For twelve years, Andrea Lankford lived in the biggest, most impressive national parks in the world, working a job she loved. She chaperoned baby sea turtles on their journey to sea. She pursued bad guys on her galloping patrol horse. She jumped into rescue helicopters bound for the heart of the Grand Canyon. She won arguments with bears. She slept with a few too many rattlesnakes. Hell yeah, it was the best job in the world! Fortunately, Andrea survived it. In this graphic and yet surprisingly funny account of her and others' extraordinary careers, Lankford unveils a world in which park rangers struggle to maintain their idealism in the face of death, disillusionment, and the loss of a comrade killed while holding that thin green line between protecting the park from the people, the people from the park, and the people from each other. Ranger Confidential is the story behind the scenery of the nation's crown jewels—Yosemite, Grand Canyon,... Views: 11
"Vivid and dramatic."—The Guardian"Arresting."—Daily TelegraphYour God. Your Country. Your Kin. Who Do You Betray?1563: Anyone could be a suspect; any Catholic could be accused of plotting against the throne. Clarenceux keeps his head down and his religion quiet. But when a friend desperately pleads with Clarenceux to hide a manuscript for him, he is drawn into a web of treachery and conspiracy he may never untangle. Is there no refuge if your faith is your enemy?Bestselling author Dr. Ian Mortimer, writing as James Forrester, has crafted a chilling, brilliant story that re-imagines how the explosive mix of faith and fear can tear a country apart. Sacred Treason tells a thrilling story of murder, betrayal, and loyalty—and the power of the written word."An Elizabethan romp featuring a conspiracy, a secret manuscript, and whispers about Anne Boleyn."—Sunday TimesFrom BooklistDuring the early years of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign, religious and political unrest roil the British nation, fostering an atmosphere of deception and mistrust. In 1563, with rumors of Catholic plots and uprisings swirling about, every professed and undercover Catholic is suspect. It is within such a repressive era that young government bureaucrat William Harley, also known as Clarenceux, king of arms, gingerly attempts to keep a low profile. When a frightened friend and fellow Catholic entrusts Clarenceux with a sensitive manuscript, he has no idea what potentially explosive secrets lie within its pages. On the run from the queen’s special forces, he desperately attempts to unravel the clues to solve the mystery and save his own life. Writing fiction as James Forrester, medieval historian Ian Mortimer provides an authentically detailed backdrop for this fast-paced Elizabethan thriller. --Margaret Flanagan Review"A brilliant mystery adventure ... seamlessly incorporating known facts and people of the time with fictional aspects to progress the story ... A must read for historical fiction lovers." - Passages to the Past"Reading Sacred Treason was like being completely immersed in the world of 16th Century England (without the smells). It was bracing and marvelous and compelling from beginning to end." - Book Lovers Inc. Views: 11
Can I Make You Famous? The secret is out and the world knows that Farah Cotton was responsible for killing her soul mate s brother. In fear for her life, she must remain off the streets of DC or suffer an evil fate. Luckily Slade, who vows to avenge Knox s death, is tucked away in a cell, although his imprisonment does nothing for her broken heart. Desperate for protection, Farah, Mia and Shadow take solace with Bones, 2nd in command of The Fold, a group of modern day vampires. When her blood craving increases she makes risky moves to quench her thirst. For months she successfully avoids capture while waiting for the day the Bakers will abandon the quest and withdraw from D.C. It never happens. Surmising the plan to snuff Farah out is weakening, Audio, the youngest of the Bakers, becomes unglued. Refusing to sit idly by he moves solo, making a brash decision that causes a domino effect of consequences, which will ruin many lives. Just when your pressure settles you re struck with... Views: 11
Willa Marks is pregnant. Afraid. And can't remember anything beyond two months ago. What she does know is that she can't trust the police to keep her safe. So when two men -- cops -- appear at her door, all she can think about is escape. But instinct tells her to trust one of them.... Brandon Ruiz is ex-military. Sheriff of a small town in Texas. And Willa's ex-boyfriend. Or so he claims. Now that they've found her, he's determined to keep Willa safe from her would-be assassin. But to do that he has to stay distanced. He can't let her touch, her scent, reach him. Can't let her kisses inflame him. He thinks if she remembers, she'll be safe. But he's wrong.... Views: 11
In the 1980s, an alien starship visited Earth. While investigating what appeared to be a sarcophagus bearing the preserved body of its builder, astronaut Keith Stoner was trapped and cryogenically frozen. After his body was eventually returned to Earth and revived, Stoner discovered that he had acquired alien powers. Using these new powers, he built a new starship and left Earth.Now, after more than a century of exploring the stars, Keith Stoner returns to find that the world he has come back to does not match the one he left. The planet is suffering the consequences of disastrous greenhouse flooding. Most nations have been taken over by ultraconservative religion-based governments, such as the New Morality in the United States. With population ballooning and resources running out, Earth is heading for nuclear war. Stoner, the star voyager, wants to save Earth’s people. But first he must save himself from the frightened and ambitious zealots who want to destroy this stranger—and the terrifying message he brings from the stars. Views: 11
SUMMARY: In Grunts, renowned historian John C. McManus demonstrates that, from the invasion beaches of the Second World War to the deserts of the Middle East, the foot soldier has been the most indispensible-and most overlooked-factor in wartime victory. Advances in weaponry have threatened to render the infantryman obsolete for centuries. Even today, precision-guided munitions, nuclear bombs, aerial drones, computers, and satellites have made victory in modern warfare seem like a simple matter of superior hardware, negating the need for ground soldiers. In truth, even as technology advanced at a dizzying pace throughout the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, ground soldiers, especially infantry "grunts," did almost all of the fighting and dying in America's wars. Examining ten critical battles, McManus covers six decades of warfare-from the 1944 fight on the island of Guam to today's counterinsurgency combat in Iraq-in which the skills and courage of American troops proved the crucial difference between victory and defeat. Penetrating the flowery rhetoric of headlines and standard battle narratives, McManus exposes the shocking brutal realities of modern ground combat. Based on years of archival research and personal interviews with veterans, this powerful history reveals the ugly face of war in a way that few books have. Grunts demonstrates the vital, and too often forgotten, importance of the human element in protecting the American nation, and advances a passionate plea for fundamental change in our understanding of war. Views: 11
