Mike's bookshelf: all en-US Thu, 10 Apr 2025 15:14:39 -0700 60 Mike's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival]]> 7624594
As he re-creates these extraordinary events, John Vaillant gives us an unforgettable portrait of this spectacularly beautiful and mysterious region. We meet the native tribes who for centuries have worshipped and lived alongside tigers, even sharing their kills with them. We witness the arrival of Russian settlers in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, soldiers and hunters who greatly diminished the tiger populations. And we come to know their descendants, who, crushed by poverty, have turned to poaching and further upset the natural balance of the region.

This ancient, tenuous relationship between man and predator is at the very heart of this remarkable book. Throughout we encounter surprising theories of how humans and tigers may have evolved to coexist, how we may have developed as scavengers rather than hunters, and how early Homo sapiens may have fit seamlessly into the tiger’s ecosystem. Above all, we come to understand the endangered Siberian tiger, a highly intelligent super-predator that can grow to ten feet long, weigh more than six hundred pounds, and range daily over vast territories of forest and mountain.

Beautifully written and deeply informative, The Tiger circles around three main characters: Vladimir Markov, a poacher killed by the tiger; Yuri Trush, the lead tracker; and the tiger himself. It is an absolutely gripping tale of man and nature that leads inexorably to a final showdown in a clearing deep in the taiga.]]> 329 John Vaillant 0307268934 Mike 4
Last year I read Vaillant's book about the devastating fire that consumed Fort MacMurray in Alberta, Canada. As a firefighter, I was so incensed with the author's anthropomorphism of fire that I vowed never to read another of his works. A couple of weeks ago I found myself in a used bookstore and picked up The Tiger. It was only later that I realized who the author was, but I bought it, so I read it. Like the book about the Canadian fire, it is non-fiction and the author gives tigers a human and quasi-godlike persona. I don't think this belongs in a non-fiction book. My opinion is that the author is a very good writer as long as one realizes the desire he has to make inhuman things human. This tendency is the only thing that kept me from giving it a 5 star rating.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in tigers, hunting, nature conservation, or modern Siberia. ]]> 4.04 2010 The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival
author: John Vaillant
name: Mike
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves:
review:
This is a great book on many levels. Vaillant has written an excellent account of the death of two men in the Amur area of Siberia and the hunt for the man-eating tiger that killed them. I enjoyed the book very much and the end of the hunt was something that you would not make up for a Hollywood movie as no one would believe it.

Last year I read Vaillant's book about the devastating fire that consumed Fort MacMurray in Alberta, Canada. As a firefighter, I was so incensed with the author's anthropomorphism of fire that I vowed never to read another of his works. A couple of weeks ago I found myself in a used bookstore and picked up The Tiger. It was only later that I realized who the author was, but I bought it, so I read it. Like the book about the Canadian fire, it is non-fiction and the author gives tigers a human and quasi-godlike persona. I don't think this belongs in a non-fiction book. My opinion is that the author is a very good writer as long as one realizes the desire he has to make inhuman things human. This tendency is the only thing that kept me from giving it a 5 star rating.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in tigers, hunting, nature conservation, or modern Siberia.
]]> <![CDATA[Operation Nemesis: The Assassination Plot that Avenged the Armenian Genocide]]> 22875087
In 1921, a tightly knit band of killers set out to avenge the deaths of almost one million victims of the Armenian Genocide. They were a humble an accountant, a life insurance salesman, a newspaper editor, an engineering student, and a diplomat. Together they formed one of the most effective assassination squads in history. They named their operation Nemesis, after the Greek goddess of retribution. The assassins were survivors, men defined by the massive tragedy that had devastated their people. With operatives on three continents, the Nemesis team killed six major Turkish leaders in Berlin, Constantinople, Tiflis, and Rome, only to disband and suddenly disappear. The story of this secret operation has never been fully told, until now.

Eric Bogosian goes beyond simply telling the story of this cadre of Armenian assassins by setting the killings in the context of Ottoman and Armenian history, as well as showing in vivid color the era's history, rife with political fighting and massacres. Casting fresh light on one of the great crimes of the twentieth century and one of history's most remarkable acts of vengeance, Bogosian draws upon years of research and newly uncovered evidence. Operation Nemesis is the result -- both a riveting read and a profound examination of evil, revenge, and the costs of violence.]]> 384 Eric Bogosian 0316292087 Mike 0 currently-reading 4.22 2015 Operation Nemesis: The Assassination Plot that Avenged the Armenian Genocide
author: Eric Bogosian
name: Mike
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Seceding from Secession: The Civil War, Politics, and the Creation of West Virginia]]> 53914144 A “thoroughly researched [and] historically enlightening� account of how the Commonwealth of Virginia split in two in the midst of war (Civil War News).“West Virginia was the child of the storm.� —Mountaineer historian and Civil War veteran Maj. Theodore F. Lang As the Civil War raged, the northwestern third of the Commonwealth of Virginia finally broke away in 1863 to form the Union’s 35th state. Seceding from Secession chronicles those events in an unprecedented study of the social, legal, military, and political factors that converged to bring about the birth of West Virginia. President Abraham Lincoln, an astute lawyer in his own right, played a critical role in birthing the new state. The constitutionality of the mechanism by which the new state would be created concerned the president, and he polled every member of his cabinet before signing the bill. Seceding from Secession includes a detailed discussion of the 1871 U.S. Supreme Court decision Virginia v. West Virginia, in which former Lincoln cabinet member Salmon Chase presided as chief justice over the court that decided the constitutionality of the momentous event. Grounded in a wide variety of sources and including a foreword by Frank J. Williams, former Chief Justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court and Chairman Emeritus of the Lincoln Forum, this book is indispensable for anyone interested in American history.]]> 289 Eric J. Wittenberg 1611215072 Mike 4 3.99 2020 Seceding from Secession: The Civil War, Politics, and the Creation of West Virginia
author: Eric J. Wittenberg
name: Mike
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/10
date added: 2025/04/10
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection]]> 220341389 John Green, the #1 bestselling author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and a passionate advocate for global healthcare reform, tells a deeply human story illuminating the fight against the world’s deadliest disease.

Tuberculosis has been entwined with humanity for millennia. Once romanticized as a malady of poets, today tuberculosis is a disease of poverty that walks the trails of injustice and inequity we blazed for it.

In 2019, John Green met Henry, a young tuberculosis patient at Lakka Government Hospital in Sierra Leone while traveling with Partners in Health. John became fast friends with Henry, a boy with spindly legs and a big, goofy smile. In the years since that first visit to Lakka, Green has become a vocal and dynamic advocate for increased access to treatment and wider awareness of the healthcare inequities that allow this curable, treatable infectious disease to also be the deadliest, killing 1.5 million people every year.

In Everything is Tuberculosis, John tells Henry’s story, woven through with the scientific and social histories of how tuberculosis has shaped our world and how our choices will shape the future of tuberculosis.]]> 208 John Green 0525556575 Mike 0 to-read 4.55 2025 Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection
author: John Green
name: Mike
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Coffin Man (Charlie Moon #16) 13020231
And that’s not all. Betty claimed to be going to see a school counselor on what turned out to be his day off. So was she running away or was she abducted? Moon’s best friend, Granite Creek Chief of Police Scott Parris, doesn’t believe any of it and suspects that Wanda tricked them into doing a little emergency plumbing. While it’s enough to make Parris’s blood boil, Moon can’t shake the feeling that some other foul play might be at work.

James D. Doss’s Coffin Man is a witty ride through the Wild West that’s chock-full of tall tales, wide-open spaces, and Doss’s signature homespun wit.]]> 384 James D. Doss Mike 3
I like Doss writing and will continue with the final book in the series. If he had not passed away I would probably keep reading his books. This is a good book, just not one of his best.]]> 3.76 2011 Coffin Man (Charlie Moon #16)
author: James D. Doss
name: Mike
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/08
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves:
review:
This book was written near the end of the series. It has the hallmarks of Doss humor that really stands out midway through the series. I enjoyed the twists and turns as usual and the interactions between the characters, but the humorous side visits to their thoughts given in italics were more numerous and a bit distracting. The final solving of the crime seemed a bit too easy without as much build up. There were also unanswered threads that stuck out a bit.

I like Doss writing and will continue with the final book in the series. If he had not passed away I would probably keep reading his books. This is a good book, just not one of his best.
]]> <![CDATA[Rubber Soldiers: The Forgotten Army that Saved the Allies in WWII]]> 32622796 200 Gary Neeleman 0764353322 Mike 0 currently-reading 3.50 Rubber Soldiers: The Forgotten Army that Saved the Allies in WWII
author: Gary Neeleman
name: Mike
average rating: 3.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/08
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa]]> 10046142
Through their voices, and an astonishing wealth of knowledge and research, Stearns chronicles the political, social, and moral decay of the Congolese State.]]> 400 Jason K. Stearns 1586489291 Mike 4
I read this simultaneously with the book Cobalt Red about cobalt mining in the country. While exploitation of the mineral wealth was mentioned, it was mostly in context with early copper mining and the diamond trade. Cobalt and lithium not discussed and have a major impact on the politics in the country. Nevertheless, I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in politics and the military situation in this African nation.]]> 4.17 2010 Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa
author: Jason K. Stearns
name: Mike
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/03
date added: 2025/04/05
shelves:
review:
This is a very good book on a subject that I did not know a lot about. I have read a bit about the Congo under Belgian rule and a bit about its independence. I have not read anything about the history of the country from Mobuto to present other than short articles. This book is very comprehensive it also explains how tiny Rwanda has had such an influence on its recent history. The book is not for the faint of heart. It is detailed and discusses individuals, political parties and movements and places that are not familiar with someone who has not studied the issue before.

I read this simultaneously with the book Cobalt Red about cobalt mining in the country. While exploitation of the mineral wealth was mentioned, it was mostly in context with early copper mining and the diamond trade. Cobalt and lithium not discussed and have a major impact on the politics in the country. Nevertheless, I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in politics and the military situation in this African nation.
]]> <![CDATA[The First Frontier: The Forgotten History of Struggle, Savagery, and Endurance in Early America]]> 12129323
Here is the older, wilder, darker history of a time when the land between the Atlantic and the Appalachians was contested ground—when radically different societies adopted and adapted the ways of the other, while struggling for control of what all considered to be their land.

The First Frontier traces two and a half centuries of history through poignant, mostly unheralded personal stories—like that of a Harvard-educated Indian caught up in seventeenth-century civil warfare, a mixed-blood interpreter trying to straddle his white and Native heritage, and a Puritan woman wielding a scalping knife whose bloody deeds still resonate uneasily today. It is the first book in years to paint a sweeping picture of the Eastern frontier, combining vivid storytelling with the latest research to bring to life modern America’s tumultuous, uncertain beginnings.]]> 496 Scott Weidensaul 0151015155 Mike 4
This is a good solid historical perspective of European-Native American contact from the earliest times through the French & Indian War. ]]> 3.98 2012 The First Frontier: The Forgotten History of Struggle, Savagery, and Endurance in Early America
author: Scott Weidensaul
name: Mike
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/01
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves:
review:
This is a good book about the Pre-revolutionary War contact between the Europeans and Native Americans. It is mostly focused on the relationships with the English and eastern Native Americans. References to French, Spanish, German, Swedish and Dutch contacts are mostly incidental. The book does not attempt to varnish the Native Americans with a patina of "noble savage" lacquer like many books do. It presents the North American natives in the context of their politics and culture. If you like your Native American noble and long suffering with no faults or barbarous conduct, don't read this book. Both sides are presented in their historical setting.

This is a good solid historical perspective of European-Native American contact from the earliest times through the French & Indian War.
]]> <![CDATA[Honor in the Dust: Theodore Roosevelt, War in the Philippines, and the Rise and Fall of America's Imperial Dream]]> 7917083 464 Gregg Jones 0451229045 Mike 0 currently-reading 3.91 Honor in the Dust: Theodore Roosevelt, War in the Philippines, and the Rise and Fall of America's Imperial Dream
author: Gregg Jones
name: Mike
average rating: 3.91
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives]]> 60784614 The revelatory New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestseller, shortlisted for the Financial Times Best Business Book of the Year Award.

An unflinching investigation reveals the human rights abuses behind the Congo’s cobalt mining operation―and the moral implications that affect us all.

Cobalt Red is the searing, first-ever exposé of the immense toll taken on the people and environment of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by cobalt mining, as told through the testimonies of the Congolese people themselves. Activist and researcher Siddharth Kara has traveled deep into cobalt territory to document the testimonies of the people living, working, and dying for cobalt. To uncover the truth about brutal mining practices, Kara investigated militia-controlled mining areas, traced the supply chain of child-mined cobalt from toxic pit to consumer-facing tech giants, and gathered shocking testimonies of people who endure immense suffering and even die mining cobalt.

Cobalt is an essential component to every lithium-ion rechargeable battery made today, the batteries that power our smartphones, tablets, laptops, and electric vehicles. Roughly 75 percent of the world’s supply of cobalt is mined in the Congo, often by peasants and children in sub-human conditions. Billions of people in the world cannot conduct their daily lives without participating in a human rights and environmental catastrophe in the Congo. In this stark and crucial book, Kara argues that we must all care about what is happening in the Congo―because we are all implicated.]]> 288 Siddharth Kara 1250284309 Mike 4
The book has two main shortcomings. First, the author rails about how the cobalt is being used by wealthy consumers in the west but fails to acknowledge his own contribution to this. He doesn't need to fall on his sword, but he should admit he is part of the issue. Second, a good conclusion rather than a slim epilogue would be great. The author makes great points and should summarize these points.
Despite these issues, it is an excellent book.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in the Congo, exploitation of workers, child labor, failure of UN protections, and the duplicitous nature of "Big Green" environmentalism. ]]> 4.36 2023 Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives
author: Siddharth Kara
name: Mike
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/29
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves:
review:
This book gives a solid overview of the exploitation of Congolese men, women, and children in the Katangan cobalt mines. It lays out the manner in which cobalt is mine by artisanal miners and resold to clean it of any taint associated with slavery, abuse and child exploitation. It lays clear the hazards of working in this industry in a failed state.

The book has two main shortcomings. First, the author rails about how the cobalt is being used by wealthy consumers in the west but fails to acknowledge his own contribution to this. He doesn't need to fall on his sword, but he should admit he is part of the issue. Second, a good conclusion rather than a slim epilogue would be great. The author makes great points and should summarize these points.
Despite these issues, it is an excellent book.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in the Congo, exploitation of workers, child labor, failure of UN protections, and the duplicitous nature of "Big Green" environmentalism.
]]> <![CDATA[The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore]]> 201751300 An affectionate and engaging history of the American bookstore and its central place in American cultural life, from department stores to indies, from highbrow dealers trading in first editions to sidewalk vendors, and from chains to special-interest community destinations

Bookstores have always been unlike any other kind of store, shaping readers and writers, and influencing our tastes, thoughts, and politics. They nurture local communities while creating new ones of their own. Bookshops are powerful spaces, but they are also endangered ones. In The Bookshop, we see those stakes: what has been, and what might be lost.

Evan Friss’s history of the bookshop draws on oral histories, archival collections, municipal records, diaries, letters, and interviews with leading booksellers to offer a fascinating look at this institution beloved by so many. The story begins with Benjamin Franklin’s first bookstore in Philadelphia and takes us to a range of booksellers including The Strand, Chicago’s Marshall Field & Company, Gotham Book Mart, specialty stores like Oscar Wilde and Drum and Spear, sidewalk sellers of used books, Barnes & Noble, Amazon Books, and Parnassus. The Bookshop is also a history of the leading figures in American bookselling, often impassioned eccentrics, and a history of how books have been marketed and sold over more than two centuries—including, for example, a 3,000-pound elephant who appeared to sign books at Marshall Field’s in 1944.

The Bookshop is a love letter to bookstores, a charming chronicle for anyone who cherishes these sanctuaries of literature, and essential reading to understand how these vital institutions have shaped American life—and why we still need them.]]> 416 Evan Friss 0593299922 Mike 4
Having said this, I cut my book buying teeth in small independent stores. They are what I enjoy. I like independents that have a mix of books and magazines, I don't care about the side items they sell. I don't have any desire to browse specialty bookstores such as LBGTQ, race-based books or screaming political tomes. I do read books in these genres, but when I go to browse, I want to see a whole buffet, not an array of indescribable soups.

If you want to know how it all began and how bookstores evolved over time this is a good book to start with. It has pointers on things would be booksellers should consider. This is a book I recommend for bibliophiles.]]> 3.93 2024 The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore
author: Evan Friss
name: Mike
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/29
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves:
review:
This was a great book. It is a very readable history of bookstores in the US. I first went to bookstores in the 70s at about age 10. I didn't realize that bookstores at that time, were probably rare in my area. In particular the sections on Marshall Fields, the rise of the chain outlets, and the origins of Amazon were my favorites.

Having said this, I cut my book buying teeth in small independent stores. They are what I enjoy. I like independents that have a mix of books and magazines, I don't care about the side items they sell. I don't have any desire to browse specialty bookstores such as LBGTQ, race-based books or screaming political tomes. I do read books in these genres, but when I go to browse, I want to see a whole buffet, not an array of indescribable soups.

If you want to know how it all began and how bookstores evolved over time this is a good book to start with. It has pointers on things would be booksellers should consider. This is a book I recommend for bibliophiles.
]]> <![CDATA[Summer of Fire and Blood: The German Peasants' War]]> 214175075 Revolution. Like a vast contagion it spread from southwest Germany through WĂĽrttemberg, Swabia, the
Allgäu, Franconia, Thuringia, Saxony to Alsace in what is now France, Austria, and Switzerland. It moved along
the valleys from one region to another, and it broke out unexpectedly in areas far away. Everywhere, the
peasants were 'up', massing in armed bands. Authority and rulership collapsed, the familiar structures of the
Holy Roman Empire were overturned, and the fragility of the existing social and religious hierarchies was
exposed. People even began to dream of a new order.

It did not last. In spring 1525, the 'Aufruhr' or the 'turbulence' as contemporaries called it, had reached its
height, rolling all before it. But by May the tide had turned. Somewhere between seventy and a hundred
thousand peasants were slain by the forces of the lords as they put down the revolt. That summer of blood,
maybe one per cent of the population of the region of the war were killed, an enormous loss of life in just
over two months.

Summer of Fire and Blood follows a cataclysmic event that involved vast numbers of people moving in
turbulent flows as they sought to change their world. The vision that drove them was about peoples'
relationship to creation, and that is why it still matters now. Going back to the moment before the structures
of our own world were set up can help us to see new answers to the questions that confront us today. The
peasants' story matters too because discloses a radical Reformation, with a theological, social and political
vision that could have gone in a different direction. This is the Reformation we have lost sight of, and this is
why we need to understand what drove the peasants. For what mattered to them also matters to us.]]> 544 Lyndal Roper 154164705X Mike 2
If you like this kind of book, Summer of Fire and Blood may be just the thing for you. About 1/3 of the book concerns the Peasent's War. The greater portion of the book describes the leading German leaders of the Reformation. The style is scholarly. The conclusion was unnecessary. I have no interest in the application of the Reformation to modern politics.

I would give this book a pass.]]> 3.67 Summer of Fire and Blood: The German Peasants' War
author: Lyndal Roper
name: Mike
average rating: 3.67
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/22
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves:
review:
Did you ever buy a book on history and find the title to be completely misleading? Did you ever buy a book, and have it ruined by the author's trying to imprint modern views on something that happened almost 500 years ago?

If you like this kind of book, Summer of Fire and Blood may be just the thing for you. About 1/3 of the book concerns the Peasent's War. The greater portion of the book describes the leading German leaders of the Reformation. The style is scholarly. The conclusion was unnecessary. I have no interest in the application of the Reformation to modern politics.

I would give this book a pass.
]]> <![CDATA[Dark Shadows: Inside the Secret World of Kazakhstan]]> 40398699 Dark Shadows is a compelling portrait of Kazakhstan, a country that is little known in the West. Strategically located in the heart of Central Asia, sandwiched between Vladimir Putin's Russia, its former colonial ruler, and Xi Jinping's China, this vast oil-rich state is carving out its place in the world as it contends with its own complex past and present. Journalist Joanna Lillis paints a vibrant picture of this emerging nation through vivid reportage based on 13 years of on-the-ground coverage, and travels across the length and breadth of this enigmatic country that lies along the ancient Silk Road and at the geopolitical and cultural crossroads where East meets West.

Featuring tales of murder and abduction, intrigue and betrayal, extortion and corruption, this book explores how a president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, transformed himself into a potentate and the economically-struggling state he inherited at the fall of the USSR into a swaggering 21st-century monocracy. A colourful cast of characters brings the politics to life: from strutting oligarch to sleeping villagers, from principled politicians to striking oilmen, from crusading journalists to courageous campaigners.

Traversing dust-blown deserts and majestic mountains, taking in glitzy cities and dystopian landscapes, Dark Shadows conjures up Kazakhstan as a living, breathing place, full of extraordinary people living extraordinary lives.]]> 288 Joanna Lillis 1784538612 Mike 4
If you are interested in the current state of this little understood country this book is a good place to start.]]> 3.82 2019 Dark Shadows: Inside the Secret World of Kazakhstan
author: Joanna Lillis
name: Mike
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/19
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves:
review:
This is a good solid book about the politics in Kazakhstan after the breakup of the Soviet Union. It describes the growth of the Kazakh population from being a minority in its own country to being a majority. It describes minority rights issues as well as issues facing Kazakhs in Mongolia and China. A description of the major players in Kazakh politics and their circumstances shows a parallel to the Russia during the same time period. Environmental issues including the disappearing Aral Sea and efforts to bring it back are also described.

If you are interested in the current state of this little understood country this book is a good place to start.
]]> <![CDATA[I Got a Name: The Murder of Krystal Senyk]]> 61981242
A vivid and meticulous true-crime story that exposes the deep fractures in a system that repeatedly fails to protect women, while tracking the once-cold trail of a murderer still at large.

Krystal Senyk was the kind of friend everybody a reliable confidant, a handywoman of all trades, and an infectious creative with an adventurous spirit. Most importantly, she was tough as nails. So when her best friend needed support to leave her abusive husband, Ronald Bax, Krystal leapt into action.

But soon Krystal became the new outlet for Bax’s rage. He terrorized and intimidated her for months on end, and finally issued a chilling warning to her and his the hunt is on . Krystal was scared but she was she reached out to the RCMP for a police escort home. The officer brushed her off.

Bax’s threat had been all too real. At 29 years old, the woman who seemed invincible—who was a beloved sister, daughter, and friend—was shot and killed at her home in the Yukon. Ronald Bax disappeared without a trace.

