bradley 4 3.87 1998 Die Trying (Jack Reacher, #2)
author: Lee Child
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1998
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/06
date added: 2024/01/06
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bad Luck and Trouble (Jack Reacher, #11)]]> 6388980
“Electrifying . . . this series [is] utterly addictive.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times

From a helicopter high above the California desert, a man is sent free-falling into the night. On the streets of Portland, Jack Reacher is pulled out of his wandering life and plunged into the heart of a conspiracy that is killing old friends . . . and the people he once trusted with his life.

Reacher is the ultimate loner—no phone, no ties, no address. But a woman from his old military unit has found him using a signal only the eight members of their elite team would know. Then she tells him a terrifying story about the brutal death of a man they both served with. Soon Reacher is reuniting with the survivors of his team, scrambling to unravel the sudden disappearance of two other comrades. But Reacher won’t give up—because in a world of bad luck and trouble, when someone targets Jack Reacher and his team, they’d better be ready for what comes right back at them.]]> 477 Lee Child 0440246016 Bradley 4 4.14 2007 Bad Luck and Trouble (Jack Reacher, #11)
author: Lee Child
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/25
date added: 2023/12/25
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Empire of Grass (The Last King of Osten Ard, #2)]]> 41442670 Set in Williams'New York Timesbestselling fantasy world, the second book of The Last King of Osten Ard returns to the trials of King Simon and Queen Miriamele as threats to their kingdom loom...The kingdoms of Osten Ard have been at peace for decades, but now, the threat of a new war grows to nightmarish proportions.Simon and Miriamele, royal husband and wife, face danger from every side. Their allies in Hernystir have made a pact with the dreadful Queen of the Norns to allow her armies to cross into mortal lands. The ancient, powerful nation of Nabban is on the verge of bloody civil war, and the fierce nomads of the Thrithings grasslands have begun to mobilize, united by superstitious fervor and their age-old hatred of the city-dwellers. But as the countries and peoples of the High Ward bicker among themselves, battle, bloodshed, and dark magics threaten to pull civilizations to pieces. And over it all looms the mystery of the Witchwood Crown, the deadly puzzle that Simon, Miriamele, and their allies must solve if they wish to survive.But as the kingdoms of Osten Ard are torn apart by fear and greed, a few individuals will fight for their own lives and destinies—not yet aware that the survival of everything depends on them.]]> 688 Tad Williams 0698191498 Bradley 4 4.49 2019 Empire of Grass (The Last King of Osten Ard, #2)
author: Tad Williams
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/08
date added: 2023/11/09
shelves:
review:
Tad Williams has got it going on when it comes to Osten Ard. I really really have enjoyed reading this follow-up series to Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. Those books feel like forever ago--and I guess they kinda were. I did find myself slightly frustrated reading this one, however. The editor missed a few goofs: misspellings, extra words, etc. The older I've gotten, whether I like it or not, I pick up on those little things and they get stuck in me somewhere. There seemed to be a few more in this that I typically see--I typically don't see any.
]]> <![CDATA[Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail]]> 16041808 Told with suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wild powerfully captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her.]]> 317 Cheryl Strayed 0307476073 Bradley 4
While I see Cheryl and me as generally being polar opposites in most things, the desire to escape in order to discover is probably one things that we share in common. Her tale is completely relatable in so many ways, although I think our experiences couldn't be more different. She came to see and appreciate tings in her life in a different way as a result of her time and he miles put in on the PCT. When you strip things down to absolute minimums: it's just me and what I can carry that is going to get me through the next couple of weeks, or the next X number of miles--I believe that can become one of the greatest classrooms of a persons life.]]> 4.09 2012 Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
author: Cheryl Strayed
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/23
date added: 2023/09/23
shelves:
review:
Longest hike I've ever done was 50ish miles. I would love love love to be able to drop everything for however long and do nothing but hike for a week or two. The PCT, the Appalachian, or other super long trails--and the months of time required--doesn't appeal to me so much; but bits and pieces or shorter trails absolutely does. Maybe some day before I get too old.

While I see Cheryl and me as generally being polar opposites in most things, the desire to escape in order to discover is probably one things that we share in common. Her tale is completely relatable in so many ways, although I think our experiences couldn't be more different. She came to see and appreciate tings in her life in a different way as a result of her time and he miles put in on the PCT. When you strip things down to absolute minimums: it's just me and what I can carry that is going to get me through the next couple of weeks, or the next X number of miles--I believe that can become one of the greatest classrooms of a persons life.
]]> Dune (Dune, #1) 53180949 Librarian's note: There is an Alternate Cover Edition for this edition of this book here.

In 1965, after being rejected by more than a dozen publishing houses, a book called "Dune" was brought out by the Chilton Book Company. Its respected author, journalist Frank Herbert, had written "Dune" with nothing more in mind than to entertain his readers with the telling of a particularly complex story, one which had occupied his thoughts for more than six years. No one - not Herbert, not Chilton, not the science fiction community at the time - had any idea that "Dune" would be adopted and read by successive generations with a fervor bordering on cult worship. Or that it would prove to be merely the first of what have now become five international bestsellers about a desert world of the future - the planet Arrakis, called Dune.]]> 884 Frank Herbert 0441172717 Bradley 4
So I finally read it. Not too bad. Felt like 7/8's of it was build up and then, BOOM!, the resolution really quick. Maybe I was half asleep as I read the end, but the ending was somewhat anti-climactic. Not dis-satisfying, but abrupt. I still haven't completed reading the appendices, but will work on that next.

I told myself I wasn't going to read 800 page books any more so I'm not sure if I'll read any of the sequels, but I'm not ruling it out.]]> 4.36 1965 Dune (Dune, #1)
author: Frank Herbert
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.36
book published: 1965
rating: 4
read at: 2023/09/19
date added: 2023/09/19
shelves:
review:
I tried starting this way back in the 80's (the 1980's), but saw the move that was released in 1984 and decided, nope! Fast forward 30 years and I decided I needed to give it another go as books should never be judged based on their movie adaptation. Generally. I finally got around to it, and it had nothing to do with the new 2020 Dune movie directed by Denis Villeneuve (I bought the book in 2018).

So I finally read it. Not too bad. Felt like 7/8's of it was build up and then, BOOM!, the resolution really quick. Maybe I was half asleep as I read the end, but the ending was somewhat anti-climactic. Not dis-satisfying, but abrupt. I still haven't completed reading the appendices, but will work on that next.

I told myself I wasn't going to read 800 page books any more so I'm not sure if I'll read any of the sequels, but I'm not ruling it out.
]]> <![CDATA[The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11]]> 48590066
Over the past eighteen years, monumental literature has been published about 9/11, from Lawrence Wright’s The Looming Tower, which traced the rise of al-Qaeda, to The 9/11 Commission Report, the government’s definitive factual retrospective of the attacks. But one perspective has been missing up to this point—a 360-degree account of the day told through the voices of the people who experienced it.

Now, in The Only Plane in the Sky, award-winning journalist and bestselling historian Garrett Graff tells the story of the day as it was lived—in the words of those who lived it. Drawing on never-before-published transcripts, recently declassified documents, original interviews, and oral histories from nearly five hundred government officials, first responders, witnesses, survivors, friends, and family members, Graff paints the most vivid and human portrait of the September 11 attacks yet.

Beginning in the predawn hours of airports in the Northeast, we meet the ticket agents who unknowingly usher terrorists onto their flights, and the flight attendants inside the hijacked planes. In New York City, first responders confront a scene of unimaginable horror at the Twin Towers. From a secret bunker underneath the White House, officials watch for incoming planes on radar. Aboard the small number of unarmed fighter jets in the air, pilots make a pact to fly into a hijacked airliner if necessary to bring it down. In the skies above Pennsylvania, civilians aboard United Flight 93 make the ultimate sacrifice in their place. Then, as the day moves forward and flights are grounded nationwide, Air Force One circles the country alone, its passengers isolated and afraid.

More than simply a collection of eyewitness testimonies, The Only Plane in the Sky is the historic narrative of how ordinary people grappled with extraordinary events in real time: the father and son working in the North Tower, caught on different ends of the impact zone; the firefighter searching for his wife who works at the World Trade Center; the operator of in-flight telephone calls who promises to share a passenger’s last words with his family; the beloved FDNY chaplain who bravely performs last rites for the dying, losing his own life when the Towers collapse; and the generals at the Pentagon who break down and weep when they are barred from rushing into the burning building to try to rescue their colleagues.

