Category: Book Review

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#BookReview: Electric City by Thomas Hager

Those That Do Not Know History… The time period is (basically) a century ago. Most of the action is taking place within about 3 years either side of 1920. And you have a nationally popular and very rich business tycoon running in an election that ends with allegations of fraud and demands for recounts. Sound familiar? This is only *part* of the story of a piece of American history that despite having a tangential connection to (my step-grandfather – the only second grandfather I ever knew – was from the Muscle Shoals region and was born there during the period discussed in this text), I had never heard about before seeing this book. I’ve known of the TVA, I’ve even considering applying for jobs there in my professional career. But this story of how they began – really nearly a decade *before* the Great Depression and FDR’s New Deal – is quite fascinating on so many levels. Hager does a tremendous job of showing the breadth of what was happening and why as it relates to his central thesis, and people would do well to learn the lessons of this particular episode of American history. While the Bibliography was a bit lacking (at roughly 9% of this text vs a more common 20-30% or so), the author explains that much of his research was from original records and correspondences not captured in any previous volume, so that makes a fair amount of sense. On the whole, this seems well done and well balanced, and is very much recommended.

This review of Electric City by Thomas Hager was originally written on January 11, 2021.

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#BookReview: CyberSpace by Matthew Mather

CyberSpace by Matthew Mather 5*

Interesting Time To Read These Stories. I read CyberStorm nearly a year ago, in February 2020. Right as the COVID issue was beginning to cause global panic. But at least that story *mostly* focused on New York City, so while it was uncomfortable due to being all-TOO-realistic, it was at least possible to tell myself (as a Southern man who has only rarely even been through or over NYC) that it wouldn’t happen here.

This book kept that all-too-realistic nature going (though with perhaps a few too many shots at billionaires who are legitimately trying to save humanity at the front), but this time went from New Orleans to Virginia Beach via Mississippi, Kentucky, and Ohio. Much harder to tune out as “it can’t happen here”, particularly since I stared down the face of Irma less than a month after moving to Florida and this book features just such a storm bearing down on Virginia. 😉

Overall truly a remarkable work of near-future science fiction, one that primarily uses tech that is already available to tell a tale that will hopefully never come to fruition.

And that ending! Let’s just say I’m glad I read this book in January 2021, knowing CyberWar – the next book – is slated to be released in just a few months. 😀 Very much recommended.

This review of CyberSpace by Matthew Mather was originally written on January 9, 2021.

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#BlogTour: The Patriot by Nick Thacker

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a remarkable book showing many real-world issues on Puerto Rico while still telling a kick-ass mystery with an explosive ending. For this blog tour, we’re looking at The Patriot by Nick Thacker.

I’m actually going to turn my normal approach on its head and give you the Goodreads review first, with my confession underneath. Here’s the Goodreads review:

Excellent Story With Explosive Ending. So some people of late have decried reviews that even mention anything at all about the ending. If you’re such a person, stop right here. I’m not going to give away any spoilers- not my style at all – but that ending deserves a mention: It sets up what could be one HELL of a book 3.

Beyond that though, this book does an *excellent* job of showing the dichotomies of life on Puerto Rico and the nearly-as-divisive-as-mainland-US-politics issue of whether PR should be granted Statehood, maintain the status quo, or become an independent nation. Even while the main thrust of the actual action and mystery actually revolves around Big Pharma, how they are treating the citizens of PR, and terrorism. Indeed, we pick up not far after the ending of the first book, which was explosive in its own right and which set in motion the events here, at least as far as Parker’s involvement in them.

Truly an excellent mystery with plenty of action in a cool tropical setting (and with the requisite hot, mysterious woman), I’ll have a bit more to say about my own story that actually blends well with the overall story here when I participate in the publisher’s Blog Tour on my blog (BookAnon.com) on release day. So you might want to check that out – I even have a picture to share. 😉

Obviously, I can’t wait for Book 3 – even if it is a possible finale, it should be an epic one. Very much recommended, both this book and the series.

And while you really should go buy the book already, here’s my confession, the story I promised in the review 🙂

