2010 Book 54: Echoes in the Darkness

Book #:	239
Book Title:	Echoes in the Darkness
Author:	Joseph Wambaugh
Publisher:	Bantam
Pub. Date:	1987
Pages:	370
Started:	August 13, 2007
Finished:	August 17, 2007
Time to Read:	5 Days
Back Cover / Inside Flap:	"On June 25, 1979, the naked corpse of schoolteacher Susan Reinert was found wedged into her hatchback car in a hotel parking lot near Philadelphia's "Main Line." Her two children had vanished. The Main Line Murder Case burst upon he headlines - and wasn't resolved for seven years. Now, master crime writer Joseph Wambaugh reconstructs the case from its roots, recounting the details, drama, players and pawns in this bizarre crime that shocked the nation and tore apart a respectable suburban town. The massive FBI and state police investigation ultimately centered on two men. Dr. Jay C. Smith - By day, he was principal of Upper Merion High School where Susan Reinert taught. At night he was a sadist who indulged in porno, drugs and weapons. William Bradfield - He was a bearded and charismatic English teacher and classics scholar, but his real genius was for juggling women - three at a time. One of those women was Susan Reinert. How these two men are connected, how the brilliant murder was carried off, and how the investigators closed this astounding case makes for Wambaugh's most compelling book yet."
Stars:	k
Review:	I can never figure out whether I like Wambaugh better when he writes police fiction or crime nonfiction. Either way, his unfailing attention to detail and background as a police officer make his works a treat to read. In this book, we go through a bizarre world in the northeast, leading up to and just following the death of an innocent teacher and her two children. Proving that truth is stranger than fiction, Wambaugh paints a portrait of some personalities that are (hopefully!) beyond compare. Like a nervous new prosecutor preparing for trial, Wambaugh builds the case brick by brick...until the damned are stuck behind the wall. Excellent read about a now-forgotten but still intriguing case. Get a copy today!

If you have read or are planning to read this book, please make sure to stop back by and leave me a comment to let me know your own thoughts!

From my library to yours,

Tiffany

2008 Book 112: I'm Pregnant

Book #:	112
Book Title:	I 'm Pregnant
Author:	Lesley Regan
Publisher:	DK Publishing
Pub. Date:	2005
Pages:	448
Started:	February 23, 2008
Finished:	December 31, 2008
Time to Read:	Practically All Year!
Back Cover / Inside Flap:	"Pregnancy is a remarkable time in your life and one that involves many changes and raises many questions. Professor Lesley Regan offers you all the information and advice you need to make the right choices for you and your baby."
Stars:	*****
Review:	When I went looking to buy a book to read throughout my pregnancy, I considered many different options. I looked at the best-known titles (What to Expect) and little-known authors. I read reviews, read excerpts, and paged through about a million selections at a handful of bookstores. This one was my choice for several reasons. First, it's written by a doctor, but it's not written in technical language. It's written from her perspective as a mom, using her expertise as a doctor. Second, it has sections for every little aspect of pregnancy, from week-by-week guides, to tests, to complications, to labor, delivery, birth, and the first few months. I liked this thorough look at the whole process. And finally, it had a zillion looks at real women and real situations. The author didn't attempt to take a "this is the only circumstance" look at pregnancy, but instead acknowledged that everyone experiences something a little bit different. This was my Bible throughout my pregnancy, and I know I'll read it again with any other children we have. I highly, highly recommend!

If you have read or are planning to read this book, please make sure to stop back by and leave me a comment to let me know your own thoughts!

From my library to yours,

Tiffany

2008 Book 75: Death Be Not Proud

Book #:	75
Book Title:	Death Be Not Proud
Author:	John Gunther
Publisher:	Harper
Pub. Date:	1949
Pages:	231
Started:	August 25, 2008
Finished:	August 30, 2008
Time to Read:	6 Days
Back Cover / Inside Flap:	"Johnny Gunther was seventeen years old when he died of a brain tumor. During the months of his final illness everyone near him was unforgettably impressed by his level-headed courage, his wit and quiet friendliness, and, above all, his unfaltering patience through the times of despair and those few heartbreaking days when it seemed, unbelievably, that all would be well. This deeply moving book is a father's memoir of a brave, intelligent, and spirited boy in his fight to overcome a dreadful disease that doctors had then only begun to understand."
Stars:	*****
Review:	When I was in high school, I was a morbid sort of kid. Lurlene McDaniels was my most-read author. Gee, that's cheerful - dying kids. I'd sob my heart out at the end of each book. This book...this is different. This child was a real person. And even though he lived long before I was born, this memoir allowed me an intimate look into his life and the courage that it takes to die with dignity. Superbly written and exquisitely documented. There's a reason this book has remained the ultimate memoir to a child's death for more than half a century.

