desertvixen | Reading for 2018

Kindle Reading: 17 read and 5 deleted...but 23 added.

1177: The Year Civilization Collapsed by Cline, Eric H – Reread of a book I have in dead tree format, it was on sale. It’s an excellent read.

A Checklist for Murder by Anthony Flacco – True crime focused on a husband who takes out his wife and daughter in a faked car accident, only he doesn’t quite manage to kill his daughter. It’s a good story, but an older one that makes you wonder about how society used to be.

A Fine and Private Place by Ellery Queen – Interesting mystery featuring a murder victim who has a serious superstition about the number nine.

A Message to Garcia by Elbert Hubbard – If you’ve read it, you’re familiar with the moral – sometimes a man who will just do what is required is what we need, and don’t ask questions.

Carthage Must Be Destroyed by Richard Miles – Pretty much what it sounds like, solid account of Carthage and the Punic Wars.

Chasing Amanda by Robin Patchen – Supposed to be the prologue to a series, but it goes in my bad example file because it has a horrible portrayal of the military guy who must stay away from women because he’s dangerous and going to war.

Colleen: Sweet Western Historical by Ashley Merrick – Exactly what it sounds like on the cover, but it was free and a nice little break.

Finding the Few: Outstanding Mysteries WW1 by Andy Saunders – Books about finding British pilots who were killed in the Battle of Britain, or rather identifying their remains and resting places. It’s an excellent read.

Howard Hughes' Airline: Informal History TWA by Robert J. Serling – The history of Trans World Airlines, full of great one-liners and people stories. Serling’s aviation writing is very engaging, although not as well-known as his brother Rod.

Journey to Fulfillment by Laurie Larsen – Kind of predictable fiction – kid is kidnapped and returned, parents’ marriage has issues because parents don’t communicate well, but good price point.

Kids Who Kill: Joshua Phillips by Kathryn McMaster – True crime that’s in my bad examples file because it’s horribly structured (like having important information at the end) about kid who kills his neighbor and stuffs her under his bed.

Leveraged Learning by Danny Iny – Interesting book about how learning and distanced education has changed.

Love Life and Work by Elbert Hubbard – More stuff by the guy who wrote Message to Garcia, in the same general vein.

Memories of the Russian Court by Anna Vrubovna – Memoirs of a member of Nicholas and Alexandra’s circle, mostly dedicated to humanizing them.

Paradise Lust: Searching for Garden of Eden by Brook Wilensky-Lanford – Pretty much what it sounds like, although it definitely has some strange theories on it.

The Dark Ages by Charles Oman – Exactly what it sounds like, in super tedious detail. Reading it was like an endurance match.

Dead Tree Reading: 6 read, mostly off the new pile - discarded 11 off the pile and 3 new ones.

Cadette Girl Scout Handbook (1963) by GSUSA (new) – New to me, but obviously not new. It was an interesting read and solid add to my Scouting bookshelf.

British Nannies and the Great War by Louise Heren (new) – I found this on a clearance shelf at Half-Price Books and it definitely hits the social history sweet spot. It’s about the Norland Institute for training nannies and their pre-Great War lives, very interesting.

Babies in the Forest by Swift/Mueller (new) – Cute forest animals, why say more?

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by Fiona Carnarvon – A decent solid read about the Carnarvon family, specifically the title lady.

FB: The Crimes of Grindelwald Screenplay by JK Rowling (new) – Screenplay of the movie, worth having for my collection (especially since it was on sale).

Fear by Bob Woodward (new) – Woodward’s book on the current administration, pretty good but not really anything shocking.