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Showing posts from November, 2018

Odessa Sea by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler (2016)

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TL;DR: A Dutch Industrialist wanting revenge against Russian leadership sets up a terrorism attempt against the US using a previously submerged Soviet Atomic Bomb. Dirk Pitt and team are compelled to stop this. Dirk Jr. and Summer gets tangled with Russian Intelligence leading to a Russian Imperial Treasure, Romanov Gold. This went fast. Initially thought there were only two entities or story lines. Spoiler: There are three. The pace has the feel of a Sherlock Holmes/Tom Clancy mix while still having that James Bond/Indiana Jones-vibe for the seas and oceans. The Dirk Pitt series has this tendency of mixing contemporary news with historical issues.The fiction starts at the seams where history is deemed to be unfulfilled. The product is one fine craft of action and adventure. Longer summary: More Spoilers

Havana Storm by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler (2014)

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TL;DR: Bad guys are found mining uranium under the Atlantic Ocean causing environmental problems; and they want to takeover the Cuban government. Good guys investigate and try to stop this. Oh and they go on a search for an Aztec Emperor's Treasure I grew up on the Dirk Pitt series. In today's world of the MCU's, DCEU and Star Wars EU, this was my fictional universe. This was my long standing fictional series.  Although it's been a couple years since I'd last read a Clive Cussler novel, it seems the spirit of adventure in this book remains the same. Some of the characters have matured but overall it feels familiar in a good way, like being home. A longer summary below, but a spoiler warning should be called out, so Spoiler Alert.

Barking Up The Wrong Tree by Eric Barker (2017)

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TL;DR: Success comes from knowing yourself,  treating others well; being assertive when taken advantage of; knowing when to quit what's not important, to be gritty on the ones that are; making friends that support you and that you support,  setting boundaries with work  and by making time for your relationships. Barking Up the Wrong Tree as a blog, is a gold mine. One of the few blogs I still frequent on a regular basis. Now as a book, it is well written and very informative. With studies coming from towers of Academia with long deep technical words, this book makes learning pleasant and engaging.  At one podcast, If my memory serves me right, the author likens this to a Mythbusters for Success.