Books of January 2011

The Bourne Betrayal
Eric Van Lustbader
ISBN 0-446-61880-2
724 pages

I like the Bourne trilogy, and the movies were fun.  This, however, is a stinking pile of crap.  2D characters and a plot that is so improbable it becomes ridiculous to the point of stupidity.

Walking on the Land
Farley Mowat
ISBN 1-55263-167-2
208 pages

Saddening.

Tomorrow, When the War Began
John Marsden
ISBN 978-0-330-27486-9
304 pages

The Dead of Night
John Marsden
ISBN 978-0-330-35647-3

272 pages

The Third Day, the Frost.
John Marsden
ISBN 978 0 330 35668 8
288 pages

Darkness, Be My Friend.
John Marsden
ISBN 978 0 330 36005 0
272 pages

Burning for Revenge
John Marsden
ISBN 978 0 330 36063 0.
272 pages


The Night is for Hunting
John Marsden
ISBN 978 0 330 361361
256 pages

The Other Side of Dawn.
John Marsden
ISBN 978-0-330-36213-9.
256 pages


Saw the movie based on the first book, figured to give the series a try.  Not just a Red Dawn rip-off.  Should really just be one big book rather than seven little ones, but it is a 'young adult' series.  Nothing spectacular, but I enjoyed it.  I loved the idea of Red Dawn when I was a kid.

9 Dragons
Michael Connelly
ISBN 978-0-316-16631-7
377 pages

Picked it up from Bookmooch, a hardcover even.  Typical Bosch, seemed shorter than usual.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain
ISBN 0-06-046721-5
366 pages

Figured it deserved a reread.  Perpetually on lists of banned books and controversial over use of the word nigger and portrayal of Jim.  In the media recently over a recently published edition where the word nigger was replaced with the word slave.  Of course in the debates always referred to "The N-Word".  I have 3 thoughts.  When was the last time you heard someone say "The F-Word" or "The S-Word".  Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.  "Nigger" (or "Nigga") seems to be entrenched in popular culture - think music - I am surprised at the frequency I hear it.  The book itself was OK, nothing spectacular.

The Dragon's Village
Yuan-Tsung Chen
ISBN 0-394-50791-6
285 pages

An interested semi-autobiographical novel about a young woman participated in rural land reform after the Chinese revolution.  I liked it.  China has always impressed me.

Dark of the Moon
John Sanford
ISBN 978-0-399-15477-5
373 pages

Not about Lucas but Virgil Flowers.  The most enjoyable Sanford book I've read in a while.

Hell's Kitchen
Jeffery Deaver
ISBN 0-671-04751-5
353 pages

Deaver is not on my A list of authors.  An ok mystery.