At once a powerful tribute to the courage of everyday Americans and an essential addition to the literature of 9/11, The Only Plane in the Sky weaves together the unforgettable personal experiences of the men and women who found themselves caught at the center of an unprecedented human drama. The result is a unique, profound, and searing exploration of humanity on a day that changed the course of history, and all of our lives.]]> 528 Garrett M. Graff 1501182218 Bradley 0 to-read 4.73 2019 The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11
author: Garrett M. Graff
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.73
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings Boxed Set: Illustrated edition]]> 51628000
19 CDs. 17 hrs 30 mins.]]> 1601 J.R.R. Tolkien 0008376107 Bradley 0 to-read 4.90 1954 The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings Boxed Set: Illustrated edition
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.90
book published: 1954
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor]]> 1375114 873 Gordon W. Prange 0070506698 Bradley 0 to-read 4.20 1981 At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor
author: Gordon W. Prange
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1981
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/09/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Fire in the Hole: Stories 11959574 � New York Times Book Review “Vintage Leonard�.Nine stories with booze and shotguns and lowlifes…and lots of scenes that ought to be in movies.�
� Detroit Free Press Originally published as When the Women Came Out to Dance , Elmore Leonard’s extraordinary story collection, Fire in the Hole reconfirms his standing as the “King Daddy of crime writers� ( Seattle Times )—a true Grand Master in the legendary company of John D. MacDonald, Dashiell Hammett, and James M. Cain. These nine riveting tales of crime and (sometimes) punishment—including the title story starring U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, which was the basis for the smash hit TV series Justified —feature all the elements that have made the great Elmore Leonard superb writing, unforgettable characters, breathtaking twists, and the sharpest, coolest dialogue in the mystery-thriller genre.]]> 256 Elmore Leonard 0062120344 Bradley 5
As I age, I see the appeal in short stories like these. It’s much easier and less time consuming to get drawn in and find a satisfactory (or not so) end.]]> 4.03 2001 Fire in the Hole: Stories
author: Elmore Leonard
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2001
rating: 5
read at: 2023/08/11
date added: 2023/08/11
shelves:
review:
Fun book of short stories. Like hundreds, if not thousands, of others, the FX series Justified brought me and this book together. Little did I know I’d find Karen Sisco here as well—would really have liked to have seen that series succeed.

As I age, I see the appeal in short stories like these. It’s much easier and less time consuming to get drawn in and find a satisfactory (or not so) end.
]]> <![CDATA[The Witchwood Crown (The Last King of Osten Ard, #1)]]> 31185918 New York Times-bestselling Tad Williams� ground-breaking epic fantasy saga of Osten Ard begins an exciting new cycle! � Volume One of The Last King of Osten Ard

The Dragonbone Chair, the first volume of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, was published in hardcover in October, 1988, launching the series that was to become one of the seminal works of modern epic fantasy. Many of today’s top-selling fantasy authors, from Patrick Rothfuss to George R. R. Martin to Christopher Paolini credit Tad with being the inspiration for their own series.

Now, twenty-four years after the conclusion of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, Tad returns to his beloved universe and characters with The Witchwood Crown, the first novel in the long-awaited sequel trilogy, The Last King of Osten Ard.

Thirty years have passed since the events of the earlier novels, and the world has reached a critical turning point once again. The realm is threatened by divisive forces, even as old allies are lost, and others are lured down darker paths. Perhaps most terrifying of all, the Norns—the long-vanquished elvish foe—are stirring once again, preparing to reclaim the mortal-ruled lands that once were theirs....]]> 733 Tad Williams 069819148X Bradley 4 4.17 2017 The Witchwood Crown (The Last King of Osten Ard, #1)
author: Tad Williams
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2022/03/10
date added: 2023/07/29
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[John Wayne: The Life and Legend]]> 22609448
John Wayne was one of Hollywood’s most famous and most successful actors, but he was more than that. He became a symbol of America itself. He epitomized the Western film, which for many people epitomized America. He identified with conservative political causes from the early 1930s to his death in 1979, making him a hero to one generation of Americans and a villain to another. But unlike fellow actor Ronald Reagan, Wayne had no interest in politics as a career. Like many stars, he altered his life story, claiming to have become an actor almost by accident when in fact he had studied drama and aspired to act for most of his youth. He married three times, all to Latina women, and conducted a lengthy affair with Marlene Dietrich, as unlikely a romantic partner as one could imagine for the Duke. Wayne projected dignity, integrity, and strength in all his films, even when his characters were flawed, and whatever character he played was always prepared to confront injustice in his own way. More than thirty years after his death, he remains the standard by which male stars are judged and an actor whose morally unambiguous films continue to attract sizeable audiences.

Scott Eyman interviewed Wayne, as well as many family members, and he has drawn on previously unpublished reminiscences from friends and associates of the Duke in this biography, as well as documents from his production company that shed light on Wayne’s business affairs. He traces Wayne from his childhood to his stardom in Stagecoach and dozens of films after that. Eyman perceptively analyzes Wayne’s relationship with John Ford, the director with whom he’s most associated and who made some of Wayne’s greatest films, among them She Wore a Yellow Ribbon , The Quiet Man , and The Searchers . His evaluation of Wayne himself is a skilled actor who was reluctant to step outside his comfort zone. Wayne was self-aware; he once said, “I’ve played the kind of man I’d like to have been.� It’s that man and the real John Wayne who are brilliantly profiled in Scott Eyman’s insightful biography of a true American legend.]]> 658 Scott Eyman 1439199590 Bradley 0 currently-reading 4.37 2014 John Wayne: The Life and Legend
author: Scott Eyman
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/27
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> 1984 5470 328 George Orwell Bradley 3 4.15 1949 1984
author: George Orwell
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1949
rating: 3
read at: 2023/07/18
date added: 2023/07/18
shelves:
review:
While I didn’t really enjoy the book, I can definitely see parallels between it and life in 2023. If only to serve as a warning, it succeeds. Or kinda does. Political sides, left and right, will continue to point to this book and suggest the other side is guilty of creating Big Brother. And they’re probably both right, which leads me to believe (maybe) that opposing political ideologies are probably all run by a single group looking to create their own version of 1984 and subjugation of the masses. It’s a depressing read, but probably one that everybody should check off their list.
]]> The Killer Angels 1058112 “My favorite historical novel . . . a superb re-creation of the Battle of Gettysburg, but its real importance is its insight into what the war was about, and what it meant.”—James M. McPherson

In the four most bloody and courageous days of our nation’s history, two armies fought for two conflicting dreams. One dreamed of freedom, the other of a way of life. Far more than rifles and bullets were carried into battle. There were memories. There were promises. There was love. And far more than men fell on those Pennsylvania fields. Bright futures, untested innocence, and pristine beauty were also the casualties of war.

Michael Shaara’s Pulitzer Prize–winning masterpiece is unique, sweeping, unforgettable - the dramatic story of the battleground for America’s destiny.]]> 337 Michael Shaara 034540727X Bradley 5 Read it. Recommend highly. 4.30 1974 The Killer Angels
author: Michael Shaara
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1974
rating: 5
read at: 2023/06/23
date added: 2023/06/23
shelves:
review:
Read it. Recommend highly.
]]> <![CDATA[Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life]]> 9963483 199 Richard Rohr 0470907754 Bradley 0 to-read 4.21 2004 Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life
author: Richard Rohr
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/06/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution]]> 61918539
Comedic actor, producer, and writer Rainn Wilson, cofounder of the media company SoulPancake, explores the problem-solving benefits that spirituality gives us to create solutions for an increasingly challenging world.

The trauma that our struggling species has experienced in recent years—because of both the pandemic and societal tensions that threaten to overwhelm us—is not going away anytime soon. Existing political and economic systems are not enough to bring the change that the world needs. In this book, Rainn Wilson explores the possibility and hope for a spiritual revolution, a “Soul Boom,� to find a healing transformation on both a personal and global level

For Wilson, this is a serious and essential pursuit, but he brings great humor and his own unique perspective to the conversation. He feels that, culturally, we’ve discounted spirituality—faith and the sacred—and we need profound healing and a unifying understanding of the world that the great spiritual traditions provide. Wilson’s approach to spirituality—the non-physical, eternal aspects of ourselves—is relatable and applies to people of all beliefs, even the skeptics. Filled with genuine insight—not to mention enlightening Kung Fu and Star Trek references� Soul Boom delves into ancient wisdom to seek out practical, transformative answers to life’s biggest questions.]]> 304 Rainn Wilson 0306828278 Bradley 2
I will give Rainn credit for stating something I've felt for quite some time. His final chapter repeats the call for unity, compassion, and understanding. And he emphasizes that these all require action. We're all going to have our differences; but being able to look past those and understand that we are all working towards the same basic goals, focusing on finding the common needs, showing compassion and understanding (and being tolerant) would do this world a world of good.]]> 3.81 2023 Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution
author: Rainn Wilson
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2023/06/13
date added: 2023/06/13
shelves:
review:
Meh. While I wholeheartedly agree with the premise, Dwight was unable to convince me in his book that he had figured out a way to make that revolution happen. I wanted to feel encouraged and motivated, but was left feeling like I had been lectured to and that my current level or source of spirituality was misguided and divisive.

