Lynn's List (October 26, 2018)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• Tragedy in the North Woods: The Murders of James Hicks (True Crime Ser.) by Trudy Irene Scee
• Speaking Out: Activism and Protest in the 1960s and 1970s by Heather Ann Thompson
• The Power of Respect: Benefit from the Most Forgotten Element of Success by Deborah Norville
• Just Between You and Me: A Novel of Losing Fear and Finding God by Jenny Jones
• You Can Let Go Now: It's Okay to Be Who You Are by Mark Chironna
• Ruth Bell Graham: A Tribute by Stephen Griffith
• A Chesapeake Shores Collection Volume 1: The Inn at Eagle Point, Flowers on Main, Harbor Lights, and A Chesapeake Shores Christmas by Sherryl Woods
• A Chesapeake Shores Collection Volume 2: Driftwood Cottage, Moonlight Cove, Beach Lane, and An O'Brien Family Christmas by Sherryl Woods
• A Chesapeake Shores Collection Volume 3: The Summer Garden, A Seaside Christmas, and The Christmas Bouquet by Sherryl Woods
• American Intolerance: Our Dark History of Demonizing Immigrants by Anja Reumschuessel and Robert E. Bartholomew
• The Dreamer and the Doctor: A Forest Lover and a Physician on the Edge of the Frontier by Jack Nisbet
• The Midnight Witness (Louise Rick series) by Sara Blaedel
• The Three Beths by Jeff Abbott
• The Rise of Andrew Jackson: Myth, Manipulation, and the Making of Modern Politics by Jeanne T. Heidler and David S. Heidler
• Suitcase of Dreams by Tania Blanchard
• Island War by Patricia Reilly Giff
• Find Me Gone: A Novel by Sarah Meuleman
• Marilla of Green Gables: A Novel by Sarah McCoy
• The Christmas Remedy: An Amish Christmas Romance by Erin Woodsmall and Cindy Woodsmall
• House of Gold by Natasha Solomons
• The Dangers of Christian Practice: On Wayward Gifts, Characteristic Damage, and Sin by Lauren F. Winner
• The Bermuda Triangle: An Incredible Saga of Unexplained Disappearances by Charles Berlitz

Review: As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner

Title: As Bright as Heaven
Author: Susan Meissner
Publisher: Berkley Books
Publication Date: February 1, 2018
Edition: ebook (400 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Historical Fiction

My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Pauline and Thomas Bright, having lost their beloved infant son, decided to move to Philadelphia, in order to make a better life for their three daughters. They arrived just as the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 was beginning. They were totally unprepared for the loss of over 12,000 lives in Philadelphia, alone, not to mention Thomas and many of their friends going off to fight in World War I. Yet, through death and loss, they forge a life as a family and a community.

This is the first book I have read by Susan Meissner, and it will not be the last. Her words float off the page in a way that makes you want to keep reading. I loved these characters. I felt as though I was right there laughing, crying and living life right along side them. I read this book as a follow-up to the nonfiction book "More Deadly Than War: The Hidden History of the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic" by Kenneth C. Davis, which is also an excellent read.

Lynn's List (October 19, 2018)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• Consumed (Firefighters series #1) by J. R. Ward
• More Deadly Than War: The Hidden History of the Spanish Flu and the First World War by Kenneth C. Davis
• Unsheltered: A Novel by Barbara Kingsolver
• Rivers: Diary of a Blind Alaska Racing Sled Dog by Mike Dillingham
• Falling Up: My Wild Ride From Victim To Kick-ass Victory by Dana Liesegang
• Thirteen Soldiers: A Personal History of Americans at War by Mark Salter and John Mccain
• Fight for Liberty: Defending Democracy in the Age of Trump by Jon Meacham and Mark Lasswell
• The Empty Throne: America's Abdication of Global Leadership by James M. Lindsay and Ivo H. Daalder
• 1619: Jamestown and the Forging of American Democracy by James Horn
• My Dearest Julia: The Wartime Letters Of Ulysses S. Grant To His Wife by Ron Chernow
• Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks
• The Known Citizen: A History of Privacy in Modern America by Sarah E. Igo
• Glimmer of Hope: How Tragedy Sparked a Movement by The March for Our Lives Founders
• Golden Handcuffs: The Secret History of Trump's Women by Nina Burleigh
• An Uncivil War: Taking Back Our Democracy in an Age of Trumpian Disinformation and Thunderdome Politics by Greg Sargent
• Liberated Spirits: Two Women Who Battled Over Prohibition by John Schuttler and Hugh Ambrose
• In the Hurricane's Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown by Nathaniel Philbrick
• Impeachment: An American History by Jeffrey A. Engel, Peter Baker, Timothy Naftali and Jon Meacham
• Leading with Love: Inspiration for Spiritual Activists by Maude White and Hisae Matsuda
• A Massacre in Mexico: The True Story Behind the Missing Forty-Three Students by John Washington and Anabel Hernandez
• The Periodic Table of Feminism by Marisa Bate
• A Mind Unraveled: A Memoir by Kurt Eichenwald
• Gertruda's Oath: A Child, a Promise, and a Heroic Escape During World War II by Ram Oren
• Tennison: A Jane Tennison Thriller (Book 1) (A Jane Tennison Thriller #1) by Lynda La Plante
• Hidden Killers: A Jane Tennison Thriller (Book 2) (A Jane Tennison Thriller #2) by Lynda La Plante
• Cult City: Jim Jones, Harvey Milk, and 10 Days That Shook San Francisco by Daniel J. Flynn
• A Bridge Too Far: The Classic History of the Greatest Battle of World War II by Cornelius Ryan
• Liar: A Gripping Psychological Thriller With A Shocking Twist by K. L. Slater
• The Plot to Destroy Democracy: How Putin and His Spies Are Undermining America and Dismantling the West by Rob Reiner and Malcolm Nance
• Rescue: Refugees and the Political Crisis of Our Time (TED Books) by David Miliband
• Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness by Joshua Wolf Shenk
• As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner
• Morning of Fire: John Kendrick's Daring American Odyssey in the Pacific by Scott Ridley
• Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times (The Midwife Trilogy #1) by Jennifer Worth

