My Review:: A Gentleman's Game: A Queen & Country Novel by Greg Rucka

A Gentleman's Game: A Queen & Country Novel by Greg Rucka
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My book pal book of the month. Well the first book anyways. This was on my to read shelf since I don't know when. So thanks Diane for California Ming up with that innovative way of picking books for us to read.

Tara Chace is Minder One. A highest trained SIS operative who can carry out government sanctioned assassinations. She's quiet possibly the deadliest woman alive. When London gets bombed, the government clamors so for assassinating those responsible for the atrocity in a tactical response. Chace carries out the mission with elan; but when an terrorist aiding, philandering Saudi junior prince gets caught up as collateral damage in the attempt, the same government that wanted the deed done agrees to hand over Chace to Saudi's so that the terrorist camp being operated inside Saudi can be dismantled.

Chace goes on run with limited options and not too many choices. Her options are waging a 1 person war against the training camp in Saudi Arabia or leading a life on the run as a PNG (person non grata) forever. Needless to say which option is chosen by Chace. The end is quite good and Chace suffers a personal loss at the end of the mission, leaving her questioning herself. It sets up the second book in the series quite well.

I quite liked the female protagonist in the book. In one the scenes she asks “I drink, I smoke, I swear, I can’t cook, I don’t do laundry, I won’t clean, and I don’t like children,” this sums her up very eloquently I must say.

I liked the premise, the plot and the way the book flows, the pace is good and the author holds the interest. Overall it is a very good look at the spy business which no thanks to the MI & Bond franchise always looks like a glamorous and picnic-y job. This one throws that out into the garbage bin where it belongs go and shows the real day to day stuff that happens behind the an op.

I rate this one a solid 3.5 stars and would like to read the next one in the series.

My Review: Ashoka - The Lion of Maurya by Ashok K. Banker

Ashoka - The Lion of Maurya by Ashok K. Banker
My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Series -  Itihasa - Ashoka
Book#1_2016

The first book of 2016. What a start it is. Ashok Banker is India's mythology man. Now add history or as Banker likes to say Itihasa to his cap. Ashoka - The Lion of Maurya is the first of the series of books based on the greatest Indian Emperor ever - Ashoka Maurya. The 3rd in the Mauryan Dynasty, the man who laid the foundations of modern day India, a man whose deeds are still seen in various facets of Modern India.The Lion of Maurya is a bloody tale, it is a tale of war and the emergence of a single power through fratricide and bloodshed. History is witness, the empires of great men have been build on the blood of the people they have spilled to conquer and retain the throne. Nobody knows this better than the greatest modern day preceptor to have ever lived Chanakya, a man whose treatise and policies known as Chankyaneeti and Arthasashtra form the foundations of mordern politics and economics. A man comparable to Aristotle, Socrates and Sun Tzu. Now living in his old age Chanakya is seeing the very empire he forged for Chandragupta Maurya being torn apart by relentless machinations and greed of Samrat Bhindusara's chief queen and step-mother.

The heir apparent Prince Sushim is too indulgent in living a life of debauchery and wine. The only person capable of assuming the reins of the throne has vowed to keep himself away from it to protect his mother from the machinations of the palace politics. What will happen when enemies of the empire strike from within.

Every man has his limits and Ashoka's limits lay with his mothers well-being. When the same mother is imprisoned and tortured by the chief queen with the tacit approval of the King himself and when the King allows for his own son to be broken and left for dead what will Ashoka do?

This is where the Banker leaves us at the end of the Lions of Maurya, more questions unanswered than ever and the long tantalizing wait for the next book in the series.

Dear Ashok, you have me hooked to his new series.

2016 - Reading Challenge

Well 2016 has started and as is the norm I am setting myself a yearly target for the number of books that I want to read this year. Last year was pretty successful for me as I met my challenge of 45 books, in fact exceeded it by 2 books by finishing the year on 47 books.

The summary of my challenge for the year gone by of 2015 can be found here.

Coming back to 2016, my challenge is as follows:

• Read 52 books this year - 1 book a week. This is a doable thing IMO. I can pace myself an pick books that I really want to read.
• Read at least 25000 pages. Now this would be a much difficult objective to attain, my count for 2015 stands at 16,196 so with the increase in the number of books I can hopefully get to 25K

In addition to the above, I will also be participating in Book Pals in my GoodRead group A Good Thriller. In fact the January Book Pal has already started. I am currently reading The Sound of Glass by Karen White for my challenge this month. 

