Book Haul: Every six months I will get to go to McKay’s which is one of the biggest second-hand bookstores in Tennessee. I can spend all day at McKay’s so I don’t go there too often, but when I do go I try to make it worth it.  I feel I made a good book haul. I did not pay over 3 dollars for any book and my cheapest book was 50 cents.  For 13 books I spent a little over 29 dollars. I bought 5 books I’ve read before but not blogged about and bonus I enjoy sharing books with my Father-in-law and know he will love some of these.

Book Haul Breakdown starting from top to bottom:

Area 7 by Matthew Reilly is book two Shane Schofield series. Area 7 was the first Matthew Reilly book I ever picked and became hooked instantly.  Matthew Reilly writes some of the craziest action scenes I’ve ever read. Matthew Reilly writes like Michael Crichton and Tom Clancy had a baby while they were watching Die Hard. There’s action galore with added political intrigue. Area 7 is an intense novel involving the president, a virus, and an underground base.

Ice Station by Matthew Reilly is the first Shane Schofield book in a five-book series.  The first book is a little more grounded than the next two books in the series that I have read. The book is still action-heavy but leans into the political aspect a bit more.  This book is a what-if story. What if an alien spacecraft was found in Antarctica at a research station buried in ice, manned by different countries that would all kill for the research?

The Six Sacred Stones and Seven Deadly Wonders -both by Matthew Reilly is the start of the Jack West Jr. series. This series is a 7 book countdown series starting with Seven Deadly Wonder followed by The Six Sacred Stones.  This series seems to be a mix of Die Hard and India Jones which I’m all for.

Mr. X by Peter Straub is a horror about a man that a seizure every birthday when he sees flashes of a murderer who he calls Mr. X to slaughter his latest victim.  On the verge of his next birthday, he returns home after he gets a vision of his mother on her deathbed.  She is still alive but fading fast as she gives clues to his absent father, which also leads him closer to Mr. X. Straub sadly passed away a few years and I’ve been trying to read his backlog. The Talisman which he co-wrote with Stephen King is one of my all-time favorite books.

The Constant Gardener, The Russia House, and The Night Manager – all by John Le Carre are all standalone spy novels by the master. All these books have been adapted The Night Manager limited series is good I want to see how the source material holds up. I have never read a John Le Carre novel and now the plan to The Night Manager is the highest in my TBR.

Gone, Baby, Gone by Dennis Lehane is book 4 in the Kenzie and Gennaro mystery series. I have every book in the series except this one and this is the best in my opinion. The plot is about a missing baby of a drug addict in Boston, but the crime is not what it seems. I read this whole series 10 years ago before I was a blogger and want to revisit it soon.  Gone, Baby, Gone was made into an excellent film directed by Ben Affleck starring his brother Casey Affleck, Amy Ryan, Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman, and Michelle Monaghan.

Night Fall, The Lion’s Game, and Plum Island – all by Nelson DeMille are the first 3 books in the John Corey series. The series starts with Plum Island, followed by The Lion’s Game, and Night Fall.  John Corey is a New York cop who later joined the Anti-Terrorist Task Force. Plum Island is a mystery with a little adventure, the rest of the books combine mystery with terrorist plots. I have read the first two books and know my Father-In-Law will like them so I plan to read this and pass it on.  I read both books before starting the blog and will have fun with the reviews. I have not read a DeMille book that I have not recommended.  

Micro by Michael Crichton and Richard Preston is a pulse-pounding book that combines adventure with science. A group of Microbiology grad students are sent to a lab in the forest of Oahu, Hawaii, but they become stranded in the rainforest and have to fight to survive with their wits and knowledge of science.