I will give Rainn credit for stating something I've felt for quite some time. His final chapter repeats the call for unity, compassion, and understanding. And he emphasizes that these all require action. We're all going to have our differences; but being able to look past those and understand that we are all working towards the same basic goals, focusing on finding the common needs, showing compassion and understanding (and being tolerant) would do this world a world of good.
]]> <![CDATA[Killing Floor (Jack Reacher, #1)]]> 15808665
New intro by author.]]> 524 Lee Child 0515153656 Bradley 4 3.97 1997 Killing Floor (Jack Reacher, #1)
author: Lee Child
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at: 2023/06/03
date added: 2023/06/04
shelves:
review:

]]> Blood and Treasure 57693393
National Bestseller

"[The] authors� finest work to date." � Wall Street Journal

The explosive true saga of the legendary figure Daniel Boone and the bloody struggle for America's frontier by two bestselling authors at the height of their writing power―Bob Drury and Tom Clavin.

It is the mid-eighteenth century, and in the thirteen colonies founded by Great Britain, anxious colonists desperate to conquer and settle North America’s “First Frontier� beyond the Appalachian Mountains commence a series of bloody battles. These violent conflicts are waged against the Native American tribes whose lands they covet, the French, and the mother country itself in an American Revolution destined to reverberate around the world.

This is the setting of Blood and Treasure, and the guide to this epic narrative is America’s first and arguably greatest pathfinder, Daniel Boone―not the coonskin cap-wearing caricature of popular culture but the flesh-and-blood frontiersman and Revolutionary War hero whose explorations into the forested frontier beyond the great mountains would become the stuff of legend. Now, thanks to painstaking research by two award-winning authors, the story of the brutal birth of the United States is told through the eyes of both the ordinary and larger-than-life men and women who witnessed it.

This fast-paced and fiery narrative, fueled by contemporary diaries and journals, newspaper reports, and eyewitness accounts, is a stirring chronicle of the conflict over America’s “First Frontier� that places the reader at the center of this remarkable epoch and its gripping tales of courage and sacrifice.]]> 432 Bob Drury 1250247152 Bradley 3 3.95 2021 Blood and Treasure
author: Bob Drury
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2023/05/04
date added: 2023/05/04
shelves:
review:
Grandpa Mecham gave me the nickname Boone when I was a kid. Don’t know if Daniel Boone inspired that or not, but I’ve always gone with the assumption that it did. While a good history lesson on the life of the frontiersman is here given, the authors use a lot of words that I needed a dictionary to understand. Maybe I’m just simple. But those words took me out of the story and made it a fractured tale.
]]> The Old Man and the Sea 60090966 128 Ernest Hemingway Bradley 5 3.35 1952 The Old Man and the Sea
author: Ernest Hemingway
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.35
book published: 1952
rating: 5
read at: 2023/03/29
date added: 2023/03/31
shelves:
review:
Short—started and finished within 3 hours. Hope. Determination and will despite and against the odds and bad luck.
]]> <![CDATA[The Lost Art of Running: A Journey to Rediscover the Forgotten Essence of Human Movement]]> 55032554 'Heads up � here's how to run like a pro' - The Times'A fascinating book' - Adharanand Finn, author of Running With the Kenyans'I'm convinced that Shane's insights were were instrumental in me winning the Marathon des Sables for a second time' - Elisabet Barnes, coach and athlete'Shane is the Indiana Jones of the running world' - Damian Hall, ultra marathon runner'You can't but help go out the door for your next run and try to put it all into practice' - Nicky Spinks, endurance runnerThe Lost Art of Running is an opportunity to join running technique analyst coach and movement guru Shane Benzie on his journey across five continents as he trains with and analyses the running style of some of the most gifted athletes on the planet.Part narrative, part practical, this adventure takes you to the foothills of Ethiopia and the 'town of runners'; to the training grounds of world-record-holding marathon runners in Kenya; racing across the Arctic Circle and the mountains of Europe, through the sweltering sands of the Sahara and the hostility of a winter traverse of the Pennine Way, to witness the incredible natural movement of runners in these environments.Along the way, you will learn how to incorporate natural movement techniques into your own running and hear from some of the top athletes that Shane has coached over the years. Whether experienced or just tackling your first few miles, this groundbreaking book will help you discover the lost art of running.]]> 303 Shane Benzie 1472968115 Bradley 0 to-read 4.07 The Lost Art of Running: A Journey to Rediscover the Forgotten Essence of Human Movement
author: Shane Benzie
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.07
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/03/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Trouble In Paradise (Jesse Stone, #2)]]> 3367953
Stiles Island is a wealthy and exclusive enclave separated by a bridge from the Massachusetts coast town of Paradise. James Macklin sees the Island as the ultimate investment all he needs to do is invade it, blow the bridge, and loot the island. To realize his scheme, Macklin, along with his devoted girlfriend, Faye, assembles a crew of fellow ex-cons—all experts in their fields—including Wilson Cromartie, a fearsome Apache. James Macklin is a bad man, a very bad man. And Wilson Cromartie, known as Crow, is even worse.

As Macklin plans his crime, Paradise police chief Jesse Stone has his hands full. He faces romantic entanglements in his ex-wife, Jenn, is in the Paradise jail for assault, he’s begun a new relationship with a Stiles Island realtor named Marcy Campbell, and he’s still sorting out his feelings for attorney Abby Taylor. When Macklin’s attack on Stiles Island is set in motion, both Marcy and Abby are put in jeopardy. As the casualties mount, it’s up to Jesse to keep both women from harm.]]> 336 Robert B. Parker 0425221105 Bradley 3 3.99 1998 Trouble In Paradise (Jesse Stone, #2)
author: Robert B. Parker
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1998
rating: 3
read at: 2023/03/03
date added: 2023/03/04
shelves:
review:
A decent Jesse Stone novel, just didn’t seem to carry the same weight as the first. I’m no prude, and this is a fairly tame book, but the coarse language seemed to increase significantly in this book and I’m not entirely sure it was necessary.
]]> <![CDATA[The Enduring Echo of Words Unsaid]]> 62569570 276 Michael Bowe Bradley 0 to-read 4.06 The Enduring Echo of Words Unsaid
author: Michael Bowe
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.06
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/02/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Night Passage (Jesse Stone, #1)]]> 781074
After a busted marriage kicks his drinking problem into overdrive and the LAPD unceremoniously dumps him, thirty-five-year-old Jesse Stone’s future looks bleak. So he’s shocked when a small Massachusetts town called Paradise recruits him as police chief. He can’t help wondering if this job is a genuine chance to start over, the kind of offer he can’t refuse.

Once on board, Jesse doesn’t have to look for trouble in it comes to him. For what is on the surface a quiet New England community quickly proves to be a crucible of political and moral corruption—replete with triple homicide, tight Boston mob ties, flamboyantly errant spouses, maddened militiamen and a psychopath-about-town who has fixed his violent sights on the new lawman. Against all this, Jesse stands utterly alone, with no one to trust—even he and the woman he’s seeing are like ships passing in the night. He finds he must test his mettle and powers of command to emerge a local hero—or the deadest of dupes.]]> 402 Robert B. Parker 0425183963 Bradley 4 3.95 1997 Night Passage (Jesse Stone, #1)
author: Robert B. Parker
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at: 2023/02/19
date added: 2023/02/19
shelves:
review:
Having watched all the Jesse Stone shows starring Tom Selleck, I felt it almost an obligation to read at least the first book. I liked it. Trouble In Paradise (book #2) will be here on Wednesday.
]]> <![CDATA[The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1)]]> 36059697 1092 Ken Follett 1509848495 Bradley 0 to-read 4.37 1989 The Pillars of the Earth (Kingsbridge, #1)
author: Ken Follett
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.37
book published: 1989
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/02/03
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[American Buffalo: In Search of a Lost Icon]]> 6557016
A hunt for the American buffalo, an adventurous, fascinating examination of an animal that has haunted the American imagination—from the hostof the show MeatEater as seen on Netflix

In 2005, Steven Rinella won a lottery permit to hunt for a wild buffalo, or American bison, in the Alaskan wilderness.Despite the odds—there’s only a 2 percent chance of drawing the permit, and fewer than 20 percent of those hunters are successful—Rinella managed to kill a buffalo on a snow-covered mountainside and then raft the meat back to civilization while being trailed by grizzly bears and suffering from hypothermia. Throughout these adventures, Rinella found himself contemplating his own place among the 14,000 years� worth of buffalo hunters in North America, as well as the buffalo’s place in the American experience. At the time of the Revolutionary War, North America was home to approximately 40 million buffalo, the largest herd of big mammals on the planet, but by the mid-1890s only a few hundred remained. Now that the buffalo is on the verge of a dramatic ecological recovery across the West, Americans are faced with the challenge of how, and if, we can dare to share our land with a beast that is the embodiment of the American wilderness.