Three decades later, Eliza Robertson has re-opened the case. In compelling, vibrant prose, she works tirelessly to piece together Krystal’s story, retracing the dire failings of Canadian law enforcement and Bax’s last steps. I Got a Name uses one woman’s tragic story to boldly interrogate themes of gender-based violence and the pervasive issues that plague our society. In this riveting true-crime story about victimhood, power, and control, Robertson examines the broken system in place, and if it isn’t looking out for the vulnerable, the threatened, the hunted—who among us is it protecting?]]> 256 Eliza Robertson 0735240043 Mike 3
My heart goes out to the family of Krystal Senyk and anyone else impacted by the events described in this book, but I cannot give it any better rating.]]> 3.65 2023 I Got a Name: The Murder of Krystal Senyk
author: Eliza Robertson
name: Mike
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/23
shelves:
review:
This is a good book for anyone who wants to read about women's issues in impoverished areas. It is not what I was looking for. There is a large section of the book taking place in the southern part of the US that left me completely bewildered. I can only describe it as filler.

My heart goes out to the family of Krystal Senyk and anyone else impacted by the events described in this book, but I cannot give it any better rating.
]]> <![CDATA[Ask Not: The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed]]> 201626940 FromĚýNew York TimesĚýbestseller Maureen Callahan, a fierce, character-driven exposĂ© of the real Kennedy Curse—the family’s generations-long legacy of misogyny, murder, and mayhem—and the women who have paid the price for our obsession with Camelot

The Kennedy name has long been synonymous with wealth, power, glamor, and—above all else—integrity. But this carefully constructed veneer hides a dark truth: the pattern of Kennedy men physically and psychologically abusing women and girls, leaving a trail of ruin and death in each generation’s wake. Through decades of scandal after scandal—from sexual assaults to reputational slander, suicides to manslaughter—the family and their defenders have kept the Kennedy brand intact.

Now, in Ask Not, bestselling author and journalist Maureen Callahan reveals the Kennedys� hidden history of violence and exploitation, laying bare their unrepentant sexism and rampant depravity while also restoring these women and girls to their rightful place at the center of the dynasty’s story: from Jacqueline Onassis and Marilyn Monroe to Carolyn Bessette, Martha Moxley, Mary Jo Kopechne, Rosemary Kennedy, and many others whose names aren’t nearly as well known but should be.

Drawing on years of explosive reportage and written in electric prose, Ask Not is a long-overdue reckoning with this fabled family and a consequential part of American history that is still very much with us. At long last Callahan redirects the spotlight to the women in the Kennedys� orbit, paying homage to those who freed themselves and giving voice to those who, through no fault of their own, could not.]]> 400 Maureen Callahan 0316276170 Mike 5 4.04 2024 Ask Not: The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed
author: Maureen Callahan
name: Mike
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2025/03/15
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves:
review:
This is an excellent book. I have never been a fan of the Kennedy clan. I come from New England and have always been disgusted by their arrogance sense of entitlement. As a small child I remember older members of my family talking about the deaths of RFK and JFK. Over the years their abuse of government power, and abuse of women have become front page news. Despite it all, this book was an eye-opener on just how depraved the family, particularly the men, actually are. If you are interested in women's rights, abuse by powerful men or the Kennedy Clan this this an excellent book.
]]> <![CDATA[Zarifa: A Woman's Battle in a Man's World]]> 60383049
Zarifa Ghafari was three years old when the Taliban banned girls from schools, and she began her education in secret. She was six when American airstrikes began. She was twenty-four when she became mayor â€� one of the first female mayors in the country â€� and first of Wardak, one of the most conservative provinces in Afghanistan. An extremist mob barred her from her office; her male staff walked out in protest; assassins tried to kill her three times. Through it all, Zarifa stood her ground. She ended corruption in the municipality, promoted peace, and tried to lift up women, despite constant fear for herself and her family.Ěý When the Taliban took Kabul in 2021, Ghafari had to flee. But even that couldn’t stop her. Six months later, she returned, to continue her work empowering women.

Ěý Zarifa is an astonishing memoir that offers an unparalleled perspective of the last two decades in Afghanistan from a citizen, daughter, woman and mayor.Ěý Written with honesty, pain, and ultimately, hope, Zarifa describes the work she did, the women she still tries to help as they live under Taliban rule, and her vision for how grassroots activism can change their lives and the lives of women everywhere.]]> 288 Zarifa Ghafari 1541702638 Mike 4
Very well done.]]> 4.22 Zarifa: A Woman's Battle in a Man's World
author: Zarifa Ghafari
name: Mike
average rating: 4.22
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/11
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves:
review:
This a very good book. It covers the life of a feminist activist who grew up during the Soviet, Taliban, and US eras of government in that war torn nation. It describes issues faced by other members in her family and the impact felt by the assassinations of her father and grandfather. Zarifa Ghafari went on to be governor of Maidan Warduk and survived multiple assassination attempts before escaping to Germany. Her efforts to push forward with her plans and work with the women of her nation is inspiring.

Very well done.
]]> <![CDATA[Hitler's Europe Ablaze: Occupation, Resistance, and Rebellion during World War II (2014-11-18)]]> 162622133 0 Philip Cooke Mike 4 4.00 2014 Hitler's Europe Ablaze: Occupation, Resistance, and Rebellion during World War II (2014-11-18)
author: Philip Cooke
name: Mike
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/08
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves:
review:
This is a good book that provides an over about the resistance to Nazis all across Europe during WWII. None of the chapters is heavily detailed though they are as the author/editor says an up-to-date presentation of the current understanding of resistance following decades of nationalistic narratives and revisionism.
]]> <![CDATA[Carl Perkins: The King of Rockabilly]]> 209194398 The definitive and fascinating biography of the musical trailblazer who wrote the classic “Blue Suede Shoes,� and was the influence behind countless other legendary hits, a rock and roll legend in his own right, and the original rockabilly cat—Carl Perkins. He was the King of Rockabilly, and one of rock and roll’s true pioneers. A groundbreaking guitarist, singer, and songwriter, Carl Perkins inspired countless musicians in country, rock, and pop music. His influence is enormous. As Paul McCartney said, “If there were no Carl Perkins, there would be no Beatles.� One Beatle was such a fan that he gave himself the stage name Carl Harrison. Now acclaimed music writer Jeff Apter recounts Carl Perkins’s remarkable life story, the triumphs, tragedies, and career highlights that include some of the most pivotal moments in music history. Born in Tennessee to poor sharecroppers, Carl grew up listening to gospel and country music, learned blues guitar from a fellow field hand, and started writing songs at age fourteen. He plied his trade in rough and rowdy honky-tonks performing with his brothers before beginning his recording career at the legendary Sun Studio in Memphis. It was there that Carl became a member of the fabled “Million Dollar Quartet,� alongside Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis. In 1955 he wrote and recorded “Blue Suede Shoes,� the first record by a Sun artist to sell over a million copies. But then a fateful car crash stalled his career, one of many tragedies in Carl’s life. Over the following decades, Presley, Cash, and countless other artists from The Beatles, Tom Petty, and Bob Dylan to Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix performed and recorded his songs and became Carl’s friends, collaborators, and champions. Rich with insider detail and background into Carl’s private battles, humanitarian work, and personal inspirations, this is a fascinating, in-depth look at “Mr. Blue Suede Shoes� and his one-of-a-kind legacy.]]> 240 Jeff Apter 0806543523 Mike 0 to-read 4.20 Carl Perkins: The King of Rockabilly
author: Jeff Apter
name: Mike
average rating: 4.20
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/03/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes—and Why]]> 2706211
Today, nine out of ten Americans live in places at significant risk of earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, terrorism, or other disasters. Tomorrow, some of us will have to make split-second choices to save ourselves and our families. How will we react? What will it feel like? Will we be heroes or victims? Will our upbringing, our gender, our personality–anything we’ve ever learned, thought, or dreamed of–ultimately matter?
ĚýĚýĚýĚý
Amanda Ripley, an award-winning journalist for Time magazine who has covered some of the most devastating disasters of our age, set out to discover what lies beyond fear and speculation. In this magnificent work of investigative journalism, Ripley retraces the human response to some of history’s epic disasters, from the explosion of the Mont Blanc munitions ship in 1917–one of the biggest explosions before the invention of the atomic bomb–to a plane crash in England in 1985 that mystified investigators for years, to the journeys of the 15,000 people who found their way out of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Then, to understand the science behind the stories, Ripley turns to leading brain scientists, trauma psychologists, and other disaster experts, formal and informal, from a Holocaust survivor who studies heroism to a master gunfighter who learned to overcome the effects of extreme fear.

Finally, Ripley steps into the dark corners of her own imagination, having her brain examined by military researchers and experiencing through realistic simulations what it might be like to survive a plane crash into the ocean or to escape a raging fire.
ĚýĚýĚýĚý
Ripley comes back with precious wisdom about the surprising humanity of crowds, the elegance of the brain’s fear circuits, and the stunning inadequacy of many of our evolutionary responses. Most unexpectedly, she discovers the brain’s ability to do much, much better, with just a little help.

The Unthinkable escorts us into the bleakest regions of our nightmares, flicks on a flashlight, and takes a steady look around. Then it leads us home, smarter and stronger than we were before.]]> 266 Amanda Ripley 0307352897 Mike 4
Great Job! Highly recommended.]]> 4.16 2008 The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes—and Why
author: Amanda Ripley
name: Mike
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/04
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves:
review:
Let me start by saying this book would not be everyone's cup of tea. It is about something many of us take for granted. It is about escape and evacuation in the face of an emergency and about how to plan for these events. The author examines numerous cases from around the world. It SHOULD be something everyone should read and understand. It is one of the things I have spent the last 33 years teaching people.

Great Job! Highly recommended.
]]> <![CDATA[The Absinthe Forger: A True Story of Deception, Betrayal, and the World’s Most Dangerous Spirit]]> 205438865 An astonishing true crime story about an eccentric grifter who blew up the lucrative black market for vintage bottles of the legendary drink of artistic renegades, absinthe.

Thought to be hallucinogenic and banned globally for a century, absinthe is once again legal and popular. Yet it is still associated with bohemian lifestyles, just as when it was the favorite drink of avant-gardists like Toulouse-Lautrec and Van Gogh and Baudelaire. And today, when vintage, pre-ban bottles are discovered, they can sell for exorbitant prices to private collectors. But such discoveries are increasingly rare.

Which is why the absinthe demimonde of rich collectors was electrified when a mysterious bon vivant claimed to be in possession of a collection of precious, pre-ban bottles.

Is his secret tranche of 100-year-old bottles real? And just who is the shadowy person selling them? And what about rumors of another secret cache, hidden away in an Italian palazzo?

Journalist Evan Rail sets out to discover the truth about the enigmatic dealer and the secret stashes. Along the way, he drinks with absintheurs frantically chasing down the pre-bans, visits modern distillers who have seen their status rise from criminal bootleggers to sought-after celebrities, and relates the legendary history of absinthe, from its birth in Switzerland through its coming of age in France, and on to its modern revival.]]> 368 Evan Rail 1685891543 Mike 3
The book is about a crime. The criminal is known. To only identify the criminal by his first name, Christian and not provide his last name or names is weak. Overall, if you want to know about absinthe and have a neat detective story, this is a great book. If you want to know "whodunnit" it falls far short of expectations. ]]> 3.13 2024 The Absinthe Forger: A True Story of Deception, Betrayal, and the World’s Most Dangerous Spirit
author: Evan Rail
name: Mike
average rating: 3.13
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/04
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves:
review:
This is a good book on the subject of absinthe. I learned that it started in Switzerland and not France. I learned what goes into the drink and that the poisonous wormwood is not that poisonous. It seemed to me that the high alcohol content was the biggest issue and that even the more toxic element - thujone, was perhaps not much more hazardous than the once reviled poinsettia. The sleuthing done and the explanation on the use of the gas chromatograph were very interesting to me because of my work with hazardous materials. For this I would have given it a 4-star rating.

The book is about a crime. The criminal is known. To only identify the criminal by his first name, Christian and not provide his last name or names is weak. Overall, if you want to know about absinthe and have a neat detective story, this is a great book. If you want to know "whodunnit" it falls far short of expectations.
]]> The Mist (Hidden Iceland #3) 46125723
1987. An isolated farm house in the east of Iceland.

The snowstorm should have shut everybody out. But it didn't.

The couple should never have let him in. But they did.

An unexpected guest, a liar, a killer. Not all will survive the night. And Detective Hulda will be haunted forever.]]> 400 Ragnar JĂłnasson 0718189078 Mike 4
If you like Scandinavian Noir, this book and author are probably right up your ally.]]> 3.90 2012 The Mist (Hidden Iceland #3)
author: Ragnar JĂłnasson
name: Mike
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/02
date added: 2025/03/02
shelves:
review:
I began reading what is referred to as Scandinavian noir more than 15 years ago. I read Nesbo, Indridasson, Manning, Keplar, Fossum, Adler-Olsson, Läckberg, Petersen and others. Jonasson is a great addition to the pantheon of Scandinavian mystery/thriller writers. Always dark, always brooding, this book is set on series of events in isolated eastern Iceland that begin just with a missing girl in 1987, a stranger arriving before Christmas and culminating in murders which are discovered the following February when no one has heard from snowbound victims for several months. I believe the plot twists will leave you aghast.

If you like Scandinavian Noir, this book and author are probably right up your ally.
]]> <![CDATA[The Infernal Machine: A True Story of Dynamite, Terror, and the Rise of the Modern Detective]]> 195430698 A riveting account of the anarchists who terrorized the streets of New York—and the detective duo who transformed policing to meet the threat—from the bestselling author of The Ghost Map

When Arthur Woods took command of the NYPD in April of 1914, the institution was still largely the corrupt, low-tech organization of the Tammany Hall era. To the extent the police were stopping crime—as opposed to committing it—their role had been almost entirely defined by physical the brawn of the cop on the beat keeping criminals at bay with nightsticks and fists. The solving of crimes was largely outside their purview.

Woods was determined to change that, but he couldn’t have anticipated the maelstrom of violence that would test his science-based approach to policing. Within weeks of his tenure, New York City was engulfed in the most concentrated terrorism campaign in the nation’s history, a five-year period of relentless bombings, many of them perpetrated by the anarchist movement led by the legendary radicals Alexander Berkman and Emma Goldman.

Steven Johnson’s engrossing account of the struggle between the anarchist movement and the emerging surveillance state stretches around the world and back to the nineteenth century—to Alfred Nobel’s invention of dynamite, to the development of forensic science in France, and to the assassination of Czar Alexander II, an event that propelled Berkman and Goldman’s emigration from Russia to America and inspired their conviction that the nation state must be destroyed. As the forces of anarchy and policing clash in New York City, we meet Inspector Joseph Faurot, a science-first detective who works closely with Woods in reforming the police force; Hans Schmidt, the psychotic killer priest whose capture turns Faurot into a household name; and Amadeo Polignani, the young Italian undercover detective who infiltrates the notorious Bresci Circle.

Johnson reveals a mostly forgotten period of political conviction, scientific discovery, assassination plots, bombings, undercover operations, and innovative sleuthing. The Infernal Machine is the complex pre-history of our current moment, when decentralized anarchist networks have once again taken to the streets to protest law enforcement abuses, right-wing militia groups have attacked government buildings, and surveillance is almost ubiquitous.]]> 368 Steven Johnson 0593443950 Mike 4
This is good solid history book. If you are interested in terrorism, anarchism, or the beginnings of modern police procedures, this is a very good book to read. I recommend it.
]]> 3.97 2024 The Infernal Machine: A True Story of Dynamite, Terror, and the Rise of the Modern Detective
author: Steven Johnson
name: Mike
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/28
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves:
review:
This is a very good book about the use of dynamite, early terrorism activities of anarchists, and modern detective procedures that lead to the capture of the terrorists. The book describes the invention of dynamite by Alfred Nobel and how his ideas about making explosives more stable led to the success of militant terrorism of the anarchist groups in Russia and France. The larger portion of the book concentrates on the bombings carried out or fomented by Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman and the Galleanists; and the efforts of some of the US early police detectives to modernize the detection of criminals including the use of fingerprinting. Although Johnson makes it clear that the anarchists were criminals and terrorists, he does a good job of describing their motivations which started out as noble before descending into violence.

This is good solid history book. If you are interested in terrorism, anarchism, or the beginnings of modern police procedures, this is a very good book to read. I recommend it.

]]> <![CDATA[The Last Island: Discovery, Defiance, and the Most Elusive Tribe on Earth]]> 56220656 In November 2018, a zealous American missionary was killed while attempting to visit an island he called “Satan’s last stronghold,� a small patch of land known as North Sentinel in the Andaman Islands, a remote archipelago in the Indian Ocean. News of the tragedy fascinated people around the world. Most were unaware such a place still existed in our an island unmolested by the advances of modern technology.

Twenty years before the American missionary’s ill-fated visit, a young American historian and journalist named Adam Goodheart also traveled to the waters off North Sentinel. During his time in the Andaman Islands he witnessed another isolated tribe emerge into modernity for the first time.

Now, Goodheart—a bestselling historian—has returned to the Andamans. The Last Island is a work of history as well as travel, a journey in time as well as place. It tells the stories of others drawn to North Sentinel’s mystery through the centuries, from imperial adventurers to an eccentric Victorian photographer to modern-day anthropologists. It narrates the tragic stories of other Andaman tribes� encounters with the outside world. And it shows how the web of modernity is drawing ever closer to the island’s shores.

The Last Island is a beautifully written meditation on the end of the Age of Discovery at the start of a new millennium. It is a book that will fascinate any reader interested in the limits—and dangers—of our modern, global society and its emphasis on ceaseless, unbroken connection.]]> 272 Adam Goodheart 1567926827 Mike 2
Not what I expected. Worthy of a pass.]]> 3.78 2023 The Last Island: Discovery, Defiance, and the Most Elusive Tribe on Earth
author: Adam Goodheart
name: Mike
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/22
date added: 2025/02/23
shelves:
review:
This book was unimpressive. It is not a history of the Andaman Islands or the Sentinelese. It is almost a travelogue. There are some interesting points regarding the history of the islands and the Jarawa tribe. The discovery of missing portfolios of photographs of the islanders was interesting. The British official who got native men drunk with alcohol laced with opium and buggered them was reflection they quality of British administration.

Not what I expected. Worthy of a pass.
]]> <![CDATA[The Mighty Moo: The USS Cowpens and Her Epic World War II Journey from Jinx Ship to the Navy’s First Carrier into Tokyo Bay]]> 199452676
TheĚý USS Cowpens Ěýand her crew weren’t your typical heroes.Ěý She was a flattop that the US Navy initially didn’t want, with a captain nearly scapegoated for the loss of his last command, pilots who self-trained on the planes they would fly into combat, and sailors that had been in uniform barely longer than the ship had been afloat.Ěý Despite their humble origins,Ěý Cowpens Ěýand her band of second-string reservists and citizen sailors served with distinction, fighting in nearly every major carrier operation from 1943 to 1945, including the Battles of the Philippine Sea and Leyte Gulf.Ěý Together they faced a deadly typhoon that brought the ship to the verge of capsizing, and at war’s end there was only one US aircraft carrier in Tokyo Bay to witness the Japanese surrender—THE MIGHTY MOO.Ěý In the years to follow,Ěý Cowpens’Ě� service has become the wellspring for a remarkable modern tradition, both within the US Navy and the small Southern town that still celebrates her legacy with a festival every year.
Ěý
THE MIGHTY MOO isĚýa biography of a World War II aircraft carrier as told through the voices of its heroic crew—a “Band of Brothers at sea.”]]> 416 Nathan Canestaro 1538742713 Mike 4 4.13 The Mighty Moo: The USS Cowpens and Her Epic World War II Journey from Jinx Ship to the Navy’s First Carrier into Tokyo Bay
author: Nathan Canestaro
name: Mike
average rating: 4.13
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/21
date added: 2025/02/22
shelves:
review:
This is a very interesting book about naval warfare in the Pacific in world war II. I have read much about the battles depicted in this book previously. The thing that is particularly interesting about this book is it talks about the role of the escort carrier during these battles. It also talks about the pilots and crews that served board them. Prior to reading the book I had no idea about the importance of these ships to the war or why they were even built. This is an excellent book and the author does a great job of keeping your interest from the beginning to the end. I highly recommend it
]]> <![CDATA[The Race to the Future: 8,000 Miles to Paris―The Adventure That Accelerated the Twentieth Century]]> 201544225 The rise of the automobile as told through its Rubicon moment—a sensational, high-risk race across two continents on the verge of revolution.

The racers—an Italian prince and his chauffeur, a French racing driver, a con man, and several rival journalists—battle over steep inclines, through narrow mountain passages, and across the arid Gobi Desert. Competitors endure torrential rain and choking dust. There are barely any roads, and petrol is almost impossible to find. A global audience of millions follows each twist and turn, devouring reports telegraphed from the course.

More than its many adventures, the Peking-to-Paris Motor Challenge took place on the precipice of a new world. As the twentieth century dawned, imperial regimes in China and Russia were crumbling, paving the way for the rise of communist ones. The electric telegraph was rapidly transforming modern communication, and with it, the news media, commerce, and politics. Suspended between the old and the new, the Peking-to-Paris, as best-selling historian Kassia St. Clair writes, became a critical tipping point.

A gripping, immersive narrative of the race, The Race to the Future sets the drivers� derring-do (and occasional cheating) against the backdrop of a larger geopolitical and technological race to the future. Interweaving events from the fall of the Qing dynasty to the departure of the horse economy and the rise of gendered marketing, St. Clair shows how the Peking-to-Paris provided an impetus for profound social, cultural, and industrial change, while masterfully capturing the mounting tensions between nations and empires—all building up to the cataclysmic event that changed everything: the First World War.

“Consistently mind-boggling, often funny, and occasionally hair-raising� (Philip Ball), The Race to the Future is the incredible true story of the quest against the odds that propelled us along the road to modernity.]]> 384 Kassia St. Clair 1324094915 Mike 0 to-read 3.67 2024 The Race to the Future: 8,000 Miles to Paris―The Adventure That Accelerated the Twentieth Century
author: Kassia St. Clair
name: Mike
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Furious Sky: The Five-Hundred-Year History of America's Hurricanes]]> 53121652
Hurricanes menace North America from June through November every year, each as powerful as 10,000 nuclear bombs. These megastorms will likely become more intense as the planet continues to warm, yet we too often treat them as local disasters and TV spectacles, unaware of how far-ranging their impact can be. As best-selling historian Eric Jay Dolin contends, we must look to our nation’s past if we hope to comprehend the consequences of the hurricanes of the future.

