Winter Reading 2019 Cyber Attack

The thing that makes Washburn's tale of terrorists hacking into multiple systems and wreaking havoc across the United States is the realism of so many details. The terrorists are out for revenge because of wrongs they feel they have suffered at the hands of the U.S. within their home countries. The methods they use have taken several years to develop with several people working on them. And the results described could actually happen under the right circumstances.

But it is not just the "bad guys" and their effects that are realistic. Washburn takes the time to describe the various victims caught up in the disasters and makes them believable. He doesn't just mention a couple of old friends on vacation happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Readers learn the names, occupations, how long they have been friends and have been planning this trip, etc. Each of the characters comes complete with a backstory that rounds out each situation and makes it believable.

The protagonists of the story are FBI agents Hank Goodnight and Paige Randall. They are assigned to work together for the first time in response to the first incident. Even as they head out to investigate the damage spreads and they have to work around power outages, grounded air traffic and other issues just to reach the locations and resources they need to do the job. 

I won this book in a giveaway and read it in a single afternoon. Once I started, the story pulled me along and I had to see how it would end. I would recommend it for those who enjoy thrillers where investigation and action are mixed with increasingly high stakes. This is for mature YA and adult readers - some of the scenes include graphic details of violence.

Fall Reading 2018 Hero Dogs: How a Pack of Rescues, Rejects, and Strays Became America's Greatest Disaster-Search Partners

If you enjoy stories about dogs or about search and rescue, this is a book you must read. I warn you though - you may cry through large sections of it - but it will be worth it. The book traces the beginnings of the Search Dog Foundation from Wilma Melville's time helping after the Oklahoma City Bombing and her realization that many more SAR dogs were necessary. The author describes how the program came to use dogs from animal shelters, the training program, and matching the dogs with their human partners. 

The text also describes how the teams worked in various disasters, including 9-11, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita, and the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Readers will find details about what conditions were like, the lengths that dogs and handlers went through to find victims, and how the dogs also served as unofficial therapy dogs for rescue workers.

Between the tales of the difficulties some of the dogs had before they were chosen by the SDF, and then reading about the horrors rescuers had to endure to search the disaster sites, some of the passages were very grim. Not that this book is a downer, but it is accurate and some sad facts are inescapable. The overall benefits of the foundation and the work of the canine SAR teams are the silver lining and make persevering through the more heart-wrenching parts well worth the effort.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Fall Reading 2018 Past Due for Murder (Blue Ridge Library Mysteries #3)

One would think that hosting a bonfire and storytelling session would be fun, even if you were in charge of refreshments. And it seems that having a professor of folklore in town as part of a grant could only be a positive thing for the library. But as readers learn, nothing is ever that simple. For Amy Webber, the director of the public library, there is plenty of trouble involved when one of the professor's students goes missing.

Then, while everyone in town is looking for the missing young woman, a dead body is discovered. Are there connections between the two incidents? Has the young woman also suffered foul play? Who could have killed the victim and why? As usual Amy and her research skills come in handy for the investigators, but that will also put her at risk if the murderer decides that she knows too much.

The plot keeps revealing new details and possible connections between the characters, making it hard to decide which of them could be the guilty party. In Amy's case, she is distracted by odd behavior from her boyfriend, the presence of a former boyfriend in town, and dealing with a research team that is looking into local history.

The description of small town life with all its complicated relationships and traditions is very believable. The characters are distinct and entertaining,  and readers will return for further visits in Taylorsford feeling as though they are reuniting with old friends.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Giveaway: Bluecrowne by Kate Milford

I have an ARC of Bluecrowne: A Greenglass House Story for someone to enjoy. Good luck!

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Fall Reading 2018 Blacklisted: Hollywood, the Cold War, and the First Amendment

Looking for a book that ties in censorship, government oversight, and playing to the fears of the general public? The latest by Larry Dane Brimner has all of that and lots more. He traces the hearings held by the House Un-American Activities Committee as they confronted screenwriters, directors, and producers that they felt posed a threat. This perceived threat was based on involvement in Communist groups or what was seen as promoting Communist values through the movies they created.

