March Read/John

Title: Predator
Author: Cornwell, Patricia
John's Read:
Another crime thriller written by Ms. Patricia Cornwell is the novel PREDATOR. Published in 2005 by the Penguin Group, it is 453 pages long and again relates crime solving by Dr. Kay Scarpetta, a forensic expert, and the detective Pete Marino, another PhD forensics expert named Benton Wesley, and her wealthy niece, Lucy. 

In 1990 Ms. Cornwell unleashed upon the entertainment industry the power of the CSI. Many interesting iterations have followed since with books, TV shows, and movies. In PREDATOR she has taken the reader in the same direction, but down a different path: she has a story that gets more into the minds of the perpetrators, as well of course, the minds of those looking for them. 

Going from medical to psychological, from the empirical crime scenes to the theoretical tossing about of possible solutions to the crimes, and from the technological machinery of medicine to the theoretical hunches of the hunters, this story, thus covering many aspects surrounding crimes and criminals, delves into that which makes a killer a compulsive one. Giving the gory details of the crimes gives grizzly gist to these pages. 

As another page turner, the author has again hit the mark. With the horrible events that repulse, descriptive dialog that makes the skin crawl, and fascinating characters that pull one into the story, the novel mystifies, scares, and awes. Readers just  might feel the pains of the victims. Oddly this, as human nature shows, is entertainment. Here's wishing you sweet dreams. 

March Read

Title: Steal the Show: from Speeches to Job Interviews to Deal-Closing Pitches
Author: Port, Michael
Call Number: 658.452 P839S 2015
Subjects: Business Presentations; Business Communication; Employment Interviewing; interpersonal Communication
Number of Pages: 237
ISBN: 9780544555181
Book Description from amazon: 
An inspiring program full of essential advice for spotlight lovers and wallflowers alike that will teach readers how to bring any crowd to its feet

Every day there are moments when you must persuade, inform, and motivate others effectively. Each of those moments requires you, in some way, to play a role, to heighten the impact of your words, and to manage your emotions and nerves. Every interaction is a performance, whether you’re speaking up in a meeting, pitching a client, or walking into a job interview. 

  

In Steal the Show, New York Times best-selling author Michael Port draws on his experience as an actor and as a highly successful corporate speaker and trainer to teach readers how to make the most of every presentation and interaction. He demonstrates how the methods of successful actors can help you connect with, inspire, and persuade any audience. His key strategies for commanding an audience’s attention include developing a clear focus for every performance, making sure you engage with your listeners, and finding the best role for yourself in order to convey your message with maximum impact. 

 

Michael Port is one of the most in-demand corporate speakers working today. His presentations are always powerful, engaging, and inspirational. And yes, audiences always give him a standing ovation.

February/John 3

FROM POTTER'S FIELD by Patricia Cornwell was published in 1995 by Penguin Books Limited. This novel, a first read by this reader for this writer, is a crime thriller. It is 383 pages of suspense, mystery, and action cemented together by interesting characters. 

Ms. Cornwell, in her lead character of Dr. Kay Scarpetta, has created a forensic force. To stand against the evil that criminals do, she put together a team of exceptional crime fighters with the doctor and Captain Pete Marino, the latter being the Doc's counterpoint. In this story the team's main antagonist is a cruel serial killer named Temple Brooks Gault who kills and tortures with impunity through most of it. The story follows the blood and gore trail in red and gooey detail. 

With technical elements in the various people's personalities, the development of the crimes, the layout of the crime scenes, and how the crimes were solved, the story has a magnetism to it that pulls the reader into it. One's interest is such that the page turning in automatic, that is, the reader (myself) was not aware it was happening. (Good books are like that.) If one likes crime dramas - thrillers in this particular instance - then this is highly recommended for them. 

February/John 2

The Twilight War: The Secret History of America's Thirty-Year Conflict with Iran

by David Crist

THE TWILIGHT WAR The Secret History of America's Thirty-Year Conflict with Iran was written by David Crist and was published by the Penguin Group in 2012. At 638 pages, it is an excellent exposé of human frailties, misunderstandings, missed opportunities, mistrust, hate, blame, and outright failures. It is a lengthy work of non-fiction about war and peace. (A nod to Leo Tolstoy)

Mr. Crist undertook a vast amount of research in a laudable writing to unravel the intricate twists and turns associated with the various governments' dealings that helped make this conflict the exercise in frustration that it has become. As one president or group of government officials would tentatively reach out in an offering of dialogue, the opposite numbers on the other side would flatly refuse those overtures. When on some occasions they were accepted, talks would soon stall from fear, stubbornness, misinterpretation, or political conflicts within a respective country itself. 

