Title
|
Author
|
Date Read |
Comment |
Gates: How Microsoft's Mogul reinvented an Industry - and Made Himself the Richest Man in America
|
Stephen Manes & Paul Andrews
|
Oct 2018 |
Not only is this an interesting look at BIll Gates - it is also a great history of the development of computers and the software that manages them. The only problem is that this an old book (1993) so we miss the further achievements of Gates. NF
|
| Godforsaken Sea - Racing the World's Most Dangerous Waters |
Derek Lundy
|
Sep 2018 |
Now here is a true tale of extreme sportsmen and women. Described here is the 1996-1997 Vendee-Globe solo-manned, non-stop round the world sailboat race. Racers start in France, sail down through the South Atlantic and then circle the globe in the Southern Ocean just north of Antarctica, and then back north through the Atlantic to France. Four months of hell. Capsizing, dismasting, comm failures. Three of the 13 sailors had to be rescued; a fourth was never found. NF
|
The Disciple
|
Stephen Coonts
|
Sep 2018 |
Retired Navy admiral Jake Grafton now works for the CIA. In this thriller, Grafton's mission is to prevent a nuclear attack by Iran. Can he find the missiles in time? Can he stop them? What happens to the Iranian rulers? F
|
Old Friends
|
Tracy Kidder
|
Sep 2018 |
An interesting look at life inside a nursing home in Northampton, MA. Roommates Joe, 64, and Lou, 92, become good friends despite the age difference, and of course, there is quite a cast of characters. NF
|
Steve Jobs: The Man who Thought Different
|
Karen Blumenthal
|
Aug 2018 |
A look at the man behind Apple computers...and more. He was quite the visonary, but had a lousy personality. Demanding, arrogant. NF
|
| Grant |
Ron Chernow
|
Aug 2018 |
Another hefty Chernow volume (1000 pages), this one dealing with the life of General and then President Ulysses S. Grant. A very unassuming and honest man, as president he was bedeviled by scandals caused by not so scrupulous associates. The book also covers Reconstruction after the Civil War when the South broke out in violence against newly-enfranchised freed slaves and anyone who supported them. I can empathize with his final days - he starved to death when tongue cancer left him unable to eat or talk. NF |
The Informant
|
Kurt Eichenwald
|
May 2018 |
A high-level executive, Mark Whiteacre, within the Archer-Daniels-Midland company become a cooperating witness for the FBI in an investigation into price-fixing and other frauds within ADM. But at the same time Whitacre is defrauding ADM of millions of dollars. Witness or defendant? A true story that fiction could not equal. NF
|
| Cuba |
Stephen Coonts
|
May 2018 |
Once again Navy Admiral Jake Grafton is assigned to a situation that threatens America. Cuba has stockpiled biological weapons and is plotting to infiltrate them into the US. Can Grafton and the US Navy thwart the plan? F
|
John Tyler: Champion of the Old South
|
Oliver Perry Chitwood |
Apr 2018 |
Thrust unexpectedly into the presidency in 1841 due to the sudden death of William Henry Harrison, Virginian Tyler had the misfortune of facing the animus of all political factions - it reminded me a bit of Trump's situation today. NF
|
| Watchers |
Dean Koontz |
Mar 2018 |
Wow! This is a real thriller about a dog, a man and woman, and science run amok. Even the NSA is involved in the coverup. And complete with a perfect ending. F
|
| Gold Diggers |
Charlotte Gray |
Mar 2018 |
Boom and bust - the author chronicles the trials and tribulations of six individuals who couldn't resist the lure of the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1890's. NF
|
Millard Fillmore: Biography of a President
|
Robert J. Rayback
|
Feb 2018 |
A rather flattering view of POTUS #13, who believed the US should avoid foreign entanglements. But most interesting were the political machinations as the political parties rapidly evolved in the 1830's to 1860. NF
|
The World According to Bob
|
James Bowen
|
Jan 2018 |
The further adventures of James, a London "busker" and former addict, whom a cat adopted and changed his life. NF
|
Katharine Graham - Personal History
|
Katharine Graham |
Jan 2018
|
The autobiography of a rich girl who inherited a newspaper and struggled to learn how to be a successful businesswomen. She was at the helm of the Washington Post through the Pentagon Papers issue, Watergate and a brutal strike by the Post's pressmen, who sabotaged the presses when they went on strike. NF
|
Charlie Company - What Vietnam Did to Us
|
Peter Goldman & Tony Fuller
|
Dec 2017 |
Based on interviews with the men of an infantry company who struggled through the Vietnam War, this book will tug at your heartstrings and make you realize just how utterly stupid the war was. The politicians and the generals didn't have a clue and as result lives were wasted and a country that we were supposedly defending was destroyed by the US instead. NF
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The Battle of the Generals
|
Martin Blumenson |
Dec 2017 |
The untold story of the Falaise Pocket - the campaign that should have defeated Germany in the summer of 1944. The author examines how the personalities of the key generals - Eisenhower, Montgomery, Bradley and Patton) hindered success. NF
|
| Act of War |
Brad Thor |
Dec 2017 |
Back again deep-cover agent Scott Harvarth foils an attack on the US. This time it's China using Al Qaeda as a front to set off an EMP attack designd to totally cripple the US. Some interesting twists along the way. F
|
Walden on Wheels: On the Open Road from Debt to Freedom
|
Ken Ilgunas |
Nov 2017 |
Aghast at his debt after a year or two of college, the author determines to pay it off as quickly as possible and graduate and eventually get his post-graduate degree while living in a van on the campus of Duke University. Along the way he spends summers working in far north Alaska. NF |
| Townie |
Andre Dubus III
|
Nov 2017
|
Son of a noted author, Andre grows up poor and bullied and turns to violent fighting to solve things. Eventually as an adult, he realizes that doesn't work and becomes successful in his own right. NF
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| The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles and Their Secret World War |
Stephen Kinzer
|
Oct 2017 |
Guatemala, Iran, The Congo, Indonesia, Cuba and others - all targeted by the Dulles brothers with illegal maneuvers to overthrow their governments. Approved by President Eisenhower, some of their schemes were successful, others were not. This book looks at why they had their world view of the US vs Russia with no room for neutralists. NF
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The Color of Truth
|
Kai Bird
|
Oct 2017 |
This is the story of brothers William and McGeorge Bundy who served presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson. They were both intimately involved in Vietnam War policy. The premise of the of book is that both had major doubts about the wisdom of escalating the wat (as did other advisers), but did not have the moral courage to either try to dissuade Johnson or to resign in protest. NF
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Tearing Down the Walls
|
Monica Langley
|
Sep 2017 |
Follow Sandy Weill on his rise, fall and second coming on Wall Street, building financial empires such as Citygroup. Tough but honest and ethical. NF
|
Use of Force
|
Brad Thor
|
Sep 2017 |
Once again super agent Scott Harvath tracks down a high-level dangerous terrorist and thwarts his dastardly plot. F |
Paperboy: Confessions of a Future Engineer
|
Henry Petroski
|
Aug 2017 |
One certainly learns what it took to be a successful paperboy in the 1950's. This kid attacked it from the point of view of the engineer he was destined to become. Imagine an entire chapter devoted to the science of folding a newspaper; another detailing the route book each boy maintained. Also included is his steed of delivery - his bicycle, which we see through the eyes of the youthful engineer. NF
