AudioFiles: Stone Cold by David Baldacci

Title: Stone Cold
Author:David Baldacci
Genre: Political Thriller
My rating: Save It




Oliver Stone, the leader of the mysterious group that calls itself the Camel Club, is both feared and respected by those who've crossed his path. Keeping a vigilant watch over our leaders in Washington D.C., the Camel Club has won over some allies,
but it has also earned formidable enemies-including those in power who will do
anything to prevent Stone and his friends from uncovering the hidden, secret
work of the government.


One by one, men from Stone's shadowy past are turning up dead. Behind this slaughter stands one man: Harry Finn. To almost all who know him, Finn is a doting father and loving husband who uses his skills behind the scenes to keep our nation safe. But the other face of Harry Finn is that of an unstoppable killer who inevitably sets his lethal bull's-eye on Oliver Stone. And with Finn, Stone may well have met his match.
Summary

The more I read or listen to Baldacci to more I cannot stop. Just think the only read that I picked up the first book in the series was because of the presidential election. I was in a mood for a political thriller. After that book was roped in. So anyways about the book.

In one plot we find Oliver Stone, who went by the name of, John Carr, as a former CIA assassin, comes to grips with a terrible mistake that he made years ago.It was due to the good 'ole US government that he was taking order from. He had terminated an innocent man who was falsely identified as a traitor. While Stone uncovers the mystery behind this mistake, he finds himself entangled in the lives of the dead man's family. Once he finds out that this family is to be terminated by the same man who ordered the execution of the father years ago, he must act quickly to prevent another injustice from being performed.

There are other plots, other characters that if covered it would only spoil the book for you. There were some disappointments in book as well as parts think that certain characters had it coming to them. Good old karma.

Dutch and German..OH MY

A couple of month after my little girl turned 2...she had been headed down THAT road. Many parents out there know what I am talking about the TERRIBLE 2's. It seems that somedays, she is in timeout or has toys taken away more than anything. UGGGH. Fun times. We are trying  NOT to raise a spoiled brats.

Aquagirl's stubbornness sure does test our patience at times. My wife and I think that it has to do that she has so much German and Dutch flowing in her bloodline. Or maybe it is the female gene as well..lol. There are days when she wakes up with a mode good luck trying to get her in a decent one for that day.

We wonder on those days where did our sweet little girl went off to? I love that girl, but  sometimes...SOMETIMES..:) 

So to the parents out there. Do you any stories?

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
My rating: Save It

Summary:
What if you only had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last.

The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. Living the last day of her life seven times during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death--and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing

My Thoughts:
 Well... I didn't love this book, I am glad that I picked it up. This book is similar to groundhog's day (the movie)and the movie Mean Girls. We follow Sam as she lives over each day after dying in a car crash caused by a drunk driver. Each day she does something different and does become a better person, which I do think gives young adults ideas on how to be a better person. So I think the lessons in the book are great, but reading about the same day over and over was starting to get on my nervous in the end.

I could not connect with Sam in this book book she was one of those girls that I could not tolerate in high school and she seemed nice, but her actions while she was alive was a different story.I was interested to see how she was doing to change each time that she live the same day. 

You can learn enough from this debut novel from Lauren Oliver.  I treat everyday like it maybe the last day I see my wife and daughter...I try ....boy I try to make sure the last words I say to tell is I love You.

View all my reviews

The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
Series: Hannibal Lecter #2
My rating: Back IT UP


A serial murderer known only by a grotesquely apt nickname-Buffalo Bill-is stalking women. He has a purpose, but no one can fathom it, for the bodies are discovered in different states. Clarice Starling, a young trainee at the FBI Academy, is surprised to be summoned by Jack Crawford, chief of the Bureau's Behavioral Science section. Her assignment: to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter-Hannibal the Cannibal-who is kept under close watch in the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.

Dr. Lecter is a former psychiatrist with a grisly history, unusual tastes, and an intense curiosity about the darker corners of the mind. His intimate understanding of the killer and of Clarice herself form the core of The Silence of the Lambs-and ingenious, masterfully written book and an unforgettable classic of suspense fiction.

My Thoughts:
As it goes the book is still better than the movie. In this one it was a CLOSE call. It was the first one that could go either way. I loved this book I was hooked on this read.

Harris is such a Master with the way that he can make you skin crawl at times in this book. It is not to say that I liked this masterpiece very much.

