Point of Impact - Stephen Hunter
346490
If you're a fan of the technical action of Tom Clancy and/or enjoyed the movie "Shooter," you'll like this book. This was the first time I'd read Hunter, and I was very impressed.
3148228
Point of Crisis keeps to the same tempo as the other books.  I hope Alex Fletcher makes another appearance in future books by Steven Konkoly.  Alex's character is delightfully complex and in no way your stereotypical action protagonist.  Yes, he is devoted to his family and trying to serve his country as faithfully as the former allows.  Good read.
3665702
This book is awesome. It serves as a good follow up to Specification By Example and Bridging the Gap by the same author.
Impact Mapping discuss tough problems, with deep knowledge combined with broad overviews. Maybe it's to short? I dont't think so, it's just without the complexity that a book with more pages would have
4430035
Sustainability can be a major driver of impact & ROI. It simply requires a shift from short term to long term thinking -- and that's good for people, planet and profits. Kudos Mark Lefko for the insightful book!
1180367
Cathy Clark, Jed Emerson, and Ben Thornley nail it.  I first learned about what we call "impact investing" back in 1999, and since joining the field in early 2010, had yet to find a resource as good or as accessible as this book. The Impact Investor is a book anyone can pick up and come to clear grips on what impact investing is, where it is today and where it needs to go. This book will be the first book I recommend to people who ask me for recommendations and the one I require new clients to read.  THANK YOU for the taking the time to put it forth.
4742740
This was my first Joe Hunter novel.  Though there are obvious references to adventures that Hunter has been through before, I didn't feel like I had lost anything by not starting with the first novel- you can read this on its own.

Hunter is a former British special operations soldier, who became involved with the United States CIA- or more accurately, a covert unit within the CIA.  That unit has been disbanded.  Now, and old colleague finds himself and his family in danger- one daughter already killed- and has asked for Hunter's help.  But this becomes much more than a bad guy settling an old score.  Hunter becomes involved with "good guys" who may not be so good, and a white supremacist group is threatening New York.  But Hunter doesn't run away- he always stands and fights, so here is, battling his own demons as well as those of flesh and blood.

This book almost seems written in parts, and at times the plot seems choppy, but Matt Hilton is really awesome at doing blow by blow action scenes.  I found myself in the battle, as Hunter analyzed targets, strategized, and dealt with surprises- and in battle, there are always surprises.  Definitely a good, action-packed read.
4195049
The Influence of Man does a great job at painting a current picture of the major issues plaguing today's society including: Global warming, sexism, racism, and challenges the reader to make a difference by arming oneself with knowledge and taking action.

The book was concise, easy to read (took me 2 days) and definitely worth my time and money.

Highly recommend!
3484364
If you're as hooked on the Bob Swagger character as I am, you absolutely have to read this latest book from Stephen Hunter. In this one, Hunter combines the best of Swagger's many-sided abilities and skills with the unending mystery of Dallas 1963 and who really assassinated President Kennedy. It's a terrific read. Be prepared to read it almost non-stop when you start it - it's that good and compelling. For those who don't know Hunter's Bob Swagger character, but are looking for one of the best protagonists ever created in mystery-thriller fiction with many books in the Swagger series to enjoy, this one would be a great start. Either way, read it and buckle up for pure reading enjoyment.
2148571
Having been a professional pitching and hitting prospect now turned coach, I have followed Myers for nearly two years.  In short, his approach works for both increasing the frequency of extra-base hits and increasing batting average.  The Hitting Performance Lab itself offers a source of even deeper insight into the Catapult Loading System; be that as it may, the book offers an excellent synopsis of the keys to teaching the catapult loading system approach to hitting.  Personally, I have recommended the book to all parents who have a child playing for our travel baseball organization.
3303609
I've read three or four other books on this tragedy. This is the first from a team member that turned around before making the summit. Good to see a point of view other then the get to the top at any cost philosophy. The writing is kind of text bookish but very readable. The writer has strong religious beliefs and strong love of family which helped bring him home. I would recommend it to others.
3332481
What kind of havoc do the players make in thegames they leave behind? Those who do fantasy games are familiar withthe Non-Player-Charcters that inhabit the small villages they pass through, but this explores the danger that  unthinking  players leave a town in, and the unsung heroes that take up the cause to stop the collateral damage. To them it is not just a game- to them it is their world. I very much enjoyed this special turn of the viewwpoint.
619320
I have read all of Hunter's novels. Clancy,  Childs,  Ballacci, as well as Hunter, pay close attention to minor details that make for most interesting reading. For instance Hunter's "The Third Bullet" makes for a very convincing argument of the assassination of JFK of a second (or third) gunman. Hollywood did a pretty good job of taking this book and rewriting it in the movie "Shooter".  This book will hold your attention and I just finished reading it for the second time.
2451418
My favorite book by Stephen Hunteris "I, Sniper" but this one is a close second.  As a retired Marine, gun nut and sport shooter, I really enjoy and appreciate the details that Mr. Hunter adds to the story.  It just adds an extra level of realism.  The story laid out in "The Third Bullet" is the most logical, believable conspiracy therory relating to JFK to date.  Overall; Awesome book!
4726239
Adventure novels are written to provide excitement and thrills to the reader. We "gun guys" are drawn particularly to Hunter, as he laces his books with an abundance of detailed gun lore, to some of which only we can relate. On the bases of both excitement and gun lore, "The Third Bullet" excels. The novel-within-the-novel device, reminiscent of Ludlum's "Chancellor Manuscript," is used by Hunter to present a protagonist's thoughts of a more literate nature than would be expected from his salt-of-the-earth hero and co-protagonist (if there is such a word) Bob the Nailer. The device works well and makes this latest Hunter offering a great read; perhaps his best so far.