Review: More Deadly Than War: The Hidden History of the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic by Kenneth C. Davis

Title: More Deadly Than War: The Hidden History of the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic
Author: Kenneth C. Davis
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication Date: May 15, 2018
Edition: ebook (304 pages)
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• History
• Pandemic

My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Spanish flu that swept the world in 1918 is still considered the worst outbreak of disease in modern history. Professor Davis traces the Spanish flu outbreak, its migration, its scope and its effects on the United States and around the world. He tells the story through newspaper articles, research and photographs.

The Spanish flu has interested me because my paternal grandmother dies as a result of complications from it, leaving behind my dad, at age 16, and my aunt, at age 12. My dad came home to find her dead, and he was the one who had to break the news. No one expected her to die. She had been quite ill, but was doing well with her recovery, and they thought she was well enough to be left alone while the family went to work and school. I can't begin to imagine how difficult that must have been, especially for my dad and my aunt, at that age.

The detail in this book is superb. I could visualize much of it, as I read. People literally dropped in the streets. One minute they were alive and going about their business, and the next, dead. That is how virulent the Spanish flu could be, though, of course, it wasn't always so. The other thing that fascinated me about this book was the US government's response and the way in which the military responded to the outbreak. And, in the Afterward, Professor Davis writes about the possibility of this happening again. Scary stuff!

If you have an intrust in this topic, history and/or World War I, I recommend you read this book. It has something to offer on several levels.

Review: Consumed (Firefighters series #1) by J. R. Ward

Title: Consumed (Firefighters series #1)
Author: J. R. Ward
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication Date: October 2, 2018
Edition: ebook (418 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Mystery
• Romance
• Thriller

Series: Firefighters #1
My Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ann Ashburn is badly injured fighting a fire. Since she cannot return to that profession, following her recovery, she accepts a job as an arson investigator, not because she wants to investigate suspicious fires, but because she needs a job. Her life begins to heat up when she starts to put the puzzle pieces of her first investigation together, becomes romantically involved with a bad-boy fire fighter who saved her life, and has to deal with some family issues from her past.

I enjoyed this book very much. How could I not? It is fast-paced, there is a lot of emotion, conflict, mystery, and a wonderful dog. It's on to the second book when it's released.

Review: Into the Drowning Deep (Rolling in the Deep, #1) byMira Grant

Title: Into the Drowning Deep (Rolling in the Deep, #1)
Author: Mira Grant
Publisher: Orbit
Publication Date: November 14, 2017
Edition: ebook (448 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Horror
• Mystery
• Science Fiction
• Thriller

Series: Rolling in the Deep #1
My Rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Mariana Trench is a place of mythical curiosity. Several ships have disappeared in the area, prompting the fascination of an entertainment network. Their first expedition to explore resulted in all hands being lost at sea. Seven years later, the network organizes a return expedition. Some of the crew are new to the cause, and some have lost loved ones in the first expedition. Equipped with the latest in gadgets and electronics, the ship is as state of the art as 2022 can make it. But what awaits them, they cannot possibly prepare for. What lurks in the deep is powerful.