If you have read or are planning to read this book, please make sure to stop back by and leave me a comment to let me know your own thoughts!

From my library to yours,

Tiffany

2008 Book 55: Yeager

Book #:	55
Book Title:	Yeager
Author:	Gen. Chuck Yeager w/ Leo Janos
Publisher:	Bantam
Pub. Date:	1985
Pages:	423
Started:	June 8, 2008
Finished:	June 12, 2008
Time to Read:	5 Days
Back Cover / Inside Flap:	"General Chuck Yeager, the greatest test pilot of them all - the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound...the World War II flying ace who shot down a Messerschmitt jet with a prop-driven P-51 Mustang...the hero who defined a certain quality that all of the hotshot fly-boys of the postwar era aimed to achieve: the right stuff. Now Chuck Yeager tells his whole incredible life story with the same "wide-open, full throttle" approach that has marked his astonishing career. What it was really like engaging in do-or-die dogfights over Nazi Europe. How, after being shot down over occupied France, Yeager somehow managed to escape. The amazing behind-the-scene story of smashing the sound barrier despite cracked ribs from a riding accident days before. The entire story is here, Yeager's own words, and in wonderful insights from his wife and those friends and colleagues who have known him best. It is the personal and public story of a man who settled for nothing less than excellence, a one-of-a-kind portrait of a true American hero."
Stars:	**********
Review:	If you haven't counted, there's 10 stars up there. In case you don't follow my general blog, you need to go read my account of meeting General Chuck Yeager, who is just my absolute hero. It's a brief account - I know, rare for me, but go see. Ain't that picture awesome? Ahem. The book. I am ashamed of how long it took me to read this book. I bought it years ago, stuck it on a shelf, and it sat there unread. What's wrong with me? I don't often read autobiographies - people, too often, have an inflated view of themselves and that tends to just upset me. But this autobiography? Beyond compare. Yeager takes the reader INSIDE some of the most exciting moments of flight history, from his earliest days to WWII to the speed barrier and beyond. Forget the movie "The Right Stuff"...this is "The Real Stuff" and you can't afford to miss reading about it. Go out. Get it now. Right now!

If you have read or are planning to read this book, please make sure to stop back by and leave me a comment to let me know your own thoughts!

From my library to yours,

Tiffany

2008 Book 50: The Disposable Man

Book #:	50
Book Title:	The Disposable Man
Author:	Archer Mayor
Publisher:	Mysterious Press
Pub. Date:	1998
Pages:	294
Started:	May 28, 2008
Finished:	May 30, 2008
Time to Read:	3 Days
Back Cover / Inside Flap:	"The man lies facedown in a deserted soapstone quarry, strangled to death by a piano wire. His face, frozen and purple, is still recognizably Slavic, and all the labels have been cut from his clothing. Gunther smells a mob hit, but he's up against a wall. He's got an abandoned rental car with a bloodstained carpet. He's got a dead man someone's tossed in a pond with no identifiers except foreign dental work and faded, cryptic tattoos. The obvious question begging to be answered: What is a guy like this doing in a place like Brattleboro, Vermont? Gunther puts feelers out everywhere, but to no avail. There are no local ties to the dead man and no reports of strange sounds, sightings, or missing persons. So why are both the CIA and the FBI suddenly sniffing around the corpse with the tattoos? The CIA reluctantly confirms that he was an old Russkie they've been watching for years, and they invite Gunther to D.C. to help put the case to bed. But Gunther smells "disinformation"...if the murder is no big deal, why is the CIA keeping the Brattleboro Police as well as the FBI in the dark? Why is the Agency soon urging him to drop his end of the investigation? And why, the night before he's to meet his CIA contact, is Gunther savagely attacked by a presumed mugger with a knife? Searching for the truth draws Gunther into a paranoid twilight battle zone where the blood of cold war stalwarts runs dangerously hot over old disputes. Ruthlessly manipulated by unseen forces, Gunther will be pitted here against the legal system he has always fought to uphold...and before he knows it, fighting to the end for freedom, vindication, and life itself."
Stars:	***
Review:	This is just simply a fun book. Three parts mystery, one part intrigue, two parts absurd comedy...it's got it all! Joe Gunther is a fun, lovable character, and the reader can't help be outraged on his behalf as he seems to be stymied at every step of his investigation. I wanted to climb into the book myself and start kicking butt at one point! The plot is interesting and colorful and the pace is right on. If I had one complaint about this book it's that I had a hard time keeping characters straight at times...there's a lot of 'em. Other than that, a fun read. Enjoy!

