Jeff Sexton

Not A Casual "Beach Read". With the cover and even a common understanding of the description, one might think going into this tale that it is a breezy easy beach read. Well, I'm of the belief that any book you read at a beach is a beach read, but this book takes some effort. If you're looking for a simple tale... this aint that.

What this *is* though is a solid tale of survival on so many different levels. Yes, you have the tale of the struggle to save the resort that the description points out. But there is also *so much more* here, and the problems at the resort go *so much deeper* than is initially believed.

At first, this seems to be a tale of the resort manager building her team, Nick Fury building the Avengers style. As this slow burn story continues though, we see that not everything is as it seems, and Nick may have found Loki posing as Thor rather than the actual Thor...

Ultimately, all of the separate characters and threads do come together in a wonderful tapestry, but it takes a while to see the full picture of all that is happening and why, but for those that demand books that wrap up everything... this *is* one of those tales, at least.

Very much recommended.

Slow, Character Driven Coastal Tale Featuring Flawed Yet Understandable Characters. Yes, to an extent if you've read one Sarah Morgan non-Christmas tale, you've read every Sarah Morgan non-Christmas tale. (And her Christmas tales are simply a variant on the non-Christmas ones, featuring some extra Christmas emphasis of some form.) This noted, what Sarah Morgan does, she does solidly and has clearly built a fan base for a reason, and this is yet another example of why her formula works so well.

Here, yet again, we get three generations of female leads, with the guys mostly playing romantic foils of some form or another, and each of our female leads has her own dramas and insecurities and, yes, mistakes. Of course, in typical Sarah Morgan fashion... well, let's not give away her endings in this review, shall we? Let's instead say that the Hallmarkie type crowd will generally enjoy these books, even though the Sarah Morgan formula is at least *slightly* different than that one.

Overall a solid tale solidly written, and a perfectly fine, inoffensive, casual "summer" / "beach" read (that, to be clear, can truly be enjoyed any time). Very much recommended.

Kay Bratt Goes "North Ga Dark". Ok, so what the hell do you mean by "North Ga Dark", Sexton? Well, growing up even "in the country" in North Ga, specifically the Atlanta exurbs (then, now northern suburbs), even on a pitch black, moonless night... you still had the glow of Atlanta and its suburbs over the horizon. Thus, even at nature's absolute darkest... there was still *some* light, if well over the horizon and very faint.

And that is what Bratt has introduced here, with both our longer term story and one of the active cases in this story now focusing on themes of abuse in various forms. To be clear, this is one of those stories that will be quite difficult for some, perhaps many, readers - but as usual, Bratt manages to handle even these themes with a care not every other writer decides to put into their story, for any number of reasons. So while the evil is very present and menacing *in story*, it is more like a shark menacing - if you're in its domain (ie, a character in this book, for the book evil, or pretty much anything in most any body of salt water, for the shark), you're going to feel its presence and you should probably take appropriate precautions. The easiest of which for most of us is simply... stepping away from its domain for a bit. In which case, sitting on the beach with a good book is probably a solid idea for both. (With your beverage of choice, for when you need to step away from the book if it gets too menacing for you... as you ponder the water and the menaces within it. :D)

As with a few other reviewers, I noticed the lack of direct family involvement in this book, which had previously been a long-running staple of the series. And am I just forgetting (it has been 75+ books for me between Book 8 of this series, Starting Over, and this one), or did a certain sequence that was (somewhat briefly at that) explained as happening before the events of this book not actually happen in the previous book? Because I don't remember that particular scene in that book, and I think I would have commented on at least its presence - even if somewhat obliquely to avoid any outright spoilers. If this is indeed the case, this was likely the most egregious miss of this entire series. While the series didn't need a full on "Return Of The King" massive *event* for this particular scene... it still would have been great to see it "in real time". (Note: While writing this review, I did go back to my copy of Starting Over and confirm that it did not include this particular scene. It included a blatant setup for the scene, but not the scene itself. So I stand behind my comment that this was a major miss, and a glaring hole from an author not generally known for such obvious misses.)

