books read during 2018

Jake Cosmos Aller 2018 Reading List

I read a lot this year, completed 85 books, and started book reviews on Good Reads. As usual a very eclectic reading list. My goal for 2019 is 100 books including a lot more poetry, and short stories as I continue my publication quest, and I’d like to read a couple of books in Spanish and at least one in Korean. Would love to see what other people have read this year. One of my highlights was reading the entire “Oz” series, and re-reading Wind in the Willows.” The Oz stories have a hidden agenda, as the Land of oz is depicted almost like a communist paradise. I wonder why these books were not condemned at the time as being dangerously subversive?

Drop me a line and lets chat about favorite books read.

1. William Oday Darwin Protocol
2. Steve Richer – the Kennedy Secret
3. Steve Doucette The Space Ship Next Door
4. Richard Dawkins the God Delusion
5. David Baldacci End Game
6. Blake Crouch Dark Matter
7. Joe Hill Snap Shot
8. Joe Hill Loaded
9. Joe Hill Aloft
10. Joe Hill Rain
11. John Le Carre A legacy of Spies
12. James Patterson Humans Bow Down
13. Preston and Childs The Cabinet of Curiosities
14. JL Bourne Tomorrow War YS too right wing a point of view but still decent
15. Milton Collected Poems
16. Nathan Van Coop In Times Like These
17. Austin Dragon Liquid Cool
18. Kim Stanley Robinson New York 2140
19. William Johnstone The Doomsday Bunker
20. David Cay Johnson Its Even Worst Than You Think What the Trump Administration is Doing to America
21. Chris Fleur Little Blue
22. Steven Vincent the Foundation
23. Dinsel Noell White Rabbit
24. Brad Taylor Ring of Fire
25. Stephen Coots Liberty Last Stand
26. Harry Turtledove Armistices The Hot War
27. Seoul Survivor 2017-2018
28. Brendan Dubois Resurrection Day
29. Rachael Lee Crimson Code
30. Graham the Wind in the Willows
31. Stuart Woods Unbound
32. John Grisham Sycamore Row
33. John Grisham The Whistler
34. Mike Bose Hidden Agenda
35. Austin Dragon After Eden
36. Alex Lukeman the Solomon Scroll
37. Al Li Not a Memory Exactly
38. Mt McGuire Few Are Chosen
39. Mt McGuire The Wrong Stuff
40. Nick Thacker The Jefferson Legacy
41. Nick Thacker Relics
42. Austin Dragon Blood Hollow
43. Austin Dragon Through these Streets Darkly prequel to Liquid Cool
44. Ernie Howard Midnight Portals – Short Stories
45. Lost Templar Tom Harper
46. James Becker Lost Treasures of the Templars
47. Lincoln Cole Everett Exorcism
48. Johann David Wyss Swiss Family Robinson
49. Tom Harper Lost Temple
50. James Becker Lost Treasure of the Templars
51. William Shakespeare King Henry V – also saw at OSF
52. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
53. The Marvelous Land of Oz
54. Ozma of Oz
55. Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz
56. The Road to Oz
57. The Emerald City of Oz
58. The Patchwork Girl of Oz
59. Tik-Tok of Oz
60. The Scarecrow of Oz
61. Rintitink in Oz
62. The Lost Princess of Oz
63. The Tin Woodman of Oz
64. The Magic of Oz
65. Glinda of Oz
66. Stuart Woods Unbound
67. Stuart Woods The Money Shot
68. David Baldacci The Fallen
69. Randy Wayne white Caribbean rim
70. Stephen King Full dark no stars
71. Nick Jones the Unexpected Gift of Time
72. Austin Dragon Tek Fail
73. Ernest Dempsey Earnest Templar
74. Lonely Planet guide Korea
75. Lonely Planet Guide Seoul
76. Howard Pyle Adventures of Robin Hood
77. Brandon Ellis Atlantis
78. Stephen Hawking Brief Answers to Big Questions
79. Randy Wayne White Mangrove Lightning
80. James Patterson Never Never
81. Victor Cha the Impossible State
82. Rick Wilson Everything Trump Touches Dies
83. Steve Berry The Bishop’s Pawn
84. AC Fuller The Anonymous Source
85. Matthew Mather Darknet


Reviews – Partial list

Jake Aller’s Reviews > Tik-Tok of Oz

Tik-Tok of Oz (Oz, #8)
by
L. Frank Baum
Recommended for: fans of the oz books

always loved the Oz Books. This is the sixth of the 24 I have read. I think I will go ahead and binge read the rest of the series. This particular book was a fun quick read and introduces the Tik Tok man the Shaggy Man, Cap Bill and Trot It also has a veiled satirical look at the society of the early 20th century. Oz is depicted almost as communist utopian society! Ruled by a benevolent dictator.
Update: finished reading the rest of the series. The social criticism is there, buried here and there. I am surprised that the Oz stories were not banned by social conservatives!!!!

The Solomon Scroll (The Project, #10)
by
Alex Lukeman (Goodreads Author)

not too bad a thriller. In the genre of Don Brown’s thriller with a nice twist, involving an ancient religion, and some supernatural elements as well. An interesting nexus between Catholic conspiracies and Islamic terrorist organizations. The love scenes could have been drawn out a bit more. but overall I’d give it a solid B and would read more from this author in the future.

Jake Aller’s Reviews > The Wind in the Willows

The Wind in the Willows
by
Kenneth Grahame
I first read this when I was 6 years old. Re-read it at age 62. Still fresh and lively and full of great language and vivid images. Strong characters especially Toad, Rat, Badger and the Mole. My favorite is probably the Rat. I can identify with him. There were several tangents that would have made a great sequel particularly the sea rat’s offer to Rat to join him on a voyage to the Southern seas.

I also like the basic story line that humans and animals all lived together in relative harmony and understanding. That was a nice story line in and of itself. All in all, I can see why this story has remained a classic story.

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