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Colder than Hell: A Marine Rifle Company at Chosin Reservoir
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Joseph R. Owen
|
Aug 2017 |
War is hell, and this book proves it. Lt Owen hastily formed Baker-One-Seven and led it into the Korean War. This is the story of their painful fight northward well into North Korea and then their retreat through a bitter winter. NF
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And You Know You Should Be Glad
|
Bob Greene
|
Aug 2017 |
Here is a real tear-jerker, true story for you - five life-long friends, one dying of cancer. The other four rally to support him in his last few months of life. This is truly a tale of lifelong friendship. NF
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Secrecy and Power: The Life of J. Edgar Hoover
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Richard Gid Powers
|
Aug 2017 |
Here is a perfect example of what goes wrong when people maintain positions of power in government for long periods. Over the years, as Hoover tightened his grip on the FBI, he strayed further and further from the law in his efforts to thwart communists, leaders of the civil rights movement and the student protestors of the 1960's. NF
|
| Voyager |
Jeana Yeagar & Dick Rutan |
Jun 2017 |
The duo, along with Dick's brother Burt, designed and built an incredible airplane which became the first airplane to circumnavigate the globe non-stop and without refueling. Many challenges were overcome along the way. NF
|
Citizen Cohn: The Life and Times of Roy Cohn
|
Nicholas von Hoffman |
Jun 2017 |
A rather dull biography of attorney Roy Cohn, chief counsel to Senator Joseph McCarthy, a close fried of J. Edgar Hoover and mortal enemy of Robert Kennedy. His clients included celebrities and mobsters and he was the target of incessant investigations into questionable practices. His personal life was shrouded in denials about his homosexuality, but he died of AIDS-related cancer in 1986. NF
|
Kearney's March: The Epic Creation of the American West, 1846-1847
|
Winston Groom |
Jun 2017 |
This chronicles not only General Stephen Kearney's epic trek into the Southwest, but also includes the story of Manifest Desiny and of the territorial struggles with Mexico. NF
|
Girl from Fitchburg
|
Bernadine Kielty Scherman |
Jun 2017 |
A young girl from a turn-of-the-century mill town, Fitchburg, MA, ends up in NYC, moving in the literary scene of the 20's and 30's. NF
|
The Mosquito Coast
|
Paul Theroux |
Jun 2017
|
A quite entertaining tale of a New England father totally fed up the modern world who attempts to escape it all by moving his family to the jungle of Central America. All does not end well. F |
Proud to Be: My Life, the Air Force, the Controversy
|
Kelly Flinn |
May 2017 |
The story of the Air Force's first female B-52 bomber pilot: her struggle to get there and how she was forced out of the military after only 3 years. She portrays herself as the victim of harassment, but it's also obvious that she contributed in some degree to her own fate.
|
Old Tippecanoe: William Henry Harrison and His Time
|
Freeman Cleaves |
Apr 2017 |
A hero of the northwestern front against the Indians and British during the War of 1812, Harrison found his way to the White House in 1841. A short stay, however, as he fell victim to the cold weather and his overly-long inaugural speech.
|
| Breaking the Limit |
Karen Larsen
|
Mar 2017 |
An adopted woman's solo motorcycle journey from New Jersey to Alaska and back, in search of herself and her roots. NF
|
| Damages |
Barry Werth |
Mar 2017 |
A struggling working-class family suffers a terrible tragedy with the birth of twins - one is still-born, the other is severely damaged. This is the saga of a 10-year struggle to be able to properly care for the surviving twin, with the family, doctors, lawyers and the hospital all at odds. As a parent of twins, I found this book very compelling. NF
|
The Hungry Ocean
|
Linda Greenlaw
|
Mar 2017 |
Greenlaw was probably the only woman swordfish boat captain on the ocean, and without question was highly-regarded by her fellow male captains. "I am a fisherman. I am a woman. I am not a fisherwoman!" Feminists could learn a lot by studying Greenlaw. The reader will also learn a lot about fishing on the Grand Banks as well as come to understand her love of the ocean. NF
|
The Secret Man: The Story of Watergate's Deep Throat
|
Bob Woodward
|
Mar 2017 |
Woodward recounts his relationship with Deep Throat through the Watergate investigation and the challenges of protecting his source's true identity for 30 years. NF
|
| Vision: The Story of Boeing |
Harold Mansfield
|
Feb 2017 |
The history of the first 50 years of the mighty aircraft company founded by William E. Boeing near the dawn of the Age of Flight. The B-17's and B-29's that helped win WWII came from Boeing, followed during the Cold War by the B-52. Civil aircraft also came from Boeing: the 707, 747, 727. Boeing developed and deployed the Minuteman missile system. Unfortunately the book was written in 1966, so the story stops there. NF
|
Parting the Desert - The Creation of the Suez Canal
|
Zachary Karabell
|
Feb 2017 |
An interesting but disappointing story of Ferdinand de Lesseps' fight to build the Suez Canal. Lots of history and economics regarding Egypt's place in the 19th century, but it didn't really provide much in the way of details of actual construction. NF
|
A Street Cat Named Bob - And How he Saved my Life
|
James Bowen
|
Jan 2017 |
A quick but rewarding read about the profound impact an animal can have on one's life. The author was a London street busker, a drug addict and living hand-to-mouth when a stray cat entered his life. Becoming responsible for another life helped the author become responsible for his own life. NF
|
| Ike's Spies - Eisenhower and the Espionage Establishment |
Stephen E. Ambrose
|
Jan 2017 |
How the CIA began its foray into foreign intrigue, to include even assassinations and overthrow of governments: Iran, Guatemala, U-2 flights over Russia, the Bay of Pigs Cuba debacle and more. Obviously not always successful. NF
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Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
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J. D. Vance
|
Jan 2017
|
From Appalachia to Yale Law School - somehow the author overcame the dysfunction of his childhood. Elite Liberals should read this; perhaps they might come to understand what led to Trump's election victory. NF
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Octopus: Sam Israel, the Secret Market, and Wall Street's Wildest Con
|
Guy Lawson |
Dec 2016 |
Wow, what a read! Sam Israel makes Bernie Madoff look like a kindergartner. Israel was a master at the con game, and that made him susceptible to being scammed himself. The scam game involving a secret bond market went deeper and deeper, with umpteen layers of scammers scamming other scammers. After finishing the book, the reader might wonder if he has been conned as well. This would make an awesome movie! NF
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The Grand Idea: George Washington's Potomac and the Race to the West
|
Joel Achenbach
|
Dec 2016 |
Before and after his presidency George Washington was almost obsessed with the idea of turning the Potomac River into the main pathway west. Out of his vision came the C&O Canal. NF
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Ayn Rand and the World She Made
|
Anne C. Heller
|
Nov 2016 |
The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged presented the foundations of Rand's philosophy of Objectivism - rational individualism. Her followers might as well have been cult members with Rand as the leader. To disagree with her meant instant banishment. NF
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Call the Briefing!
