Kate’s 2¢: “Nobody’s Fool” by Harlan Coben

“Nobody’s Fool” by Harlan Coben

NOTE: 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¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   Vikas Adam did a great job of narrating this story. It took a long time to untangle the web of deceits upon deceits. I like the way he assigned a real-life investigation for his students to solve. I’m not so sure he should search for Anna’s baby, but maybe that is the author’s next gripping novel.

A few take-aways:

–Sherlock Holmes: It is a capital mistake the theorize before one has data….one begings to twist facts to fit theories.

–A rich man once said the best part about having money is that you don’t worry about money.

–Good rule of thumb: Whenever you see a person…that person has hopes and dreams.

–You can always say something later, but you can’t unsay something.

–A parent is only as happy as their saddest child.

–You shouldn’t calculate the odds. Seek the truth. The truth may not set you free, but it is still the way to go.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

harlancoben.com

Harlan Coben (born January 4, 1962[1]) is an American writer of mystery novels and thrillers. The plots of his novels often involve the resurfacing of unresolved or misinterpreted events in the past, murders, or fatal accidents and have multiple twists. Twelve of his novels have been adapted for film and television.

Coben has won an Edgar Award, a Shamus Award, and an Anthony Award—the first author to receive all three.[2][3] His books have been translated into 46 languages and sold over 90 million copies.[4]

Early life and education[edit]

Coben was born into a Jewish family in Newark, New Jersey, and was raised in Livingston,[5] where he graduated from Livingston High School, with his childhood friend, future governor Chris Christie.[6] His brother is the noted businessman Lawrence S. Coben.

He studied political science at Amherst College, where he was a member of the Psi Upsilon fraternity, along with Dan Brown.[7][8] Coben was in his senior year at college when he realized he wanted to write.[9]

Career[edit]

After graduating in 1984, Coben worked in the travel industry, in a company owned by his grandfather.[7][9] It was during that time when he wrote his first book, romantic suspense thriller Play Dead, which was accepted for publication when he was 26 and released in 1990.[9] It was followed by Miracle Cure in 1991. He then began writing a series of thrillers featuring a former basketball player turned sports agent, Myron Bolitar, who often finds himself investigating murders involving his clients.

Tell No One, his first stand-alone thriller since the creation of the Myron Bolitar series in 1995, was published in 2001. A French-language film adaptation based on the book was released in 2006.[10] Coben followed Tell No One with nine more stand-alone novels. His novel Hold Tight, published on April 15, 2008, was his first book to debut at number 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list.[11]

In 2003, Coben published a short story about his father, who had died of a heart attack at the age of 59 in 1988.[4][12] Entitled “The Key to My Father,” the story was published in The New York Times on Father’s Day, June 15, 2003.[13] Besides The New York Times, his essays and columns have appeared in Parade magazine and Bloomberg Views.[14]

From NLS/BARD/LOC:Nobody’s fool DB128659

Coben, Harlan. Reading time not available.

Read by Adam, Vikas.

Mystery and Detective Stories

Suspense Fiction

“His memory is clear, but all these years later, the facts don’t add up…which is something he cannot ignore. Sami Kierce, a young college grad backpacking in Spain with friends, wakes up one morning, covered in blood. There’s a knife in his hand. Beside him, the body of his girlfriend. Anna. Dead. He doesn’t know what happened. His screams drown out his thoughts–and then he runs. Twenty-two years later, Kierce, now a private investigator, is a new father who’s working off his debts by doing low level surveillance jobs and teaching wannabe sleuths at a night school in New York City. One evening, he recognizes a familiar face at the back of the classroom. Anna. It’s unmistakably her. As soon as Kierce makes eye contact with her, she bolts. For Kierce there is no choice. He knows he must find this woman and solve the impossible mystery that has haunted his every waking moment since that terrible day. His investigation will bring him face-to-face with his past–and prove, after all this

Downloaded: August 19, 2025

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Kate’s 2¢: “Nightshade” by Michael Connelly

“Nightshade” by Michael Connelly

NOTE: 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¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   Will Damron did an awesome job of narrating this fascinating story. I really enjoyed listening to how the arc of Stillwell’s life unfolded and how he persevered to a successful and satisfying conclusion.

AI Overview

Best-selling detective author Michael Connelly talks career and crime novels

Michael Connelly is an American author of best-selling crime novels, known for the Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller (The Lincoln Lawyer) series. Born on July 21, 1956, in Philadelphia, PA, he became a successful journalist before publishing his first novel, The Black Echo, in 1992, which won the Edgar Award. His more than 40 novels have sold over 85 million copies worldwide and have been adapted into successful television series, which he also produces.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Connelly was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the second eldest child of W. Michael Connelly, a property developer, and Mary Connelly, a homemaker.[4] He is of Irish ancestry.[5] According to Connelly, his father was a frustrated artist who encouraged his children to want to succeed in life[6] and was a risk taker who alternated between success and failure in his pursuit of a career. Connelly’s mother was a fan of crime fiction and introduced her son to the world of mystery novels.[4]

At age 12 Connelly moved with his family from Philadelphia to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he attended St Thomas Aquinas High School. At age 16 Connelly’s interest in crime and mystery escalated when, on his way home from his work as a hotel dishwasher, he witnessed a man throw an object into a hedge. Connelly decided to investigate and found that the object was a gun wrapped in a lumberjack shirt. After putting the gun back he followed the man to a bar and then left to go home to tell his father. Later that night Connelly brought the police down to the bar but the man was already gone. This event introduced Connelly to the world of police officers and their lives, impressing him with the way they worked.[4]

