The Name Of The Wind

If you are looking for the next Harry Potter novels that will suck you into another world and not let go, try this book: The Name Of The Wind. This is one of the first books that I have recommended whole-heartedly to a plethora of people and heard nothing but good responses. Maybe they are just telling me what I want to hear, but I sincerely doubt it. First of all, they knew different characters from the book, which tells me they paid attention.

What You May Like About It:

Patrick Rothfuss, the author, has created his own world that lives and breathes with the vitality of Middle Earth, at least for me. Kwothe, the main character, is just amazing. Every trial and tribulation leaves you wondering how you would handle such a situation, leading you to be drawn in without really realizing it. The villains are mysterious and, of course, ultimately dangerous. People get arrested for even talking about them in the larger towns.

Kwothe is a tragic character, but one that doesn't sit idly by. He searches out his knowledge with fervor and vigor. His personality gets him most places, that and his natural ability for magic. He also has a natural ability for getting into trouble that leads him to many discoveries and adventures.

What You May Not Like About It:

Well, it is a fantasy book. If you won't even touch goblins or anything of the sort, don't bother. This is fantasy at it's finest and won't allow for anything else.

My suggestion is read it. It reads very fast, in fact, I was reading it everywhere. I literally could not put this book down. Have fun!

Bourne, Again.

In this day and age of paranoia and technological thrillers, I have personally come to decide that no character better encapsulates the feeling of being lost in all the information than Jason Bourne. I have read all three original novels that share the name of their movie counterparts. The novels were vastly different because it was a different world when they were originally written. If you can keep that in mind, then they are extremely entertaining. The new books, taken over by Eric Van Lustbader at Ludlow's permission before he passed, are faster and more technologically driven all the while keeping the spirit of the original character. I think they are worth it. Let me tell you why.

What You May Like About It:

The action is crisp and easy to follow, but also propels the story forward rather then just being a filler to rack up the page count. Bourne is indeed a man of action, but what Lustbader does well is explain why he punches certain areas, what that will do, why he runs to a certain spot in a hotel. The author takes you inside the head of a man that is still learning about his past and what he is capable of now.

In the first new novel, The Bourne Legacy (I don't believe that there was a pun intended there from Lustbader, but, who knows), it mostly deals with Bourne's direct past in the Far East. Without spoiling, well, anything, I will say that there is a sort of surprise that I kind of saw coming. Having read a lot of these types of novels, you can get worn on plot devices and such, but Lustbader really puts you in the action and develops his characters well. That keeps me in the story no matter what.

What You May Dislike About It:

One thing that someone may be averted to is the length. It could have been a little shorter, but keep in mind that the author wants to re-introduce you to this character and how the world has changed since Ludlow's day. This is not the Matt Damon version either. That may put off some readers as they are looking for the young man to come out swinging at everything with whatever weapon he can get his hands on. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of action, just know that this Bourne is at least 50 years old.

I say read Betrayal. If you don't like it, make like Bourne himself and forget about it.

Dog On It

Dog On It was a book I read on a whim. I saw the title in Borders, read the jacket and thought, "What the hell, I need something light to read." I think I had just gotten through Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy and was just drained intellectually so I was in the mood for a book where I didn't have to analyze too much. That is exactly what the author intended and I loved the book. Now that I have a dog of my own, I find that I am very much looking forward to the sequel he has coming out or is already out. I am a little fuzzy on the details and didn't bother to research this, sorry.

Why You May Like It:

It is written from the point of view of the dog, which is obviously not the normal approach. It works for this set up though. He works in realistic dialogue between the human characters and engages our five senses as perceived through the canine detective effortlessly. I happened to like the narrative and could definitely see people that need a break from anything loving this book. It is a great escape read. Chet and Bernie are the new Holmes and Watson, at least for now.

Why You May Not Like It:

It is written from the point of view of the dog. No, this is not a typo; I just happen to know that some people are a bit fussy over what they "waste" their time doing and if you want a serious, academically pleasing novel, look elsewhere. This is just a fun book with a twist on the modern private eye detective thriller. If you take that genre more seriously than the author, you won't like what you find.

I personally thought that these books, if they become a series (and they probably will), will be great. Lots of heart in these and not just on the dog's behalf. I thought that the character of Bernie was likable and reasonable well developed. You do have to take into account that the dog is writing (telepathically I assume) to you so suspension of disbelief also plays a role here.

In short, it's a good, fun, fast read. Read on.