The Old Man by Thomas Perry is hardly his first book about an “Everyman”
with a hidden wealth of money, special training and ratiocinative ability, but
this follows the formula and is an enjoyable escape. Dan Chase is not a
harmless retiree in Vermont. At sixty, he thinks he has escaped the Middle
Eastern terrorists who are still irritated that he has millions of dollars
intended for their ‘evangelism’. Almost a primer for paranoids with plenty of
money, the plot “moves faster than a speeding bullet.” (WSJ)
*Principles by Ray Dialo is not just another “How to Succeed” book.
Reflecting the wisdom, experience and insights of one of the “100 most powerful
men in the world” and legendary founder of arguably the world most successful
hedge funds. There are brilliant insights and powerful, well-written paragraphs,
but I wish he could have condensed it from 210 principles and 567 pages. My summary is clarity about values/principles
combined with radical honesty and transparency will lead to success in
business, relationships and life. Ben
Franklin might have written this book if he had enjoyed access to super
computers and big data. “Significant...The book is both instructive and surprisingly moving.” (NYT)
The Baker’s Secret by Stephen Kierman is an engaging story of
subtle French resistance in a small Normandy village on the eve of D-Day. When her Jewish mentor is shamed and imprisoned,
Emma decides to dilute the ration of floor she receives to bake baguettes for
the occupying troops and shares two loaves a day with the starving villagers. “A
shimmering tale of courage, determination, optimism, and the resilience of the
human spirit,” but it lacks the kind of originality provided by the best of
this genre like The Light We Cannot See.
Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny is largely set in Quebec with an
obsessive historian's quest for the remains of the founder of Quebec, Samuel de
Champlain, and ends in murder. Although recuperating from injuries, Chief
Inspector Gamache can’t walk away from a crime that threatens to ignite long-smoldering
tensions between the English and the French even while receiving information
from the village of Three Pines, where Bistro owner Olivier was recently
convicted of murder. Readers interested in the history of Quebec may find this
the best of the Gamache novels. Others
will find another enjoyable read.
*Turtles All the Way Down by John Green is a coming-of-age
story about Aza Holmes, a high school student struggling with
obsessive-compulsive disorder. With her
best friend, she tries to focus on searching for a fugitive billionaire who happens
to be the father of her almost boyfriend. Despite the potential reward and the
powerful attraction, she feels for Davis, his kiss makes her think about the 75
million microbes that just entered her mouth. This mystery and romance is a “deeply
empathetic novel about learning to live with demons and love one's imperfect
self.”
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