It has been another interesting year of reading. I enjoyed some novels from a few favorite authors. I also “discovered” a few new authors to add to my favorites list.
One of the authors I “discovered” this year is Judson Roberts and his Strongbow series. The description from Amazon.com tells us, “an epic tale of one man’s unstoppable quest for justice and vengeance that carries him across the 9th century world of the Vikings.” It’s obvious that Judson Roberts has done his research and extreamly knowledgeable about Danish and “Viking” history and society of the 9th century. The series is as good as Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon Series.
Since reading the first book in the series in 2013, The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, I was eagerly awaiting the second one titled, Words of Radiance, released in March of 2014. It was just as good, if not better than The Way of Kings. I am eagerly awaiting book three.
I finally got around to reading book Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. I have been a big fan of his show, No Reservations, for years. Strangely enough, I had not read any of his books. The book was really good. He is a very good writer. The book provided some insightful background to his shows. I also learned a lot about the restaurant industry. I have a new appreciation how hard it is to work in a restaurant.
I continued to enjoy Paul Kemperkos novels about Aristotle Socarides during the fist half of the year. While on vacation in Key Largo in July, I started reading the The Emerald Scepter thinking it was another Aristotle Socarides mystery. I was pleasantly surprised that he created a new character named Matt Hawkins. The story is modern day adventure thriller about solving a mystery from the past involving the legendary king, Prester John. I was inspired to do some background research and write a Blog article about my findings.
I read my first Andy McDermott this year titled, The Hunt for Atlantis. The story had lots of action coupled with historical mysteries. Out of the four I have read so far I liked, The Secret of Excalibur the best.
Bernard Cornwell released the 7th book in the Saxon Series titled The Pagan Lord. Uhtred is an older man, still trying to recapture his ancestral family home of Bebbanburg. I was thrilled to read that BBC America is adapting the Saxon Series for a TV mini-series.
I read my first James Rollins novel titled, Excavation. Excellent author and story! The story starts with the discovery of the 500 year old mummified remains of a Franciscan Monk high the Andes mountains. His stories remind me of the novels Michael Crichton use to write, which is high praise.
In the fall, Cussler released his book Havana Storm, which i really enjoyed. The book was so good that I was inspired to do some research about the USS Maine and the Spanish-American War and write a Blog article. I learned a lot about the USS Maine. Especially about the various investigations into the cause of the incident and the salvage operation.
I also read my first Terry Goodkind novel, titled Wizards First Rule, and became hooked on his Sword of truth series. It was a hard story to put down. Once I finished the first one I kept right on going until I finished the third one in the series.
Wanting a break from the fantasy genera, I started The Lost Symbol bu Dan Brown. This is the next book in the Robert Langdon series, following The Da Vinci Code. Although I see many similarities to his other novels, I like this one a lot since it takes place in Washington DC and involves the Masons and all the symbolism and rumors about the organization.
I finished the year by reading the first book in a new series by Brandon Sanderson titled Steelheart. It’s from a series named The Reckoners. it was an excellent story. I immediately ordered the second book in the series titled Firefight, which was just released on January 5th, 2015. I know I will be reading that one in early 2015.
- Cool Blue Tomb – Paul Kemprecos
- Notorious Nineteen – Janet Evanovich
- Death in Deep Water – Paul Kemprecos
- Pandora’s Curse – Jack Du Brul
- Neptune’s Eye – Paul Kemprecos
- River of Ruin – Jack Du Brul
- Takedown Twenty – Janet Evanovich
- Viking Warrior – Judson Roberts
- Feeding Frenzy – Paul Kemprecos
- Dragons of the Sea – Judson Roberts
- Road to Vengeance – Judson Roberts
- Deep Fire Rising – Jack Du Brul
- Words of Radiance – Brandon Sanderson
- Bluefin Blues – Paul Kemprecos
- The Long Hunt – Judson Roberts
- The Mayflower Murders – Paul Kemprecos
- Ghostship – Clive Cussler and Graham Brown
- Kitchen Confidential – Anthony Bourdain
- The Hunt for Atlantis – Andy McDermott
- The Emerald Scepter – Paul Kempercos
- In Search of the Perfect Meal – Anthony Bourdain
- The Tomb of Hercules – Andy McDermott
- The Pagan Lord (Saxon Tales) – Bernard Cornwell
- The Secret of Excalibur – Andy McDermott
- The Nasty Bits – Anthony Bourdain
- Fletch, Too – Gregory McDonald (re-read)
- The Covenant of Genesis – Andy McDermott
- Son of Fletch – Gregory McDonald
- The Janson Directive – Robert Ludlum
- Excavation – James Rollins
- Havana Storm – Clive Cussler & Dirk Cussler
- Deep Fathom – James Rollins
- Wizards First Rule – Terry Goodkind
- Stone of Tears – Terry Goodkind
- Blood of the Fold – Terry Goodkind
- The Lost Symbol – Dan Brown
- Steelheart – Brandon Sanderson
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