Book Review: Norma's War

 

Norma's War

A WWII Memoir

by Norma Thoeming as told to Gary Metivier

Pub Date 13 Jun 2023 

 Legacy Book Press LLC,  Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles

 Biographies & Memoirs  |  History  |  OwnVoices 

Netgalley and Legacy Book LLC have provided me with a copy of Norma's War for review:

This short book packs a powerful punch:

The only gift her father could provide for Christmas was a shiny apple. After evacuees fleeing the blitz moved in, her mother had walked away without saying a word. For Norma, this was the way of life in England during World War II. She knew nothing else. It was a life enhanced by a loving sister and a mischievous brother who watched and explored as bombs fell. The American G.I.'s would soon open her eyes to a whole new world filled with new tastes and new dreams for a brighter future. 

We embark on an inspiring journey of love, loss, laughter, and hope with Norma.

This is Norma’s story. This is Norma’s War. 

I give Norma's War five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: I Know Who You Are

 

I Know Who You Are

How an Amateur DNA Sleuth Unmasked the Golden State Killer and Changed Crime Fighting Forever

Pub Date 07 Feb 2023 

 Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine,  Ballantine Books

 Biographies & Memoirs 

I am reviewing a copy of I Know Who You Are through Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine Books and Netgalley:

The Golden State Killer terrorized California for twelve years, stalking victims and killing without remorse. During the next forty-four years, he simply disappeared, until an amateur DNA sleuth opened her laptop and discovered his identity. In I Know Who You Are, Barbara Rae-Venter reveals how she went from researching her family history as a retiree to searching for a notorious serial killer—and how she became the nation’s leading authority on investigative genetic genealogy, the most brilliantly novel weapon available for combating crime for decades. 

Throughout the book, Rae-Venter guides readers through the many cases she worked on, often beginning with little more than a DNA sample. From the first criminal case she ever solved-uncovering the long-lost identity of a child abductee-to the heartbreaking story of the Billboard Boy, whose skeletal remains were discovered along a highway-to the search for the Golden State Killer-Rae-Venter shares haunting, sometimes thrilling accounts of how she helped solve some of America’s most chilling cold cases within just three years.

For each investigation, Rae-Venter provides an insight into her unique "grasshopper mind" as she analyzes DNA data and examines obituaries, marriage records, and old newspaper articles. The reader joins her on urgent calls with sheriffs, FBI agents, and district attorneys as she details the struggle to obtain usable crime scene DNA samples until, at last, an important piece of the puzzle falls into place.

Throughout I Know Who You Are, Rae-Venter conveys both the exhilaration of the discovery and the sheer depth of emotion that lingers around cold cases, which informs her meticulous approach to her work. It is the story of relentless curiosity, of constant invention and reinvention, and of humans striving to answer the most fundamental questions about themselves: What is identity? Where do we belong? And are we truly who we think we are?

I give I Know Who You Are five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: The Windsors at War

 

The Windsors at War

The King, His Brother, and a Family Divided

by Alexander Larman

Pub Date 18 Apr 2023 

 St. Martins Press

 Biographies & Memoirs  |  History  |  Nonfiction (Adult) 

The Windsors At War has been provided to me by St. Martin's Press, in conjunction with Netgalley:

Alexander Larman continues his biographical account of the Windsor family as they struggle against Adolf Hitler and each other throughout World War II.

The British monarchy was in turmoil at the beginning of 1937. Edward VIII abdicated the throne, leaving his frightened and unprepared brother Bertie to become George VI, surrounded by a gaggle of courtiers and politicians who barely considered him capable. As the now-Duke of Windsor awaited the decree that would permit him to marry his mistress Wallis Simpson, he became increasingly concerned with Adolf Hitler's expansionist plans. Perhaps he even went so far as to betray his country. As double agents and Nazi spies thronged the corridors of Buckingham Palace, Winston Churchill was the only man the King could trust. Their adversary, however, was formidable, perhaps even unbeatable: his own brother.