The date is Martin Luther King Jr Day 2017 – so Monday, January 16, 2017. Just four days before Donald Trump would be inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States of America. I am on a cruise aboard the Carnival Sunshine out of Port Canaveral with my wife – a fellow experienced cruiser who actually got me into cruising – and three friends, none of whom have been on a cruise before. On this day, we’ve stopped in San Juan – a port I’d stopped in once before and loved, particularly for its two centuries old forts. We’d just been at one of the forts – Castillo del San Cristobal – when we walk through the plaza right outside of it – the very plaza you see in the picture to the side here. Apparently it is a popular political demonstration spot, being just blocks away from the Capitol Building there. And that particular day, it was indeed hosting a political rally. As we walked by, all we could tell was that it was very obviously a lot of Puerto Ricans – there were numerous PR flags all over the plaza – and we were obviously… not Puerto Rican. The crowd sounded agitated, the speaker was very enthusiastic… so I made it a point to guide my group swiftly along the edges and away from this crowd. We wound up walking down a street of shops nearby, one I had been on in my previous trip. We went into one store, and when we asked the shopkeeper what was going on up the street, he went into a very passionate diatribe about it being a Puerto Rican Independence rally and that Puerto Rico should be free of the mainland US. So we quickly left his shop as well, and when we went across the street to another shop had a much more pleasant experience. Showing me that day the very dichotomies Thacker brings to life to well in The Patriot, just how very divisive the issue of Independence continues to be in Puerto Rico. Personally, I don’t have a position on the exact issue of Puerto Rican Independence, but I *do* believe it is time for the US to give up the “territory” system. Either grant every “territory” its full independence (even if under a Commonwealth type system such as the British have where the nations are independent officially, yet closely linked economically) or bring them in as full States of the United States of America. Even there, I don’t have a real preference, I just believe an action of one of those two types needs to be made.

But enough about my confessions. Seriously. Go buy the book already!

Oh, and here’s a blog tour poster that Bookouture (the publisher) provided. 🙂

Now. Go. Buy. The. Book! 😀

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#BookReview: My Own Personal Rockstar by Kirsty McManus

Funny With Heart. This is one of those Hallmarkie type romances with a lot of humor and some mild ish angst. The humor is broad enough to cross cultures (being set in Australia and written by an Australian, even this American reader thought it was hilarious at times 🙂 ) and the drama/ angst was of a type that most any adult can identify with nearly all of it, between career and personal issues. I sound a bit repetitive right now with noting that this is a great escape for a couple of hours in nearly every review I write this week, but hey, sometimes you just get in a mode where you really need the escape, and this really does work for that. 😀 So if you’re looking for a fun, mostly light romance that still tackles some pretty tough subjects, you’re gonna wanna read this book. If you’re just looking for *any* book that can take your mind off the “real” world for a couple of hours, give this one a chance. And if you have kids of your own and only have a very limited amount of reading time… this one is near perfect, as it is a fairly short read (under 200 pages) to boot! Very much recommended.

This review of My Own Personal Rockstar by Kirsty McManus was originally written on January 7, 2021.

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#BookReview: Don’t Make Me Turn This Life Around by Camille Pagan

Return To Vieques. As it turns out, this book is a sequel to Life And Other Near Death Experiences. I didn’t know that going in, but I’ve read a couple of Pagan’s other books and had to read this one too. (And yes, I *have* Life already, I just haven’t *read* it yet. :D) But this is a “sequel” in that it follows some of the same characters years later, rather than being an “immediate aftermath” type sequel. So in that sense, think of it more along the lines of Nicholas Sparks‘ The Wedding (“sequel” to The Notebook, years later) or maybe the new Saved By The Bell reboot (which I haven’t seen yet, but have seen the premise of). In other words, not knowing the first tale might have *slight* detriments here as far as getting the full potential impact of certain scenes, but overall this book is closer to being a standalone book rather than a “you MUST read this other book first” type.

Within this tale itself, you get a strong look at what life in the Caribbean (and, technically, nearby Atlantic) can do for a “mainlander” – but also a view of what life there is *really* like, specifically in the aftermath of storms like Irma and (specifically used in the text) Maria. Potential real world spoiler sentence: (view spoiler) And we’re back: Overall, this book is what I’ve come to expect from Pagan: Tackling solid, hard hitting issues with enough humor to be enjoyable and enough heart to be heart wrenching. So read it, enjoy it, and consider the possibilities. Very much recommended.

This review of Don’t Make Me Turn This Life Around by Camille Pagan was originally written on January 5, 2021.

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Featured New Release Of The Week: The Accidental Text by Becky Monson

This week we’re looking at an excellent source of a few hours of escapism. This week we’re looking at The Accidental Text by Becky Monson.

In between the time I originally wrote the Goodreads review below early this morning and when I am forming this actual post closer to sunset, social media exploded with real world news today that has many on edge. Which actually makes the release of this book even better – it really is engrossing escapism that will allow you to take a few hours to calm down from the real world before responding. And let’s face it, if there isn’t an actual imminent danger to your life – and for the vast majority of us, there isn’t -, taking a few hours to calm down before responding is generally a very good strategy – it is why we are told to sleep on a major decision before executing on it.

So take a few hours with this world. You’ll laugh. You might even cry. But you’ll have a good time regardless. And then you’ll be more ready to handle whatever may be out there when you’re done with the book. 🙂

As always, the Goodreads review:

Perfect Distraction. If you’re like me, you’re damn near desperate for any distraction from the constant fighting in “the” “real” world. Well, good news for you – Monson has written a poignant yet hilarious tale of love, loss, and adventure that will take your mind away from said “real” world for a couple of hours. And you’ll have a blast on the ride as you skydive, cliff jump, drive fast cars, and do other adrenaline junkie type stuff… all while being embarrassed for the awkwardness of the main character accidentally texting someone else when she thought she was texting her recently dead mother… 😀 Truly funny book with heart, and since the only weighty real world issue is the death of a parent (in non-recently-in-the-headlines fashion), a truly great escape and perfect distraction. Very much recommended.