With A Furious Sky, Dolin has created a vivid, sprawling account of our encounters with hurricanes, from the nameless storms that threatened Columbus’s New World voyages to the destruction wrought in Puerto Rico by Hurricane Maria. Weaving a story of shipwrecks and devastated cities, of heroism and folly, Dolin introduces a rich cast of unlikely heroes, such as Benito Vines, a nineteenth-century Jesuit priest whose innovative methods for predicting hurricanes saved countless lives, and puts us in the middle of the most devastating storms of the past, none worse than the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, which killed at least 6,000 people, the highest toll of any natural disaster in American history.

Dolin draws on a vast array of sources as he melds American history, as it is usually told, with the history of hurricanes, showing how these tempests frequently helped determine the nation’s course. Hurricanes, it turns out, prevented Spain from expanding its holdings in North America beyond Florida in the late 1500s, and they also played a key role in shifting the tide of the American Revolution against the British in the final stages of the conflict. As he moves through the centuries, following the rise of the United States despite the chaos caused by hurricanes, Dolin traces the corresponding development of hurricane science, from important discoveries made by Benjamin Franklin to the breakthroughs spurred by the necessities of the World War II and the Cold War.

Yet after centuries of study and despite remarkable leaps in scientific knowledge and technological prowess, there are still limits on our ability to predict exactly when and where hurricanes will strike, and we remain terribly vulnerable to the greatest storms on earth. A Furious Sky is, ultimately, a story of a changing climate, and it forces us to reckon with the reality that as bad as the past has been, the future will probably be worse, unless we drastically reimagine our relationship with the planet.

103 black-and-white illustrations; 8 pages of color illustrations]]> 432 Eric Jay Dolin 1631495275 Mike 4 4.07 2020 A Furious Sky: The Five-Hundred-Year History of America's Hurricanes
author: Eric Jay Dolin
name: Mike
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/19
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves:
review:
Dolin writes an interesting book about hurricanes in North America. It is well researched and describes many incidences that are probably long forgotten particularly by the current crop of environmental doomsayers who think that everything that they have seen since they got their job or stop wearing short pants the church is the worst thing ever. The descriptions of more recent hurricanes other than Katrina do not get as much attention as some of the older ones. The hurricane that devastated my state known as hurricane Irene doesn't even get a mention. The biggest problem that I saw with the book is that like many he tries to link current weather issues with catastrophic predictions about global warming and does not present the data for this. As a geologist looking at warming cycles of the earth over much longer time period I cannot agree with his opinions on this. Despite this other than the epilogue it is an excellent book.
]]> Blood Ties (Kongeriket, #2) 213243951 384 Jo Nesbø 0593803612 Mike 0 to-read 3.85 2024 Blood Ties (Kongeriket, #2)
author: Jo Nesbø
name: Mike
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Preacher (Patrik Hedström, #2)]]> 9606002 Hot on the heels of her phenomenal American debut, The Ice Princess, Camilla Läckberg brings readers back to the quiet, isolated fishing village in Sweden where dangerous secrets lie just beneath the community’s tranquil surface.

During an unusually hot July, detective Patrik Hedstrom and Erica Falck are enjoying a rare week at home together, nervous and excited about the imminent birth of their first baby. Across town, however, a six-year-old boy makes a gruesome discovery that will ravage their little tourist community and catapult Patrik into the center of a terrifying murder case.

The boy has stumbled upon the brutally murdered body of a young woman, and Patrik is immediately called to lead the investigation. Things get even worse when his team uncovers, buried beneath the victim, the skeletons of two campers whose disappearance had baffled police for decades. The three victimsâ€� injuries seem to be the work of the same killer, but that is impossible: the main suspect in the original kidnappings committed suicide twenty-four years ago.Ěý

When yet another young girl disappears and panic begins to spread, Patrik leads a desperate manhunt to track down a ruthless serial killer before he strikes again.]]> 419 Camilla Läckberg 1605981737 Mike 5 3.83 2004 The Preacher (Patrik Hedström, #2)
author: Camilla Läckberg
name: Mike
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/15
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Realm of Ice and Sky: Triumph, Tragedy, and History's Greatest Arctic Rescue]]> 211003941 Two-time National Outdoor Book Award-winning author Buddy Levy's thrilling narrative of polar exploration via airship�and the men who sacrificed everything to make history.

Arctic explorer and American visionary Walter Wellman pioneered both polar and trans-Atlantic airship aviation, making history’s first attempts at each. Wellman has been cast as a self-promoting egomaniac known mostly for his catastrophic failures. Instead he was a courageous innovator who pushed the boundaries of polar exploration and paved the way for the ultimate conquest of the North Pole—which would be achieved not by dogsled or airplane, but by airship.

American explorer Dr. Frederick Cook was the first to claim he made it to the North Pole in 1908. A year later, so did American Robert Peary, but both Cook’s and Peary’s claims had been seriously questioned. There was enough doubt that Norwegian explorer extraordinaire Roald Amundsen—who’d made history and a name for himself by being first to sail through the Northwest Passage and first man to the South Pole—picked up where Walter Wellman left off, attempting to fly to the North Pole by airship. He would go in the Norge, designed by Italian aeronautical engineer Umberto Nobile. The 350-foot Norge flew over the North Pole on May 12, 1926, and Amundsen was able to accurately record and verify their exact location.

However, the engineer Nobile felt slighted by Amundsen. Two years later, Nobile returned, this time in the Italia, backed by Prime Minister Benito Mussolini. This was an Italian enterprise, and Nobile intended to win back the global accolades and reputation he believed Amundsen had stripped from him. The journey ended in disaster, death, and accusations of cannibalism, launching one of the great rescue operations the world had ever seen.

Realm of Ice and Sky is the thrilling narrative of polar exploration via airship―and the men who sacrificed everything to make history.]]> 384 Buddy Levy 1250289181 Mike 5
I highly recommend this book. I read my first book by this author last year. I have greatly enjoyed both of them and will go back to read some off his earlier works. ]]> 4.19 2025 Realm of Ice and Sky: Triumph, Tragedy, and History's Greatest Arctic Rescue
author: Buddy Levy
name: Mike
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2025
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/09
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves:
review:
This is a great book. I am not overly interested in Arctic exploration though I have read several books belonging to this genre in the past. This book tells the story of three men who attempted to explore the Arctic by airship. They are American explorer Walter Wellman, well-known explorer Norwegian Roald Amundsen, and Italian airship designer Umberto Nobile. It discusses the problems encountered inn early airship design and how these were magnified under Arctic conditions. It also discusses how the personalities of each of these explorers impacted their efforts. Roald Amundsen is well known. Whiteman is less well known today. The actions of Nobile once disparaged is generally vindicated in this account.

I highly recommend this book. I read my first book by this author last year. I have greatly enjoyed both of them and will go back to read some off his earlier works.
]]> Roadside Picnic 331256
First published in 1972, Roadside Picnic is still widely regarded as one of the greatest science fiction novels, despite the fact that it has been out of print in the United States for almost thirty years.]]> 145 Arkady Strugatsky 0575070536 Mike 3 4.16 1972 Roadside Picnic
author: Arkady Strugatsky
name: Mike
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1972
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/08
date added: 2025/02/09
shelves:
review:
This is a unique science fiction book. It was written by a Russan in the 1970s but the setting is in an unnamed English-speaking city. The premise is that earthlings are scavenging artifacts from an "alien roadside picnic". It reads like pulp fiction. It is not the best book that I have read, but far from the worst. If you like classic old school science fiction with a unique twist, you may enjoy this book.
]]> <![CDATA[War on Our Doorstep: The Unknown Campaign on North America's West Coast]]> 1580046
This is the complete story of the war in the North Pacific, including details of: Japanese subs lurking off the west coast, sinking ships and shelling the coast of British Columbia; the submarine-launched airplane that bombed Oregon's forests; the surreal tale of balloon-bombs crossing the Pacific to North America.

Brendan Coyle has done a magnificent job in this comprehensive review of the war on the West Coast. No other single volume has so neatly tied together the myriad stories of how the war affected people in British Columbia, California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. &#8212;Jim Delgado]]> 240 Brendan Coyle 1894384466 Mike 5
The book begins with a Japanese submarine attack off the Pacific coast a mere 30 minutes after the attack on Pearl Harbor begins. Attacks and dates of American and Canadian vessels sunk by Japanese I-boats are detailed. The book describes Canadians getting into the war and details the trials and tribulations of the RCAF. It describes the secret air bases in Cold Bay, Umnak and Amchitka in more detail than any other history of the theatre that I have read yet as well as a good description of the re-taking of abandoned Japanese base on Kiska. It also contains an interesting account of the Spanish consul in Victoria, BC spying for Japan and Germany during the war.

The reader will find that discussion relative to the battle to retake Attu and the naval battle near the Komandorski Islands are limited though there are whole books on these battles. The most important thing about the book is that it places everything in context.

There is a lot of detail packed into a relatively short book. It is a splendid overview of the battle in this theater of the war and likely an eye opener for those unfamiliar with the war in the northwest Pacific. I highly recommend this book.]]> 3.94 2002 War on Our Doorstep: The Unknown Campaign on North America's West Coast
author: Brendan Coyle
name: Mike
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2002
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/06
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves:
review:
I have read numerous books about the Aleutian campaign and WWII on the Northwest Coast. Hands down, this is the best. Many books downplay the submarine activity off California, Oregan, and Washington in the US and British Columbia in Canada. I think this has become a historical taboo relative to the internment and suffering of citizens of Japanese ancestry in the US and Canada during the war. A comprehensive view of history does not gloss over the rough spots. Perhaps, Coyle being a Canadian, is part of the reason that he was able to publish this straightforward account.

The book begins with a Japanese submarine attack off the Pacific coast a mere 30 minutes after the attack on Pearl Harbor begins. Attacks and dates of American and Canadian vessels sunk by Japanese I-boats are detailed. The book describes Canadians getting into the war and details the trials and tribulations of the RCAF. It describes the secret air bases in Cold Bay, Umnak and Amchitka in more detail than any other history of the theatre that I have read yet as well as a good description of the re-taking of abandoned Japanese base on Kiska. It also contains an interesting account of the Spanish consul in Victoria, BC spying for Japan and Germany during the war.

The reader will find that discussion relative to the battle to retake Attu and the naval battle near the Komandorski Islands are limited though there are whole books on these battles. The most important thing about the book is that it places everything in context.

There is a lot of detail packed into a relatively short book. It is a splendid overview of the battle in this theater of the war and likely an eye opener for those unfamiliar with the war in the northwest Pacific. I highly recommend this book.
]]> <![CDATA[Tuf as a Boiled Owl: The Civil War Letters of Proctor Swallow 7th Vermont Volunteer Regiment]]> 1034933 248 Kenena Hansen Spalding 1425919596 Mike 0 to-read 5.00 2006 Tuf as a Boiled Owl: The Civil War Letters of Proctor Swallow 7th Vermont Volunteer Regiment
author: Kenena Hansen Spalding
name: Mike
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Lolas' House: Filipino Women Living with War]]> 34448039
M. Evelina Galang enters into the lives of the women at Lolas� House, a community center in metro Manila. She accompanies them to the sites of their abduction and protests with them at the gates of the Japanese embassy. Each woman gives her testimony, and even though the women relive their horror at each telling, they offer their stories so that no woman anywhere should suffer wartime rape and torture.

Lolas� House is a book of testimony, but it is also a book of witness, of survival, and of the female body. Intensely personal and globally political, it is the legacy of Lolas� House to the world.]]> 280 M. Evelina Galang 0810135868 Mike 5
It is historical documentation at its finest. My hat is off to Evelina Galang.]]> 4.42 Lolas' House: Filipino Women Living with War
author: M. Evelina Galang
name: Mike
average rating: 4.42
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/02/05
date added: 2025/02/05
shelves:
review:
This is a heartbreaking story of Filipina comfort women abused by Japanese soldiers in WW2. It contains graphic firsthand accounts of what the women went through physically and mentally during and after the war as told in their own words to the author. This book describes the atrocities committed against these women and is not for the squeamish. It also discusses their efforts to have their suffering recognized and the adamant position of the Japanese government to whitewash the subject.

It is historical documentation at its finest. My hat is off to Evelina Galang.
]]> <![CDATA[Women of Southie: Finding Resilience During Whitey Bulger's Infamous Reign]]> 38651422 216 Phyllis Karas 0998623180 Mike 2
Despite some good points, this is worthy of skipping. ]]> 3.12 Women of Southie: Finding Resilience During Whitey Bulger's Infamous Reign
author: Phyllis Karas
name: Mike
average rating: 3.12
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/04
date added: 2025/02/04
shelves:
review:
This is the tale of 6 women of different ages that lived in Southie (South Boston) during and after the reign of murdering organized crime lord Whitey Bulger. The story of their lives and resilience in the face of drug addiction and the area known as South Boston is well done. However, anyone who expects that I will swallow that there was any redeeming feature about Whitey Bulger will probably also try to sell me ocean front property in Iowa.

Despite some good points, this is worthy of skipping.
]]> <![CDATA[The Unvanquished: The Untold Story of Lincoln’s Special Forces, the Manhunt for Mosby’s Rangers, and the Shadow War That Forged America’s Special Operations]]> 199430510 432 Patrick K. O'Donnell 080216286X Mike 4
This was an enjoyable book to read but the title was misleading. It promised one thing and the product was quite something else. ]]> 3.93 The Unvanquished: The Untold Story of Lincoln’s Special Forces, the Manhunt for Mosby’s Rangers, and the Shadow War That Forged America’s Special Operations
author: Patrick K. O'Donnell
name: Mike
average rating: 3.93
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves:
review:
The book is a well written tale of partisan and guerilla fighting on both sides of the Civil War. The attempts to kidnap Lincoln at the end of the Civil War and the possible ties to Mosby's Rangers was very interesting. The book was disappointing in one respect - It was not really about Lincoln's Special forces and dwelt much more on the exploits of the Rangers.

This was an enjoyable book to read but the title was misleading. It promised one thing and the product was quite something else.
]]> <![CDATA[Vanished Kingdoms: The Rise and Fall of States and Nations]]> 15805554 From the bestselling author of Europe: A History comes a uniquely ambitious masterpiece that will thrill fans of lost civilizations

While Germany, Italy, France, and England dominate our conceptions of Europe, these modern states are relatively recent constructs. In this brilliant work of historical reconstruction, Norman Davies brings back to life the long-forgotten empire of Aragon, which once controlled the Western Mediterranean; the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, once the largest country in Europe, and the Kingdom of the Rock, founded by ancient Britons when neither England nor Scotland existed. In the tradition of Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel, Davies subverts our established view of the past and urges us to reconsider the impetus for the rise and fall of nations.
]]> 880 Norman Davies 0143122959 Mike 4
Readability. Long passages of poetry in the native tongue. This serves no purpose and is largely filler. A little of this goes a long way. Lots of dates and lots of names are probably inevitable but may lose the reader.

If you are looking for a great book for research on European history, I would highly recommend this book. If you are mildly curious and think it might be "fun" you may not finish it. ]]> 3.85 2011 Vanished Kingdoms: The Rise and Fall of States and Nations
author: Norman Davies
name: Mike
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/31
date added: 2025/02/01
shelves:
review:
I gave the book a 4-star rating. The rating was a composite of readability (3-star) and research (5-star). Norman Davies is a great historian. The detail in his books is incredible. Each section in most of this book chooses an extinct kingdom, explores it from the earliest of times an follows it to extinction and discusses what is going on with the region today - save for the last three, Ireland, Estonia, and the Soviet Union. The early history of Ireland is given only a cursory overview, Estonia's is largely ignored as is most of the Soviet Union history. These three areas seemed to be added on in a rush. Overall, however the book was an amazing and detailed look at European History through its vanished kingdoms.

Readability. Long passages of poetry in the native tongue. This serves no purpose and is largely filler. A little of this goes a long way. Lots of dates and lots of names are probably inevitable but may lose the reader.

If you are looking for a great book for research on European history, I would highly recommend this book. If you are mildly curious and think it might be "fun" you may not finish it.
]]> <![CDATA[War Women (Sergeants Sueño and Bascom, #15)]]> 59129571
South Korea, 1970s: Sergeant First Class Cecil B. Harvey, a senior NCO in charge of 8th Army’s classified documents, has long been a friend (willing or unwilling) to Sergeants George Sueño and Ernie Bascom. So when he goes missing with a top-secret document that even a glance at could get an officer court-martialed, Sueño and Bascom take it upon themselves to find him.

Meanwhile, Overseas Observer reporter Katie Byrd Worthington is back to make life difficult for top Army brass. When she lands in a Korean jail cell, Sueño and Bascom are sent to get her out—and negotiate against the publication of an incriminating story about the mistreatment of women in the military that could land important officials in hot water. But what they learn will make it hard for them to stay silent.]]> 214 Martin Limón 1641292806 Mike 4 3.84 2021 War Women (Sergeants Sueño and Bascom, #15)
author: Martin LimĂłn
name: Mike
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/26
date added: 2025/01/27
shelves:
review:
This is another great addition to the Sueno and Bascom series. This one involves sexual assault on female soldiers in the 8th Army and blackmail by North Korean agents. It is packed with action and runs at a rapid pace. The Kate Worthington Boyd character is not one I care for, but the book is a very good read.
]]> <![CDATA[Displaced: Books 1 & 2 (The Everyday Hero Archives)]]> 209464171
The Everyday Hero Archives explores multiversal travel, cryptids, the paranormal, and so much more. Follow the Heroes on their adventures through not only their reality, but yours as well. Not all parts of this series will be chronological, as some stories will be standalone and can be read outside of the main storyline, these will be noted as such.

Thank you and enjoy the adventures of the EH!]]> 271 Tyke Allison Mike 4
Nice concept. I am looking forward to the next installment.]]> 4.00 Displaced: Books 1 & 2 (The Everyday Hero Archives)
author: Tyke Allison
name: Mike
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/01/26
shelves:
review:
This is a very interesting concept for a dystopian sci fi thriller. It follows the story of Phreak, one of the founding members of a group known as the Everyday Heroes. Displacement involves travelling to parallel universes. He is followed back by two entities known as the Horseman and the Warlord. This edition has Books 1 & 2 the first two parts of an anticipated trilogy. As each of these is about 100 pages long, I would suggest the author bind all three into a single volume.

Nice concept. I am looking forward to the next installment.
]]> <![CDATA[Scalp Dance, A Sam Chitto Mystery]]> 27009694 This mystery mingles Choctaw culture, science, and murder and features Lieutenant Sam Chitto of the Oklahoma Choctaw Tribal Police. Chitto considers himself a man of principal, but he's at a breaking point. His father's ten-years old murder, his young wife's premature death, and an ineffective law enforcement community has him ready to quit the force. Indian women are the ones paying the highest price. One in three can expect to be raped in her lifetime, and tribal police cannot arrest the assailant if he is not Indian. And then, Chitto is assigned to work on a mystifying case that forces him to make a decision that could not only challenge his personal code of ethics but also cost a man his life.]]> 256 Lutricia Clifton 1432831291 Mike 4
Additionally, both the author and the lead character have a love for geology which is my background. I look forward to reading more of the series.
]]> 4.09 2015 Scalp Dance, A Sam Chitto Mystery
author: Lutricia Clifton
name: Mike
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2025/01/17
date added: 2025/01/21
shelves:
review:
Very nice book to start a series. It introduces the reader to the lead character, Sam Chitto who dispenses justice on the fractured Choctaw reservation. It explains the intricacies of law enforcement in this environment. She is described as being like Tony Hillerman. Most reviewers say this about mysteries set on Native American Reservations as he long dominated this genre. In this case, at least the first novel in the series bears this out.

Additionally, both the author and the lead character have a love for geology which is my background. I look forward to reading more of the series.

]]> <![CDATA[Headhunter: 5-73 CAV and Their Fight for Iraq's Diyala River Valley]]> 52817288
Finalist, 2020 Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Awards

Selected in 2005 by the Army to be the first airborne reconnaissance squadron, 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, better known as 5-73 CAV, was formed from 3rd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The members of the squadron were hand-selected by the squadron command team, Lieutenant Colonel Poppas and Command Sergeant Major Edgar. With just more than 400 paratroopers, they were half the size of a full-strength battalion and the smallest unit in the Panther Brigade.

The squadron deployed to eastern Diyala in August, 2006. Despite their size, they were tasked with an enormous mission and were given the largest area of operations within the brigade. Appropriately for a unit known by the call sign of its CO—Headhunter�5-73 would go on to pursue various terrorist factions including Al Qaeda in Iraq. They got results, and 5-73 was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for launching the Turki Bowl campaign from November 2006 to January 2007 against insurgent groups in Diyala Province. However the toll would be heavy—the squadron lost twenty-two paratroopers during the deployment.

Headhunter is a unique account of the War on Terror. It’s a soldier’s story, told by those very paratroopers who gallantly fought to tame Diyala. Based on dozens of interviews conducted by the author, the narrative describes the danger of combat, the loss of comrades and the struggles of returning from a deployment. The voice of the families left behind are also included, describing the challenges they faced, including the ultimate challenge—grappling with the death of a loved one. This book explores the human dimensions of loss and struggle and illustrates the sacrifices our service members and their loved ones make.

