Guardians of the Night (A Gideon and Sirius Novel)

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I couldn't help but compare this book to Hilary Waugh's ground-breaking police procedurals. Set in small-town America in the 1950's, they always featured a gruff, battle-hardened Chief of Police. The Chief ruled with an iron fist and a cop who screwed up or a reporter who stepped over the line got his ass kicked. There was no public relations department and a cop who could read and write was derisively called "College Boy." The cops were the good guys and the criminals weren't.

In Russell's 21th Century Los Angeles, the Chief of Police is a smooth-talking former academician given to solemn lectures. When his subordinates break rules, he's "disappointed." A cop without a degree in Criminal Justice wouldn't be allowed to empty the trash baskets. The PR department is the tail that wags the dog because the real enemy isn't criminals, but the all-powerful media that molds public opinion.

Detective Michael Gideon has a good cop's confidence, instincts, and waggish sense of humor. He has a few loyal friends and makes enemies effortlessly. He became a local hero when he and his police dog Sirius captured a serial killer. The aftermath failed to live up to its promising beginning. Gideon was left with deep physical and emotional scars and the charismatic murderer is now a hero to many. Gideon is now assigned to "special cases" where he and Sirius can work alone. A widower, he's currently involved with a nice woman who has her own life and seems to expect little of him. Just as well, since he doesn't have much to give.

In Venice Beach ("L.A.'s Freakshow") a homeless man called "Wrong" witnesses a murder in an alley. A "being of light" is somehow destroyed. Wrong is convinced that an angel has been killed and he sobers up and stays sober so that he can tell his story and be believed. The author tells us a lot about Wrong, seemingly using the character to say that we shouldn't dismiss the homeless as worthless, that they're the same as the rest of us. With his intelligence, humility, and decency, Wrong is a damned sight better than most of us. He's not far from being an angel himself and soon after he tells his story, his time on earth abruptly ends.

The death of a delusional wino is unimportant enough to be turned over Gideon, who's impressed with Wrong's personality and even more by the fact that all of the neighborhood surveillance cameras have been blocked to keep them from recording the event. The trail leads to the high-profile owner of a company that makes drones and has connections with "black ops" military types. He's a man whose hubris puts him on a collision course with the rest of the world.

I enjoyed this book. It's not great, but it's very good. This author writes well enough not to have to depend on the violence that keeps me from reading most modern mysteries. Sadly, he can't avoid the wordiness. When a tightly crafted book of 180 pages could find a publisher, mysteries had a spare elegance. Now they must be door-stop size to justify the price and that means filler. It's interesting filler, because Russell is a skilful writer and a man of wide interests and knowledge, but it's still filler.

If you're a dog lover, you'll love this book. The bond of humans with dogs (police dogs, military dogs, and plain-old dogs) is an integral part of the story. Sometimes he's a bit heavy-handed and explains things that the reader could figure out for himself. but every time you think you've caught him in a cliche, he twists things around so that it's not a cliche after all. It's well-plotted and well-written with unusual characters and thought-provoking themes. That's all I ask for.

Amazon Kindle Fire 5ft USB to Micro-USB Cable (works with most Micro-USB Tablets)

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Amazon already includes this cable with the Kindle Fire 7", the Kindle Fire HD 7" and the Kindle Fire HD 8.9". It's also great to purchase as a back up for the office or to take with you on the go. For the peace of mind knowing Amazon designed this to work specifically with Kindle Fire, it's worth the price.

The quality of this cable compared to the previous white USB cable is much better. This cable has a thicker jacket on the outside so hopefully overtime it will hold up much better. Data transfer speeds between the computer and the device are relatively quick. This cable is actually a bit shorter than the white cable even though both are supposed to be 5 ft. in length. Measuring both cables, the black cable is approx 5 ft. and the white cable is approx 5 ft. 9in. Overall, even though it is shorter, this cable is starting off to be a much better improvement than the previous white version of this cable.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

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Vine Customer Review of Free Product (What's this?)


I read this book in two days flat and I know that, had I had the time, I would have read it in one sitting. This is a book that grips you, draws you in and leaves you feeling a slightly better person for having read it.

The story is that of Louie Zamperini - a track and field star of the 1930's, who participated in the Berlin olympics, was part of the US air force in WWII, was shot down over the ocean, was adrift in the Pacific for over a month, was held as a POW by the Japanese forces and finally made it back to his life and has had the courage to live it to its fullest.

Hillenbrand is a marvellous author. I was never tempted to read Seabiscuit and this was my first introduction to her work. She is one of a few authors who can write a non fiction story in the most gripping and vivid way imaginable. Instead of being flowery or overly embellished her prose relies squarely on research and on witness accounts and yet manages to never be dull. The swiftly moving story takes the reader from Zamperini's early beginnings, his swift rise to track star, the Berlin olympics and then to the World War. This is where the story really blooms. Hillenbrand settles in for the long haul here and we get to see the air force and the B24 bombers through the words of the men who actually flew them. The sequences where Zamperini and his friend Phil are adrift at sea are vivid and strangely beautifully described. The horrors that await them at the Japanese prison camps are not glossed over but neither does Hillenbrand wallow in the gore and violence as some authors may be tempted to do. There is always a strong sense of the respect the author holds for the men whose story she is being allowed to tell.