With a fresh focus on the royal family, their conflicted relationships, and the events which rocked the international press, The Windsors at War reveals the never-before-told story of World War Two in Britain and America. What led this dysfunctional, squabbling family to put aside their differences in order to unite to help win the greatest war of their lives? The Crown in Crisis author Alexander Larman now chronicles the Windsor family's conflict with Germany and their relationship with one another.

I give The Windsors At War five out of five Stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Under Fire

 

Under Fire

by Lynn H. Blackburn

Pub Date 07 Mar 2023 

 Revell 

 Christian  |  Mystery & Thrillers  |  Romance 

A copy of Under Fire has been provided to me by Revell and Netgalley for review:

USSS Special Agent Zane Thacker has been assigned to protect the president. He is thrilled to be working again with Special Agent Tessa Reed, his best friend--and the woman he desperately wishes could be more to him.

Though Tessa nearly lost everything, she overcame her demons and emerged healthy and whole. Nevertheless, when her role as the liaison between Raleigh and the president's protective detail drags her past back into the present, her greatest failure threatens to be exposed. 

Zane will not allow Tessa to go through this alone. Can he protect the president from a mounting threat while standing by the woman he loves?

I give Under Fire five out of five stars!

Book Review: After the Miracle

 

After the Miracle

The Political Crusades of Helen Keller

by Max Wallace

Pub Date 11 Apr 2023 | Archive Date 11 May 2023

 Grand Central Publishing 

 Biographies & Memoirs  |  History  |  Nonfiction (Adult)

Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley have provided me with a copy of After the Miracle for review:

The biography of Helen Keller always intrigues me and honestly it is her story that inspired me to pick up a pen and write my own stories.  Therefore, it would be an understatement to say that I was excited to receive After the Miracle.

Raised in Alabama, she sent shockwaves through the South when she announced her opposition to Jim Crow and donated to the NAACP. During World War I, she used her fame to oppose American intervention. In 1933, she spoke out against Hitler's rise to power and supported the anti-fascist cause during the Spanish Civil War. She was one of the first public figures to alert the world to the evils of Apartheid, raising funds to defend Nelson Mandela when he faced the death penalty for High Treason, and she lambasted Joseph McCarthy at the height of the Cold War, while her contemporaries shied away from his notorious witch hunt. The question arises, who was this revolutionary figure?

She was Helen Keller.

In spite of all of this, six decades after her death, African American disability rights activist Anita Cameron stated this in an interview with Newsweekly. 

"Helen Keller is not radical at all, just another despite disabilities privileged white person and yet another example of history telling the story of privileged white Americans."  

As a result of her statement, Senator Ted Cruz and others immediately responded with backlash.

Most mainstream portrayals of Keller focus extensively on her struggles as a deafblind child, portraying her teacher, Annie Sullivan, as a miracle worker. As a result of this narrative-which often has made Keller a secondary character in her own story-few people are aware that her greatest achievement was not learning to speak, but what she did with her voice as soon as she did.

After the Miracle provides a much-needed correction to the antiquated narrative. In this first major biography of Keller in decades, Max Wallace reveals that the lionization of Sullivan at the expense of her famous pupil was no accident, and points out Keller’s contributions as a socialist, a fierce anti-racist, and a progressive disability advocate. While Keller was raised in an era of eugenics and discrimination, she consistently challenged the media's ableist coverage and was the first activist to emphasize the link between disability and capitalism, despite the expectations and prejudices of those closest to her.

As Keller's political crusades are revealed behind a curtain of inspiration from her childhood, After the Miracle finally reveals Keller's entire legacy, as one of the greatest figures of the 20th century.

I give After the Miracle five out of five stars!  

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Sir Walter Ralegh

 

 Sir Walter Ralegh

by John Winton

Pub Date 05 Feb 2023 | Archive Date 04 Mar 2023

 Sapere Books 

 Biographies & Memoirs  |  History 

Sapere Books and Netgalley have provided me with a copy of Sir Walter Ralegh for review.

Sir Walter Ralegh was a sailor, soldier, explorer, poet, parliamentarian, courtier, patron of the arts, falconer, historian, war reporter, and antiquarian.

Elizabeth I's court was dazzled by him, but he was imprisoned and later beheaded by her successor, James I.

What caused this mercurial figure to fall from grace? How does his legacy continue to influence citizens in both the Old World and the New World today?

