Old Books - New Reader

Go ahead call me slow! I've just finished reading "The Devil's Code", by John Sandford and "The Last Templar", by Raymond Khoury. Both books have been out awhile, but they were gifts from my oldest daughter! She having moved to the Washington, DC area and is truly missed by her old Dad. Thanks for the books!



Being an ol' computer geek(who can't type), I really enjoyed the storyline in Mr. Sandford's book. You don't think about hackers being involved in government espionage and murders, but this electronic thriller which uses computer buzzwords, hi tech terms and concepts for the advanced computer user has it all. A chip is developed by AmMath, a software company, for the governments use to break encrypted messages. A design engineer is murdered and his sister and a hacker friend help to bring the guilty parties to justice.

As a Dan Brown ( The Da Vinci Code) knock-off, "The Last Templar" is just a moderate play into the gallant world of the Templar's. While I've been long fascinated with this subject, the nuances and plot of this book make me feel as I've been there, done that. The storyline is different as a female, Tess Chaykin is the heroine backed by sidekick Sean Reilly who is an FBI agent. The bloodline of Christ, I thought was a direct take from Mr. Brown's book. The flashbacks to the Templar's, revealing parts of the back story, were chivalrous and grand! Not revealing all the book, the ending was a bit anti climatic and all along character development was null and void.




Final thoughts, the old ratings game, on a scale of one to five:
"The Devil's Code" (4)
"The Last Templar" (3)

I hope you are reading and enjoying fiction books as much as I do!!

Loser vs Winner - Fiction Books

In all my fifty -six years of being on this earth, I've always felt a loser of sorts. Never at the the top of any endeavors can make you feel as if that "L" is still on my forehead. As a young man playing all the different sports left much to be desired as I was chubby, lean, tall, short, slow , fast, athletic, nonathletic, smart and dumb. Many of the adjectives used to describe me by my peers.

Got older, married, kids, worked, and lost the desire for a lot of activities outside of the family. Nevertheless still branded myself a loser, and only felt better when lost in the macrocosm of a fiction book. Do many of you feel this way? I would welcome your comments!

Authors such as Tom Clancy, Daniel Silva , Philip Shelby, James Patterson, David Baldacci, and Tim Green have all contributed to my "good times" wandering in another world.

You are not going to believe this, but ol' "loser", actually won a book at bookreporter.com and have been asked to give a review! Wow! Do I feel better, first time I've won anything since I was eight and won a drawing at my grammar school for a quilt! What does an eight year old want with a quilt? Oh well so much for my Thursday ramblings. Have a good weekend! Read fiction!

Bourne - The Ulimate

After reading the Bourne Ultimatum, my desire for more Bourne is paramount! I have not got to the movie theatre yet and others say the movie is quite different than the book. Reading reviews is a hobby of mine, and after close scrutiny believe most did not like the written version as well as the big screen adventure. Some even went as far to say and I quote "Robert Ludlum did not write this book". Disagreement is mine for the taking, as I propose Mr. Ludlum has written one of his best. The sub-plots, characters, and in the words of Gomer Pyle "It makes you think", all make for a very satisfying read.

Jason Bourne had only one objective: to find out who he really was. Traveling from Moscow, Paris, Madrid, London, Tangier, and finally New York, his quest to find the real Jason Bourne was interlaced with assassins, police, government officials, and relatives.

Of course his old Nemesis, Carlos the Jackal was as entertaining as ever! A very evil versus good type of story to me, yet at times who was corrupt or commendable? Jason has been "retired", when his old pals Conklin and Panov are attacked at a carnival. Carlos is wanting Jason Bourne dead.

David Webb aka Jason Bourne sends his family to his bother-in-law's hotel to escape the wrath of the Jackal and ends up playing right into the terrorist hand. The Medusa group is still alive and well as Conklin and Bourne find out and involves some high ranking government officials at the Pentagon and NATO. In Paris, the Jackal seems again to get the upper hand, but Bourne is only "saddling up" for the Moscow objective planned and executed to perfection by Jason. Carlos the Jackal finally proves he is human by a inexcusable bobble. Jason takes the advantage and at the secret KGB training center at Novgorod, Illich Ramirez Sanches aka Carlos the jackal, is removed from the fight for good!

Some have said there are hidden meanings in the Bourne Legacy, struggling against government officials who share Dick Cheney's low opinion of due process, but who cares! I commend Robert Ludlum on a great read and hope that Jason Bourne lives on!

Mr. Rather - Is this Fiction?

Hello Mr. Dan Rather,
I admired your journalism skills for many years while at CBS, but I have a question for you, what are you doing suing your former employer? Are you really that pompous at seventy-five years old to believe you were the scapegoat for a broadcast about President Bush? Can you not let go?

If I remember correctly your nightly news broadcast was always in third place, behind Tom Brokaw and Peter Jennings. I believe you ought to consider how long CBS exercised patience with you and your declining ratings. Mr. Rather, you must be living in the past trying to ignore some of your eccentricities of your career! Get on with life! Live! Quit perverting your own status!

Maybe we all need to back up, look, and listen. Are you sure Mr Rather, you are not a fiction writer?

Best Regards,
joeB

Let Freedom Ring?