Normally, I am not a reader of Science Fiction, but thanks to one of my friends on Twitter who read the book, I decided to have a look at the particulars, and it sounded intriguing. I decided to give it a try. From the start, it reeled me in. Nothing seemed too far fetched. The characters were interesting, complex and fully developed. Once I began reading, I had to keep going to see what would happen to these people.

Review: Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver

Title: Animal Dreams
Author: Barbara Kingsolver
Publisher: HarperCollins e-books
Publication Date: October 13, 2009 (first published September 1st 1990)
Edition: ebook (384 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction

My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cosima "Codi" Noline returns to her childhood home in Grace, Arizona, to see about her father, the town doctor, who is suffering from memory loss, the exact extent and cause of which are unknown to her. Her sister, Halimeda "Hallie" Noline, has gone to Central America as a volunteer to help people of a war-torn country. The two are close as sisters, and Codi has not told Hallie of their father's situation. Arriving in Grace, Codi has to navigate the complexities of family and childhood memories,a complicated relationship with her father, teaching high school biology, and town's people who expect her to save the town from an impending toxic pollution crisis--not to mention really falling in love and unspeakable tragedy.

I have reread ANIMAL DREAMS several times. Each time, I find a different layer of the book to explore and consider. It is rich in characters, scenery, legend, emotion and description. In short, I just love this book. There is not one superficial word or character in its pages, in my opinion.

Lynn's List (October 12, 2018)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• How to Tame a Fox (and Build a Dog) (and Build a Dog)... by Lee Alan Dugatkin and Lyudmila Trut
• The Agency by Edward Kendrick
• True North by Jim Harrison
• The Typist by Michael Knight
• The Great Divorce: A Nineteenth-Century Mother's Extraordinary Fight Against Her Husband, the Shakers, and Her Times by Ilyon Woo
• The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
• Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded -- August 27, 1883 by Simon Winchester
• The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter: A Novel by Hazel Gaynor
• Presidents of War by Michael Beschloss
• In My Father's House: A New View of How Crime Runs in the Family by Fox Butterfield
• The Clockmaker's Daughter: A Novel by Kate Morton
• The Collectors by Jacqueline West
• November Road: A Novel by Lou Berney
• The Well-Spoken Woman Speaks Out: How to Use Your Voice to Drive Change by Christine K. Jahnke
• Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Republic by David Frum
• The Linen Queen: A Novel by Patricia Falvey
• Operation Thunderbolt: Flight 139 and the Raid on Entebbe Airport, the Most Audacious Hostage Rescue Mission in History by Saul David
• The Wife's Secret: A gripping psychological thriller with a heart-stopping twist by Kerry Wilkinson
• Our Little Lies: An absolutely gripping psychological thriller with a brilliant twist by Sue Watson
• A Spark of Light: A Novel by Jodi Picoult
• Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies by Ben Macintyre
• Animal Dreams: A Novel (P. S. Ser.) by Barbara Kingsolver
• The Language of Kindness: A Nurse's Story by Christie Watson
• Treasures from the Attic: The Extraordinary Story of Where She Came From, Based on More Than 6,000 Newly Discovered Letters, Documents, and Photos by Mirjam Pressler
• American Justice 2018: The Shifting Supreme Court by Todd Ruger
• The Warning: A nail biting, gripping psychological thriller by Kathryn Croft

Lynn's List (October 5, 2018)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• Last Exhale: A Novel by Julia Blues
• Unbreakable: A Novel by William Fredrick Cooper
• Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies by J. B. West
• On the Other Side: A Novel by Michelle Janine Robinson
• Bound by Ice: A True North Pole Survival Story by Rich Wallace
• Alice Paul and the Fight for Women's Rights: From the Vote to the Equal Rights Amendment by Deborah Kops
• Blood Brother: Jonathan Daniels and His Sacrifice for Civil Rights by Rich Wallace and Sandra Neil Wallace
• Identical Strangers: A Memoir of Twins Separated and Reunited by Elyse Schein and Paula Bernstein
• Last Wolf at Eagle Well by Robert C. Mowry
• Stranded at Romson's Lodge by J. L. Callison
• Phoenix Rising: Stories of Remarkable Women Walking Through Fire by Kristen Moeller and Leslie Alpin Wharton
• The Step: One Woman’s Journey to Finding her Own Happiness and Success During the Apollo Space Program by Martha Lemasters
• Never Too Late (A Henlit Novel #1) by Jo Barney
• The Runaway (A Henlit Novel #2) by Jo Barney
• Wages of Sin: A Novel by Yolonda Tonette Sanders
• The Douglas Kennedy Collection #1: The Pursuit of Happiness, A Special Relationship, and State of the Union by Douglas Kennedy
• The Shadow President: The Truth About Mike Pence by Michael D'Antonio
• Trump Must Go: The Top 100 Reasons to Dump Trump (and One to Keep Him) by Bill Press
• A Spy at the Heart of the Third Reich: The Extraordinary Story of Fritz Kolbe, America's Most Important Spy in World War II by Lucas Delattre
• Triptych: A Novel (Will Trent #1) by Karin Slaughter
• Fractured: A Novel (Will Trent #2) by Karin Slaughter
• Cop Town: A Novel by Karin Slaughter
• My American Journey: An Autobiography by Colin L. Powell
• The Apprentice: Trump, Russia and the Subversion of American Democracy by Greg Miller
• Scene of the Crime: Mystic Lake by Carla Cassidy
• Morning of Fire: John Kendrick's Daring American Odyssey in the Pacific by Scott Ridley
• The Jericho Deception by Jeffrey Small
• Tombstone Courage (Joanna Brady #2) by J. A. Jance
• Fault Lines by Nancy Huston
• Black Out: An Inspector Troy Thriller (The Inspector Troy Novels #1) by John Lawton
• Conspiracy of Fools: A True Story by Kurt Eichenwald
• Dies the Fire: A Novel of the Change (A Novel of the Change #1) by S. M. Stirling

