John's Reads

Here are some of the books and authors that I've read or are sitting on my shelf waiting to be read. It's always easier to buy books than it is to read books. Plus with all the book stores and sales and used outlets in Boston, it's hard to resist a good purchase.

I have a large section of both fiction and non fiction. Fiction consists mainly of horror and sci-fi/fantasy, with some mystery and suspense thrown in for variety. i enjoy reading whenever I have the time. Yes, I'm the geek you often see on the subway reading between stops. Well, either that or just listening to the walkman. I enjoy sitting by the river or harbor or in the common on a nice spring or fall day and just spending the day reading and people watching. And to top it off, I'm one of those weirdos that can actually read and walk at the same time, so come summer when I walk home from work or to the train stations on model train night, I do read while I walk, so that really gets me through the reading list.

But I digress. Here are some of my notables, and more recent reads. (most recent at the top of each section, although I often forget to add books tot he list)

Fiction

• "Shades of Night" - Rick Hautala. Wow. I've never had a book start off so great to just fall flat on it's face. She's stalked for half the book, but that ends in 2 pages. There are ghosts - but they come and go from the story. Not too bad a read, btu the end was so annoying it left me frustrated.
  
  
• "Unnatural Causes" - Thomas T. Noguchi. Kind of like reading an old episode of "Quincy". Not too bad. A forensic investigation, but spends more time interviewing people like a detective. Just OK, but a quick read.
  
  
• "Right to Die" - Jeremiah Healy. ZZZzzzzz Failed the 50 page test. not bad writing, but just didn't care any more. Plot wasn't too exciting, and narrative just rambled.
  
  
• "The Redemption of Althalus " - David & Leigh Eddings. Was nice to read a book of theirs that was only one book long, and not another series. Their series have been taking heat for writing on and on but not moving the plot along. This was a larger book, but the story held it's own, and I had an interest in where the plot was going. There were some sections that were long winded, and then ended quickly as if they realized they were taking too long and had to hurry things along. Nonetheless it's a good overall story; would definitely recommend.
  
  
• "Nightkill" - F aul Wilson and Steve Lyon. Not bad, but not as good as F Paul alone. a quick read, but had trouble holding my attention.
  
  
• "The Haunted Air" - F. Paul Wilson. I've gotten behind in my FPW. I loved his sci-fi, but was slow with Repairman Jack series. Plowed through this in 2 weeks. I had forgotten how well he writes, and how you can just fall into the story and almost miss your subway stop :) Definitely enjoyed, will look for his other stuff.
  
  
• "Cyclops" - Clive Cussler. Decent book. Action and adventure. Two plot lines going on at once. Thinner than Clancy yet manages to hold it's own. A great subway read.
  
  
• "Salem's Lot" - Stephen King. Yah, Never got around to reading this way back when. Was nice to read a book from back when King was "good". King does what he does best - drags you in, and makes you feel like the characters do...
  
  
• "Bood Heat" - Steve Pieczenik. A bio-terror thriller. Just an OK book. Started like it might be a good thriller, but it wrapped up quick and I was left wanting something more...
  
  
• "The Elder Gods" - David and Leigh Eddings. I read his old 10 book series and enjoyed it. Now he and his wife join to write together. Not a bad book. Feels a lot like a setup for the next books though. Throughout the whole book they set up for a battle, then at the last minute, the enemy is easily eliminated. hmmm. Liked it enough to continue the series... although the Amazon reviews are not good...
  
  
• "The Dragonbone Chair" - Tad Williams. I love tad. But this book. Maybe because it was his first. I gave it my '100 page' test, and was ready to give up. It just dragged, and I wasn't really caring about my characters. I read reviews on Amazon, who suggested to continue. I did. Now at 150 pages form the end, I official cry 'uncle'. it's almost there, but I still don't care about the main character. Plus, while I usually whip out my book when I have a few minutes, I found myself not wanting to pull the book out, and that's not a good sign. Time to move on.
  
  
• "War of the Flowers" - Tad Williams. the latest From Tad. Nice to see Tad back in action. A fun little story - although it did wrap up a bit quick. Look forward to his net book.
  
  
• Powersat" by Ben Bova. A 'more accessible' book by ben - something my mother would actually read :) As oppose to most of this stuff, which is true Sci Fi, this is more adventure/science. Out character is trying to get an orbiting solar array up, but the oil industry isn't happy. What kind of sabotage could be waiting???
  
