Kate’s 2¢: “The Night Fire” by Michael Connelly

“The Night Fire” by Michael Connelly

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

I’ve met Harry Bosch and LAPD Detective Rene Ballard a few years ago and thought they had a unique, although, effective working relationship. “Night Fire” continues the symbiotic friendship.

It is always interesting to meet the variety of characters and follow the threads until they all weave together to solve the mystery.

Titus Welliver did a very good job of reading the story and I’ll look for other books he’s narrated.

From https://www.michaelconnelly.com

Michael Connelly (b. July 21st, 1956 in Philadelphia) is a bestselling American author. He is most famous for writing two series of crime novels, one following LAPD Detective Harry Bosch and a second featuring defense attorney Mickey Haller.

He is also the executive producer of Bosch, an Amazon Studios original based on his bestselling character Harry Bosch.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The night fire DB97282

Connelly, Michael. Reading time: 10 hours, 5 minutes.

Read by Titus Welliver.

Suspense Fiction; Mystery and Detective Stories

Harry Bosch and LAPD Detective Ren©♭e Ballard come together again on the murder case that obsessed the man who trained Bosch as a rookie. After the mentor’s death, his widow gives Bosch a murder book he held on to: the unsolved killing of a troubled young man. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2019.

Kate’s 2¢: “Theodore Roosevelt for the defense: the courtroom battles to save his legacy” by Dan Abrams and David Fisher

“Theodore Roosevelt for the defense: the courtroom battles to save his legacy” by Dan Abrams and David Fisher

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

Well, I guess not much has changed in Albany and around the states as far as political corruption goes.

From Wikipedia:

Dan Abrams (born May 20, 1966) is an American web entrepreneur and television presenter who serves as the chief legal affairs anchor for ABC News, the host of Live PD on the A&E cable network, and the host of The Dan Abrams Show: Where Politics Meets The Law on SiriusXM’s P.O.T.U.S. channel. Abrams is the current host and executive producer of Court Cam a Law&Crime Production airing on A&E in December 2019. He is a legal commentator, author, and former anchor of Nightline. Abrams

David Fisher (13 April 1929 – 10 January 2018) was a British professional writer for television. He wrote the scripts for four serials of Doctor Who.  Fisher is the author of more than twenty New York Times bestsellers and coauthor of Bill O’Reilly’s Legends and Lies series. His work has also appeared in most major magazines and many newspapers. He lived in New York with his wife and two sons.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Theodore Roosevelt for the defense: the courtroom battles to save his legacy DB95689

Abrams, Dan; Fisher, David. Reading time: 12 hours, 6 minutes.

Read by Roger Wayne. A production of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress.

True Crime

Legal Issues

Bestsellers

The author of Lincoln’s Last Trial (DB 92216) recounts Roosevelt’s experience defending himself in a lawsuit raised by rival William Barnes, who sued Roosevelt for political corruption. Provides accounts from inside and outside the courtroom, news reports, and excerpts from the trial transcripts. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller. 2019.

Kate’s 2¢: “Last Child in the Woods, Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder” by Richard Louv.

“Last Child in the Woods, Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder” by Richard Louv.