Review: Tombstone Courage (Joanna Brady #2) by J. A. Jance

Title: Tombstone Courage (Joanna Brady #2)
Author: J. A. Jance
Publisher: William Morrow
Publication Date: March 17, 2009 (first published 1994)
Edition: ebook (448 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Mystery
• Suspense

Series: Joanna Brady #2
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Joanna Brady is the newly elected Sheriff. The only female Sheriff in the state of Arizona. If that were not enough pressure, she has to deal with hostile deputies, the investigation of two homicides, and find a way to cope with her husband's death and reassure her young daughter that all will be well.

If this continues, Joanna Brady is going to wind up being one of my fictional heroes. She's a strong woman. I enjoyed this book every bit as much as DESERT HEAT, the first book in the series--maybe even more so due to the complexity of the plot. I highly recommend these books. They are not fluffy mysteries. They're about real life and real problems. You go, Joanna Brady! Can't wait to see what you'll do next.

Review: Desert Heat (Joanna Brady #1) by J. A. Jance

Title: Desert Heat (Joanna Brady #1)
Author: J. A. Jance
Publisher: Avon books
Publication Date: March 17, 2009 (first published 1993)
Edition: ebook, (352 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Crime Fiction
• Mystery
• Thriller

Series: Joanna Brady #1
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Joanna Brady was happily married. Suddenly, her life changes, and she is left to solve the murder of her husband because she does not believe he committed crimes as an officer of the law. As she works to put the pieces together, she find herself, her daughter and her mother in danger. But she does what she has to do to bring about justice.

I enjoyed this first book in the Joanna Brady series so much. She's a strong and capable woman. She's believable as a character. Above all, she is honest. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Review: Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward

Title: Fear: Trump in the White House
Author: Bob Woodward
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: September 11, 2018 ((first published September 10th 2018)
Edition: ebook (448 pages)
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• Biography
• History
• Presidents
• Politics
• United States History

My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Bob Woodward has written books about US Presidents from Richard Nixon to Barack Obama--and now Donald Trump. This book chronicles the life of Donald Trump's presidency from the campaign, the debates, the "transition" period, through his first year in office, and beyond. In true investigative and precise detail that characterizes Bob Woodward's reporting, beginning with Water Gate, "Fear: Trump in the White House" is not an opinion piece or a personal assessment of Donald Trump personally or professionally. The writing is base on source notes, memoranda and hours of interviews with those close to Donald Trump from advisors and Cabinet officials. If you need proof of the authenticity of information herein, all you need do is look at the source notes at the end of the text.

Those of you who read my reviews of books I read are not strangers to my political beliefs. Naturally, I wanted to read this book from the moment I learned of its upcoming publication. And my interest was further piqued when CNN published a transcript of a conversation the author had with Donald Trump concerning the publication of this book. In my estimation, the title sums up the atmosphere inside the Trump White House, from the beginning of the Trump presidency through today. I have to say, this is one of the most disturbing books I have read in my lifetime. Even more so than many true crime books I've read. I spent over sixteen hours reading it, and, I could only read one chapter at a time because I find the actions of Donald Trump so alarming. I will leave you to read the book and draw your own conclusions.

I hope you will choose to read this book and then recommend to everyone you know that they do the same. Credible information is power. And, if you are as disturbed as I am by the actions and attitudes of this President, please channel that energy into the ballot box on November 6, 2018 and again in 2020 and beyond.