  
• "Royal Assassin" and "Assassin's Quest" - Robin Hobb. Second and Third volume in the "The Farseer Trilogy". I ended up enjoying the whole series.
  
  
• "Assassin's Apprentice" - Robin Hobb. A series that a friend gave me. It's turning out pretty good. Fantasy, but not all magic, just lots of good story. Looking forward to the next 2 books...
  
  
• "Praying for Sleep" - Jeffery Deaver. Sheesh, I was praying for the book to end. Sorry, couldn't resist a good pun there. It's not bad per say, but it's written like a movie of the week. Jumps around a lot. A chapter starts in the middle of a 'scene', and you don't know for a few paragraphs if you're in the setting you just left or a new setting. Got aggravating. Gave up after 100 pages. But hey, Stephen King liked it, so who am I to say... Next.
  
  
• "Drawing Blood" - Poppy Z. Brite. This came as quite a surprise. I expected a plain old horror book, and got more of a steamy gay story. A very nice mix, and a good read. Would love to read more by him.
  
  
• "From Potters Field" - Patricia Cornwell. Feh. For all this woman turns out, I thought it was kind of dull. Imagine a book written about a half baked Movie of the Week'. Didn't care much about the characters. Honestly, if she wasn't famous I would think this is a decent writer's first book. How does such mediocrity get such great reviews?
  
  
• "Olympos" - Dan Simmons. Second in the Illium series. I enjoy Dan's stuff, and this was no exception. Very good read. Although I have to agree with the 'critics" - it does feel a little quick at the end. Things are wrapped up without the reader getting a full explanation. In a way it's real annoying, because I want to know more. On the other hand, it is ancillary material, and not really needed for the story & characters we are following.
  
  
• "Headhunter" - Michael Slade. Thought I had an exciting police thriller here. I kept getting lost and confusing things. I kept reading waiting for the exciting part, but it never happened.
  
  
• "O-Zone" - Paul Theroux. Post-acopolyptic novel. Weird story - after nuclear waste pollutes most of America. Cities are protection zones, but 'aliens' live in the center of the country that is suposed to be toxic. Not quite sure wha tthe whole point of the book was. It did use the future to show a very class-ist society. Out main characters grow aq little, but not much. I did finish it, but just an OK read...
  
  
• "Plumb Island" - Nelson DeMille. Enjoyed this. Good read. The central detective has a sense of humor similar to my own - that probably helps a bit.
  
  
• "The Cradle will Fall" - Mary Higgins Clark. I forget she does some good writing. You just have to space the books out, or they start looking the same. Enjoyed this.
  
  
• "Eyes of Prey" - John Sandford. Well, summer is here, and time to read the summer trash. :) Good read.
  
  
• "Chainfire" - Terry Goodkind. Well, the beginning of the end is near. This is the first book in the "three book final chapter". Sorry to see it end, but glad it won't be like Jordan's series that just won't die. Could have moved a little quicker, but still a great book in the series.
  
  
• "Wicked" - Gregory Maguire. Ugh. The play might be good. The premise is good. The writing is terrible. I got half way through and put it down. I've never seen such a good premise go so wrong. Even people who've read it say "it gets good at the end". ugh. I'll wait for the movie. Perhaps a screenwriter can get me to care about these people. Honestly, the 4 page prologue is the best writing in the entire book. Stay away.
  
  
• "Curfew" - Phil Rickman. I hate to badmouth any book, but had to stop this one after 50 pages. Too much detail where there wasn't any. I didn't care about the characters. I have too many books to read to worry about things like this.
  
  
• "Illium" - Dan Simmons. Wow. Go out and read it NOW. Another excellent book from Dan Simmons. I can't wait for the sequel to come out in paperback.
  
  
• "Outer Perimeter" - Ken Goddard. x-files like story. jumps around a bit, but not too bad.
  
  
• "War Day" - Whitley Strieber and James Kunetka. Excellent read. Written in 1984, it's written as if it is a journal 5 years after a 'limited' nuclear war. The two journalists tour the country to see what america is like in the aftermath. Still a good read 20 years after being written.
  
  
• "Darker than Night" - John Lutz. Not too bad. Mostly a subway kind of book. Quick read. Good storytelling, even if predictable.
  