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

Taking Charge Of Our Town’s Future
Our town has begun the task of re-evaluating our town’s master plan. I’d encourage each member of the taskforce to first read “Last Child in the Woods, Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder” by Richard Louv.
It is a deceptively easy book to read, but, quite thought provoking.
Louv discusses how guided focus play includes organized sports; guided play includes pea gravel surrounding the swing set, slides, and jungle gyms and parks where you stay on the paths; and natural play includes trees to climb and make forts in, streams to dam, and bushes to explore. This third category is mostly missing from, what Louv calls, the generation growing up in the Third Frontier (video games, computers, and virtual reality).
Louv suggests that, as we move into the Fourth Frontier, we need to make a concerted effort to, socially, culturally, and legislatively, make it possible for our children to inter-act with nature in natural free play. It might mean that parks should be planned with a section of trees for children to climb; legislation would not immediately be of the “so, sue me” mentality, and children would experience the natural consequences of their behavior (hm-m-m, sound familiar?).
As I usually do when I read a book, I try to figure out how it might relate to me and mine. The west end of our little ¾-acre lot, abuts a multi-acre field. It used to be planted in corn, but has over the last 20 or so years, lain fallow. There is plenty of scrub bushes, sapling weed trees, old furrows, and the ubiquitous snow-mobile trails. I’m wondering if I can let my little ones, maybe plant pumpkins just over the border into the field, or carve out a miniature “Hot Wheels” track, or play tag among the saplings?
To the east of our home is a new housing development and a retaining pond in what used to be a swampy area (Excuse me, I meant to say a wetlands area.). Would it be okay for them to observe the frog eggs hatch into tadpoles, or marvel at how the graceful heron walks in the water plucking up frogs, or, well, maybe even get their feet wet? I don’t think they should go swimming in the pond, even though, they are good swimmers. They would, of course, use the buddy system and wear a whistle on a lanyard, just in case they needed to summon assistance.
This book brought back memories of my First Grade experiences of walking through a woods to get to school when we lived in Ohio. During Third Grade our home in Pennsylvania had a thick woods behind it. We made a fort out of the crate our new freezer came in and spent many nights listening to the night sounds. Our Illinois home had abundant woodland flora and fauna to observe and feed our imaginations. Come to think of it, I’ve always had woods, fields, and ponds to explore and restore my sense of well-being.
I’d like that for my children, too. I don’t want to be the “Last Child in the Woods”.
Oh dear Gussie, perhaps I can find a NCLI chapter in my area (that’s No Child Left Inside)?
Now is the time to a master plan that incorporates thenatural green indigenous to our community. Let’s not just mandate a “441 corridor of commercial blight.
NOTE: “Last Child In The Woods, Saving Our Children from The Nature Deficit Disorder” by Richard Louv, 384 pages.
Resources:
`www.National Wildlife Federationd nwf.org/backyard
www.GreenHour.org (activities; down-load a journal, etc)
National Wildlife Federation movement: A Green Hour is time for unstructured play and interaction with the natural world.

`www.audubonathome.org/backyard (also, butterfly garden)
National Audubon Society
The mission of the National Audubon Society is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds and other wildlife for the benefit of humanity Montezuma Wildlife Refuge is one of these areas.

`“The Cloud-spotters Guide by Gavin Pretor-pinney
. The Cloud Appreciation Society : The Digital Aviator
It took a British journalist, Gavin Pretor-Pinney, who, after writing his book The Cloud Spotters Guide, decided to form The Cloud Appreciation Society.

`www.familyEducation.com

`www.AmericanHiking.org
1422 Fenwick Lane, Silver Spring, MD 20910; 1-800-972-8608, phone 301-565-6714, ffax; info@AmericanHiking.org

`“Joy of Hiking” by John McKinney
`“How To Build An Igloo” by Norbert E. Yankielun, Amelia Bauer

`www.ncli.org
No Child Left Inside | About the NCLI Act
*The NCLI Coalition extends its thanks to the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection for the use of “No Child Left Inside.”
ENVIRONMENTAL Resources and Information.This website is …
ncli.org is your first and best source for information about ENVIRONMENTAL. Here you will also find topics relating to issues of general interest.

`www.cnaturenet.org
The Children & Nature Network (C&NN) was created to encourage and support the people and organizations working worldwide to reconnect children with nature.
C&NN provides access to the latest news and research in the field and a peer-to-peer network of researchers and individuals, educators and organizations
dedicated to children’s health and well-being.