Brimner walks readers through the hearings and how the Hollywood Ten, as the first "hostile witnesses" were called, denied the Committee's authority under the Constitution to question an individual's "political views and personal associations." That denial led to prison terms and heavy fines, the loss of their jobs and livelihoods, and widespread fallout in their personal lives, too. The book also includes photos of the HUAC members, the witnesses, as well as copies of political cartoons, telegrams, and other documents related to the hearings.

The incredible thing is that the committee members didn't seem to realize they were acting like Russian investigators during Stalin's purges rather than like elected representatives of a society that values the right to free speech and free association. The plentiful quotes from the men involved show their thought processes as they weigh the few options they have - admit they are a Communist and throw others under the bus (to use a colloquialism), or deny their affiliation and go to jail. It's a devil or the deep blue sea choice.

For middle school and older grades this is a helpful text to use when studying the Cold War. It also has the possibility of opening conversation about similarities to today's political climate.

I read a review copy provided by the publisher.

Fall Reading 2018 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List

As if I didn't have enough trouble keeping my TBR pile under control as it is, now this book comes along and recommends even more titles?! It's not that I haven't read any of the books the author discusses, it is the sheer number of others that he offers like a bibliophile's buffet. Mustich has covered a wide range of genres, age and reading levels, time periods, and cultures. Entries range from Aristotle to Vonnegut, bedtime stories such as Goodnight Moon to horror like Dracula, and adventures like Homer's Iliad or Ender's Game. 

The entry for a book might include a synopsis, a brief description of the authors' life, the social climate at the time of publication, or other relevant facts. Endnotes also point out other titles by the same author, books for further information about each subject, adaptations of the work, any awards it won, and read-alikes by other authors. It's like having an "if you like that, then try this" feature on steroids.

Quotes from critics or other authors underscore the sort of reactions a book inspires in its readers, although Mustich does a wonderful job of expressing his own opinions. He says this about Roald Dahl, for instance, "Standing out among his storytelling treats is Matilda, whose superheroine is heroic - and triumphant - first and foremost because she reads." Along with the written entries there are also images of authors, book covers, teaser posters for movie adaptations, historical photos, and reproductions of iconic illustrations. 

Booknote sidebars cover related titles, while More to Explore sections group books with similar themes (even other books about books). Back matter includes a general index of the books and authors mentioned, and "A Miscellany of Special Lists" has curated groupings of titles based on subject, style, or audience. The explanation of the book's organization explains all these features as well as letting readers know that over 3,000 authors and 6,000 additional books are mentioned besides the main entries. (So does that make it 7,000 books to read before you die?) The companion website has books indexed by chronology and genre. 

No matter what sort of reader you are - constant, binge, persnickety, omnivorous - you will find more useful information than you are likely to have the time to implement. I suggest investing in some highlighters or sticky tabs if you purchase a print version, or be prepared to bookmark your e-book edition like crazy. You won't want to forget any of the entries or other details that catch your interest.

Highly recommended for YA and up - or as a reference for school librarians and teachers to help steer students to titles that suit their tastes. I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Giveaway Midnight Without a Moon

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About the book: It’s Mississippi in the summer of 1955, and thirteen-year-old Rose Lee Carter can’t wait to move north, following in the footsteps of her mama and her aunt. But for now, she’s living with Ma Pearl and Papa, her grandparents, who are sharecroppers on a cotton plantation.

A few towns over, a fourteen-year-old African American boy, Emmett Till, is killed for allegedly whistling at a white woman. When the killers are unjustly acquitted, Rose realizes that the South needs a change . . . and that she should be part of the movement. 

Linda William Jackson’s moving debut seamlessly blends a fictional portrait of an African American family and factual events from a famous trial that provoked change in race relations in the U.S.

(from the back cover)

- - - I have an advanced copy that needs a good home, so please enter.  :-)