I find it kind of funny that the FBI as so desperate to catch a serial killer that is skinner women that they need the help from Hannibal Lecter.He is evil, obviously, Prince-of-Darkness level evil, and he is as good at being evil as Starling is at being good. As they seduce each other, each in their own way, we see each taking what they need from the other and each giving something of themselves in the process.

They send in FBI trainee, Clarice Starling to "interview" Lecter about his thoughts of the case throughout the book. Lecter just says enough to keep the audience on the edge of your seat.   

The book does go into so much more detail about Buffalo Bill compared to the movie. You really find out why he is the way he is in the end.

King of the Nerds

So have you been watching King of the Nerds? I have not missed an episode. I have been enjoying the show here is the jist of it:

Hosted by Robert Carradine(Louis) and Curtis Armstrong(Booger), King of the Nerds is the ultimate nerd-off. The series will follow eleven fierce competitors from across the nerd spectrum as they set out to win $100,000.

Each week, they must face challenges that will test their intellect, ingenuity, skills and pop culture prowess. In each episode, the nerds will first compete as teams and then as individuals, facing challenges that range from live gaming to a dance-off to life-sized chess. One competitor will be eliminated each week until one nerd stands alone as the ultimate champion off all things nerdy.

How can you not like this show like this.I know you were one of those people that picked on me in high school that is how. I have never been one that was into the whole reality television scene.Like every reality show there has to be drama with all the competitors in the same house.  I do look forward to this show every Thursday.  

Do any of you watch the show, if so what do you think?

The Puppet Masters by Robert A. Heinlein

The Puppet Masters by Robert A. Heinlein
Series: None
Genre: Light Sci-Fi
Published: 1951
My rating: Save It



I read this book for the 2nd annual Vintage SciFi Month. This event Andrea has been hosting since 2012. I sure do enjoy reading some good old fashion SciFi. It is also nice to see what the author(s) think what the future to them would be like and how off or right on their thoughts were as well.

This is the second Heinlein book that I have read now. My first was The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, I liked that one. I thought that this one was a little better in my opinion. Getting this out of the way I thought that this book was quite a bit like Wells' War of the Worlds. I just cannot believe that this book was wrote 50 years ago. Heinlein was able to dream up cellphones,satellite relay, and other types of technology. I would like one of the cars though. Where can I buy one :)

This book starts off in 2007, and a flying saucer landed in Iowa...yes Iowa of all places.A Hoax. Two agents(Sam and Mary), however, of the U.S. Intellegence agency disappeared while on the scene. Four more agents are sent in, and they disappear. The head of the agency and two of his top agents are sent in and escape with their discovery. The earth is under attack and is being invaded by slug-like aliens who can latch on to a human and totally control his/her mind.

It is interesting to see how the government tries to institutes different "Acts" so the Agency can see whom is affected easier. I cannot imagine going around in the buff for LONG periods of time in public.

What I Liked:  This book was nonstop action and you were not sure what was going to happen on the next page. I was not sure if the solution that Sam's theory was going to work in the end. I thought that it was funny that the marriage license you could choose different durations for it.

What I Disliked:  The thing I did not like about the book was the RH portrays women, but that is where it shows its age.

I will be reading more of RH in the future.

AudioFiles: The Camel Club by David Baldacci

The Camel Club by David Baldacci
My rating: Back It Up


Summary:
Existing at the fringes of Washington, D.C., the Club consists of four eccentric members. Led by a mysterious man known as "Oliver Stone," they study conspiracy theories, current events, and the machinations of government to discover the 'truth' behind the country's actions. Their efforts bear little fruit--until the group witnesses a shocking murder...and become embroiled in an astounding, far-reaching conspiracy. Not the Club must join forces with a Secret Service agent to confront one of the most chilling spectacles ever to take place on American soil--and event that may trigger the ultimate war between two different worlds. And all that stands in the way of this apocalypse is five unexpected heroes.
 
My Thoughts:
This was the first book I have read by Baldacci and I was impressed to say the least. In this book, it is about a group of misfits that have a club where they try to uncover conspiracies and force the government to acknowledge truth called the Camel Club. Hence the title. I sounds like a group that I would like to be part of :)

The group meets once a month to talk about what they think that the government is hiding from the American people. During one of these meeting, they witness an event that puts them in the middle of a situation that threatens the safety of the country and the world.

I did enjoy this book with the turns and twists that is throws at the reader. There are many different stories happening throughout the book. At times it is a challenge to keep up with the character in the book.

I like it so much that I am starting the second book in the series already.