Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, pretty interesting I might say.

I am reading The Last Godfather by Anthony DeStefano.

It's about Joey Massino and the Bonnano Family.

It is extremely well-written.

Next up, I plan to read the Vinny Gorgeous book and one or two of the Donnie Brasco books to get a better feel for the collapse of the Bonnano Family.

I have read Honor Thy Father and Bound by Honor, which relate to the family in its heyday.

I also plan to pick up Jerry Capeci's new book about Little Al D'Arco sometime soon.

I finished Lincoln Lawyer and I'm reading The Gods of Guilt. Really enjoy his stuff. Didn't think I would like that genre but it's very good page-turning stuff.

Yes. This is one of the very, very few Mafia books that's well written, researched--and accurate.

I just finished "Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program that Brought Nazi Scientists to America" by Annie Jacobsen. The title says most of it. I was aware of the rocket scientists, led by Wehrner Von Braun, who surrendered to the US Army a month before the end of WWII, and who were brought to America. But this book also tells, in detail, about the dozens of German chemical and biological warfare scientists, and "aviation medicine" specialists--many of them Nazi Party and SS members--who also were brought to the US. American authorities looked the other way at their horrible war crimes because the Soviets also got their share.

Leads me to this conclusion: The definition of a "Nazi war criminal" is a Nazi war criminal that neither the US or the USSR could use.

Found an old paperback, SPEARHEADERS by James Alteri in yellow pages it tells the story of the formation of the First Ranger BN in WWll. I thought it would be dull, but was anything but. If you are a military enthusiast or historian, this book is well worth the read

OH yeah forgot , also read the Last Godfather by DeStefano- Another good read

Game of thrones collection wish they'd hurry up with the winds of winter already

HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE

I haven't read a Harry Potter book since THE DEATHLY HALLOWS came out 7 years ago (and that's too long). I'd been wanting to do it for about a year or so but never found the time. I've recently had the urge and have put everything else on hold. I LOVE the series. It never gets old and as you go along, the books become darker and less kid friendly. The book and movie are very similar but I think they're a nice way to start off the franchise. Something for the youth to get them hooked so they can follow Harry on his journey as he grows up and he faces more challenges, choices and responsibilities.

I just finished reading Grant by Jean Edward Smith. It's about the Civil War Union general and his post-Civil War endeavors including as President. I love reading about the Civil War and especially about Grant. Two characteristics of his that stand out: recognizing the objective and persistence in pursuing it. He recognized that, unlike his predecessors who commanded the Army of the Potomac, the objective was the destruction of the Confederate armies and not the capture of cities. Despite high casualties and setbacks, he persisted in pursuing the Confederate armies and destroying them or rendering them ineffective. Unfortunately, as President these characteristics deserted him.

Notable books I've read this year are:

Judas Pig by Horace Silver
Murder Machine by Jerry Capeci
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

Probably the third time I read Blood Meridian. I love the book to death.

Just finished Prince Of Thieves by Hogan. Affeck took it and made The town

Highly recommend. Different than the movie.

Next reading a Dennis Lehane novel that PB recommended.

If you're starting with the Kenzie-Gennaro books, don't forget to read them in order. In a run-of-the-mill detective series that usually won't matter. But these characters really evolve over the years, so I strongly recommend reading them in chronological order:

1) "A Drink Before the War."
2) "Darkness, Take My Hand."
3) "Sacred."
4) "Gone, Baby, Gone.
5) "Prayers for Rain."
6) "Moonlight Mile."

And when you get to "Moonlight Mile," keep in mind that Lehane took more than a ten year break from these characters to concentrate on "Mystic River" and "Shutter Island."

Lehane is fantastic. Now that Elmore Leonard is gone, in my opinion it's a toss-up between Lehane and Michael Connelly as to who is the greatest living crime writer (I don't consider Richard Price a crime writer, he honestly writes literary fiction and he does it on a grand scale).

Happy reading, Cheech!

I agree with PB's recommendations cos he is a class act, but I would throw in the ring James Lee Burke, George Pelecanos and James Elleroy also. All very good crime fiction authors.

Re reading Michael Connellys books in order at the moment. Just finished CITY OF BONES.

Absolutely, Yogi .


Good one, Yogi. Bosch just grows and grows as he ages. He's a GREAT character study.