  
• "The Multiple Man" - Ben Bova. Something a little different from Mr. B. Not bad.
  
  
• "High Druid of Shannara" - Terry Brooks. Standard fare. Kinda predictable but not too bad a read.
  
  
• "Naked Empire" - Terry Goodkind. The 8th book in the Sword of Truth series. Still an excellent read
  
  
• "Digital Fortress" - Dan Brown. Mom gave me this one - this is the "daVincie Code" author. Where do I start. There are times when reading a book can be worse than watching a made-for-TV movie. This book not only reads like a move of the week, but it's predictable to a fault. It's no fun when you 'figure it out' half way through. Now I know what they mean when they say fiction is going down hill. Save your money and read elsewhere.
  
  
• "The Demon Awakens" and "The Demon Spirit" - R.A. Salvatore. Pretty good series, although book 3 didn't get good reviews on Amazon - not sure if I'll continue.
  
  
• "Prey" - Michael Crighton. Actually pretty good. Got a little too far out in the end, but it held my interest.
  
  
• "Morgawr" - Terry Books. Next in the series. Decent read
  
  
• "Coldheart Canyon" - Clive Barker. Still a great author
  
  
• "The Pillars of Creation" - Terry Goodkind. The 7th book in the Sword of Truth series. Still an excellent read
  
  
• "Everything's Eventual" - Stephen King. Collection of short stories. Not bad, but you still can't beat his older ones. :)
  
  
• "The Summons" - John Grisham. Snore. Not exciting, not riveting. a quick read, but he's done better
  
  
• "Otherland", vol 2 - Tad Williams. Not bad. A good book, but a lot of the same kind of stuff...
  
  
• "Otherland", vol 1 - Tad Williams. Excellent. Trouble in a VR world...
  
  
• "Faith of the Fallen" - Terry Goodkind. Another excellent episode (vol 6) in the Sword of Truth series.
  
  
• "The Intruder" - Peter Blauner. Snorefest. 100 pages into this, and I just gave up. Too simplistic, I didn't really care about the characters. I have better material demanding my attention. :)
  
  
• "The Last Don" - Mario Puzo. A good read.
  
  
• "Death Dream" - Ben Bova. Fun book. Imagine being able to kill people in VR...
  
  
• "The Last Don" - Mario Puzo. Good read
  
  
• "To Save the Sun" - Ben Bova and A.J. Austin. Another good Bova book
  
  
• "Domes of Fire" - David Eddings. Feh. After reading the 10 Belgarion books, I'm hungry for more. While not a bad book, I got half way through and just didn't care about the characters. My to-read pile is so big, I moved on.
  
  
• "Executive Decision" - Tom Clancy. Sequal to Debt of Honor. pretty good. As usual, Clancy tends to be long winded but manage not to lose the reader.
  
  
• "The Name of the Rose" - Umberto Eco. Not too bad. I had seen the movie already, and the book didn't' add too much to the movie story, and Umberto does tend to ramble on a lot. Didn't end up finishing it :(
  
  
• "The Kinsman Saga" - Ben Bova. Good series (2 books in one). I think he used other elements in his other space books, but this is a good set unto itself
  
  
• "Deep As The Marrow" - F.Paul Wilson. Good thriller. Kidnap the presidents daughter to blackmail him to change policy...
  
  
• "Mars" - Ben Bova. Good read. Long-term mission to mars. Is there really life?
  
  
• "The Brethren" - John Grisham. Very slow. not as good as his other stuff...
  
  
• "Vector" - Robin Cook. Robin does bio-terrorism. Not too bad.
  
  
• "Exiles Trilogy" - Ben Bova. Excellent. Go out and read it NOW if you have any interest in Sci Fi. Three novelettes in one book. Genetic engineers are banned from earth by the world gov't to live the rest of their life on a space station. They decide to turn the station into a vehicle and try to reach another star system....
  
  
• "Along Came a Spider" - James Patterson. Nice thriller. Really enjoyed.
  
  
• "Sum of all Fears" - Tom Clancy. Pretty good. Nuclear war almost happens in the US.
  
  
• "When the Wind Blows" - John Saul. Another decent read by him
  
  
• "Grey Gallows" - Barbara Michaels. Snore. Way too slow. way too simplistic.
  
  
• "Legacies" - F. Paul Wilson. Still love this guy. The first in the 'return of repairman jack' series. A good read as always.
  