1997: Iran was giving the maritime shipping of other countries a bad time by attacking with automatic fire from speedboats (Boghammars) and helicopters. With the possibility of more destruction, their minelayers, two larger warships, jet fighters, and Silkworm missiles threatened as well. Tanker traffic coming into and going out of the Persian Gulf was often in peril, plus there was the threat of economic choking by blockading the Straits of Hormuz. This was bookended by the 1979 takeover of the country by the Ayatollah Khomeini and the stalemates over nuclear disarmament talks from the past decade, and all interlaced with intrigues from intelligence communities. 

Covered in this book are also the military, political, governmental, and State departmental inner workings of Iran and America, other countries as well, plus the UN. Mr. Crist's writing sometimes bounces back and forth between the incidents being related and some pertinent events that had happened years before. These could be both enlightening and frustrating. Overall this is a very good read by a gentleman who is a USMCR colonel that served in both Gulf Wars and the conflict in Afghanistan, who also earned a PhD in middle eastern history. 

As an update since the book was written - perhaps if there is no nuclear war started as a result of the 2015/16 agreement, it could be very interesting to see what kind of book Mr. Crist would write concerning the intricate but well researched relationship of Iran and America by the year 2045. 

February/John

The Martian
by Andy Weir

At 369 pages, Andy Weir wrote an action packed, mentally involving and emotionally encompassing novel about survival on the planet Mars by the fictional NASA astronaut Mark Watney. First copyrighted in 2011 the  story's fabric is woven with pertinent, present day science. The situation fabric comes across as real, wrapping the reader directly in harms way designs. 

Technically, the narrative is loaded with numbers, calculations, circuitous constructions, and many a manner of complex thoughts the lead character must work through if he is to survive. Stuck all alone a few hundred million miles from earth, this astronaut, with very limited supplies of water, food, fuel, and breathable air, must use his botanical, mathematical, mechanical, and electrical knowledge - to say nothing of his life experiences - to survive the very harsh conditions imposed by an alien environment. Communications with his comrades at NASA provides productive possibilities by tapping their collective knowledge and experience to find a way to rescue him before time thwarts their efforts. His inherent 'human error' factor, whether the sun is out or not, also shadows him all the way. 

Explaining in laymen's terms diverse solutions to various problems such as how to grow potatoes in a hostile land, how to communicate with earth by combining equipment, and how to traverse long distances over hostile terrain, makes it a very interesting intellectual treatise; writing excellent dialog through a myriad of mind boggling enigmas gives it suspense. What makes the glue that is the entertainment factor is the gallows humor shown by his lead character. 

A software engineer by trade, Mr. Weir, whose hobbies include "...relativistic physics, orbital mechanics, and the history of manned spaceflight", certainly combined his talents to write an excellent 'science fact' novel. And being "a lifelong space nerd" did not work against him. This, his first novel, gets an 'E' for effort, an 'A' for a grade, and a hardy recommendation. 

Patti and Her Friend

Patti and her friend celebrated the Valentine's Day

In the Heart of the Sea/John

IN THE HEART OF THE SEA
THE TRAGEDY OF THE WHALESHIP ESSEX, a 302 page book by Nathaniel Philbrick, was published in 2000 by the Penguin Group. It is a non-fiction work that centers around the time period of July 1819 through August 1821, with the background giving pertinent knowledge to enable one to follow the story, and the  followup of the ordeal to flesh-out the ramifications of this very human tragedy. 

The narrative delves into the history of the hardy people of Nantucket Island and their relationship with the normally placid whale, from the island's inauspicious beginnings into contemporary history. During the period that involves the main story, the island, located 24 miles off southern New England's coast, was the whaling capital of the world. The hardships described in making a living by going to sea portend the ordeal the shipwrecked sailors went through after an 80 foot sperm whale purposefully rammed the 87 foot, 238 ton displacement whaleship and subsequently sunk it. How eight of the crew out of twenty in their three 25 foot whaleboats used as lifeboats survived their arduous journey of 4,500 miles in the Pacific Ocean is the heart of the book. 

Mr. Philbrick, in writing this detailed account, conducted prodigious research into not only whaling and its relationship to that era, but also the effects - short term and long - of starvation, exposure to harsh elements, and the psychology of enduring their incredibly difficult decisions during their voyage. He did an excellent job of teaching the reader about the history of Nantucket and life at sea in the 19th century, and relating what was under the most grueling of circumstances that which was accepted then for survival. And even now. 

Drawn designs and diagrams, detailed maps, and pertinent photographs were included to assist readers in the relating of actions and elements, people and sea life, ships and work. The fact that some made it through this crucible is a testamate to their excellent seamanship, ability to work together, and their fortitude to prevail even with bad decisions, horrendous weather conditions, and human nature. This book is highly recommended for anyone not faint of heart. Or even for them if they want to toughen-up.