Monday Reviews: 3 Books

So, we have started up a new year and here are the books that I have read, with reviews on each, to kick off the new year:

Standing for Something by Gordon B. Hinckley (nonfiction church):

Story Summary in about 30 words: This current LDS President discusses how we can improve our lives and our country through living moral lives. He focuses on 10 virtues that will "heal our hearts and homes."

Rate of Interest in book: 21.1 pages per day (211 total pages)

Best Thing about the Book: Pres. Hinckley's way of speaking is clear and simple on what we need to do to be better people. Its direct and he has a way of making you feel like a friend that he is just talking to.

Worst Thing about the Book: Yeah, how am I supposed to answer this question, huh? I would have liked it to go more in depth and I would have enjoyed more focus on the church but I can understand why he did neither in this book as it really is just a call to doing better for all people with little focus on the mormon church.

Overall: It is a good read just for the many stories that Pres. Hinckley tells. The opening by Mike Wallace is terrific as he talks about his relationship with Pres. Hinckley and about his personality and qualifications to discuss this subject.



Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child (fiction thriller):

Story Summary in about 30 words: Lead character Jack Reacher is a former military special investigator now on his own. He finds out that 4 (out of 8) of his former friends were brutally murdered. You do not mess with the Special investigators and Reacher wants answers.

Rate of Interest: 68.5 pages per day (411 total pages)

Best Thing about the Book: The Jack Reacher character is always entertaining. He is brutally tough and his sense of morals are on his terms and he stops at nothing until he feels things have been righted. It was also good to see some of his past 'teammates' and to see Reacher's respect of them and his interaction with them.

Worst Thing about the Book: The conclusion to the novel seemed a bit rushed as did the lack of alarms being run at the government level to what could have been a catastrophe to America.

Overall: Very entertaining and worth the read especially if you need a book for an airplane or to stay up in the night.



Speak of the Devil by Richard Hawke (fiction thriller):

Story Summary in about 30 words: Thanksgiving Parade in NYC ends in 5 people being gunned down. A PI, Fritz Malone, tracks the shooter down at the parade but soon learns that not all is as it appears to be and he is thrown into police and government conspiracies in getting answers.

Rate of Interest: 33.3 pages per day (400 total pages)

Best Thing about the Book: Good progression and interesting storyline that pushed thru for the first 300 pages.

Worst Thing about the Book: The last 75 pages. It went from entertaining and exciting to farfetched and disjointed. The wrap of the story and the conclusion left a lot to be desired.

Overall: Like I said, a good read for 70% of it but the last 30% of the book left a bad taste in my mouth. It is not worth a read, unless you put the book down after 300 pages and walk away.