All of this noted, this *was* a supremely enjoyable and fast read, and it absolutely sets up for Bratt to either conclude the series (as was originally intended with Starting Over) with Book 10 - Hello Little Girl, out Summer 2024 - or possibly extend it again. It will be interesting to see which direction Bratt takes, particularly given that she seems to be actively writing that book at the time of me writing this review. Very much recommended.

Solid Second Book In Series. This is one of those tales where both the author and the reader are going on an adventure- ok, the first book was *awesome*, but I had all the time in the world to write the thing and now I need to produce a sequel in a timely manner since my name isn't GRR Martin... so what do I do?

Johnson's answer here is a thrilling ride that perhaps doesn't have the same level of social commentary from the first book - though to be clear, there is still *some* here - yet manages to keep up with the action and even introduces some wrinkles not seen in the first book, going in a direction not often seen, but which makes perfect sense within this world.

And then... just when you think everything is all said and done... Thanos appears. No, not really. But there *is* that stinger scene at the end that reveals the storm clouds on the horizon... storm clouds that portend one *intense* battle coming up. Will we see that battle in Book 3, or will we simply edge closer to the storm? Yet again, I for one can't wait to find out.

Very much recommended.

Solid And Seemingly Comprehensive Examination Of The Topic. This is a book that takes a look at the ever-evolving quest to build the world's tallest skyscrapers, from its origins in the 19th century (and the debate over who first created what) all the way through Summer 2023, when the book was being written. Along the way we learn of various periods of American skyscraper construction - yes, including Sears Tower, the Empire State Building, the World Trade Center towers, and others. But we *also* get just as detailed a view of skyscraper construction in other areas of the world and how each builds on advances in the other locations as time progresses. We visit the Middle East and learn of its mega projects. We visit Hong Kong in both the Colonial and Chinese eras. We visit Taiwan and China and see how their standoff plays out in their construction efforts. Along the way, we get the histories and economics of how and why such structures are wanted and what makes them profitable - hint, it isn't always the rents they generate from tenants. We even get a solid examination of the arguments for and against such structures, along with the (seemingly requisite in this type of book) predictions for the future and a few suggestions for how to make those predictions become reality.

Overall truly an interesting book, well written for the average reader - yes, there is some jargon, but Barr does a solid job of using it sparingly and explaining it reasonably well when he does. Also reasonably well documented, clocking in at 20% of the text of the Advance Review Copy edition I read.

Very much recommended.

Excellent Twisty Thriller With Uniquely Broken Characters Will Be Far Too Difficult For Some. Straight up, I loved this one. It was so *oppressively* dark, yet done in such a way that even though there is truly little light to be had and also with no supernatural element to the darkness at all... you still want to see exactly what happened to make this tale this way.

The reason it will be difficult for some, perhaps many, is because of the *rampant* child abuse, including some sexual abuse and even a rape - though while "on screen" it is more "dark room" based. Still described, but not as... vividly... as it could have been. Showing that Hepworth *does* show restraint when going even more explicit doesn't add anything further to the actual story. There is also a rather horrifying birth scene, though this is far from the "splatterpunk" / "horror" that one reviewer described it as. Though going further would perhaps spoil what happens there *too* much, so I'll show the same restraint in the review that Hepworth did in the text. If such scenes are difficult for you... this may not be the book for you.

The reason I actually enjoyed the book though was because of how the central characters - three chosen sisters bound not by blood, but by shared trauma and survival- were both broken... and how they used that brokenness as adults, showing that even some of the most difficult times, the darkest times of someone's life, *can* be overcome to varying degrees. Not that any of our adults are truly "normal" healthy - again showing a great deal of reality here - but that they're still, to use a term used to describe Autistics that I truly despise but fits here, "functional". Ish.

Ultimately this is one of those books that will likely prove divisive in at least some groups, but I thought was done well, with the author using so many real world horrors (and yes, in my own work through my church as a teen and just generally being an observant adult, I've seen this and so much worse on occassion) to craft the story she is trying to tell... while showing restraint where further graphic details don't add any more needed information to extract the desired emotions from the reader. Showing that Hepworth truly is a master of her craft, even when she is somewhat intentionally pushing some buttons of some people.

Very much recommended.