  
• "Angel Fire East" - Terry Brooks. Third in the 'demon' series. not too bad. Seemed a little stretch of the tale, but an enjoyable read nonetheless.
  
  
• "Reign in Hell" - William Diehl. "third" in the Vail/Stampler series. A good read - ends a little quickly, but a believable ending...
  
  
• Books 2-5 of the "Sword of Truth" series by Terry Goodkind. Excellent series. Blows Jordan away. (and he actually fishes his stories. ;-)
  
  
• "Dark Rivers of the Heart" - Dean Koontz. Good read
  
  
• "Circuit of Heaven" and "End of Days" - Dennis Danvers. Excellent series. What would happen if we created a virtual world that was better than the real world???
  
  
• "Wizard's First Rule", book 1 of the Sword of Truth series - Terry Goodkind. Excellent. A nice change from Jordan, who tends to drag things on and on. These are doorstop size books, but excellent reads. Highly recommended
  
  
• "Bag of Bones" - Stephen King. Snore. One of his slower books. Save your money - get from the Library if you really must.
  
  
• "Polgara" - Dave Eddings. A nice addition to the series, although I read the series so long ago some of the novel's events are fuzzy...
  
  
• "Debt of Honor" - Tom Clancy. Great read. War with Japan.....
  
  
• "Oath of Fealty" - Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle. Not as good as some of their other stuff. Good premise - a thousand foot high, 2 mile square building; housing, business, mall and more all under one roof. new utopia or futuristic nightmare? But the story didn't go everywhere it could have. sigh
  
  
• "Rockabilly Hell" - Wm. W. Johnstone. More form the camp horror king, although not as campy as some of his other stuff. A fun read.
  
  
• "Fires of Eden" - Dan Simmons. Another fine work by him, although of a bit of a different nature. Mountain gods on a Hawaiian island are real and seeking revenge on a land developer...
  
  
• "Shadow Prey" - John Sanford. Not as good as his other stuff. Lost interest about half way through. sigh.
  
  
• "Mr. Murder" - Dean Kontz. Not bad. standard stuff
  
  
• "Honor Among Thieves" - Jeffrey Archer. dumb plot. Writing wasn't too bad, but I just couldn't go on. It was like watching one of those awful TV movies, and it was time to turn the TV off..
  
  
• "The First Deadly Sin" - Lawrence Sanders. Snorefest. Got about a hundred pages into this and couldn't go any further. Didn't care about the characters, and there was no plot line yet. I have too many other books to read...
  
  
• "Primal Fear" - William Diehl. A good book. Movie was close to the book, some changes. Still a great read even knowing the ending.
  
  
• "Sleepwalk" - John Saul. Good read. Enjoy all his stuff
  
  
• "Lost Boys" - Orson Scott Card. Snore. Talk about bad. You read the back cover and look forward to a nice kidnapping thriller. Well, the whole book follows our characters, and you kind of wait for stuff to happen, but nothing ever does. Then the last chapter there's a bizarre twist. A lot of reading for nothing. I didn't even pass this one to my friends...
  
  
• "Jaws" - Peter Benchly. Got it cheap and had to read it. Thought it would have been more graphic or more suspenseful. Wasn't too bad.
  
  
• "Dead Simple" - Jon Land. Good read. Apparently a recurring character kind of book, I enjoyed this thriller. Will definitely look for others by this author
  
  
• "Toxin" - Robin Cook. Not one of his better books. I think Mr. Cook finally caught on as to how unsafe the USDA meat supply is and decided to write a book to scare all consumers into not eating beef. Not one of his better works.
  
  
• "Sullivan's Sting" - Lawrence Sanders. Standard detective/sting operation book. Follow 'Sullivan' as they try to get dirt on a Floridian con man.
  
  
• "Nerve Endings" - Wm. Martin. Not too bad. The stuff mini-series are made of. Good read - nice subtext of cable companies trying to take over the world. Written in 1985 it is surprisingly plausible today
  
  
• "Winter Prey" - John Sanford. Kiddie porn and murder in a small town in the dead of winter. Can they find the killer before all the witnesses are out 'cold'...
  
  
• "Galilee" - Clive Barker. Another work from the Master. Excellent read.
  
  
• "The Partner" - John Grisham. Standard Grisham fare, from a different point of view than usual. But as usual, a real shitty ending. This man must be a manic depressant at heart.
  
