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Though I've read most of King's work before The Green Mile (1996), I hadn't read anything of his after that. However, I liked the recent Hulu series 11.22.63 (not sure why they replaced the '/'s with '.'s) enough that I decided to buy the book.
Some thoughts so far:
*It's certainly very good, the work of a master craftsman. However, it doesn't have that art, that soul, that flair of early King novels such as 'Salem's Lot and The Shining. I suspect this is due to the output of the author who long ago tapped out the well of his best ideas big and small.
*It's too long. 849 pages? I don't mind long books at all if the prose is rich enough or if the tale requires it. But such is not the case here. I could've been chopped in half and lost nothing but words.
*Still, King is an excellent storyteller. It's a good and worthy yarn.
I feel like King is hit or miss, so I approach his books with some reservation. However, when they're good, they're very, very good. I found this one at a garage sale, so I figured it was worth the risk. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. I thought it was definitely one of his better works.
American militarism, costs and consequences -- President Eisenhower's legacy -- George H.W. Bush's New World Order -- Clinton's problems with the Pentagon -- Bush's surrender to the Pentagon -- President Obama's deference to the military -- The Pentagon's grip on the intelligence community -- The Pentagon's phantom missile defense -- Defense spending: Eisenhower's "cross of iron" -- What needs to be done.
461 pages ; index, chapter notes. No photos nor maps.
Very good on the politicization of intelligence (CIA), & then the militarization of intelligence, foreign policy (to the detriment of nuclear arms control & anti-proliferation, USIA - the dismantling of the two under B. Clinton) even as budget constraints & poor foreign policy decisions strain our ability to project military power into Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. An excellent read from a long-time professional intel insider.
Having been raised with German-Americans I would never have thought of German authors as writing funny books. Definitely my folks had a wry sense of humor, but my general sense has been of them being stern and staunch. Please do share some of the titles you've listened to -- I want to expand my views!
LFM - Sure, no problem at all. You might want to try Kerstin Gier "Die Mütter-Mafia" or "Lügen, die von Herzen kommen". I also enjoyed Tommy Jaud's "Hummeldumm" as audio book. The author reads it himself and it's hilarious. DH, who never ever listens to audio books went through it in one sitting It seems that these kinds of books are rather shallow but quite a pageturner for a quick read at the weekend...
I just finished Destiny (prequel to the Navy Justice Series) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navy_Justice_Series and Treason by Don Brown. I gave Destiny 4 stars and Treason 3, there's too much religion for my liking but since I bought the series I'll read them between JD Robb's (in death series) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Death which I'm reading in chronological order and am now starting "Origin in Death".
making a trip to the library this evening and might even find some books to buy , you just never know books come sometimes at .25 cents at my library . I love that I can pick up four books for a dollar .
I finished Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons. It's a short (126 pp.) book told from the first-person perspective of a little girl who has suffered loss and hardship in her early years. It's sad, but not terribly so and the protagonist is tough and endearing. I recommend it if you're wishing for something between fluff and great literature.
I finished "NYPD Red 2" and have moved on to "The Japanese Lover" which is the next selection for book club. I also picked up a book about L.M. Montgomery's pre-"Anne of Green Gables" days that I'm intrigued by back can't quite remember the name of. I've only read the first 4 "Anne" books, and it wasn't until a few years ago that I started the series.
LFM - Sure, no problem at all. You might want to try Kerstin Gier "Die Mütter-Mafia" or "Lügen, die von Herzen kommen". I also enjoyed Tommy Jaud's "Hummeldumm" as audio book. The author reads it himself and it's hilarious. DH, who never ever listens to audio books went through it in one sitting It seems that these kinds of books are rather shallow but quite a pageturner for a quick read at the weekend...
Thanks, MM. Do you know if there are english translations? I don't read German.
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Militarism & intelligence
It seems that these kinds of books are rather shallow but quite a pageturner for a quick read at the weekend...