Misleading Description Yet Excellent Tale. Just Not Anything Really Remotely Like Jurassic Park. Ok, the few things that *are* like Jurassic Park: human hubris leads to "de-extincting" long-extinct plants and creatures. Commentary on modern science baked into the story. Commentary on history baked into the story. Thus ends the things that are like Jurassic Park.

In other words... don't go into this book expecting "Jurassic Park... With Mammoths". This is *NOT* that story. Instead, it is more "murder mystery at a park similar to Jurassic Park". Go into this book with those at least somewhat lower expectations... and this is an awesome book with plenty of wonder, action, thrills, chills... and a few cheeky meta references. (Such as when a character is reading one of his and longtime writing partner Lincoln Child's Pendergast books - a trope many authors use to plug their own books or sometimes friends' books or even just random books the author has read and enjoyed.)

For the story we *do* get here, it is truly well done, a fast paced action thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat and keep you guessing about what will come next.

Very much recommended.

How Jimmy Doolittle's Raid Connected Directly To The Atomic Bomb. On the weekend of the anniversary of the Doolittle Raid (as it has come to be known) and with conversations sparking again about whether the dropping of the bomb was necessary or not, I had an opportunity to read this book - which admittedly won't release until the day after Memorial Day here in the US. (For everyone else, this book's release date is the last Tuesday of May 2024.)

Here, Hampton adds a wrinkle to the discussion of the bomb by revealing what had previously been hidden about the Doolittle Raid - a *second* mission, known only to the pilot of the plane and to Doolittle's own boss, to gauge just how ready the Soviet Union was to actually engage in warfare against Japan. Here, Hampton argues that the plane that for 80 years had been believed to have gotten lost... knew *exactly* where it was going and largely *exactly* what it was doing. Or, at least the one driving it did - and he relayed those instructions to those whose help he absolutely needed, his copilot and his navigator, and *no one* else. As in, the bomber's bomber and gunners didn't know of this secret mission. According to Hampton here, at least.

That the crew of "Plane 8" landed in the Soviet Union and was there imprisoned for a time before being repatriated back to the US has been known effectively since the events happened over 80 years ago - at least by then current communication standards, particularly during a time of global war.

But just what they were *actually* doing is new here - and because of what they found on that mission, we now have better information about what the various Generals and civilian leadership knew or thought they knew in the closing months of the war, as J. Robert Oppenheimer and his teams on the Manhattan Project were finalizing their new weapon. We now know what Roosevelt, MacArthur, Stinson, and Arnold knew about Soviet capabilities in the Far East... because this secret secondary mission got them the data they needed, three years prior. We now know that even if they had heard - as at least some claim - as early as February 1945 that Japan may possibly consider surrendering so long as the Emperor was kept in control of at least the Shinto religion (as, ultimately, is exactly what happened on Sept 2, 1945 on the USS Missouri), that even if they had heard this that the Soviet Union was not yet able to put the kind of resources into the region that may have made even Japan's own war hawks reconsider their actual options.

This is a harrowing tale, very well told - in some respects, it reads as easily as fiction, yet gives a complete picture of all that was happening in and around the Doolittle Raid, specifically as it relates to this second, secret, mission.

The one problem I have, at least with this early edition I read, was that the bibliography is lacking, clocking in at just 10% of the available text. Even with original research as the basis of the claims of this book - and that is indeed the case here - one would still expect that number to be perhaps at least 50% higher to meet the bare minimums of being described as adequately documented given the explosive nature of the claims contained herein.

Overall a truly well written and apparently well researched tale that just needed a touch more documentation. Very much recommended.

Twenty Year Old Book Holds Up Well. First off, to be clear: This new (2024) edition is an updated and revised (with apparently *some* new content) version of a book originally released over 20 years ago. So some of you may have already own/ have read this, and I know there are at least some out there who "only read new releases". But for everyone *else*... this is still a damn good story, 20 years later.

In at least some ways, it is actually a callback to a different era, the era of RENT when friends dying of AIDS was still a major zeitgeist moment and a reality for many, particularly many in urban areas. (I say this because growing up in the exurbs of Atlanta in the era the book was originally published, this just wasn't a reality that was seen much in my area.) This plotline provides both some of the gravitas of the book - addiction being the primary other source - and the meetcute - the male lead is the brother of the friend dying of AIDS.