Also I am trying something called as group challenge set by the group moderator Sean in the group which encompasses reading 25 novels having various aspects in their title. Let's see if I can hit all of them in the upcoming year.

So what about you folks, what plans for reading this upcoming year. Do share and enjoy reading.

G

The 25 things that should be in the title are as follows:

1. Color - red, crimson, indigo
2. Number - one, twice, third
3. Things That Grow - tree, rose, garden
4. Seasons - spring, fall, autumn
5. First Name - Jacqueline, Robert, Ajax
6. Places - country, empire, London
7. Body Part - hand, bone, mind
8. Weapon - knife, poison, arrow
9. Body of Water - sea, river, pond
10. Form of Water - ice, mist, rain
11. Product of Fire - heat, ash, flames
12. Celestial Body - sun, star, planet
13. Architecture - castle, bridge, house
14. Senses - sight, touch, taste
15. Royal Title - king, duke, emperor
16. Family Member - brother, aunt, parent
17. Elements - fire, wind, air
18. Time of Day - morning, dusk, evening
19. Metal - gold, bronze, steel
20. Emotion/Feeling - love, fear, pride
21. Animal/Insect - dog, tiger, unicorn
22. Something to Read - book, story, newspaper
23. Gender Identifier - wife, man, lady
24. Paranormal Being - vampire, angel, ghost
25. Occupation - doctor, assassin, detective

Reading List -- May 2015

You just cannot have enough books. Whoever said that was absolutely, utterly and completely right and my hero. I dig books. I just can't get enough of them... and my traditional gluttony leads me into all sorts of jams which then has me contorting as a trapeze artist to get my way out of it.

Ok coming to this months reading list, where do I start???

Let me divide it into sections:

Net Galley: By far this is where I am feeling the pinch. I have a tendency to request 5-6 books at a time and being super busy these days, I am not able to plow my way through the books as I usually do. So currently my feedback to request ratio is languishing at 24% or so. I have way more books on my reading, approved and requested shelf than on my feedback shelf. Well I am not going to list all my Net Galley books here.. coz then I will never get done. So this month my reading list from Net Galley is:

1. Inside the O'Briens by Dr. Lisa Genova - It is about how a family deals and copes when they know that the father is having Huntingtons.

2. The Sound of Glass by Karen White

3. The Devil Will Come by Glenn Cooper

4. The Morganstern Project by David Khara

I also have The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins my Book Pal - Book of the Month to read with my A Good Thriller group member to read and discuss.

Also I have my perennial book pal Freda and books selected by us to read and discuss among ourselves.

It will be shaping up to a very, very, very busy May but I would not have it any other way...

Happy Reading,
G

Reading List - April Update

Hey All,

April is with us and there is a lot of reading to get through before the month is out.

First up is my Good Read - A Good Thriller group Book Pals book The Martian by Andy Weir which my book pal for the month Mallory Heart has selected for me to read.

Next up are my various books requested from Net Galley which are essentially ARCs for which I have to provide feedback. Currently making my way through the Consortium series by French author David Khara.

Finally we come to the books that I have taken out from my local library. Me being a glutton for reading I just can't resist myself. I have 4 books,, FOUR from the library to be read. I am currently making head way through one of my favorite authors in thrillers James Rollins's The Kill Switch

I still have 3 Simon Kernick books that I picked up on strong recommendation from my Good Reads friend Sean.

I am hoping to make my way through these books in the month of April, wish me luck and I am going to keep my fingers, toes crossed and hope like hell that my eyes don't cross out on me...