American Buffalo is a narrative tale of Rinella’s hunt. But beyond that, it is the story of the many ways in which the buffalo has shaped our national identity. Rinella takes us across the continent in search of the buffalo’s past, present, and future: to the Bering Land Bridge, where scientists search for buffalo bones amid artifacts of the New World’s earliest human inhabitants; to buffalo jumps where Native Americans once ran buffalo over cliffs by the thousands; to the Detroit Carbon works, a “bone charcoal� plant that made fortunes in the late 1800s by turning millions of tons of buffalo bones into bone meal, black dye, and fine china; and even to an abattoir turned fashion mecca in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District, where a depressed buffalo named Black Diamond met his fate after serving as the model for the American nickel.

Rinella’s erudition and exuberance, combined with his gift for storytelling, make him the perfect guide for a book that combines outdoor adventure with a quirky blend of facts and observations about history, biology, and the natural world. Both a captivating narrative and a book of environmental and historical significance, American Buffalo tells us as much about ourselves as Americans as it does about the creature who perhaps best of all embodies the American ethos.]]> 304 Steven Rinella 0385521693 Bradley 5
What really got me interested in the plight of the American Buffalo was a trip to Yellowstone in the mid 90's where I learned about Brucellosis and what was happening to the Bison as they left the park--they are wild animals and don't recognize fences or borders so much, and the concerns of the Montana cattle industry didn't interest them at all. In his Author's Note at the end of the book, Steven explains the Brucellosis problem, but indicates he has hopes that at some point, a wild and free bison herd will be allowed to migrate freely once again. I wrote a paper on the subject in college years ago and didn't come away from it feeling quite so optimistic. My hope is that the author is more correct than me.

Anyways, good book. The author tells a good story and has a very entertaining writing style,.]]> 4.45 2008 American Buffalo: In Search of a Lost Icon
author: Steven Rinella
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2020/12/09
date added: 2023/01/10
shelves:
review:
Probably one of the best reads I've had in a LONG time. There's nothing world changing about this book--it's just a subject that I have a personal interest in. I really enjoyed the "history" lesson on the American Buffalo and its near extinction.

What really got me interested in the plight of the American Buffalo was a trip to Yellowstone in the mid 90's where I learned about Brucellosis and what was happening to the Bison as they left the park--they are wild animals and don't recognize fences or borders so much, and the concerns of the Montana cattle industry didn't interest them at all. In his Author's Note at the end of the book, Steven explains the Brucellosis problem, but indicates he has hopes that at some point, a wild and free bison herd will be allowed to migrate freely once again. I wrote a paper on the subject in college years ago and didn't come away from it feeling quite so optimistic. My hope is that the author is more correct than me.

Anyways, good book. The author tells a good story and has a very entertaining writing style,.
]]> <![CDATA[Hell Is Empty (Walt Longmire, #7)]]> 13542784 Well-read and world-weary, Sheriff Walt Longmire has been maintaining order in Wyoming's Absaroka County for more than thirty years, but in this riveting seventh outing, he is pushed to his limits.

Raynaud Shade, an adopted Crow Indian rumored to be one of the country's most dangerous sociopaths, has just confessed to murdering a boy ten years ago and burying him deep within the Bighorn Mountains. Walt is asked to transport Shade through a blizzard to the site, but what begins as a typical criminal transport turns personal when the veteran lawman learns that he knows the dead boy's family. Guided only by Indian mysticism and a battered paperback of Dante's Inferno , Walt braves the icy hell of the Cloud Peak Wilderness Area, cheating death to ensure that justice--both civil and spiritual--is served. ]]> 352 Craig Johnson 0143120980 Bradley 3 4.37 2011 Hell Is Empty (Walt Longmire, #7)
author: Craig Johnson
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2023/01/09
date added: 2023/01/09
shelves:
review:

]]> The Baseball 100 56898302 A magnum opus from acclaimed baseball writer Joe Posnanski, The Baseball 100 is an audacious, singular, and masterly book that took a lifetime to write. The entire story of baseball rings through a countdown of 100 greatest players in history, with a foreword by George Will and published in partnership with The Athletic.

An instant classic of baseball literature and a must-read for any fan, The Baseball 100 is a one-of-a-kind work by award-winning sportswriter Joe Posnanski that tells the story of the game through the remarkable lives of its 100 greatest players. In the book’s foreword, Pulitzer Prize–​winning commentator George Will marvels, “Posnanski must already have lived more than two hundred years. How else could he have acquired such a stock of illuminating facts and entertaining stories about the rich history of this endlessly fascinating sport?�

Baseball’s legends come alive in these pages, which are not merely rankings but vibrant profiles of the game’s all-time greats. Posnanski dives into the biographies of iconic Hall of Famers, stars of the Negro Leagues, forgotten heroes, talents of today, and more. He doesn’t just rely on records and statistics—he lovingly retraces players� origins, illuminates their characters, and places their accomplishments in the context of baseball’s past and present. Just how good a pitcher is Clayton Kershaw in the twenty-first-century game relative to Greg Maddux dueling the juiced hitters of the nineties? How does the career and influence of Hank Aaron compare to Babe Ruth? Which player in the top ten most deserves to be resurrected from history?

Engrossing, surprising, and heartfelt, The Baseball 100 is a magisterial tribute to the game of baseball and the stars who played it.]]> 869 Joe Posnanski 1982180587 Bradley 0 to-read 4.74 2021 The Baseball 100
author: Joe Posnanski
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.74
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/01/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Anna Karenina 151
«Nos capítulos iniciais de Anna Karénina, somos conduzidos, uma e outra vez, a um sentido de analogia musical. Há efeitos de contraponto e harmonia no desenvolvimento das principais tramas do “prelúdio Oblonski� (o acidente na estação ferroviária, a zombadora discussão sobre o divórcio entre Vronski e a baronesa Chilton, o deslumbramento do fogo vermelho diante dos olhos de Anna). O método de Tolstoi é polifónico; mas as harmonias principais desen- volvem-se com uma tremenda força e amplitude. As técnicas musicais e linguísticas não podem comparar-se de um modo exato. Mas como poderíamos elucidar de outro modo o sentimento de que as novelas de Tolstoi surgem de um princípio interior de ordem e vitalidade, enquanto as dos escritores menos importantes parecem alinhavadas?»

«Anna Karénina morre no mundo do romance; mas cada vez que lemos o livro ela ressuscita, e mesmo depois de o termos acabado adquire outra vida na nossa recordação. Em cada personagem literária existe algo da Fénix imortal. Através das vidas perduráveis das suas personagens, a própria existência de Tolstoi teve a sua eternidade.» [George Steiner, Tolstoi ou Dostoievski]]]> 838 Leo Tolstoy 0143035002 Bradley 3 4.11 1878 Anna Karenina
author: Leo Tolstoy
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1878
rating: 3
read at: 2022/12/26
date added: 2023/01/05
shelves:
review:
First off, taking 8+ years to finish this may have contributed to my average rating. Still, the confusing nature of Russian names really kept me puzzled somewhat often with who the characters were. The contrasting lives of Anna and Levin was stark and obvious, but I’m not sure what, or if, Tolstoy was making a specific point. I’m sure he is. Again—the 8 years probably blurred that a lot. Part of me would like to revisit the book and see if there’s some clarity to be had. Or at least a better understanding of the who’s and what’s. But another part of me is super glad to have completed once and to let it be over and done.
]]> Norse Mythology 52992704
In Norse Mythology, Gaiman stays true to the myths in envisioning the major Norse pantheon: Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin’s son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki—son of a giant—blood brother to Odin and a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator.

Gaiman fashions these primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds and delves into the exploits of deities, dwarfs, and giants. Through Gaiman’s deft and witty prose, these gods emerge with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to duping others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions, making these long-ago myths breathe pungent life again.]]> 299 Neil Gaiman 0393356183 Bradley 3 4.25 2017 Norse Mythology
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2022/12/15
date added: 2022/12/16
shelves:
review:
I was hoping more for a primer of sorts. Norse Mythology 101 in conjunction with the tales and stories. This is a retelling of those stories alone—and while good, I was hoping for more.
]]> Into the Wild 1845 Librarian's Note: An alternate cover edition can be found here

In April, 1992, a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Four months later, a party of moose hunters found his decomposed body. How McCandless came to die is the unforgettable story of Into the Wild.

Immediately after graduating from college in 1991, McCandless had roamed through the West and Southwest on a vision quest like those made by his heroes Jack London and John Muir. In the Mojave Desert he abandoned his car, stripped it of its license plates, and burned all of his cash. He would give himself a new name, Alexander Supertramp, and, unencumbered by money and belongings, he would be free to wallow in the raw, unfiltered experiences that nature presented. Craving a blank spot on the map, McCandless simply threw away the maps. Leaving behind his desperate parents and sister, he vanished into the wild.]]> 207 Jon Krakauer 0385486804 Bradley 4
Finally, I opted to bring Into The Wild in from the fringes and read it. In 3 days time. I haven’t read through a book that quick in a very long time!