  
• "Fear Nothing" - Dean Koontz. The high price is the only thing you'll have to fear here. ;-) Couldn't resist. This builds upon an earlier book where animals have been given human intelligence (the old book had a smart retriever). A fun and quick read, although not that 'fearful'.
  
  
• "Chrosome 6" - Robin Cook. Finally got to finish this. Was half way through when I left the book on the subway. :) found it used cheap so i finished it off. Good read, although the ending was a little weak.
  
  
• "Term Limits" - Vince Flynn. Pretty good. Although the book deviates from the main premise it's still a good read. (put aside partisan bickering or more congressmen will die... how can you resist a tag like that? :)
  
  
• "the Osterman Weekend" - Robert Ludlum. Not bad. I'm starting to like his stuff. Trouble is he's one of those authors with so much out you'll soon forget which you've actually read
  
  
• "Reaper" - Ben Mezrich - implausible but spiffy read about "virus" that comes over the new fiber cable network and kills the viewers. detective/medical thriller. Can the good guys win?? :)
  
  
• "Protect and Defend" - Eric L. Harry. Not a bad battle book.
  
  
• "Storming Intrepid" - Payne Harrison. Got out of a dollar bin and it turned out to be a good read. The soviets have a hidden that hijacks a shuttle. Will the US recover the shuttle before it falls into soviet hands? a nice read.
  
  
• "The Silent Cradle" - Margater Cuthbert. Nice medical thriller
  
  
• "Masque" - F. Paul Wilson & Matt Costello. Can't resist anything by F. Paul. Usually horror, but some kewl sci-fi.
  
  
• "The General's Daughter" - Nelson Demille - the movie was coming out and the book was in a pile somewhere. Not bad. Not a page turner, finished it in a week, but wanted to finish it (did that make sense?). btw - the movie sucked. read the book if anything.
  
  
• "Moonwar" - Ben Bova - sequel to moonrise (gee, was it that long ago?
  
  
• "Contact" - Carl Sagan - Excellent book. Same basic story as the movie, but with enough differences to make it interesting even if you have seen the movie
  
  
• "Zodiac" - Neal Stephenson - not bad. A bit hurried of a book, but since it's based here in Boston it was a bit more interesting
  
  
• "Colony" - Ben Bova - another cute little diddy by Ben
  
  
• "October Sky" (aka "Rocket Boys") - Homer Hickman - Great book (and great movie) the man does write well
  
  
• "Peacekeepers" - Ben Bova - how to maintain world peace...
  
  
• "Footfall" - Niven & Pournell - These guys always write good stuff. :)
  
  
• "Bats" - Wm.J. Johnstone - This guy writes great camp horror. A nice break and a quick read
  
  
• "The Burning Man" - Phillip Margolin - good read
  
  
• "the Legacy of Heorot" - Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle - Another winner from this collaborative duo.
  
  
• "Red Mars", "Green Mars", "Blue Mars" - Kim Stanley Robinson - great read. Only unfortunate thing I have to say is I have to stop buying the first of a series. I always seem to get hooked. :-)
  
  
• "Exit to Eden" - Ann Rice. Interesting read.
  
  
• "Show of Evil" - Wm. Diehl. The crew of Primal Fear is back again
  
  
• "Moon Walker" - Rick Hautala. Good horror author. quick read
  
  
• "Belgarath the Sorcerer" - Dave Eddings. A follow-on to the Belgarath series. A nice addition to the series
  
  
• "Moonrise" - Ben Bova. Start of a new series. Good stuff, but almost more 'soap opera' than sci-fi. Reads more like Ken Follet. But I'm still gonna get the second one. :)
  
  
• "The Haunting" - Ruby Jean Jensen. Not too bad. quick subway read.
  
  
• "Hyperion" (the whole trilogy) - Dan Simmons. fantastic read. You must read this series
  
  
• "Winds of Altair" - Ben Bova. Great stuff. my first introduction to ben,and now I'm hooked
  
  
• Robert Jordan - Wheel of Time series (up to V7)
  
  
• "Sacrament" - Clive Barker
  
  
• "Holcroft Covenant" - Robert Ludlum
  
  
• "The Black Hotel" - Andrew Laurence (bizzarre horror)
  
  
• "Andromeda Strain", "Lost World" - you know who
  
  
• "Cold Whisper" - Rick Hautala

• David Eddings - all 10 of the belgariad/mallorian series. once you read, you get sucked right in. Excellent read. (although, I started the ruby throne series and was bored to tears)
  
  
• Dan Simmons - Carrion Comfort - one his best!
  