Table of Contents

Dedication
Foreword
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1 Push Forward
Chapter 2 Alpha Troop and Patrol Base Otis
Chapter 3 AO Headhunter
Chapter 4 Turki Bowl I
Chapter 5 November 15, 2006
Chapter 6 November 16, 2006
Chapter 7 Stairway to Heaven
Chapter 8 The Lost Boys of Alpha Mortars
Chapter 9 Turki Shaping Operations
Chapter 10 Turki Bowl II
Chapter 11 Tightening the Noose
Chapter 12 Hot Chow
Chapter 13 Clear, Hold, Build
Chapter 14 Operation 300
Chapter 15 Marathon
Chapter 16 Troy
Chapter 17 As Sadah—March 17, 2007
Chapter 18 Minotaur
Chapter 19 Qubbah
Chapter 20 Hardship of Loss
Chapter 21 Long Shots & Landslide
Chapter 22 April 7, 2007
Chapter 23 As Sadah—April 23, 2007
Chapter 24 We Regret to Inform You
Chapter 25 Tim Cole
Chapter 26 Olympus, Hoplite and Pericles
Chapter 27 Church, Duran and Home
Epilogue
Endnotes
Acknowledgments]]> 228 Peter C. Svoboda 1612009271 Mike 4 3.62 Headhunter: 5-73 CAV and Their Fight for Iraq's Diyala River Valley
author: Peter C. Svoboda
name: Mike
average rating: 3.62
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/28
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Aerial Operations in the Revolutions of 1922 and 1947 in Paraguay: The First Dogfights in South America (Latin America@War)]]> 38814250 40 Antonio Luis Sapienza 1912390582 Mike 3 4.33 Aerial Operations in the Revolutions of 1922 and 1947 in Paraguay: The First Dogfights in South America (Latin America@War)
author: Antonio Luis Sapienza
name: Mike
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/12
date added: 2025/01/12
shelves:
review:
This is a solid book about the air war component of two of the civil wars in Paraguay in the middle of the 20th Century. The detail is amazing, though better for the 1922 Revolution than for the one in 1947. It is full of names and descriptions of aircraft and sorties that would otherwise not be accessible in English. If you are interested in the turmoil in this country, you will find the information interesting.
]]> <![CDATA[Downfall: Putin, Prigozhin, and the fight for the future of Russia]]> 201305448 â€Absolutely gripping, deeply authoritative, hugely important and lethally luridâ€�
Simon Sebag Montefiore, Sunday Times bestselling author of The A Family History

Yevgeny Prigozhin emerged as one of the most dangerous warlords in the world and as one of Vladimir Putin's chief rivals in Russia's tumultuous political climate, exiled after leading Wagner's attempted coup and killed in a mysterious plane crash. But what is the truth about this enigmatic figure, his role in the war with Ukraine, and the chaos unleashed across Russia by his turn against Putin? And, in the aftermath of his death, what is next for Russia in the new stage of late Putinism that Prigozhin's life forged?

Drawing on years of research, this book traces the rise of Russia's most prominent non-state actor and examines the political climate that propelled a convicted gangster with no government office to the formidable role he came to occupy. An essential story of Russia's recent history, Downfall is also a compelling insight into its likely future.]]> 262 Anna Arutunyan 1529927374 Mike 3
Not a bad book. But a bit of a murky slog.]]> 4.06 Downfall: Putin, Prigozhin, and the fight for the future of Russia
author: Anna Arutunyan
name: Mike
average rating: 4.06
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/11
date added: 2025/01/12
shelves:
review:
Yevgeny Prigozhin's life is tracked from his days as a criminal to becoming a hotdog vendor, caterer to the Russian elite, real estate mogul and eventually founder and leader of the mercenary army known as the Wagner Group. There is a wealth of information on his early years, then the book drops off and gets a bit muddy. There is some discussion of his activities in African and the Ukraine, but this is glossed over quickly and the book concentrates on the hurt feelings of Prigozhin and the power of Vladimir Putin. Although far from conclusive based on the information in the book, it appears he was assassinated.

Not a bad book. But a bit of a murky slog.
]]> Murder At McDonalds 12198057 294 Bill Jessome 1551090937 Mike 3
It is a good true crime read.]]> 3.80 1994 Murder At McDonalds
author: Bill Jessome
name: Mike
average rating: 3.80
book published: 1994
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/11
date added: 2025/01/12
shelves:
review:
This is a book about a tragic and senseless crime in Sydney River, Nova Scotia. Three bored young men took the lives of three other young restaurant employees and crippled a 4th in a robbery that secured them a bit over 2000 dollars. No reason is given by the author or presented by the murderers. They all tried to minimize their deeds and blame each other. The book is gruesome and graphic. The whining of the murderers is enough to make you gag. The author's compassion is rightly reserved for the victims, and their families and rightly so. It is straight forward and factual though the writing style is a bit dry.

It is a good true crime read.
]]> <![CDATA[MATTHEW LYON: “New Man� of the Democratic Revolution, 1749�1822]]> 3689226 208 Aleine Austin 027100262X Mike 2 3.50 1981 MATTHEW LYON: “New Man” of the Democratic Revolution, 1749–1822
author: Aleine Austin
name: Mike
average rating: 3.50
book published: 1981
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/07
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves:
review:
Authoritative. Detailed. Scholarly. It is the literary equivalent of chewing on chalk. The book might appeal to interested in the politics of the time period.
]]> Locked In (Department Q, #10) 209455837
On the day after Christmas, head of Department Q, Detective Carl Mørck, finds himself handcuffed in a police car headed for Copenhagen's Vestre prison. After fifteen years, a violent case from his past has caught up with him. Charges of drug trafficking and murder threaten to destroy his life and career. But he is being framed. Someone has a million-dollar bounty on his head to make sure he doesn't talk, putting him in grave danger among the prison's incarcerated criminals and corrupt officers. The question that remains is, Why?

Carl's colleagues at the Copenhagen Police Department instantly turn their backs on him, leaving the ever-loyal Department Q team as his only hope. In search of answers, Rose, Assad, and Gordon must disobey direct orders from way up the chain to try to unravel case. With only one another to trust and Carl's battle against the unknown mastermind's henchmen worsening by the day, they must work faster than ever before if they are to clear his name—and save his life.]]> 512 Jussi Adler-Olsen 0593475690 Mike 5
Great book and a great ending to the series, if it is the end.]]> 4.17 2023 Locked In (Department Q, #10)
author: Jussi Adler-Olsen
name: Mike
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2025/01/04
date added: 2025/01/04
shelves:
review:
This is a great book and appears to be the end of the Carl Morck series. The action and the plot twists of the rest of the series are there. It is a reunification of all of many of the major characters of the earlier books. The arc of the series is tied up nicely. Some may not like the ending, though I found it rather clever. While this can be read as a standalone novel, I think it would be more appreciated if it was read as the last of the series.

Great book and a great ending to the series, if it is the end.
]]> <![CDATA[Less Than a Treason (Kate Shugak, #21)]]> 34082726
Two thousand people go missing in Alaska every year. They vanish in the middle of mountain footraces, on fishing boats in the Bering Sea, on small planes in the Bush. Now a geologist known for going walkabout with his rock hammer has disappeared from the Suulutaq Mine in the Park. Was it deliberate? An accident? Foul play? Kate Shugak may be the only person who can find out.

But for the fact that Kate, too, is now among the missing…]]> 309 Dana Stabenow 1786695693 Mike 4
This book seems to have a slightly different vibe to it. It is almost as if to prepare the reader for something different in the future. It would not be noticed by anyone who had not read all or most of the books in the series. Nor does it take away from the book. Ms. Stabenow did make a foray into her view on politics that was not necessary for the story. I will say it was not as one-sided as most and I do understand her point of view. I appreciated her live and let live attitude.

Finally, I do recommend the book both to those unfamiliar with her work and those who, like me are continuing with a favorite series. If you started the series here and enjoyed this book stop. Go back. Read it from the beginning. The author has done a remarkable job over the years.]]> 4.01 2017 Less Than a Treason (Kate Shugak, #21)
author: Dana Stabenow
name: Mike
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/29
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves:
review:
This book, like all of Stabenow's Kate Shugak books was a pleasure to read. I mowed through it quickly. Her books about the mixed blood Alaskan detective and the strange assortment of relatives and friends known as Park Rats are always a pleasure. The action is always fast paced. The books are very descriptive. Seeing the characters mature and progress over the course of 21 books has been enjoyable.

This book seems to have a slightly different vibe to it. It is almost as if to prepare the reader for something different in the future. It would not be noticed by anyone who had not read all or most of the books in the series. Nor does it take away from the book. Ms. Stabenow did make a foray into her view on politics that was not necessary for the story. I will say it was not as one-sided as most and I do understand her point of view. I appreciated her live and let live attitude.

Finally, I do recommend the book both to those unfamiliar with her work and those who, like me are continuing with a favorite series. If you started the series here and enjoyed this book stop. Go back. Read it from the beginning. The author has done a remarkable job over the years.
]]> <![CDATA[Trace Evidence: The Hunt for the I-5 Serial Killer]]> 19940345 Trace Evidence, by contrast, has a steady relentlessness that allows the reader to become fascinated by the characters of the investigators and the facts of how the evidence was assembled. This killer specialized in picking up his victims along Interstate 5, near Sacramento, California, and he had an odd penchant for snipping at their clothes with scissors. As deaths of young women in several different jurisdictions began to form a pattern, a few detectives with contrasting approaches (excitable and given to hunches vs. cool and logical) formed a team. Author Bruce Henderson relates how they followed through on a bewildering number of leads, how they ranked their potential suspects on a point system that proved remarkably effective, and how, finally, a trace evidence expert spent many long hours looking through a microscope to cinch the case with analysis of fibers. Trace Evidence is skillfully structured, emphasizing the investigation rather than the trial, and includes crisp photographs of the key evidence. It would have been a better book if the author had included a timeline of the crimes and a map of the area, but that is a small nitpick about an excellent work of journalism. --Fiona Webster ]]> 436 Bruce Henderson 0989467511 Mike 3
If you like forensics or books about serial killers, this is a decent read.]]> 3.91 1998 Trace Evidence: The Hunt for the I-5 Serial Killer
author: Bruce Henderson
name: Mike
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1998
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/17
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves:
review:
Trace Evidence is a detailed meandering account of the death of 7 women in California at the hands of a serial killer. The account also tells the story of the law enforcement officials who tracked him down using what was, at the time, groundbreaking technology. It also tells how the murderer covered his tracks and manipulated others in his life. It is a good solid book. I would have preferred a little more insight into the life of the killer between age 15 and the time the murders were discovered. The author alludes to the possibility of other murders but leaves us hanging.

If you like forensics or books about serial killers, this is a decent read.
]]> <![CDATA[The Ice Star (Konstabel Fenna Brongaard)]]> 56606173
Following her arrest, fog isolates the village of Ittoqqortoormiit and Fenna from the outside world. When the investigation takes a vicious turn, Fenna must trust a Greenlandic policeman if she is to clear her name, only to discover that her reputation is the least of her worries. When a mysterious adventure cruise ship enters Greenlandic waters, Fenna discovers that alone in the world of men, if you run with dogs you have to fight like wolves. The Ice Star is the first book in Christoffer Petersen's adrenaline-fueled Greenland thriller series. If you like Matthew Reilly's Scarecrow Series and Bear Grylls' Will Jaeger books then you'll love Christoffer Petersen's raw action thriller.]]> 312 Christoffer Petersen 8793680015 Mike 5 5.00 2017 The Ice Star (Konstabel Fenna Brongaard)
author: Christoffer Petersen
name: Mike
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/27
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Northern Vermont in the Revolutionary War (Military)]]> 60460994 176 Jason Barney 1467150045 Mike 4
Barney had done a great job pulling things together. If you are interested in another side of the American Revolutionary War, this is a very good, short book. ]]> 3.50 Northern Vermont in the Revolutionary War (Military)
author: Jason Barney
name: Mike
average rating: 3.50
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/26
date added: 2024/12/26
shelves:
review:
I enjoyed this book very much. Most books about the Revolutionary War in Vermont focus on the invasion of Canada and Arnold's naval actions on Lake Champlain, with some focusing on the Battle of Bennington, which was actually fought in New York. When something is written about Vermont it often is centered around the Allen clan. This book explores conditions elsewhere in the state and features information about Benjaman Whitcomb, Jacob Bayley, and Simon Metcalf. Much emphasis is placed on activities in and around the Swanton area and Grand Isle County. Additionally, there is information on Fort Vengeance in Pittsford, Vermont.

Barney had done a great job pulling things together. If you are interested in another side of the American Revolutionary War, this is a very good, short book.
]]> <![CDATA[Swords of Lightning: Green Beret Horse Soldiers and America's Response to 9/11]]> 59365383
They landed in a dust storm so thick the chopper pilot used dead reckoning and a guess to find the ground. Welcomed by a band of heavily armed militiamen, they climbed a mountain on horseback to meet the most ferocious warlord in Asia. They plotted a war of nineteenth-century maneuvers against a twenty-first-century foe. They trekked through minefields, sometimes past the mangled bodies of local tribesmen who’d shared food with them hours before. They saved babies and treated fractures, sewed up wounded who’d been transported from the battlefield by donkey. They found their enemy hiding in thick bunkers, dodged bullets from machine-gun-laden pickup trucks, and survived mass rocket attacks from vintage Soviet-era launchers. They battled the Taliban while mediating blood feuds between rival allies. They fought with everything they had, from smart bombs to AK-47s.The men they helped called them brothers. Hollywood called them the Horse Soldiers.

They called themselves Green Berets—Special Forces ODA 595.]]> 334 Mark Nutsch 163758153X Mike 4
I was disappointed to find out through reading this book that one of the previous books that I had enjoyed about their exploits was a highly fictionalized account, though sold as non-fiction. This book was not as fast paced as others on the subject. There are reasons for this.

1. It is not fictionalized or jazzed up for public consumption.
2. It was written by someone who was actually there.
3. It is written by a member of the military used to writing after action reports.

If you want to know how it really happened, read this book. I highly recommend it.]]> 4.31 2022 Swords of Lightning: Green Beret Horse Soldiers and America's Response to 9/11
author: Mark Nutsch
name: Mike
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/24
date added: 2024/12/25
shelves:
review:
This is a very good book about the Green Berets first inserted into Afghanistan following the terrorist attacks on 9/11. It is written by one of the Green Beret team members who was actually there on the ground. It begins with the planning stages of the mission and follows the exploits of the ODA team from its landing in Afghanistan, through the famous horse charge to the liberation of the country by the Northern Alliance forces and contains a good description of the death of intelligence officer Mike Spann.

I was disappointed to find out through reading this book that one of the previous books that I had enjoyed about their exploits was a highly fictionalized account, though sold as non-fiction. This book was not as fast paced as others on the subject. There are reasons for this.

1. It is not fictionalized or jazzed up for public consumption.
2. It was written by someone who was actually there.
3. It is written by a member of the military used to writing after action reports.

If you want to know how it really happened, read this book. I highly recommend it.
]]> <![CDATA[Ghosts of Panama: A Strongman Out of Control, A Murdered Marine, and the Special Agents Caught in the Middle of an Invasion]]> 210240758 Panama, 1989. The once warm relationship between United States and Gen. Manuel Noriega has eroded dangerously. Newly elected President George Bush has declared the strongman a drug trafficker and a rigger of elections. Intimidation on the streets is a daily reality for U.S. personnel and their families. The nation is a powder keg.

Naval Investigative Service (NIS) Special Agent Rick Yell has worked the job in Panama since 1986, and lives there with his wife Annya and infant child. Like most NIS agents, he’s a civilian with no military rank with a specialty in working criminal cases. The dynamic changes suddenly when Yell inadvertently develops an intelligence source with unparalleled access to the Noriega regime. Now the agent is thrust into a world of spy-versus-spy, of secret meetings and hidden documents.

Yell’s source � known as “The Old Man� � warns when Cuban military personnel arrive and identifies anti-American officers within the Panamanian Defense Forces, provides information about an imprisoned CIA asset and helps track Noriega’s movements, agitating for the dictator’s kidnapping. The reports created by Yell and his NIS colleagues shape the decisions made in Washington D.C., CIA headquarters in Langley and the innermost sanctums of Pentagon.

The powder keg is lit on December 16, 1989, when a young U.S. Marine is gunned down at a checkpoint in Panama City. Yell and his cadre of trusted agents deploy immediately to investigate the killing, and what they determine will decide the fate of two nations. When President Bush hears the details they uncover, he orders an invasion that puts Yell’s family, informants and fellow agents directly in harm’s way.

Using a blend of research and interviews with the NIS agents who were directly involved, Ghosts of Panama reveals the untold, clandestine story of counterintelligence professionals placed in a pressure cooker assignment of historic proportions.]]> 272 Mark Harmon 1400248604 Mike 3 3.68 2024 Ghosts of Panama: A Strongman Out of Control, A Murdered Marine, and the Special Agents Caught in the Middle of an Invasion
author: Mark Harmon
name: Mike
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/21
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves:
review:
This was a very informative book about the invasion of Panama that deposed Manual Noriega and ended his narco-state. It is told from the perspective of a NIS agent stationed in Panama who participated in intelligence gathering prior to the invasion and describes his experiences. It is a bit muddled and a bit dry for such a short book. This kept me from rating it higher. Overall, it was a decent book.
]]> <![CDATA[The Erotics / Gun the Dame Down / Angry Arnold]]> 26793452 286 Gil Brewer 1933586885 Mike 3 4.00 2015 The Erotics / Gun the Dame Down / Angry Arnold
author: Gil Brewer
name: Mike
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/15
date added: 2024/12/15
shelves:
review:
This is three individual pieces of pulp fiction by prolific author Gil Brewer. They are short action-packed novels but not particularly well written. They remind me of someone trying to copy Dashiell Hammett or James M. Cain. The novels are not great and are acknowledged as being some of the least well written by his critics. The novels were good enough so I will probably try a few more as I do like pulp fiction.
]]> <![CDATA[Old Man's War (Old Man's War, #1)]]> 36510196
The good news is that humanity finally made it into interstellar space. The bad news is that planets fit to live on are scarce-- and alien races willing to fight us for them are common. So: we fight. To defend Earth, and to stake our own claim to planetary real estate. Far from Earth, the war has been going on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding.

Earth itself is a backwater. The bulk of humanity's resources are in the hands of the Colonial Defense Force. Everybody knows that when you reach retirement age, you can join the CDF. They don't want young people; they want people who carry the knowledge and skills of decades of living. You'll be taken off Earth and never allowed to return. You'll serve two years at the front. And if you survive, you'll be given a generous homestead stake of your own, on one of our hard-won colony planets.

John Perry is taking that deal. He has only the vaguest idea what to expect. Because the actual fight, light-years from home, is far, far harder than he can imagine--and what he will become is far stranger.]]> 318 John Scalzi Mike 4
]]> 4.25 2005 Old Man's War (Old Man's War, #1)
author: John Scalzi
name: Mike
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/08
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves:
review:
This book is classic heroic sci fi. It has been years since I have seen a book like this. I had kind of given up on sci fi when it turned into dragons and fairies and dismal dystopian angst. This book is a breath of fresh air for the genre. It features and old man who is given a new lease on life and his experiences in a universe of war. If you are looking for retro pulp sci fi, this is a great book.


]]> <![CDATA[Eden Undone: A True Story of Sex, Murder, and Utopia at the Dawn of World War II]]> 210246743 An incredible true story of murder in a utopian community established on a remote Galápagos island by European refugees and the American industrialist who became embroiled in the investigation—from the New York Times bestselling author of The Ghosts of Eden Park

At the height of the Great Depression, Los Angeles oil mogul George Allan Hancock and his crew of Smithsonian scientists came upon a gruesome scene: two bodies, mummified by the searing heat, on the shore of a remote Galápagos island. For the past four years Hancock and other American elites had traveled the South Seas to collect specimens for scientific research. On one trip to the Galápagos, Hancock was surprised to discover an equally exotic group of humans: European exiles who had fled political and economic unrest, hoping to create a utopian paradise. One was so devoted to a life of isolation that he’d had his teeth extracted and replaced with a set of steel dentures.
As Hancock and his fellow American explorers would witness, paradise had turned into chaos. The three sets of exiles—a Berlin doctor and his lover, a traumatized World War I veteran and his young family, and an Austrian baroness with two adoring paramours—were riven by conflict. Petty slights led to angry confrontations. The baroness, wielding a riding crop and pearl-handled revolver, staged physical fights between her two lovers and unabashedly seduced American tourists. The conclusion was deadly: with two exiles missing and three others dead, the survivors hurled accusations of murder.
Using never-before-published archives, Abbott Kahler weaves a chilling, stranger-than-fiction tale worthy of Agatha Christie. Set against the backdrop of the Great Depression and the march to World War II, with a mystery as alluring and curious as the Galápagos itself, Eden Undone explores the universal and timeless desire to seek utopia—and lays bare the human fallibility that, inevitably, renders such a quest doomed.]]> 352 Abbott Kahler 0451498658 Mike 3 3.76 2024 Eden Undone: A True Story of Sex, Murder, and Utopia at the Dawn of World War II
author: Abbott Kahler
name: Mike
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/07
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves:
review:
This is a tale of people on the fringe moving to an 'idyllic' South American island. The book explores the relationship between 3 groups of Germans in the 1930s. There is the eccentric dentist and his paramour, the sexually charged, dominating, self-centered baroness and the German homesteaders. We see the reasons they moved to Floreana Island in the Galapagos Island group and how their dreams ended. We see the tragic deaths of many of them and the survivors. It is a real-life version of Lord of the Flies. Though not outstanding, it is a worthwhile read.
]]> Sh*t My Dad Says 7821447 "That woman was sexy. . . . Out of your league? Son, let women figure out why they won't screw you. Don't do it for them."

"Do people your age know how to comb their hair? It looks like two squirrels crawled on their heads and started fucking."

"The worst thing you can be is a liar. . . . Okay, fine, yes, the worst thing you can be is a Nazi, but then number two is liar. Nazi one, liar two."More than a million people now follow Mr. Halpern's philosophical musings on Twitter, and in this book, his son weaves a brilliantly funny, touching coming-of-age memoir around the best of his quotes. An all-American story that unfolds on the Little League field, in Denny's, during excruciating family road trips, and, most frequently, in the Halperns' kitchen over bowls of Grape-Nuts, Sh*t My Dad Says is a chaotic, hilarious, true portrait of a father-son relationship from a major new comic voice.]]> 159 Justin Halpern 0061992704 Mike 5 3.97 2010 Sh*t My Dad Says
author: Justin Halpern
name: Mike
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/06
date added: 2024/12/09
shelves:
review:
This book was funny as hell. It had me laughing out loud. I can see how some people might see the titular Dad as being harsh, he was a loving father. This comes out in Halpren's writing. I recommend this book.
]]> <![CDATA[Nightmare Range: The Collected Sueno and Bascom Short Stories]]> 17262759
Nine critically acclaimed novels later, Soho Crime is releasing a collection of Martin Limón's award-winning short stories featuring Sergeants Sueño and Bascom. The stories within have been published over the last twenty years in a variety of magazines, mostly in Alfred Hitchcock , but have never before been available in book form. This beautifully produced limited-edition hardcover volume is sure to attract both critical attention and to appeal to collectors. A must-have for literary mystery readers.]]> 389 Martin Limón 1616953322 Mike 5 3.89 2013 Nightmare Range: The Collected Sueno and Bascom Short Stories
author: Martin LimĂłn
name: Mike
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/05
date added: 2024/12/07
shelves:
review:
I am not much on short stories written by people who write series that I enjoy. The short stories do not seem to quite cut it. I am happy to say that Nightmare Range far exceeded my expectations. Each of the short stories had a beginning, a middle, and an end that made sense. Nonee of the stories seemed to be written as filler. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone whether they have read the series or not. Five stars all the way.
]]> <![CDATA[Guilty Creatures: Sex, God, and Murder in Tallahassee, Florida]]> 199797807
On the face of it, Denise Williams and Brian Winchester had the perfect, quintessentially Southern lives. The two were hardworking devout Baptists and together, with their respective spouses, formed a tight-knit friendship that seemed unbreakable. That is, until December 16, 2000, when Denise’s husband Mike disappeared while duck hunting on Lake Seminole on the border of Georgia and Florida.

