The One with Crime and Punishment

90. Title & Author: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, translated by Constance Garnett (542 pages)

Genre: Fiction--Classic Literature

Completed: 29 April 2009

Summary & Review:

Raskolnikov, a destitue young student living in St. Petersburg, plans and executes a terrible crime: the murder of a wretched old pawnbroker. Despite having convinced himself of the "morality" of the crime, his psyche is haunted, racked with guilt and terror. He struggles to come to terms with what has taken place and the consequences of his desperate act. 

I love this book. It has been my all-time favorite book since I first read it years ago. The premise is incredibly interesting, i.e. Raskolnikov's battle with his own conscience and pride. He convinces himself that this crime will be purely rational, cool, logical, and above all, beneficial to humanity. Here is a woman, the pawnbroker, who no one loves and who most people actually detest. She hoards her money gained by taking advantage of some of the most impoverished and hopeless people in Petersburg, including Rodya. So, he commits to kill her and use her selfishly gained money to further his own future and live a life of philanthropy and service. After he goes through with the crime, he finds out there is nothing logical about murder. It is a crime of passion, one that haunts him and nearly drives him mad. He desperately seeks for relief from his remorse and shame, yet feels unworthy of love or kindness.

My favorite passage is when he is explaining to Sonia why he murdered the old woman. He had developed his theory that some special individuals, due to their inherent greatness and genius, are above the law and are not even capable of "crime." He wanted to see if he was such a person, if he was great, or if he was damned to a life of insignificance forever. "Mere existence had always been too little for him; he had always wanted more." (535)

Rating: 10.0

The One with The 6th Target

89. Title & Author: The 6th Target: A Women's Murder Club Novel by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro (401 pages)*

Genre: Fiction--Thriller

Completed: 15 April 2009

Summary & Review:

A little girl is kidnapped and her nanny is found murdered; a man opens fire on a ferry near San Francisco killing five; Dogs and residents of a San Francisco apartment building are being attacked and killed. Will the Women's Murder Club be able to step in and save the day?

This was such a random hodge-podge of stories. It was very disjointed which really detracted from the book. Why were there so many unrelated plot lines? I have no idea.

Rating: 5.0

The One with Double Cross

88. Title & Author: Double Cross by James Patterson (420 pages)*

Genre: Fiction--Thriller

Completed: 12 April 2009

Summary & Review:

What's better than having one psychotic killer after you? Having two! In Dectective Alex Cross' latest adventure, he tracks down the "Audience Killer" whose penchant for gruesome public killings leaves the Washington D.C. area trembling as another killer from Cross' past, Kyle Craig, escapes from prison and comes looking for revenge.

I am still very mixed about Patterson. Every time I read one of his books I am constantly distracted by how short the chapters are. It feels like a rip off. Oh well, at least he can come up with pretty good villains. 

Rating: 7.0

The One with Protect and Defend

87. Title & Author: Protect and Defend by Vince Flynn (405 pages)*

Genre: Fiction--Thriller

Completed: 9 April 2009

Summary & Review:

After Israel successfully destroys Iran's nuclear facility, the Iranian government (predictably) blames America and is out for blood. They kidnap CIA Director Irene Kennedy with the help of one of Hezbollah's top terrorists. Recently elected President Alexander then gives protagonist Mitch Rapp the green light to do anything necessary to get Kennedy back.

This is such a dude's book. It was pure action and involved a lot of supreme-alpha-male-Rapp talking trash, making threats, and blowing people's heads off. Not too shabby! I actually liked this Flynn better than the previous one of his I read (Act of Treason, #34). Again, I liked Rapp as a character, even though if he were real he would scare the crap out of me.

Rating: 8.0

The One with Fitness and Lifestyle Management

86. Title & Author: Fitness and Lifestyle Management by BYU Academic Publishing (291 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction--Health

Completed: 5 April 2009

Summary & Review:

This manual provides insightful chapters on various health and fitness related topics including first aid, cardiorespiratory fitness, healthy eathing, and stress management, among others, written by experts from the respective fields.

The chapter entitled "Creating a Good Life" was my favorite in the book. It's basic premise was that the contemporary search for happiness through the accumulation of pleasure--good food, clothes, cars, big homes, money, etc.--has failed. People in modern society aren't happier than people from previous generations despite the wonders of modern technology and the improved standard of living. Happiness, the author argues, is achieved by experiences that challenge us and help us grow and achieve a sense of lasting satisfaction and achievement. 

Rating: 6.5

The One with The Whole Truth

85. Title & Author: The Whole Truth by David Baldacci (530 pages)*

Genre: Fiction--Thriller

Completed: 5 April 2009

Summary & Review:

Billionaire weapons manufacturer Nicolas Creel hires "perception management" guru Dick Pender to raise hell across the globe in hopes of securing lucrative arms contracts from various world governments. Soon, the world is flooded with images and videos and stories of human rights atrocities supposedly occurring in a Russia that appears to be rapidly returning to its soviet-era government. Some, however, do not believe the smear campaign against Russia including Anna Fischer, "A" Shaw's fiancee. Creel sees a chance to heighten the drama by killing Fischer and her fellow think-tank members and pinning it on the Russians. While everything seems to be going according to Creel's plan, Shaw's rage at losing his fiancee soon threatens to undo the entire charade.

My dad passes me a lot of the books that he reads, often in groups of five or six. With every batch he gives me, I organize them alphabetically by author and then read them in order. When he sent my brother Andy his birthday present he put this one in the box for me with a note that said, "Chris, move this to the top of your list. It's a good one! Dad." So, that's what I did and I really enjoyed it too. It was pure entertainment with an exciting plot and a very interesting premise with the "perception management" stuff. So far, this has been my favorite Baldacci book.

Rating: 8.0 

The One with Twilight Director's Notebook

84. Title & Author: Twilight Director's Notebook: The Story of How We Made the Movie by Catherine Hardwicke (163 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction--Movies

Completed: 26 March 2009

Summary & Review:

This book contains many of the notes that director Catherine Hardwicke made while making the film Twilight.

Um, I guess some of it was interesting--to see some insights into making a movie and the like--but, overall it seemed kind of pointless; just a way to squeeze more money out of Twilight mania.

Rating: 5.5

The One with The Day of the Jackal

83. Title & Author: The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth (495 pages)

Genre: Fiction--Suspense

Completed: 26 March 2009

Summary & Review:

After several unsuccessful assissination attemps on the French president, the OAS resistance group decides they need to hire a foreinger with unsurpassed ability to get the job done and to keep their movement alive. They scour the world and hire a mysterious Englishman who insists on working completely alone. As the day of the assissination nears, the French authorities get wind of the forthcoming attempt and they race the clock to find the Jackal before the Jackal's deadly crosshairs find their target. 

This was Forsyth's debut novel and I really enjoyed it. The plot was interesting and Forsyth's style is intelligent and fast-paced. Unlike the other book by Forsyth on this list, The Afghan (#32), the intriguing plot didn't lead up to a short, unsatisfying climax. Here, Forsyth built the suspense and then delievered an excellent culmination. I do wish, however, that Forsyth hadn't alluded to the fact that the Jackal was unssuccessful so early in the book. It would have been fun to be able to read the book without the knowledge that the Jackal would be caught.

Rating: 8.5