If you have read or are planning to read this book, please make sure to stop back by and leave me a comment to let me know your own thoughts!

From my library to yours,

Tiffany

2008 Book 24: More of Paul Harvey's The Rest of the Story

Book #:	24
Book Title:	More of Paul Harvey's The Rest of the Story
Author:	Paul Aurandt (Paul Harvey, Jr.)
Publisher:	Bantam Books
Pub. Date:	June 1981
Pages:	194
Started:	March 24, 2008
Finished:	March 27, 2008
Time to Read:	4 Days
Back Cover / Inside Flap:	"In the million-copy bestseller, PAUL HARVEY'S THE REST OF THE STORY, you read about the cocaine in Coca Cola--about the insane wife patriot Patrick Henry kept chained in the cellar--about the little girl Adlai Stevenson shot dead--and much, much more! Now--in MORE OF PAUL HARVEY'S THE REST OF THE STORY--you'll learn about things you won't believe people thought you knew! Don't tell me HE was a hopeless drug addict! Don't tell me HE had a sex change! Don't tell me SHE had affairs with all those men! Don't tell me HE actually died twice! OH YES, THEY DID! And wait until you discover who they are, in MORE OF PAUL HARVEY'S THE REST OF THE STORY."
Stars:	*****
Review:	I first read this book and it's companion first volume when I was in an elementary school summer enrichment reading program. I think this was one we hit during the summer after 5th grade - the same summer I took pre-algebra. (Yeah, I was a smarty-pants.) What a fabulous book! For me, an intrepid researcher, finding out the story-behind-the-story has always been one of my greatest pleasures in life. If you've ever listened to Paul Harvey on the radio, you know that he is a consummate story-teller, and you can almost hear his voice in your head as you read these tales pieced together by his son, Paul Aurandt. If you or your child competes in Forensics, this book can be a boon to you in a different fashion. Throughout my competitions in Extemporaneous Speaking in high school, I often used these stories as a lead-in to whatever speech I was given. So broad are the topics and people covered that I was almost always able to find a tale that fit the situation. All in all, I highly recommend. Each story is brief - 2 to 5 pages max - and so this is the perfect book to keep in your purse to pull out and read when you only have a short time to dive in. Enjoy!

If you have read or are planning to read this book, please make sure to stop back by and leave me a comment to let me know your own thoughts!

From my library to yours,

Tiffany

2008 Book 13: Dreams from My Father

Book #:	13
Book Title:	Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance
Author:	Barack Obama
Publisher:	Three Rivers Press
Pub. Date:	2004 (my edition); 1995 (original)
Pages:	480
Started:	February 16, 2008
Finished:	February 20, 2008
Time to Read:	5 Days
Back Cover / Inside Flap:	(This is not the actual back cover text; I borrowed this book from my friend Danielle and returned it before writing this review. Therefore, this text is taken from The Red Room.) "In this lyrical, unsentimental, and compelling memoir, the son of a black African father and a white American mother searches for a workable meaning to his life as a black American. It begins in New York, where Barack Obama learns that his father—a figure he knows more as a myth than as a man—has been killed in a car accident. This sudden death inspires an emotional odyssey-first to a small town in Kansas, from which he retraces the migration of his mother's family to Hawaii, and then to Kenya, where he meets the African side of his family, confronts the bitter truth of his father's life, and at last reconciles his divided inheritance. The Audio CD of this book was awarded the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album."
Stars:	*
Review:	Before reading this book, I actually gave thought to voting for Barack Obama in the 2008 general election. Me, the self-described moderate Republican. Actually gave it thought. And then, I read the book. And now? Hell, no. Never. I will give Mr. Obama much credit for being a cohesive and compelling writer. But my praise ends there. I believe that his entire platform for the presidency is a fraud. I believe that, further, Mr. Obama harbors racist views, despite being multi-racial himself. And although it was an interesting tale, at times, of the life a young man coming of age, it was not a tale that would ever make me want to vote him in as President. Who should read this book? Anyone considering voting for him. It may open your eyes.

If you have read or are planning to read this book, please make sure to stop back by and leave me a comment to let me know your own thoughts!