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Marlin Fitzwater
|
Oct 2016
|
An inside look at the Reagan and Bush 1 White Houses by a former press secretary who lasted a decade in the job. NF
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The Price of Politics
|
Bob Woodward
|
Aug 2016 |
A very interesting look at the debt ceiling crisis of 2011 and how all our leaders - Obama, Reid, McConnell, Boehner and Pelosi - all let down the country and failed to act. Politics above all was their motto. NF
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Carrying the Fire
|
Michael Collins
|
Jul 2016
|
One of the best astronaut books I've ready. It gives a great history of the manned space flight program. Collins was the Command Pilot and orbited the moon while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made their historic landing. NF
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Seabiscuit - An American Legend
|
Laura Hillenbrand
|
Jun 2016
|
A fascinating look at the cut-throat world of horse-racing in the 1930's and three mismatched men (owner, trainer, jockey) who teamed up to produce a world-class racing horse. NF
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The Catcher in the Rye
|
J. D. Salinger
|
Jun 2016
|
I give up! I read this 50+ years ago and didn't see the value.....and I still don't. That's what I get for going into the time vault. F |
The Last Patriot
|
Brad Thor |
May 2016
|
Super agent Scott Horvath steps in to help solve the mystery of Mohammed's "final revelation", which if made public would mean the end of radical Islam. F
|
Martin Van Buren and the Emergence of American Popular Politics
|
Joel H. Silbey
|
May 2016 |
A dry, scholarly look at our 8th president. A proponent of states' rights and a small federal government, Van Buren recognized the importance of party unity and greatly strengthened the Democratic party of the early 1800's. NF
|
State of Fear
|
Michael Crichton
|
Apr 2016 |
This should be required reading for everyone, for Crichton takes a thorough look at global warming and makes the reader think about the sometimes spurious claims of proponents. F
|
| Tracks in the Sea: Matthew Fontaine Maury and the Mapping of the Oceans |
Chester G. Hearn
|
Apr 2016
|
In the 1800's, a Navy midshipman became engrossed in a study of the oceans' currents and winds. The charts he produced over his lifetime transformed ocean travel for sailing ships, shaving weeks from previous enroute times. NF
|
| Last Bus to Wisdom |
Ivan Doig
|
Mar 2016
|
11-year old Montana boy being raised by his grandmother is shipped east for the summer while she has an operation. What an adventure it turned into as he and his supposed step-uncle flee his demanding great aunt. F
|
| Three Weeks with My Brother |
Nicholas Sparks |
Mar 2016 |
Two brothers take a 3-week trip around the world. The real story, though, is about their memories of growing up and the family tragedies that beset them. Excellent book that will make you cry. NF
|
| Team of Rivals |
Doris Kearns Goodwin
|
Mar 2016 |
Besides focusing on Abraham Lincoln's acumen in choosing his cabinet, the book also provides an excellent look at the political divisions as the Civil War loomed and then took place. Lincoln's assassin was a southern sympathizer; it's too bad that he didn't realize he was killing the South's best hope for a healthy return to the Union. NF
|
|
In the Devil's Snare
|
Mary Beth Norton
|
Jan 2016
|
A rather dry analysis of the Salem witchcraft crisis of 1692. An interesting premise connects it to the Indian wars in Maine. But...I have to confess that for the first time in many years I put a book down after making it only halfway through. I found it a great book for bedtime reading - it put me right to sleep. NF
|
|
Undaunted Courage
|
Stephen Ambrose
|
Dec 2015
|
The fascinating story of the 2 1/2-year Lewis & Clark expedition to explore the recent Louisiana Purchase. We also learn about Lewis's dark side, leading to his untimely death just a few years after returning home. NF
|
|
Coming Clean
|
Kimberley Rae Miller
|
Dec 2015
|
How growing up in a home with hoarder parents impacted the author. Somehow she managed to keep loving her parents and to succeed on her own. NF
|
|
Pathfinder: John Charles Fremont and the Course of American Empire
|
Tom Chaffin
|
Dec 2015
|
An interesting biography of John Fremont, explorer of the American West and a proponent of extending the empire to the Pacific. A great explorer, he didn't fare so well in his business dealings and his foray into politics. NF
|
|
The Devil in the White City
|
Erik Larson
|
Nov 2015
|
The subtitle says it all: "Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that changed America." A true tale of the Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago - what it took to put it together and of a madman who used the lure of the fair to satisfy his personal demons. Great read! NF
|
| Pay Any Price: Greed, Power and Endless War |
James Risen
|
Nov 2015
|
Another shocking and maddening expose of the total corruption that exists in our government with both parties equally responsible. And as usual, no one is held accountable. NF
|
| An Invisible Thread |
Laura Schoff & Alex Tresniowski
|
Oct 2015
|
The true story of an 11-year old panhandler and a busy sales executive and how their lives intertwined and enriched each other. NF
|
| The 100-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared |
Jonas Jonasson
|
Oct 2015
|
A fascinating story set in Sweden (and around the globe) with a sidecast of characters including Stalin, Truman, Mao's wife and Einstein. Great humor and a great who-dun-it. F
|
| Clinton Cash |
Peter Schweizer
|
Sep 2015
|
Author paints a great circumstantial evidence case for the corruption that surrounds Hillary, but alas, he has no smoking gun that flat-out shows the millions that Bill and the Clinton Foundation receive had anything to do with her decisions while Secretary of State. NF
|
| When the Astors Owned New York: Blue Bloods and Grand Hotels in a Gilded Age |
Justin Kaplan
|
Sep 2015
|
Did you know the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel was two side-by-side hotels, built by Astor cousins who disliked each other immensely? But they managed to put their differences aside long enough to connect the two adjoining structures inside. Other than that, this was a rather boring book about the idle rich. NF
|
| Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail |
Cheryl Strayed |
Aug 2015 |
Following the death of her Mother at age 47, the author decides to tackle the Pacific Crest Trail in an effort to deal with her grief and anger and get her life in order. NF |
| Patriots: The Vietnam War Remembered From All Sides |
Christian G. Appy |
Aug 2015 |
Recollections of the Vietnam War from 135 participants: US, South Vitenam and North Vietnam. This books belongs on your shelf right beside Matterhorn. Both point out the folly of the war in which the US destroyed the country we were supposedly defending. NF |
| A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity |
Bill O'Reilly |
Jul 2015 |
I'm not always a big fan of O'Reilly, but I found this autobiographical book quite interesting, helping to explain how his philosophy on life was formed by his upbringing. NF |
| Cold Mountain |
Charles Frazier |
Jun 2015 |
This could have been a great book with fewer over-the-top similes - virtually every sentence was laden with them. The tale is that of a Rebel Civil War deserter trying to get back to what he hopes will be his future wife. Every step is fraught with danger. The other half of the story is the woman's metamorphisis from helpless to independent. F |
