Favorite Books

1. Fiction: Ok, we already know my favorite book of all time is Ender's Game, so I'll pick a different book. Carrie by Stephen King. It was the first Stephen King novel I read and it led me to read only Stephen King for a period in middle school. Except for Nightmares and Dreamscapes, which I kept under my bed because it scared me so badly. It was easy to (sort of) connect with a character that gets picked on and mistreated, who falls for a boy she could never have, etc. And then she turns all evil and gets sweet revenge.



2. Nonfiction: I like memoirs a lot, so this one is tough. So I'm gonna stick with the last memoir that I read that really struck me: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. Thoroughly depressing from an adult standpoint, but an excellent portrait of resilience in children. Also it's not an overly "woe-is-me" memoir, as Walls points out the things that were good and happy despite the hard times her family was constantly entrenched in.


3. Autobiography: Errr....I hate autobiographies. But I do have Mark Twain's on my to-read list. Only because he's brilliant and witty.

4. My choice: So a couple of weekends ago I went frantic because I couldn't find these books I used to read in middle school. And gloriously, they were found (in a random box, in a random room) and out of nostalgia I've started reading them again. Before there was Twilight and Stephenie Meyer, there was The Last Vampire by Christopher Pike (6 books) and Secret Circle (3 books) and Night World (9 books) by L.J. Smith. Vampires! Witches! Werewolves! Soulmates! Smith's work tended to be more chaste, while Pike's series dealt with more heavy duty stuff as in AIDS and sex. So yeah, I didn't pick a single book for this option, but each of these books are short enough for several to be read in a single day.

REVIEW: Vince Flynn's Extreme Measures

DESCRIPTION:

In the continuation of Vince Flynn's popular Mitch Rapp series, rogue al Qaeda operatives enter the U.S. with the intention of suicide bombing some high-value, low-security targets. Mitch actually plays a backseat to a newish character, family man Mike Nash.

REVIEW:

Although I highly enjoyed this book, I have a feeling that if it weren't for the fact that (a) it had quite a bit of humor in it, and (b) the protagonist ISN'T Mitch Rapp, I'd probably forget about it in another few weeks. As it was, I really, really enjoyed reading about new hero Mike Nash. The touches of family life Flynn included in the book were very entertaining. It really made this particular story stand out and gave the new character of Nash his own distinct identity apart from Mitch.

As for the story itself, it was vintage Flynn through and through. Fast moving and tight, it had great villains and awesome supporting characters. I loved the way he got into the minds of the terrorists and even moreso loved it that the lead female antagonist wasn't a ho (unlike one of Brad Thor's characters). I liked it that she was redeemed in the end. Really enjoyed her story arc.

Speaking of arcs, I was a tad disappointed that Flynn didn't move Mitch's arc any. After his Separation of Power, I've been in constant search for the return of the Donatella Rahn character. Sadly, my wait must continue. I did like it that CIA director Kennedy has become less cool and more flappable with age, though. And that she went out on a date.

I think what I enjoyed most about this novel is the way it presented such a complete picture of what happens in my town, Washington, D.C. Flynn has an amazing eye for detail, from the streets and landmarks in the story, to the way the Senate chambers operate and how the Judiciary Committee meeting room is totally secure. I did not know that.

I'm happy to say that Flynn, unlike Brockmann and Thor, did not disappoint and continue to be on my AutoBuy list. Extreme Measures dazzled and, more importantly, entertained.

KARMELA RATING SYSTEM (out of 4):