Kate’s 2¢: “The bitterroots: a Cassie Dewell novel” by C. J. Box

“The bitterroots: a Cassie Dewell novel” by C. J. Box

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

This story is a prime example of strong, female protagonists as the driving force of the narrative arc. Mix in the single mother angle and the nasty, female antagonists and you have something a bit more substantive than a fluffy chicklet. I couldn’t believe some of the stupid things this Private Investigator said and did. I guess I’ll have to read some of the other books this author wrote to know if this one is a fluke.

From Wikipedia:

Charles James Box Jr. is an American author of over twenty novels. Box is the author of the Joe Pickett series, as well as several stand-alone novels, and a collection of short stories. The novels have been translated into 27 languages. Over ten million copies of his novels have been sold in the U.S. alone. The first novel in his Joe Pickett series, Open Season, was included in The New York Times list of “Notable Books” of 2001. Open Season, Blue Heaven, Nowhere To Run, and The Highway have been

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The bitterroots: a Cassie Dewell novel DB96138

Box, C. J. Reading time: 9 hours, 51 minutes.

Read by Christina Delaine.

Suspense Fiction; Mystery and Detective Stories

Ex-cop Cassie Dewell is trying to start over with her own PI firm. Guilty about not seeing her son and exhausted by nights on stakeout, Cassie nonetheless manages–until a friend asks Cassie to help a man accused of assaulting a young girl from an influential family. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2019.

Riley Lucinda The Lavender Garden a novel

The Lavender Garden: A Novel by Lucinda Riley

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

A word to the wise: It would be helpful to start a genealogical family tree and fill it in as you read. Written in a dual time-line, I enjoyed this story and the challenge to solve the who’s who before the author revealed the answer.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Lucinda Riley (née Edmonds) (1966, Lisburn)[1] is an Irish author of popular historical fiction and a former actress. She spent the first few years of her life in the village of Drumbeg near Belfast before moving to England.[2] At age 14 she moved to London to a specialist drama and ballet school. At 16 she got her first major television role in the BBC adaptation of The Story of the Treasure Seekers, followed shortly afterwards by a memorable guest role in Auf Wiedersehen Pet. She remained a working actress for the next seven years, also marrying, but her career was interrupted by a long bout of mononucleosis at age 23. This caused her to turn to writing, and her first novel Lovers and Players was published in 1992.[2]In 2016 producer Raffaella De Laurentiis purchased the television rights to her five-novel series Seven Sisters.[1][3]

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The lavender garden: a novel DB79603

Riley, Lucinda. Reading time: 17 hours, 47 minutes.

Read by Laura Giannarelli. A production of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress.

Historical Fiction

Spy Stories

Family

War Stories

1998. Emilie de la Martinières has inherited the family home in southern France–and the debt. She uncovers papers from World War II while putting the estate to rights. 1944. Constance Carruthers is sent to Paris by Churchill to uncover German plots, but is cut off from her contacts. 2012.

Pufahl Shannon On swift horses

“On Swift Horses” by Shannon Pufahl

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

   My parents raised me to not say anything, if I couldn’t say something nice, so, I looked into the Stegner Fellowship.

   Wallace Stegner Fellowship. Unique among writing programs, Stanford offers ten two-year fellowships each year, five in fiction and five in poetry. All the fellows in each genre convene weekly in a 3-hour workshop with faculty. Fellows are regarded as working artists. Contact: stegnerfellowship@stanford.edu

From her website:

Shannon Pufahl grew up in rural Kansas. She teaches at Stanford University, where she was a Stegner Fellow in Fiction. For many years she worked as a freelance music writer and bartender. Her essays, on topics ranging from eighteenth-century America to her childhood, have appeared in The Threepenny Review, The Paris Review, and elsewhere. She lives in Monterey, CA, with her wife and their dog.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

On swift horses DB97348

Pufahl, Shannon. Reading time: 11 hours, 45 minutes.

Read by Cassandra Campbell.

Historical Fiction

Human Relations

Newly-married Muriel has been in San Diego a few months, but she’s already a staple amongst the gamblers at the Heyday Lounge as their waitress. She uses the knowledge she gleans to make her own bets. Her brother-in-law Julius lives his own risky lifestyle in Las Vegas. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2019.

