New Books Mixed Bag

The Vault by Boyd Morrison

Touchstone, $24.99, hardcover

Crack thriller author Morrison has written an ideal summer afternoon read: explosives, mystery, ancient Greek mythology, partners and a race against time. You're reading this in early winter; I began to read The Vault on a sunny Sunday, and found myself blowing off other plans to continue reading on my deck, outside. The Vault is more than your basic summer beach-read; I was hooked quickly and sustained my interest in the characters. I'm not reviewing the book; this is an alert to you to buy a copy so you can read it. 

Outlaws Inc.: Under the Radar and on the Black Market with the World’s Most Dangerous Smugglers by Matt Potter

hardcover, $27, Bloomsbury  

Wow, James Bond movies are brought to life in Outlaws Inc. Real life. Russian military veterans, doing what they were trained to do best, on the open market. Flying around the world, in and out of war zones, transporting whatever money pays for. Mix in a half-million dollar Russian cargo plane, one of the largest flying things in the world, and a wide-open attitude toward good and bad, and you’ve investigative journalism reading like a Tom Clancy novel. These guys will fly humanitarian aid or nuclear devices; no real problems either way. I’m amazed that author Potter got inside this small group, earned their trust and was able to get out and write the book. This is a movie script if ever I read one.

How the Hippies Saved Physics: Science, Counterculture and the Quantum Revival by David Kaiser

I won’t pretend I read this book. Savor that title, though, and tell me it doesn’t attract your attention and make you curious. The cover photo assists the effort, too.

I’m attracted to any topic involving the 1970s, the counterculture, and the use of LSD to help deal with the mysteries of quantum theory. Apparently the physics field was stagnant then, funding was drying up, but there were curious minds and a whole lot of unanswered questions about physics and quantum theory. So in Berkeley, California (of course), this ragged group of physicists began to meet after their job days to talk about, what else, quantum theory. At some point they began calling themselves the Fundamental Fysiks Group. Remember Uri Geller, who could bend spoons with his mind? They were influenced by him, and got into all kinds of psychic and paranormal phenomena, including ESP, the spirt world, telepathy, mind control, and Eastern mysticism. Eventually garnering legit recognition, their research into Bell’s theorem actually changes mainstream physicists’ thinking, revitalizing the field.

 Who could make this stuff up? If nothing else, people will be impressed when they note this title on your bookshelves.

The Chitlin’ Circuit - And the Road to Rock’n’Roll by Preston Lauterbach

$26.95 hardcover, WW Norton

Lauterbach delves deeply into the early days of rock’n’roll in Memphis, and in Georgia, as black R&B artists were working hard to get out of scary little roadhouses and into the bigger world of recording and performing for, believe it, white audiences. Little Richard, for example, comes to life on these pages, as do many other performers most readers are likely unaware of.

More than a history of a segment of American roots music, The Chitlin’ Circuit delivers the reader into the time, the places, and society. Smell the smoke and listen to the music. Sweaty and passionate and real, just like the music, Lauterbach nails it.

The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War by Andrew Roberts

Hardcover $29.99, Harper  

This has all the earmarks of “an important book.” I believe it is. Over the course of 672 pages, Roberts uses his engrossing writing style to emphasize the important historical point that if Adolph Hitler had conducted Germany’s military actions in World War II only to win the war, if he’d kept political ideals out of the mix, Germany certainly may have overcome the Allied effort. This isn’t a new outlook by any means, but nobody has captured the unimaginable story of this war, and the world at the time, and the thinking of the great military leaders on both sides, in one succinct volume like Roberts has. An amazing work.

The Terror of Living by Urban Waite

hardcover, $24.99, Little Brown

My initial attraction to this book was the Stephen King blurb on the top of the front cover! Otherwise there was little to catch my attention, but if King says a book is “a hell of a good novel...” I’ll give it a shot. The publishers knew how important King's words are; how aften is an author's p.r. splash above the title, on the cover?

I'm glad I paid attention to the marketing attempt. After you experience The Terror of Living you’ll reflect upon knowing this is Waite’s first novel, and know you will probably never write one yourself. Considering King likes it so much, and the use of the word “terror” in the title, I want to make clear this isn’t a horror story. It involves characterization, forgiveness, lots of moral searching, a good bit of action, and superior storytelling. Tell me that’s not enough for you! I couldn't put it down.

The Map of Time by Felex J. Palma

trade paperback, Atria Books, $26  

Beginning a bit slowly with the story, Palma weaves his word-magic and enveloped me in the life and mind of Andrew Harrington. Just when I thought I had a handle on this guy’s life and ambitions, his world, blam, Harrington changes it all up. This guy dives head-first into new directions; always with passion, probably what attracted me the most to him as a character. Then mid-way through the book the whole world turns upside down once more. When time travel enters one’s life, all the rules change! This is a great story; you will read the entire book. There’s no classification for The Map of Time; call it science fiction, call it adventure fiction - I don’t care, I call it engrossing and rewarding.