| Hidden Order |
Brad Thor |
May 2015 |
A quick-paced thriller dealing with the Federal Reserve. When 5 candidates to take the top job all disappear the same night and then start turning up in spectacularly staged murders, Special Agent Scott Horvath is called in to quell the mayhem. F |
| Andrew Johnson: A Biography |
Hans L. Trefousse |
May 2015 |
Interesting but rather dry account of the life Andrew Johnson, culminating in his battle with Congress over Reconstruction and the attempt to impeach him. NF |
| The First Commandment |
Brad Thor |
Apr 2015 |
Another quickly-read special agent vs terrorist ala Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp. In fact Mitch Rapp and Scot Harvath, Thor's hero, are cut from the exact same mold. F |
| 1812: The Navy's War |
George C. Daughan |
Mar 2015 |
How the miniscule US Navy embarassed the mighty British Empire and contributed to the US victory. NF |
| The Bully Pulpit |
Doris Kearns Goodwin |
Mar 2015 |
Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and the golden age of journalism. Roosevelt was a master of using the press to sway public opinion, enlisting the aid of the "muckraker" journalists such as Ida Tarbell, Lincoln Steffen and William Allen White. Although Taft and Roosevelt had been best friends, politics drove them apart and led to the election of Woodrow Wilson. NF |
| Band of Brothers |
Stephen E. Ambrose |
Jan 2015 |
Unlike most war chronicles, this focuses on the average GI, following a small group of men from their induction and initial training as paratroopers through their travails in the ETO, beginning with their jump into France on D-Day and following them through several campaigns to their final mission securing Hitler's retreat at Berchtesgaden. Excellent read. NF |
| Heavy Weather |
Bruce Sterling |
Jan 2015 |
This is one of the worst books I've ever read. Set in the future 2030's after man has destroyed the climate, a band of weather fanatics chase the ultimate apocalyptic F6 storm. The weather theme was all that kept me going. F |
| American Emperor: Aaron Burr's Challenge to Jefferson's America |
David O. Stewart |
Dec 2014 |
As youngsters, we learned that Burr was tried for treason, but I never really understood why. This book explains it quite well. NF |
| Destiny of the Republic |
Candice Millard |
Dec 2014 |
A man who never wanted to be President, a deranged assassin, botched medicine and Alexander Graham Bell all merge in this story about the killing of James A. Garfield. NF |
| Blood and Thunder |
Hampton Sides |
Dec 2014 |
Kit Carson and the story of the conquest of the American West, banishing Native American to a way of life that spelled their demise. NF |
| 1776 |
David McCullough |
Nov 2014 |
Follow George Washington from the siege of Boston to the Battle of Trenton as he attempts to fight the British with a ragtag army, poorly manned and equipped. NF |
| The Fourth Estate |
Jeffrey Archer |
Oct 2014 |
A German Jewish refugee and a rich Australian lad vie to become world media moguls, each wanting the other's empire. One makes it. F |
| Empire of the Summer Moon |
S. C. Gwynne |
Sep 2014 |
Quanah Parker was the son of a Texas woman abducted by Indians in 1836. He became a Comanche chief and led their struggle to preserve their way of life. Most interesting is the path he chose when his tribe was one of the last to be subdued and forced onto a reservation. NF |
| Hit & Run: How Jon Peters and Peter Gruber Took Sony for a Ride in Hollywood |
Nancy Griffin & Kim Masters |
Aug 2014 |
As if we didn't know that Hollywood was the land of greed, this book proves it. Barbra Streisand's hair dresser and his buddy become movie moguls. NF |
| Buddy: How a Rooster Made Me a Family Man |
Brian McGrory |
Aug 2014 |
The book's subtitle says it all. A great read about the value of animals in our lives. NF |
| The Hope |
Herman Wouk |
Aug 2014 |
A fictionalized look at Israel's struggle to existing, from its beginnings in 1948 through the Six-Day War of 1967. F |
| Jack: Straight from the Gut |
Jack Welch |
Aug 2014 |
Welch describes his effort to totally revamp GE's corporate thinking to foster initiative and creativity. NF |
| Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate |
Bob Woodward |
Jul 2014 |
An interesting look at the Washington culture that developed as a result of Watergate. NF |
| What Happened |
Scott McClellan |
Jul 2014 |
Inside the Bush White House and Washington's culture of deception. Author confirms our already low opinion of politicians. NF |
| Unbroken |
Laura Hillenbrand |
Jun 2014 |
The incredible story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic champion and his WWII ordeal of surviving a Pacific plane crash, 2000 miles in a raft, and years in Japanese POW camps, enslaved and beaten. Struggling after the war, Louis eventually found redemption. A must read about the human spirit. NF |
| The Shadow of Blooming Grove: Warren G. Harding in His Times |
Francis Russell |
Jun 2014 |
Did you know Obama might not be our first Black president? It might have been Harding. And here also is the story of the Teapot Dome scandal. Interesting how a decent man can be hoodwinked by crooked subordinates....so it seems. NF |
| USS Seawolf |
Patrich Robinson |
Mar 2014 |
A good thriller: the Chinese get their hands on the US's most advanced submarine and crew. The XO is the President's son. A special Navy SEAL team heads off for the rescue. F |
| Parallel Lies |
Ridley Pearson |
Mar 2014 |
A quickie railroad thriller - a man's family is killed in a crossing accident; he seeks revenge by plotting to sabotage the RR's demonstration run of a high-speed train between New York and DC. F |
| The Last Hero: Wild Bill Donovan |
Anthony Cave Brown |
Mar 2014 |
A fascinating story of the founder of the OSS in World War II, the forerunner to the CIA after the war. His group of operators contributed significantly to the defeat of Germany. NF |
| Breaking Point |
Dana Haynes |
Feb 2014 |
A sequel to Crashers (see below). Another electronic method of downing airliners, and how the same crack NTSB teams solves it. F (read this one in one day) |
| The Fourth Part of the World |
Toby Lester |
Feb 2014 |
A fascinating history of map-making and how maps led to the discovery of American. NF |
| The Last Man |
Vince Flynn |
Jan 2014 |
Deep Black CIA operative Mitch Rapp solves the mystery of the disappearance of the CIA's top spy in Afghanistan. As usual, he pulls no punches as he also discovers a US senator is involved. F |
| Compromised: Clinton, Bush and the CIA |
Terry Reed & John Cummings |
Jan 2014 |
Ever wondered how our presidents are REALLY chosen? Ever wondered why drugs are such a big problem in this country? Ever wonder how the CIA comes by such vast funding that no one knows about? Ever wondered what happens when the CIA decides a citizen is a liability? Here the answers, straight from someone who knows. Every American should read this book. NF |
| Sea of Thunder |
Evan Thomas |
Dec 2013 |
The story of the last great naval battle in history, the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944. Both sides missed their big chances, but it was the end of the Japanese navy. NF |
| Crashers |
Dana Haynes |
Dec 2013 |
A quick read about terrorists crashing airplanes electronically and the NTSB investigation process. F |
| Dirty Wars - The World is a Battlefield |
Jeremy Scahill |