After no body was found, it was assumed that he had drowned and was consumed by alligators in a tragic accident. But things took an unexpected turn when Brian divorced his wife and married Denise. Their surprising marriage was far from happy and in 2018, he confessed to police he killed Mike with Denise’s help nearly two decades earlier.

Now, the full, shocking story is revealed by Mikita Brottman, acclaimed true crime writer and “one of today’s finest practitioners of nonfiction� ( The New York Times Book Review ). With tenacious investigating and clear-eyed prose, she exposes the dark underbelly of far-right conservative Christianity and how it led Brian to choose murder over adultery. A fascinating and in-depth page-turner, Guilty Creatures is destined to become an instant classic in the true crime genre.]]> 288 Mikita Brottman 166802053X Mike 3
From a technical standpoint, the book is well written. Although the story is largely told through the eyes of the perpetrators, the author is not sympathetic to them. If you like true crime and tawdry lives you may enjoy this book.]]> 3.38 2024 Guilty Creatures: Sex, God, and Murder in Tallahassee, Florida
author: Mikita Brottman
name: Mike
average rating: 3.38
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/01
date added: 2024/12/03
shelves:
review:
This is a sordid true crime book about the hidden lives of self-centered people and the things they do to satisfy their needs and keep their secrets. The story focuses on the lives of two sexually repressed Southern Baptists and their lust which leads to murder. I enjoyed the references to the books by James M. Cain and the biblical story of David and Bathsheba, but the story was tawdry. I think books like this are important for the survivors and for those who worked on the case. Perhaps I would have enjoyed the book more if it had been told from the point of view of the murdered man's mother or one of the detectives. By focusing on the two murderers and their feelings I was often irritated.

From a technical standpoint, the book is well written. Although the story is largely told through the eyes of the perpetrators, the author is not sympathetic to them. If you like true crime and tawdry lives you may enjoy this book.
]]> <![CDATA[The Lost World of the Dinosaurs: Uncovering the Secrets of the Prehistoric Age]]> 203647815 320 Armin Schmitt 1335081216 Mike 4 3.86 2024 The Lost World of the Dinosaurs: Uncovering the Secrets of the Prehistoric Age
author: Armin Schmitt
name: Mike
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/01
date added: 2024/12/01
shelves:
review:
This is a very good book about the current state of dinosaur research throughout the world. It is as short scholarly book. It follows the rise of the dinosaurs throughout the world and concentrates in a large part on those in the Cretaceous Period. It makes the case that birds are their descendants. I do not recommend the book for someone who is not well versed in biology and paleontology. However, if this is your field of interest or expertise, this is an excellent book.
]]> <![CDATA[The 1778 Battle of Shelburne: At Peirson's Farm]]> 33347773 118 Michael J. Haugh 1536947881 Mike 3
]]> 3.00 The 1778 Battle of Shelburne: At Peirson's Farm
author: Michael J. Haugh
name: Mike
average rating: 3.00
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/30
date added: 2024/12/01
shelves:
review:
This book is a very short description of a small battle that occurred in Northwest Vermont in 1778. A party of British regulars and a small compliment of Indians attacked and isolated blockhouse on Lake Champlain. American losses were light and less than half of the British forces returned to Canada. Most of the book contains a very general overview of the war leading up to the battle. The battle itself is described in a very few pages. Not much is written about northern Vermont during the Revolutionary War. This book has some interesting tidbits. If you are interested in northern Vermont during the later part of the war you will find this interesting.


]]> Cuba: An American History 55710558 Winner of The L. A. Times Book Prize (2021) in History

�“Full of…lively insights and lucid prose� (The Wall Street Journal) an epic, sweeping history of Cuba and its complex ties to the United States—from before the arrival of Columbus to the present day—written by one of the world’s leading historians of Cuba.

In 1961, at the height of the Cold War, the United States severed diplomatic relations with Cuba, where a momentous revolution had taken power three years earlier. For more than half a century, the stand-off continued—through the tenure of ten American presidents and the fifty-year rule of Fidel Castro. His death in 2016, and the retirement of his brother and successor Raúl Castro in 2021, have spurred questions about the country’s future. Meanwhile, politics in Washington—Barack Obama’s opening to the island, Donald Trump’s reversal of that policy, and the election of Joe Biden—have made the relationship between the two nations a subject of debate once more.

Now, award-winning historian Ada Ferrer delivers an “important� (The Guardian) and moving chronicle that demands a new reckoning with both the island’s past and its relationship with the United States. Spanning more than five centuries, Cuba: An American History provides us with a front-row seat as we witness the evolution of the modern nation, with its dramatic record of conquest and colonization, of slavery and freedom, of independence and revolutions made and unmade.

Along the way, Ferrer explores the sometimes surprising, often troubled intimacy between the two countries, documenting not only the influence of the United States on Cuba but also the many ways the island has been a recurring presence in US affairs. This is a story that will give Americans unexpected insights into the history of their own nation and, in so doing, help them imagine a new relationship with Cuba; “readers will close [this] fascinating book with a sense of hope� (The Economist).

Filled with rousing stories and characters, and drawing on more than thirty years of research in Cuba, Spain, and the United States—as well as the author’s own extensive travel to the island over the same period—this is a stunning and monumental account like no other.]]> 560 Ada Ferrer 1501154559 Mike 5
The book really gets going with the passage of the Platt Amendment and the subsequent impact it had on politics and the growth of the country. I expected the rest of the book to excoriate America and glorify the Cuban Revolution. It did not. Instead, I found it to be a reasoned look at both sides. The fact that the Cubans knew all about the Bay of Pigs well in advance of the attack was very interesting as well as the politics leading up to the Mariel Boat Lift and Cuba after the fall of the Sovie Union.

I found some gaps in the history that could have been filled in with more detail but as it was, the book was 470 pages with another 50 pages of reference material. there is only so much you can put into a single book. For this reason, I give the book a top rating of 5 stars. ]]> 4.45 2021 Cuba: An American History
author: Ada Ferrer
name: Mike
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/29
date added: 2024/11/29
shelves:
review:
This book is a comprehensive review of Cuban history from the earliest visits by the Spanish to recent events. I found some of the early parts of the book provided more detail on the subject than others. Discussion of the British capture of Cuba was a bit light as was discussion about the 10 Years' War. There was a bit more detail on the 1895 Rebellion, though I do not recall much mention of Captain-General Weyler.

The book really gets going with the passage of the Platt Amendment and the subsequent impact it had on politics and the growth of the country. I expected the rest of the book to excoriate America and glorify the Cuban Revolution. It did not. Instead, I found it to be a reasoned look at both sides. The fact that the Cubans knew all about the Bay of Pigs well in advance of the attack was very interesting as well as the politics leading up to the Mariel Boat Lift and Cuba after the fall of the Sovie Union.

I found some gaps in the history that could have been filled in with more detail but as it was, the book was 470 pages with another 50 pages of reference material. there is only so much you can put into a single book. For this reason, I give the book a top rating of 5 stars.
]]> <![CDATA[War on the Run: The Epic Story of Robert Rogers and the Conquest of America's First Frontier]]> 6439148
They were a group of handpicked soldiers chosen for their backwoods savvy, courage, and endurance. Led by a young captain whose daring made him a hero on two continents, Rogers’s Rangers earned a deadly fame among their most formidable French and Indian enemies for their ability to appear anywhere at any time, burst out of the forest with overwhelming force, and vanish just as quickly. This swift, elusive, intelligence-gathering strike force was the brainchild of Robert Rogers, a uniquely American kind of war maker capable of motivating a new breed of warrior.

The child of marginalized Scots-Irish immigrants, Robert Rogers learned to survive in New England’s dark and deadly forests, grasping, as did few others, that a new world required new forms of warfare. Marrying European technology to the stealth and adaptability he observed in native warriors, Rogers trained and led an unorthodox unit of green provincials, raw woodsmen, farmers, and Indian scouts on “impossible� missions that are still the stuff of soldiers� legend. Covering heartbreaking distances behind enemy lines, they traversed the wilderness in whaleboats and snowshoes, slept without fire or sufficient food in below-freezing temperatures, and endured hardships that would destroy ordinary men.

With their novel tactics and fierce esprit de corps, the Rangers laid the groundwork for the colonial strategy later used in the War of Independence. Never have the stakes of a continent hung in the hands of so few men. Rogers would eventually write two seminal books whose vision of a unified continent would influence Thomas Jefferson and inspire the Lewis and Clark expedition.

In War on the Run , John F. Ross vividly re-creates Rogers’s life and his spectacular battles, having traveled over much of Rogers’s campaign country. He presents with breathtaking immediacy and painstaking accuracy a man and an era whose enormous influence on America has been too little appreciated.]]> 576 John F. Ross 0553804960 Mike 4
The book has the most detailed account of his time in the Old Northwest that I have read to date. The description of British political machinations on the frontier and the politics of the British military are insightful.

The goes into a lot of detail about how Rogers tried to join the American side during the war and how he ended up fighting for the British. His capture of American spy Nathan Hale has some nice detail. There is very little else about his exploits during the American Revolution reflecting which I found puzzling.

I recommend this book for anyone looking for anyone interested in Robert Rogers, the Seven Years' War or North American colonial history from 1750 though 1774. ]]> 4.16 2009 War on the Run: The Epic Story of Robert Rogers and the Conquest of America's First Frontier
author: John F. Ross
name: Mike
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/28
date added: 2024/11/29
shelves:
review:
This was a very interesting book. It is the biography of Major Robert Rogers. It shows his life in remarkable detail through the end of his time in the Old Northwest. I have read a lot about the Seven Years' War and did not find a lot of new information other than the author's views on the attack on St. Francis. Most older depictions describe it heroically while newer accounts define it as an unprovoked attack on a peaceful First Nations community with the natives as innocent victims. Ross portrays it as a legitimate military target and lays out the reasons for this. The epic trek back to civilization is portrayed with less detail than I have seen in other accounts.

The book has the most detailed account of his time in the Old Northwest that I have read to date. The description of British political machinations on the frontier and the politics of the British military are insightful.

The goes into a lot of detail about how Rogers tried to join the American side during the war and how he ended up fighting for the British. His capture of American spy Nathan Hale has some nice detail. There is very little else about his exploits during the American Revolution reflecting which I found puzzling.

I recommend this book for anyone looking for anyone interested in Robert Rogers, the Seven Years' War or North American colonial history from 1750 though 1774.
]]> <![CDATA[A Nasty Little War: The Western Intervention into the Russian Civil War]]> 173404076
Overlapping with and overshadowed by the First World War, the Allied Intervention in the Russian Civil War was one of the most ambitious military ventures of the twentieth century. Launched in the summer of 1918, it drew in 180,000 troops from fifteen different countries in theaters ranging from the Caspian Sea to the Arctic, and from Poland to the Pacific. Though little remembered today, its consequences stoked global political turmoil for decades to come.Ěý
 �
In� A Nasty Little War , top Russia historian Anna Reid offers a sweeping and deeply researched account of the conflict. Initially launched to prevent Germany from exploiting the power vacuum in Eastern Europe left by the Russian Revolution, the Intervention morphed into a bid to destroy the Bolsheviks on the battlefield. But Allied armaments, supplies, and loans could not prevent Russia’s anti-Bolshevik armies from collapsing, and the Allies were forced to retreat in defeat. The humiliation sapped British imperial swagger, chastened American idealism, and stoked militarism and nationalism in France and Germany. Combining immersive storytelling with deep research, A Nasty Little War reveals how the Allied Intervention reshaped the West’s relationship with Russia.]]> 400 Anna Reid 1541619668 Mike 4
Russia was and is a big country. There were many facets to the war and several fronts. Books have been written about the Czech Legion, the Trans-Siberian Railroad, and the Polar Expedition, as well as the heroes and villains including Wrangel, Trotsky, Deniken, and Kolchak which tend to focus on a campaign rather than the overall war as this book does. This book filled in some gaps for me about the Baltic States and Finland. Even so, the reader should understand the book is about Allied intervention and is told from that perspective. It is not a book about who was right. The Bolshevik side is not detailed as it is not the focus of the author.

If you are interested in Russian history, especially the Civil War this book is a great book for your library.

]]> 4.05 A Nasty Little War: The Western Intervention into the Russian Civil War
author: Anna Reid
name: Mike
average rating: 4.05
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/23
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves:
review:
This is a sweeping account of the intervention of Western Allies in the Russian Civil War. This account is a mix of politics and some of the skirmishes and atrocities that occurred in the presence of allied military personnel. It discusses the length and breadth of the War but does not concentrate on any one part for long. This was the author's intention, and she succeeded in this.

Russia was and is a big country. There were many facets to the war and several fronts. Books have been written about the Czech Legion, the Trans-Siberian Railroad, and the Polar Expedition, as well as the heroes and villains including Wrangel, Trotsky, Deniken, and Kolchak which tend to focus on a campaign rather than the overall war as this book does. This book filled in some gaps for me about the Baltic States and Finland. Even so, the reader should understand the book is about Allied intervention and is told from that perspective. It is not a book about who was right. The Bolshevik side is not detailed as it is not the focus of the author.

If you are interested in Russian history, especially the Civil War this book is a great book for your library.


]]> <![CDATA[Long Haul: Hunting the Highway Serial Killers]]> 198123556 272 Frank Figliuzzi 006326515X Mike 3
Most of the information provided about the trucking industry comes from a nice trucker named Mike who does not seem to have any interaction with the seamy sided of trucking. If you wonder why truckers drive the way they do, there is a reason, and this book explains it.

This book also explains the victims of trafficking at truck stops and the men who groom and use them. It points out the widespread manipulation.

What this book does not do is describe in very much detail how the serial killers were tracked down and caught. Nor does it provide a clear link between Mike's description of day-to-day trucking activities and the trafficked women.

If you want to know about the trucking industry this is a good book. If you want to learn about the victims, this is a good book. If you want to know anything about specific serial killers who are long haul truckers or the details of how they were caught or picked up their victims, it falls a bit short.]]> 3.47 2024 Long Haul: Hunting the Highway Serial Killers
author: Frank Figliuzzi
name: Mike
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/16
date added: 2024/11/16
shelves:
review:
This is a very good book about Long Haul Trucking industry and the women who are trafficked at truck stops.

Most of the information provided about the trucking industry comes from a nice trucker named Mike who does not seem to have any interaction with the seamy sided of trucking. If you wonder why truckers drive the way they do, there is a reason, and this book explains it.

This book also explains the victims of trafficking at truck stops and the men who groom and use them. It points out the widespread manipulation.

What this book does not do is describe in very much detail how the serial killers were tracked down and caught. Nor does it provide a clear link between Mike's description of day-to-day trucking activities and the trafficked women.

If you want to know about the trucking industry this is a good book. If you want to learn about the victims, this is a good book. If you want to know anything about specific serial killers who are long haul truckers or the details of how they were caught or picked up their victims, it falls a bit short.
]]> <![CDATA[Last Boat Out of Shanghai: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Fled Mao's Revolution]]> 40061595 The dramatic real life stories of four young people caught up in the mass exodus of Shanghai in the wake of China's 1949 Communist revolution--a precursor to the struggles faced by emigrants today.


Shanghai has historically been China's jewel, its richest, most modern and westernized city. The bustling metropolis was home to sophisticated intellectuals, entrepreneurs, and a thriving middle class when Mao's proletarian revolution emerged victorious from the long civil war. Terrified of the horrors the Communists would wreak upon their lives, citizens of Shanghai who could afford to fled in every direction. Seventy years later, members of the last generation to fully recall this massive exodus have revealed their stories to Chinese American journalist Helen Zia, who interviewed hundreds of exiles about their journey through one of the most tumultuous events of the twentieth century. From these moving accounts, Zia weaves together the stories of four young Shanghai residents who wrestled with the decision to abandon everything for an uncertain life as refugees in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the United States.

Benny, who as a teenager became the unwilling heir to his father's dark wartime legacy, must decide either to escape to Hong Kong or navigate the intricacies of a newly Communist China. The resolute Annuo, forced to flee her home with her father, a defeated Nationalist official, becomes an unwelcome exile in Taiwan. The financially strapped Ho fights deportation from the U.S. in order to continue his studies while his family struggles at home. And Bing, given away by her poor parents, faces the prospect of a new life among strangers in America. The lives of these men and women are marvelously portrayed, revealing the dignity and triumph of personal survival.]]> 503 Helen Zia 034552232X Mike 4
If you do not know about the ramifications of the Japanese occupation of China and the Communist takeover, nor the Nationalist occupation of Taiwan, this book will provide you with a wealth of information. I strongly recommend it.]]> 4.44 2019 Last Boat Out of Shanghai: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Fled Mao's Revolution
author: Helen Zia
name: Mike
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/12
date added: 2024/11/16
shelves:
review:
This is a very interesting book about the Chinese exodus from Shanghai after the Communist takeover. It follows the lives of four individuals. The individuals include individuals from the wealthy class, those who collaborated with the Japanese, ordinary Chinese, and Chinese peasants. The book traces their lives from birth through Japanese occupation in World War II to Nationalist rule under Chiang Kai-Shek, and their decisions to leave following the Communist takeover and their efforts to survive in their new lands including the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Australia and Denmark. The book is much more than simple refugee stories. It paints a stark picture of life in China from the 1930s to the 1950s.

If you do not know about the ramifications of the Japanese occupation of China and the Communist takeover, nor the Nationalist occupation of Taiwan, this book will provide you with a wealth of information. I strongly recommend it.
]]> <![CDATA[Bandit Heaven: The Hole-in-the-Wall Gangs and the Final Chapter of the Wild West]]> 203579099 From multiple New York Times bestselling author Tom Clavin comes the thrilling true story of the most infamous hangout for bandits, thieves and murderers of all time—and the lawmen tasked with rooting them out.Robbers Roost, Brown’s Hole, and Hole in the Wall were three hideouts that collectively were known to outlaws as “Bandit Heaven.� During the 1880s and �90s these remote locations in Wyoming and Utah harbored hundreds of train and bank robbers, horse and cattle thieves, the occasional killer, and anyone else with a price on his head.Clavin's Bandit Heaven is the entertaining story of these tumultuous times and the colorful characters who rode the Outlaw Trail through the frigid mountain passes and throat-parching deserts that connected the three hideouts—well-guarded enclaves no sensible lawman would enter. There are the “star� residents like gregarious Butch Cassidy and his mostly silent sidekick the Sundance Kid, and an array of fascinating supporting players like the cold-blooded Kid Curry, the gang leader, and “Black Jack� Ketchum (who had the dubious distinction of being decapitated during a hanging), among others. Most of the hard-riding action takes place in the mid- to late-1890s when Bandit Heaven came to be one of the few safe places left as the law closed in on the dwindling number of active outlaws. Most were dead by the beginning of the 20th century, gunned down by a galvanized law-enforcement system seeking rewards and glory. Ultimately, only Cassidy and Sundance escaped . . . to meet their fate 6000 miles away, becoming legends when they died in a fusillade of lead.Bandit Heaven is a thrilling read, filled with action, indelible characters, and some poignance for the true end of the Wild West outlaw.]]> 304 Tom Clavin 1250282403 Mike 5
This book is about the bandits and outlaws in the Rocky Mountains of the United States from 1860 to 1905. As one would suspect, it focuses heavily on Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and their gang known as The Wild Bunch. Approximately 30% of the book discusses their exploits. The rest of the book deals with the rise and demise of other outlaws and lawmen in the Rockies. Thee exploits of Charlie Siringo and Tom Horn are discussed in detail. Lesser-known figures such as Cattle Kate and Isom Dart are also discussed as are some of the outlaw women. The dynamics between the small ranchers and farmers and the mega-ranchers are also described.

As a well-versed reader I found little really new information that I had not read previously about the major players. The big thing about this book is that it shows the interrelationships between all of the various players, both good and bad. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Western US History.]]> 3.84 Bandit Heaven: The Hole-in-the-Wall Gangs and the Final Chapter of the Wild West
author: Tom Clavin
name: Mike
average rating: 3.84
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/09
date added: 2024/11/10
shelves:
review:
I love Clavin's books. I started listening to them on CDs years ago. I had grown up watching movies and series about the Wild West and reading books about them too. I wanted something for long trips. Clavin has an easy almost conversational style to writing. If you want something factual and pleasant his style is perfect.

This book is about the bandits and outlaws in the Rocky Mountains of the United States from 1860 to 1905. As one would suspect, it focuses heavily on Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and their gang known as The Wild Bunch. Approximately 30% of the book discusses their exploits. The rest of the book deals with the rise and demise of other outlaws and lawmen in the Rockies. Thee exploits of Charlie Siringo and Tom Horn are discussed in detail. Lesser-known figures such as Cattle Kate and Isom Dart are also discussed as are some of the outlaw women. The dynamics between the small ranchers and farmers and the mega-ranchers are also described.

As a well-versed reader I found little really new information that I had not read previously about the major players. The big thing about this book is that it shows the interrelationships between all of the various players, both good and bad. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Western US History.
]]> <![CDATA[Destroyer Captain: The Life of Ernest E. Evans]]> 213329018
Interspersed with impeccable research, interviews with men who fought alongside Capt. E. Evans, and thrilling anecdotes about United States Navy experiences during WWII, Destroyer Captain provides insight into an incredible man who spent his life beating the odds through courage, ability, and sheer determination. Never were these attributes better on display than on the morning of October 25, 1944, when, in the waters off Samar, a small flotilla of US Navy ships encountered a Japanese fleet superior in both vessels and firepower. Aboard the USS Johnston, Capt. Ernest E. Evans seized the moment, ordering his destroyer to steam forward and attack. Heavily outgunned, Evans and his sailors fired torpedo after torpedo, all the while maneuvering to dodge enemy shells, as two other American destroyers joined the fight. It was a valiant last stand for Capt. E. Evans, one of the toughest warriors in the Navy, but thanks to his bravery and steadiness under fire, these dogged Americans routed one of the most powerful naval forces that Tokyo had ever put to sea.

A remarkable story of patriotism and courageousness, Destroyer Captain honors a singular American hero whose name shall never be forgotten.]]> 256 James D. Hornfischer 059318467X Mike 5
This book describes the battles that Cdr. Evans participated in during WWII and the final battle in Leyte Gulf in the Philippines where his ship was sunk, and he lost his life. The battle details in this book are some of the best that I have ever read about a naval battle.

