Book #92 - The Devil Colony by James Rollins

If you like thrillers and you like science, then James Rollins is the writer. He is exciting to read, and he's always flipping between story lines to keep you on your toes. This is another edition starring the Sigma Force, and after 9 or so of these books, I am in love with these characters. I have invested time and energy into each of them, and I'm always wondering when the day will come that one of them won't survive a mission. This one had tied into it the founding fathers of the United States, and it adds a whole new dimension to his adventures. I highly recommend any book by this offer.

Book #76 - God Machine by J.G. Sandom

This book ties the great minds of the Masons like Franklin and daVinci into a thrilling race to create a portal to Heaven. Although I had trouble getting started and hooked on this book, by the time I got about 50 pages in, I was into it. I like the way the author used short chapters to hop between past and present story lines. It was an easy plot to follow even though the stories were told in a fragmented way. There were two big ideas that struck me and stuck with me. First, a lot of the hub-bub surrounding this portal to Heaven was because it gave a way to reunite with our loved ones who had passed on. Ben Franklin (as told by the story) spent his entire life trying to build this machine to be with his deceased son Franky. But after a lifetime of failing, Franklin realized he had lived his entire life focused on the past and never truly living. He had poured all of his energy into his experiments and thus created no relationships with anyone. He realized, like so many do who suffer great loss, there is not value in living in the past. The second point was regarding this idea of a portal to Heaven and thus a direct path to God. In the end, the hero of the story realizes that what God has been trying to tell us since the beginning of time is that we don't need a portal to Him because he is always with us. All we have to do is pray/talk to Him, and we are with Him. I think sometimes it is easy to forget that just because He doesn't always answer our prayers the way we want that He isn't listening. Overall, this was a pretty good book. It wasn't Dan Brown, but overall not bad. Good enough that I'll probably pick up the sequel when it comes out.

Book #62 - Black Hills by Nora Roberts

So I'm still struggling my way through the book about Mary Queen of Scots that I started over two weeks ago. I may finish it one day, but frankly, it is boring and way too drawn out. On Saturday morning, I decided I need to read something enjoyable for my three day weekend, and this was a great choice. Obviously since it is Nora Roberts, there is a love story that ends just like you want it to, but the thriller side of this book was intense. I need to do a little research on Nora to find out if she was born and raised in this area of our country or if she fell in love with it later in life. It was so awesome to go back to the Black Hills through the eyes of the characters of this book. I feel like the clock was rewound six years ago from when I was there with my family. The book's setting is in an area of the Black Hills where the main character, Lil, has set up a Big Cat sanctuary. The description of these beautiful panthers, leopards, tigers, and mountain lions is extraordinary. It made me flash back to the horse sanctuary we came upon while we where in the Black Hills. Overall, this was a fantastic book, and she always has you coming back for more. I was so glad that all ended well, the murderer was caught, and the lovers will be living happily ever after. As always, I feel as though I know the characters, and I was dying for an epilogue to see where they were in 10 years, but it is not Nora's style. It is for us the readers to imagine where their lives take them.

Book #37 - Total Control by David Baldacci

In case you are wondering, no, I did not read this entire book today. I actually started it last week and couldn't wait to read the new Grisham, so I set this one aside for a few days to read the other. I have had so many people swear by Baldacci. I've had several people tell me he is better than Grisham (to this I say, blasphemy). So, with that being said, I decided to order one of his from Amazon. I wasn't sure if he used recurring characters, so I got the first one written by him. The reviews said it was a "fast-paced thriller." I have to say that it took me almost 300 pages to get hooked in to this book. Then, Baldacci turned up the heat. He really held the cards close, and didn't even give the reader a morsel of information as to what was going on. That was one of the things I didn't like. I felt like he didn't even want to give us a chance of figuring out who did it. Overall, a good book, but way to long.