Dec 2013 |
Explores the evolution of the US's kill-by-drone effort in the War on Terror and shows how it's making matters worse. And how the government justifies killing Americans without charges or trial. NF |
| A Prayer for Owen Meany |
John Irving |
Nov 2013 |
Coming of age in rural NH - religion, the Vietnam War, the sad death of a young mother by a foul ball. What is Owen Meany's role in all this? F |
| Not Between Brothers |
David Marion Wilkinson |
Nov 2013 |
An incredible, "can't put it down" epic novel about the birth of Texas. Anglos, Tejanos, Indians and Mexicans all vying for space. F |
| Alexander Hamilton |
Ron Chernow |
Oct 2013 |
Probably more than anyone, Hamilton, as the first Secretary of the Treasury, is responsible for ensuring our government got started with a strong finanacial foundation. A tragic end as Gentlemen's Honor led to the fateful duel with VP Aaron Burr. NF |
| Reccessional |
James A Michener |
Sep 2013 |
Getting older, Assisted Living, euthanasia vs being a vegetable, losing the battle in the long run. Follow the residents and director of a FL retirement center. F |
| The Shell Game |
Steve Alten |
Aug 2013 |
The end of oil, another 9/11, a corrupt government. What can one man do? Find out. F |
| Blind Man's Bluff |
Sherry Sontag & Christopher Drew |
Aug 2013 |
The fascinating story of American submarine espionage during the Cold War. NF |
| The Yankee Years |
Joe Torre & Tom Verducci |
Aug 2013 |
As a Red Sox fan, I had my doubts, but this was actually a very interesting account of the Yankees during the 12-year management by Joe Torre. It examines the causes behind the good and not-so-good years under Torre. NF |
| The Birth of the West |
Paul Collins |
Jul 2013 |
No - not the American West, but western Europe. The author focuses on the period of about 800 to 1100 AD and the gradual evolution of centralized governments, coupled with the love-hate relationship between church and state and the constant turnover of kings and popes. NF |
| Shadow Warrior: William Egan Colby and the CIA |
Randall B. Woods |
Jul 2013 |
Colby started with the OSS in WWII, spent years in Vietnam and rose to head the CIA. Some great info regarding the Vietnam War. NF |
| The Man Who Loved Books Too Much |
Allison Hoover Bartlett |
Jul 2013 |
Interesting account of John Gilkey, a rare-book thief and the book dealer-detective, Ken Sanders, who tracked him down. NF |
| Into the Silence |
Wade Davis |
Jul 2013 |
Incredibly-researched account of the 1920's attempts by the British to conquer Mt Everest. Includes the horrors of trench warfare in The Great War, the culture of Tibet, the British rule of India....and of course the tragic loss of climbers George Mallory and Sandy Irvine. NF |
| The Chase |
Clive Cussler |
Jul 2013 |
A quick read: bank robber with novel escape method pursued by determined private detective. Toss in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and some railroad action. F |
| The Lost Cyclist |
David Herlihy |
Jun 2013 |
1890's: A solo round-the-world cyclist disappears in Turkey. Another famous cyclist goes to Turkey to solve the mystery. NF |
| The River of Doubt |
Candice Millard |
Jun 2013 |
Incredible true tale of Teddy Roosevelt's expedition down an uncharted Amazonian river. Let's just say he was very fortunate to have made it. NF |
| A Final Reckoning: A Tale of Bush Life in Australia |
George A. Henty |
Jun 2013 |
This 1880's tale is of a poor English lad who goes to Australia to find adventure and his true love. F |
| The Great Gatsby |
F. Scott Fitzgerald |
Jun 2013 |
Saw the movie - excellent. Decided I needed to re-read the book after 45 years. Great look at the roaring 20's, Old Sport. F |
| Gideon's Spies: The Secret History of the Mossad |
Gordon Thomas |
Jun 2013 |
An in-depth look at the inner working of Israel's secret intelligence service. NF |
| Coolidge |
Amity Shlaes |
May 2013 |
Too bad Silent Cal, a true fiscal conservative, didn't run for another full term in 1928 - the Depression might not have been so severe and long-lasting. NF |
| The Ice Balloon |
Alec Wilkinson |
Apr 2013 |
Swede Salomon Andree attempted in 1897 to pilot a hydrogen balloon to the North Pole. The bodies of Andree and his two colleagues were found 33 years later. NF |
| Twelve Desparate Miles |
Tim Brady |
Mar 2013 |
A French-Moroccan Resistance fighter and river pilot, a banana boat, Gen George Patton and a huge cross-Atlantic convoy all converge for the invasion of North Africa in 1942. A great story of a little piece of the pie. NF |
| Liberty |
Stephen Coonts |
Mar 2013 |
The President has put Rear Admiral Jake Grafton in charge of finding four nuclear warheads that terrorists have smuggled into the country. Can he find all four in time? F |
| Halsey's Typhoon |
Bob Drury & Tom Clavin |
Mar 2013 |
Dec 1944 - Admiral Bull Halsey's Third Fleet is directly hit by Typhoon Cobra near the Phillipine Islands. Nearly 800 sailors perished, while survivors endured great hardship. NF |
| The Worst Journey in the World |
Apsley Cherry-Garrard |
Mar 2013 |
A incredible true saga of perseverance, bravery, hardship and tragedy - the complete story of the ill-fated Robert Scott expedition to the South Pole in 1912, written by an expedition member 10 years later. NF |
| Screwed |
Dick Morris & Eileen McGann |
Feb 2013 |
The book's sub-title says it all: How foreign countries are ripping America off and plundering our economy...and how our leaders help them do it. NF |
| American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson |
Joseph J. Ellis |
Feb 2013 |
An excellent look at the Founder who most disliked a big federal government. But the book also reveals some flaws in his thinking, particularly with regard to slavery. NF |
| Liberty and Tyranny |
Mark R. Levin |
Jan 2013 |
Statist: A better name for the liberal/progressive, who believes the government csn solve all problems. This book debunks their lies and methods. NF |
| Intruders |
Stephen Coonts |
Jan 2013 |
A look at the early adventures of naval aviator Jake Grafton: shot down by pirates, escapes, gets his girl. Good, quick read. F |
| Classified Woman |
Sibel Edmonds |
Jan 2013 |
Wow! Every American should read this woman's story of how far our government will go to silence a whistle-blower. The government would stop at nothing to prevent her knowledge of 9-11 intelligence and criminal acts of high-ranking officials, such as House leader Dennis Hastert, from becoming public. The rarely used State Secrets Privilege was used to classify absolutely anything connected with her, with no reasons given. Very scary book! NF |
| Benedict Arnold: Revolutionary Hero |
James Kirby Martin |
Jan 2013 |
This book takes a careful look at Arnold, trying to address the question of why he went over to the British in 1780. Along the way, it also shows that politics then was just as corrupt as it is today. NF |
| Diary of a U-Boat Commander |
Anonymous |
Dec 2012 |
A love story involving an aristocratic German naval officer in WWI. Supposedly true, probably fiction. F? NF? |
| The Red Horseman |
Stephen Coonts |
Dec 2012 |
Jake Grafton to the rescue when old-line Communists try to depose Yeltsin by selling nukes to Saddam and blowing up a reactor to cover the sale. F |
| Sleeping with Custer and the 7th Cavalry |
Walter C Rodgers |
Dec 2012 |
As an embedded CNN journalist, Rodgers accompanied the 7th Cavalry on its dash from Kuwait to Baghdad in the spring of 2003. NF |
| The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest |
Anatoli Boukreev & G. Weston DeWalt |
Dec 2012 |
Chronicled in Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air, May 10-11 was a deadly day on Mt Everest when 5 climbers perished. This book presents a different perspective of that tragic time. NF |
| Hell to Pay: The Unfolding Story of Hillary Rodham Clinton |
Barbara Olson |
Dec 2012 |
A revealing look at the not-so-nice side of Hillary...and Bill. NF |
| Solving 9-11: The Deception That Changed the World |
Christopher Bollyn |
Nov 2012 |
This 9-11 Truther makes the case that Isreal, in a False Flag operation, was behind the 9-11 attack. NF |
| Slipknot |
Linda Greenlaw |
Nov 2012 |
Maine's most famous fisherman turns to fiction is this who-dun-it set in a small ME coastal fishing village. F |
| James Madison |
Richard Brookhiser |
Oct 2012 |
4th president of the US, longest-surviving Founder and a political expert as politics was just beginning. NF |
| The Minotaur |
Stephen Coonts |
Oct 2012 |
Spies and super-stealth fighter aircarft. F |
| Airframe |
Michael Crichton |
Oct 2012 |
Intrigue in the aircraft industry. F |
| Have You Seen My Country Lately? |
Jerry Doyle |
Oct 2012 |
What's gone wrong? Economic fascism, policy police, bailouts, education and self-esteem, congressional sleazebags and media sensationalism. NF |
| The Cider House Rules |
John Irving |
Oct 2012 |
Orphans, abortion and migrant workers in Maine. F |
| All Quiet on the Western Front |
Erich Maria Remarque |
Sep 2012 |
The ugliness and horror of war in the trenches of WW1, seen through the eyes of a young German soldier. F |
| Man of the House |
Thomas P. O'Neill |
Sep 2012 |
Autobiography of the longest-serving Speaker of the US House of Representative. NF |
| The Great Destroyer: Barack Obama's War on the Republic |
David Limbaugh |
Sep 2012 |
Details Obama's total disdain for our Constitution and for America. Despite his words, his actions inhibit any hope for improvement in our economy. NF |
| Full Black |
Brad Thor |
Sep 2012 |
Super secret agent saves the US from a George Soros-like crackpot with one world government aspirations. F |
| Fahrenheit 451 |
Ray Bradbury |
Sep 2012 |
"Sorta" like George Orwell - government control run amok. Can a citizen make a difference? F |
| Highest Duty |
Chesley Sullenberger |
Sep 2012 |
Thoughts from the pilot who successfully landed USAir 1549 in the Hudson River after a bird strike - all survived. NF |
| Under Siege |
Stephen Coonts |
Aug 2012 |
Colombian drug cartels start open warfare in DC, even attempting to assassinate POTUS and suceeding in killing others. F |
| The Roots of Obama's Rage |
Dinesh D'Souza |
Aug 2012 |
Anti-colonialism - Based on his father's philosophy, this is what drives President Obama. It completely explains his words and actions. |
| Typhoon |
Joseph Conrad |
Aug 2012 |
A steamer with a load of Chinese coolies miraculously survives a typhoon, with a Captain that surprises us at the end of the voyage. F |
| The Amateur |
Ed Klein |
Aug 2012 |
A compelling case for why Barack Obama is the most inept president in modern times. NF |
| The Man Who Loved China |
Simon Winchester |
Aug 2012 |
The story of Dr Joseph Needham, eccentric Brit who unlocked the mysteries of China's civilization. NF |
| Liberal Betrayal of America and the Tea Party Firestorm |
William Davis Eaton |
Aug 2012 |
Wow! Eaton outlines the history of the 50-year old Civil War now underway in America - the radical left's agenda and methodology to destroy our Republic. NF (a free e-book) NF |
| The Kingdom |
Clive Cussler |
Jul 2012 |
Treasure hunters seek long-lost medieval puzzle-chest, but only one of several has the real "stuff" inside. Typical Cussler quick-read. F |
| Rayisms |
Ray Rothbard |
Jul 2012 |
Jewish hippie seeks the meaning of life. Reminded me a bit of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. NF |
| Crossing to Safety |
Wallace Stegner |
Jul 2012 |
A rip-off of an earlier Stegner work, All the Little Live Things. In each, strong women plan their dying days with little concern for the feelings of their husbands. F |
| Final Flight |
Stephen Coonts |
Jul 2012 |
Navy Captain Jake Grafton goes after the terrorists that attacked a US super-carrier. Great, quick read. F |
| Dead or Alive |
Tom Clancy |
Jun 2012 |
Clancy's 2010 version of the hunt for Bin Laden - Jack Ryan Jr helps capture him alive. F |
| Angle of Repose |
Wallace Stegner |
May 2012 |
Late 1800's - an artist follows her wandering husband through the West as their relationship finds its angle of repose - that point at which gravity no longer pulls it down. F |
| Riptide |
D. Preston & L. Child |
May 2012 |
The search for buried pirates treasure trove off the Maine coast. Can the seekers overcome the booby traps built into the Pit? What deadly secret awaits those who get to the treasure? A quick read. F |
| Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times |
H. W. Brands |
Apr 2012 |
Hero of War of 1812 and our 7th President - the first truly representing the common man. NF |
| The Man Who Knew Too Much |
Dick Russell |
Mar 2012 |
Richard Case Nagell: What did he know about the Kennedy assassination? Did he try to stop it? For whom did he work? NF |
| Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil |
John Berendt |
Feb 2012 |
Hard to believe this is a true story! What a cast of weird characters and a story-line full of twists in the telling of a murder in one of Savannah's grandest old mansions. NF |
| The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt |
T. J. Stiles |
Feb 2012 |
How Vanderbilt, born when Washington was president, became first a leader in the steamboat business and then put together the world's largest corporation at the time, the New York Central RR. NF |
| Righteous Indignation: Excuse Me While I Save the World |
Andrew Breitbart |
Feb 2012 |
A primer on Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals and how the conservative right needs to understand them and use them to stop the left, which thoroughly understands and uses them to promote its progressive, liberal agenda. Obama's playbook. NF |
| Huey Long |
T. Harry Williams |
Jan 2012 |
The Kingfish - the guy who ruled Louisiana politics in the 20's and early 30's. Became a US senator and might well have challenged FDR in 1936 had not an assassin's bullet struck him down. A firm believer in redistribution of wealth. NF |
| America |
Stephen Coonts |
Jan 2012 |
A quick read - Adm Jake Grafton solves the mystery of a stolen US high-tech submarine and a stolen ABM satellite. F |
| Honorable Warrior: General Harold K. Johnson and the Ethics of Command |
Lewis Sorley |
Jan 2012 |
A very honest and ethical soldier makes it to the top of the Army chain of command, and finds life very difficult working with the Johnson administration during the Vietnam War. NF |
| Foreign Influence |
Brad Thor |
Dec 2011 |
Scott Horvath is a Mitch Rapp-wannabe - a deep DOD secret operative charged with ferreting out and killing the bad guys, mainly Islamic radicals. Here he thwarts a massive attack within the US. F |
| Washington: A Life |
Ron Chernow |
Dec 2011 |
A troubled childhood, the French & Indian War, Mount Vernon, leader of the Continental Army, president of the Constitutional Convention and as first president setting the tone for the new government. NF |
| American Assassin |
Vince Flynn |
Nov 2011 |
The story of how Mitch Rapp got started in his career as a deep-cover CIA operative. We need more like him! F |
| The Guts To Try |
Col James H. Kyle |
Oct 2011 |