  
• Dan Simmons - summer of night - not too bad. too much from a kids point of view though - some slow parts
  
  
• Stephen King
  
  
• Stephen Donaldson - another one of those "love to hate" authors. I love his work, but sometimes you just want to slap his characters upside the head. :) Went through both "Thomas Covenant" series, and the mirror series. I'm annoying myself with 'the gap' series
  
  
• Robin Cook - too many to remember
  
  
• Tom Clancy - always a good read. Also read cardinal of the kremlin, patriot games, clear & present danger, hunt for red october

"Regular" Fiction

• "The World's Shortest Stories..." - ed by Steve Moss. All these stories are no more than 55 words long. The scary part is they are really good. I literally couldn't put it down in the store. Love. romance. murder. suspense. twists. turns. Run out and buy this book NOW! :-)
  
  
• "Seduction Theory" - Thomas Beller. Short Stories. Although it didn't get great reviews, I really liked these. I'd never heard of him but was accidently in Waterstones when he was giving a reading.

Non Fiction

• "Lab 257" - Michael Christopher Carroll". Excellent book outlining the germ/bio lab on Plumb island. Most of the book deals with the problems at the lab, and how failures of the physical labs and management caused several breaches over it's history. A classic story of how everything gets swept under the carpet, and how something simple like budget cuts can turn a 'secure' facility into a death trap. Many of the failures were documented or come from interviews with employees. The author does blame things like Lime Disease on germs escaping form the lab, which can't directly be proved, but is just based on empirical evidence. but that doesn't detract form the book as much as some reviewers indicate. A classic example of your government failing you. A must read.
  
  
• "Apple Confidential" aka "Apple Confidential 2.0:The Definitive History of the World's Most Colorful Company The Definitive History of the World's Most Colorful Company " - Owen Linzmayer. Being a Mac-head, was fun to read about the beginnings of apple, and get some of the inside information. Chapters are small with a lot of notes and info in the margin boxes. Really enjoyed. Only problem reading it now (2008) is Apple has come so far since the book ended I was left wanting more. He also glosses a bit over Jobs return - maybe because Steve plays things close to his vest, and we don't yet know why certain decisions were made, so it was frustrating reading "Steve had this idea, and we got a great new product". Maybe we'll get that in Steve's memoirs.
  
  
• "Livin in Joe's World" - Joe Patane. This is the cute little business guy from the Miami Real World cast. He decided to write a book about his experience and his 'lessons learned'. Not too bad. You can plow through it in an afternoon. Wonder what planet he lives on as he 'discovers' that the MTV crew edits the footage to get the most drama for the viewers. This is probably why the Real World would never work for 40 year olds - we realize what MTV is doing. Then again, adults go on other reality shows and are surprised as well. Guess some people never learn. Found it in a bargain bin, and I got what I paid for. If you see it in a dollar bin, you can kill an afternoon.
  
  
• His Bright Light - Danielle Steel. Not too bad. A biography od Diane and her son's relationship as he grew up and eventually took his life. It does read like she's getting a lot off her chest, but don't let that deter you. The only disappointed ment was when I found he wasn't just a 'troubled youth' but rather suffered from an undiagnosed medical condition. Given today ADD, depression and kids on drugs are common, it's surprising to see how such things were 'gossed over' just a short time ago.
  
  
• "A Walk in the Woods" - Bill Bryson. An excellent read. Bill tells us about his endeavors along the Appalachian Trail.
  
  
• "It's Not About the Bike" - Lance Armstrong. Autobiography, but concentrating on his battle with Testicular cancer.
  
  
• "How Wal-Mart is destroying America" - Bill Quinn. Interesting book, and a fun read for all we anti-walmart folks. It just explains some of the ways walmart does business
  
  
• "The Boston Strangler" - Gerold Frank - nice book chronicaling the murders and subsequent adventure... Very well written.
  
  
• "The Geography of Nowhere : The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape" - James Howard Kunstler - Current read. EXCELLENT book on the suburbanazation and homogonozation of the american landscape. A definite read!
  