Just picked up "Mr. Mercedes", the new novel by Stephen King. Can't wait to start it!

It's a bit of a departure for King. He says it's his first hard boiled detective novel, but I thought "The Colorado Kid" showed flashes of that genre.

I didn't pre-order it. I'm just going to take a ride up to BN in Co-Op City tomorrow to pick it up. I'll bump the Stephen King thread when I'm done reading it.

I planned on starting it after I finished up Dan Brown's "Inferno", but that could take a while, because it's slow going. I raced through the first three Robert Langdon novels, but this one just hasn't grabbed me. I'm about half way through and it's just not all that exciting. I might just put it on my "try again later" list and dive into "Mr. Mercedes."

a drink before war i start tonite....still feeling emotional about the prince of thieves ending and the way things went...its weird but it has stayed with me.

price is my fave as you know, loved Lush Life, hope he comes with something new soon...he wrote a little bit for the wire towards the end.

always a pleasure to talk literature with you PB

Right back at ya, kid .

I love Richard Price, but I'm kinda pissed off at him. He was supposed to delve into the detective genre almost five years ago using the pseudonym "Jay Morris." It never panned out, and he's notorious for not letting people know what he's working on.

Ah, "Lush Life." Best Manhattan set novel of the decade. And it absolutely takes gentrification and rips it a new asshole. A man after my own heart .

Kills gentrification. That's what I liked about prince of thieves as well. Brings out the angst of the neighborhood.

I also like Price, but he doesn't seem to hurry himself writing new books

I know what you mean Yogi. When the author Neil Gaiman was asked about people having expectations for the author George R.R. Martin, who is notoriously frustratingly slow he replied in a now famous rejoinder that "Martin is not your b****".



Alrighty then. I hate when authors I like to read take their time or do other things but as Gaiman reminded, they don't work for us..
http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/05/entitlement-issues.html

HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS

This is probably one of my least favorite Harry Potter novels. Not that it's not a good book or interesting, but compared to the rest of them, it's probably one of my least favorites. Plus, I somewhat find the Colin Creevey and Morning Mrytle characters to be a bit annoying. However, I do love the introduction to Lucius Malfoy. Again another short, easy read that the movie didn't strain too far away from.

Grant struggled in many subjects at West Point, except for math, in which he was brilliant. At the 150th anniversary of Gettysburg and the Address I met Grant's great-grandson, who was more interested in talking about the general than the president.

Has anybody read Raymond Chandler's books? I've read the first 4 of them. I just love the 40s LA noir setting. It's like being transported to another world. He's probably my favorite author. I'd like to read James Ellroy soon.

Just finished reading MR. MERCEDES. I thought it was terrific. This is Stephen King's first "hard-boiled crime" novel, but he did a great job. A suspenseful (and often times frightening) plot with a memorable cast of characters. Retired detective (Det. Ret.) Bill Hodges is a likeable main character who you can't help but root for (I can picture Michael Harney of NYPD BLUE fame playing the role should the book ever become a film or mini-series), and Brady Hartsfield is exceptionally evil and deranged. The supporting cast is great as well, especially Holly, whose character literally leaps off the page.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, King has a way of painting pictures with words, and this is another one of those novels where you become utterly absorbed in the world he has created. This is a no-brainer for King fans, but I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good "cat-and-mouse" type thriller. An excellent (and quick) read!

The Cube Method. By Brandon Lilly.

HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN

This is the turning point in the series where it begins to get a little darker and away from the kid friendly confines of the first two novels. The book as usual does a great job at exploring some of the loop holes in the movie. For example, it's never made 100% clear to me in the movie how exactly Sirius Black escaped Azkaban prison (but they do briefly tell you in the book). Also, some more information about how exactly Snape knew Black, Lupin, Ron, Hermione, Harry, etc. were in the Shrieking Shack and how to find them. Just little things like that that I was thinking to myself as I watched the movie again recently.

HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE

Easily my favorite of the series in terms of books and movies; although between the 2, I prefer the movie. The book adds a lot of story that they didn't have time to put on screen but I definitely enjoyed the humor and the kind of "coming of age" that the movie seemed to incorporate. I didn't get that sense too much from the book and is the main reason I prefer the movie over the book. Such an intriguing story with the Triwizard Tournament. Not a big fan of Hermione's S.P.E.W. campaign however.