A no-holds barred look at the failed Iranian hostage rescue attempt, written by the on-scene commander at Desert 1. NF |
| Lonesome Dove |
Larry McMurtry |
Oct 2011 |
I'm not a fan of Westerns, but this is great read. Romance, adventure, murder and more - the 900+ pages go very quickly. F |
| After America |
Mark Steyn |
Oct 2011 |
This is the book that every American should read. Steyn carefully lays out the ruinous path down which Obama and the Progressives/Liberals are leading us. Wake up, voters - your every right is being usurped. NF |
| The Tycoons |
Charles R. Morris |
Oct 2011 |
Carnegie, Rockefeller, Gould and Morgan - not only how they influenced the American "Super Economy" but how they were influenced by it. NF |
| The Oregon Trail |
Francis Parkman |
Oct 2011 |
Not at all what I expected - should be titled A Summer Among the Indians. But to be honest, his adventures did take place along parts of the Trail. NF |
| Dereliction of Duty |
H. R. McMaster |
Sep 2011` |
This is a must read - how the highest officials of government lied to each other, to the American public and to themselves, drawing the country inexorably into the chasm of the Vietnam War. NF |
| Mad Anthony Wayne |
Thomas Boyd |
Sep 2011 |
An interesting read on a hero of the Revolutionary War. A great follow-on read to Rabble in Arms, as it picks up where that left off. NF |
| All the Little Live Things |
Wallace Stegner |
Sep 2011 |
A senior couple confronts the demons of the 1960's. F |
| Rabble in Arms |
Kenneth Roberts |
Jul 2011 |
Great historical novel about the battles of the Champlain Valley in the American Revolution. Very flattering of Benedict Arnold. F |
| The Perfect Storm |
Sebastian Junger |
Jun 2011 |
Meteorological thriller; a tragedy for the Fishing Vessel Andrea Gail, and disaster for the Air National Guard. NF |
| Atlas Shrugged |
Ayn Rand |
Jun 2011 |
Wow! Ever wonder what's down the Progressives' highway? This book shows you, and it's not a pretty sight. F |
| Riders of the Purple Sage |
Zane Grey |
Apr 2011 |
A wealthy, single Mormon woman being destroyed by the Church Elders is rescued by a mysterious gunslinger in 1870's Utah. F |
| One Ranger - A Memoir |
H. Joaquin Jackson |
Apr 2011 |
Reminisces of a Texas Ranger who served from 1966 to 1993. Some great adventures and some tragedy. NF |
| Woodrow Wilson and the Roots of Modern Liberalism |
Ronald J. Pestritto |
Apr 2011 |
A must read for those trying to understand what the left is trying to do today. Summing up Wilson: basically we're too dumb and only a few, educated elite know what is best for the country. NF |
| Dark Summit |
Nick Heil |
Mar 2011 |
Into Thin Air chronicled the deadly 1996 season on Mt Everest that left 11 dead; this book recounts the equally tragic 2006 season. What should be done about a nearly-dead climber a few hundred feet from the summit? NF |
| Disclosure |
Michael Crichton |
Mar 2011 |
Based on a true story involving techworld workplace sexual harrassment....a woman being the harasser. F |
| The Guns of August |
Barbara W. Tuchman |
Mar 2011 |
The openings days of The Great War. Germany's miscalculations and France's ability to rejunate its forces in the nick of time to save Paris. But it didn't end the war - 4 more years of nasty trench fighting. NF |
| Extreme Measures |
Vince Flynn |
Feb 2011 |
Terrorists strike in DC, Mitch Rapp takes them on as well as liberal senators wo want to bring down the CIA. F |
| Lusitania - An Epic Tragedy |
Diana Preston |
Jan 2011 |
Hmmm - was she carrying munitions? Did Churchill "set her up" to get US into WWI? Was the Captain derelict? NF |
| John Adams |
David McCullough |
Jan 2011 |
A fascinating read on one of the Founding Fathers. Should be required reading for eveyone in Washington. NF |
| Protect and Defend |
Vince Flynn |
Dec 2010 |
Israel destroys Iranian nuclear facility. Iran blames US and takes CIA director hostage. Super-hero Mitch Rapp again saves the day, blasting bad guys left and right. F |
| Tuxedo Park |
Jennet Conant |
Dec 2010 |
A successful Wall Street tycoon turns to science, building a secret laboratory that changed the course of WWII. NF |
| The Worst Hard Time |
Timothy Egan |
Dec 2010 |
The story of those who stayed and survived the Dust Bowl of the 1930's. NF |
| Colossus |
Michael Hiltzik |
Dec 2010 |
Taming the lower Colorado River and the building of Hoover Dam. NF |
| Matterhorn |
Karl Marlantes |
Nov 2010 |
An excellent saga of the not-so-glorious side of war depicting the idiocy of not fighting to win. F |
| Act of Treason |
Vince Flynn |
Nov 2010 |
Presidential campaign assasination swings the election results. Who was behind it? Super-agent Mitch Rapp figures it out and takes care of the bad guys. F |
| The Big Rock Candy Mountain |
Wallace Stegner |
Nov 2010 |
An autobiographical novel of growing up with a violent, angry father in the early 1900's in the Rockies. Twisted relationships of parents and two sons. F |
| The Lost Symbol |
Dan Brown |
Oct 2010 |
Another modern-day thriller involving ancient mysteries, symbols and codes. F |
| A First Rate Tragedy: Robert Falcon Scott and the Race to the South Pole |
Diana Preston |
Oct 2010 |
A test of stamina, endurance and planning ending with suffering and death. Scott made it to the Pole, only to find Amundsen had beaten him by a few days. Scott's party did not survice the return trip. A look at how and why Scott's expedition failed. NF |
| The Life & Times of the Thunderbolt Kid |
Bill Bryson |
Oct 2010 |
Hilarious account of growing up in Iowa in the 1950's. NF |
| Separation of Power |
Vince Flynn |
Oct 2010 |
Yeap, super-agent Mitch Rapp to the rescue yet again, this time he goes after Saddam's nuclear weapons. F |
| Patriots |
A. J. Langguth |
Oct 2010 |
American patriots rise up against the tyranny of King George III, declare independence and wage a five-year war to make it so. NF |
| The Third Option |
Vince Flynn |
Sep 2010 |
Intrigue and betrayal by DC high-ups. Barttle for control of the CIA. Mitch Rapp fighting terrorists. F |
| Transfer of Power |
Vince Flynn |
Aug 2010 |
Terrorists take over the White House. Deep dark agent Mitch Rapp to the rescue. F |
| Term Limits |
Vince Flynn |
Aug 2010 |
Flynn's first book, 1997, portrays a betrayed Navy SEAL seeking revenge on the corrupt politicians that caused the loss of half his team. F |
| Captain Lightfoot: The Last of the New England Highwaymen |
Frederick. W. Waldo |
Aug 2010 |
An early 19th century highwayman named Michael Martin has adventures in Ireland, Scotland and New England. Met his fate at a Cambridge MA gallows. NF |
| Heart of Darkness |
Joseph Conrad |
Aug 2010 |
Dark story of steam-boat trek up the Congo River to retrieve thought-to-be crazy station manager....who died before they could get him back. Escapes me why this is considered such a great classic! F |
| Mount Washington Reoccupied |
Robert Monahan |
Jul 2010 |
The experiences of a scientific expedition upon the highest mountain in New England over the winter of 1932-1933. NF |
| Skull Rack |
Ron Braithwaite |
Jul 2010 |
First of two novels that re-write the history of the Conquest of Mexico. F |
| JFK and the Unspeakable |
James Douglass |
Jun 2010 |
Yes, another conspiracy book. Was the CIA behind it? Did Allen Dulles know "The Man Who Smokes Cigarettes"? NF |
| Water for Elephants |
Sara Gruen |
Jun 2010 |
Old guy in nursing home reminisces about his life in the circus - the good, the bad, the ugly. At the age of 93 he gets another chance to run away with the circus. F |
| Pursuit of Honor |
Vince Flynn |
Jun 2010 |
