Book Recommendations

[Glenn E. Meyer]

NUCLEAR WAR
by Annie Jacobsen
Dutton

A scary book about the automaticity of nuclear war when a missile launches at us. Then a description of the outcome of many megaton warheads on cities and then the end of civilization for a few thousand years probably. Nothing we haven't read before. The war is started by the N. Koreans - a point that our set of presidents allowed them to build up such a threat over many years with our program of devastating sanctions.

New Cold Wars: China's Rise, Russia's Invasion, and America's Struggle to Defend the West
by David E. Sanger

A pretty interesting read on our competition with Russia and China. My main take away is that every administration from Bush 1 through Biden - every single one, has been blazingly incompetent in foreign affairs. In the current presidency, it is clear that Biden is scared poopless of Putin and desperately wants Ukraine not to retake its land but go for a negotiated settlement and perhaps vassal hood to Russian. Not that Trump doesn't want that also. Thus, the dribble of more powerful weapons, etc. Lots of interesting tidbits, I didn't know.

The New Makers of Modern Strategy: From the Ancient World to the Digital Age
by Hal Brands , John Bew, et al. | May 2, 2023

Absolutely fascinating book - again pointing out some smart people and a lot of dunces. Theory and practice from ancient times till now.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Slay - by Laurel Hamilton - an Anita Blake book. I used to like this series when it started. Saw it in the library and gave it a try. Series now is pretty crappy. Some gun stuff but the main character who used to be a strong character has become just a sex toy for a master vampire. Lots of stupid sex scenes that aren't even erotic. Plots are ridiculous.

BTW, she doesn't like the Glock grip - yeah, she is a smaller woman but that seemed like gun cliche to me. In one story she had a Beretta 92 in 10mm. That offended me but then I realized in an alternate universe with monsters, they probably would make that gun.

Being doing some of the older Virgil Flowers book and the gun ignorance is starting to grate. He doesn't carry his gun - and that was cute for 5 seconds. In today's world it is idiotic. Prefers a shotgun and takes them to obvious long gun scenarios. Loads alternating slugs and buck - I guess the author read that somewhere and thinks it cool.

[Coyotesfan97]

I’ve been reading the Space Cowboys series by Raconteur Press run by Law Dog. There’s five in the series and they’re all anthologies. There’s several characters that are reoccuring. I’ve enjoyed reading them.

“There's something about the Cowboy that speaks to us all. So it only makes sense that, as humans expand into space, they're going to bring their Cowboys with them.

Join 10 authors as they explore what Space Cowboys would look like, why we love them, and how they deal with the livestock that travels with humanity.”

Space Cowboys

[feudist]

Slay - by Laurel Hamilton - an Anita Blake book. I used to like this series when it started. Saw it in the library and gave it a try. Series now is pretty crappy. Some gun stuff but the main character who used to be a strong character has become just a sex toy for a master vampire. Lots of stupid sex scenes that aren't even erotic. Plots are ridiculous.

BTW, she doesn't like the Glock grip - yeah, she is a smaller woman but that seemed like gun cliche to me. In one story she had a Beretta 92 in 10mm. That offended me but then I realized in an alternate universe with monsters, they probably would make that gun.

Being doing some of the older Virgil Flowers book and the gun ignorance is starting to grate. He doesn't carry his gun - and that was cute for 5 seconds. In today's world it is idiotic. Prefers a shotgun and takes them to obvious long gun scenarios. Loads alternating slugs and buck - I guess the author read that somewhere and thinks it cool.

The first 10 books of the Anita Blake series ranged from very good to near masterpieces of Grand Guignol horror. She virtually invented a whole sub-genre and created some truly horrifying situations.
Then, evidently...Hamilton got middle aged horny and went off the rails like no author I've ever read. Anita went from a complex character that actually had an interesting behavioral arc-from law abiding, highly moral and lawful, reluctant killer to a proactive murderer for whom brutal violence was a second nature.
Then she just started wallowing in endless sex scenes. Multi chapter sex scenes. Then endless wrangling for a chapter with her lovers, sex slaves and subordinates...then a couple more chapters of sex with a different partner.
Lather, rinse repeat.
It was like something a 15 year old boy would write.
Hamilton would still have interesting concepts but it was like she couldn't be arsed to flesh them out.
But Guilty Pleasures to Obsidian Butterfly? Recommended without qualification.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Yeah, after Obsidian Butterfly - the series was worthless. I randomly read one or two from the library. Her other series were equally sex obsessed destroying any plot.

In general, long term series fall apart. The Lucas Davenport and crew are failing. The last Letty and Lucas was crap. The Kellermans stink now.

James Lee Burke - still has it.

The Joe Leaphorn fell when the daughter took over and shot him.

Harry Bosch - so,so - tying with his brother works a bit. Him as a PI - nope.

Stone Barrington books - became stupid and the author is dead now.