The romance side of the book is also well done, granted with a lot of lust and pent up sexual frustration as its start and with quite a bit of bedroom action (not always in the bedroom) throughout - once things get going there. Which, again, will be a turn off for some and a selling point for others.

Ultimately, this is a story of a lot of flawed individuals making their way through life as best they can in the situations they find themselves, and this is where the story particularly shines.

Very much recommended.

Gruesome Crime Horror/ Thriller Starts With A Bang. Seriously, the start of this book feels like Hilton read Jeff Guinn's Waco, because it truly feels like Hilton took Guinn's hyper realistic descriptions of what actually went down there to scaffold his own fictional version.

Which is actually a *phenomenal* way to begin this particular tale.

The rest of the tale then flashes forward a bit and crosses the "pond", becoming a UK based police/ crime tale featuring some particularly horrific murders that fans of Thomas Harris' Hannibal Lecter trilogy or Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's Pendergast series will absolutely enjoy. The pacing of the investigation is solid, and the way the various characters meld together is done quite well.

Surprises late are well executed, and by the end you're going to be questioning if this is meant to be a series starter afterall...

Overall truly a great crime story excellently told, and a solid change of pace from Hilton's Grey and Villere thrillers in particular in that while the action is equally intense, the criminals here feel so much more decidedly dark and truly evil. Very much recommended.

Solid Slow Burn Mystery Will Be Jarring For Some. While never a fan of content/ trigger warnings printed in books (I prefer them on the author's website or in reviews like this, either way separate from the book at hand and easily findable with a modicum of research), let me say up front that if you have severe issues with child sexual abuse or child neglect... this may not be the best book for you. Same with violence against women generally, addiction, stripping, etc.

That dispensed with, this was a remarkable tale of generations of women trying to leave a dying small rural town... and failing miserably, only for the cycle to repeat with their own daughters ad nauseum. It is a slow burn missing woman tale where we do get both the current timeline of one of the women being missing and the older timeline of what her life was up to the very moment she became missing. Both parts of the tale carry the same dull, dismal, depressing stylings throughout, even as both sets of women actively rebel against their situations and try their damnedest to be the women that break the cycle.

For anyone who has ever spent time in a run down house or trailer, you know this life quite well. You've probably lived a version of it - hopefully *without* the abuse, though this is admittedly far more common than it should be in such situations. Which makes the story that much more "real"... and yet also that much more depressing, to a point, as many read fiction as a way to *escape* their current "real" world bonds.

The time switches could be a bit jarring - they are labeled, but the label is somewhat easily missed - and the inconclusive ending, with several questions still lingering, could put some off. Personally, I felt this particular ending made the tale that much more "real" and worked for the story told to that point, particularly in the final build up to the reveal. So it is absolutely a "your mileage may vary", and unless you are just 100% opposed to such endings... do yourself a favor and read this book and see what you think of it yourself.

Overall truly a great and all-too-real (sadly) story, and very well told. Very much recommended. With the warnings noted in this review.

Twenty Year Old Book Holds Up Well. First off, to be clear: This new (2024) edition is an updated and revised (with apparently *some* new content) version of a book originally released over 20 years ago. So some of you may have already own/ have read this, and I know there are at least some out there who "only read new releases". But for everyone *else*... this is still a damn good story, 20 years later.

In at least some ways, it is actually a callback to a different era, the era of RENT when friends dying of AIDS was still a major zeitgeist moment and a reality for many, particularly many in urban areas. (I say this because growing up in the exurbs of Atlanta in the era the book was originally published, this just wasn't a reality that was seen much in my area.) This plotline provides both some of the gravitas of the book - addiction being the primary other source - and the meetcute - the male lead is the brother of the friend dying of AIDS.

The romance side of the book is also well done, granted with a lot of lust and pent up sexual frustration as its start and with quite a bit of bedroom action (not always in the bedroom) throughout - once things get going there. Which, again, will be a turn off for some and a selling point for others.

Ultimately, this is a story of a lot of flawed individuals making their way through life as best they can in the situations they find themselves, and this is where the story particularly shines.

Very much recommended.