Kate’s 2¢: “Orange for the Sunsets by Tina Athaide

“Orange for the Sunsets by Tina Athaide

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

While Athaide stresses the characters are fictional, I can’t help but wonder if she used herself as the model for Asha’s older sister.

I know this is a rhetorical question, but, when will the bullying, demeaning, greed, and killing stop?  When will people figure out that, no matter the skin color, humans all bleed red blood?

I’m not sure the target audience will come away with the message that friendship and love are forever.

From:  https://tinaathaide.com/blog

Tina Athaide was born in Uganda and grew up in London and Canada. While her family left Entebbe just prior to the expulsion, she has memories of refugee family and friends staying with them.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Orange for the sunsets DB96946

Athaide, Tina. Reading time: 5 hours, 45 minutes.

Read by Kristin Allison.

Friendship Fiction

Historical Fiction

Friends Asha and Yesofu, one Indian and one African, find their world turned upside down when Idi Amin decides to expel Asian Indians from Uganda in 1972. For grades 4-7. 2019.

Kate’s 2¢: “Isaac Asimov’s treasury of humor: a lifetime collection of favorite jokes, anecdotes, and limericks with copious notes on how to tell them and why” by Isaac Asimov

“Isaac Asimov’s treasury of humor: a lifetime collection of favorite jokes, anecdotes, and limericks with copious notes on how to tell them and why” by Isaac Asimov

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

Sometimes when you read a joke book, the humor is lost. There are just too many jokes in a row to absorb the humor of any of them. The organization of this book makes it fun to hear the jokes, old and new, while learning what might make them funny to some people and not others.

From the Web:

Isaac Asimov, (born January 2, 1920, Petrovichi, Russia—died April 6, 1992, New York, New York, U.S.), American author and biochemist, a highly successful and prolific writer of science fiction and of science books for the layperson.

Isaac Asimov | Biography & Facts | Britannica.com

From NLS.BARD/LOC:

Isaac Asimov’s treasury of humor: a lifetime collection of favorite jokes, anecdotes, and limericks with copious notes on how to tell them and why. DB96215

Asimov, Isaac. Reading time: 14 hours, 59 minutes.

Read by Patrick Downer.

Humor

A collection of jokes and humor from an author best known for science fiction novels such as I, Robot (DB 15779). With anecdotes from his experiences telling jokes during lectures and at parties, the author shares his philosophy of what humor is all about. Some strong language. 1971.

Kate’s 2¢: “The forest unseen: a year’s watch in nature” by David George Haskell

“The forest unseen: a year’s watch in nature”  by David George Haskell

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

Driving by in a car gives you a macro glimpse of things. Riding a bicycle gives you a micro look at things. Sitting, watching a patch the size of a hula hoop gives you a nano view of things.

“The forest unseen: a year’s watch in nature” takes us on a detailed look into several hula hoop sized patches around the world. The descriptions of the flora and fauna Haskell shares with us are introspective, wonderful, miniscule vignettes  of what he observes, and almost poetic with his prose.

The narrator, Barry Bernson does justice to the prose with his narrating.

I wish we could all sit and contemplate the small patch of this wonderful world. As it has been said: Stop and smell the roses.

From:  https://dghaskell.com

David George Haskell is an British-born American biologist, author, and professor of biology at Sewanee: The University of the South, in Sewanee, Tennessee.

“Haskell proves himself to be the rare kind of scientist Rachel Carson was when long ago she pioneered a new cultural aesthetic of poetic prose about science…a resplendent read in its entirety” Maria Popova in Brain Pickings Interviews in Outside Magazine and Yale Environment 360.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The forest unseen: a year’s watch in nature DB74368

Haskell, David George. Reading time: 10 hours, 6 minutes.

Read by Barry Bernson.