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#BookReview: Light In The Darkness by Heino Falcke

Phenomenal Achievement, Well Written Story Of How It Happened. That may leave a bad aftertaste with its final section. 200 years ago, humanity didn’t even know black holes existed – nor did actual photography quite exist yet. Now, not only do many of us carry around highly detailed cameras in our pockets, but humanity – led, in this effort, by this very author – has now taken a picture of a black hole. Falcke does a remarkable job through the first three (of four) sections of this tale setting the stage for that ultimate day in April 2019 when his team held half a dozen press conferences simultaneously all over the world announcing what they had done. He also spends a bit of time in the third section discussing the fallout of that day through about a year ish later, as the COVID pandemic changed the way most of the world worked… but didn’t really change much for this already global team. The way Falcke builds the history of the achievements that led to his is nothing short of poetic, yet also very easy to follow along with for those of us *without* PhDs in advanced theoretical astrophysics, and is truly remarkable. Even when Falcke begins speaking of even more theoretical concepts such as Einstein-Rosenberg Bridges (aka “wormholes”) and Hawking Radiation, he grounds these concepts in the work that has already been done. Even when speaking of the intermingling of religion and science sporadically through much of the text, Falcke is still remarkably grounded. But then, in the final chapter or two, he goes off into more “Your Mileage May Vary” territory when he begins speaking directly of God in light of what is shown via black holes. And that is where the potentially bad aftertaste comes in. Had Falcke made the worldwide announcement truly the climax of the book, with an epilogue of the team’s post-2019 efforts, this could arguably have been a bit tighter and less potentially controversial. Still, a very well written tale about one of the most monumental human achievements of my own (mid 1980s-forward) lifetime, and thus very much recommended.

This review of Light In The Darkness by Heino Falcke was originally written on January 4, 2021.

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#BookReview: Changing The Rules by Catherine Bybee

More Action, Arguably Less Romance. Still Bybee. This book – arguably a *version* of a take on 21 Jump Street (though admittedly my only exposure to that franchise is the Tatum/ Hill movies) – continues Bybee’s recent (2020+) path of moving to less saccharine / comedic romances and to more thriller-ish romances. There is still comedy and sweetness here, but it takes more of a backburner to the thriller elements. Also continuing is Bybee’s more recent examination of weighty real-world topics while telling a romance tale, and in this case the topic in question is sex trafficking – particularly of high school/ just after high school age young women. Bybee, at least in my experience with her books, isn’t really known for having multiple sex scenes throughout the tale, and this particular book is no exception to that norm. Truly a solid romance, with all of the old RWA standards I am aware of met, and a pretty good (low body count) thriller to boot – particularly when considering that the author is more known in the romance world and has written far more in that genre. This reader, for one, is looking forward to seeing where this series goes. Very much recommended.

This review of Changing the Rules by Catherine Bybee was originally written on December 28, 2020.

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#BookReview: Wrong Alibi by Christina Dodd

Solid Escapism. This is one of those books with enough twists and turns that it truly provides a great deal of effective escapism – even if you manage to put it down, you’re going to be wondering what can possibly happen next. As a setup to a series… I’m interested to see where it goes from here, honestly. To me, it didn’t really feel too “setup” ish and almost completely read like a true standalone book. There weren’t any real threads left dangling here, so other than setting up the backstory of the primary character and a few key supporting characters…. like I said, not overly obvious what this series will entail. Which is unusual for a Book 1. Still, in and of itself this was an excellent twisty mystery/ action book, though the climax did feel a bit abrupt. Overall a fun read, and very much recommended.

This review of Wrong Alibi by Christina Dodd was originally written on December 2, 2020.

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#BookReview: Dead Of Winter by Pandora Pine

Another Solid Entry In Series. At this point, the Cold Case world Pine has created is fairly similar to later seasons of long running police procedural/ action TV shows like Law and Order or NCIS. Long time fans will love this latest chapter, but there is enough distinct story in this “episode” that people wanting to try out the show can understand what is happening here and see if they like the style and want to go back and see how the regular characters got to this point. (Which is very much recommended, btw.) The mystery here is compelling – the coldest case the team has worked yet. The family dynamics are interesting – will Ronan go back to being a cop? The Christmas scene in the epilogue is fun, touching, and sets the stage for future episodes. In other words, the book solidly accomplishes everything it is supposed to. Very much recommended.

This review of Dead of Winter by Pandora Pine was originally written on December 23, 2020.