Making The Case For Practical Anarchy While Proclaiming Non-State Democracy. As an avowed and open Anarchist, any time I find a book proclaiming in its title to be about how to live effectively in community without the State... I tend to pick it up.

Here, Skach makes quite clear that she is terrified of a particular "A" word (that I've already used twice in the preceding paragraph) and instead proclaims her arguments to be in favor of State-less democracy... while failing to realize that Anarchy literally means only "no government" - ie, "no State", ie, "Without the State" (to use the exact phrasing from the subtitle). As Lysander Spooner and other thinkers over the Millenia have espoused, there can be numerous forms of order under Anarchy - Anarchy has never meant "without order", only "without government". Thus, Skach's preference for community-based democracy falls right in line with the very idea.

But regardless of Skach's fear of the "A" word or your own (the reader of my review) preference for any other form of community organization, Skach actually does a truly remarkable job of showing just how a Stateless - ie, Anarchic - society could practically work *even in the current environment*. Yes, there are numerous issues she doesn't touch, and yes, there is plenty of room for the usual "what if" game that proponents of State and its slaughter of literally hundreds of millions of people in the last 150 yrs alone routinely bring up.

But for those who don't think it can work even at a very basic level, that survival would be impossible because the world would be "without order", Skach makes clear that both spontaneous and coordinated order can be had - and can be had in a far better manner than at present - *without* the State.

There will be many who won't read this book at all or won't truly consider its ideas, but for those who are willing to at least consider the possibility that perhaps the West (and East, insofar as their systems of government go) could do better, that perhaps the US in particular *has* to have some better way of doing things... maybe pick this book up. Read it slowly. Truly ponder its ideas and trul ruminate over them, asking yourself the hard questions about why you may think the State is the best answer, even in the face of so much evidence to the contrary.

Oh, and the fact that this book is releasing in the US going into its biggest State holiday weekend, when the entire country - and, due to the US's prominence since 1944 or so, even large parts of the entire world - will be celebrating a few hundred thousand people declaring their independence from the *then* global superpower... well, that's just icing on this particular cake.

I will note, as really more of an aside, that the bibliography clocks in at just 17% of the Advance Review Copy edition of the book I read, which is perhaps a touch low - but I've also been openly stating for a bit now that perhaps my 20-30% standard should be lowered a touch given so many more recent books have been a touch lower than this, and 17% seems like it would fit within the true current average, if maybe still a touch on the lower end of the range.

Overall a truly excellent book so far as it goes, I personally just really wish it had more openly embraced the very concepts even its title openly yet not brazenly proclaims. Very much recommended.

Reads Almost Like Fiction - And Should Give Soraya M. Lane Inspiration For A Future Novel. First, this is one of the better researched books I've come across in all of my Advance Review Copy reading efforts - over 1100 books since 2018 - at 45% documentation. Kudos to Lance for being so thorough there.

And she needs it - because this is one of the more fantastical nonfiction books you're ever going to come across. A brother and sister experimenting on themselves - as their father, who also experimented on himself *even with chlorine gas*, had trained them to do - gathering a team of like minded scientists to push the limits of the human condition under extreme environments, later in a direct race to help save their country from annihilation.

Before Jacques Cousteau developed SCUBA, there were the scientists working to discover what, exactly, humans could survive under water. What, exactly, happened as the human body was compressed to ever higher pressures? What happened as that pressure was relaxed - either suddenly or gradually? How could we allow humans to survive at ever increasing pressures, and what, exactly, were the limits?

And then... Normandy.

It had already been tried once, and failed miserably - because the soldiers didn't have the data these very scientists were racing to obtain. Could they get it in time for the next invasion attempt?

They could... and they would change the face of warfare (and, to be honest, some entertainment and other scientific pursuits) forever when they did.

This is their story, told for seemingly the very first time.

Very much recommended. And please tag Soraya Lane and beg her to bring this story to actual fiction.

Solid Examination of The Field Of Planet Hunting. This is a solid look at how scientists find extra-solar planets and work to determine what they may be like - compositionally, temperature, whether life (as we understand it) may be possible, etc. Written for a general audience by a US-based Austrian native scientist working at the Carl Sagan Institute, the author clearly knows her stuff, but perhaps the English can be a touch stilted at times. It wasn't enough to distract from the book for me, but there absolutely were a few "huh, weird phrasing" moments. Which happens even with fully native English speakers even in the same country - I'm sure there are Americans reading this review who will question even my own phrasing, and I'm a son of the Southern US to the tune that parts of my family have been on the North American continent since the second generation of Europeans to get here at all.

