tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41162119262966193022024-03-19T02:32:48.895-07:00Read in WV ReviewsReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.comBlogger151125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116211926296619302.post-21982150416780028372024-03-13T08:33:00.000-07:002024-03-13T09:52:29.391-07:00For the Love of Dictators<div style="text-align: left;">Heilbrunn, Jacob. <i>America Last: The Right's Century-Long Romance with Foreign Dictators.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> </i> n.p.: Liveright, 2024. ISBN: <span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3">9781324094661</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBUUxBTOJeZO1u6F_yATFzsYw45sL5P4bKwQwqHJbwaZhsG86fJgMXWSNk8GDWbo3zspiLm_HdXGfI_yWUYB_AgwUjdod1eiprKQtDRVBf5xWA3ebw1USe_RZeT_BTFqiXWnECIX1XSWInDsoQMHwKn1h6SN31mVtTkrjtd2kZy4IMubPGbTa8TGtMr8/s600/america-last.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBUUxBTOJeZO1u6F_yATFzsYw45sL5P4bKwQwqHJbwaZhsG86fJgMXWSNk8GDWbo3zspiLm_HdXGfI_yWUYB_AgwUjdod1eiprKQtDRVBf5xWA3ebw1USe_RZeT_BTFqiXWnECIX1XSWInDsoQMHwKn1h6SN31mVtTkrjtd2kZy4IMubPGbTa8TGtMr8/s320/america-last.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Everyone alive knows that Donald Trump seems enthralled with Putin and Ron DeSantis with Victor Orban. What about dictators is so attractive to a certain mindset? And when did this obsession become a passion of the Conservatives? These are some of the issues that Jacob Heilbrunn seeks to clarify in <i>America Last.</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3"><i> </i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3">Jacob Heilbrunn lays out early in the opening<i> </i>of the book his relationship with the conservative movement to establish his credentials for the history he reveals. He starts with the present day where the conservatives and many Republicans seem to think that Hungary and its culture wars is the future they should pursue. So how and when did this "homage to authoritarianism" develop? </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3">So who all has the Right praised? "Kaiser Bill" for one was praised by </span></span><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3">Henry Louis Mencken and George Sylvester Viereck as an upholder of traditional values. </span></span><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3">Theodore Lothrop Stoddard, </span></span><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3">Madison Grant, and </span></span><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3">H. P. Lovecraft adored Benito Mussolini, the Fascist ruler of Italy. </span></span><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3">Ezra Pound was another vocal advocate of both Mussolini and later Adolf Hitler. Elizabeth Dilling was a fascist supporter who accused the YMCA and the League of Women Voters as communist front organizations and college campuses as "hotbeds of radicalism." Then there was the America First Committee that openly support Germany with the assistance of Henry Ford, Charles Lindbergh, the return of George Sylvester Viereck, and the funding of William Randolph Hearst. After the war, came the era of McCarthy with the Senator hunting for "dirty Commies" everywhere while working on rehabilitating Nazi Germany. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3">In the 1950's Henry Luce and his wife Clara Booth Luce helped lead the charge against the U.S. State Department while fawning over Nationalist China's ruler, Chiang Kaishek. About this time William F. Buckley wandered on to the stage praising McCarthy while pushing a shift from isolationism to confronting the Communist menace through <i>The National Review</i>. However, Buckley, his brother-in-law Leo Bozell, Jr., and others also looked to Franco of Spain, and Salazar of Portugal for inspiration in opposing the rise of Liberalism in America. Then there was the Kirkpatrick doctrine which provided cover for the Right to cozy up with authoritarian governments such as Pinochet, South Africa, El Salvador, and Argentina. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3">In 1989, the Soviet Union collapsed and the Right lost a major focus. Patrick Buchanan started the charge of the new "Old Right" back to isolationism that puts America first leading to a fight between neoconservatives and paleoconservatives that is still going strong. He voiced strong opposition to George H. W. Bush in regard to the Gulf War, to the U.S. sending troops to Bosnia, and was warmly embraced by Russian presidential candidate Vladimir Zhirinovsky for his stance on Jews. Then came 9/11 and the launch of the War on Terror. In George W. Bush, the neocons had a champion to try out their ideas in Afghanistan and then Iraq. The ultimate failure of the neocon plans provided the opportunity for the paleocons to come roaring back in the unlikely person of Donald J. Trump who made no secret of his love of authoritarians such as Vladimir Putin. Even Putin's invasion of Ukraine in flagrant defiance of treaties that Russia has signed has not slowed the love of dictators found in the Right today. It is amazing/appalling how many people have fallen in love with a nostalgic picture of a time that never was.<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3">Jacob Heilbrun provides a very detailed schooling on the love for authoritarians that seem crafted into the DNA of the conservative Right in America. So if you want to know the background to the news stories of today, take the time to read <i>America Last. <br /></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3"><br /></span></span></div>ReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116211926296619302.post-14609454435750472892024-03-03T06:46:00.000-08:002024-03-03T06:58:03.217-08:00Running up the Score!<div style="text-align: left;">Bruning, John R. <i>Race of Aces: WWII's Elite Airmen and the Epic Battle to Become the Master </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> of the Sky.</i> New York: Hachette Books, 2020. ISBN: 9780316508629</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAzTjQMxO3f02A3PEcO0_mAzI0f5_qHM7sLT0aqWN1hZU6gCtuwHx05JLrG1mpGV4ecSB8rCMVDsmWLKmimrB8IrMNgt0l3yUyiC-FhGUaoBGmvYDg1BdwzmT4sPMidc8yOI3YAi6A0hIjsQU1RnBcfOqWp8Nk_s1gESmiNUhgEQ1Ehejh-0JidaUIX1M/s600/race-of-aces.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-nhlg7DMQw1949P7wZ7kfHaKycKgGzXo-kDZ2EsA-EfTfTXsUDW_VNmNxip-l8nmdUs3djxkqjRci7pE7_ry7CpZOy_gXN2m4RasQvMoGrm_QmQyAg7fWO0iog0Q_jLSwTQoHNYMMNu4GRiWTY_li3HAHfX6MsSCbdcD-18n7xp27lhoRk3F1nwiXIE/s1000/race-of-aces.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="667" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-nhlg7DMQw1949P7wZ7kfHaKycKgGzXo-kDZ2EsA-EfTfTXsUDW_VNmNxip-l8nmdUs3djxkqjRci7pE7_ry7CpZOy_gXN2m4RasQvMoGrm_QmQyAg7fWO0iog0Q_jLSwTQoHNYMMNu4GRiWTY_li3HAHfX6MsSCbdcD-18n7xp27lhoRk3F1nwiXIE/s320/race-of-aces.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">An Ace! For airmen and the public, an ace is someone to look up to and admire. They had mastered simultaneously flying and fighting and managed to bring down at least 5 enemy aircraft. The Red Baron was a famous German ace of World War I who is best known now for fighting Snoopy. But being an ace was no easy task since only bout 5% of all World War II fighter pilots managed to get 5 confirmed "kills." However, in the Southwest Pacific, General Kenney inspired the Fifth Air Force to chase down WWI ace Eddie Rickenbacker's record of 26 enemy planes as a way to boost morale. This book tells the story of many who participated in the race for this crown.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">John Bruning opens the book with General Kenney checking out the state of the Fifth Air Force based in New Guinea which was getting pounded by Japanese Air Force while the Japanese Army was approaching the few bases still operational. He needed fighting spirit and better planes than the P-39 Aircobras and P-40 Warhawks he had. What he got was the Lockheed P-38 Lightening, a twin engine fighter that could out-dive and out-run the current Japanese planes. Then he started getting pilots such as Richard Bong, Gerald Johnson, and Tommy McGuire. These pilots and a host of others managed to turn the tide against the Japanese, but at a cost of living in a jungle environment at the end of a very, very long supply chain. The pilots of the Fifth Air Force strove to match and then beat Rickenbacker's record of 26 enemy planes. This race cost lives and ended a few careers as pilots became obsessed with being the top ace. In the end, Richard Bong came out on top with 40 enemy planes shot down. Looking back, the race to be the top ace was cursed as only one top contender lived a long life after the war. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">If you have an interest in air combat or the Southwest Pacific Theater in World War II, you will want to read <i>Race of Aces</i>! John Bruning brings you to the front lines of combat and provides all the thrills you desire.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>ReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116211926296619302.post-87504864360297865502024-01-23T10:47:00.000-08:002024-01-23T10:47:52.747-08:00Do you still read?<div style="text-align: left;">Reed, Shannon. <i>Why We Read: On Our Lifelong Love Affair With Books.</i> Toronto: Hanover </div><div style="text-align: left;"> Square Press, 2023. ISBN: 978-1-355-00796-4</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1A4309XUkKeBZtpCjkriANdAqOjWuGzMCBhe7vdVwTfyRYCiyRbCNtx2cbFRxV4ZCQgs_UOvcG3EKjlPc0sjAkEvZ08C43pkpSaIL3w9_6UP5BYSxMN7YxNopN9NY2hCxK_qu-CP6-yqhMrd_j2fmWPODG2OcO9ng3o58y8mtQsL25-AEpxEyLEEf3Zo/s488/why-we-read-shannon-reed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1A4309XUkKeBZtpCjkriANdAqOjWuGzMCBhe7vdVwTfyRYCiyRbCNtx2cbFRxV4ZCQgs_UOvcG3EKjlPc0sjAkEvZ08C43pkpSaIL3w9_6UP5BYSxMN7YxNopN9NY2hCxK_qu-CP6-yqhMrd_j2fmWPODG2OcO9ng3o58y8mtQsL25-AEpxEyLEEf3Zo/s320/why-we-read-shannon-reed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Are you a reader? Do you prefer reading to going to parties? Do you constantly have a book or two or three that you have with you to read while waiting in line or for your meal to arrive? If you do, than you are a kindred soul with Shannon Reed and will enjoy the tales she tells in <i>Why We Read.