If you are interested in WWII heroes, naval battles or the Pacific theatre, this is a book that I highly recommend.
]]> 4.16 Destroyer Captain: The Life of Ernest E. Evans
author: James D. Hornfischer
name: Mike
average rating: 4.16
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/03
date added: 2024/11/03
shelves:
review:
This is the story of Cdr. Ernest Evans, skipper of the destroyer USS Johnston. Evans was born to Cherokee and Creek parents in Oklahoma. He was appointed to the naval academy from the National Guard. The book describes his early life and documents his career in the US Navy before being appointed to commend of the Johnston, a Fletcher class destroyer.

This book describes the battles that Cdr. Evans participated in during WWII and the final battle in Leyte Gulf in the Philippines where his ship was sunk, and he lost his life. The battle details in this book are some of the best that I have ever read about a naval battle.

If you are interested in WWII heroes, naval battles or the Pacific theatre, this is a book that I highly recommend.

]]> <![CDATA[Assassins Anonymous (Assassins Anonymous #1)]]> 199463712 In this clever, surprising, page-turner, the world’s most lethal assassin gives up the violent life only to find himself under siege by mysterious assailants. It’s a kill-or-be-killed situation, but the first option is off the table. What’s a reformed hit man to do?

Mark was the most dangerous killer-for-hire in the world. But after learning the hard way that his life’s work made him more monster than man, he left all of that behind, and joined a twelve-step group for reformed killers.

When Mark is viciously attacked by an unknown assailant, he is forced on the run. From New York to Singapore to London, he chases after clues while dodging attacks and trying to solve the puzzle of who’s after him. All without killing anyone. Or getting killed himself. For an assassin, Mark learns, nonviolence is a real hassle.]]> 308 Rob Hart 0593717392 Mike 4 3.84 2024 Assassins Anonymous (Assassins Anonymous #1)
author: Rob Hart
name: Mike
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/02
date added: 2024/11/02
shelves:
review:
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was looking for a quick action book after reading a number of weighty tomes. This book hit the mark. It is about an assassin who attempts to give up the trade. The action is non-stop and is graphic. The descriptions of hand-to-hand combat are blow by blow. If you are looking for a book that has the action of The Professional, or the John Wick, Jason Stratham movies you will likely enjoy this book.
]]> To Quell The Korengal 34401483 398 Darren Shadix 1523309202 Mike 3 3.50 To Quell The Korengal
author: Darren Shadix
name: Mike
average rating: 3.50
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/30
date added: 2024/10/31
shelves:
review:
Interesting. Vulgar. Guy hates officers. Guy becomes more mellow when he becomes a noncom. The description of the situation in Afghanistan is portrayed in stark detail.
]]> <![CDATA[Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism]]> 55338982
What makes “cults� so intriguing and frightening? What makes them powerful? The reason why so many of us binge Manson documentaries by the dozen and fall down rabbit holes researching suburban moms gone QAnon is because we’re looking for a satisfying explanation for what causes people to join—and more importantly, stay in—extreme groups. We secretly want to know: could it happen to me? Amanda Montell’s argument is that, on some level, it already has . . .

Our culture tends to provide pretty flimsy answers to questions of cult influence, mostly having to do with vague talk of “brainwashing.� But the true answer has nothing to do with freaky mind-control wizardry or Kool-Aid. In Cultish, Montell argues that the key to manufacturing intense ideology, community, and us/them attitudes all comes down to language. In both positive ways and shadowy ones, cultish language is something we hear—and are influenced by—every single day.

Through juicy storytelling and cutting original research, Montell exposes the verbal elements that make a wide spectrum of communities “cultish,� revealing how they affect followers of groups as notorious as Heaven’s Gate, but also how they pervade our modern start-ups, Peloton leaderboards, and Instagram feeds. Incisive and darkly funny, this enrapturing take on the curious social science of power and belief will make you hear the fanatical language of “cultish� everywhere.]]> 309 Amanda Montell 0062993151 Mike 3
It is a good book. I would recommend it as a starting point; however, I found it told only half the story.]]> 3.82 2021 Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism
author: Amanda Montell
name: Mike
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/28
date added: 2024/10/28
shelves:
review:
This was a good book, but not a great one. The first chapter or so was ok but not great. The meat of the book talked about the cults and their use of language and thought stopping phrases was very interesting. The discussion of the 'cult of exercise' was interesting, but a bit weaker. I felt that the discussion of QAnon was lackluster. The has a strong Liberal bias but was fair with political comments about extreme right-wing politics today and did not make unfounded statements. I did find the absence of left-wing cults to be stark. There was no discussion about environmental movements like 360.org, left wing terrorist movements like the Weather Underground and SLA, and nothing about Black Lives Matter. To be fair Nazi groups and right-wing militias were not discussed either. A well-rounded book would have addressed these 'cultish' organizations, even if it to explain why the author did not think that they were cultish.

It is a good book. I would recommend it as a starting point; however, I found it told only half the story.
]]> <![CDATA[The Last Honest Man: The CIA, the FBI, the Mafia, and the Kennedys―and One Senator's Fight to Save Democracy]]> 62315624 Witnesses were mysteriously murdered. The FBI, NSA, CIA, and even the IRS were on the warpath. It was 1975, and a senator named Frank Church stood almost alone in the face of extraordinary abuses of power.
Ěý
For decades now, America’s national security state has grown ever bigger, ever more secretive and powerful, and ever more abusive. Only once did someone manage to put a stop to any of it.

Senator Frank Church of Idaho was an unlikely hero. He led congressional opposition to the Vietnam War and had become a scathing, radical critic of what he saw as American imperialism around the world. But he was still politically ambitious, privately yearning for acceptance from the foreign policy establishment that he hated and eager to run for president. Despite his flaws, Church would show historic strength in his greatest moment, when in the wake of Watergate he was suddenly tasked with investigating abuses of power in the intelligence community. The dark truths that Church exposed—from assassination plots by the CIA, to links between the Kennedy dynasty and the mafia, to the surveillance of civil rights activists by the NSA and FBI—would shake the nation to its core, and forever change the way that Americans thought about not only their government but also their ability to hold it accountable.

Drawing upon hundreds of interviews, thousands of pages of recently declassified documents, and reams of unpublished letters, notes, and memoirs, some of which remain sensitive today, Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter James Risen tells the gripping, untold story of truth and integrity standing against unchecked power—and winning—in The Last Honest Man.]]> 480 James Risen 031656513X Mike 5
I enjoy books about the cold war and the politics of the time. I remember these things happening. I highly recommend this book to anyone with similar interests.]]> 4.07 2023 The Last Honest Man: The CIA, the FBI, the Mafia, and the Kennedys―and One Senator's Fight to Save Democracy
author: James Risen
name: Mike
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/27
date added: 2024/10/27
shelves:
review:
This is a fascinating book about Frank Church and the Church Commission. It describes American politics and the shadowy world of espionage and mafia influence in the 1950s through 1970s that led to the creation of the Church Commision and its investigations into the CIA, NSA and FBI. The book describes the formation of the commission, its findings and the outcome through the lens of Senator Church.

I enjoy books about the cold war and the politics of the time. I remember these things happening. I highly recommend this book to anyone with similar interests.
]]> <![CDATA[Conquistador: Hernán Cortés, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs]]> 2774104
“I and my companions suffer from a disease of the heart which can be cured only with gold.� �Hernán Cortés

It was a moment unique in human history, the face-to-face meeting between two men from civilizations a world apart. Only one would survive the encounter. In 1519, Hernán Cortés arrived on the shores of Mexico with a roughshod crew of adventurers and the intent to expand the Spanish empire. Along the way, this brash and roguish conquistador schemed to convert the native inhabitants to Catholicism and carry off a fortune in gold. That he saw nothing paradoxical in his intentions is one of the most remarkable—and tragic—aspects of this unforgettable story of conquest.

In Tenochtitlán, the famed City of Dreams, Cortés met his Aztec counterpart, Montezuma: king, divinity, ruler of fifteen million people, and commander of the most powerful military machine in the Americas. Yet in less than two years, Cortés defeated the entire Aztec nation in one of the most astonishing military campaigns ever waged. Sometimes outnumbered in battle thousands-to-one, Cortés repeatedly beat seemingly impossible odds. Buddy Levy meticulously researches the mix of cunning, courage, brutality, superstition, and finally disease that enabled Cortés and his men to survive.

Conquistador is the story of a lost kingdom—a complex and sophisticated civilization where floating gardens, immense wealth, and reverence for art stood side by side with bloodstained temples and gruesome rites of human sacrifice. It’s the story of Montezuma—proud, spiritual, enigmatic, and doomed to misunderstand the stranger he thought a god. Epic in scope, as entertaining as it is enlightening, Conquistador is history at its most riveting.


From the Hardcover edition.]]> 448 Buddy Levy 055380538X Mike 4
This book contains details of the battles fought between the conquistadors and the natives and the military prowess exhibited by Cortes. Today it is popular to denigrate Europeans who came to the Americas as warmongering beasts. It is very clear that atrocities were committed on both sides. To condemn Cortes completely without doing so to the Aztec rulers would require one to be half blind to the atrocities committed by the expansionist Aztec Empire that included large scale human sacrifice and ritual cannibalism.

This is a good history. Levy does not let anyone off the hook and does a great job at describing the events of the time. If you want a fresh and detailed look at the events that ensconced the Spanish in Mexico or a detailed account of warfare in the 1520s, this is a great book to read.]]> 4.25 2008 Conquistador: Hernán Cortés, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs
author: Buddy Levy
name: Mike
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/26
date added: 2024/10/26
shelves:
review:
This is a very good book. After reading the book I found that the cursory understanding that I had of the overthrow Montezuma and the Aztec Empire was at a kindergarten level. This book is a highly detailed book that describes the opposing political forces and pitfalls that nearly prevented Cortes from defeating the Aztecs. Spanish forces opposed Cortes usurpation of the expedition. This played out as courtly drama between Spaniards in Spain and those in Cuba. Cortes was able to overcome this obstacle and to exploit division within the Aztec Empire. Cortes had was able to convince Mexican Indians to support him. Fortuitously, men from other expeditions kept him supplied with Spanish manpower and military technology. Additionally, smallpox devastated from one of the later ships ravaged the natives.

This book contains details of the battles fought between the conquistadors and the natives and the military prowess exhibited by Cortes. Today it is popular to denigrate Europeans who came to the Americas as warmongering beasts. It is very clear that atrocities were committed on both sides. To condemn Cortes completely without doing so to the Aztec rulers would require one to be half blind to the atrocities committed by the expansionist Aztec Empire that included large scale human sacrifice and ritual cannibalism.

This is a good history. Levy does not let anyone off the hook and does a great job at describing the events of the time. If you want a fresh and detailed look at the events that ensconced the Spanish in Mexico or a detailed account of warfare in the 1520s, this is a great book to read.
]]> <![CDATA[Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir By One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII]]> 11437988 The first and only memoir by one of the original Navajo code talkers of WWII-includes the actual Navajo Code and rare photos. Although more than 400 Navajos served in the military during World War II as top-secret code talkers, even those fighting shoulder to shoulder with them were not told of their covert function. And, after the war, the Navajos were forbidden to speak of their service until 1968, when the code was finally declassified. Of the original twenty-nine Navajo code talkers, only two are still alive. Chester Nez is one of them.

In this memoir, the eighty-nine-year-old Nez chronicles both his war years and his life growing up on the Checkerboard Area of the Navajo Reservation-the hard life that gave him the strength, both physical and mental, to become a Marine. His story puts a living face on the legendary men who developed what is still the only unbroken code in modern warfare.]]> 310 Chester Nez 0425244237 Mike 4
I have read several accounts of Navaho code talkers in WWII, but never one written by the code talker himself. If are interested in WWII or the Navaho tribe, this is a very good book to read.]]> 4.21 2011 Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir By One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII
author: Chester Nez
name: Mike
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/20
date added: 2024/10/20
shelves:
review:
This is a very interesting book. It is the autobiography of one of the original Navaho code talkers. Charlie Nez describes his experiences growing up on the Checkboard reservation area of New Mexico and his experiences at boarding schools before joining the US Marines. He was one of 29 Navaho men chosen to create an unbreakable code to help defeat the Imperial Japanese forces. He describes the fighting on Guadalcanal, Guam, and Peleliu. Finally, we follow him home and see how he managed his PTSD though various Navaho ceremonies including the Good Way and the Enemy Way.

I have read several accounts of Navaho code talkers in WWII, but never one written by the code talker himself. If are interested in WWII or the Navaho tribe, this is a very good book to read.
]]> <![CDATA[The Good Assassin: How a Mossad Agent and a Band of Survivors Hunted Down the Butcher of Latvia]]> 51891766 The untold story of an Israeli spy’s epic journey to bring the notorious Butcher of Latvia to justice—a case that altered the fates of all ex-Nazis.

Before World War II, Herbert Cukurs was a famous figure in his small Latvian city, the “Charles Lindbergh of his country.� But by 1945, he was the Butcher of Latvia, a man who murdered some thirty thousand Latvian Jews. Somehow, he dodged the Nuremberg trials, fleeing to South America after war’s end.
Ěý
By 1965, as a statute of limitations on all Nazi war crimesĚýthreatened to expire, Germany sought to welcome previous concentration camp commanders, pogrom leaders, and executioners, as citizens. The global pursuit of Nazi criminals escalated to beat the looming deadline, and Mossad, the Israeli national intelligence agency, joined the cause. Yaakov Meidad, the brilliant Mossad agent who had kidnapped Adolf Eichmann three years earlier, led the mission to assassinate Cukurs in a desperate bid to block the amnesty. In a thrilling undercover operation unrivaled by even the most ambitious spy novels, Meidad traveled to Brazil in an elaborate disguise, befriended Cukurs and earned his trust, while negotiations over the Nazi pardon neared a boiling point.

The Good Assassin uncovers this little-known chapterĚýof Holocaust history and the pulse-pounding undercover operation that brought Cukurs to justice.]]> 320 Stephan Talty 1328613089 Mike 4
This book is of particular interest for me as I knew a Riga death camp survivor and have seen very little written about the atrocities in the Baltic states. If you are interests in WWII, Nazi atrocities, concentration camps or survivor stories, put this book on your reading list.]]> 4.37 2020 The Good Assassin: How a Mossad Agent and a Band of Survivors Hunted Down the Butcher of Latvia
author: Stephan Talty
name: Mike
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/17
date added: 2024/10/17
shelves:
review:
This is a well written non-fiction book that treats the subject in 3 distinct parts of the book. One part of the book is a description of the Nazi Butcher of Latvia and his life before and after WWII. It also tells the story of the Latvian Jews that he slaughtered during the war and those who survived the war. Finally, it is the story of the Mossad agent and the effort taken to hunt the Butcher down in Brazil and execute him.

This book is of particular interest for me as I knew a Riga death camp survivor and have seen very little written about the atrocities in the Baltic states. If you are interests in WWII, Nazi atrocities, concentration camps or survivor stories, put this book on your reading list.
]]> <![CDATA[A Dead Man's Tale (Charlie Moon #15)]]> 8411913

Charlie Moon, Ute rancher and investigator, isn’t afraid to throw the dice even when a man’s life is at stake, but when that man is betting against himself and Moon’s ability to save him, that makes for some awfully high stakes.

Hard times have come to Colorado, and Moon’s ranch is feeling the pinch. Investor Samuel Reed has never had that problem. He seems to have a special intuition when it comes to picking stocks and claims to be able to remember the future, which gives him quite aĂ‚Ěýleg upĂ‚Ěýon Wall Street. So it’s no surpriseĂ‚Ěýthat Reed is confident when he makes a wager with Moon’s best friend, Granite City Chief of Police Scott Parish, thatĂ‚ĚýParish can’t keep him alive.

Even when Reed doesn’t give them anyĂ‚Ěýdetails beyondĂ‚Ěýthe date and time of his impending demise,Ă‚Ěýthat’s more than enough information for Moon who wants in on the action and is just as confident that he’s well on the way to saving his ranch. But Moon’s bestĂ‚Ěýplans go awry when instead of one homicide on his hands, heĂ‚Ěýends up with two.

James D. Doss infuses the pages of A Dead Man’s Tale, the fifteenth in his popular series, withĂ‚ĚýhisĂ‚ĚýpotentĂ‚Ěýbrand of high spirits and homespun humor that has made him a favorite among mystery readers.

]]> 304 James D. Doss 0312613695 Mike 3
If you like the series, you will enjoy at least parts of it. This is not one that I would read first and is one of my least favorite in the series.]]> 3.95 2010 A Dead Man's Tale (Charlie Moon #15)
author: James D. Doss
name: Mike
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/11
date added: 2024/10/11
shelves:
review:
I am a longtime fan of Jame Doss' Charlie Moon mysteries. They began as conventional mysteries and evolved over time into mysteries with a lot of tongue in cheek humor. The interactions between Ute rancher Charlie Moon, Sheriff Scott Parris, the Ute-Papago orphan Sarah and the slightly demented Ute, Elder Daisy Perika are always fun. Most of this book keeps true to that tradition. Near the end it seemed to veer off track and not match the beginning of the book. I found the ending more than a bit muddled.

If you like the series, you will enjoy at least parts of it. This is not one that I would read first and is one of my least favorite in the series.
]]> <![CDATA[22 Murders: Investigating the Massacres, Cover-up and Obstacles to Justice in Nova Scotia]]> 59238994 587 Paul Palango 1039001270 Mike 3
It is a good solid crime book, but I did not care for the style.]]> 3.54 22 Murders: Investigating the Massacres, Cover-up and Obstacles to Justice in Nova Scotia
author: Paul Palango
name: Mike
average rating: 3.54
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/10
date added: 2024/10/11
shelves:
review:
This book is the story of a denturist in Nova Scotia who embarked on a killing spree during the covid lockdown that left 22 people dead. I found the book very interesting. Canadians give the impression that they are crime free and that the Mounties are the best police force in the world. Palango shows the seamy side of Canadian law enforcement, cover ups and media collusion. I reminded me of stories I have of American cover ups in the 50s and 60s. I thought that for dogged investigative journalism and fearless reporting the book was worth a 5 star rating. The book fell short for me in style and comprehension. It seemed as if the author took his journal articles and strung them together. I found a lot of repetition. It caused me to downgrade my rating.

It is a good solid crime book, but I did not care for the style.
]]> <![CDATA[The Polar Bear Expedition: The Heroes of America’s Forgotten Invasion of Russia, 1918-1919]]> 42433683 An extraordinary lost chapter in the history of WorldĚýWar I: the story of America’s year-long invasion of Russia, in which a contingency of brave soldiers fought the Red Army and brutal conditions during the fall and winter of 1918â€�1919.

In August 1918, the 339th regiment of the U.S. Army—roughly 5,000 soldiers, most hailing from Michigan—sailed for Europe to fight in World War I. But instead of the Western Front, these troops were headed to Archangel, Russia, a vital port city 1,000 miles northeast of Moscow. There, in the frozen subarctic, amid the chaos of the Russian Civil War, one of the most extraordinary episodes of American history unfolded.

The American North Russia Expeditionary Force—self-dubbed “The Polar Bear Expedition”—was sent to fight the Red Army and aid anti-Bolshevik forces in hopes of re-opening the Eastern Front against Germany. On the 100th anniversary of the campaign, award-winning historian James Carl Nelson recreates this harrowing, dramatic military operation in which Americans and Bolsheviks fought a series of pitched battles throughout a punishing fall and winter.

As the Great War officially ended in November 1918, American troops continued to battle the Red Army and an equally formidable enemy, “General Winter.� Subzero temperatures made machine guns and light artillery inoperable. In the blinding ice and snow, sentries suffered from frostbite while guarding against nearly invisible Bolos camouflaged by their white uniforms. Before the Polar Bears� withdrawal in July 1919, more than 200 perished from battle, accidents, and the Spanish flu.

But the Polar Bears� story does not end there. Ten years later, a contingent of veterans returned to Russia to recover the remains of more than 100 of their fallen comrades and lay them to rest in Michigan, where a monument honoring their service still stands: a massive marble polar bear guarding a cross that marks the grave of a fallen soldier.

The Polar Bear Expedition includes 25 black-and-white images throughout.

]]> 297 James Carl Nelson 0062852795 Mike 5
I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in learning about the actions of the 339th Infantry (Polar Bears) in the Soviet Union during 1918 and 1919. It is well written and I enjoyed it very much.]]> 3.58 2019 The Polar Bear Expedition: The Heroes of America’s Forgotten Invasion of Russia, 1918-1919
author: James Carl Nelson
name: Mike
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2019/03/23
date added: 2024/10/03
shelves:
review:
I have read several books about the 1918 American Expedition to Russia. Like Nixon and Reagan, most Americans are unaware that we fought in Russia against the Soviets during and after World War I. Most of the books I have read on the subject were dry and centered on the overall strategy and policies of the action and the lack of support from the Wilson administration. This book, which draws heavily the diaries of the soldiers puts a human face on the action on the action and describes the human misery of the survivors and the violent deaths of those who gave their lives. It is well done.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in learning about the actions of the 339th Infantry (Polar Bears) in the Soviet Union during 1918 and 1919. It is well written and I enjoyed it very much.
]]> <![CDATA[Pitch Dark (Mike Bowditch, #15)]]> 195790650 Game Warden Mike Bowditch must chase down a cunning and dangerous fugitive in the North Maine Woods in this nail-biter of a thriller from Edgar Award-nominated author Paul Doiron, Pitch Dark.

Legendary bush pilot Josie Jonson can’t believe her luck when a skilled builder just happens to show up after she purchases land near Prentiss Pond. All Mark Redmond asks in return for building Josie’s dream cabin is that he be left alone to homeschool his 12-year-old daughter, Cady.

For Maine game warden investigator Mike Bowditch, the intensity of Redmond's secretiveness is troubling, especially in light of suspicious criminal activity being reported around the area―including rumors of an armed man offering large sums of money in exchange for the location of Redmond and Cady. Josie, though hesitant to violate the trust of her prized builder, eventually agrees to fly Mike and his father-in-law Charley Stevens to the secluded pond in an attempt to protect Redmond and Cady. But hours after landing, the trip takes a dark turn when they witness a horrific murder and are taken captive themselves.