Overall truly a fascinating book, and Kaltengger's own experiments sound quite fun and interesting to boot. The only flaw I noticed here was such a small bibliography, which is where the star deduction comes into play. Still, this is ultimately a solidly written depiction of a truly fascinating part of interplanetary science. Very much recommended.

The End Of An Era. I write this review nearly a week after reading this book, and hours after the conclusion of Wrestlemania 40 - the beginning of a new era of WWE. Which is fitting, because so much of what Rousey talks about re: her involvement with the prior regime in WWE had been relatively well documented both in court and in the court of public opinion over the last couple of years in particular, as Rousey was experiencing some of it and then working with her writer to write this book. Yes, much of this book are complaints about how she was mistreated in various ways by both her longtime UFC trainer and later by Vince McMahon, whom Rousey rarely holds back on her disgust and disdain for, but there is actually much about this book to like as well. For one, for those looking for celebrity "look who I know and run with" kind of memoirs... this is absolutely that. (As contrasted to Rebecca Quin's Becky Lynch: The Man which released a week earlier, and which played a heavy role in Quin's Wrestlemania 40 presentation, which was pretty well the opposite of that.) Particularly husband Travis Brown and the other three "Four Horsewomen" of UFC, Rousey talks a lot about all of them and largely in a particularly glowing manner, while not holding back on those she disliked in both her UFC and WWE runs. Indeed, there is little "foundational" material here - perhaps because this is her second book and the prior book perhaps covered more of that, being written before her WWE run? And perhaps the very coolest encounter she recounts is actually with a Mexican colleague, ring name Santos Escobar, as she was getting ready to finally hang up her fighting boots and return to life on the farm. A similarity she shares with another former UFC and WWE star... Brock Lesnar, not mentioned once in this particular tale.

Overall an interesting read that "peels the curtain back" more than some, if in a more negative/ pessimistic/ self-centered manner than others. Still, a truly interesting read and very much recommended.

Slow, Problematic (Some Say Offensive) Main Character, Largely Forgettable. Yet Good Enough. This is a book where from an objective (ish) standpoint, there really isn't much if anything actually *wrong* about it. Yes, it is absolutely a slow burn - and yes, some people may prefer faster pacing, particularly in a "thriller". But that is taste, and the artist is allowed to do as they will there. The MC could be argued to be quite stupid or even downright evil by some, but there again - artistic license. Writing this review even 5 days after finishing the book (while having read 5 other books since, and with quite a bit going on in my own life at the moment, admittedly), I must confess that I barely remembered the book at all and only really picked up what it was when reading other reviews.

And yet, despite all of that... I *do* remember the book as enjoyable enough while I was reading it, and a good enough tale to be a worthy read for those looking for a solid enough mystery/ thriller. It won't be going on my personal "best of" lists any time soon, but it was also solid enough that I don't in any way feel I was cheated out the time I spent with the book. Obviously, other reviewers have had stronger reactions both directions and will continue to have so long as this book exists. But for *me*, it was ok and with nothing objectively (ish) wrong, therefore it gets a 5* rating, a decent enough review, and an encouragement from me to you, the reader of my review, to check out the blurb, maybe check out some reviews from other reviewers you trust not to spoil anything who may highly praise it - and others who highly despise it - and make your own call.

For me, I'm comfortable enough saying: Recommended.

Encyclopedic Look At The Botany Of Booze. This book has a few hundred pages (or just under a dozen hours, for Audible readers) to cover pretty well every plant that can either directly intoxicate a human or any plant that can be used as a mixer to help such other plants taste better. So there is going to be a lot of 2-3 sentence or so summaries of various plants - which is particularly prevalent in the back part of the book. Up front is a larger examination of the botany and history of the primary global liquors and beers and wines, though even here due to the sheer volume of the field, many important (yet more specific) details are often left out. Still, as an overall introduction to the complete field of the botany of booze... this is actually a rather great book. Mostly recommended for bartenders (professional or home) or those looking to possibly begin an actual scientific career in the field, but an interesting read for nearly anyone interested in the overall science of booze. Just be ready to read an encyclopedia volume. (Which I did many times as a kid, fwiw.) Recommended.