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: left;">Shannon Reed lays out the arc of her life<i>, </i>especially her life with books and libraries, in short chapters<i>. </i>Chapters such as "to Get to Go to the Library" or "To Finish a Series" or "Because I Wanted Free Pizza." A really fun chapter was "Because Someone is Paying You to Teach a Class about Vampires" when Shannon Reed was an adjunct professor really dislikes horror!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Shannon Reed provides interesting quizzes and vignettes between the chapters of her life. Some of these include "How I Choose a Book: A Thirteen-Step Guide," Signs You Might be a Character in a Popular Children's Book," or "The Five People You Meet When You Work in a Bookstore." These interesting asides sometimes feel out of step with topics in other chapters, but are fun reads.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So if you like to read or are interested in why others like to read (or both!), pick up a copy of Shannon Reed's <i>Why We Read</i> and settle in for some quality you time!<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>ReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116211926296619302.post-14941272594592190862024-01-01T07:17:00.000-08:002024-01-01T07:17:26.955-08:00Food and Stories from an Island!<div style="text-align: left;">Wei, Clarissa, and Ivy Chen. <i>Made in Taiwan: Recipes and Stories from the Island Nation.</i> New </div><div style="text-align: left;"> York: Simon Element, 2023. ISBN: <span class="WorkSelector-bold">9781982198978</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="WorkSelector-bold"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="WorkSelector-bold"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0ieIxT67PiBWXaczpOrPvXOU0nb0m_b6r8FKEWaajCWLmIK2EyRmpa3URJmZAa5C5h-4HiDOsmVF01LfX9yoyMLyhAri9wT9CpVhxh528A4HD_aIVsOzYdKEIE7wZKHC0oz4G52y_o06-Q9LiEpvEzOCVuk9qUfDBhR_5XJM0s8FO5b7D6z5bXnAWE0/s350/made-in-taiwan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="282" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA0ieIxT67PiBWXaczpOrPvXOU0nb0m_b6r8FKEWaajCWLmIK2EyRmpa3URJmZAa5C5h-4HiDOsmVF01LfX9yoyMLyhAri9wT9CpVhxh528A4HD_aIVsOzYdKEIE7wZKHC0oz4G52y_o06-Q9LiEpvEzOCVuk9qUfDBhR_5XJM0s8FO5b7D6z5bXnAWE0/s320/made-in-taiwan.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>Who does not like browsing cookbooks? You can view all the possibilities and dream about what you can make and how things will taste. The best cookbooks provide photos and clear instructions for the reader so that the reader can enjoy all the labor the writers imbued in the title. And when you are reading a cookbook from a culture not your own, you need context for the recipes which Clarissa Wei and Ivy Chen provide in <i>Made in Taiwan</i>!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="WorkSelector-bold"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="WorkSelector-bold">Wei and Chen open the book with a history of Taiwan setting the stage for what makes Taiwan cuisine different from Chinese cuisine. Then Wei and Chen start with the basics - what is in the Taiwanese pantry so that the reader knows what they need to stock to make the recipes that follow while also providing substitutes. There are recipes for breakfast, for lunch, for small suppers, and elaborate dinners, not to mention special events. The authors also include deserts, and recipes from the </span><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading">indigenous cooks of the islands. The recipes are nicely illustrated and help provide direction for various complicated recipes. Scattered through out the recipes are stories that reflect the culture of Taiwan and its food history. One such story deals with hamburgers for breakfast (Little League baseball) while another talks about how turkey rice became a dish in Taiwan. The authors do note that the recipes do reflect more Central and Southern Taiwan rather than what is found in Taipei.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span aria-level="1" class="yKMVIe" role="heading">If you enjoy browsing recipes or learning about cultures via their food, pick up <i>Made in Taiwan</i> and dig in!<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="WorkSelector-bold"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="WorkSelector-bold"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="WorkSelector-bold"><br /> </span></div>ReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116211926296619302.post-78817539120167262962023-12-26T07:20:00.000-08:002023-12-26T07:20:15.299-08:00Movies and Music!<div style="text-align: left;">Patrin, Nate. <i>The Needle and the Lens: Pop Goes to the Movies from Rock'n'Roll to Synthwave.</i> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2023, ISBN: 9781517913243</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVpoJt7d8WcWjHJxHyPgxSwxqpyOA1QG8-MiE6i23gWDk6uedHGKVUG_wlTm84WWNNi_9HCwSAK3-74bd0beJQ5y6t1GmLLjxWiRrpWWSu4TE91sNDLlbG2RuJ8osZwUcUZBdnFEpb8X-PNsAhMT29LbvoaZsjX-Sh8ACdwat4Y4sIbMDl-V9gymW3mJU/s300/needle-and-the-lens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVpoJt7d8WcWjHJxHyPgxSwxqpyOA1QG8-MiE6i23gWDk6uedHGKVUG_wlTm84WWNNi_9HCwSAK3-74bd0beJQ5y6t1GmLLjxWiRrpWWSu4TE91sNDLlbG2RuJ8osZwUcUZBdnFEpb8X-PNsAhMT29LbvoaZsjX-Sh8ACdwat4Y4sIbMDl-V9gymW3mJU/s1600/needle-and-the-lens.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">How much does the soundtrack of a movie affect your enjoyment of a particular movie? What about your memory of a movie, does a particular song stick in your head as emblematic of the movie? That is the question Nate Patrin chose to explore in <i>The Needle and the Lens</i>.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Nate Patrin defines a "needle drop" as using a preexisting song to provide context for the film. He takes sixteen movies that use songs not written/recorded for the movies and explores the interaction between the movies, the songs, and the audience. Some of the combinations are very well known - <i>Easy Rider</i>/"The Pusher," <i>The Graduate</i>/"The Sound of Silence ," or <i>American Graffiti</i>/"Do You Want to Dance?" Others are a bit off the wall (but then I have not seen all of these movies) such as <i>Killer of Sheep</i>/"This Bitter Earth," <i>Blue Velvet</i>/"In Dreams," or <i>Drive</i>/"A Real Hero." Then there are ones I just had not thought of in this fashion - mainly <i>Apocalypse Now</i>/"The End" and <i>Wayne's World</i>/"Bohemian Rhapsody" that just work well. While individual chapters may be less of a treat, the book as a whole is a good read. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Nate Patrin enjoys exploring the intersection of movies and music and sharing his findings with an appreciative audience. If you think you might be in that crowd, pick up <i>The Needle and the Lens</i> and join the conversation! <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>ReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116211926296619302.post-63371614569751486832023-12-06T12:48:00.000-08:002023-12-06T12:48:01.462-08:00Sunken Sub Sinks Aircraft Carrier!<div style="text-align: left;">Moore, Stephen L. <i>Strike of the Sailfish: Two Sister Submarines and the Sinking of a Japanese </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> Aircraft Carrier.</i> New York: Dutton Caliber, 2023. ISBN: 9780593472873</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_Cc_Yk-iR713_qV087COUZY-wcradQwHvq0NdXBJwnRYMlKwPbOLaIvtEmuz_2OEZv_g3cKeBKvOETofcAOdZB9jHwoIW2Pd7e22Gcw2Vz2JI8GI0bdWzbIeH0eqVP0d0imDKmkCWmrKb8yTrCyhmOezAZayrhHhCxD7Xr7qUSJz6IdBcH0YGRCxMkY/s450/strike%20of%20the%20sailfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="298" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3_Cc_Yk-iR713_qV087COUZY-wcradQwHvq0NdXBJwnRYMlKwPbOLaIvtEmuz_2OEZv_g3cKeBKvOETofcAOdZB9jHwoIW2Pd7e22Gcw2Vz2JI8GI0bdWzbIeH0eqVP0d0imDKmkCWmrKb8yTrCyhmOezAZayrhHhCxD7Xr7qUSJz6IdBcH0YGRCxMkY/s320/strike%20of%20the%20sailfish.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">"Down periscope! Dive! Dive!" is the cry of the submarine's captain as submarine and her crew seek to sink beneath the waves before the enemy spots them. Many books and movies have this scene. In <i>Strike of the Sailfish</i>, this scene plays out several times as the <i>Sculpin</i> and the <i>Sailfish </i>search the Pacific Ocean for prey.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">As the title states, <i>Strike of the Sailfish</i> is the intertwined tale of two submarines - the <i>Squalus</i> and the <i>Sculpin</i>. The tale starts when the <i>Squalus</i> sank during a test dive in 1939 killing half the crew. The <i>Sculpin</i> happened to be in the area and helped in rescuing the crew and recovering the boat. The <i>Squalus</i> was refitted and renamed the Sailfish in May 1940 before getting a new crew and reentering the fleet. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After United States entered the war, both submarines were sent to the Pacific to attack Japanese shipping. Each submarine suffered through the teething issues of dud torpedoes, bad warheads, and plan bad luck. But by 1943, better weapons had arrived and the submarines started coming into their own. But when the <i>Sculpin</i> attacked a convoy near Truk on November 19, 1943, her luck ran out and she was sunk. Part of the her crew were captured and taken to Truk and then transferred via aircraft carriers to Japan. But on December 3-4, 1943, the <i>Sailfish</i> as part of a wolfpack attacked this convoy in the midst of a typhoon and sank the aircraft carrier <i>Chuyo</i>. I took three separate attacks to sink it. George Rocek was the only <i>Sculpin</i> sailor onboard the <i>Chuyo</i> to survive.