The Prophet -- by Kahlil Gibran

 

Kahlil Gibran wrote many general observations and truths in his 105-page The Prophet. It is largely centered around the informal ceremony of he and his family sailing away from the Middle East toward the United States. 

It is all people-focused, and he covered a lot of ground before sailing away.

"Oftentimes in denying yourself pleasure you do but store the desire in the recesses of your being.

Who knows but that which seems omitted today, waits for tomorrow?

Even your body knows its heritage and its rightful need and will not be deceived."

He notes many balances in life which normally cannot be controlled by the average person. He was largely a poet and artist, often adding his own drawings to the 13 books he wrote.

Kahlil lived between 1883 and 1931. The Prophet was published in 1923.

Further reading about Kahlil can be found in This Man From Lebanon, A Study of Kahlil Gibran, by Barbara Young.

The Crossing -- by Michael Connelly

 

A great ride all the way through, wrapping up with a first-class courtroom hearing equaling, or surpassing anything I've read or seen previously. I grew up watching Perry Mason, and other courtroom battles, and witnessed some as an adult news reporter. Author Michael Connolly is guilty as charged in writing another winner.
The book's design, either by smart plotting, or just writing daily what Connelly was capable of, worked very nicely, too. The rising tension, and drama was captured extremely well throughout, leaving the reader wishing that they had the capacity to keep on reading through the night.
The Crossing was set in Los Angeles, a city I knew quite well as a child. Connelly's detailed writing with actual street names, restaurants, and various businesses and buildings took me back there. It was a nice trip, and I didn't have to battle the traffic. Thank God!
This was another book my late Mom had saved for me. She got it at a discount for only $3. The sticker is still on the front cover. Thanks again!
The story revolves around the dirty deeds of two rogue vice cops, and forcibly retired detective Harry Bosch brought into the case by his lawyer half-brother, Mickey Haller after his regular investigator had been deliberately injured on his motorcycle ironically by those two same rouge vice cops. Those two crooked cops were trying to frame someone, and Haller was his attorney. There were eight murders before it all ended, and Bosch was almost number nine.
I try to avoid wasting time on bad books, and this was at the opposite pole. Very far away.