Al Queda operatives strike at the heart of the US intelligence system; super-agent Mitch Rapp tracks down the bad guys and administers his unique brand of justice. F |
| Unknown Seas |
Ronald Watkins |
Jun 2010 |
How Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope and opened the sea lane to the riches of India. NF |
| Sailing Alone Around the World |
Joshua Slocum |
May 2010 |
Saga of a solo round-the-world sail in late 1890's. NF |
| Lost and Found |
Jacqueline Sheehan |
May 2010 |
| Recent middle-aged widow escapes to Peaks Island, Maine and rescues a wounded dog…..or does the dog rescue her? F |
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| Before the Fallout |
Diana Preston |
May 2010 |
| The enthralling story of the race to build the bomb is often as complicated and full of twists as nuclear physics itself. NF |
|
| Seven Years in Tibet |
Heinrich Harrar |
May 2010 |
| German escapes WWII British POW camp in India, treks 22 months across plains and the Himalayas to seek refuge in Tibet, becomes enmeshed in life in the capitol city of Lhasa, and becomes a confidant and teacher of the young Dalai Lama, fleeing in 1950 when China invades Tibet. NF |
|
| The Professor and the Madman |
Simon Winchester |
Apr 2010 |
| A tale of murder, insanity and the making of the Oxford English Dictionary. NF |
|
| Over the Edge of the World |
|
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Apr 2010 |
| Fantastic story of human endeavor - only 18 of 260 men survived the first circumnavigation, Magellan himself not among them, done in by his flawed character. NF |
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| The Last Patriot |
Brad Thor |
Apr 2010 |
| Was the Koran unfinished? Did Mohammad write a final chapter calling for peace with all? Did Thomas Jefferson figure it out? Find out in this spy-vs-spy thriller. F |
|
| Hawke |
Ted Bell |
Mar 2010 |
| Pirates, a rich British-version of Mitch Rapp, overthrow of Castro, romance, private purchase of Russian nuclear missile sub - a quick read. F |
|
| Fortunes of War |
Stephen Coonts |
Mar 2010 |
| Great fighter-jock story: Can F-22 Raptors and their crews, on loan to Russia, prevent Japan and Russia from nuking each other after Japan invades Russia? F |
|
| The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt |
|
Edmund Morris |
Mar 2010 |
| Life story of Roosevelt, from his wealthy youth, through his Badlands ranching, politics appointed and elected, leading his Rough Riders up San Juan Hill, and, as vice-president, learning that Pres. McKinley has died at the hands of an assassin. NF |
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| Consent to Kill |
Vince Flynn |
Mar 2010 |
| CIA agent Mitch Rapp faces an assassination attempt that kills his wife, then hunts down those responsible. F |
|
| Empire Falls |
Richard Russo |
Mar 2010 |
| Dysfunctional folks/familes in a down and out former mill town in Maine. F |
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Ron Chernow |
Mar 2010 |
| Story of Jewish-German banking dynasty, wiped out by the Nazis, yet regrouped after the War. NF |
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| The Innocent Man |
John Grisham |
Feb 2010 |
Murder and injustice in small town. NF |
| Executive Power |
Vince Flynn |
Jan 2010 |
| Super CIA agent Mitch Rapp once again saves the day, this time disrupting a middle-east terrorist plot. |
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Jan 2010 |
| Biography of one of the world's greatest despots, his role in the October 1917 Revolution and his use of terror to stay in absolute power. NF |
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Jan 2010 |
| True life novel of her grandmother; helps explain her dysfunctional mother of "The Glass Castle" NF |
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| North Star Over My Shoulder |
|
Bob Buck |
Jan 2010 |
| Fascinating life story of a commercial aviation pioneer NF |
|
| Time and Chance - Gerald Ford's Appointment with History |
|
James Cannon |
Jan 2010 |
| Good guy Ford becomes VP, then President as Nixon flounders. Some interesting background on the Watergate mess. NF |
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Jeanette Walls |
Dec 2009 |
| True story of a truly dysfunctional family. NF |
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Tom Clancey |
Dec 2009 |
| True story of Gen Chuck Horner and his role running the Air War in Desert Storm. NF |
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Dec 2009 |
| Is Birdie really a lunatic, or was he framed by the mob or J. Edgar Hoover? Lived 63 years in Union Station in Kansas City. F |
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Dec 2009 |
| Poor immigrant becomes richest man in America, gives it all away. NF |
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Oct 2009 |
| Young daughter of lobsterman grows up on small ME island, eventually succeeds. F |
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Oct 2009 |
| Russian agent spends 20 years underground in US, turning 3 billion in Russian gold into 100 billion. Who will get it? F |
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Sep 2009 |
| Englishman builds merchandising empire, from a barrow to England's largest store. Can he hang on to it? Many twists to this plot. F |
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Aug 2009 |
| Memoirs of a young woman in the Maine woods in the 1930's. NF |
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Vince Flynn |
Aug 2009 |
| Super CIA agent Mitch Rapp single-handedly saves DC from terrorist nuclear bomb. A quick read. NF |
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Aug 2009 |
| Man adopts border collie with personality problem, both their lives are changed, tragic ending. NF |
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| Marching toward Hell: America and Islam After Iraq |
|
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Apr 2009 |
| America's governing elite do not recognize the dangers we face, and make decisions based on political considerations instead of national security considerations. NF |
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Mar 2009 |
| How the New Deal prolonged the Depression. NF |
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Feb 2009 |
| She has terminal cancer, he has Alzheimers, they escape in their RV for one last trip. F |
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| American Prometheus: Triumph & Tragedy of Robert Oppenheimer |
|
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Feb 2009 |
| Father of the atomic bomb, done-in in the 50's over the red scare and McCarthyism. NF |
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Jan 2009 |
| The 4 deficits we face: budget deficit, personal savings deficit, trade deficit, and leadership deficit. NF |
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| Dewey - The Small Town Library Cat |
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Dec 2008 |
| Dropped into the book return, lived 18 years in the library. NF |
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Nov 2008 |
| Secret group of heavy-hitters from around the world who supposedly run the world. NF |
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| The Creature from Jekyll Island |
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G. Edward Griffin |
Nov 2008 |
| The history of the Federal Reserve System and its hold on our economy. NF |
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