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Strike of the Sailfish</i> provides a very gritty look at World War II submarine warfare through the lenses of two U.S. submarines and the stories of their crews. Stephen Moore provides plenty of details of a submariner's life and the plight of submariner POWs alongside the various attacks and other duties the submarines performed. If you enjoy reading about WW II naval action, pick up this title. It will not disappoint!<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>ReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116211926296619302.post-42311057927555801912023-12-04T11:17:00.000-08:002023-12-04T11:17:15.068-08:00Great War Saboteur Manhunt<div style="text-align: left;">Mills, Bill. <i>Agent of the Iron Cross: The Race to Capture German Saboteur-Assassin Lothar </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> Witzke during World War I. </i>Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2023. ISBN: </div><div style="text-align: left;"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3"> 9781538182086</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWDBLWM8TXIkUzn0jWcgFgO_IrwceXx-soH5sdL5LpC-RLbT1qMgvFBCQb71shlVOX36z0INzfPJ_tkQrFNyzwYqbVgoj3WZe1phtU8_FFV9hkL-sYPz-fHoOWmwoRRo8f_5wmdv1OpZrp-JW-10y_ovXwrfavVlRPJfiSPOh6YcMhRxOLYlDvU0fqokY/s499/agent-of-the-iron-cross.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWDBLWM8TXIkUzn0jWcgFgO_IrwceXx-soH5sdL5LpC-RLbT1qMgvFBCQb71shlVOX36z0INzfPJ_tkQrFNyzwYqbVgoj3WZe1phtU8_FFV9hkL-sYPz-fHoOWmwoRRo8f_5wmdv1OpZrp-JW-10y_ovXwrfavVlRPJfiSPOh6YcMhRxOLYlDvU0fqokY/s320/agent-of-the-iron-cross.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>Secret agents, sabotage, planned invasions, codes breaking and double agents are often the stuff of spy stories, but can be found in real life as well. </span></span><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3"><i>Agent of the Iron Cross</i> documents</span></span><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3"> Lothar Witzke's story as German agent, running loose in the United States and Mexico from 1915 till his capture and trial in 1918. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3"> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3">At the opening of World War I, Witzke was a midshipman on the German cruiser <i>Dresden</i> and wounded in the final battle with the British Navy off the coast of Chile. He escaped from the hospital at Valparaiso, Chile, and disguised as a Danish seaman who had lost his papers made his way to San Fransisco. Consul Bopp employeed Witzke as a courier until he hooked up with Kurt Jahnke and became a saboteur. He helped plant explosives on merchant ships and with involved in the Black Tom Island and the Mare Island Naval Station explosions. In 1917, Witzke and Jahnke moved to Mexico to stay in communication with their HQ while continuing their operations. One such operation involved creating labor unrest at mines in southwestern United States so that local US Army troops would be called out while also having blacks in the South rise up in insurrections followed by the Mexican Army invading and occupying parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and California. All this mayhem would keep the United States out of the war in Europe. Fortunately, for the United States there were some competent undercover agents and double agents embedded in the German camp so that this plot could be thwarted. As part of the plot, Witzke crossed the border into Texas and was arrested, his luggage searched and a code found. The contents of the coded message played its part in the court-martial trial in convicting Witzke of espionage and sentenced to be hanged. After judicial review in 1919, the sentence was changed to confinement at hard labor. In 1919, Witzke and two other prisoners broke out of Fort Sam Houston prison but quickly recaptured and he ended up in Leavenworth for several years until released in 1923. Witzke moved back to Germany and joined the Abwehr under Canaris before World War II started. After the war Witzke served in the Hamburg legislature from 1949-1952. He died on January 6, 1962.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3">If you are interested in spies, secret agents, double crosses and feats of daring, pick up a copy of <i>Agents of the Iron Cross</i> and pick up a few little known facts! <br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span tabindex="-1"><span class="Text Text__body3"><br /> </span></span></div>ReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116211926296619302.post-70829245395951386982023-11-27T11:06:00.000-08:002023-11-27T11:06:34.015-08:00Pirates in the South Seas!<div style="text-align: left;">Thomson, Keith. <i>Born to be Hanged: The Epic Story of the Gentlemen Pirates who Raided the </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> South Seas, Rescued a princess, and Stole a Fortune.</i> New York: Little, Brown & Company, </div><div style="text-align: left;"> 2022. ISBN: 9780316703611 </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUtJ-420I-l3qxIOdcXmlNvGiJhAyx7hNKGLWmgSJY2ZMqvK9Z2d5aaaAyCnXonBoUTyxxoeWbKaIrQ27PX2nWaIcRPDEf19xHEGG2Y6r_5HNg1jD-8u3o7ePT82DDCBTYmiZ13ZR67jcmPMSKUTuq0kgMjrS9-1FhByhRXya6Q4nZh0xDGVfH3qnjSY/s1000/born-to-be-hanged.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="645" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAUtJ-420I-l3qxIOdcXmlNvGiJhAyx7hNKGLWmgSJY2ZMqvK9Z2d5aaaAyCnXonBoUTyxxoeWbKaIrQ27PX2nWaIcRPDEf19xHEGG2Y6r_5HNg1jD-8u3o7ePT82DDCBTYmiZ13ZR67jcmPMSKUTuq0kgMjrS9-1FhByhRXya6Q4nZh0xDGVfH3qnjSY/s320/born-to-be-hanged.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Pirates! Almost everyone's favorite villains/heroes! But, do we really need another tale of daring do? Of course we do! Especially this one where Keith Thomson uses the diaries of various pirates along with court records and other documents to trace out their adventures on land and sea during the reign of Charles II.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In 1680, 300 pirates banded together to rescue a princess of a local tribe from the Spanish. They used this pretext to go a "pyrating" in the fashion of Captain Morgan across the Darien jungle to attack the city of Panama. That attack did not quite work out, so they set out to blockade the city until a ransom was given. Some pirates returned back across the jungle while others decided to hang out in the South Seas and see what treasure they could scrounge up. But not all pirates were happy with their leaders so a series of mutinies and failed attacks slowly whittled down the pirate band while the Spanish opposition grew. After finding a decent haul off the <i>Santo Rosario</i> (treasure worth 10,000 pieces of eight) but failed to take the 670 "piggs of metal" (in this case silver worth around a million pieces of eight ) aboard their ship. But they did get a book with 300+ pages of maps/charts and sailing directions for the South Seas before the Spanish could toss it overboard. The pirate crew set sail for England going around the tip of South America and barely making to the Nevis in the Caribbean before their ship, the <i>Trinity</i>, fell apart. The crew split up with several traveling to England where they were put on trial for breaking the peace between Spain and England. But the fix was in at the Admiralty Court due to the intelligence gained by the "gentlemen pirates." </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">If you are interested in true tales of adventure that may have inspired at least one author, pick up a copy of <i>Born to be Hanged</i> by Keith Thomson and be enthralled! <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>ReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116211926296619302.post-19991519874563047152023-11-06T10:16:00.000-08:002023-11-06T10:16:58.738-08:00<div style="text-align: left;">Preston, David. <i>The Lost Tomb and Other Real-Life Stories of Bones, Burials, and Murder.</i> New </div><div style="text-align: left;"> York: Grand Central Publishing, 2023. ISBN: 9781538741221</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZ4W73a1361sYWcrXj3BVtSlhxbS56H-GxDzqpzI0K029tSDRMzE29Bhbo8xsZb2BrxeBIYNtJbnQwC3AT_h6YoPjYzGIx1bHM6hd5YQWOAhuEEzdCOJao1GIAuCfmSdv5dxTDMlkRpAUz08i9vPZJTqH0kJYXQKF-Ym9xcwEwDlHcLqX3VLaIkKgIb8/s385/lost-tomb.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="255" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZ4W73a1361sYWcrXj3BVtSlhxbS56H-GxDzqpzI0K029tSDRMzE29Bhbo8xsZb2BrxeBIYNtJbnQwC3AT_h6YoPjYzGIx1bHM6hd5YQWOAhuEEzdCOJao1GIAuCfmSdv5dxTDMlkRpAUz08i9vPZJTqH0kJYXQKF-Ym9xcwEwDlHcLqX3VLaIkKgIb8/s320/lost-tomb.png" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Douglas Preston is half of the duo that writes the Agent Pendergast series (Lee child is the other half). When he is not writing thrillers, Preston writes non-fiction books and articles. This tome is a collection of articles he has written on murders, unexplained deaths, unsolved mysteries, curious crimes, and old bones (those were how he categorized the articles).</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> Douglas Preston opens with him discovering the murder of a middle school friend who had moved away; another murder explains why he can no longer visit Italy. The unexplained deaths happened in the Himalayas, the Ural Mountains, and Kennewick , Washington. The mysteries involve Oak Island, Sandia Cave (NM), and Hell Creek (MT). The crimes involves a con that was thought impossible by experts, and the ire and blow-back caused by Amanda Knox haters (interesting link back to the 2nd murder story). The final section (Old Bones) discuss the human remains held by museums, the possibility of cannibalism in the American Southwest, and a visit by Preston to KV5 - the "lost" tomb of Ramesses II's sons. All of the articles have updates after the original article and have listed the original publication dates and journals. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">If you enjoy the topics or have enjoyed other non-fiction titles by Preston, pick up this book and read!<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>ReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116211926296619302.post-69304584697658240742023-10-27T13:17:00.000-07:002023-10-27T13:17:33.262-07:00Blazing a Trail from World War II to Vietnam!<div style="text-align: left;">Rinehart, Lorissa. <i>First to the Front: The Untold Story of Dickey Chapelle, Trailblazing Female </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> War Correspondent.</i> New York: St. Martin's Press, 2023. ISBN: 9781250276575</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77ifCiXC_fQbtRYeGirMnm_aol0G6Xb3XKPnmIyMQg_9jSyaFuE5qPR4xxqj9F5mr1ekVQgznKV14np36Vh_PrPTIdQ8XPaPeoypVysRBXIR9AOdHKMNKwWETabB-hOnzOV-677UIT_pWKmsHc8hFuFjXTayfm4ZlPNq9oD2el5vCyofmVNIxGbs67Rk/s1368/first-to-the-front.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1368" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77ifCiXC_fQbtRYeGirMnm_aol0G6Xb3XKPnmIyMQg_9jSyaFuE5qPR4xxqj9F5mr1ekVQgznKV14np36Vh_PrPTIdQ8XPaPeoypVysRBXIR9AOdHKMNKwWETabB-hOnzOV-677UIT_pWKmsHc8hFuFjXTayfm4ZlPNq9oD2el5vCyofmVNIxGbs67Rk/s320/first-to-the-front.jpg" width="211" /></a>How many war correspondents can you name? Okay, now for a even trickier
