Finally!

I feel like I should throw a party. Or maybe go out for a hot fudge sundae with loads of extra peanuts. Or at the very least, sit down and actually enjoy a cup of hot tea. I truly feel a celebration is in order...

I finally finished reading Executive Orders. Whew. Not that I didn't enjoy it...but face it, there's so many books out there that need to be read, I can't afford to spend months on a single book.

In actuality, I do have a reward for myself. I now get to read a book written by Rich's cousin Jean. She wrote it for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month. The whole concept of NaNoWriMo simply boggles my mind. If you've never heard of it, put simply, these very ambitious people who participate write an entire novel (at least 50,000, about 175 pages) during the month of November. Like I said, it boggles my mind that people can do this. It has to take great determination. And one heck of a lot of work! Anyway, I was able to read the beginning of her novel on-line as she was writing it, but the website only allows you to read so far. I absolutely loved it! And Jean was kind enough to send us a copy when she finished it. I have been saving it as my reward for finishing Executive Orders. Thought I might have to wait even longer to read it, because Rich decided to read after he finished his last book. But sometimes things work out perfectly...Rich finished Jean's book last night. So now it's my turn!

(And by the way, Jean, if by any chance you read this...Rich absolutely loved the book! But I'm sure he'll e-mail to let you know himself.)


So, anyway, here is my review of Executive Orders. But be forewarned...I hate writing book reviews. It is simply a skill I do not possess. (Unlike my darling daughter, Annie, who writes them with comparative ease. Though she only started yesterday, she already finished reading her first book for the Spring Reading Thing challenge. And she wrote her review. The girl puts me to shame, I tell you.)

Executive Orders. By Tom Clancy. Well, as much as I complained about how long it was taking me to conquer this behemoth of a book, I really did enjoy it. I'm not really sure what to say about it...it was very "Clancy-esque". As always with his novels (at least, the ones I've read), there is a lot going on. Big understatement! It takes a while, but the sub-plots eventually start hooking up with one another, forming an overall thoroughly intriguing story. (And I must admit, there were times when I was eerily reminded of events going on the world today!) The final 100 pages (or there-abouts), were tough for me to get through. He tends to go into nauseating detail during "the war". Vehicles, ammunitions, maneuvers, tactics...he definitely shows off his knowledge. I'm sure there are plenty of people out there (my dad and brother, included) who find this terribly fascinating. Probably because they understand what he's talking about. Anyway, I am not one of those people. That part of the book bored me silly. Might have even given up on the whole thing, if I hadn't already invested so much time in reading the first 800 pages. By the very end of the book, I was back to enjoying my reading time, instead of dreading it, though. So, overall I would say I'm glad I read it. But it certainly will never make my "re-read" list.