Finished reading Cockroaches (Harry Hole, #2) by Jo Nesbø

The thrilling sequel to Jo Nesbo’s debut novel, The Bat, The Cockroaches sees Harry Hole sent to Bangkok to investigate the murder of the Norwegian ambassador.
Detective Harry Hole arrives in a steaming hot Bangkok. But it’s work, not pleasure. The Norwegian ambassador has been found dead in a seedy motel room, and no witnesses have come forward. The ambassador had close ties to the Norwegian prime minister, and to avoid a scandal Harry is sent there to hush up the case. But he quickly discovers that there is much more going on behind the scenes and very few people willing to talk. When Harry lays hands on some CCTV footage that will help him unravel what happened that night, things only get more complicated. The man who gave him the tape goes missing, and Harry realises that failing to solve a murder case is by no means the only danger in Bangkok.

Sun, 24 Nov 2024 16:50:21 -0800

Reading log:

• 61 Sun, 17 Nov 2024 12:28:19 -0500
• 108 Mon, 18 Nov 2024 13:01:48 -0500
• 160 Thu, 21 Nov 2024 13:16:16 -0500
• 231 Fri, 22 Nov 2024 12:57:51 -0500
• 276 Sun, 24 Nov 2024 15:14:18 -0500
• 321 Sun, 24 Nov 2024 17:41:59 -0500
• 374 Sun, 24 Nov 2024 19:49:51 -0500

Finished reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

A special 25th anniversary edition of the extraordinary international bestseller, including a new Foreword by Paulo Coelho.

Combining magic, mysticism, wisdom and wonder into an inspiring tale of self-discovery, The Alchemist has become a modern classic, selling millions of copies around the world and transforming the lives of countless readers across generations.

Paulo Coelho’s masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago’s journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life’s path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams.

Sat, 09 Nov 2024 10:38:08 -0800

Reading log:

• 13 Sat, 09 Nov 2024 13:35:36 -0500
• 31 Sun, 10 Nov 2024 17:24:21 -0500
• 54 Wed, 13 Nov 2024 23:34:09 -0500
• 68 Sat, 16 Nov 2024 00:33:19 -0500
• 84 Sat, 16 Nov 2024 15:53:04 -0500

Finished reading Along Came a Spider (Alex Cross, 1) by James Patterson

The classic thriller that launched the Alex Cross series, the #1 detective series of the past twenty-five years!

A missing little girl named Maggie Rose . . . a family of three brutally murdered in the projects of Washington, D.C. . . . the thrill-killing of a beautiful elementary school teacher . . . a psychopathic serial kidnapper/murderer who is so terrifying that the FBI, the Secret Service, and the police cannot outsmart him – even after he’s been captured.

Gary Soneji wants to commit the crime of the century. Alex Cross is the brilliant homicide detective pitted against him. Jezzie Flanagan is the first female supervisor of the Secret Service who completes one of the most unusual suspense triangles in any thriller you have ever read.

Alex Cross and Jezzie Flanagan are about to have a forbidden love affair–at the worst possible time for both of them. Because Gary Soneji is playing at the top of his game. The latest of the unspeakable crimes happens in Alex Cross’s precinct. It happens under the noses of Jezzie Flanagan’s men. Now Alex Cross must face the ultimate test: How do you outmaneuver a brilliant psychopath?

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 19:58:27 -0800

Reading log:

* 41 Sat, 09 Nov 2024 10:27:10 -0500
* 99 Sat, 09 Nov 2024 12:39:41 -0500
* 166 Sun, 10 Nov 2024 16:41:19 -0500
* 220 Mon, 11 Nov 2024 23:55:06 -0500
* 274 Tue, 12 Nov 2024 12:20:30 -0500
* 350 Wed, 13 Nov 2024 18:50:48 -0500
* 392 Thu, 14 Nov 2024 19:36:55 -0500
* 449 Fri, 15 Nov 2024 22:55:28 -0500

Finished reading Doctor Strange, Vol. 2: Remittance by Mark Waid

Collects Doctor Strange (2018) #6-11.

Doctor Strange returns to Earth to find…Doctor Strange?! Something bizarre happened since Stephen took off into the cosmos — and it doesn’t bode well for him. It’s time to gear up, get serious and build his new arsenal — because Strange has become his own worst enemy. Literally! And as if this twisted mystery weren’t enough, a villain from Strange’s past threatens the Sanctum Sanctorum in a way Stephen has never experienced before! A shadowy figure has been working in the background for months, chipping away at Stephen and other magicians — and now the other shoe finally drops. Does Strange stand a chance against a mysterious foe who controls all magic — an opponent who can turn off his spells with a snap of their fingers? Join a lineup of all-star artists for a monumentally strange tale!

Fri, 08 Nov 2024 21:29:40 -0800

Finished reading My Brother’s Keeper: Enterprise (Star Trek: The Original Series Book 87) by Michael Jan Friedman

The gripping conclusion to the story of Jim Kirk’s lost friend, the man who helped shape a Starfleet captain…. Captain Kirk has returned to Earth to attend the funeral of Gary Mitchell — the man he was forced to kill. As he wonders what he can possibly say in eulogy, he thinks back to the first time he had to do without his friend, several months earlier…. Kirk has just taken command of the U.S.S. Enterprise™ and brought along Gary as navigator. Kirk has learned to depend on his friend’s good sense and advice, but when Kirk confronts the Klingons for the first time in his career, Gary is taken captive and cut off from Kirk. Now the young captain has no choice but to rely on a man he barely knows, a Vulcan named Spock.