question - How many female war correspondents can you name? If you can
name any, it might all be due to the path Georgette "Dickey" Meyer
Chapelle created for all who came after her. In <i>First to the Front,</i> Lorissa Rinehart seeks to tell the whole story of Dickey Chapelle<i>. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;">Georgette "Dickey" Meyer was born and raised in Wisconsin, In 1935 she flunked out of MIT, and ended up in Coral Gables (FL) as the city editor for the Miami Airshow at $15 a week.She wrangled her way into an assignment for the <i>New York Times</i> covering the Havana Air Show. This led her to a job as assistant publicity chief for Howard Hughes's airline - TWA. There she met Anthony "Tony" Chapelle who was teaching photography. Dickey became a photojournalist after she married Tony. After December 7, 1941, Dickey Chapelle got a job with <i>Look</i> to cover the 14th Infantry Regiment training in the jungles of Panama. Then she got a break - she was accredited as a photographer in the Pacific Theater of Operations.. On board the USS Samaritan, she took photos of blood drive that the Red Cross used for a decade at blood drives. She also captured the faces and stories of soldiers and Marines loaded on board the hospital ship. She spent time on Iwo Jima and then Okinawa managing to endear herself to Marines while ticking off the higher brass who arrested her and revoked her credentials. <i>Seventeen </i>was the one magazine who would still employee her. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After the war, Dickey and Tony traveled around Europe for the Quakers bringing in supplies and photographing conditions in Poland, Yugoslavia, Germany, Austria, and France. After several trips through Europe, the duo made a sweep through Iraq, Iran and India for the US State Department's Point Four program documenting their work. Dickey managed to get articles in <i>National Geographic</i>, <i>World Magazine</i> and <i>Reader's Digest</i> along with the documentaries for the State Department. After finally divoracing Tony, Dickey returned to Europe to cover the Hungarian Revolution which lead to a stint in Hungarian prison. Next, she traveled to Algeria to cover the Algerian Liberation Front's fight against French colonialism. She covered Castro's fight with Batista in Cuba. Then she went to cover the conflict in Laos. She wrote a primer on guerrilla war for the Marines before covering the conflict in South Vietnam. She spent time with the Sea Swallows, Marines in helicopters, and the Vietnamese Marines. Then on November 2, 1965, while on patrol with U.S. Marines, a booby trap tripped by a Marine killed her. She died doing what she enjoyed most - taking photos.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The bare details given above does not cover the depth of detail that Lorissa Rinehart provides in this well-written biography of Dickey Chappelle, who that deserves far greater recognition than she has received. If you are interested in female journalists, especially photojournalists, <i>First to the Front </i>is a title to read! <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>ReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116211926296619302.post-65489839861960103972023-10-19T12:17:00.000-07:002023-10-19T12:17:03.066-07:00Screens-R-Us<div style="text-align: left;">Hickey, Walt. <i>You Are What You Watch: How Movies and TV Affect Everything.</i> New York: </div><div style="text-align: left;"> Workman Publishing, 2023. ISBN: 9781523515899</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7KCe2Bei8JZ_LCuZhdrBFDVtsHJFBGJpN0tNFZDy0h-fTdmg5h6IgqWw36wQ6LwI_3j8D6BLCHbf4Yu6x7kkkuAAxhtMmPR_Kgy4TquLZo2SvrinbAbbWP5h03cm-RznIknz1GoSdgK7u3tB7gFvuhwBQQa3-5hLypAStWtFdxXa-XsbOvt8mR_tu64/s595/you%20are%20what%20you%20watch.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="434" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-7KCe2Bei8JZ_LCuZhdrBFDVtsHJFBGJpN0tNFZDy0h-fTdmg5h6IgqWw36wQ6LwI_3j8D6BLCHbf4Yu6x7kkkuAAxhtMmPR_Kgy4TquLZo2SvrinbAbbWP5h03cm-RznIknz1GoSdgK7u3tB7gFvuhwBQQa3-5hLypAStWtFdxXa-XsbOvt8mR_tu64/s320/you%20are%20what%20you%20watch.webp" width="233" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Pop culture - how much do you consume in a day? Walt Hickey knows. Well he knows the amount of time the "typical" American spends watching television/movies/reading/writing - about 3 hours and 22 minutes a day. If you want to find out what all our media consumption does for and to us not to mention the world, dive in with Walt and find out!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In <i>You Are What You Watch</i>, Walt Hickey does several deep dives into pop culture. He opens with a chapter on how movies, television and other parts of pop culture affects our bodies and shapes what we do. the next chapter looks at how social media, movies, television and books capture our attention and keep us coming back for more. Two chapters guides us into the twisted mirror-scape where movies, television, and other aspects of pop culture reflect us as we are and how we change ourselves to reflect what we see in pop culture. Of course there is a chapter on the role money plays in shaping pop culture and how pop culture shapes money making opportunities. The final three chapters examine the empires created by pop culture (yes, Disney is part of the focus, but so is the United Kingdom!), what culture does to survive and thrive, and how stories and the creation of stories shape their creators.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So, if you ready to find out how pop culture has shaped the world in the past (can you name which movie led to a world-wide decline in sharks) and into the future, pick up Walt Hickey's <i>You Are What You Watch</i>, read it, and explore the whole spectrum of pop culture!<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>ReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116211926296619302.post-4919955704201872592023-10-02T10:45:00.000-07:002023-10-02T10:45:11.585-07:00What is the Body's Biggest Organ?<div style="text-align: left;">Lyman, Monty. <i>The Remarkable Life of the Skin: An Intimate Journey Across Our Largest </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> Organ. </i>New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2020. ISBN: 9780802129406</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LpXPsyrygUlMMQnIX5ocaA1cVk2IrCVTWjamwsZCa3pzFk_hXWs6s_yqT8Qj9DphAJZqjptro6MPJahiEEj95SUJLcyaK57C72EMeDvQslzO64M5ZWFbRXUKwjpECEdka3QjB8BYLWvJbMMLppRj8s05YL_RhnVAyHoy91ZE4T4ruWzmEtVQGAxp_Ts/s509/RemarkableLifeoftheSkin.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="340" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LpXPsyrygUlMMQnIX5ocaA1cVk2IrCVTWjamwsZCa3pzFk_hXWs6s_yqT8Qj9DphAJZqjptro6MPJahiEEj95SUJLcyaK57C72EMeDvQslzO64M5ZWFbRXUKwjpECEdka3QjB8BYLWvJbMMLppRj8s05YL_RhnVAyHoy91ZE4T4ruWzmEtVQGAxp_Ts/s320/RemarkableLifeoftheSkin.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">So you think you know all about anatomy? Can you name the largest and one of the most important organs in the body? If you called out anything other than skin, you need to go and listen to John Lithgow crooning "You Gotta Have Skin!" As Monty Lyman makes very clear in this interesting tome, your skin does so much more than just keep your insides in!</div><p>In ten informative chapters, Monty Lyman takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of skin. He starts off with a look at instances when the skin fails, and then dives into all the intricate layers of your skin. He looks at how your skin reflects what is going on in your gut, how skin deals with light and sun exposure, and how it ages. Skin plays a key role in your sense of touch, for both good an ill. How our skin looks and feels affects us psychologically while what we ink on our skin can affect us socially. And then skin plays a part in our impression of others and their impression of us. Finally Monty Lyman discusses how skin shapes our thinking in regard to religion, philosophy, and language.</p><p>Skin is so much more than just a container for bones and guts. <i>The Remarkable Life of the Skin</i> provides the reader a readable entrance into the world of skin!<br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>ReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116211926296619302.post-45017005425142635812023-09-19T12:00:00.000-07:002023-09-19T12:00:18.794-07:00Beware the Spade!<div style="text-align: left;">McDowell, Marta. <i>Gardening Can Be Murder: How Poisonous Poppies, Sinister Shovels, and Grim </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> Gardens Have Inspired Mystery Writers.</i> Portland, OR: Timber Press, 2023 </div><div style="text-align: left;"> ISBN: 9781643261126</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIV8kCSGZ3HTSg3uLSMdNStGT6whsyqoYv56HgrDxLjqHS8cCDcxrCa9YcsabxrlPFR0W20O4LE2WAYhBnQjsvICZpSJ7NtV42wPYzMBfrY1-HXzSxPztU4uefTwx0nTwht0v0iuQL1RhwmRgQ-FpSnOU6EHJsSRGIS9X288VVrO0dQSwtwfXX0hIHu9s/s2401/gardening%20can%20be%20murder.webp" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2401" data-original-width="1952" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIV8kCSGZ3HTSg3uLSMdNStGT6whsyqoYv56HgrDxLjqHS8cCDcxrCa9YcsabxrlPFR0W20O4LE2WAYhBnQjsvICZpSJ7NtV42wPYzMBfrY1-HXzSxPztU4uefTwx0nTwht0v0iuQL1RhwmRgQ-FpSnOU6EHJsSRGIS9X288VVrO0dQSwtwfXX0hIHu9s/s320/gardening%20can%20be%20murder.webp" width="260" /></a></div><br />Do you read mysteries? Do you garden? If your answer to either is yes,