From my library to yours,

Tiffany

2008 Book 12: On Writing

Book #:	12
Book Title:	On Writing
Author:	Stephen King
Publisher:	Pocket Books
Pub. Date:	2000
Pages:	288
Started:	Sometime in November 2007
Finished:	February 15, 2008
Time to Read:	A Long Time!
Back Cover / Inside Flap:	"'Long live the King,' hailed Entertainment Weekly upon the publication of Stephen King's ON WRITING. Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer's craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King's advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported, near-fatal accident in 1999 - and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, ON WRITING will empower and entertain everyone who reads it - fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told."
Stars:	**********
Review:	Stephen King never does anything half-assed. Back in November, I felt as if my own creative writing was in the toilet. I've loved to write all of my life - any form of writing, really. But despite having (at the time) 4 WIPs, I wasn't making significant progress on anything. I needed a kick in the butt and I needed it in a big way. So I marched out to the bookstore, bought a journal to use to keep track of my writing, and bought this wonderful book to read. Now, I'll admit, it took me forever to read this book. Mostly because I read many other books along the way, took on a huge content writing project, had guests, had more guests, and just procrastinated in general. But I moved through a little of this book at a time and got value all along the way. Honestly, I'm not sure if I enjoyed the first part or the second part more. At the beginning, King writes about his early childhood, early forays into writing, and then works his way through his career. The latter part dispenses more valuable writing and publishing advice than I believe can be found anywhere else. My pen was out at all times, and my book is marked with underline after underline. Whether you just like King as a writer or you aspire to be a writer yourself, go pick up this gem!!

If you have read or are planning to read this book, please make sure to stop back by and leave me a comment to let me know your own thoughts!

From my library to yours,

Tiffany

2008 Book 10: Deliver Us From Evil

Book #:	10
Book Title:	Deliver Us From Evil
Author:	Sean Hannity
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Pub. Date:	2004
Pages:	338
Started:	January 30, 2008
Finished:	February 6, 2008
Time to Read:	9 Days
Back Cover / Inside Flap:	"Sean Hannity's first blockbuster book, the New York Times bestseller Let Freedom Ring, cemented his place as the freshest and most compelling conservative voice in the country. As the host of the phenomenally successful Hannity & Colmes on the Fox News Channel and The Sean Hannity Show on ABC Radio, Hannity has won a wildly devoted fan base. Now he brings his plainspoken, take-no-prisoners style to the continuing War on Terror abroad - and liberalism at home - in Deliver Us from Evil. "Evil exists," Hannity asserts. "It is real, and it means to harm us." And in these pages he revisits the harsh lessons America has learned in confronting evil in the past and the present, to illuminate the course we must take in the future. Tracing a direct line from Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin through Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden, he reminds us of the courage and moral clarity of our great leaders. And he reveals how the disgraceful history of appeasement has reached forward from the days of Neville Chamberlain and Jimmy Carter to corrupt the unrepentant leftists of the modern Democratic Party - from Howard Dean and John Kerry to Bill and Hilary Clinton. As Americans face the ongoing war against terrorists and their state sponsors around the world, Sean Hannity reminds us that we must also cope with the continuing scourge of accommodation and cowardice at home. With his trademark blend of passion and hard-hitting commentary, he urges Americans to recognize the dangers of putting our faith in toothless "multilaterlism" when the times call for decisive action. For only through strong defense of our freedoms, at home and around the world, can we preserve America's security and liberty in the dangerous twenty-first century."
Stars:	****
Review:	Let me let ya'll in on a little secret: I'm a moderate Republican. Not ultra-conservative - I don't toe the party line on every issue - but definitely not liberal and certainly not a Democrat. Let me let ya'll in on another little secret: I love Sean Hannity and listen to his show daily on the radio. And I loved this book in my second reading in 2008 almost as much as I loved it in my first reading back in 2004 when it first came out. Although many of the references are now "dated" - the 2004 election cycle is most definitely over and military strategies are a bit changed now versus then - it's still an entirely relevant reading to pull back the cloak on liberal lies in America. It's all-too-convenient for certain politicians to switch positions or claim sides after the fact, but Hannity's well-researched book holds to the facts. Why well-researched? Hannity references direct quotes - in context - from hundreds of bipartisan and non-political sources throughout his book, only lending creedance to his well thought out opinions on the state of American society. No matter your political leanings, grab a copy of this book and read it with an open mind.

If you have read or are planning to read this book, please make sure to stop back by and leave me a comment to let me know your own thoughts!

From my library to yours,

Tiffany