Freeing himself, Mike is forced to set off through the impenetrable Maine forest towards Canada, alone and unarmed in pursuit of a mysterious fugitive. As he navigates a windblown landscape choked with deadfalls and blocked by swollen streams, he marvels at his enemy’s bush craft. The killer possesses skills surpassing his own, and Bowditch can't tell if he is the cat or the mouse in this dangerous game. Can Mike Bowditch stop his adversary in time to save the life of a young girl, or will he be forced to watch another innocent soul die?]]> 304 Paul Doiron 1250864429 Mike 5
The Mike Bowditch series follows an impulsive game warden who is constantly raising the ire of his superiors and getting involved with crimes outside of his purview. Over the course of 15 books, we see him grow from a arrogant wet behind the ears rookie to a seasoned, though still impulsive law enforcement officer. This book, and the last one are a departure from the format used earlier in series. The events take place in a compressed time period of about 72 hours instead of a few weeks.

If you like Arche Mayor or C. J. Box, you will like Paul Doiron. I highly recommend this author. Read it from the beginning. The young Mike Bowditch was a jerk and has grown into a man.]]> 4.05 2024 Pitch Dark (Mike Bowditch, #15)
author: Paul Doiron
name: Mike
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/03
date added: 2024/10/03
shelves:
review:
This is another action-packed book in the mystery/thriller series by Paul Doiron featuring Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch. In this episode our protagonist finds himself involved with illegal border crossing north of Jackman, Maine. There are also hints of things to come in future volumes.

The Mike Bowditch series follows an impulsive game warden who is constantly raising the ire of his superiors and getting involved with crimes outside of his purview. Over the course of 15 books, we see him grow from a arrogant wet behind the ears rookie to a seasoned, though still impulsive law enforcement officer. This book, and the last one are a departure from the format used earlier in series. The events take place in a compressed time period of about 72 hours instead of a few weeks.

If you like Arche Mayor or C. J. Box, you will like Paul Doiron. I highly recommend this author. Read it from the beginning. The young Mike Bowditch was a jerk and has grown into a man.
]]> The Devil and the Dark Water 51854625 A murder on the high seas. A detective duo. A demon who may or may not exist.

It's 1634 and Samuel Pipps, the world's greatest detective, is being transported to Amsterdam to be executed for a crime he may, or may not, have committed. Traveling with him is his loyal bodyguard, Arent Hayes, who is determined to prove his friend innocent.

But no sooner are they out to sea than devilry begins to blight the voyage. A twice-dead leper stalks the decks. Strange symbols appear on the sails. Livestock is slaughtered.

And then three passengers are marked for death, including Samuel.

Could a demon be responsible for their misfortunes?

With Pipps imprisoned, only Arent can solve a mystery that connects every passenger onboard. A mystery that stretches back into their past and now threatens to sink the ship, killing everybody on board.

The breathtaking new novel from Stuart Turton, author of the The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, winner of the Costa Best First Novel Award.]]> 463 Stuart Turton Mike 4 3.82 2020 The Devil and the Dark Water
author: Stuart Turton
name: Mike
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/22
date added: 2024/10/02
shelves:
review:
This is a twisted tale of betrayal and greed. Nearly every single person in the story is evil and consumed by greed and betrays someone. It is intricate as well. If you don't have the time and inclination to immerse yourself in the story, you will be confused and highly irritated. It is not up to the standards of 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle but is a bit better than The Last Murder at the End of the World. I enjoyed the book and its complexities. As you read it, try to find out who is NOT evil.
]]> <![CDATA[The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook]]> 191746386
On July 12th, 1776, Captain James Cook, already lionized as the greatest explorer in British history, set off on his third voyage in his ship the HMS Resolution . Two-and-a-half years later, on a beach on the island of Hawaii, Cook was killed in a conflict with native Hawaiians. How did Cook, who was unique among captains for his respect for Indigenous peoples and cultures, come to that fatal moment?

Hampton Sides� bravura account of Cook’s last journey both wrestles with Cook’s legacy and provides a thrilling narrative of the titanic efforts and continual danger that characterized exploration in the 1700s. Cook was renowned for his peerless seamanship, his humane leadership, and his dedication to science-–the famed naturalist Joseph Banks accompanied him on his first voyage, and Cook has been called one of the most important figures of the Age of Enlightenment. He was also deeply interested in the native people he encountered. In fact, his stated mission was to return a Tahitian man, Mai, who had become the toast of London, to his home islands. On previous expeditions, Cook mapped huge swaths of the Pacific, including the east coast of Australia, and initiated first European contact with numerous peoples. He treated his crew well, and endeavored to learn about the societies he encountered with curiosity and without judgment.

Yet something was different on this last voyage. Cook became mercurial, resorting to the lash to enforce discipline, and led his two vessels into danger time and again. Uncharacteristically, he ordered violent retaliation for perceived theft on the part of native peoples. This may have had something to do with his secret orders, which were to chart and claim lands before Britain’s imperial rivals could, and to discover the fabled Northwest Passage. Whatever Cook’s intentions, his scientific efforts were the sharp edge of the colonial sword, and the ultimate effects of first contact were catastrophic for Indigenous people around the world. The tensions between Cook’s overt and covert missions came to a head on the shores of Hawaii. His first landing there was harmonious, but when Cook returned after mapping the coast of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, his exploitative treatment of the Hawaiians led to the fatal encounter.

At once a ferociously-paced story of adventure on the high seas and a searching examination of the complexities and consequences of the Age of Exploration, THE WIDE WIDE SEA is a major work from one of our finest narrative nonfiction writers.]]> 408 Hampton Sides 0385544766 Mike 5
This is a very good book. It is one of the best that I have read all year. I highly recommend this.]]> 4.47 2024 The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook
author: Hampton Sides
name: Mike
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/02
date added: 2024/10/02
shelves:
review:
Hampton Sides has done it again! I have been a fan of his writing since reading The Ghost Soldiers. The Wide Wide Sea is an account of Captain Cook's final voyage to the Pacific. It describes his visits to New Zealand and Polynesia, his visit to Hawaii, his exploration of Vancouver and Alaska culminating with his controversial death on his return to Hawaii. The book gives us a view of the culture of these areas and the impact that Cook, and others had on the native population. The depiction of Mai, the Polynesian that Cook returned to his home shows the tragedy of excess wealth. I agree that the death of Cook is reminiscent of the death of Ferdinand Magellan in the Philippines. I do not agree with the assertion that gadfly and author Mark Twain made about it being a "justifiable homicide".

This is a very good book. It is one of the best that I have read all year. I highly recommend this.
]]> <![CDATA[The Battle of Lake George: England's First Triumph in the French and Indian War]]> 30083240 Under the command of French general Jean-Armand, Baron de Dieskau, the men ambushed the approaching British forces, sparking a bloody conflict for control of the lake and its access to New York's interior. Against all odds, British commander William Johnson rallied his men through the barrage of enemy fire to send the French retreating north to Ticonderoga. The stage was set for one of the most contested regions throughout the rest of the conflict. Historian William Griffith recounts the thrilling history behind the first major British battlefield victory of the French and Indian War.]]> 144 William R. Griffith IV 146711975X Mike 4
]]> 3.40 The Battle of Lake George: England's First Triumph in the French and Indian War
author: William R. Griffith IV
name: Mike
average rating: 3.40
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/30
date added: 2024/09/30
shelves:
review:
This book gives a good description of the Battle of Lake George. It is often overlooked as a significant win by the British against the French Forces in the Champlain Valley area. This is in part due to the fact that it was fought entirely by provincial (American) forces and Native American allies against a force of French regulars, Canadians, and their Native American allies. The battle effectively blocked further French penetration of the New York frontier. It is not a long book and much of it is taken up with setting the battle in its historical setting. While slim, it is a good accounting of the battle.


]]> <![CDATA[The Ice Princess (Fjällbacka, #1)]]> 7058405
Erica conceives a book about the beautiful but remote Alex, one that will answer questions about their own shared past. While her interest grows into an obsession, local detective Patrik Hedstrom is following his own suspicions about the case. But it is only when they start working together that the truth begins to emerge about a small town with a deeply disturbing past.]]> 393 Camilla Läckberg 1605980927 Mike 3
Läckberg's character interactions are interesting as is the love interest that grows in subsequent books. The story was interesting. However, I found the plot a bit muddled and too much was explained in the last few pages. This is often the case with series openers. If this was a standalone book, I would probably consider it average, but for someone reading the whole series it is critical.]]> 3.78 2003 The Ice Princess (Fjällbacka, #1)
author: Camilla Läckberg
name: Mike
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2003
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/29
date added: 2024/09/29
shelves:
review:
This book is the first in the Fjällbacka series by Camila Läckberg. I did not start this series at the beginning. I started about 5 books in with a book that was given to me and was less popular with the author's fans. I enjoyed that book a lot and decided to read the series from the beginning. This book, like most series openers lays the groundwork for the rest of the books in the series. We are introduced to key characters and key events that will crop up later in the series.

Läckberg's character interactions are interesting as is the love interest that grows in subsequent books. The story was interesting. However, I found the plot a bit muddled and too much was explained in the last few pages. This is often the case with series openers. If this was a standalone book, I would probably consider it average, but for someone reading the whole series it is critical.
]]> <![CDATA[Albanian Assignment: The Memoir of an SOE Agent in World War Two (The Extraordinary Life of Colonel David Smiley #1)]]> 53543442
In 1940 Winston Churchill established the Special Operations Executive to “set Europe ablaze.�

Three years later David Smiley and Billy McLean were parachuted into northern Greece and crossed the border into Albania to do just that.

For the next eight months Smiley mediated between the competing resistance factions and organised them to conduct ambushes and acts of sabotage on fascist armies and infrastructure.

His actions were rewarded with an immediate Military Cross, yet his work in Albania was not done. Soon after he had left the country tensions between the Albanian resistance movements had deteriorated into open conflict meaning that Smiley and McLean were once again forced to parachute into the country to reconcile the guerrilla forces whilst continuing the fight against the Nazi forces.

Smiley’s account of his time in Albania is a remarkable book that uncovers the operations and its difficulties of an SOE agent in one of the forgotten fronts of World War Two.

“David Smiley, a regular officer of the Blues, was an early arrival in the country. His memoir of the time he spent there deserves to become one of the classics of special operations literature� John Keegan, The Sunday Times

“wartime memoirs are often exaggerated and boastful, and sometimes the authors� roles can safely be halved. But the writer here is an extremely modest man and the opposite precaution will be a help.� Patrick Leigh Fermor

“This engrossing memoir recounts British intelligence agent Smiley’s two missions in 1943 and 1944 to Albanian resistance fighters.� Library Journal

“David Smiley's tale of his war-time escapades in the SOE in Albania should have a broad appeal with its racy, comic and serious political aspects� Financial Times]]> 216 David Smiley 1913518787 Mike 4
If you are interested in special operations, the Eastern Front, or events that shaped the Cold War, this is a good book to read.]]> 3.91 1985 Albanian Assignment: The Memoir of an SOE Agent in World War Two (The Extraordinary Life of Colonel David Smiley #1)
author: David Smiley
name: Mike
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1985
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/28
date added: 2024/09/29
shelves:
review:
This book is a memoir of the author's account of his time serving with the SOE in Albania during WWII. The writing is typical of first-hand memoirs and is somewhat understated. The subject on the other hand is a something that I have seen very little information on. The author details his efforts in Albania and describes how he was thwarted and nearly betrayed by those working in comfy offices. It describes activities related to the country becoming part of the Soviet sphere of influence after the war.

If you are interested in special operations, the Eastern Front, or events that shaped the Cold War, this is a good book to read.
]]> <![CDATA[A Thousand Miles to Freedom: My Escape from North Korea]]> 23014730
By the time she was eleven years old, Eunsun's father and grandparents had died of starvation, and Eunsun too was in danger of starving. Finally, her mother decided to escape North Korea with Eunsun and her sister, not knowing that they were embarking on a journey that would take them nine long years to complete. Before finally reaching South Korea and freedom, Eunsun and her family would live homeless, fall into the hands of Chinese human traffickers, survive a North Korean labor camp, and cross the deserts of Mongolia on foot.

Now, in A Thousand Miles to Freedom, Eunsun is sharing her remarkable story to give voice to the tens of millions of North Koreans still suffering in silence. Told with grace and courage, her memoir is a riveting exposé of North Korea's totalitarian regime and, ultimately, a testament to the strength and resilience of the human spirit.]]> 228 Eunsun Kim 1250064643 Mike 3
It is a good book for those following the subject.]]> 3.94 2012 A Thousand Miles to Freedom: My Escape from North Korea
author: Eunsun Kim
name: Mike
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/25
date added: 2024/09/26
shelves:
review:
This is a good short book about the escape of Eunsun Kim from North Korea, more than once. It describes her life in China before eventually going to Mongolia and on to South Korea. This book is a bit different from other Korean refugee books in that it describes the conditions that Kim and her mother were forced to endure in China before moving on and the pain of leaving her brother and sister behind in China.

It is a good book for those following the subject.
]]> <![CDATA[Turning Back the Fenians: New Brunswick's Last Colonial Campaign (New Brunswick Military Heritage Series Book 8)]]> 21224414 132 Robert L. Dallison 0864926057 Mike 4
I recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of Maine or New Brunswick or who is interested in the Fenian Brotherhood.



]]> 3.50 2006 Turning Back the Fenians: New Brunswick's Last Colonial Campaign (New Brunswick Military Heritage Series Book 8)
author: Robert L. Dallison
name: Mike
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2018/07/27
date added: 2024/09/23
shelves:
review:
This is another slim, though very informative account of New Brunswick's Military History by Mr. Dallison. This volume explains the Canadian side of the first Fenian attacks in Maine against Campobello Island other border settlements. It is interesting to see the clash of personalities on the Canadian Military side and to see the level of fear experienced by New Brunswick inhabitants in respect to the Fenian rebels. Often the Fenian attacks are looked at as an amusing sidebar by armchair historians. I enjoyed the book a lot.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of Maine or New Brunswick or who is interested in the Fenian Brotherhood.




]]> <![CDATA[Massacre in the Clouds: An American Atrocity and the Erasure of History]]> 198493952 In this “forensic, unflinching, devastating work of historical recovery� (Sathnam Sanghera), Bud Dajo—an American atrocity bigger than Wounded Knee or My Lai, yet today largely forgotten—is revealed, thanks to the rediscovery of a single photograph.

In March 1906, American soldiers on the island of Jolo in the southern Philippines surrounded and killed 1000 local men, women, and children, known as Moros, on top of an extinct volcano. The so-called â€Battle of Bud Dajoâ€� was hailed as a triumph over an implacable band of dangerous savages, a “brilliant feat of armsâ€� according to President Theodore Roosevelt. Some contemporaries, including W.E.B. Du Bois and Mark Twain, saw the massacre for what it was, but they were the exception and the U.S. military authorities successfully managed to bury the story. Despite the fact that the slaughter of Moros had been captured on camera, the memory of the massacre soon disappeared from the historical record.

In Massacre in the Clouds, Kim A. Wagner meticulously recovers the history of a forgotten atrocity and the remarkable photograph that exposed its grim logic. His vivid, unsparing account of the massacre—which claimed hundreds more lives than Wounded Knee and My Lai combined—reveals the extent to which practices of colonial warfare and violence, derived from European imperialism, were fully embraced by Americans with catastrophic results.]]> 352 Kim A. Wagner 1541701496 Mike 3
While there is no doubt that the battle fight was a massacre, however it should be reviewed in the context of the time and place. To me it seemed that the author portrayed the Moros at Bud Dajo as bad boy tax dodgers fighting imperialism. The Moros in fact are neither good nor bad. They are people who are a product of their time and place. Moros enslaved Filipinos and others. They were struggling to retain their homeland and save face. This last point was something the author made clear.

Ultimately, they resisted an overwhelming invading force and lost. It is notable that Wagner mentions the slaughter of Americans at Balangiga as only name and place. It is incorrectly compared to My Lai and Sand Creek where the inhabitants were defenseless and surrendering. The Moros at Bud Dajo were not defenseless, though were clearly outgunned and outnumbered. As to the photographs and trophies taken, while this is an ugly practice, it is common in warfare. Stacking skulls is no longer commonplace and seen as an atrocity today, it is hardly more horrifying than the ritual cannibalism of MÄori warriors.

Not a bad book, but a flawed conclusion.

]]> 3.93 2024 Massacre in the Clouds: An American Atrocity and the Erasure of History
author: Kim A. Wagner
name: Mike
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/22
date added: 2024/09/22
shelves:
review:
This book was a bit hard to review. The five-star rating system is sometimes limiting. A 3.5 would have been accurate. I found the research to be excellent. I disagreed with the presentation of the conclusion the author draws from the research.

While there is no doubt that the battle fight was a massacre, however it should be reviewed in the context of the time and place. To me it seemed that the author portrayed the Moros at Bud Dajo as bad boy tax dodgers fighting imperialism. The Moros in fact are neither good nor bad. They are people who are a product of their time and place. Moros enslaved Filipinos and others. They were struggling to retain their homeland and save face. This last point was something the author made clear.

Ultimately, they resisted an overwhelming invading force and lost. It is notable that Wagner mentions the slaughter of Americans at Balangiga as only name and place. It is incorrectly compared to My Lai and Sand Creek where the inhabitants were defenseless and surrendering. The Moros at Bud Dajo were not defenseless, though were clearly outgunned and outnumbered. As to the photographs and trophies taken, while this is an ugly practice, it is common in warfare. Stacking skulls is no longer commonplace and seen as an atrocity today, it is hardly more horrifying than the ritual cannibalism of MÄori warriors.

Not a bad book, but a flawed conclusion.


]]> <![CDATA[Massacre at Oradour-sur-Glane: Nazi Gold and the Murder of an Entire French Town by SS Division Das Reich]]> 122410586 280 Vincent Depaul Lupiano 1493073745 Mike 0 to-read 2.58 2024 Massacre at Oradour-sur-Glane: Nazi Gold and the Murder of an Entire French Town by SS Division Das Reich
author: Vincent Depaul Lupiano
name: Mike
average rating: 2.58
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Wake: The Deadly Legacy of a Newfoundland Tsunami]]> 43309486 384 Linden MacIntyre 1443452025 Mike 4
The premise is that the tsunami started it all. It destroyed the fisheries and that a desperate unemployed and underemployed workforce in an isolated area were ripe for employment in a dangerous mine. The shipwrecks tie into this because the US government, in gratitude for the rescue efforts of the Newfoundlanders built the first hospital in the area, one that later treated the miners respiratory and cancer problems.

This book is about unsafe mining conditions and cancer from those issues. It was an interesting way to tell the story. I would have preferred a little more information on the strategic importance of fluorspar and a bit more on radon and silicosis health issues. Not much more, just another few pages to the book. The book is more about the impact on the lives of the people. If you are interested in Newfoundland this is a solid well written book. It is also of interest if you are looking at issues related to the home front in WWII.]]> 3.94 2019 The Wake: The Deadly Legacy of a Newfoundland Tsunami
author: Linden MacIntyre
name: Mike
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/20
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves:
review:
This is a very interesting book that starts with a tsunami generated by an underwater earthquake in 1929 that destroyed the fisheries off southern Newfoundland. This was replaced by fluorspar mining. The book also talks about Newfoundland politics and its eventual inclusion into Canada, the wrecks of the USS Pollux and USS Truston during WWII and finally includes a discussion of the devastating health effects of a poorly operated mine on the miners and their families and union activities to clean up the problem. This is a lot to cover.

The premise is that the tsunami started it all. It destroyed the fisheries and that a desperate unemployed and underemployed workforce in an isolated area were ripe for employment in a dangerous mine. The shipwrecks tie into this because the US government, in gratitude for the rescue efforts of the Newfoundlanders built the first hospital in the area, one that later treated the miners respiratory and cancer problems.

This book is about unsafe mining conditions and cancer from those issues. It was an interesting way to tell the story. I would have preferred a little more information on the strategic importance of fluorspar and a bit more on radon and silicosis health issues. Not much more, just another few pages to the book. The book is more about the impact on the lives of the people. If you are interested in Newfoundland this is a solid well written book. It is also of interest if you are looking at issues related to the home front in WWII.
]]> <![CDATA[How Elites Ate the Social Justice Movement]]> 101021832 An eye-opening exploration of American policy reform, or lack thereof, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement and how the country can do better in the future from Fredrik deBoer, “one of the sharpest and funniest writers on the internet� (The New York Times).

In 2020, while the Covid-19 pandemic raged, the United States was hit by a ripple of political discontent the likes of which had not been seen since the 1960s. The spark was the viral video of the horrific police murder of an unarmed Black man in Minneapolis. The killings of George Floyd galvanized a nation already reeling from Covid and a toxic political cycle. Tens of thousands poured into the streets to protest. Major corporations and large nonprofit groups—institutions that are usually resolutely apolitical—raced to join in. The fervor for racial justice intersected with the already simmering demands for change from the #MeToo movement and for economic justice from Gen Z. The entire country suddenly seemed to be roaring for change in one voice.

Then nothing much happened.

In How Elites Ate the Social Justice Movement, Fredrik deBoer explores why these passionate movements failed and how they could succeed in the future. In the digital age, social movements flare up but then lose steam through a lack of tangible goals, the inherent moderating effects of our established institutions and political parties, and the lack of any real grassroots movement in contemporary America. Hidden beneath the rhetoric of the oppressed and symbolism of the downtrodden lies and the inconvenient fact that those are doing the organizing, messaging, protesting, and campaigning are predominantly drawn from this country’s more upwardly mobile educated classes. Poses are more important than policies.

deBoer lays out an alternative vision for how society’s winners can contribute to social justice movements without taking them over, and how activists and their organizations can become more resistant to the influence of elites, nonprofits, corporations, and political parties. Only by organizing around class rather than empty gestures can we begin the hard work of changing minds and driving policy.]]> 251 Fredrik deBoer 1668016036 Mike 5
DeBoer writes from the perspective of a constructionist instead of an obstructionist. This book is not an attempt to reach out to people like me, it is a request for a big picture, common goal for the Democratic Party. The book is a thoughtful dissertation on the reason that left leaning organizations, and their causes have enjoyed initial success and why they have ultimately failed. Although many noble causes are referenced DeBoer heavily discusses the MeToo Movement and Black Lives Matters in detail and discusses Occupy Wall Street and trade unions in a more general sense. I think he is spot on. I am sure that neither of us would convince the other to switch camps on major issues I would like to think that I could sit down and have a cup of coffee with him and enjoy a debate.

Regardless of your political affiliation, if you have an interest in the current state liberal politics or want to understand the reasons that recent initiatives, particularly MeToo an Black Lives Matters have failed, this is an excellent book. If you are fragile and close-minded you will hate it.]]> 3.86 2023 How Elites Ate the Social Justice Movement
author: Fredrik deBoer
name: Mike
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/18
date added: 2024/09/18
shelves:
review:
This is a very interesting and well thought out book. The author and I are not in agreement politically. He is a Marxist, which to me is left of left and utopian. I am a right leaning independent, fiscally conservative and though socially more liberal.

