Hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

Robert Ludlum’s The Ares Decision by Kyle Mills

A parasite has been found in Uganda that fills human hosts with rage and strength. Iran is looking to weaponize it to set it loose in New York. Now a doctor from the US Army, a South Africa parasitologist, and a British mercenary are trying to stop it.

I love thrillers and loved Robert Ludlum’s books but I wasn’t crazy about this one. It never really jelled for me and became a page turner.

The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson

This is a story about the son of the head of an orphanage in North Korea. It tells the story of his life as it takes innumerable twists and turns and ends up with him face to face with Kim Jong Il.

I’ve heard a lot about this book. It is supposed to be close to a true description of life in North Korea. It reads like a dystopian novel. All the house have loudspeakers where propaganda can be dispensed directly from the government to all citizens. There is no reality except what the Dear Leader decides is reality and everyone goes along with it. The story is disjointed mostly because life there is disjointed. It gets confusing towards the end because you aren’t always sure who is narrating and when in time you are. My favorite part of this book was the propaganda. I loved the way that they could take the facts and interpret them from a slightly skewed perspective and come up with seemingly credible stories about how the rest of the world is envious of North Korea.