Happy Reading folks,

G

Reading Frenzy - 12/03/2104

I like to read..... a lot!!! Things being hectic in my recently with a shift to new location for job, health concerns back home and general life getting in the way, I have not been able to read as much as I would like to.
I have been a traditional geek, given the choice between a vigorous activity and curling up with an action/adventure thriller, the thriller would win hands down every time. So me not getting my daily fix of reading is like a smoker on withdrawal symptoms....
Suddenly I had some time on hands and nothing pressing to occupy my time and viola!!! I am back to reading and not just plain simple reading but on a reading frenzy... In the last 4-5 days I have read completely at least 4-5 books and I have made a dent on a couple of others which have been long on my reading list and I must say that I am absolutely enjoying every minute that I get to spend with my books.
So what people can expect from me in the following days is the reviews for the following books:
1. The Enemy by Tom Wood
2. The Job by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
3. The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly
4. Hidden Order by Brad Thor
5. The Rider of Garuda by Ashok Banker
6. The Krishna Key by Ashwin Sanghi
7. Jaya by Devdutt Patnaik
8. Act of War by Brad Thor

These are the books that I have finished in the last 4 - 5 days and those that are in my reading pipeline are:
1. The Miracle Strain by Micheal Cordy
2. Sanctus by Simon Toyne

I have not yet decided on my reading order. So the to read list may change a bit as I post my reviews.

But I am going to have an great few days ahead reviewing at least 8 books and what can I say other than "I am lovin it"!!!

Signing Off
G

Reading List - 2nd Nov 2014

Reading List - 2nd Nov 2014
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You have good days and you have bad. This week was exceptionally bad as I have made absolutely zero progress on my reading list and I am yet to blog my review for The Sign. Here's to hoping that this current week works out better than the last.

This weeks reading list is as follows:

1. Troll Mountain by Matthew Reilly
2. Choose to Lose: The 7-Day Carb Cycle Solution by Chris Powell
3. The Enemy by Tom Wood

Pending Reviews:
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1. The Tournament by Matthew Reilly
2. The Sign by Raymond Khoury

Reading List - 26th Oct 2014

Reading List - 26th Oct 2014
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An update to the reading list I started last week.

This weeks reading list is as follows:

1. Troll Mountain by Matthew Reilly
2. The Sign by Raymond Khoury -- Completed (Review to be posted soon. Working on it)
3. Choose to Lose: The 7-Day Carb Cycle Solution by Chris Powell
4. The Enemy by Tom Wood

In addition to The Sign I will also be posting reviews of The Tournament by Matthew Reilly that I finished reading before 18th Oct 2014.

Reading List - 18th Oct 2014
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I am planning on putting up my reading list every week just to keep track of what I am reading and how many books I have finished. I will also mark the completed books and reviews status (if any).

This weeks reading list is as follows:

1. Troll Mountain by Matthew Reilly
2. The Sign by Raymond Khoury
3. Choose to Lose: The 7-Day Carb Cycle Solution by Chris Powell
4. The Enemy by Tom Wood

I will add more books to this list if I finish any of the above in this week and pick up a new one to fill it in.

Reading List - 18th Oct 2014

I am planning on putting up my reading list every week just to keep track of what I am reading and how many books I have finished. I will also mark the completed books and reviews status (if any).

This weeks reading list is as follows:

1. Troll Mountain by Matthew Reilly
2. The Sign by Raymond Khoury
3. Choose to Lose: The 7-Day Carb Cycle Solution by Chris Powell
4. The Enemy by Tom Wood

I will add more books to this list if I finish any of the above in this week and pick up a new one to fill it in.

Reading This Week

This week I'm gonna plod my way through the following books:

1. Temple of Gods - Andy McDermott
2. The Best Thing About You is You! - Anupam Kher (Reco by my sis.. Says it;s good. Wait for my review)
3. The Last Templar - Raymond Khoury (It's been on my reading list forever. The story is good enough, but I haven't found the patience to finish it in 1 go.)
4. The Four-Week Countdown Diet: Now You Choose How you Lose - Namita Jain (Again given to me by my sis. This 1 i'm sure will take a loooong time to be done and over with. Review will come up as usual)
5. Indecent Exposure - Tom Sharpe. Now this one came up from my friend Praveen's Shelfari. It's a supposedly black humor satrical book on aparatheid South Africa. Looked intriguing.

Currently Reading

Currently I'm reading 3 books from 3 different authors at the same time. Talk about variety and spice...

1. On my mobile device I'm reading Atlantis - Book 1 of the Jack Howard Series by David Gibbins.
2. On my comp I'm reading The Empire of Gold - Book 7 of the Nina Wilde & Eddie Chase series by Andy McDermott
3. In hardback I'm reading The Stonehenge Legacy by Sam Christer borrowed from my local library.

I'm hoping to finish these 3 books this week and make a dent in a couple more over the weekend to bringing my reading up to speed.