Several characters in "Third Bullet" were introduced and were key to the action in "Point of Impact." The earlier book should probably be considered a prerequisite.

Much of the action takes place in 1963, and Hunter uses many pieces of mostly accurate period gun lore. There are references to actual gun writers by first name, with references to their quirks and preferences which bring a smile to the faces of gun guys of a certain age. As to the gun details - there are fewer glitches than in past novels. One such error is in a letter allegedly written by a firearms expert, and the reader who can identify the error is left to wonder if it was Hunter's inadvertent mistake, or evidence that the letter was a forgery. ("... Muzzle energy at 300 yards" - Muzzle energy is a property of a bullet only at the muzzle, not downrange). But, hey, it's entertainment, and as entertainment, Hunter sends one into the X-ring.
2337133
I am a huge fan of the writing of Stephen Hunter. I find his books to be inventive, exhaustively researched, nuanced, witty, suspenseful and totally absorbing. I, Ripper is no exception. I will leave the synopsis to others, but suffice it to say that this book is unlike any of Hunter's previous works in that the voices of the main characters fit perfectively within the time period and the story's locale. I was expecting a narrative in the traditional Hunter mold, but he flipped the script and did something unique. The depth of the language and the richness of the locations transports you to a time and place that clearly places you in the midst of the action. Almost as co-conspirators, if you will. To say more would be to ruin the fun. I couldn't put it down and I don't suspect you will, either.
240561
Patriot Dawn is a companion piece to Contact!. It can be read as a stand alone Patriot action story, but you will be missing much of the purpose of the book and not seeing the full the depth of the story line. It illustrates the concepts developed in Contact! and helps the reader get a grasp on the TTP's Max espouses in his previous books and blog posts.

I found the action entertaining and the depiction of modern high tech threats to the Resistance thought provoking. Americans being on the receiving end of our own weaponry puts these systems in a whole new light. Follow along with a satellite map of the Shenandoah Valley. The fictional action takes place in real locations and seeing the lay of the land brings your understanding of the tactics to a deeper level.

All in all an outstanding first effort on Max's part and a great resource if you pair it with Contact!.
836014
Sara's example stories carry the message as brilliantly as a Malcolm Gladwell book, and the message in this case is nuanced and difficult to convey to readers who don't see the problem. The stories and their connections from one chapter to the next held my attention, and I hope they are powerful enough to hold the attention of a reader who starts out in the "you're being too sensitive" camp. I have had my share of encounters with people in tech who still believe ROI is the best and only measure of success for a product. Interestingly, there are folks in the industrial design field who are starting to talk about adding other measurements to ROI, such as sustainability and impact. It is this latter, impact, that Sara's book will bring to light for the tech field. So many players therein believe "good intent" always equals a positive impact. I am looking forward to a future where more tech leaders are aware of this fallacy. I look forward to leaders putting more emphasis on listening, understanding, and mapping opportunity based on deep knowledge different thinking styles.