Stevon

This was my second Michael Connelly and it was enjoyable. It was entertaining which is what you want out of a book. Harry Bosch is fun and Connelly does a good job of keeping the story moving, throwing in some romance, a snappy LA style, and good insight into human nature. I know I'm a bit late discovering this author but 'll methodically work through his stores.

What to say? I broke one of my own book rules in listening to the Walt Longmire series in that I usually go through my books in the order I buy them but not this time. I read online that season two of the Longmire TV series on A&E cable would be starting on Memorial Day weekend 2013. I haven't seen any of season one either. Knowing that seeing a book you like as a movie or as a TV series can be disappointing and since I was enjoying the books so much, I decided I wanted to finish all the books that are out at this time before seeing any of the TV shows. So, this is the last of the 8 Longmire books currently out. Craig Johnson is really a creative, imaginative writer. In his series he brings Wyoming to life, he brings the characters of not only Walt Longmire himself but his family, friends, and staff to life in a very fun, witty way. You can't help but respect Walt as the sort of crusty old sheriff that does whatever it takes to solve a crime in his county. The writing makes you chuckle at times. In this book, Walt spends his time on a Cheyenne Indian reservation on the Wyoming/Montana border helping a new chief of police solve a crime while he gives the chief help in learning how to investigate a crime. At the same time his daughter is making plans to get married. There is a lot going on but Walt works through it all as only he can. Finding this series has been a real joy. I hope I like the TV series, the author says he approves the adaptation so I will watch based on that recommendation. And, I'll look forward to book #9, whenever that is.

I'd have rated this one higher than 5 stars if I could have, it was that good. Craig Johnson really out did himself with this story. He left all of Walt's staff and friends behind and had Walt going up a mountain by himself chasing the bad guys when he had every reason not to. But then, that's Walt Longmire and the more we get to know him the more we like and respect him. I'd say that Walt sure could retire after this adventure and no one could fault him. But, I know he doesn't retire as I'm on to "As the Crow Flies".

Trouble sure seems to find its way to the least populated county in the least populated state! And, Walt Longmire works at solving these crimes as only he and his staff can. It seems I've been listening to narrator George Guidall for years but he is especially good with the Longmire stories. What can I say, I've enjoyed all the book in the series so far, now it's on to "Hell is Empty".

In book #3 we learned about Walt's Philly connections, in book #4 we have a story that weaves Walt's Vietnam war experience into the mystery. I'm now caught up in the series as I started with "Dark Horse", book #5 then went back to the beginning. It's been an interesting series. I broke my own book reading process with this series as I almost always go through my books in the order I buy them. I changed up for the Longmire series, mainly because I enjoy them so much, but the final decision was when I discovered there is a Longmire TV series on A&E and season 2 starts on Memorial Day weekend and I want to have read all of the book out at that time before I get to see how TV has altered the stories. I see the author likes how they've been adapted but, I don't know, the TV adaptions are never the same. Anyway, back to this story, it grabbed you right from the beginning, it was an easy, interesting listen and weaves in all the characters even while bringing a Moretti, other than Vic, from Philly to Wyoming. Learning a bit about Walt's Vietnam experience was interesting but at the core, it's about Walt and the person he is and how that drives his personal and professional life. And, I assume most fans, like me, enjoy it. On to #6, "Junkyard Dogs"

Well, I'm hooked on these Walt Longmire books now and will methodically work through the ones I've haven't listened to yet. This one was set in Philadelphia and not Wyoming. I'm not surprised the author set one of his stories in Philly as his bio states that he has Philly ties. So, I can see why one would be there since his daughter lives there and his detective is from there but I am a bit surprised that he chose just his third book in the series to tell us about Vic's family, a lot about Philly's history, including Indian, but in the overall series it doesn't really matter when he introduces this part of the series. I'm sure his Philly family and friends appreciated it. But, it was another good Walt Longmire tale. In book #2 when his daughter visits him in Wyoming he's so busy working a case he doesn't have much time for her and in this one she's injured and they can't talk to one another. We'll see if that changes going forward. The author really has a witty style of writing, the way he describes people, the settings, the mystery, etc., is really enjoyable. He spins good mystery yarns but it's his character development and writing style that really pull you in. Now I feel like I know the Moretti family and more about Vic's upbringing there, I'm ready to get back to Wyoming, just like Walt. On to book #4!

I read William Faulkner or at least tried to read him in my 20's. I never really thought much about him after that until audible offered up this book as part of its Audible Modern Vanguard classic selections. The plot seemed interesting and I liked that it was narrated by actor Will Patton, who also narrates the James Lee Burke novels I enjoy, and since he's from the south where this book takes place, he had the southern accents down to a T.

This is a thought provoking book that touches on several different topics. Since it's set in Mississippi in the 1930's, it is a timepiece novel looking at that era, post Civil War but where racism still existed even all those years later. But it also touches on the hopes and dreams of people who are just trying to get by in life. It touches on the effects our parents and even out grandparents have on our lives. Did we lead the lives our parents wanted us to or did we stay true to ourselves and lead the lives we wanted to? Was it possible to do both? How did our grandparents effect the lives of their children and how then did that get passed down onto us? Many of us rebel and strike off on our own but as we get older we sometimes think that we are leading the life we were supposed to and now we've gone full circle.

Faulkner touches on all these issues in this book. Yes, it's a novel of the deep south in the 1930's but it is also universally timeless. I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would when starting out. Read it slow and think about it, as i said, it's thought provoking.

I just finished listening to "Light in August" by William Faulkner. Audible offered up this interview of James Lee Burke on Faulkner. Since I'm a Burke fan I thought it would be interesting to get his perspective on Faulkner as he evidently liked Faulkner's writing or why would he do an interview? "Light in August" was a thought provoking book. I thought this interview gave an interesting perspective on Faulkner, his writing and his life, and it has encouraged me to listen to another. Thanks, audible!

First time author, I'd seen Nora Roberts books over the years but had never listened to one. For some reason this one caught my eye, a 20 something female living a secluded life in a small town developing security systems plus it was rated 4.3 on the audible 5.0 scale with almost 5000 ratings so a lot of people thought it was pretty good. In researching the author, I discovered she is mainly a romance novelist and has written several hundred books under 3 different names. This book didn't really seem like a romance novel although it did have some romance and it was pretty good. To me, the book was well crafted, had an interesting plot caught you up in the story right from the beginning and I found it entertaining. In fact, I was sorry to see it end. The story is set mostly in the Arkansas Ozarks. I'll look forward to my next one by this author.

First time author for me, this book started out action packed and never let up. The protagonist was an ex-marine sniper, ex-CIA operative with baggage but ever resourceful so you realized early on he was one tough dude. An interesting aspect to this book was the narrator, Dick Hill. Hill also narrates author Lee Childs' Jack Reacher series and the lead characters in both are similar. When listening to this book I kept thinking about the Reacher character. I wondered if it was by design, kind of like piggybacking on the popularity of the other series and the narrator. After awhile you get caught up in the story and don't think about it as much. But it is interesting to get used to a narrator, and there are lots of great ones, then hear them in a different series. This story kept my attention and I blew right through it. It all took place in San Diego in a several day period. Enjoy!

First time author for me, this one was set in N Ireland in the 1980's during the heighth of the Protestant/Catholic problems that were referred to as "The Troubles". The protagonist is a Catholic detective working in a Protestant police office working a string of murders that get him volved in the bigger mess that's going on. It was intense and enjoyable right from the start. It's hard to believe you hate someone just because of their religion but it's still going on today all over the globe. I really liked this book.