Evel: The High-Flying Life of Evel Knievel; American Showman, Daredevil and Legend by Leigh Montville

hardcover, $27.50, Doubleday

Growing up in the ‘60s and ‘70s, hearing that Knievel would be appearing on Wide World of Sports usually meant Howard Cosell would be there as well. Two of the most out-sized personalities in the world, in the same place at the same time, always created riveting drama and television. As if the simply "are you kidding me?" motorcycle jumps Knievel attempted weren’t enough to justify staying inside on a weekend afternoon to watch TV.

In that era, we knew next to nothing about people like Knievel; the newspapers and magazines of the day only told us what the publicists allowed. It was clear Evel Knievel was different. They broke the mold on this guy, but only in later decades did his hard-drinking, brawling lifestyle come to be known to most of us. For a long time Knievel was merely a personality to me; a daredevil who didn't seem to care too much about himself. Montville found the people in his life who would talk openly about him, and weaves a pretty dramatic, if at times sad, life story from everything.

If you can find his memorable radio interview with Jim Rome from a few years ago, listen closely and enjoy. Even as an older, broken man, he had massive spirit and belief in himself, which only someone as skilled as Rome could handle and bring out over a telephone. He was a unique personality, a throwback to the previous century. 

Author Montville is a superb writer; his research is first-rate and he basically brings both Evel Knievel and the pop culture of the era to life in this biography. Knievel was a bit more complex than I anticipated I’d find he was, but certainly still aggressive and hard to figure out. He's not the cartoon I anticipated. Compelling.

Full Black by Brad Thor

hardcover, Atria Books, $26.99

I experience mixed feelings while reading (and enjoying) Thor’s novels. Each of the three or four I’ve read have been fast-paced adventure stories. Scot Harvath comes alive enough for me to care about him and his friends; the missions on behalf of the U.S. government are logical. I’m certainly caught up in the plots; ex-Navy SEAL Harvath and his associates are involved in critically important missions to right wrongs the U.S. government doesn’t quite get to, wish to handle openly, or fully understand.

Here’s my rub: author Thor has deeply felt conservative feelings that echo throughout his writing. He's not subtle with his politics. Whether I agree or disagree with any one sentiment or attitude, I sometimes wonder if his novels aren’t a thinly-disguised screed about modern-day foreign policies. This gets in my way at times, when I feel he’s not covering up his own attitudes enough. Perhaps he doesn’t care and isn’t trying to be careful; I don’t pretend to know. But sometimes the political underpinnnings get in the way of my straightforward enjoyment of Thor's books. Of course, I read adventure novels to be carried away to a different world, not to be reminded of today's headlines.

Full Black is a nicely done novel. National security is a massive issue in today, and it’s at the core of the plot. Thriller fans will be very satisfied.

Guts and Glory: The Golden Age of American Football, 1958-1978 by Neil Leifer

oversize hardcover, $49.99, Taschen

I was almost speechless as I paged through this amazing coffee-table book. Yes, phenomenal photography is expected, and it’s delivered. Yet I was still unprepared for how much of a body blow some of these photographs are. Jim Brown almost runs straight off the page into my lap! Even photos I’ve seen before are revealed as new peeks into the long-gone, rough and dirty days of American football.

Yet there’s so much more to the experience than the photography. I’m impressed with the writing, the narrative, actually kinda overwhelmed by the entire package. Guts & Glory: The Golden Age of American Football is to football books like watching an NFL game for the first time on a 55” high-definition flatscreen. What an experience. I’d buy a coffee table for this book if I didn’t already own one!

75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking by Paul Levitz

more than oversize; a box that fits on a coffee-table, $200  

This isn’t a book review. I’m letting you know that should you be any type of comic book fan at heart, be in love with American popular culture, or more specifically DC Comics, you owe it to yourself (and your descendants) to park a copy of 75 Years of DC Comics in your home somewhere. Some coffee-tables aren’t going to be sturdy enough to handle this thing; it’s a beast. 

I grew up a comic book fan. Even as a member of the Merry Marvel Marching Society as a kid, I avidly read Batman and Superman and other DC titles. As an adult I was involved with the industry for years on the publishing side. I knew Paul Levitz, compiler and author of this wonderful work, when he was head of DC. Having seen many wonderful, extravagant packages put together over the years in the field, I was nonetheless unprepared for wondrous box.

I’m tempted to tell you how much it weighs rather than give you a silly page count.

75 Years of DC Comics is much more than a history of graphic storytelling from this particular company. It’s even more than a labor of love from Levitz, though I’m sure it’s all that. Somehow this brings to life a significant part of America, as seen through the eyes and words and brush strokes of diverse people from around the world. Every page, each look, brings to life a different individual memory, just like the pages bring alive characters and time periods. In comparison to the modern comic book world of endless storylines, gimmicks, endings that don't ever take place, characters dead or alive, the Golden and Silver Age of DC Comics appears remarkable clean, adventurous, exciting and emotionally tugging.

I cannot even begin to accurately describe the design elements that went into this package. Go to the Taschen website, electronically leaf through the book, and you’ll be wowed. I’m here to tell you that’s the equivalent of seeing a photograph of a piece of original art. Somehow find a way to have a copy of this in your life if you count passion for DC Comics as an important element of yourself. The only thing that would improve it is Batman on the cover! (I know, I know).

Please utilize the Amazon shopping widget on my site to the right for ordering any of these books. I thank you.