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

(https://www.frederickcalica.com/?p=3367281)

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

(https://www.frederickcalica.com/?p=3367275)

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

(https://www.frederickcalica.com/?p=3367185)

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

(https://www.frederickcalica.com/?p=3367099)

Finished reading The Man Burned by Winter (Rooker Lindström, #1) by Pete Zacharias

An investigative journalist on the edge. A serial killer testing his limits. What they have in common can freeze the blood.

Still reeling from a personal tragedy, investigative journalist Rooker Lindström finds a grim hideaway from the world. It’s the dilapidated cabin on Minnesota’s Deer Lake bequeathed to him by his late father—one of the most notorious serial killers in the state. If the walls of this murder house could talk, they’d scream.

Detective Tess Harlow needs something from Rooker only he can provide: a window into the mind of a murderer. A copycat is on the prowl, following in the footsteps of Rooker’s father. After reluctantly agreeing to take on the role of consultant, Rooker makes a chilling discovery. Every victim—five and counting—is a depraved taunt meant only for him. Rooker is not just tracking a killer playing sick games. In this brutal Minnesota winter, Rooker is confronting his past.

Maybe working with Tess is Rooker’s last chance at redemption. But to outrun his father’s legacy, he must follow a darker path still to come.

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 04:48:19 -0700

(https://www.frederickcalica.com/?p=3366740)

Finished reading My Brother’s Keeper, Book Two: Constitution (Star Trek: The Original Series 86) by Michael Jan Friedman

Continuing the powerful story of Jim Kirk’s lost friend, the man who helped shape a Starfleet captain… Gary Mitchell is dead, killed by his best friend for the sake of his ship. As Captain Kirk returns home in sadness, he recalls the first time he held Gary’s life in his Seven years earlier, the two men have been assigned to the U.S.S. Constitution, Gary as chief navigator and Kirk as second officer, when the starship comes to the defense of an alien world menaced by ruthless invaders. An early attack leaves both the captain and the first officer in comas, and Jim Kirk must take command for the first time. He finds himself with only one chance to defeat the heavily armed enemy — but the cost may be Gary Mitchell’s life!

Fri, 05 Jul 2024 12:38:36 -0700

(https://www.frederickcalica.com/?p=3365001)

Finished reading The Hunt for Red October (Jack Ryan, #3) by Tom Clancy

Don’t Miss the Original Series Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan Starring John Krasinski!

The #1 New York Times bestseller that launched the phenomenal career of Tom Clancy—a gripping military thriller that introduced the world to his unforgettable hero, Jack Ryan—nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.

Somewhere under the freezing Atlantic, a Soviet sub commander has just made a fateful decision. The Red October is heading west. The Americans want her. The Russians want her back. The chase for the highly advanced nuclear submarine is on—and there’s only one man who can find her…

Brilliant CIA analyst Jack Ryan has little interest in fieldwork, but when covert photographs of Red October land on his desk, Ryan soon finds himself in the middle of a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek played by two world powers—a game that could end in all-out war.

Wed, 19 Jun 2024 19:24:57 -0700

(https://www.frederickcalica.com/?p=3364341)