Welcome to Dick's Book Picks!
Among many hobbies that people enjoy are picking up a good book! The problem is picking the right book. "A Good Book" is a very subjective thing, since people's interests are so varied. Some prefer sci-fi, some like a good murder mystery, others like a good romance or historical novel, while others prefer non-fiction. Here you will find some interesting titles complete with Dick's reviews. Then it's up to you to decide!
It's also our intention to make this section as interactive as possible for your reading enjoyment. If you have a book you wish Dick to review or you have a review, feel free to submit your suggestions to our
webmaster.
About Dick:
 Born
and raised in Northeast Minneapolis,
Dick Solem went to Edison High for 2 years
and transferred to Osseo High in Osseo,
MN.
After graduating from high school, Dick
went to the University of Minnesota.
Married right after graduating from the U, Dick and his new bride, Colleen,
traveled to San Antonio, Texas to begin a 3 year tour
of duty with the U.S. Air
Force. After a stint in Japan, Dick left the Air
Force. He and his wife returned
to Minnesota where he started a 25 year career in the Life Insurance industry.
During that time, his family grew. His 3
children all have had successful
careers. After retiring from the Life
Insurance industry, Dick assisted in
establishing a successful advertising agency in the Twin Cities Metro area.
Besides being an avid reader, Dick has spent a lifetime as a collector.
For the
past 25 years, he's had a "love affair" with English Toby Jugs and his
collection
presently has over 450 pieces.
|
Dick's Featured Book Review:
 The
Women's Murder Club is back on the case, rather two
cases, in James Patterson's 7th Heaven, written in
collaboration with Maxine Paetro.
The case of California's very own "Bubble Boy" is
reopened when an anonymous "witness" gives the police
additional information. Michael Campion, born with
an incurable heart condition had grown up in the public
eye, as son of a former California governor, and had
suddenly disappeared without a trace some months
previously. Detective Lindsey Boxer must now pick
up the threads of the case and hopefully discover what
happened to Michael.
As usual, the Women's Murder Club works in sync to bring
their varied expertise to bear on the case. And, a
rash of murderous home fires adds additional pressure on
Lindsey and the Club. While resolution of both
cases calls for a good deal of insight and luck, one of
the major questions about the Campion case is wrapped up
in a sudden, rather absurd twist at the end.
James Patterson has been writing for over 30 years and
has more than 140 million copies of his books in print.
This is the fifth Women's Murder Club book co-authored
by Maxine Paetro, a novelist and journalist.
I have strong negative feelings about this novel, and I
am sure it will be a commercial success. However,
putting out a new novel every other month has got to
affect quality, and I believe Patterson's first books
are much better than recent efforts.
View the archive of Dick's past
book reviews here.
|
Hometown Marketplace