History has perhaps focused its eye too exclusively on the war in Europe to the extent where the situation in the Pacific and the plight of POW's there has not recieved the attention and the respect it deserves. Hillenbrand's book and detailed research certainly makes a strong attempt to change that.

Solidly based on statistics and army reports from both sides of the war, Hillenbrands book paints a clear picture of the hellish conditions that the POW's endured and the utter madness of the war that was being waged in the Pacific. This is a hard story to read but one that is well worth it. The falling apart of Louie's life and his slow path to regaining his life and sense of purpose is a story that is truly inspiring. This book will find a permanent place of honor on my bookshelf.

Kindle Paperwhite, 6" High-Resolution Display (212 ppi) with Built-in Light, Wi-Fi - Includes Special Offers

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This is the fifth e-ink Kindle reader that I've bought. My wife and I were early adopters of Kindle, and when we buy a new Kindle, the old one goes to the next niece or nephew in line. I loved the original Paperwhite, with its small size, touch screen, front-lighting, and virtual keyboard. The all-new Paperwhite is a definite step up, and for me, it was worth the move, but others will have to decide for themselves. If you read a lot, and you don't already have one of the newer e-ink Kindles, it's definitely worth upgrading to the Paperwhite. If you have the original Paperwhite, the upgrade is well worth considering. Although I've only had the new Paperwhite a few hours, I'm already glad I upgraded. Here's a summary of my initial impressions of the new Paperwhite.

SIZE: It's the same size as the original Paperwhite - 6.7"x4.6"x0.36". The weight has been reduced slightly from 7.8 ounces to 7.3 ounces. The Paperwhite is very comfortable to hold in one hand, which is how I usually read. The really good news is that if you have a case for the original Paperwhite, it will also fit the new one (thank you, Amazon). If you buy a case, I highly recommend that the case include the magnetic AutoWake function. It's much easier to turn the Kindle on and off without fumbling for the small power switch.

LIGHTING: The front-lighting is noticeably improved over the original Paperwhite, which had slightly visible shadows coming from the bottom edge where the LED lights were located. (It didn't bother me, but some readers were annoyed by that.) I couldn't see any shadows in the new Paperwhite, where the lighting appears brighter and more uniform. With the Paperwhite's front lighting, you'll never need a clip-on light, even in total darkness.

TOUCH SCREEN: The text appears a bit crisper with more contrast, even though the 212 ppi resolution is the same as the original Paperwhite (but it's much better than the 169 ppi of the earlier Kindles). Unlike backlit tablets and phones, which wash out badly in sunlight, the Paperwhite is very readable in any lighting condition from total darkness to bright sunshine, simply by adjusting the lighting level. The touch screen's responsiveness has been noticeably improved. Swiping the page with a finger or touching the left or right sides of a page turns it immediately. With my old Paperwhite, I sometimes had to swipe or touch twice. The new Paperwhite is definitely more responsive with faster-turning pages.

BATTERY: According to Amazon, "A single charge can last up to eight weeks (based on a half hour of reading per day with wireless off and the light setting at ten)." Certainly not all Kindle readers fit this profile. As much as I read, and because I download so many books that I leave the wireless turned on, I routinely recharge it about once every week or so just to bring the battery to full charge. In any case, the battery life is several times that of backlit tablets and phones. With the high-speed chargers that are available now, battery life shouldn't be an issue with the new Paperwhite.

OTHER COMMENTS: As a touch screen e-book reader, the Paperwhite has no physical I/O, aside from a power button and a recharging/data port. Unlike earlier e-ink Kindles, there's no provision for audio output, so you won't be reading audiobooks on the Paperwhite.

NEW OR IMPROVED FEATURES: The X-Ray feature from the original Paperwhite has been retained and improved to be more context sensitive. The new in-line footnotes that can be read without losing your place will make footnoted nonfiction books a more enjoyable experience, as will be the new navigation feature that lets you scroll forward and backward without leaving the page you're on. I haven't had a chance to play around with those very much, but what I've seen so far looks very promising. The new Paperwhite does not include FreeTime for kids or the built-in version of Goodreads (now owned by Amazon), but these features are expected to be added in a software update by the end of this year.

SPECIAL OFFERS: It's $20 more if you want to eliminate the special offers. You can do this at the time you buy the Paperwhite, or you can do it later online. Honestly, you get used to the special offers very quickly, and in my opinion, it's not worth the money to do away with them. Also, they don't interfere with your reading - you only see them when you turn on the Kindle, and after swiping the screen with your finger, they go away.

THE VERDICT: The new Paperwhite is the state-of-the-art e-ink ebook reader. With improved screen contrast for better readability, a more sensitive touch screen with faster page turns, and some new or improved features that enhance the reading experience, it was worth upgrading from the original Paperwhite.

