The Puppet Masters by Robert A. Heinlein

The Puppet Masters by Robert A. Heinlein
Series: None
Genre: Light Sci-Fi
Published: 1951
My rating: Save It



I read this book for the 2nd annual Vintage SciFi Month. This event Andrea has been hosting since 2012. I sure do enjoy reading some good old fashion SciFi. It is also nice to see what the author(s) think what the future to them would be like and how off or right on their thoughts were as well.

This is the second Heinlein book that I have read now. My first was The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, I liked that one. I thought that this one was a little better in my opinion. Getting this out of the way I thought that this book was quite a bit like Wells' War of the Worlds. I just cannot believe that this book was wrote 50 years ago. Heinlein was able to dream up cellphones,satellite relay, and other types of technology. I would like one of the cars though. Where can I buy one :)

This book starts off in 2007, and a flying saucer landed in Iowa...yes Iowa of all places.A Hoax. Two agents(Sam and Mary), however, of the U.S. Intellegence agency disappeared while on the scene. Four more agents are sent in, and they disappear. The head of the agency and two of his top agents are sent in and escape with their discovery. The earth is under attack and is being invaded by slug-like aliens who can latch on to a human and totally control his/her mind.

It is interesting to see how the government tries to institutes different "Acts" so the Agency can see whom is affected easier. I cannot imagine going around in the buff for LONG periods of time in public.

What I Liked:  This book was nonstop action and you were not sure what was going to happen on the next page. I was not sure if the solution that Sam's theory was going to work in the end. I thought that it was funny that the marriage license you could choose different durations for it.

What I Disliked:  The thing I did not like about the book was the RH portrays women, but that is where it shows its age.

I will be reading more of RH in the future.

AudioFiles: The Camel Club by David Baldacci

The Camel Club by David Baldacci
My rating: Back It Up


Summary:
Existing at the fringes of Washington, D.C., the Club consists of four eccentric members. Led by a mysterious man known as "Oliver Stone," they study conspiracy theories, current events, and the machinations of government to discover the 'truth' behind the country's actions. Their efforts bear little fruit--until the group witnesses a shocking murder...and become embroiled in an astounding, far-reaching conspiracy. Not the Club must join forces with a Secret Service agent to confront one of the most chilling spectacles ever to take place on American soil--and event that may trigger the ultimate war between two different worlds. And all that stands in the way of this apocalypse is five unexpected heroes.
 
My Thoughts:
This was the first book I have read by Baldacci and I was impressed to say the least. In this book, it is about a group of misfits that have a club where they try to uncover conspiracies and force the government to acknowledge truth called the Camel Club. Hence the title. I sounds like a group that I would like to be part of :)

The group meets once a month to talk about what they think that the government is hiding from the American people. During one of these meeting, they witness an event that puts them in the middle of a situation that threatens the safety of the country and the world.

I did enjoy this book with the turns and twists that is throws at the reader. There are many different stories happening throughout the book. At times it is a challenge to keep up with the character in the book.

I like it so much that I am starting the second book in the series already.

Console Switch

My wife and I were in town last night and are considering switching game consoles. I have been a Play Station guy for YEARS. We have a Wii, but we are not able to play with it all that much. We discussed possibly buying a Xbox Kinect.

With my wife watching kids the Kinect would be great for 2 years to play and for Wii they would not get confused or frustrated at the game play. The Xbox has many of the game that I play. I do not play that many games that are platform sensitive, such as the Mario Bros series.With the Wii we sometimes have isses with the sense bar not getting our movement.

If we had some spare money I would go with the Star Wars bundle. The system is shaped like R2D2 and I guess it beeps when it is powered up. Now how sweet is that:)

So do any of you have a Kinect? What are you thoughts?

The Pelican Brief by John Grisham

Title:The Pelican Brief
 Author:John Grisham
My rating: Save It

Summary:
In suburban Georgetown a killer's Reeboks whisper on the front floor of a posh home... In a seedy D.C. porno house a patron is swiftly garroted to death... The next day America learns  that two of its Supreme Court justices have been assassinated. And in New Orleans, a young law student prepares a legal brief... To Darby Shaw it was  no more than a legal shot in the dark, a brilliant  guess. To the Washington establishment it was  political dynamite. Suddenly Darby is witness to a murder -- a murder intended for her. Going  underground, she finds there is only one person she can  trust -- an ambitious reporter after a newsbreak  hotter than Watergate -- to help her piece together the deadly puzzle. Somewhere between the bayous of  Louisiana and the White House's inner sanctums, a violent cover-up is being engineered. For somone has read Darby's brief. Someone who will stop at nothing to destroy the evidence of an unthinkable crime
I have been a fan of John Grisham for quite sometime now. It was not a BIG surprise that I liked this book. I just could not put this book down. Although, like I said, the book as a whole was really suspenseful, I thought the end was a bit anticlimatic.
 
My Thoughts:
I have been a fan of John Grisham for quite sometime now. It was not a BIG surprise that I liked this book. I just could not put this book down. I do like the way the finally tied it together.Although, like I said, the book as a whole was really suspenseful, I thought the end was a bit anticlimatic. I kind of had mixed feeling in the end.

I think that most of us would not know what to do of we had some guys out trying to kill us over a brief. Darby does have enough smarts to realize that everyone that comes into contact with the brief she wrote ends up dead.

She finds herself on the run when her brief makes it all the way to the FBI, CIA and the President. There is a lot of killing in this book and Darby realizes she is in danger. This is a real thriller because Darby doesn’t know who to trust. This is one of my top Grisham book, but not my top 5.