Overall I felt it a good read. Krakauer tends to attract dissent and controversy in his writing, and I saw that in both his other books I’ve read. This one attracted criticism from folks who felt the book was defending Chris McCandless or soft-stepping around his arrogance and total disregard for what he had gotten himself into. And maybe there is, but I didn’t think it overt. I think a book or article, as this book began as, is extremely subjective, and the author has to make sense of what is known through his or her own experience.

I found it odd that Krakauer seemed to fixate on determining precisely what it was that expedited the death of Chris. From the perspective of the story, I don’t know that it was necessary. But from an information standpoint, I suppose understanding that could help future adventurers.]]> 4.01 1996 Into the Wild
author: Jon Krakauer
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at: 2022/11/30
date added: 2022/12/16
shelves:
review:
This book has hovered at the periphery of my "to-read" list for some time. My personal experience reading Jon Krakauer has been both good and bad. Into Thin Air was the good—I had a strange interest in the events surrounding the tragedy on Everest. Under The Banner Of Heaven was the bad—the author seemed to have an axe to grind regarding organized religion generally, and the LDS church particularly.

Finally, I opted to bring Into The Wild in from the fringes and read it. In 3 days time. I haven’t read through a book that quick in a very long time!

Overall I felt it a good read. Krakauer tends to attract dissent and controversy in his writing, and I saw that in both his other books I’ve read. This one attracted criticism from folks who felt the book was defending Chris McCandless or soft-stepping around his arrogance and total disregard for what he had gotten himself into. And maybe there is, but I didn’t think it overt. I think a book or article, as this book began as, is extremely subjective, and the author has to make sense of what is known through his or her own experience.

I found it odd that Krakauer seemed to fixate on determining precisely what it was that expedited the death of Chris. From the perspective of the story, I don’t know that it was necessary. But from an information standpoint, I suppose understanding that could help future adventurers.
]]> <![CDATA[Covenant Hearts: Marriage and the Joy of Human Love]]> 334513 305 Bruce C. Hafen 1590385365 Bradley 4
Fast forward to the present where I committed to reading it with an open mind and a sincere(ish) desire to really understand. I can’t say I was entirely successful, but definitely more so than in my initial attempt.

One of my biggest takeaways is seeing that a covenant marriage cannot be a contractual or a transactional relationship. There can be no overriding self-interest. Marriage is a promise and an institution that is between more than the husband and wife! It involves commitments to children, parents, neighbors, communities, and even society as a whole. The idea that if I’m not getting what I want out of my marriage I can easily petition for and get a divorce and find what I want elsewhere, drastically misses the point and intent of the union.

So much of what the author speaks is as being a threat to marriage are now real. Codified and supported by law and legislation.]]> 4.34 2005 Covenant Hearts: Marriage and the Joy of Human Love
author: Bruce C. Hafen
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2022/12/13
date added: 2022/12/13
shelves:
review:
I purchased this book some 15 years ago after falling “victim� to a divorce of my own. As I started to read it then, the words from its pages, in my mind, vilified the choices and actions of my former spouse. I was reading the words, but not understanding their meaning, and gave up after a few chapters.

Fast forward to the present where I committed to reading it with an open mind and a sincere(ish) desire to really understand. I can’t say I was entirely successful, but definitely more so than in my initial attempt.

One of my biggest takeaways is seeing that a covenant marriage cannot be a contractual or a transactional relationship. There can be no overriding self-interest. Marriage is a promise and an institution that is between more than the husband and wife! It involves commitments to children, parents, neighbors, communities, and even society as a whole. The idea that if I’m not getting what I want out of my marriage I can easily petition for and get a divorce and find what I want elsewhere, drastically misses the point and intent of the union.

So much of what the author speaks is as being a threat to marriage are now real. Codified and supported by law and legislation.
]]> The Silmarillion 60705690 For the first time ever, a very special edition of the forerunner to The Lord of the Rings, illustrated throughout in color by J.R.R. Tolkien himself and with the complete text printed in two colors. The Silmarillion fills in the background which lies behind the more popular work, and gives the earlier history of Middle-earth, introducing some of the key characters.

The Silmarilli were three perfect jewels, fashioned by Fëanor, most gifted of the Elves, and within them was imprisoned the last Light of the Two Trees of Valinor. But the first Dark Lord, Morgoth, stole the jewels and set them within his iron crown, guarded in the impenetrable fortress of Angband in the north of Middle-earth.

The Silmarillion is the history of the rebellion of Fëanor and his kindred against the gods, their exile from Valinor and return to Middle-earth, and their war, hopeless despite all the heroism, against the great Enemy. It is the ancient drama to which the characters in The Lord of the Rings look back, and in whose events some of them such as Elrond and Galadriel took part.

The book also includes several shorter works: the ԳܱԻ岹�, a myth of the Creation, and the Valaquenta, in which the nature and powers of each of the gods is described. The 첹�t recounts the downfall of the great island kingdom of N�menor at the end of the Second Age, and Of the Rings of Power tells of the great events at the end of the Third Age, as narrated in The Lord of the Rings.

Tolkien could not publish The Silmarillion in his lifetime, as it grew with him, so he would leave it to his son, Christopher Tolkien, to edit the work from many manuscripts and bring his father's great vision to publishable form, so completing the literary achievement of a lifetime. This special edition presents anew this seminal first step towards mapping out the posthumous publishing of Middle-earth, and the beginning of an illustrious forty years and more than twenty books celebrating his father's legacy.

This definitive new edition includes, by way of an introduction, a letter written by Tolkien in 1951 which provides a brilliant exposition of the earlier Ages, and for the first time in its history is presented with Tolkien's own paintings and drawings, which reveal the breathtaking grandeur and beauty of his vision of the First Age of Middle-earth.]]> 358 J.R.R. Tolkien 0063280779 Bradley 0 to-read 4.52 1977 The Silmarillion
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.52
book published: 1977
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/12/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Last Stand: George Bird Grinnell, the Battle to Save the Buffalo, and the Birth of the New West]]> 49610341 THEDRAMATIC HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN BUFFALO—BY MICHAEL PUNKE, THE AUTHOR OFTHE REVENANT, NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING LEONARDO DICAPRIO

Michael Punke's The Last Standtells the epic story of the American West through the lens of the American bison and the man who saved these icons of the Western landscape.

Overthe last three decades of the nineteenth century, an American buffalo herd once numbering 30 million animals was reduced to twelve. It was the era of Manifest Destiny, a Gilded Age that treated the West as nothing more than a treasure chest of resources to be dug up or shot down. The buffalo in this world was a commodity, hounded by legions of swashbucklers and unemployed veterans seeking to make their fortunes. Supporting these hide hunters, even buying their ammunition, was the U.S. Army, which considered the eradication of the buffalo essential to victory in its ongoing war on Native Americans.

Into that maelstrom rode young George Bird Grinnell. A scientist and a journalist, a hunter and a conservationist, Grinnell would lead the battle to save the buffalo from extinction. Fighting in the pages of magazines, in Washington's halls of power, and in the frozen valleys of Yellowstone, Grinnell and his allies sought to preserve an icon from the grinding appetite of Robber Baron America.

Grinnell shared his adventures with some of the greatest and most infamous characters of the American West—from John James Audubon and Buffalo Bill to George Armstrong Custer and Theodore Roosevelt (Grinnell's friend and ally). A strikingly contemporary story, the saga of Grinnell and the buffalo was the first national battle over the environment.

Last Stand is the story of the death of the old West and the birth of the new as well as an examination of how the West was really won—through the birth of the conservation movement. It is also the definitive history of the American buffalo, written by a master storyteller of the West.

]]> 304 Michael Punke 0062970097 Bradley 5 4.39 2007 Last Stand: George Bird Grinnell, the Battle to Save the Buffalo, and the Birth of the New West
author: Michael Punke
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2022/11/28
date added: 2022/11/29
shelves:
review:
I really enjoyed this book and found many unfortunate parallels in the present. The saying, ”men who fail to learn from history are destined to repeat it� resonated so much. While manifest destiny (westward expansion), policies regarding the Indians (eliminate the buffalo and you eliminate the Indian resistance), and extremes in greed and capitalism are evident in what became of those massive herds of bison, the author also notes that basic survival and the need to make a living on the part of some of the hunters were also factors in the near decimation of the species. Another saying kept repeating in my head as I read this: "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should." George Bird Grinnell played a major, if not key, role in the ultimate preservation of the Bison--one that isn't really all that well known. I also found it quite fascinating to learn that Yellowstone as a National Park struggled to survive and find its role in preserving a portion of this nation’s natural resources.
]]> The Law Of Love 60808242

"Even if we understand the idea that we should love people, we sometimes think we’re supposed to love them back onto our path instead of respecting their own journey. I’m not trying to love people into coming with me. I’m just loving people."


