E-books and more

I bought a Nook recently and have been getting accustomed to e-books. It is a difficult transition. For one thing, having no physical book in one's hands makes it a bit more difficult to recall what I have read and what I haven't yet finished, since I no longer have piles of books to discern the difference.

With that said, here is what I have read since my last entry:

Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes is probably the "newest" book on my recently read list. A novel about being an infantryman in Vietnam, it has been hailed as the first realistic depiction of what it was like to serve in that war, complete with the stupidity of the higher-ups in exaggerating the body count for public relations. There were moments when I simply shook my head at the incidents. Worthwhile.

I became enamored of Lee Child's series on ex-Military Policeman Jack Reacher, who travels with only the clothes on his back in an exploration of America and puts things right. I first read the thirteenth book in the series, Gone Tomorrow, and liked it well enough to order the preceding twelve books, which I tore through in succession. Reacher as a character is very well drawn, and his particular life and talents serve as a jumping-off point for his finding, and correcting, injustices. Great series. I look forward to much more from this author.

Sandman Slim by Richard Kadry reminded me of the Harry Dresden series in that the protagonist is not quite human, and has some superhuman powers. In this case, "Slim" is a damned soul who fought his way out of hell. If you can swallow the premise, the adventure is worth the read.

I revisited the history of World War II in The Winds of War and War and Remembrance, both by Herman Wouk. Don't know how I missed these when one of my favorite novels by this author, The Caine Mutiny, is worth rereading every couple of years. These two follow the involvement of a family through service in WWII, in Europe, the war in the Pacific, and in the concentration camps of Nazi Germany. At times, the author devolves into thick historical overviews, which might encourage skimming, but the reader picks up some knowledge even in spite of the lectures.

Books read thus far this year exceed the goal of 52, and it is only September. As of today, I've read 58 new books in 2010.

Innocent - Scott Turow

It's been decades since Turow's most famous bestseller, "Presumed Innocent", a novel that became an excellent film with Harrison Ford. That novel had a lovely twist, a surprise ending that made it memorable. Now Turow returns to familiar ground with a novel of Rusty Sabich, his wife and son, and manages to surprise yet again with a twist at the end that puts the events of the book in a new light.

Rusty Sabich, now a judge, has tried hard for twenty years to manage his home and professional life to reduce the stress on his wife, Barbara, who we learned in the first novel was the killer of Rusty's mistress, and who seemed willing to allow him to pay for it with a trial and a possible sentence of murder. Only Rusty knew the truth, and after his acquittal he attempted to repair the marriage and soothe the madness of his wife's jealousy.

Now, however, Rusty is feeling the weight of living a life where nothing is what he wants, and makes the same foolish error - he has another affair. In this case, however, the woman involved is earnest in loving him and ultimately wiser than he, and they part. But when his ex-mistress meets his son Ned, now a college student and much more her contemporary, she has to hide the truth from him while she and Rusty now cannot escape each other's company.

The night after Ned and Anna visit Rusty and Barbara for dinner - the first time Anna meets Barbara as "Ned's girlfriend", Barbara dies. Rusty does not notify anyone for more than a day. Is it shock and grief, as he claims, or is it murder?

Rusty's old colleague and nemesis, Tommy Moto, is now the District Attorney. Tommy still believes that Rusty was guilty of the murder for which he was acquitted so many years ago. Now, Barbara's death has raised his suspicions once again. Eventually, Judge Sabich is indicted for the murder of his wife.

Is Rusty, again, Innocent? As usual, Turow leaves the answers to the very end, and the result is nearly as satisfying.
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Other books read since last entry - The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters by Gordon Dahlquist; Deception by Jonathan Kellerman; Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane; Roadside Crosses by Jeffery Deaver.