  
• "Asphalt Nation" - Jane Holtz Kay - 'what has the auto culture done to our society' - a definite read for car owners and non-owns alike, Especially for those looking for a 'history' of how the car came to dominate and take over our lives. the main thing lacking in the book is some forward thinking. The conclusions chapter left me wanting - she spends 250-odd pages telling us about the problem and 20 pages saying "golly, what a mess, huh". The last page is jsut some quick "maybe we should X" and then the books ends. sigh.
  
  
• "A Gathering of Saints" - Robert Lindsey - True Crime book about a forger in Mormon Utah. Written very well - enjoyed it.
  
  
• the History of the Standard Oil Company - Ida Tarbell (c 1904)
  
  
• Our America : Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago - Lealan Jones, Lloyd Newman
  
  
• Monster-Autobiography of an LA gang member - Sanyika Shakur, Monster K. Scott
  
  
• Skyscraper : The Making of a Building - Karl Sabbagh

Railroad

• "New Have RR - Final Decades"
• "Getting There", Stephen Goddard
• "Wreck of the Penn Central"
• "To Hell in a Day Coach"
• "Supertrains", Joseph Vranch

Boston

• "Mapping Boston" - Alex Krieger
  
  
• "Boston Then and Now" - Elizabeth McNulty
  
  
• "Fire in Boston's Cocoanut Grove" - Paul Benzaquin (1967) A good book about recounting the worst fire in Boston's history...
  
  
• Cityscapes of Boston : An American City Through Time - Robert Campbell, Peter Vanderwarker (Photographer)
  
  
• Lost Boston - Jan Holtz Kay, June Holtz Kay, Jane H. Kay
  
  
• Bostons Depots and Terminals : A History of Boston's Downtown and Back Railroad Stations from 1834 to Today -- Dick Barrett, Richard C. Barrett
• Boston Architecture : 1975-1990 - Naomi Miller, Keith Morgan

Photography

• I have to say, I've become addicted to the "Images of America" book series from Arcadia Publishing. I'm a sucker for old photos & history Included in my collection are (in no order whatsoever):
  • Trolleys Under the Hub
  • When Boston Rode the El
  • Boston in Motion
  • Boston's Red Line - Bridging the Charles from Alewife to Braintree
  • Connecticut Whistle Stops
  
  
  • The Great Boston Fire of 1872
  • Beacon Hill
  • Boston's South End
  • Boston: A Century of Progress
  • The Charles: A River Transformed
  • Building the Mass Pike
  • Boston's Central Artery
  • Boston's Financial District
  
  
  • Stratford (connecticut)
  • Bridgeport on the Sound
• "Beneath an Open Sky" - Gary Irving
• "Tehachapi" - Steve Schmollinger
• "Ansel Adams in Color" - Ansel Adams
• "The West" - Eliot Porter
• "Listen to the Trees" - John Sexton
• "Desert Railroading" - Steve Schmollinger - this guy does great work!

Other cool stuff

"Gay" titles

• "The World of Normal Boys" - K.M. Soehnlein. I bought this more as I was the same age as the character was in the book. Was an OK read.
• "The Easy Way Out" - Stephen McCauley. Just OK. Didn't like the ending much. Characters got a bit annoying at times. Just OK.
• "Dancer from the Dance" - Andrew Holleran. Actually liked this. Picked it up in a used bin, as its one of our "classics".The story is OK, the ending could use a lot of work, but I really enjoyed the writing.
• "Every Man for Himself" - Orland Outland. Gay trash. definite 'beach read' type of material
• "The Object of My Affection" - Stephen McCauley
• "Best LIttle Boy in the World" - Andrew Tobias. In Progress
• "Men on Men 2000" - Bergman, Woelz, eds. Collection of "gay" short stories. Wasn't impressed here. Only three of the authors were enjoyable to read. And allthe stories were about AIDS or sex or coming out. There's so much more to gay life than these cliche' topics...
• "That's Mr. Faggot to You", "Alec Baldwin Doesn't Love Me" and "It's Not Mean if It's True" - Michael Thomas Ford. Excellent humor books!!!
• "Husband Hunting made easy" - Patrick Price
• "The Front Runner" - Patricia Nell Warren

[Return to John's Home page] ,      [Return to John's Bio page],      [Return to John's Hobby page]

John Mclachlan