Note: I also have a Kindle Fire HD 7", which I use for web browsing, emails, apps, and music, but for most reading, I prefer the Paperwhite, unless a book has color photos or illustrations.
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Update (10-31-2013): After using the new Paperwhite for a month, the added feature that I love the most is the Page Flip. When you're on a page, swipe up from the bottom, and a slightly smaller pop-up of the page appears. The pop-up has page turn arrows to go back or go forward in the book (you can also just swipe the pop-up page). When you're ready to return to your original page, press the "X" in the upper right corner of the pop-up, and the pop-up page goes away. It's as close as you can get to holding your finger between pages in a printed book while you flip pages. This is really a helpful feature.

Belkin HDMI to HDMI Cable for FireTV and other HDMI-Enabled Devices (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters)

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Vine Customer Review of Free Product (What's this?)


This seems like a good HDMI cable. It does exactly what it's supposed to. Use this to connect your TV to boxes and devices like Blu-Ray players, internet TV (including FireTV and Apple TV), gaming consoles, and so on. The product description claims it is 4K compatible, but I'm pretty sure all "high speed" HDMI cables are 4K compatible: they are made for use with the latest computers, some of which use resolutions even higher than 4K. But hey, it's a nice reassurance. The cord is heavy and seems well constructed. The head of the cord (if that's what you call it) is pretty beefy and gives the impression of quality. In general, I think Belkin makes quality products that perform above the cheap generics. Which brings me to the final point...

PRICE: Other reviewers have pointed out that you can get similar high-speed HDMI cables on Amazon for about half the price. This is true. In fact, the Amazon Basics 6.5 foot cable (which I own) is only about $6. There are other off-brand Chinese cables, too. So why consider this one? Well, I think (and many experts do as well) that you get legitimate quality advantages with some of these slightly more expensive cables by Belkin and other good brands. If you have already paid $800 for your flat screen TV, $200 for your BluRay player, and $400 for your gaming console, to say nothing of the movies and games you plan to watch, what's the big deal about an extra $6 if the cord provides even tiny improvements in picture and quality? It's the consumer's choice. We all make choices between cheap generics and brand names all the time. Now we must do so with electronics also. Buy a cheap generic and you might end up running your expensive entertainment system with a dud or sub-par cord. Buy this Belkin for a few bucks extra and you are assured of quality.

The Burning Room (A Harry Bosch Novel Book 19)

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Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch, Michael Connelly's iconic character, is in the twilight of his career as an L. A. homicide detective. In "The Burning Room," Harry is partnered with twenty-eight year old Mexican-American Lucia Soto. Harry becomes Lucy's mentor, sharing his wide-ranging knowledge of procedure (some of it not exactly by-the-book) with his eager protégé. Harry's latest case in the Open-Unsolved Unit involves Orlando Merced, who was shot ten years earlier by an unidentified shooter. Merced survived for a decade in a wheelchair, with a bullet lodged in his spine. Merced recently died and Harry wants the bullet; it may help them find the perpetrator.

Harry and Lucy make a solid team. They are both committed to getting the job done, even if it means pulling all-nighters, being less than candid with their superiors, and upsetting high-profile individuals. What they learn is explosive. As they follow the leads that emerge, Harry and Lucy suspect that what appeared to be a random act might have been deliberate. Making matters more complex is the possible connection between the assault on Merced, an arson fire, and two robberies. If these felonies turn out to be related, what is the link?

Connelly keeps his foot on the pedal throughout this fast-moving and engrossing police procedural. The interplay between Bosch and Soto is amusing and instructive. Harry is all business and Soto matches his dedication. She comes to work early, leaves late, and both doggedly pursue every piece of evidence, no matter how flimsy it may seem. The beautifully constructed plot involves political corruption, greed, lust, and vengeance. Harry is irreverent, bends the rules when it suits him, taps into a network of former colleagues who provide valuable assistance and, as usual, steps on some very important toes. The dialogue is clever, the prose is crisp, and Connelly holds our interest with fascinating tidbits about forensics, Los Angeles history, insider jargon, investigative techniques, and the foibles of human nature. "The Burning Room" is exciting and concludes with a slam-bang ending. One thing is certain--whatever the inimitable Harry does in the future, his fans will gladly accompany him on his journey.

Gray Mountain: A Novel

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Always a fan of John Grisham for his finely etched characterizations and ability to draw the reader into the courtroom drama of which his books are based. This book reads more like a docu drama. I did not like Samantha the female protagonist, who seemed a flat cardboard person who is self absorbed and shallow....bored with her job in a big law firm until she is unexpectedly let go due to the stock market crash. Then she is introduced to a world of the Appalachian "real people" through her volunteering at a free legal clinic and consequently becomes aware of many issues involving hardcore poverty and the huge environmentally devastating coal mining industry. Do not expect an armchair reading the usual Grisham novel generates....I put it down several times tired of the characters and being preached at about a thinly veiled attempt to spread the word of governmental collusion with the coal industry.