Book Recommendations

[Coyotesfan97]

I just finished S. Craig Zahler's "Wraiths of the Broken Land"

I really enjoyed his first movie, "Bone Tomahawk", and when I discovered he was a novelist before he became a filmmaker, I knew I had to give his books a whirl. This book is supposedly the one he wanted to make into a film, but couldn't get enough funding to do it, so he used the basic plot as an inspiration for Bone Tomahawk. The basic plot is pretty simple: a family and their friends ride south into Mexico to rescue their womenfolk from sex slavery in a brothel. The violence is, as you might expect if you've seen Bone Tomahawk, intense (to put it mildly). I almost put it down after the first chapter, and again after the second. But I powered through and was rewarded with a very well-written book with complex characters, period dialogue, and a few interesting plot twists. It felt like a Cormac McCarthy book with the nihilism dialed back to a more tolerable level. It's certainly not for everyone, but I enjoyed it.

Also, he's not a gun guy, and kept talking about swapping tubular magazines in the characters' repeater rifles, which from the descriptions were either lever guns or Spencers (he kept talking about characters cycling the trigger guards to load new rounds). Maybe he was thinking about the tubular speed loaders that existed for Spencers, I don't know.

You’d like his book A Congregation of Jackals and this book @blues turned me onto, Mean Business on North Ganson Street

[0ddl0t]

But dammit, is Craig Johnson the only person in Wyoming who has never seen or shot a 19111? It sure reads like it. After the umptteenth mention of Walt's "large-framed Colt", I wanted to throw the book across the room. Except it's from the library and all library books get treated with respect.

I'm partway into Longmire book 3 (Kindness Goes Unpunished), but I have to vent about Craig Johnson's blatant unfamiliarity with pistols. In it he writes about a bunch of lawyers at a Philadelphia gun range across the room being impressed by the massive boom from his 1911 and how one of these lawyers flicked the safety on his Glock.

I do find myself enjoying the quasi curmudgeon character of Walt and his banter with various characters though.

[DDTSGM]

I pre-ordered John Sandford's latest release Righteous Prey and received it a couple days ago.

To me the plot was somewhat plausible, a group of bitcoin billionaires get together and decide to start killing assholes. I pretty much agreed with their choices, asshole number three was a ghost gun manufacturer, and unfortunately Sandford's anti-gun bias showed through.

Aside from that, it was a good read. I'm a fan of his writing, so I'm not going to say I'm going to swear off him as a writer at this point.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Yeah, he mocks lots of civilian SD gun owners. On the other hand, he trained Letty up to speed in that awesome gun fight she had with two Cartel members, fighting wounded, one handed, manipulating a 1911 well. Then a rather cold blood set of killing shots that probably weren't political correct. Virgil is not a gun fan.

Letty is a touch of sociopath like Lucas when it comes to using deadly force. Love her. I'm on the library wait list for the book. My shelves are too full now. Same for the ongoing Mitch Rapp book (so so, since someone else took over).

Currently reading a technical book on British sail warships.

[DDTSGM]

Yeah, he mocks lots of civilian SD gun owners. On the other hand, he trained Letty up to speed in that awesome gun fight she had with two Cartel members, fighting wounded, one handed, manipulating a 1911 well. Then a rather cold blood set of killing shots that probably weren't political correct. Virgil is not a gun fan.

Letty is a touch of sociopath like Lucas when it comes to using deadly force. Love her. I'm on the library wait list for the book. My shelves are too full now. Same for the ongoing Mitch Rapp book (so so, since someone else took over).

The Investigator was a good read, but not sure I'd be in for the long haul on a spin-off along the same premise. that is 'I'll do it if you let me carry a gun.' Kind of strains the credibility.

I like the Flowers character. In Righteous Prey Sandford refers to Virgil and Lucas as each other's best friend. I felt sorry that Johnson Johnson didn't make the cut as Virgil's BFF.

I've read the Mitch Rapp series, agree with your assessment.

[Stephanie B]

The Car: The Rise and Fall of the Machine that Made the Modern World by Bryan Appleyard. It's a history of the car from the very beginning and its expected demise.

I could have gotten through it, if it wasn't for the author's hatred of American cars, something he expresses at every opportunity. He turned a history into a screed.

[MickAK]

https://www.amazon.com/Limited-Nucle.../dp/0804790892

On Limited Nuclear War In The 21st Century

Read this when it first came out, just reread it to refresh myself on how this school of thought goes. Pretty trippy to see how things have changed ('Russia is now a strategic partner of NATO' in the first chapter) so it's a little dated threat wise but still the best and most recent book on the topic, which is unfortunately topical.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Portrait of an Unknown Woman by Daniel Silva.

A Gabriel Alon book, but not a political/spy thriller, more of a high tech crime book as Alon is retired. Deep delve into the art world (Alon is SME) which is interesting if you are into that. Neat that middle aged Alon is still a H2H beast. Old school with a Beretta 92 though.

[rob_s]

Reading Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and finding the insights very interesting.

If you are Gen X, you basically want to have been born (depending on your state where you went to elementary school, particularly kindergarten) between ‘73 and ‘76, in roughly December to February for the best “advantage”. In ‘75 and ‘76 the scale in Florida slides back to November and October, respectively and any time ‘77 or later would be September to this day. By now, December birthday pushes you down to tier 2.

[rob_s]

Reading Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and finding the insights very interesting.

If you are Gen X, you basically want to have been born (depending on your state where you went to elementary school, particularly kindergarten) between ‘73 and ‘76, in roughly December to February for the best “advantage”. In ‘75 and ‘76 the scale in Florida slides back to November and October, respectively and any time ‘77 or later would be September to this day. By now, December birthday pushes you down to tier 2.

Still chipping away at this. Really, really good.

I haven’t been motivated to read much of anything of substance for ages. This book I find myself making time for.