Odd Thomas - Dean Koontz

This was probably one of the best books read this year.  Great story and great characters.  I read most of this one in one sitting, just too hard to put down.  Koontz is one of my favorite authors and this is one of my favorite books of his so far (real close to Life Expectancy).  Definitely recommend this one to anyone who hasn't read it yet whether you're a Koontz fan or not (you may be after reading this one).  9/10

48 Books in 2007...

...against a resolution of 100. Argh. I lost some ground in early fall, as I was teaching a class that stole a bit of reading time away, but I'll admit that the idiot box is probably to blame as well! Next year - still aiming for the mighty 100!

The Devil You Know - Mike Carey

I didn't know it until I just looked up this book on Amazon, but this author apparently has worked with Neil Gaiman and is a graphic novel publisher in his own right. I won't hold the latter against him. Felix Castor is a ghostbuster in a time when the dead are rising at a more frequent rate, and he is commissioned to exorcise a spirit haunting an archive building in London. What follows is a detective story that brings Felix into contact with demons, a were-person bodyguard, and an living element that is perhaps as eveil as the first two combined. As Felix questions where ghosts go when the exorcism is complete, he spends some time investigating and uncovers a conspiracy that is involved and entertaining. The writing style is easy to ready, yet the story itself is complex. I have just ordered books 2 and 3 from Amazon.co.uk, as they aren't available here yet!

The Third Secret - Steve Berry

This was my first book of this nature.  I'm probably one of the few out there that have yet to read the Da Vinci Code.  When I went looking for something new to read, I ran across Steve Berry listed in Todd's reading list a few times in the past and I believe he's always given favorable reviews (I think Todd even read this back in 2005 or 2006 before we starter this site).  This book deals with secrets surpressed by a corrupt Catholic church that threaten to change the face of Christianity and especially the face of the Catholic church.  While a good read, some of the ideas presented are fairly unbelievable.  However, with a suspension of belief and within the context of this book, they make sense and add to the story.  A simple quick read and I think a good introduction into the world of political/religious intrigue novels.  Recommend this one.  7+/10

Law in America - Lawrence M. Friedman

In the introduction, the author mentions that he teaches a Introduction to American Law course at Stanford, and I have to imagine that this book more-or-less covers that syllabus. This is a basic text, covering some very core elements of Civil Rights and Criminal Law, but always in the context of how present cultural influences find their way into legal interpretation. My favorite line in the book considered the right of privacy in the Griswold case - "The Supreme Court struck down the statute, claiming, in one of its periodic spasms of discovery, that an implicit right of 'privacy' was buried somewhere in the text of the Fourteenth Amendment." Indeed, the Court has "found" new law as new cases and issues have arisen with time (could the founders have contemplated the Internet?). This is a decent, yet basic, overview of law in the U.S.

The Venetian Betrayal - Steve Berry

There is, of course, another secret cabal in Berry's second novel of 2007, this time called the Venetian League. They are working with and against a rising federation comprised of the former Russian states, the latter headed by a power-hungry, ruthless woman named Zovastina who fancies herself a character out of the Iliad. Once again, Cotton Malone is drawn out of his retirement as a bookseller, and is cast into a quest to find Alexander's remains before Zovastina and is reunited with the cast of past books in doing so. Along the way, it becomes apparent that the remains of Alexander are sought as more than just a symbol of power, but that the ZH (defined as "to live" in Greek) encryption on ancient medallions indicates a powerful cure for all human illnesses. This book offers strong character development, and like all of Berry's writings, skates right on the edge of being believable while being quite entertaining. Enjoy!

American Gods - Neil Gaiman

I've been a Gaiman fan since I first met his work on Sandman comics back in the day.   This is the second Gaiman novel I've read and I must say, not bad.  Is it an all time classic, no.  It is however an enjoyable read.  Neil has a way of taking most topics and while keeping a serious tone, twist his own sense of humor in there.  There were some twists that I didn't see coming.  I would recommend anyone reading this to study up on their mythology as there were a few characters, while probably acting in character, I just didn't understand because I wasn't familiar with their backstory.  Overall not bad for a few nights read.  7/10

Shakespeare: The World as Stage - Bill Bryson

I couldn't resist a Bill Bryson book, even it wasn't one of his travelogues. I have, of course, read various items over the years stating that works credited to Shakespeare were actually created by Christopher Marlowe, Francis Bacon, and a host of others. Mr. Bryson spends some time on these theories, ultimately finding fault with them all, but spends the majority of the book tracing the evidence, and lack thereof, of Shakespeare's life. It is an enjoyable book, and like most of Bryson's book, you learn something while you're being entertained. The history of the theatres and acting companies of this age, as well as the speed at which Shakespeare wrote plays that, in his day, might be presented two dozen times, provide an interesting view of a playwright that significantly changed the English language. A great book!

Redcoats and Rebels - Christopher Hibbert

Decided to take a stroll into non-fiction.  I've always been interested in American wars with the Revolution being one of my favorites to read up on.  Only problem is, it's hard to come by something I haven't read before.  Here I thought was a chance to do just that.  This book looks at the American Revolution through the British eyes.  This book does focus on the British officers and their decisions (or lack of which seems to be the case more often than not).  The British lost the war for a number of reasons, but it seemed that lack of good leadership and a lack of the killer instinct truly did them in.  Not a bad book, but it did focus more on the politics and leadership aspects of the war and not much detail on actual battles.  So if you're looking for battle details, look elsewhere.  If you're looking for political intrigue, this book has some of that.  I've read better books, but because it's written in an easy to read style, this might be worth a pickup if you're interested.  6/10

God on Trial - Peter Irons

The book concentrates on several of the religion issues that have made it to the Supreme Court in recent years, including the Pledge of Allegiance case out of California that contested the words "Under God" that were added in 1954. The author is a law professor that brings the human element into many of his publications, as he interviews those that were involved in the cases. Given the passions that attach to these cases, it is easy to characterize one party as anti-religion, but often it is someone wishing to separate religion from public institutions - the question, simply stated, is whether the Constitution prohibits government "endorsement" but would permit "acknowledgement." The answer seems to rely on the membership of the Court, and with an upcoming election and probable vacancies during the next term, the law today may change tomorrow. An excellent book.

Down River - John Hart

This is the best book I have read this year - no doubt about it. The main character has returned home to the family farm, five years after being legally acquitted for murder but still guilty to most of the town. As the primary witness in the trial was his stepmother, with whom his father sided, Adam is not expecting a warm welcome from anyone, and his expectations are exceeded. The characters are richly-drawn, flawed human beings that act very much as should be expected in this situation, and the author is adept at introducing conflict and drawing out the conclusion. I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys Grisham or Iles, or just wants to read a great book!

The Darkest Evening of the Year - Dean Koontz

This author has definitely hit his groove of creating easy-to-read novels with memorable characters, and this latest book is no exception. This novel introduces Amy Redwing, an orphan that grew up to run a Golden Retriever rescue operation, and Moongirl, a character without an ounce of humanity but deliciously evil in the context of a novel. As with many Koontz novels, the first two-thirds of the novel builds characters and events separately, providing few and subtle clues along the way as to how it will all fit together. This was a fun read, and will fill a cold winter weekend very well!