#BookReview “SIDESHOW” Brian Kindall

Now for the review. "SideShow" takes place before "Delivering Virtue" and "Fortuna and the Scapegrace". As I have read the latter two it was really fun to get a picture of who Didier was before those two great adventures take place. "SideShow" is both a great introductory and companion to flesh out the world of Didier Rain. If you start with "SideShow" you'll be hooked. For so little pages, it does a great job of showing the complexities of the world through the eyes of my favorite swashbuckling dandy.

“Hillbilly Elegy” J. D. Vance #BookReview

Vance identifies as a Conservative. I identify as a Democratic Socialist. Politically, it would look like we are opposites..... yet, there is a lot of common ground on our theories of how the issues of poverty can be solved.  The reason, in my mind, for that common ground is our shared experiences. Those of us who have lived it understand it in a way that those who haven't never will. This is why we need elected officials from every corner of every class of people we can find. The lenses they are currently looking through are much too narrow.

#BookReview “A River In Darkness” Masaji Ishikawa

Something readers should take away from this part of Ishikawa's story is how a persons environment has a direct affect on their character. Some will argue that one must rise above such things but the reality is that most do not and in all honesty shouldn't be expected to. The existence of such oppression is what matters. Life shouldn't be a series of trial by fire. Are we not evolved past this? Are we all still primal beasts unable to transmogrify our society?

#worldkindnessday Walking The Talk

The old, "if i have to go through it, so do you" thing. I didn't understand it then and as I've gotten older, I understand it even less. Being hurt is not a rite of passage. Life does not have to be a contest of who can endure the most. 

“Espionage London” John Day #BookReview

In "Espionage London", John Day delivers a fast paced thriller that may as well be glued to your hands as you read. Prepare yourself for a wild ride accompanied by German spy's with steel resolve. As the four spy's face trial after trial, their plight will capture your imagination, your heart and get your adrenaline pumping. It's not every day that you find yourself cheering on the bad guys.

“The Fire And The Forge” Jack Geurts – Book Review

Geurts delivers a compelling tale of the reluctant orphan who finds himself to be more than he could ever have imagined. Imharak's place in the world is so much more than the sum of his bloodline. Finding himself in the midst of invasion, Imharak must discover which side of himself to align with. Will he be the conqueror or the conquered? 

The Booklist – Historical Thrillers

Historical Thrillers are one my favorite genre's. It’s the best of both worlds. The characters were/are real people and reading about them brings history alive in a way that textbooks just can’t. The fiction bit allows the author some room for speculation. It’s fun to see each authors take on the same historical characters. I think this genre keeps the past in the present and encourages people to look back and learn. The Thriller bit digs into the reader, blows the dust off the past and rips a hole through time to keep the story fresh.

“Teach Us All” – You Should Watch It.

I'm pretty sure that most of us in the US have heard at least something about the segregation issues we have with our public school systems. I remember my step-father telling me about it when I was a kid. My mother in law was in school in Pine Bluff, Arkansas when they desegregated. She told …

Kids Book Review “The Nest” Kenneth Oppel

For some kids summer is a sun-soaked season of fun. But for Steve, it’s just another season of worries. Worries about his sick newborn baby brother who is fighting to survive, worries about his parents who are struggling to cope, even worries about the wasp’s nest looming ominously from the eaves. So when a mysterious wasp queen invades his dreams, offering to “fix” the baby, Steve thinks his prayers have been answered.

#BookSpotlight “When Wolf Comes” John Pappas

“When Wolf Comes” is well researched. Time and again I found myself lost in time and imagining the beauty of the northwest. The wonder of it’s people and their means of survival. I haven’t read much into this time period or the tribes that inhabited the northwest but Pappas leads the reader expertly through the complexities of both it’s cultural and natural wonders.