DeBoer writes from the perspective of a constructionist instead of an obstructionist. This book is not an attempt to reach out to people like me, it is a request for a big picture, common goal for the Democratic Party. The book is a thoughtful dissertation on the reason that left leaning organizations, and their causes have enjoyed initial success and why they have ultimately failed. Although many noble causes are referenced DeBoer heavily discusses the MeToo Movement and Black Lives Matters in detail and discusses Occupy Wall Street and trade unions in a more general sense. I think he is spot on. I am sure that neither of us would convince the other to switch camps on major issues I would like to think that I could sit down and have a cup of coffee with him and enjoy a debate.

Regardless of your political affiliation, if you have an interest in the current state liberal politics or want to understand the reasons that recent initiatives, particularly MeToo an Black Lives Matters have failed, this is an excellent book. If you are fragile and close-minded you will hate it.
]]> <![CDATA[McMillions: The Absolutely True Story of How an Unlikely Pair of FBI Agents Brought Down the Most Supersized Fraud in Fast Food History]]> 203163978 In the tradition of Argo, The Wizard of Lies, and The Smartest Guys in the Room, a book that expands upon the HBO docuseries, McMillion$, with new, exclusive interviews and stories that couldn't make it into the series. In March of 2001, Federal prosecutor Mark Devereaux cold-called Rob Holm, the head of security for McDonald's Corporation. Without explanation, Devereaux asked that Holm and several other McDonald's senior executives plan a visit to the Jacksonville, Florida, FBI, and tell no one about their intended destination. It wasn't up for discussion. Upon their arrival, Devereaux watched them closely, looking at body language, checking for tells. To him, they were all potential suspects. Once they were seated in an unremarkable conference room, sealed away in the hyper-secure FBI building, Devereaux began to lay out a shocking conspiracy, one that ran deep into McDonald's most beloved the Monopoly game. From 1989 to 2001, not a single winner of a high-value prize was legitimate. Instead, all were the courtesy of one man who brilliantly crafted a near-infallible nationwide conspiracy for fraud. Expanded from the wildly popular HBO docuseries with major new interviews, MCMILLIONS traces this massive crime, the intricate web of lies that bolstered it, and the tireless work of the FBI agents that unraveled it all. It is a story littered with families torn apart, betrayals, financial ruin, and one suspicious car crash. Yet, there are bright spots in the hijinks of the FBI agents and their co-conspirators. Ultimately, it is a story of what happens when the American dream goes very wrong.]]> 336 James Lee Hernandez 1538720116 Mike 4
The book is based on the author's HBO miniseries. I generally am not a fan of books based on documentaries and podcasts. I may be traditional, but I think the book should preceded the podcast or miniseries. The book is fun (if that can be applied to true crime). It is fast paced and engaging. On the downside no index. I am not a fan of non-fiction books with no index. Secondly, while the top prize winners were profiled there was little reference to other people involved. An appendix with a summary of the other prizes that were given out under the fraud and the crimes committed would have rounded out the book.

All in all, this a a great book and a fast read on a crime that ended one of the hottest advertising promotions of the 1990s. It is worth the read.]]> 3.85 McMillions: The Absolutely True Story of How an Unlikely Pair of FBI Agents Brought Down the Most Supersized Fraud in Fast Food History
author: James Lee Hernandez
name: Mike
average rating: 3.85
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/09
date added: 2024/09/11
shelves:
review:
Some people may have forgotten the wildly popular McDonald's Monopoly promotional game that was run from the 1980s through 2000. Most may not know about the fraud that ended the game. When I came across this book, I assumed it would explain which McDonalds officials perpetrated the fraud. The truth is much more interesting. You will have to read to book to find out why.

The book is based on the author's HBO miniseries. I generally am not a fan of books based on documentaries and podcasts. I may be traditional, but I think the book should preceded the podcast or miniseries. The book is fun (if that can be applied to true crime). It is fast paced and engaging. On the downside no index. I am not a fan of non-fiction books with no index. Secondly, while the top prize winners were profiled there was little reference to other people involved. An appendix with a summary of the other prizes that were given out under the fraud and the crimes committed would have rounded out the book.

All in all, this a a great book and a fast read on a crime that ended one of the hottest advertising promotions of the 1990s. It is worth the read.
]]> <![CDATA[Poached: Inside the Dark World of Wildlife Trafficking]]> 37969630
Journalist Rachel Nuwer plunges the reader into the underground of global wildlife trafficking, a topic she has been investigating for nearly a decade. Our insatiable demand for animals -- for jewelry, pets, medicine, meat, trophies, and fur -- is driving a worldwide poaching epidemic, threatening the continued existence of countless species. Illegal wildlife trade now ranks among the largest contraband industries in the world, yet compared to drug, arms, or human trafficking, the wildlife crisis has received scant attention and support, leaving it up to passionate individuals fighting on the ground to try to ensure that elephants, tigers, rhinos, and more are still around for future generations.

As Reefer Madness (Schlosser) took us into the drug market, or Susan Orlean descended into the swampy obsessions of The Orchid Thief , Nuwer--an award-winning science journalist with a background in ecology--takes readers on a narrative journey to the front lines of the to killing fields in Africa, traditional medicine black markets in China, and wild meat restaurants in Vietnam. Through exhaustive first-hand reporting that took her to ten countries, Nuwer explores the forces currently driving demand for animals and their parts; the toll that demand is extracting on species across the planet; and the conservationists, rangers, and activists who believe it is not too late to stop the impending extinctions. More than a depressing list of statistics, Poached is the story of the people who believe this is a battle that can be won, that our animals are not beyond salvation.]]> 384 Rachel Love Nuwer 0306825503 Mike 3
However, a few things did seem out of place from a stylistic standpoint. First, there was a general attitude toward condescension. Second, the cussing. I cuss a lot, but not when I am being professional. I understand using cusswords in fiction. In non-fiction it smacks of unprofessionalism. I doubt that Ms. Nuwer writes this way for professional pieces. Third, the whole "dress like a hooker" thing seemed more to be written to titillate rather than inform. It is not terrible, just not for me.

Despite my misgivings about the author's style, this is an informative book, on the illegal wildlife trade and one that I would recommend.]]> 4.20 2018 Poached: Inside the Dark World of Wildlife Trafficking
author: Rachel Love Nuwer
name: Mike
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/08
date added: 2024/09/08
shelves:
review:
This is a good non-fiction book about the illegal trade in endangered species for meat and sham pharmaceuticals for the wealthy elite. The reporting is extensive and comprehensive. I give the author high points for this.

However, a few things did seem out of place from a stylistic standpoint. First, there was a general attitude toward condescension. Second, the cussing. I cuss a lot, but not when I am being professional. I understand using cusswords in fiction. In non-fiction it smacks of unprofessionalism. I doubt that Ms. Nuwer writes this way for professional pieces. Third, the whole "dress like a hooker" thing seemed more to be written to titillate rather than inform. It is not terrible, just not for me.

Despite my misgivings about the author's style, this is an informative book, on the illegal wildlife trade and one that I would recommend.
]]> <![CDATA[moses robinson and the founding of vermont]]> 25201448 450 Robert A. Mello 0934720657 Mike 4
This excellent book is an extremely detailed account of the life of Moses Robinson and the politics of early Vermont. I would not recommend the book for anyone who had no idea about the Revolutionary War in Vermont, the Haldimand Negotiations, or the struggle for recognition for statehood. This is not a dry book but it's very detailed. I would put it in the category of advanced reading or "scholarly". ]]> 4.38 moses robinson and the founding of vermont
author: Robert A. Mello
name: Mike
average rating: 4.38
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/07
date added: 2024/09/07
shelves:
review:
I have owned this book for a number of years. I have read a lot about the Revolutionary War in Vermont. Most of it centers on the Allens, Warners, or John Stark. They were important. Very little is written on other great men such as Robinson, Jacob Bayley, and William Marsh. I thought this book was going to be rather dry, so it remained on my "to read" list for a long time.

This excellent book is an extremely detailed account of the life of Moses Robinson and the politics of early Vermont. I would not recommend the book for anyone who had no idea about the Revolutionary War in Vermont, the Haldimand Negotiations, or the struggle for recognition for statehood. This is not a dry book but it's very detailed. I would put it in the category of advanced reading or "scholarly".
]]> <![CDATA[Left for Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World]]> 199593962 320 Eric Jay Dolin 1324093080 Mike 4
I like his style and will likely read more of his books. This is one that I would particularly recommend especially to people who enjoy nautical history.]]> 3.89 2024 Left for Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World
author: Eric Jay Dolin
name: Mike
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/06
date added: 2024/09/06
shelves:
review:
Eric Jay Dolin writes a very interesting and harrowing tale of long forgotten events. This is a book of treachery, betrayal, hardship and survival. Charles Barnard, 4 other men and a dog are marooned in the Falkland Islands in 1813. This book tells the story of a sealing expedition detoured to rescue the crew and passengers of a wrecked British ship and the greed that left 5 people stranded on the then uninhabited islands. Numerous illustrations and maps bolster my belief in hard copy books over electronic media.

I like his style and will likely read more of his books. This is one that I would particularly recommend especially to people who enjoy nautical history.
]]> You Like It Darker 201242757 From legendary storyteller and master of short fiction Stephen King comes an extraordinary new collection of twelve short stories, many never-before-published, and some of his best EVER.

“You like it darker? Fine, so do I,� writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life—both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel “the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind,� and in You Like It Darker, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again.

“Two Talented Bastids� explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream,� a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny’s most catastrophically. In “Rattlesnakes,� a sequel to Cujo, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance—with major strings attached. In “The Dreamers,� a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. “The Answer Man� asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful.

King’s ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it.]]> 512 Stephen King 1668037718 Mike 4
The best story in the book, hands down, is Danny Couglin's Bad Dream. It rates a solid 5. Even if all the other stories in the book were terrible this one is worth the price of admission.

Slide Inn Road, The Turbulence Expert, Laurie, are stories that appealed to me, and I thought were very interesting and well written.

Two Talented Bastids, Willie the Weirdo, The Fifth Step, The Answer Man and The Red Screen were good stories, but not quite the same caliber as the aforementioned.

The story, "Rattlesnakes" was bad. Billed as a sequel to Cujo with references to Duma Key, I found it tedious, and a bit muddled. I found the use of dead kids unsettling. I also strongly dislike horror stories like this. Others may like it. Cujo and Pet Semetary have strong followings among King fans. But it was not for me. I put the Dreamers in this category as well and give them a 2.

Overall, I give the book a solid 4. Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream made the book and makes it worth the purchase price. The two stories that I panned will probably be rated by others as good. King is a very talented writer who I have followed for years. If you are a fan, you will definitely enjoy the book.

]]> 4.16 2024 You Like It Darker
author: Stephen King
name: Mike
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/04
date added: 2024/09/05
shelves:
review:
This is a good book. Kudos to Mr. King for leaving his personal politics out of the mix. It shows much respect for readers of all persuasions. The book is a mixed bag.

The best story in the book, hands down, is Danny Couglin's Bad Dream. It rates a solid 5. Even if all the other stories in the book were terrible this one is worth the price of admission.

Slide Inn Road, The Turbulence Expert, Laurie, are stories that appealed to me, and I thought were very interesting and well written.

Two Talented Bastids, Willie the Weirdo, The Fifth Step, The Answer Man and The Red Screen were good stories, but not quite the same caliber as the aforementioned.

The story, "Rattlesnakes" was bad. Billed as a sequel to Cujo with references to Duma Key, I found it tedious, and a bit muddled. I found the use of dead kids unsettling. I also strongly dislike horror stories like this. Others may like it. Cujo and Pet Semetary have strong followings among King fans. But it was not for me. I put the Dreamers in this category as well and give them a 2.

Overall, I give the book a solid 4. Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream made the book and makes it worth the purchase price. The two stories that I panned will probably be rated by others as good. King is a very talented writer who I have followed for years. If you are a fan, you will definitely enjoy the book.


]]> <![CDATA[The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War]]> 195608683 The #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Splendid and the Vile brings to life the pivotal five months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the start of the Civil War—a slow-burning crisis that finally tore a deeply divided nation in two.

On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the fluky victor in a tight race for president. The country was bitterly at odds; Southern extremists were moving ever closer to destroying the Union, with one state after another seceding and Lincoln powerless to stop them. Slavery fueled the conflict, but somehow the passions of North and South came to focus on a lonely federal fortress in Charleston: Fort Sumter.
Ěý
Master storyteller Erik Larson offers a gripping account of the chaotic months between Lincoln’s election and the Confederacy’s shelling of Sumter—a period marked by tragic errors and miscommunications, enflamed egos and craven ambitions, personal tragedies and betrayals. Lincoln himself wrote that the trials of these five months were “so great that, could I have anticipated them, I would not have believed it possible to survive them.�
Ěý
At the heart of this suspense-filled narrative are Major Robert Anderson, Sumter’s commander and a former slave owner sympathetic to the South but loyal to the Union; Edmund Ruffin, a vain and bloodthirsty radical who stirs secessionist ardor at every opportunity; and Mary Boykin Chesnut, wife of a prominent planter, conflicted over both marriage and slavery and seeing parallels between both. In the middle of it all is the overwhelmed Lincoln, battling with his duplicitous Secretary of State, William Seward, as he tries desperately to avert a war that he fears is inevitable—one that will eventually kill 750,000 Americans.
Ěý
Drawing on diaries, secret communiques, slave ledgers, and plantation records, Larson gives us a political horror story that captures the forces that led America to the brink—a dark reminder that we often don’t see a cataclysm coming until it’s too late.]]> 565 Erik Larson 0385348746 Mike 5
The book describes how the concept of 'southern honor' bases on concepts of dueling, and chivalric romance combined with greed and hubris led to the events described. If you enjoy Larson's other books or solid historic books about the Civil War this is a book to read.
]]> 4.13 2024 The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War
author: Erik Larson
name: Mike
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/31
date added: 2024/09/01
shelves:
review:
My daughter introduced me to this author several years ago with a copy of The Vile and the Damned. I have since read all of what this author has put out and eagerly await his news work. The Demon of Unrest is no exception. It delves into politics and posturing leading up the secession of the southern states from the Union and culminating in the shelling of Fort Sumter. While Abraham Lincoln, James Buchanan, Winfield Scott, and Jefferson Davis are featured in the book it focuses more on lesser-known figures South Carolina Governor Francis Pickens, Confederate politician Edmund Ruffin, Brigadier Gen. P.G.T Beauregard, and diarist Mary Chesnut. The Union counterpoint is expressed largely through the views of Secretary of State William Seward, commanding officer Maj. Robert Anderson, and Capt. Abner Doubleday.

The book describes how the concept of 'southern honor' bases on concepts of dueling, and chivalric romance combined with greed and hubris led to the events described. If you enjoy Larson's other books or solid historic books about the Civil War this is a book to read.

]]> <![CDATA[Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight against the Drug Companies That Delivered the Opioid Epidemic]]> 49049906 From a Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter from the smallest newspaper ever to win the prize for investigative reporting, an urgent, riveting, and heartbreaking investigation into the corporate and governmental greed that pumped millions of pain pills into small Appalachian towns, decimating communities.

Death in Mud Lick is the story of a pharmacy in Kermit, West Virginia, that distributed 12 million opioid pain pills in three years to a town with a population of 382 people—and of one woman, desperate for justice, after losing her brother to overdose. Debbie Preece’s fight for accountability for her brother’s death took her well beyond the Sav-Rite Pharmacy in coal country, ultimately leading to three of the biggest drug wholesalers in the country. She was joined by a crusading lawyer and by local journalist, Eric Eyre, who uncovered a massive opioid pill-dumping scandal that shook the foundation of America’s largest drug companies—and won him a Pulitzer Prize.

Part Erin Brockovich, part Spotlight, Death in Mud Lick details the clandestine meetings with whistleblowers; a court fight to unseal filings that the drug distributors tried to keep hidden, a push to secure the DEA pill-shipment data, and the fallout after Eyre’s local paper, the Gazette-Mail, the smallest newspaper ever to win a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting, broke the story.

Eyre follows the opioid shipments into individual counties, pharmacies, and homes in West Virginia and explains how they hooked thousands on prescription drugs—resulting in the highest overdose rates in the country. But despite the tragedy, there is also hope as citizens banded together to create positive change—and won. A work of deep reporting and personal conviction, Eric Eyre’s intimate portrayal of a national public health crisis illuminates the shocking pattern of corporate greed and its repercussions for the citizens of West Virginia—and the nation—to this day.]]> 320 Eric Eyre 198210533X Mike 4 4.08 2020 Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight against the Drug Companies That Delivered the Opioid Epidemic
author: Eric Eyre
name: Mike
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/24
date added: 2024/08/25
shelves:
review:
This is a very good book on the greed of distributors of prescription opioid drugs who flooded small West Virgina towns with the drugs. It tells of their corruption, attempts to circumvent legal responsibility and the purchase of politicians. It also tells of the attempt by the drug distributors and their political lackeys to destroy a local newspaper. If you are interested in the opioid epidemic or corporate subversion of politicians, this is a great book.
]]> Hard Knocks 11831823
Following the lead of Boston crime-thriller writers like Dennis Lehane and Chuck Hogan, New York Times bestselling author and radio sensation Howie Carr delivers a hard-hitting tale of survival, betrayal, deceit, and murder…in other words, a fictional odyssey through the last thirty years of crime in Boston.

Jack Reilly, a dodgy ex-Boston cop, is trying to make ends meet as a private investigator. When a client is killed, execution style, Reilly finds himself in a whole world of pain. Someone wants him dead—but why? To find out, Reilly must weed through thirty years of duplicity, corruption, and killing…a web of politicians dirtier than mobsters and criminals nobler than senators. He needs to uncover the dangerous truth behind the bribery, blood, and backdoor deals that define the highest levels of both organized crime and State House politics—before it’s too late.
]]> 352 Howie Carr 076532640X Mike 5 3.33 2012 Hard Knocks
author: Howie Carr
name: Mike
average rating: 3.33
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/25
date added: 2024/08/25
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Druuna Serpieri Collection Volume 4]]> 43802623 128 Paolo Eleuteri Serpieri 8865274506 Mike 3 3.50 Druuna Serpieri Collection Volume 4
author: Paolo Eleuteri Serpieri
name: Mike
average rating: 3.50
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/22
date added: 2024/08/22
shelves:
review:
This is the 4th volume of Paolo Serpieri's Druuna Collection. The art as always is spectacular. The story itself is a bit of a mess. If you are a fan of the series and the art, it is a fine addition to the collection. If you are looking at the story itself, it leaves much to desire compared to other volumes in the collection.
]]> <![CDATA[Foxtrot in Kandahar: A Memoir of a CIA Officer in Afghanistan at the Inception of America’s Longest War]]> 34415131
This is the true story of Evans's unexpected journey from the pristine halls of Langley to the badlands of southern Afghanistan. Within hours after he watched the horrors of 9/11 unfold during a chance visit to FBI Headquarters, Evans begins a personal and relentless quest to become part of the U.S. response against al-Qa'ida. This memoir tracks his efforts to join one of CIA's elite teams bound for Afghanistan, a journey that eventually takes him to the front lines in Pakistan, first as part of the advanced element of CIA's Echo team supporting Hamid Karzai, and finally as leader of the under-resourced and often overlooked Foxtrot team.

Relying on rusty military skills from Evans's days as a Green Beret and brandishing a traded-for rifle, he moves toward Kandahar, one of only a handful of Americans pushing forward across the desert in the company of Pashtun warriors into some of the most dangerous, yet mesmerizingly beautiful, landscape on earth.

The ultimate triumph of the CIA and Special Forces teams, when absolutely everything was on the line, is tempered by the US tragedy that catalyzed what is now America's longest war. Evans's very personal adventure that unfolds within the pages of Foxtrot in Kandahar: A Memoir of a CIA Officer in Afghanistan at the Inception of America's Longest War, which concludes with an analysis of opportunities lost in the years since his time in Afghanistan, should be required reading for everyone interested in modern warfare.]]> 200 Duane Evans 1611213576 Mike 3 3.66 2017 Foxtrot in Kandahar: A Memoir of a CIA Officer in Afghanistan at the Inception of America’s Longest War
author: Duane Evans
name: Mike
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2024/08/20
date added: 2024/08/21
shelves:
review:
This was an interesting account by the leader of the CIA team that helped seize the city of Kandahar. It is informative solid book but a bit formulaic.
]]> <![CDATA[The Widow's Revenge (Charlie Moon #14)]]> 6453853
Witches?

She swears there's a whole midnight brood lurking in the woods just off her property, mocking her with lewd songs and harassing her with the carcasses of dead animals. When no one takes her seriously—she has been known to cry wolf from time to time—she takes matters into her own hands, with disastrous results. By the time Charlie arrives, it's too late to save her, and while he knows he can't bring her back, that doesn't mean he can't help the widow get her revenge after all.

Told in Doss's whimsical style, The Widow's Revenge is a wonderfully tall tale that requires wide-open spaces and larger-than-life heroes like Charlie Moon to saddle up and make sure that justice is served.]]> 290 James D. Doss 031236461X Mike 5 4.01 2009 The Widow's Revenge (Charlie Moon #14)
author: James D. Doss
name: Mike
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2024/08/21
date added: 2024/08/21
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[GI Confidential (Sergeants Sueño and Bascom #14)]]> 43789179 US Army CID Agents George Sueño and Ernie Bascom become entangled with a pushy tabloid reporter as they investigate a series of violent bank robberies throughout South Korea. ĚýSouth Korea, 1970 A rash of armed robberies at local Korean banks doesn’t concern the American military—until a fatality occurs, and proof surfaces that US soldiers are behind the crimes. The case has been assigned to CID Agents Jake Burrows and Felix Slabem, but they certainly won’t do anything that might make 8th United States Army look bad. So Sergeants George Sueño and Ernie Bascom have decided to step in and investigate the robberies—and murder—themselves. Ěý George and Ernie have their own problems to worry about, namely Katie Byrd Worthington, a pesky reporter for the Overseas Observer—an unsanctioned English-language tabloid that has found strong roots in South Korea. Katie has published a story that implicates Army higher-ups in both sex trafficking and treason, and the pressure is on for the CID to disprove her claims. But what if they aren’t false? As George and Ernie dig deeper into the case, they find themselves the targets of a very unflattering publicity campaign, but perhaps also something much more dangerous.]]> 384 Martin LimĂłn 1641290390 Mike 4 4.03 GI Confidential (Sergeants Sueño and Bascom #14)
author: Martin LimĂłn
name: Mike
average rating: 4.03
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/17
date added: 2024/08/17
shelves:
review:

]]>