In this engaging biography, John Winton explores the life of this Renaissance statesman and explorer, from his early years in Devonshire to his years fighting the Catholics in France, Ireland, and the Low Countries before exploring Ralegh's attempts to colonize the New World. Winton's exquisitely written book discusses Ralegh's glorious rise to prominence before the Spanish Armada, and his equally swift fall during the reign of James I, utilizing a variety of sources.

I give Sir Walter Ralegh five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Pastor, Jesus is Enough

 

Pastor, Jesus Is Enough

Hope for the Weary, the Burned Out, and the Broken

by Jeremy Writebol

Pub Date 15 Mar 2023 

 Lexham Press 

 Christian  |  Nonfiction (Adult)  |  Religion & Spirituality 

Lexham Press and Netgalley have provided me with a copy of Pastor, Jesus is Enough for review:

It can be exhausting to be enough!

Pastor, the good news is that you cannot be enough. This is because only Jesus is sufficient. 

In Pastor, Jesus Is Enough, Jeremy Writebol invites pastors to hear the words of the risen Jesus contained within the seven letters of Revelation 2–3. In Revelation 2–3, exhortations are addressed to churches. Furthermore, they exhort pastors as well.

As Jesus draws near to pastors in these seven letters, he reminds them of his sufficiency, whether they are hurting or straying. In these warnings and promises, Jesus has harsh words for pastors. It is important to note that these are words of life. The most important thing Jesus urges pastors to do is to keep their focus on him.

I give Pastor, Jesus is Enough five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Snow Graves

 

The Snow Graves (Agent Tori Hunter Book 5)

by Roger Stelljes

Pub Date 10 Mar 2023 |

 Bookouture 

 General Fiction (Adult)  |  Mystery & Thrillers 

Bookouture and Netgalley have provided me with a copy of Snow Graves for review:

On the snow-covered sidewalk, the young couple lies still, their gloved hands tightly linked as if they were trying to save one another. There are flashing blue lights illuminating the quiet street and drops of blood are scattered across the pure white ground...

Agent Hunter is deeply saddened by the shooting deaths of Cam and Gracie, two college students who had been dating for only a few months, just outside the home of his aunt. In this once-peaceful neighborhood, witnesses claim they saw a black car speed away, and Tori is desperately trying to locate it when she finds a nine-year-old girl seated alone on a park bench, refusing to speak. No one in this small community knows who she is... is she somehow connected to the murders?

While visiting little Alisha, Tori quickly notices that she is deaf. As she moves her hands in sign language, Tori conveys her message: We had to flee from the lady in the black car. I want to go home.

Did Alisha witness the murder of Cam and Gracie? Tori is rushing to follow her directions to a lonely cabin deep in the pine forest when she receives an anonymous call from a female voice that makes her blood run cold. “Hello, Tori. To keep Alisha safe you need to do exactly as I say…”

Is Tori speaking with the killer, or is this mysterious woman her only hope of catching the true perpetrator? In response to more phone calls, it is evident that the voice knows all about a cold case from Tori's past, and that Tori must confront this twisted mind, as well as her own darkest demons, before more innocent lives are lost.

I give Snow Graves five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

Book Review: Kill Joy

 

Kill Joy

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder Novella

by Holly Jackson

Pub Date 28 Feb 2023 

 Random House Children's,  Delacorte Press

 Mystery & Thrillers  |  Teens & YA 

I am reviewing a copy of Kill Joy through Delacorte Press and Netgalley:

Don't miss the murder mystery party of the year! Holly Jackson's mystery novella will appeal to fans of her #1 New York Times bestselling series A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.

There are six suspects. Approximately three hours. There was one murder...

Pip is not in the mood to attend her friend's murder mystery party. I particularly enjoyed one where they donned 1920's fancy dress and pretended that their town was an island called Joy. However, as soon as the game begins, Pip is sucked into the world of intrigue, deception, and murder that has been created.

In spite of this, Pip isn't just focused on the murder of Reginald Remy as she plays detective, unraveling clues one by one until she is able to identify the killer.

I give Kill Joy five out of five Stars!

Happiest Reading!