THE LAW OF LOVE—loving as God loves, seeking another’s healing, expecting nothing in return—is a simple principle with profound, life-changing implications. How can we live the law of love? Steve Young shares insights from his own multifaceted life as well as from others who are scientists, fellow Latter-day Saints, Anglican, atheist, Baptist, Catholic, Confucian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and secular people of wisdom, as well as from the scriptures. This practical book may shift your mindset to a more expansive worldview that just might change everything. Whether in football, work, church, or family, the law of love is undefeated.]]> 208 Steve Young 1639930310 Bradley 3 4.41 The Law Of Love
author: Steve Young
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.41
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2022/11/18
date added: 2022/11/18
shelves:
review:
It’s hard to give this only 3 stars because the overarching theme: the law of love being one that is non-transactional is great. Some chapters felt forced or failed to resonate with me as intended. But I do appreciate the overriding purpose and message: we should love others with no expectation or judgement.
]]> <![CDATA[Unfinished Tales Of Númenor And Middle-Earth]]> 20256736 Unfinished Tales ofNúmenor and Middle-earthconcentrates on the lands of Middle-earth and comprises Gandalf’s lively account of how he came to send the Dwarves to the celebrated party at Bag-End, the story of the emergence of the sea-god Ulmo before the eyes of Tuor on the coast of Beleriand, and an exact description of the military organization of the Riders of Rohan and the journey of the Black Riders during the hunt for the Ring.

It also contains the only surviving story about the long ages of Númenor before its downfall, and all that is known about the Five Wizards sent to Middle-earth as emissaries of the Valar, about the Seeing Stones known as 貹Գí, and about the legend of Amroth.

Edited with an introduction, commentary, index, and maps by Christopher Tolkien.]]> 472 J.R.R. Tolkien 0544337999 Bradley 5 4.28 1980 Unfinished Tales Of Númenor And Middle-Earth
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1980
rating: 5
read at: 2022/11/18
date added: 2022/11/18
shelves:
review:
It’s Tolkien for Pete’s sake. I’m just amazed at the world creation that Tolkien did. And to have all the history and so many of the back stories fleshed out to varying degrees by the author or his son is just very cool.
]]> <![CDATA[Paindemic: A Practical and Holistic Look at Chronic Pain, the Medical System, and the antiPAIN Lifestyle (Non-Fiction)]]> 29233862 “Paindemic is a brutally honest portrayal of our current sick care medical model. No other book gives you such an in-depth and thought-provoking overview of how pain should be assessed and treated. Dr. Cady has truly outdone herself!”—Jamie L. Guyden, MD, Integrative Medicine Physician

Are you suffering from chronic pain? Do you feel that everyone, including your physician, thinks you are crazy? Are your loved ones and friends tired of hearing you complain? Are you becoming more depressed and anxious because of your pain? Do you find that you are isolating yourself from others? Are you sick of taking pain medications? Do you question whether injections or surgery are right for you? Is the medical system frustrating you or letting you down? Are you searching for a better way to address your pain?

Answering yes to any of these questions means you are part of the very serious pain epidemic in our society. You are not alone! Millions are suffering. The United States is the most advanced society in the world; yet, the majority of pain medications, procedures, and surgeries are not solving this Paindemic.

Paindemic will open your eyes to what you should know. Too many unnecessary and risky interventions are being done with little benefit and at great expense. It’s time to gain a better perspective to guide you down a more rational path to address and improve chronic pain, even low back pain. Ignorance is not bliss. What you don’t know about your pain could hurt you.

]]> 272 Melissa Cady Bradley 5
This book preaches the gospel of personal responsibility pretty heavily. Pain is the body’s way of letting us know something is wrong—and we can either mask that pain and cover up the symptoms with drugs or procedures that are often unnecessary, or we can do our due diligence and work with our health providers to find the cause of those symptoms. Sometimes that may involve enduring the pain a bit longer. But it might just save us from needless medical expenses and undergoing invasive procedures that don’t end up working.

Example: sciatica. Pain that radiates down a person’s leg. The discomfort is felt in the leg, but the cause is often found in the lower back in a herniated or bulging disc. But that disc still might not be the root cause. The root cause may very well be poor posture, sitting at a desk 8+ hours a day, etc. Surgery will eliminate the bulged disc, but it doesn’t solve the problem if the posture and sitting issues aren’t addressed. And it’s quite possible that addressing those issues and some good physical therapy might do just what you hope to get out of that discectomy—reduced pain and increased mobility.

Seriously worth the read if you experience pain. Education is key. This book will help guide you towards accumulating that education.]]> 4.33 2016 Paindemic: A Practical and Holistic Look at Chronic Pain, the Medical System, and the antiPAIN Lifestyle (Non-Fiction)
author: Melissa Cady
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2020/07/15
date added: 2022/10/21
shelves:
review:
In the final pages of this book, it describes society as one that “focuses on instant gratification and self-entitlement.� Especially from our health care system. And that system is often more than willing to oblige.

This book preaches the gospel of personal responsibility pretty heavily. Pain is the body’s way of letting us know something is wrong—and we can either mask that pain and cover up the symptoms with drugs or procedures that are often unnecessary, or we can do our due diligence and work with our health providers to find the cause of those symptoms. Sometimes that may involve enduring the pain a bit longer. But it might just save us from needless medical expenses and undergoing invasive procedures that don’t end up working.

Example: sciatica. Pain that radiates down a person’s leg. The discomfort is felt in the leg, but the cause is often found in the lower back in a herniated or bulging disc. But that disc still might not be the root cause. The root cause may very well be poor posture, sitting at a desk 8+ hours a day, etc. Surgery will eliminate the bulged disc, but it doesn’t solve the problem if the posture and sitting issues aren’t addressed. And it’s quite possible that addressing those issues and some good physical therapy might do just what you hope to get out of that discectomy—reduced pain and increased mobility.

Seriously worth the read if you experience pain. Education is key. This book will help guide you towards accumulating that education.
]]> <![CDATA[Brothers of the Wind (The Last King of Osten Ard, #0.75)]]> 57282621 Set in the New York Times bestselling world of Osten Ard, this short novel continues the saga that inspired a generation of fantasists

Pride often goes before a fall, but sometimes that prideful fall is so catastrophic that it changes history itself.

Among the immortal Sithi of Osten Ard, none are more beloved and admired than the two sons of the ruling family, steady Hakatri and his proud and fiery younger brother Ineluki -- Ineluki, who will one day become the undead Storm King. The younger brother makes a bold, terrible oath that he will destroy deadly Hidohebhi, a terrifying monster, but instead drags his brother with him into a disaster that threatens not just their family but all the Sithi -- and perhaps all of humankind as well.

Set a thousand years before the events of Williams's The Dragonbone Chair, the tale of Ineluki's tragic boast and what it brings is told by Pamon Kes, Hakatri's faithful servant. Kes is not one of the Sithi but a member of the enslaved Changeling race, and his loyalty has never before been tested. Now he must face the terrible black dragon at his master's side, then see his own life changed forever in a mere instant by Ineluki's rash, selfish promise.]]> 258 Tad Williams 0756412684 Bradley 4 4.08 2021 Brothers of the Wind (The Last King of Osten Ard, #0.75)
author: Tad Williams
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/08/31
date added: 2022/08/31
shelves:
review:

]]> No Country for Old Men 12497 Alternate Cover Edition for ISBN 9780375706677

In his blistering new novel, Cormac McCarthy returns to the Texas-Mexico border, the setting of his famed Border Trilogy. The time is our own, when rustlers have given way to drug-runners and small towns have become free-fire zones.

One day, Llewellyn Moss finds a pickup truck surrounded by a bodyguard of dead men. A load of heroin and two million dollars in cash are still in the back. When Moss takes the money, he sets off a chain reaction of catastrophic violence that not even the law–in the person of aging, disillusioned Sheriff Bell–can contain.

As Moss tries to evade his pursuers–in particular a mysterious mastermind who flips coins for human lives–McCarthy simultaneously strips down the American crime novel and broadens its concerns to encompass themes as ancient as the Bible and as bloodily contemporary as this morning’s headlines.
No Country for Old Men is a triumph.]]> 309 Cormac McCarthy Bradley 4 4.15 2005 No Country for Old Men
author: Cormac McCarthy
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2022/05/05
date added: 2022/05/05
shelves:
review:

]]> New Spring: The Novel 51937597 Since its debut in 1990, The Wheel of Time(R) by Robert Jordan has captivated millions of readers around the globe with its scope, originality, and compelling characters.

The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

For three days battle has raged in the snow around the great city of Tar Valon. In the city, a Foretelling of the future is uttered. On the slopes of Dragonmount, the immense mountain that looms over the city, is born an infant prophesied to change the world. That child must be found before the forces of the Shadow have an opportunity to kill him.

Moiraine Damodred, a young Accepted soon to be raised to Aes Sedai, and Lan Mandragoran, a soldier fighting in the battle, are set on paths that will bind their lives together. But those paths are filled with complications and dangers, for Moiraine, of the Royal House of Cairhien, whose king has just died, and Lan, considered the uncrowned king of a nation long dead, find their lives threatened by the plots of those seeking power.

