About: All That I Am by Anna Funder is an award winning novel by this Australian author. The book won the prestigious Miles Franklin Literary Award, Australia’s most prestigious literary award. 400 pages Publisher: Harper Perennial Language: English ISBN-10: 0062077570 The pub­lisher is giv­ing away one copy of this book –to enter fill out the Raf­fle­copt­ter form at the end of the post. My rat­ing for All That I Am — 4 Buy this book in paper or in elec­tronic format* More Recommended World War II books on Man of la BookStore Thoughts: All That I Am by Anna Funder (website | Facebook) is a very good book, well written and interesting. That being said, it took me a while to get into it and, for me, a bit confusing and distracting. However, this is a profound book which I found that I liked a lot more after I finished. The story slaps the reader in the face, making them come to terms with the human condition of the past. The political turmoil described in the book is merely a backdrop to the people who are caught up in it, screaming and warning with no one to hear except the astute reader who knows how events will eventually unfold. The…

The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson is a novel following a man who was a CIA asset in al Qaeda.

Maggie Hope, an English citizen raised in America, journeys across the pond to sell the estate of her late grandmother. While unsuccessful at her original endeavor, she feels Camaraderie with the British people who are in war.

This very compelling account is not only about the murder, but a small lesson in history to put everything in context. The struggle of the US Air force against the MiG fighters, the birth of the Israeli Air force, as well as the mutually beneficial relationship between the two countries, as well as sections devoted to how Middle Eastern terrorism operated in the 70s.

BAND (Bloggers’ Alliance of Nonfiction Devotees) is a group of people devoted to reading and discussing nonfiction and to promote its nonboringness. Its brilliant! Each month they post a question which other members answer. BAND’s brilliant leader is Kim @ Sophisticated Dorkiness. Check her blog out! The post today is about upcoming new non-fiction books which you are excited about? I do read a lot of non-fiction books, not solely because I don’t like to box myself into a corner, but I do like to learn something…anything … from my reading. One could argue that you cold learn as much from fiction books as you do from non-fiction, but this isn’t what this post is about. I’m always on the lookout for interesting books, the thing is I never know what would I would find interesting, there is no genre or subject. Sometimes I get on a kick, for instance a few years ago I read any book which deals with the American Civil War, then moved on to the Civil War Generals’ biographies, then to the American Revolution, then to simple physics – no rhyme or reason. Without further ado and not in order, here are five books which either…

Article first published as Book Review: The Messenger by Daniel Silva on Blogcritics. About: The Messenger by Daniel Silva is the sixth novel in the Gabriel Allon series. Allon is an Israeli agent who is more interested in restoring works of art than the world of espionage. 352 pages Publisher: G. P. Putnam’s Sons (July 25, 2006) Language: English ISBN-10: 0399153357 My rating for The Messenger – 4 Buy this book in paper or elec­tronic format More Books by Daniel Silva Thoughts: The Messenger by Daniel Silva (web­site) is more of a thriller than the previous five books. The book is quite violent and Allon’s ruthlessness comes out in several highly charged scenes. While I didn’t think The Messenger was the best in the series, it did fill in some missing gaps in the relationships between the characters. As in many book series this one also is a standalone, but it’s always nice to read them in order. I was glad to read about the return of Chiara, Allon’s love interest which we lost in the previous book. I also loved the way Silva wrote the Pope (“the” Pope, not some mobster or terrorist with a nickname), he was approachable and seemed like a good leader. Silva incorporated current events…

Article first published as Book Review: The Risk Agent by Ridley Pearson on Blogcritics. About: The Risk Agent by Ridley Pearson is a fictional mystery/thriller taking place in China. The book is the first of a new series. The pub­lisher is giv­ing away one copy of this book— use the Raf­fle­copter form at the end of the post to enter. 432 pages Publisher: Putnam Adult Language: English ISBN-10: 0399158839 My rating for The Risk Agent – 4 Buy this book in paper or elec­tronic format More Books by Ridley Pearson Thoughts: The Risk Agent by Ridley Pearson (website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Pinterest) is a whirlwind of a ride through the business world of China. While I don’t know enough about the business world in that part of the world, that part of the novel certainly seemed authentic to me and made for a fascinating read. It seems that in China many companies, especially those who are not based in China, have a habit of giving incentives to government officials in order to gain the upper hand in the bidding process, or simply just flat out to get a job. Much like elections “incentives” (campaign donations), the act is frowned on officially but…

Enemies: A History of the FBI by Tim Weiner is a fascinating and well researched book giving an excellent treatment of what basically amounts to domestic spying

Article first published as Graphic Novel Review: Petrograd by Philip Gelatt (art by Tyler Crook) on Blogcritics. About: Petrograd by Philip Gelatt (art by Tyler Crook) is a graphic novel about an assassination. The graphic novels tells about an international conspiracy behind the murder of Gregorii Rasputin. 264 pages Publisher: Oni Press ISBN: 1934964441 My rating for Petrograd – 5 Get a great price on this book through the Man of la Book Affil­i­ate Account More books by Philip Gelatt More books by Tyler Crook Thoughts: The graphic novel Petrograd by Philip Gelatt (art by Tyler Crook) is more of a historical thriller than anything else. The death of Gregorii Rasputin has generated much controversy at the time and many more conspiracy theories which are always fun and supply fodder for authors. The story, while fictional, seems realistic enough to have actually happen (almost). Somehow Mr. Crook took the blighted atmosphere which authors try very hard to create and drew it. While I’m sure that many creative licenses were taken, as they are in every historical novel, I still enjoyed the story immensely. But don’t let the words “graphic novel” fool you. Petrograd takes historical facts (as seen by Americans) and re-tells the story in the format of an…

The book The 100-Year-Old Who Climbed Out Through the Window and Disappeared focuses on lampooning the espionage genre and parody the mystery/chase genres.