While the political philosophy is as strong as ever, O'Rourke's comedy is aging badly, resulting in a stilted and difficult read.

An epic look at the twisted life of a Midwestern family that for many people hits far to close to home for comfort.

A swift moving, action packed start to a new series.

Other than the oddly large number of cartoons referred to but not shown it was an interesting read.

An amazing look at one man's struggle to reconcile fantasy and reality through the lens of one of ourmost recognizable pop culture icons.

A dystopian tale of a devoted daughter who watches the empire her father is pledged to protect crumble and burn to dust and ashes.


 

Cussler is a quality brand.

One of the most casually, arrogantly, conceitedly, obnoxious books I've ever read. The authors disdain and contempt for all things not in and of New York City is elitist, paternalistic, and borderline racist. Ogilvy he is not. This is a businessman's "Ball Four" minus the popular characters and entertaining stories. Aside from nostalgia, it offers no value other than as a cautionary tale against hiring Ad men from New York.

Worst Frank Miller Ever.

Original review  - I doubt the movie is going to be a faithful adaptation.

After viewinbg - I was correct.

A modern version of 'The Sting' and an easy read. Perfect beach fare.

A moving, unpredictable, and morose look into the life of aimless young man in late 70's New Jersey. Period details from the casinos and the boardwalk make for a nostalgic (or historic, depending on your age) read as well.

A surprising blend of Jasper Fforde, Bill Willingham and JK Rowling. A high concept comic that I look forward to reading more of.

A character study of the simple, uneducated dreamer, Sgt. Eustice Clay and the middle aged Master Sgt that he has latched on to as father figure, mentor, co-conspirator and friend.

Zombie Storm Troopers. Cool idea until - as seems to happen in all Star Wars novels - popular characters from the movies are implausibly thrust into the action.

A Sci-Fi legal thriller with the fate of a planet's indigenous people balanced against a soulless corporation.

A character that I've constantly seen referenced but had never read. It is definitely a product of its time; slow to start and with an extremely dry wit that still caused my family to laugh out loud on several occasions (we read it aloud in the car). One of the funniest lines wasn't in the novel proper but in the authors biography "Her (Burnett's) adult novels are of a sentimental vein which is now thoroughly out of fashion." 

The language is a bit repetitive - the Earl's smile is almost always 'grim', and an alarming number of things are either 'gay' or 'queer'. This, combined with the earnestness that the lines are delivered with lead to my constantly appending the phrase "He said with a leering wink" to the end of sentences. At least until the children caught on and the 10-year old asked "What's a leering wink?" Regardless, doing so makes the book exponentially funnier, if a bit off-putting since the titular character is 7 years old. 

The Fargo series is the weakest of Cussler's franchises, but still entertaining. This particular one moves faster than most, breezing through the requisite historical prologues and jumping in to the action. The Antagonist is a bit two dimensional, although with a few interesting familial quirks; and the denouement, when it finally comes, is rushed and a bit unsatisfactory. Still a pleasant beach-read, but not a classic.

American Pirates try to kill the President. That's all you need to know; go read now.