New Spring begins Moiraine and Lan's quest to find the Dragon Reborn that will lead to the events of The Eye of the World...and their fateful meeting with Rand al'Thor. New Spring is a perfect jumping-on point for fantasy readers wanting to know more about The Wheel of Time and the forthcoming TV show.

The Wheel of Time(R)
New Spring: The Novel
#1 The Eye of the World
#2 The Great Hunt
#3 The Dragon Reborn
#4 The Shadow Rising
#5 The Fires of Heaven
#6 Lord of Chaos
#7 A Crown of Swords
#8 The Path of Daggers
#9 Winter's Heart
#10 Crossroads of Twilight
#11 Knife of Dreams

By Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
#12 The Gathering Storm
#13 Towers of Midnight
#14 A Memory of Light

By Robert Jordan and Teresa Patterson
The World of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time

By Robert Jordan, Harriet McDougal, Alan Romanczuk, and Maria Simons
The Wheel of Time Companion]]> 318 Robert Jordan 1250252636 Bradley 3 3.90 2004 New Spring: The Novel
author: Robert Jordan
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 2022/05/01
date added: 2022/05/01
shelves:
review:
Felt obligated after having read all the others.
]]> <![CDATA[Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life]]> 486381 Written for all ages, this story takes less than an hour to read, but its unique insights can last for a lifetime.

Who Moved My Cheese? is a simple parable that reveals profound truths. It is an amusing and enlightening story of four characters who live in a maze and look for cheese to nourish them and make them happy.

Cheese is a metaphor for what you want to have in life � whether it is a good job, a loving relationship, money or a possession, health or spiritual peace of mind.

And the maze is where you look for what you want � the organisation you work in, or the family or community you live in.

This profound book from bestselling author, Dr Spencer Johnson, will how you how to:

� Anticipate change
� Adapt to change quickly
� Enjoy change
� Be ready to change quickly, again and again
Discover the secret for yourself and learn how to deal with change, so that you suffer less stress and enjoy more success in your work and in life.]]> 95 Spencer Johnson 0091816971 Bradley 2 3.86 1999 Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life
author: Spencer Johnson
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1999
rating: 2
read at: 2022/04/09
date added: 2022/04/11
shelves:
review:
I get the need to adapt to change on a constant basis, but this book didn’t do it for me. Not in the least. Two stars simply because the message is valid.
]]> <![CDATA[American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot]]> 6404621 American on Purpose, Craig Ferguson, host of The Late, Late Show, traces his journey from working-class Glasgow to the comedic limelight of Hollywood and American citizenship. Moving and achingly funny, American on Purpose moves from Ferguson’s early life as an alcoholic to his stint on The Drew Carey Show to his decision to become a U.S. citizen in its unique and honest look at his version of the American dream.]]> 268 Craig Ferguson 0061719544 Bradley 4 3.91 2009 American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot
author: Craig Ferguson
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2022/04/04
date added: 2022/04/03
shelves:
review:
I can waste hours watching clips of Craig Ferguson’s Late Late Show on the YouTube—I miss that show! As I read this book, I could hear, in my mind, Craig’s voice; and that made the book that much more enjoyable.
]]> Shoeless Joe 77268 272 W.P. Kinsella 0395957737 Bradley 0 to-read 3.98 1982 Shoeless Joe
author: W.P. Kinsella
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1982
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/09/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Man in the High Castle 11872850 New York Times

It's America in 1962. Slavery is legal once again. The few Jews who still survive hide under assumed names. In San Francisco, the I Ching is as common as the Yellow Pages. All because some twenty years earlier the United States lost a war and is now occupied by Nazi Germany and Japan.

This harrowing, Hugo Award-winning novel is the work that established Philip K. Dick as an innovator in science fiction while breaking the barrier between science fiction and the serious novel of ideas. In it Dick offers a haunting vision of history as a nightmare from which it may just be possible to wake.

Winner of the Hugo Award.]]> 274 Philip K. Dick 0547572484 Bradley 1 3.56 1962 The Man in the High Castle
author: Philip K. Dick
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.56
book published: 1962
rating: 1
read at: 2020/02/03
date added: 2020/12/27
shelves:
review:
I’m not quite sure what to make of this book. Might be my aged and addled mind missed something. Or a lot of something. Disappointed.
]]> Powderkeg: A Novel 13301430 Others in Washington are equally determined that this should not men who dream of a separate nation, one that will stretch from the Carolinas to California - the Confederate States of America. Foremost among them are three Southern members of Buchanan's own cabinet, including Jefferson Davis, the secretary of war and senior senator from Mississippi. The instrument they choose to bring their dream a giant step closer to fruition is Brevet Brig. Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, widely acclaimed as the army's finest field commander. On a sunny morning in the fall of 1857, Johnston leads an army of three thousand men out of Fort Leavenworth on an epic forced march that will take them twelve hundred miles to the Utah Territory and Salt Lake City - a punitive expedition against the "rebellious" Mormon settlers led by territorial governor Brigham Young.
It is a powderkeg that could blow the Union apart!]]> 368 Leo Gordon 0891415068 Bradley 0 4.50 1993 Powderkeg: A Novel
author: Leo Gordon
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.50
book published: 1993
rating: 0
read at: 1993/12/21
date added: 2020/11/21
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs]]> 52671009
Unlike natural disasters, whose destruction is concentrated in a limited area over a period of days, and illnesses, which have devastating effects but are limited to individuals and their families, infectious disease has the terrifying power to disrupt everyday life on a global scale, overwhelming public and private resources and bringing trade and transportation to a grinding halt.


In today's world, it's easier than ever to move people, animals, and materials around the planet, but the same advances that make modern infrastructure so efficient have made epidemics and even pandemics nearly inevitable. And as outbreaks of COVID-19, Ebola, MERS, and Zika have demonstrated, we are woefully underprepared to deal with the fallout. So what can -- and must -- we do in order to protect ourselves from mankind's deadliest enemy?


Drawing on the latest medical science, case studies, policy research, and hard-earned epidemiological lessons, Deadliest Enemy explores the resources and programs we need to develop if we are to keep ourselves safe from infectious disease. The authors show how we could wake up to a reality in which many antibiotics no longer cure, bioterror is a certainty, and the threat of a disastrous influenza or coronavirus pandemic looms ever larger. Only by understanding the challenges we face can we prevent the unthinkable from becoming the inevitable.


Deadliest Enemy is high scientific drama, a chronicle of medical mystery and discovery, a reality check, and a practical plan of action.]]> 368 Michael T. Osterholm 0316343757 Bradley 0 currently-reading 4.16 2017 Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs
author: Michael T. Osterholm
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/28
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Butcher's Crossing 457228 Butcher’s Crossing, his fiercely intelligent, beautifully written western, Williams dismantles the myths of modern America.

It is the 1870s, and Will Andrews, fired up by Emerson to seek “an original relation to nature,� drops out of Harvard and heads west. He washes up in Butcher’s Crossing, a small Kansas town on the outskirts of nowhere. Butcher’s Crossing is full of restless men looking for ways to make money and ways to waste it. Before long Andrews strikes up a friendship with one of them, a man who regales Andrews with tales of immense herds of buffalo, ready for the taking, hidden away in a beautiful valley deep in the Colorado Rockies. He convinces Andrews to join in an expedition to track the animals down. The journey out is grueling, but at the end is a place of paradisal richness. Once there, however, the three men abandon themselves to an orgy of slaughter, so caught up in killing buffalo that they lose all sense of time. Winter soon overtakes them: they are snowed in. Next spring, half-insane with cabin fever, cold, and hunger, they stagger back to Butcher’s Crossing to find a world as irremediably changed as they have been.]]> 274 John Williams 1590171985 Bradley 4 4.18 1960 Butcher's Crossing
author: John Williams
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1960
rating: 4
read at: 2020/05/24
date added: 2020/05/24
shelves:
review:
A story about buffalo hunters. I liked it. Still letting it sink in.
]]> <![CDATA[What Doesn't Kill Us: How Freezing Water, Extreme Altitude, and Environmental Conditioning Will Renew Our Lost Evolutionary Strength]]> 30039048 What Doesn't Kill Us traces our evolutionary journey back to a time when survival depended on how well we adapted to the environment around us. Our ancestors crossed the Alps in animal skins and colonized the New World in loin cloths. They evaded predators and built civilizations with just their raw brainpower and inner grit. But things have changed and now comfort is king. Today we live in the thrall of constant climate control and exercise only when our office schedules permit. The technologies that we use to make us comfortable are so all-encompassing that they sever the biological link to a changing environment. Now we hate the cold and the heat. We suffer from autoimmune diseases. And many of us are chronically overweight. Most of us don't even realize that natural variation—sweating and shivering—is actually good for us.