Nature and the Environment

Biology professor recounts what he learned when–guided by the metaphor of the mandala, the contemplation of a small part of something to understand the whole–he studied a one-meter circle of old-growth Tennessee woodlands for a year. Details the changing seasons’ effects on the forest’s plants and animals. 2012.

Kate’s 2¢: “Code Talker” by Chester Nez; Judith Schiess Avila

“Code Talker” by Chester Nez; Judith Schiess Avila

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

Although the historic site we visited in 2002 was Seneca Indians, the pow-wow featured several code talkers, who demonstrated the code talk. I don’t remember which ones they were, but, since Chester Nez didn’t die until 2014, perhaps it was his hand that touched my hand as he walked out of the tent. I’ll never know, but I give them my heart-felt thanks.

Land of the Seneca:

Ganondagan State Historic Site

June 6, 2002 Wayne County STAR Newspaper

I’m always on the look-out for interesting, inter-active day-trips that are not more than 3-hours from home. I was delighted to hear of one in Victor.

Did you know that just southeast of Rochester in the town of Victor, lies Ganondagan, the site of a House of Peace Native American community that was a flourishing, vibrant center for the Seneca people during the 17th Century?

“From politics and the environmental movement to food and medicine,” Debra Glor, a non-native advocate for Native Americans, recently told the members of the Col. William Prescott Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. “The roots of contemporary society can be traced back to this historic site.”

I’d heard a lot about the casinos and Native Americans near Syracuse, but I didn’t realize there used to be a village in Victor. Debra gave me a web-site when she learned of my interest in the Navajo Code Talkers. The web-site (http://www.ganondagan.org/index.html) had a lot of interesting information on it, with links to other related topics.

I’m planning to take a day-trip with our little ones to visit the Ganondagan State site this summer. I think the trails sound like something they’d enjoy while learning about Native Americans and their plight.

“You can walk the land of the Seneca at Ganondagan State Historic Site on three marked trails,” states the web-site information “Illustrated signs mark the trails where visitors can learn about the significance of plant life to the Seneca, and about Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) customs and beliefs. The Trail of Peace details bits of Seneca history and oral tradition. The Earth is Our Mother Trail identifies plants and explains their uses for the Seneca. At Fort Hill (the granary) is the Granary Trail , where you can relive a day in July through journal entries from the Denonville campaign, when a large French army led by the Governor of Canada attacked and destroyed Ganondagan.”

We’ll call ahead to sign-up with a sighted tour guide for the morning. Then, after a picnic lunch, hike as much as our little boys’ legs can take. I sure hope the folks at the site won’t mind my guide dog accompanying us.

The Ganondagan State Historic Site: Trails open year‑round, 8 a.m. to sunset, weather permitting.

* Visitor Center open Tuesday through Sunday 9‑5, mid‑May through the end of October.

* Interpreters for Guided Trail walks are available Saturdays 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.; Sundays 12:00 p.m. and 2 p.m.

* Group Tours by reservation two weeks in advance.

*Admission: $2.00 per adult, $1.00 per child for interpretation of the Visitor Center, Bark Longhouse, and trails. Self‑guided walks on trails are free. *Events have special admission prices.

*Ganondagan State Historic Site ‑‑ Preserving a Past. Providing a Future: P.O. Box 113, 1488 State Route 444, Victor, New York 14564‑0113: phone: (716) 742‑1690

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Code talker DBC04951

Nez, Chester; Avila, Judith Schiess. Reading time: 7 hours, 59 minutes.

Read by David Kirk. A production of Arizona State Braille and Talking Book Library.

Biography

War and the Military

U.S. History

Memoir of an original Navajo code talker during World War II. The author reminisces about a childhood spent near the reservation in New Mexico, the hardships he faced attending various boarding schools, and his pride at being selected as a marine. He soon discovered that his secret mission would put him in the midst of many deadly battles in the Pacific, though the unbreakable code would turn the tide of the war. Some strong language.