In a land close by, at a time long ago, a young man impressed us all with his ability to run the grassy fields like no one else. First, my Saturday afternoon's in the 1960's were filled watching his exploits on the western college fields or else the Sunday morning paper, sports section, was read with ooh's and aah's. His winning the collegiate game's highest award in 1968, I thought was well deserved. National Football League here he comes as the number one pick. Languished for three years, till a coaching change saw his potential. Set the all time league rushing record for one year and played spectacularly for more than ten years.

Movies, television, and a sportscaster were next after retirement from football. This dashing and handsome football player was a household name. His reputation seemed flawless. If we only knew!

Did 1994 bring out the real OJ Simpson? I was baffled! Why? Why kill two people? I did not want to believe one of my hero's was guilty! And yes, the verdict was "not guilty". The police would certainly find the killer or killers of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Hmm, but alas no one has ever been charged but OJ.

I am writing this to say, "PLEASE", do not buy this insane book "If I Did It". Sure a Florida bankruptcy court has awarded the Goldman family the rights to the book, and now the family has sanctioned publication, but this is, I believe, an immoral book and should not be purchased. The content is very gruesome and the sister, family, and friends of Nicole Brown Simpson should not be disparaged by a "fiction" account of this appalling action.

Rupert Murdoch publicly apologized for his company when they were going to publish the book a year ago, after public outcry was so great. Don't get me wrong, I am not calling for censorship, but am calling for your mind and heart to quell your curiosity, and not buy this book. Let us ring the freedom bell!

What is Fiction Views?

What is FictionViews?

Good question – and you deserve an answer.

If you enjoy good fiction as much as we do, you will enjoy a website that is devoted to reviewing new fiction from new and established authors. They will include a variety of fiction genres – crime, political thrillers, science fiction, and general fiction by such well-known writers as Joyce Carol Oates, Cormac McCarthy, Isabel Allende, and Don DeLillo.

But we will do more than just review new books. We’ll look back at best-selling fiction that publishers reissue from time to time. That includes classic works by Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and William Faulkner from the pantheon of American authors but perhaps some books by writers from other countries.

We know that many of you who enjoy good fiction are also fans of nonfiction as well. Accordingly, we hope to start another site devoted to NonfictionViews – featuring books on politics, science, education, foreign affairs, and many other topics that help define as our world as it is today.

Stay tuned – and good reading!

Hardcover Books - Disappearing Act?

Catching my eye with a great designed cover is an important part of making my decision to buy a particular book. The title, colours, and layout are all part of the excitement of turning to the first chapter. Passing on a great fiction book to a relative or friend is an inordinate way of encouraging a new reader or establishing a new relationship. You know paper books have been around for hundreds of years and I for one do not want to see that go away.

Yes, I know I'm setting here at my computer desk with the latest HP/TV digital, gigs, drives, mouse, and flat screen typing this, but will technology help me not to laugh when I forget to bookmark the four books I am reading at the moment.

Amazon announced their new electronic reader "Kindle" coming out in October. This unit will sell for between $400 and $500 (that's a lot of hardcovers) and more importantly will connect wirelessly to the e-book store on Amazon's web site.

Amazon has allowed open access to their partners for the digitized content, but the proprietary format they are using is not supporting the open e-book standard used by most publishers. Some very good points though about "Kindle" are the wireless capabilities to download without being connected to a computer, comes with several reference books already loaded, and has a keyboard on which you can navigate the web or take notes. Kindle has a 6-inch diagonal screen and weighs only 10.2 ounces making it easy to carry and to read. Reviews on other sites say that Kindle is "ugly" or asks if it comes with a dot matrix printer. A little too harsh for me.

It has been awhile since e-book readers have hit the market, but I still want to hold that book cover. Sony, Palm, Amazon have all raised the stakes with lots of press and hype with their respective readers, but please lets not forget that titillation when we leave the book store with a sack full of good ol' hardcover fiction books!

Fiction is the only Game!

Is bin laden's capture fiction! Is George Bush's presidency fiction? Is the Iraqi war fiction? I do not know the "true" answer to any of these questions but I do know that fiction books are the only read for me. Bibliographies, non-fiction, true stories, information, poetry or biographies are not in my reading genre. Preferably living in a sub-fantasy world is my place on this earth. OK! maybe I do not want to face reality, but what is wrong with that!

My introduction to other realms was opened by none other than a Hardy Boys 1932 red raggedy edition of "The Mystery of Cabin Island". Chet Morton and I were one and the same, helping solve the mystery of Elroy Jefferson's stolen coin collection. Every new volume was anticipated and read usually at night with a small flashlight under the covers on my bed. Nancy Drew mysteries were also relished although I was an outsider looking in on these series seeing as I am a male.

As time went by Ray Bradbury was idolized for putting me out into the microcosm of the universe. I know micro and universe are opposites, but I was only twelve, and lived in Tennessee. There are pages that make me wish today, as longingly as that 12-year-old did many years ago to ride a jade-green insect to the Blue Mountains! The Martian Chronicles made me aware of a powerful yet provocative mind-boggling way of escaping my home, mind, parents, and every day life!

Well enough of my early years, lets zoom into the present. Many authors are on my reading lists in the past few years and in no particular order here are a few: Robin Cook, Jonathan Kellerman, Tim Green, Brain Haig, and James Patterson. I really want to start this blog with intentions of getting to know other people who love to read fiction as much as me and interact with posts, emails, and suggestions as to the future of helping those who have not read fiction to escape with us. Please sign up and lets be delivered from this world to the Game!