What Doesn't Kill Us uncovers how just about anyone can reclaim a measure of our species' evolutionary strength by tapping into the things that feel uncomfortable. When we slightly reimagine how our body fits into the world, we can condition ourselves to find resilience in unfamiliar environments.

The feeling that something is missing from our daily routines is growing and has spawned a movement. Every year, millions of people forgo traditional gyms and push the limits of human endurance by doing boot camp style workouts in raw conditions. These extreme athletes train in CrossFit boxes, compete in Tough Mudders and challenge themselves in Spartan races. They are connecting with their environment and, whether they realize it or not, are changing their bodies.

No one exemplifies this better than Dutch fitness guru Wim Hof, whose remarkable ability to control his body temperature in extreme cold has sparked a whirlwind of scientific study. Because of him, scientists in the United States and Europe are just beginning to understand how cold adaptation might help combat autoimmune diseases and chronic pains and, in some cases, even reverse diabetes.

Award winning investigative journalist, Scott Carney dives into the fundamental philosophy at the root of this movement in three interlocking narratives. His own journey culminates in a record bending 28-hour climb up to the snowy peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro wearing nothing but a pair of running shorts and sneakers.]]> 272 Scott Carney 1623366909 Bradley 0 to-read 4.04 2017 What Doesn't Kill Us: How Freezing Water, Extreme Altitude, and Environmental Conditioning Will Renew Our Lost Evolutionary Strength
author: Scott Carney
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/12/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Educated 35133922
Her father forbade hospitals, so Tara never saw a doctor or nurse. Gashes and concussions, even burns from explosions, were all treated at home with herbalism. The family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education and no one to intervene when one of Tara's older brothers became violent.

Then, lacking any formal education, Tara began to educate herself. She taught herself enough mathematics and grammar to be admitted to Brigham Young University, where she studied history, learning for the first time about important world events like the Holocaust and the civil rights movement. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge. Only then would she wonder if she'd traveled too far, if there was still a way home.

Educated is an account of the struggle for self-invention. It is a tale of fierce family loyalty and of the grief that comes with severing the closest of ties. With the acute insight that distinguishes all great writers, Westover has crafted a universal coming-of-age story that gets to the heart of what an education is and what it offers: the perspective to see one's life through new eyes and the will to change it.]]> 352 Tara Westover 0399590501 Bradley 4 4.46 2018 Educated
author: Tara Westover
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2019/03/01
date added: 2019/11/29
shelves:
review:
Conflicted. The book is very well written and it kept me engaged through the last page; but there's been so much said out on the interwebs and in the media regarding contradictions pointed out by Tara's parents and other family members, it's hard for me to just buy off on everything she says. I've been around long enough to appreciate the fact that facts often lie somewhere between the two contradicting reports. Still, to go from a fundamentalist childhood with no formal education to graduating with a PhD from Cambridge says a lot.
]]> <![CDATA[The Red Badge of Courage and Other Stories]]> 35221 288 Stephen-Crane 0143039350 Bradley 4 3.33 1895 The Red Badge of Courage and Other Stories
author: Stephen-Crane
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.33
book published: 1895
rating: 4
read at: 2019/11/26
date added: 2019/11/29
shelves:
review:
I can now report to my 9th grade English teacher that I have, in fact, read the book.
]]> <![CDATA[Living Like a Runaway: A Memoir]]> 29243008 Rolling Stone) opens up about the �70s and �80s music scene and her trailblazing life as the lead guitarist of the “pioneering band� (New York Times) the Runaways and her platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated solo career. Hailed as “the mother of all metal� (Los Angeles Times) and “one of the greatest female electric guitar players to ever pick up the instrument� (Elle), Lita Ford bares her soul in Living Like a Runaway.]]> 272 Lita Ford 0062270656 Bradley 3 3.81 2016 Living Like a Runaway: A Memoir
author: Lita Ford
name: Bradley
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2019/09/17
date added: 2019/09/17
shelves:
review:
Fun little memoir. I own a grand total of one Lita Ford album, Lita, but the song and video for Kiss Me Deadly bring back a slew of good memories from the 80’s.
]]> <![CDATA[The Scarlet Pimpernel (The Scarlet Pimpernel, #1)]]> 764350 The new cover edition to this ISBN

A timeless novel of adventure, intrigue, and romance is sparked by one man's defiance in the face of authority...

The year is 1792. The French Revolution, driven to excess by its own triumph, has turned into a reign of terror. Daily, tumbrels bearing new victims to the guillotine roll over the cobbled streets of Paris.... Thus the stage is set for one of the most enthralling novels of historical adventure ever written.

The mysterious figure known as the Scarlet Pimpernel, sworn to rescue helpless men, women, and children from their doom; his implacable foe, the French agent Chauvelin, relentlessly hunting him down; and lovely Marguerite Blakeney, a beautiful French exile married to an English lord and caught in a terrible conflict of loyalties--all play their parts in a suspenseful tale that ranges from the squalid slums of Paris to the aristocratic salons of London, from intrigue on a great English country estate to the final denouement on the cliffs of the French coast.

There have been many imitations of The Scarlet Pimpernel, but none has ever equaled its superb sense of color and drama and its irresistible gift of wonderfully romantic escape.

With an Introduction by Gary Hoppenstand]]> 267 Emmuska Orczy 0451527623 Bradley 4 4.06 1905 The Scarlet Pimpernel (The Scarlet Pimpernel, #1)
author: Emmuska Orczy
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1905
rating: 4
read at: 2019/08/27
date added: 2019/08/27
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Mythos: The Greek Myths Reimagined (Stephen Fry's Great Mythology, #1)]]> 43387410 349 Stephen Fry 1452178917 Bradley 0 to-read 4.36 2017 Mythos: The Greek Myths Reimagined (Stephen Fry's Great Mythology, #1)
author: Stephen Fry
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/07/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus]]> 39020 In this groundbreaking work of science, history, and archaeology, Charles C. Mann radically alters our understanding of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus in 1492.

Contrary to what so many Americans learn in school, the pre-Columbian Indians were not sparsely settled in a pristine wilderness; rather, there were huge numbers of Indians who actively molded and influenced the land around them. The astonishing Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan had running water and immaculately clean streets, and was larger than any contemporary European city. Mexican cultures created corn in a specialized breeding process that it has been called man’s first feat of genetic engineering. Indeed, Indians were not living lightly on the land but were landscaping and manipulating their world in ways that we are only now beginning to understand. Challenging and surprising, this a transformative new look at a rich and fascinating world we only thought we knew.

]]> 563 Charles C. Mann 1400032059 Bradley 0 to-read 4.05 2005 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
author: Charles C. Mann
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/03/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Junkyard Dogs (Walt Longmire, #6)]]> 10133391 From the New York Times bestselling author of Land of Wolves, a modern-day ranch war takes place in the sixth Longmire novel
Junkyard Dogs, the sixth installment in the New York Times bestselling Longmire Mystery Series, the basis for LONGMIRE, the hit Netflix original drama series, takes us to Durant, Wyoming. It's a volatile new economy in Durant when the owners of a multimillion-dollar development of ranchettes want to get rid of the adjacent Stewart junkyard. Meeting the notorious Stewart clan is an adventure unto itself, and when conflict erupts--and someone ends up dead--Sheriff Walt Longmire, his lifelong friend Henry Standing Bear, and deputies Santiago Saizarbitoria and Victoria Moretti find themselves in a small town that feels more and more like a high-plains pressure cooker.

Walt Longmire is up to his badge in the darker aspects of human nature, making his way through the case with a combination of love, laughs, and derelict automobiles.]]> 352 Craig Johnson 0143119532 Bradley 4 4.33 2010 Junkyard Dogs (Walt Longmire, #6)
author: Craig Johnson
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2019/03/09
date added: 2019/03/09
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Heroes: Mortals and Monsters, Quests and Adventures (Stephen Fry's Great Mythology, #2)]]> 41433634
Few mere mortals have ever embarked on such bold and heart-stirring adventures, overcome myriad monstrous perils, or outwitted scheming vengeful gods, quite as stylishly and triumphantly as Greek heroes.

In this companion to his bestselling Mythos, Stephen Fry brilliantly retells these dramatic, funny, tragic and timeless tales. Join Jason aboard the Argo as he quests for the Golden Fleece. See Atalanta - who was raised by bears - outrun any man before being tricked with golden apples. Witness wily Oedipus solve the riddle of the Sphinx and discover how Bellerophon captures the winged horse Pegasus to help him slay the monster Chimera.

Filled with white-knuckle chases and battles, impossible puzzles and riddles, acts of base cowardice and real bravery, not to mention murders and selfless sacrifices, Heroes is the story of what we mortals are truly capable of - at our worst and our very best.

Read by the author. Running time 15 hours.]]> 415 Stephen Fry 0241380375 Bradley 0 to-read 4.32 2018 Heroes: Mortals and Monsters, Quests and Adventures (Stephen Fry's Great Mythology, #2)
author: Stephen Fry
name: Bradley
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/03/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>