This is another in a long line of Mitch Rapp, off-the-books CIA agent stories by Vince Flynn. Flynn, by the way, is a Minnesota author. This was obvious when his character says   posted Nov 4, 2009 at 8:00AM

This well written book is about the author’s parents and grandparents and their Russian roots. It’s a great window into life in the Soviet Union during the various Communist regimes. The stories come alive because the book is about real people and what life was like for them. It also connects on a very personal level. A thoroughly enjoyable book and a very painless history lesson!   posted Jul 28, 2009 at 8:39AM

I thought this book was garbage. I’m into this genre, but the plot line was TOTALLY unbelievable. The plot was so unbelievable that the word fiction isn’t descriptive enough. This was a very lazily and poorly written book. Also the dialogue was juvenile and frankly terrible. If I had a dollar for every time the Clancy writes "Roger that, bro" I wouldn’t have to worry about my 401k recovering. Total thumbs down!!   posted Jul 14, 2009 at 5:37PM

It’s a bit embarrassing to admit that I read this book. I think every boy that was born in the ‘50’s liked Marcia Brady, so I have to admit that was the initial motivation. However, it was better written (or edited) than I expected. I didn’t know that Maureen McCormick, the real Marcia Brady, was one very, very messed up person. Even now, she is battling with a delusional father and brother. It has not been a very Brady life. I found the book a good summer-reading type book.   posted Jul 12, 2009 at 7:40PM

This is an amusing book. However, I was bit surprised that someone who is so well traveled is also so culturally intolerant. I imagine much of it is for comic affect, but still it’s pretty negative. Is there anything that makes Bryson happy?   posted Jun 25, 2009 at 7:40AM

Reading Vince Flynn books is a guilty pleasure. I hate that the books are so right-wing and enthnocentric, but there is no denying that they are fun to read and that this guy really knows how to write. OK, it’s all according to the same formula, but it’s impossible not to get caught up in the action. It’s another entertaining page-turner.   posted Jun 7, 2009 at 4:15PM

The first thing that you’ll notice when you pick up this book is that it’s over 800 pages long. Yes, that’s a huge book. Fortunately it’s well written and it’s a relatively fast read considering its length. Even if you are confirmed Beatles fan, you are sure to learn things about John Lennon’s life that will be totally new -- at least that’s the way it was for me. I enjoyed this well researched, well written book.   posted Apr 7, 2009 at 2:53PM

Catherine Watson is a joy to read. This book consists of writings from different places Watson has visited. I’m currently traveling in Saudi Arabia and that makes it even more fun to read about her travels and experiences. I read her second book first, but I am enjoying this one just as much. You should read it!   posted Feb 17, 2009 at 12:11PM

This book certainly includes good ideas about presentations in general, and PowerPoint presentations specifically. It’s a bit ironic that Reynolds plays up the importance of visuals by using lots of words. I particularly liked one of his bullet points, which was to not use bullet points! On the other hand, there are visuals in the book and it’s worth a quick read.   posted Jan 18, 2009 at 5:54PM

I’ve been a fan of Catherine Watson’s writing from the days that she wrote travel articles for the Star Tribune. This book is really a collection of essays from different trips that she has taken. She has a great perspective and this is a quick read. I think now I’ll read her first book   posted Dec 22, 2008 at 5:07PM