then Marta McDowell has a book for you! She has taken time out from
her gardening to indulge in her other passion - murder mysteries! In <i>Gardening Can Be Murder, </i>she combines both by looking at how these two passions intersect.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">McDowell opens with a chapter on detectives known for their gardening starting with Willkie Collins' Sergeant Cuff, meanders to Agatha Christie's Miss Jane Marple, darts back in time to Ellis Peters's Brother Cadfael, Heads into the present with Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe and his orchids, and finishes with Susan Wittig Albert's China Bayles, </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Besides individuals, McDowell provides a look at various mysteries that are set in a garden; use garden tools or objects for the murder; plants as means of the murder, gardens/plants as clues in the murder and an interesting look at mystery writers who garden. Another nice feature is the list of all the authors and titles she mention through the book along with various source material used.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So if you are interested in mysteries and or gardens, do check out <i>Gardening Can Be Murder</i> for your enjoyment and enlightenment! <br /></div><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>ReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116211926296619302.post-33190452378902781142023-06-06T10:45:00.001-07:002023-06-06T10:45:33.918-07:00The Final Chapter - U.S. Army vs Japan<div style="text-align: left;">McManus, John C. <i>To the End of the Earth: The U.S. Army and the Downfall of Japan, 1945. </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> </i>New York: Caliber, 2023. ISBN: 9780593186886</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3onzx-inNIW07gw7eXO00Xx7d6pEgG4Zk3RAB-VHQXIeWkLuL-DT3vIS0eeemjTvwf7xQTlS9dnYU4wGkVNFtjoQTHr7xbQOZGDXMKllKyHGX26Whmn4rNTj2fNXaQvwmUkUB-X-Cm6SrMd26K-XWvlVuKQ4RF7a-g5c_HsmTCDzgcC5WxZi95u5h/s500/to-the-end-of-the-earth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="329" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3onzx-inNIW07gw7eXO00Xx7d6pEgG4Zk3RAB-VHQXIeWkLuL-DT3vIS0eeemjTvwf7xQTlS9dnYU4wGkVNFtjoQTHr7xbQOZGDXMKllKyHGX26Whmn4rNTj2fNXaQvwmUkUB-X-Cm6SrMd26K-XWvlVuKQ4RF7a-g5c_HsmTCDzgcC5WxZi95u5h/s320/to-the-end-of-the-earth.jpg" width="211" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">In January 1945, no one knew what would happen. There was no notion that the war would finally be over. Instead there was a resolve to continue the grind of the war until victory could be obtained. In <i>To the End of the Earth</i>, John McManus finishes the tale of the U.S. Army in the Pacific that he started in <i>Fire and Fortitude.</i> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">McManus opens with General McArthur's invasion Luzon in the Philippines and the march across the island to liberate Manila and the POWs on the island while keeping Japanese forces pinned in the mountains. Next up is changes in China with General Wedemeyer replacing General Stilwell and the completion of the Burma Road that provided a narrow land route for supplies to reach China from India. The third major front was Okinawa where the U.S. Army and Marines faced a determined enemy who had a plan to bleed American forces as much as they possibly could. The final act has McManus taking a last look at American POWs located in Japan, Korea, and elsewhere as Truman takes over and decides to use weapons rather than blood to end the war. McManus closes the book by following some of the well-known names into their lives after the end of the war. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In <i>To the End of the Earth</i>, John McManus brings his trilogy to a fitting close. Throughout these three books, McManus provides the broad scope of the battles while using individual stories to highlight often overlooked details. All too often, the U.S. Marines get the glory when talking about World War II in the Pacific. But the Marines could never have succeeded without the help of the U.S. Army. In this trilogy, the U.S. Army gets its due! <br /></div>ReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116211926296619302.post-78258938815840973422023-04-27T12:03:00.000-07:002023-04-27T12:03:49.621-07:00Chance and Your Doctor<div style="text-align: left;">Jena, Anupam B., and Christopher Worsham. <i>Random Acts of Medicine: The Hidden Forces That</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> Sway Doctors, Impact Patients, and Shape Our Health.</i> New York: Doubleday, 2023.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> ISBN: 978-0-385-54881-6</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqzROl1mcKdSE_-sQSXSeBKlASh_PQW3QrT3IuKT7seOtJJNqyH-Nv9GU21ZwXNDZOH9JSSUJXeBiDBm9LftFRZ0_XjLGDssz6DHB9mOt-j9jSWnm_G_bCsbSgcaUfVoZi9UOmlby5VZWhwC100fGYF8J5WjFrtS-aDUF0aRXun86BdIpjeSxAsIX/s450/random-acts-of-medicine.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="296" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSqzROl1mcKdSE_-sQSXSeBKlASh_PQW3QrT3IuKT7seOtJJNqyH-Nv9GU21ZwXNDZOH9JSSUJXeBiDBm9LftFRZ0_XjLGDssz6DHB9mOt-j9jSWnm_G_bCsbSgcaUfVoZi9UOmlby5VZWhwC100fGYF8J5WjFrtS-aDUF0aRXun86BdIpjeSxAsIX/s320/random-acts-of-medicine.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>How much does chance, luck, or other random factors influence your medical care? Does it matter what doctor you get when you visit the ER or your Family Medicine provider? Does having a marathon in town put you at risk? These and many other questions are what Dr. Jena and Dr. Worsham seek to discover in <i>Random Acts of Medicine.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> </i></div><div style="text-align: left;">Jena and Worsham start a discussion on chance and random events in relation to our lives. This discussion segues into them defining a concept of natural experiments which they will use in the later chapters. The first natural experiment they discuss involves birthdays, and flu shots (and, yes, it does matter when your kid is born) The next experiment involves Tom Brady, birth months, sports, and ADHD diagnosis - actually several experiments regarding relative age effect. Next, the duo asked the question, "Are marathons hazardous to your health?" And the answer is maybe, but not necessarily why you might think they are. Semi-related to the marathon study, is the examination of what role medical conferences may have on your health - specifically when many doctors are out of town. You might actually get better care, or live longer! Another study looked at all the data being gathered and whether this information actually helps or hinders your medical care. They also studied the role of left-digit bias in regard to medical situations (a patient's age being one of possible bias). In the next to last chapter, they worked on how to define what a "good" doctor was. The final chapter looked at politics at the bedside, i.e. does the political persuasion of your doctor influence the advice and care he or she gives to their patients? </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">In <i>Random Acts of Medicine</i>, Jena and Worsham use naturally occurring experiments to delve into the multiple ways that chance and luck play in healthcare. If you have an interest in these topics, or are fans of <i>Freakencomics</i> podcasts/books, you will want to read this title! <br /> </div>ReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116211926296619302.post-72044432618792184982023-03-15T12:26:00.000-07:002023-03-15T12:26:18.143-07:00The Land of Secret Societies!<div style="text-align: left;">Dickey, Colin. <i>Under the Eye of Power: How Fear of Secret Societies Shapes American </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> Democracy.</i> New York: Viking, 2023. ISBN: 9780593299456 </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2QL6KcXbFX3894vHloWQuer-tFNRKyG1j_yBYjtUdp9iqByoHzBRhRJ0hHLeQeyttx7A6D-9mcwOOLmasjIAbVfJYnfjR2ADi7X_dFzIUjxVpnEZ4qjRhWarD3tMEVr55LDL2BW89DusT6TpL9m2qiP_u8OS4_pmZflm1KqEmho7tHYcn6Bhvu4g/s450/under-the-eye-of-power.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="298" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju2QL6KcXbFX3894vHloWQuer-tFNRKyG1j_yBYjtUdp9iqByoHzBRhRJ0hHLeQeyttx7A6D-9mcwOOLmasjIAbVfJYnfjR2ADi7X_dFzIUjxVpnEZ4qjRhWarD3tMEVr55LDL2BW89DusT6TpL9m2qiP_u8OS4_pmZflm1KqEmho7tHYcn6Bhvu4g/s320/under-the-eye-of-power.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Secret societies - the Illuminati, the Masons, the Lizard People, "slaveocracy," and the John Birch Society are all part of the American Historical landscape. But so are the Ku Klux Klan, witches, slave revolts, the Molly Maguires, Haymarket anarchists, the Satanic ritual scare, and the recovered memory movement. Each of these and others were involved in "moral panics" that swept across America. In <i>Under the Eye of Power</i>, Colin Dickey walks the reader through the conspiratorial-laden underbelly of America. