This book was awesome! I finished it in about 10 days. AND I have not picked up a paper book and read in the middle of the day in decades. I literally had to set a timer to go back to what I needed to do during the day. Wow!

King Rat is an autobiography of author James Clavell’s life in a Japanese prisoner of war camp during WWII. It took me a while to get through even though it is a fraction of the length of Shogun. A tough story, but I’m glad I read it.

I decided to expand my reading for entertainment into new genres. Zeroboxer by Fonda Lee is the first in the series, and if the picture doesn’t tell you, it’s definitely sci-fi. It took me a little bit to get into, but after the first 10%, I was hooked.

I was recently introduced to Brad Meltzer for his U of M graduation speech. It was excellent. I looked him up and saw that he had published 10+ books. The Millionaires is his third book; learned a little bit about big time banking and Disney. AND I was entertained. I recommend!

I have thought all the other Jack Reacher novels were fantastic. This one was just ok. I cannot quite figure out what it is missing. If you are just starting with Lee Child, don’t read this one first. But if you’ve read all the rest, I would probably plow through!

I needed this one. I read some good books in the last quarter of 2024, but they were all deep. I purposefully chose the next Clive Cussler novel on my list because I needed a break. It was perfect way to start the year.

Another great book by Kristin Hannah. She made it so easy to put myself into the different characters and situations. I easily got sucked into being the good guy and the bad guy at the same time. read a lot of good books in 2024. This one was clearly the best.

This is a fantastic book! I am a fan of Kate Quinn and was a little skeptical when I realized what this story is about - very different from her other novels. But within 20 pages I was hooked!

This was a long one, but despite that, I still recommend this book. Especially, if you are interested in Japanese history and the animosity that culminated in WWII.

Fortunately my personal priorities line up pretty well with the recommendations in this book. For Perkins, it is all about the balance of memorable experiences and risk. Memorable experiences pay a dividend over time. On the other hand, if we spend it all now and have nothing for a rainy day, the memory dividend will not put food on the table. Has this peaked your interest?

This was a good and tough book. It is about a black man accused of murdering an affluent older white couple in the 1960 in Virginia.

This is another GREAT book in the Cotton Malone saga. This one, however, is a prequel. While fiction, Steve Berry does a nice job at the end separating fact from fiction.

If you want to live longer AND better, this is a must read.

I was expecting the quick thinking and fast pace of Mitch McDeere from The Firm. This older McDeere did not even closely resemble the younger version. While this is likely true of us all in real life, I want more from my entertainment!

Another great book by Steve Berry. This one crossed the country in a search for the Confederate Gold. Berry ends the book separating fact from fiction. A great way to learn a little history AND be entertained.

Knowing that Grisham’s newest book is a sequel to The Firm, I decided to read it again, 30 years after I read it the first time. It was just as good as I remembered. Wow! Now I just need to wait for the new book: The Exchange.

If you like tall ships and understanding how they went into battle with no engine beyond the wind, I recommend. If you are looking for a love story where everyone wins, you should pass. HA!

Last month I picked up this book and read it. I thought it would be kind of boring since I had heard about it from Jeri and watched the TV series. Wrong! As I said, it was fantastic.

Wow. I was hesitant to pick this book up, but I am glad I did. One thing is true; it’s a crappy life as a Royal, no matter who you are in the pecking order.

This is the first book finished in the new year. And it happens to be the last book (of 90!) in the Stuart Woods series. Happy New Year!