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I did not know what to expect, I knew it wouldn’t be a magnificent piece of literature, but I have heard many positive reviews and several bad ones.
A 14th Century book is found hidden in a wall in a monastery, inside it there is a map which points to a cave filled with outstanding paintings on its walls. The book is sent to Paris for restoration where Hugo Pineau, a literary historian, enlists the help of Luc Simard, an archaeologist to find the cave.
This novel was a delightful summer read, quick, funny and easy to ingest. The storytelling and dialog are sharp and funny, and the characters are engaging and natural.
About: World of Trouble by Ben H. Winters is the last book in a trilogy starring detective Hank Palace taking place when the world is about the end. The first two books The Last Policeman and Countdown City were a good read and I was looking forward to reading the ending of the trilogy. 320 pages Publisher: Quirk Books Language: English ISBN-10: 1594746850 My rating for World of Trouble — 4 Buy this book in paper or electronic format* More Books by Ben H. Winters Thoughts: World of Trouble by Ben H. Winters is a fitting end to a wonderful trilogy. I really enjoyed the fact that Mr. Winters doesn’t back out of the doomsday scenario he has created for a sappy Disneyesque ending which I was expecting. This novel ties up some loose ends which were introduced in the previous books, also the author concentrated on police procedural more than in the previous novels. That was a good call, I believe, since the first novel as well as part of the second, focused on how society has gone berserk in preparation of the impending doom. In his investigation, Palace meets many characters, some take advantage of the situation for…
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service by Ian Fleming is a top notch thriller is the second of what has become the “Blofeld Trilogy”, preceded by Thunderball (book review) and concluded with You Only Live Twice (The Spy Who Loved Me was written in between but is not included in the trilogy).
Even though the novel is almost 300 years old (at the time of this post), it is still relevant and exciting. While the language does reflect the prejudices of the 18th Century, it is still a product of its time and well worth reading.
About: Love and Treasure by Ayelet Waldman is a fictional multi-generational story. Ms. Waldman is a prolific author of fiction and non-fiction novels, essays and short stories. 352 pages Publisher: Knopf Language: English ISBN-10: 0385533543 My rating for Love and Treasure — 3 Buy this book in paper or electronic format* More Books by Ayelet Waldman Thoughts: Love and Treasure by Ayelet Waldman is a strange book was easy to read and follow, for the most part. The story has lovely characters and an intriguing premise, and one could tell that Ms. Waldman certainly is a talented writer. The book is divided into three sections following a pendant the protagonist’s grandfather has stolen from a Hungarian Gold train. The narrative follows the adventures of the grandfather during World War II, the second part follows his granddaughter, Natalie, while she tries to locate the rightful owner of the relic, and the third part is told through notes of a Dr. Zobel. I really enjoyed the first two-thirds of the novel, but the last third simply lost me and I didn’t feel added anything interesting to the story. Ms. Waldman certainly has skills to weave history and fiction in a most interesting…
The novel touches on several subjects which are important even in today’s world. The division of Berlin, the relationships between the victorious Allied personal who are now trying to align themselves with the political wishes of their leaders as well as the German people and the effects of the Berlin blockade.
I truly enjoyed the part of the story where Clark Kent, as a young man, is searching for something interesting to do when he grows up.
Sound easy, right? After all, he can do anything, dance, sing, lead a football team.
He could probably win the World Cup all by himself.
But is that who he wants to be?
Hitler, the megalomaniac, sees the world as if he is the only sane man left. Mad women pick up dog poop, the youth has not respect and the airwaves are filled with garbage. At some point he even justifies how Chaplin’s “cheap and shoddy” film, The Great Dictator, got less hits then him on U-Tube because it’s been on for 75 years.