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Colin Dicky begins his meanderings with the Freemasons and its offshoot - the Illuminati in the section <b>As Above, So Below</b>. He spends four chapters dealing with how the Freemasons developed, came to America, how its symbols are everywhere, yet its rituals are secret, so secret that some Masons have murdered a former member to halt their publication. Next stop - <b>Deep-Laid Schemes</b> - has six chapters filled with slave revolts, slave conspiracies, Underground railroads, ant-Catholicism, witchcraft trials in Salem and elsewhere, and in Texas, Abolitionist arsonists! In <b>National Indigestion</b>, Dickey has five chapters with <span><u>anti-immigrationists</u></span>, anarchists, bankers, Wall Street, antisemitism, and the (In)Visible Empire. In <b>Wonders of the Invisible World</b>, Dickey, in four chapters, explores subliminal messaging, the CIA and "truth drugs" plus LSD, ant-fluoridation societies (which includes anti-Communist groups such as the John Birch Society), and the FBI COINTELPRO on anti-war and leftist groups. Finally, Dickey, with six chapters in <b>Behind the Hieroglyphic Streets</b>, ventures into cultural wars, modern conspiracy theories, Satanic rituals, recovered memories, Q-Anon, the Lizard People, ritual sacrifices, and Citizen Commissions.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Under the Eye of Power </i>is wonderful for readers interested in American history with all the warts and stains included or for the reader who longs for a primer on all the ways secret societies and conspiracies have played a role in U<i>.</i>S. history.<i> </i> <br /></div>ReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116211926296619302.post-9101087983396446032023-02-24T12:15:00.001-08:002023-02-24T12:21:56.442-08:00Possible Histories?<div style="text-align: left;">Johnson, Hal. <i>Impossible Histories: The Soviet Republic of Alaska, the United States of Hudsonia, </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> President Charlemagne, and Other Pivotal Moments of History That Never Happened.</i> New</div><div style="text-align: left;"> York: Odd Dot, 2023. ISBN: 97812250809674</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBQZHIb0vPTqnCreDkAUVsBBB36-Iceav-s8JGN_N8BnojmNaorwsWBNou5e8UOwrMsRbUnk87oDTY56bCKj6Ynz0t2hdiQpyjmGgXe0fWBAskbuPc-QhP2XWYOgdNTO2MFi7i2vDqrPO_LX2ahdPcX8arQmlQ0pfuU5C5YzZSjlPpW75i-kAfBmX/s2114/impossible-histories.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2114" data-original-width="1400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBQZHIb0vPTqnCreDkAUVsBBB36-Iceav-s8JGN_N8BnojmNaorwsWBNou5e8UOwrMsRbUnk87oDTY56bCKj6Ynz0t2hdiQpyjmGgXe0fWBAskbuPc-QhP2XWYOgdNTO2MFi7i2vDqrPO_LX2ahdPcX8arQmlQ0pfuU5C5YzZSjlPpW75i-kAfBmX/s320/impossible-histories.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><p>Alternate histories (AH) are interesting. The premise of all AH is that something or some moment happened differently than we know happened. From that premise has grown a whole genre of SFF tales postulating what would have happened if Caesar had not been assassinated or if Columbus had not gotten his ships or if the black plague had not wiped out Europe. Related to that genre is scholars and historians speculating what might have happened if such and such even was changed based on the choices available at that time. In <i>Impossible Histories</i>, Hal Johnson takes the reader on a series of What Ifs through a number of eras in history.</p><p>Hal Johnson opens with a philosophical prelude (What does it mean for something not to have happened?) and follows that with 20 What Ifs and ends with s philosophical postlude (How do you make things that did not happen happen?). In each of those 20 What Ifs, Johnson lays out what actually happened and they brings out the change and how that change would have reshaped the world. For example #2 Vikings in North America: What if Leif Erikson had Tarried in Vinland - Johnson discusses why Erikson ends up in Greenland and then Vinland and provides a brief history of what happened in our world. Then he postulates what the outcome would be if the Vikings had stayed longer, brought horses and their diseases with them? Would the Spanish faced armored horseman when they came later? The What Ifs Johnson looks into cover war (World War I, World War II, World War III, Vietnam War), ancient history (Socrates dies, Julian the Apostate, 1st and 3rd Crusade, Rome and the dangers of bathing!, and Ethiopia vs Yemen), individuals (William Morgan and Freemasonry; Sigmund Freud reading Sophocles; Vice President Henry Wallace; Samuel Taylor Coleridge in America; Harriet Beecher Stowe vs Aaron Burr; and Seward assassinated), and odds & ends (British Navy and fresh fruit). </p><p>Hal Johnson provides very readable Wat If scenarios that the reader can easily follow with sources that back up his historical renderings. Some of the What Ifs are more plausible than others, but all make for interesting reading. <br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>ReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116211926296619302.post-69334486084610256642023-02-23T07:34:00.000-08:002023-02-23T07:34:36.827-08:00North versus South in England!<div style="text-align: left;">Rose, Alexander. <i>The Lion and the Fox: Two Rival Spies and the Secret Plot to Build a </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> Confederate Navy.</i> New York: Mariner Books, 2022. ISBN: 9780358393252</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsoytjbGdsD6dD0MYPMugI7rPuzpyc59MfBjwt4xjk6pvQVcu3NIYIb6ulbm8qcNa8vg_YvHmEf9tMuBA3yU-aU_oamSpT8Zf5qSwmSpvEC41l93mPnctIDNAwlLWiLobXzvTu8Ho-ck3U2PM6XRQ-CArJy0xjGQ2GSl3BgnPfJgwcwtSSiXCElbWI/s1000/lion-and-the-fox.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="662" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsoytjbGdsD6dD0MYPMugI7rPuzpyc59MfBjwt4xjk6pvQVcu3NIYIb6ulbm8qcNa8vg_YvHmEf9tMuBA3yU-aU_oamSpT8Zf5qSwmSpvEC41l93mPnctIDNAwlLWiLobXzvTu8Ho-ck3U2PM6XRQ-CArJy0xjGQ2GSl3BgnPfJgwcwtSSiXCElbWI/s320/lion-and-the-fox.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>The American Civil War is filled with stories. There are battles, there are personalities, and then there are the less well-known tales. These tales tend to be small stories, but not always and Alexander Rose is providing one of those tales in <i>The Lion and the Fox.</i> Thomas Dudley, a Union consul, was trying to catch and/or thwart James Bulloch, a Confederate agent, in Liverpool England. Their struggle in England helped shape the conflict in America. <br /> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Captain James Bulloch left the service of the New York and Alabama Steam Ship Company in April 1861 to become an agent of the Confederate States of America. His job - hire and/or have built blockade runners, commerce raiders and warships in Liverpool using smuggled funds, subterfuge and the promise of cotton. He enlisted several shipbuilders in Liverpool in his endeavors and skirted the British neutrality act by arming the ships after they left English waters. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Thomas Dudley arrived in Liverpool as American consul on 19 November 1861 with his family after turning down the job as ambassador to Japan. When he accepted the job, he did not realize the massive job ahead in trying to curb Confederate influence peddling and shipbuilding activity. It took him time to realize how the Confederate side has enlisted folks in blockade running as a lucrative business that then financed the building of commerce raiders. But once he realized the scope of the job, Dudley was relentless in getting agents to spy on shipbuilding, bring lawsuits, and ultimately thwart Bulloch's scheme to build ironclad dreadnoughts that would break the Union blockade once and for all.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Alexander Rose in <i>The Lion and the Fox</i> has written an exciting tale of intrigue, lawsuits, espionage, and diplomacy that shaped the war in America involving lesser known figures of American history. Then he adds an interesting twist at the end the shows how entwined Americans are with Civil War history. Read <i>The Lion and the Fox</i> to be entertained and enlightened! <br /><br /></div><p><br /></p>ReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116211926296619302.post-9827122009712371912022-12-07T10:40:00.000-08:002022-12-07T10:40:02.731-08:00The Women Who Built the CIA<div style="text-align: left;">Holt, Nathalia. <i>Wise Gals: The Spies Who Built the CIA and Changed the Future of Espionage. </i> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2022. ISBN: <span class="greyText"> <span itemprop="isbn">9780593328484 </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="greyText"><span itemprop="isbn"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="greyText"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6-UZzR9UUwtEn56EGbgB_3CFAwWbuDpCn3O_qyqPj8sFRdHgioS3mfrwVtGJosvWBKfUOZ8KkVhZlKVhwbF6Tm4Ofzk3WF5q0Yq722WRZO5kN90_s8kwFBLT1g-TgGbadhD2Ld46XrQUyUuEcvJ3QuSmhKCDl5EXiBVtr_BmB3EuLjSxG5_XXnTN/s500/wise-gals.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="331" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6-UZzR9UUwtEn56EGbgB_3CFAwWbuDpCn3O_qyqPj8sFRdHgioS3mfrwVtGJosvWBKfUOZ8KkVhZlKVhwbF6Tm4Ofzk3WF5q0Yq722WRZO5kN90_s8kwFBLT1g-TgGbadhD2Ld46XrQUyUuEcvJ3QuSmhKCDl5EXiBVtr_BmB3EuLjSxG5_XXnTN/s320/wise-gals.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>How much do you know about the early years of the Central Inelegance Agency? How much have you read about its predecessors - the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and the Central Intelligence Group (CIG)? If the answer to either question is not much, <i>Wise Gals</i> will help fill in gaps in your knowledge.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="greyText"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="greyText">Nathalia Holt in <i>Wise Gals</i> opens with a coterie of women - Addy Hawkins, Liz Sudmeier, Mary Hutchison, Jane Burrell, and Eloise Page - working with others on the Petticoat Commission in November 1953. This commission was compiling facts and data regarding the inequities in job titles and especially pay between women and men at the CIA. After this opening, <i>Wise Gals</i> digs into a changing cast of women who were initially part of the OSS during World War II and stayed on to deal with the new reality of the developing Cold War. There were double agents who they need to bring in, new contacts to develop, and leads to follow. Holt divided the book into five sections subdivided into chapters. Each chapter is titled with an operation name, date, and then the name of the "wise gal" who is the main focus of the chapter. Operations ranged from 1940's Ukrainian dissidents to Iraq Revolution in 1950's to Sputnik to the specs for MIG-19 to U-2/Gary Powers fiasco to the Bay of Pigs disaster in 1960's. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="greyText"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="greyText">The women Holt writes about in <i>Wise Gals</i> have all died so their stories can be told while those "wise gals" still surviving will get their time to shine when they are gone. It is amazing who is known from the CIA versus who actually did the work of making the CIA as functional as it is. Read <i>Wise Gals</i> and celebrate their triumphs and mourn their losses! <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="greyText"> <br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="greyText"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="greyText"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="greyText"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="greyText"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="greyText"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="greyText"><br /><span itemprop="isbn"><br /></span></span></div>ReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116211926296619302.post-12651700276141907262022-12-02T09:55:00.002-08:002022-12-02T09:55:54.142-08:00Bond does Science?<div style="text-align: left;">Harkup, Kathryn. <i>Superspy Science: Science, Death, and Tech in the World of James Bond.</i> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> London: Bloomsbury Sigma, 2022. ISBN: 978147298226</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNTU2RTULCaYrCmwfDupXInWSN9IdW-t_x3UzeG0-b43Wr2hsztTNfzQFVrRDS8z-clnXLa-hlFfgjbIUDKX4bO-2rICzdCHUst392l-T0Sc49QAAIOwQPWH2ny5CWFLOej9IgPKDE9pRk2klnCVTBldXLFcz9Od2W255gefSjcePzdG0FTavRohGv/s579/superspy-science.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNTU2RTULCaYrCmwfDupXInWSN9IdW-t_x3UzeG0-b43Wr2hsztTNfzQFVrRDS8z-clnXLa-hlFfgjbIUDKX4bO-2rICzdCHUst392l-T0Sc49QAAIOwQPWH2ny5CWFLOej9IgPKDE9pRk2klnCVTBldXLFcz9Od2W255gefSjcePzdG0FTavRohGv/s320/superspy-science.jpg" width="199" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">How many James Bond movies have you watched? How many have you obsessed over, digging into the nuts and bolts of the action and the villains? More than you want to admit? Well join Kathryn Harkup on a wander through the 25 James Bond movies produced by Eon Productions as she looks at what is actually real in the world of James Bond.</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In the Prologue, Harkup sets the stage for how the James Bond movie franchise differs from other spy/thriller series. Over the next 25 chapters graced with the titles of the Bond movies in chronological order, Harkup delves into various aspects of the Bond universe. Topics covered range from the opening gun barrel sequence, Rosa Klebb's shoe, lasers as weapons, the care and feeding of volcano lairs and henchmen, how the crocodile run was set up, space stations, parachuting from the edge of space, electrocution via various devices, drugs, poisons, exotic weapons, nanobots, exploding vehicles, and Bond's backstory. Of course there is a bibliography to back up the claims made in the book and provide more sources for the Bond enthusiast to explore.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">So if you are a lover of Bond movies, you are likely to enjoy perusing the pages of this tome. Just remember, as Harkup repeats several times in regard to various situations, "Please, do not try this at home!" Rather, enjoy it on the screen!<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>ReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116211926296619302.post-6865295351249629302022-10-31T09:15:00.000-07:002022-10-31T09:15:41.209-07:00Jazz and the Mob!<div style="text-align: left;">English, T. J. <i>Dangerous Rhythms: Jazz and the Underworld.</i> New York: William Morrow, 2022. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> ISBN: 9780063031418</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdNOrXoBQ4OXuXjjkfej4HHfni8TS8pf1vdQKg6OZW7SzmZmoYp0q8iiBnCV7rgUWAW-UZuI_P_qZEx8f5lKDG_BINkcGFFL6GMfD4IMMDBzL0-nuMFxnsN5Hw7HY0sALQssglPiNAzzj8UpMt3aNWheZxzD26MPjXobLlEwLOTlnZFYCa2CRehXL7/s500/dangerous-rhythms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdNOrXoBQ4OXuXjjkfej4HHfni8TS8pf1vdQKg6OZW7SzmZmoYp0q8iiBnCV7rgUWAW-UZuI_P_qZEx8f5lKDG_BINkcGFFL6GMfD4IMMDBzL0-nuMFxnsN5Hw7HY0sALQssglPiNAzzj8UpMt3aNWheZxzD26MPjXobLlEwLOTlnZFYCa2CRehXL7/s320/dangerous-rhythms.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Do you listen to jazz music? Especially older jazz such as from the 1920-1940's? Or are you a fan of tales of the Mob? Maybe you grew up reading/watching about Al Capone, Pretty Boy Floyd, or Mo Lansky, the Valentine's Day Massacre and the Untouchables. In either case, you owe yourself a read of <i>Dangerous Rhythms</i> to see how organized crime and jazz grew up and became entwined though early 20th century America.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">T. J. English opens <i>Dangerous Rhythms </i>in New Orleans focusing on the early interactions of jazz with organized crime. Both were in their infancy and both profited from the growth of the other. Then jazz spread around the county to Kansas City, Chicago, New York and Los Angles. Early on jazz was played in bars and speakeasies which were owned by local crime bosses. Organized crime provided the venue and the booze for the customers while the jazz bands drew in the crowds. Both jazz musicians and organized crime organizations profited even if organized crime profited more. All the early and great jazz musicians played in mob controlled venues such as the Cotton Cub, The Plantation, or Cuban Garden. This pattern continued with stars such as Bing Crosby, the McGuire Sisters, Carmen Mcrea, and especially Frank Sinatra. Frank Sinatra was quite helpful in the 1950s by carrying money into Cuba for the Mob in their bid to turn the island into a gangster playground awash in jazz music. Then when a bunch of bearded guerillas chased the gangsters off the island, Las Vegas, the Mississippi of the West, took over as the playground of the Mob and as a venue of some jazz music. T.J. English also intertwines the role of the mob in promoting jazz music via jukeboxes, radio plays, and record companies that were controlled by organized crime. <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In <i>Dangerous Rhythms</i>, T. J. English provides a very readable account of both jazz music and organized crime. This book provides an interesting lens to view both of these facets of American history and shed light on both. A very worthwhile read!<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>ReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116211926296619302.post-67248347975113830242022-10-25T13:26:00.003-07:002022-10-25T13:26:55.595-07:00Rangers on the Western Front!<div style="text-align: left;"> Druy, Bob, & Tom Clavin. <i>The Last Hill: The Epic Story of a Ranger Battalion and the Battle </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> That Defined WWII. </i>New York: St. Martin's Press, 2022. ISBN: 9781250247162</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7CySG2lA2BxPmkEGRY-f3kszcMgPwo1b4ZcsuIJ1hm_BERP7za5lANzbq-hzUv9CpkUVDynabnNdZ_OV7QyCPcBBFynKNbK_90xIa-wnqEHG3qqFj3O5PdR6sRIp_PfSw6UzMpPQkDXW_UYrhgkQLprcazYcTuGU_MVRd1Mv-i0X5vZL6caHYFkC/s1368/The-Last-Hill.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1368" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7CySG2lA2BxPmkEGRY-f3kszcMgPwo1b4ZcsuIJ1hm_BERP7za5lANzbq-hzUv9CpkUVDynabnNdZ_OV7QyCPcBBFynKNbK_90xIa-wnqEHG3qqFj3O5PdR6sRIp_PfSw6UzMpPQkDXW_UYrhgkQLprcazYcTuGU_MVRd1Mv-i0X5vZL6caHYFkC/s320/The-Last-Hill.jpg" width="211" /></a>If you know World War II history, you know of Rudder's Rangers. They were the 2nd Ranger Battalion that climbed the cliffs at Omaha Beach to seek and destroy the big guns. They also played an important role in the capture of the port of Brest. They performed magnificently on both, but then came their final major mission - the storming and holding of Castle Hill (also known as Hill 400) in the Hurtgen Forest in December 1944. <i>The Last Hill</i> is a detailed look at this key fight.</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">But before they get to that fight, Bob Druy and Tom Clavin provides the reader the history and backstory of the 2nd Ranger Battalion by dividing the book into 5 parts with a number of chapters per part. Part 1: The Rangers - provides the background on why Rangers were created, introduce the members of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, and their training for D-Day. Part II: The Beach - follows the 2nd Rangers as they scale the cliffs at Omaha Beach, discover the empty bunkers and then locate and destroy the targeted weapons among other heroic actions. Part III: The Fortress - highlight the actions and individuals of the 2nd Rangers during the campaign to take Brest. Part IV: The Forest - covers the hellish experiences of the 2nd Rangers in the Hurtgen Forest. Part V: The Hill charges the reader alongside the 2nd Rangers as they make their way to Bergstein, assault and take Castle Hill from the entrenched defenders men that had turned back multiple regiments with 130 men and then held the hill against all that the Germans could throw at them. One week later, the Battle of the Bulge opened. The 2nd Ranger's role for the rest of the war is briefly covered in the Epilogue and Afterword.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In <i>The Last Hill</i>, Bob Druy and Tom Clavin provides the reader with insight on an epic battle that is all to often only a footnote in the fight for the Hurtgen Forest. This tale and these individuals should be more widely know! If you enjoy stirring history, you will want to read <i>The Last Hill</i>!<br /></div>ReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116211926296619302.post-42637968121628105782022-10-21T09:54:00.002-07:002022-10-21T09:54:59.500-07:00Can You Handle the Truth?