Steve Gross

Still the exact same formula as the last several, but somewhat better written.

Better than the last couple of Reachers

I predict that this book will be recognized for its importance in the same way as “The Closing of the American Mind” was. Not too noticed at first, but it will be recognized after a while. Scary but true.

Veddy British, a little depressing, some nice flashes of writing and a bit tedious.

Interesting survey of second temple Judaism with many fascinating speculations. Cohen does tend to use “I” too much.

The Drifter was a decent book. I guess the author decided he should be more edgy because this sequel drops an f-bomb on every page. I quit after four pages.

More of a graduate reader than a book. Large swathes of text from Progressive and other thinkers. Levin also quotes himself a lot = never a good sign.

Fun book about acquiring rare books which booklovers will revel in.

A proto-Reacher but lacking the charm, decency and intelligence. Probably was hot stuff in 1962 but it's dated now.

Well-written and great fun for Christie fans

A second-rate Reacher. Barr is a much cruder and therefore less interesting character than Reacher, but it's the same kind of book.

This is a book about the people who popularized Sherlock Holmes. The first half of the book is a rehash of Conan Doyle's life. The second half more aptly fits the book's subtitle. No insight here, just a lot of dry facts.

Great book to bring along on an Alaskan cruise!

Tedious and repetitious. The author betrays his professorship by constantly telling you what he is going to say. Nice color diagrams, though.

Could be clearer in many places, but a good introduction to codes for those mathematically inclined.

Confusing and boring

Interesting over-the-shoulder of Lee Child writing his 19th Reacher book.

Fine collection of speeches that generally revolve around American history and education.

You will only enjoy this if you are a fan of both Borges and mathematics.

A terrible book. The authors are two former speechwriters and it shows on every page. They repeat themselves endlessly and do not seem to have much understanding of science. There is not much detail on Shannon and what there is tends to show him as arrogant. Skip this and wait for a better biography to come by.

One of three posthumous Crichton books. The protagonist is flat and the dialogue bland. I think that the novel has not been fully developed.

Good but brutal. Also, do I detect a large increase in profanity? That would be a shame.

Nostalgic and fun, even if you didn't live through the pulp era. Could have used a bibliography.

Enjoyable biography of John Mulholland, who seems a truly admirable engineer

The protagonist, Kenneth Durand, is one-dimensional and unpleasant to boot. Some of the science is interesting but the writing is choppy, incoherent and generally unbelievable.