Fri, 08 Nov 2024 19:42:24 -0800

Reading log:

– [x] 28
– [x] 69 Tue, 05 Nov 2024 18:59:12 -0500
– [x] 106 Wed, 06 Nov 2024 23:25:53 -0500
– [x] 141 Thu, 07 Nov 2024 23:17:14 -0500
– [x] 179 Fri, 08 Nov 2024 18:26:10 -0500
– [x] 190 Fri, 08 Nov 2024 22:41:10 -0500

Finished reading The Man Trapped By Shadows (Rooker Lindström, #2) by Pete Zacharias

A journalist. A serial killer. An invitation to the dark side. The risks are beyond imagining in the heart-racing sequel to The Man Burned by Winter.

Rooker Lindström is a reluctant consultant for the Minnesota PD. He can provide a window into evil. His horrifying past gives him the edge. When the body of a woman—missing for eight years—is pulled from the lake, evil comes knocking again. This time with a note meant just for Rooker: Won’t you come out and play?

A request from the police. A dare from a killer. And now a plea from a distraught mother whose daughter has suddenly vanished too. If only Rooker could say no. Instead, partnered with Millie Langston, his friend turned private investigator, he’s compelled to find a connection between the missing and the dead. It’s drawing them into the dark web, conspiracy theories, and an unsolved mystery reaching back thirty years.

The deeper into the investigation Rooker and Millie go, the more exposed they are to a dormant serial killer whose motives—and next moves—are unlike anything Rooker has ever encountered.

Wed, 30 Oct 2024 07:43:38 -0700

Finished reading The Getaway God (Sandman Slim, #6) by Richard Kadrey

Sandman Slim must save himself – and the entire world – from the wrath of some enraged and vengeful ancient gods in this sixth high-octane adventure in the New York Times best-selling series.

Being a half-human, half-angel nephilim with a bad rep and a worse attitude – not to mention temporarily playing Lucifer – James Stark, aka Sandman Slim, has made a few enemies. None, though, are as fearsome as the vindictive Angra Om Ya – the old gods. But their imminent invasion is only one of Stark’s problems right now. LA is descending into chaos, and a new evil – the Wildfire Ripper – is stalking the city.

No ordinary killer, The Ripper takes Stark deep into a conspiracy that stretches from Earth to Heaven and Hell. He’s also the only person alive who may know how to keep the world from going extinct. The trouble is, he’s also Stark’s worst enemy – the only man in existence Stark would enjoy killing twice.

©2014 Richard Kadrey (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 15:28:10 -0700

Finished reading Nightwing, Vol. 4: The Leap by Tom Taylor

Nightwing meets his biggest fan! Too bad it interrupts a romantic weekend and leads to a battle with a soul-sucking demon. And with Blockbuster off the board, Tony Zucco heads to Blüdhaven in an attempt to claim the city as his own…but will Heartless claim victory first with his army of prison inmates? Then, find out who the villain is behind the platinum mask. Join Nightwing as he trains Jon Kent and follow Bitewing in her first year with her humans Nightwing and Batgirl and see how she takes a bite out of crime! Collects Nightwing #97-100 and Nightwing 2022 Annual.

Sun, 20 Oct 2024 12:58:06 -0700

Finished reading Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders by Neil Gaiman

A mysterious circus terrifies an audience for one extraordinary performance before disappearing into the night, taking one of the spectators along with it . . .
In a novella set two years after the events of American Gods, Shadow pays a visit to an ancient Scottish mansion, and finds himself trapped in a game of murder and monsters . . .
In a Hugo Award-winning short story set in a strangely altered Victorian England, the great detective Sherlock Holmes must solve a most unsettling royal murder . . .
Two teenage boys crash a party and meet the girls of their dreams—and nightmares . . .
In a Locus Award-winning tale, the members of an exclusive epicurean club lament that they’ve eaten everything that can be eaten, with the exception of a legendary, rare, and exceedingly dangerous Egyptian bird . . .

Such marvelous creations and more—including a short story set in the world of The Matrix, and others set in the worlds of gothic fiction and children’s fiction—can be found in this extraordinary collection, which showcases Gaiman’s storytelling brilliance as well as his terrifyingly entertaining dark sense of humor. By turns delightful, disturbing, and diverting, Fragile Things is a gift of literary enchantment from one of the most unique writers of our time.

Sun, 20 Oct 2024 10:16:37 -0700

Finished reading Nightwing, Vol. 2: Get Grayson by Tom Taylor

After millionaire Dick Grayson announces to Blüdhaven his plans to give all his money away to create the Alfred Pennyworth Foundation and help unhoused children on the streets, Blockbuster feels the city’s power slipping from his hands and places a target on Dick Grayson’s head…and through gritted teeth he orders his assassins to…get Grayson. Also in this volume is the fan-favorite story from Nightwing #87 presented as one continously connected 22-page image, which was nominated for a 2022 Eisner for Best Single Issue.

Nightwing Vol. 2: Get Grayson collects Nightwing #87-89, Superman: Son of Kal-El #9, and Nightwing #90-91.

Tue, 15 Oct 2024 15:42:24 -0700