<div style="text-align: left;"> Spitale, Samuel C. <i>How to Win the War on Truth: An Illustrated Guide to How Mistruths are</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> Sold, Why They Stick, and How to Reclaim Reality.</i> Philadelphia: Quirk Books, 2022. ISBN: </div><div style="text-align: left;"> 9781683693086</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9nzKbDmv8QNTdYP_zx4BLayVGBg47CkvPkbeuM7poqYTaNy1-MnZ3gLZYK_yyYPDF6lTqJDsUSL-Ml9biHasep1-biMaR29LbrL5iBbrZkHNd4X134XhL0ZgJ8t91NhBlPnCftZCPDPvSpzZu3p-3-lr_8tO5T4wpvMq5tnhyWRNbgdOJAZfYQ-lB/s500/how-to-win-the-war-on-truth.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="389" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9nzKbDmv8QNTdYP_zx4BLayVGBg47CkvPkbeuM7poqYTaNy1-MnZ3gLZYK_yyYPDF6lTqJDsUSL-Ml9biHasep1-biMaR29LbrL5iBbrZkHNd4X134XhL0ZgJ8t91NhBlPnCftZCPDPvSpzZu3p-3-lr_8tO5T4wpvMq5tnhyWRNbgdOJAZfYQ-lB/s320/how-to-win-the-war-on-truth.jpg" width="249" /></a></div>What is truth? Is there and absolute Truth with a capital T or is all true relative based on how many people believe it? Is there an organized assault on truth or is this just the result of a very frenzied "marketplace of ideas?" Interested? Read on!<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Samuel Spitale is fervent in his belief that objective truth is under attack. He has come to the conclusion that the United States and other countries have evolved into a post-truth nation where facts matter less than appeals to emotion and personal beliefs. He is among the thinking majority that believe this is a dangerous state of being. So he conceived of <i>How to Win the War on Truth</i> as a means of educating the reader on tools to recognize when they are being manipulated and how to fight back in eight chapters. Chapter 1: Propagating the Faith delves into the history and process of propaganda, public relations and advertising. Chapter 2: Cutting Out Complexity examines how a complex situation is reduced to a simple either or choice. Chapter 3: Bias and the Brain sheds light on how the lenses we view the world are wired and how these lenses can be manipulated. Chapter 4: Emotional Manipulation checks out how propaganda uses people's emotions to take action. Chapter 5: Dividing and Conquering (An Audience) looks at the use of stereotypes to separate folks into "us vs them" groups. Chapter 6: Power, Profit, and Propaganda slices into the use of propaganda by corporations to increase their influence and bottom line. Chapter 7: Propaganda Techniques lays out the tools used in propaganda. Chapter 8: The Southern Strategy provides a case study in the use of propaganda in the service of politics. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Samuel Spitale in <i>How to Win the War on Truth</i> provides a passionate plea for readers to be media literate, not passive media consumers. His point of view is clear to any discerning reader, but he does not ask for blind faith, rather he provides activities that allow the reader to participate in their own education. If you have an interest in thinking about stories, politics, and/or life, take the time to carefully read this book! <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /> </div>ReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116211926296619302.post-9272408850589838782022-10-11T10:29:00.000-07:002022-10-11T10:29:59.528-07:00Army vs Marines in the Pacific, 1944<div style="text-align: left;">McManus, John C. <i>Island Infernos: The U.S. Army's Pacific War Odyssey, 1944.</i> New York: </div><div style="text-align: left;"> Caliber, 2021. ISBN: 9780451475060</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lORVulYz8G1_iLy-vUCPpHP4LY9Mype5OLk61P6ApXLLAM_PmqsuGL1L1BOHCTKw3_UHtTGiATh1X4ErIR6H7dcBv9MOl7sSl_SL4LPRkspF01UGBTqr9btFzsm9nvJHHLKV1gueJYku9wH1qMw4ErbqBVRx6ouXwCfg5MtlgyrXteGVs3dqmvXf/s450/island-infernos.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="296" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6lORVulYz8G1_iLy-vUCPpHP4LY9Mype5OLk61P6ApXLLAM_PmqsuGL1L1BOHCTKw3_UHtTGiATh1X4ErIR6H7dcBv9MOl7sSl_SL4LPRkspF01UGBTqr9btFzsm9nvJHHLKV1gueJYku9wH1qMw4ErbqBVRx6ouXwCfg5MtlgyrXteGVs3dqmvXf/s320/island-infernos.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">1944 would be a milestone year in both the Pacific and European theaters for the U.S. Army. In Europe wold be invasions of Italy and France. In the Pacific the U.S. Army was still struggling in New Guinea. It had made progress among the Gilbert Islands, cleared the Aleutian Islands, and established a force in India aimed at Burma. It was the opening John McManus had set for <i>Island Infernos</i>, the second volume of his series on the U.S. Army in the Pacific War.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">John McManus lays out the situation at the beginning of 19955 in the Prologue of <i>Island Infernos</i>. He then takes the reader though all the operations and activities of the U.S. Army in 1944 over the course of the next ten chapters. Operation Flintlock - the invasion of the Marshall Islands. The invasion of the Admiralty Islands of Los Megros and Manus. Fighting and more fighting in New Guinea and on Bougainville. Galahad Force left India and trekked though Burma. The Marine/Army invasions of Guam, Saipan, and Tinian that brought plenty of casualties and almost ruptured relationships between the two services. Finally came the longed for return to the Philippines by McArthur and the U.S. Army assisted by the U.S. Navy. McManus also provided a brief update on POWs and their treatment. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">John McManus has continued his credible job of presenting the role of the US
Army in the Pacific Theater of WWII. He works to provide details from
both combat and other aspects of Army life. In one volume he managed to cover the wide range of activities undertaken by the U.S. Army over the course of 1944 for the reader to peruse and absorb. <br /></div>ReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4116211926296619302.post-53980414866605721262022-10-05T11:54:00.001-07:002022-10-05T11:54:48.324-07:00Crime and Your DNA<div style="text-align: left;">Humes, Edward. <i>The Forever Witness: How Genetic Genealogy Solved a Cold Case Double </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> Murder.</i> NY: Dutton, 2022. ISBN: 9781524746278</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6mf5m9sBjGGs68OOtkIVrT8JYpqYCqp2K9blDeNmEvLQ6Gb8cAiDqRIKz2-Aa6DRqtt80U1EGjtPCVecvUd7ZY0JIGiPHUqB5nCR0C4nyjscSRAEduOHu_QtlOYYT-CFvSIcU0qDc6cIJvzcMYXPjHD9au4A8nm3zarbCgkvURuQ_qOkyi43KlNO/s450/forever-witness.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="298" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6mf5m9sBjGGs68OOtkIVrT8JYpqYCqp2K9blDeNmEvLQ6Gb8cAiDqRIKz2-Aa6DRqtt80U1EGjtPCVecvUd7ZY0JIGiPHUqB5nCR0C4nyjscSRAEduOHu_QtlOYYT-CFvSIcU0qDc6cIJvzcMYXPjHD9au4A8nm3zarbCgkvURuQ_qOkyi43KlNO/s320/forever-witness.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Do you crave a chance to solve a mystery? Do you follow true crime stories and read everything you can get on killers? Or do you live in northwestern United States? Finally, are you engaged in the ancestry DNA craze? If your answer to any of these question are yes, you might want to pick up and read <i>The Forever Witness.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> </i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">On November 18, 1987, Jay Cook and his girlfriend Tanya Van Cuylenborg left Vancouver Island (British Columbia, Canada) to drive five hours to Seattle, Washington, to pick up a furnace for his dad. They never arrived. Someplace along the way they encountered someone who murdered them both, left their bodies in rural Washington and the copper-colored van was left in the town of Bellingham. A massive search went out, but the case went cold. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">In 2005, Jim Scharf was appointed to work the 65 cold cases of Snohomish County (WA) where he had worked off and on since 1h3 1970s. The only double-homicide was that of Tanya Van Cuylenborg and Jay Cook. In 2008, Sharf invested in decks of tip cards - playing cards that had the story of a case and photo of the victim. Since DNA in semen was found on Tanya's body, DNA matching could be used to rule out various suspects that tips brought forward. CODIS, a database of DNA collected from known criminals was tried a few times without any hits. Then came the genetic genealogy phenomenon where folks started sending in their DNA to trace back their ancestors and find living relatives via 23andMe and other DNA testing companies. Scharf used Parabon which had gone private after creating a terrorist DNA database for the Defense Department. He got a profile with a description. This is where CeCe Moore comes into the story. She is a genetic genealogist who has made a business out of her obsession with tracking down genealogical answers. She saw that her toolkit for helping people find answers could possibly be a way to help solve police cold cases. She and Parabon gotten together to work on cases using the GEDmatch platform to solve cold cases and the first case was Jim Sharf's. It took CeCe Moore nine hours to identify the possible killer. Then came the need to obtain direct DNA evidence that was positively linked to the suspected person which was accomplished on May 18, 2018. Then all the evidence collected over the years needed to be put in order, a case presented to a court, and a verdict rendered which happened on December 6, 2021.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Edward Humes provides a very readable account of how the case of Tanya Van Cuylenborg and Jay Cook's murders were solved and the vindication of genetic genealogy as a tool in law enforcement's handbook. He also provides a warning about the need for limits on these tools. Pick up a copy and dive into the details of a fascinating cold case solved! <br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>ReadinWVhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13881938746917985101noreply@blogger.com0