Comprehensive Look At Different Ways Different Christian Communities Have Viewed Politics Over The Millenia. This book is truly one of the most comprehensive looks at the subject that I’ve yet run across, and for that alone is to be commended. It is also immensely readable, which is always a nice bonus in an academic-oriented book.

Perhaps the only “negative” thing to be said here (and certainly some will view this as quite the positive, or even argue she doesn’t go far *enough*), is that Cruz at times can be a bit *too* tough on the Christian Nationalism crowd, while openly claiming a high degree of tolerance for every other perspective she discusses. Even as I oppose the Christian Nationalists myself (finding more cause for Anarchism in the text of the Bible than any support for any modern nation, *including* the modern State of Israel), I would have liked to have seen their positions presented with the same detached rational approach as all of the other perspectives presented – mostly because I truly believe that when presented in those same terms, the Christian Nationalists *still* lose, and lose bigger because they *were* given a rational chance.

Even this, though, is not the actual cause of the star deduction. The cause of the star deduction is instead the complete non-existence of any hint of a bibliography, which are generally present even in these Advance Reviewer Copy forms of texts, as I have quite a bit of experience reading and reviewing over the last several years (where 20-30% is considered my norm, though I’ve also openly discussed perhaps lowering that a touch more recently).

Still, even that is a flaw that will hopefully be corrected in the final form of the book.

Overall an interesting and comprehensive examination of the topic, one anyone interested in Christianity and Politics in America – for any reason – should make it a point to read. Particularly before any Presidential Election. Yes, including the one being conducted less than 90 days after the publication of this very book. Very much recommended.

A Kaiju the size of an entire major city - maybe even bigger. (Yes, you read that right.) Not a skyscraper ala Nemesis, but an entire FRAKKIN CITY. And one man is connected to it, thanks to helping a friend who accidentally stepped on a piece of it in Iceland.

Can he stop it? Can he even get to his family in time to at least be with them during the Apocalypse? Join Abraham Wright as he races around the world trying to save his family. See what happens when something that calls itself the “Machine” rises from the depths of the earth.

See yet another way humanity ends according to the mind of Jeremy Robinson.

The man that spawned a genre is back at it with his most ambitious kaiju story yet - and quite possibly his best.

Father. Grandfather. Farmer. Engineer. Clerk. WWII Badass. Wait. What? While this book focuses more on the air war over Britain and Europe, it does in fact get to the heart of what so many of us born in the post WWII era have only been learning over the last 20-30 yrs or so: Our fathers (in the case of Boomers/ maybe Gen Xers) or grandfathers (for Millenials and Zoomers) that we knew as just that (+ whatever occupation they may have had as we knew them) had experiences during WWII that most of the rest of us can never imagine. For Mansfield's dad and his dad's fellow Airmen, Mansfield does a fairly thorough job of combining the personal and the global, of showing both where his dad was and when and also what was going on in the overall war effort - at least as it related to the air war over Europe and what the fliers encountered up there.

Personally, as the grandson of a pair of Infantrymen who both survived the Battle of the Bulge (and one of whom became a legit hero during its mop-up, earning a Silver Star and Purple Heart, while the other became one of the first to liberate the concentration camps on the American side of the war), I was hoping for more of a general look at this entire phenomena, of our fathers and grandfathers choosing to remain silent about their experiences during this pivotal time in human history, rather than the far more personal and specific look we get here - but that is more my own fault than the author's. My own pre-conceptions and desires, rather than any fault of the author's motivations or writing skills.

Indeed, the only actual fault vis a vis the writing itself is the dearth of a bibliography, despite the author clearly doing quite a bit of research. So that was the star deduction right there, simply for that. Beyond the lack of bibliography though, this really was an excellent look at the Air War in the European Theater as it was felt by the people flying as crew in the bombers themselves.

Truly an excellent book anyone remotely interested in that era and in particular that facet of that era will very much enjoy and may find quite informative. Very much recommended.