Connelly had planned on following his father’s early choice of career in building construction and started out at the University of Florida in Gainesville, at the Rinker School of Building Construction, studying construction management. After earning grades that were lower than expected, Connelly went to see Robert Altman’s film The Long Goodbye (1973). The film, based on Raymond Chandler’s eponymous 1953 novel, inspired Connelly to want to become a mystery writer. Connelly went home and read all of Chandler’s works featuring Philip Marlowe and decided to transfer to the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, major in journalism and minor in creative writing.[4]

Early career[edit]

After graduating from the University of Florida in 1980, Connelly got a job as a crime beat writer at the Daytona Beach News-Journal, where he worked for almost two years until he went to the Fort Lauderdale News and Sun-Sentinel in 1981. There, he covered the crime beat during the South Florida cocaine wars.[3] He stayed with the paper for a few years and in 1986 he and two other reporters spent several months interviewing survivors of the 1985 Delta Flight 191 plane crash, which story earned Connelly a place as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.[7] The honor also brought Connelly a job as a crime reporter at the Los Angeles Times. He moved to California in 1987 with his wife, Linda McCaleb, whom he had met while in college and married in April 1984.[4]

After moving to Los Angeles, Connelly went to see High Tower Court[8] where Raymond Chandler’s character Philip Marlowe had lived (in his 1942 novel The High Window), and Robert Altman had used for his film The Long Goodbye (1973). Connelly got the manager of the building to promise to phone him if the apartment ever became available. Ten years later the manager tracked Connelly down and Connelly decided to rent the place. This apartment served as a place to write for several years.[6][9]

After three years at the Los Angeles Times Connelly wrote his first published novel, The Black Echo (1992), after previously writing two unfinished novels that he did not attempt to get published.[6] He sold The Black Echo to Little, Brown to be published in 1992 and won the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Award for Best first Novel.[7] The book is partly based on a true crime and is the first one featuring Connelly’s primary recurring character, Los Angeles Police Department Detective Hieronymus “Harry” Bosch,[3] a man who, according to Connelly, shares few similarities with the author himself.[6] Connelly named Bosch after the Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch, known for his paintings full of sin and redemption, such as the painting Hell, a copy of which hangs on the office wall behind Connelly’s computer.[2][4] Connelly describes his own work as a big canvas with all the characters of his books floating across it as currents on a painting. Sometimes they are bound to collide, creating cross currents. This is something that Connelly creates by bringing back characters from previous books and letting them play a part in books written five or six years after first being introduced.[4]

Connelly went on to write three more novels about Detective Bosch—The Black Ice (1993), The Concrete Blonde (1994) and The Last Coyote (1995)—before quitting his job as a reporter to

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Nightshade DB130298

Connelly, Michael. Reading time: 9 hours, 6 minutes.

Read by Damron, Will.

Bestsellers

Mystery and Detective Stories

Suspense Fiction

“Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Detective Stilwell has been “exiled” to a low-key post policing rustic Catalina Island, after department politics drove him off a homicide desk on the mainland. But while following up the usual drunk-and-disorderlies and petty thefts that come with his new territory, Detective Stilwell gets a report of a body found weighed down at the bottom of the harbor–a Jane Doe identifiable at first only by a streak of purple dye in her hair. At the same time, a report of poaching on a protected reserve turns into a case fraught with violence and danger as Stilwell digs into the shady past of an island bigwig. Crossing all lines of protocol and jurisdiction, Stilwell doggedly works both cases. Though hampered by an old beef with an ex-colleague determined to thwart him at every turn, he is convinced he is the only one who can bring justice to the woman known as “Nightshade.” Soon, his investigation uncovers closely guarded secrets and a dark heart to the serene islan

Downloaded: August 19, 2025

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Kate’s 2¢: “The Widow’s Wife: A thriller” by Cate Holahan

“The Widow’s Wife: A thriller” by Cate Holahan

NOTE: 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¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   Teri Schnaubelt did a good job of narrating this intriguing story. Surely you’ve heard about “the best laid plans of men…!  We could feel Tom’s betrayal coming from a mile away, but the twists and turns were surprising. I didn’t quite understand the final ending after the climax. I can’t say more without spoiling it for you.  

from www.cateholahan.com

Cate Holahan is a USA Today Bestselling thriller/suspense author and screenwriter. She has six standalone novels and is co-author of the #1 Audible bestselling …

from www.hachettebookgroup.com

A biracial Jamaican and Irish American writer, she is a member of Crime Writers of Color, Sisters in Crime, and The Authors Guild. She lives in New Jersey with …

Widowers Wife, was optioned by BET Studios for TV development.

Holahan, author of the acclaimed debut Dark Turns, is an award-winning journalist and a former television producer.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The widower’s wife: a thriller DB128362

Holahan, Cate. Reading time: 9 hours, 49 minutes.

Read by Schnaubelt, Teri.

Suspense Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

“Ana Bacon, a beautiful young wife and mother, tumbled off a cruise ship into dark and deadly waters. Ana is gone–leaving behind her wealthy husband and adorable daughter–but not everything about her disappearance adds up. What secrets did she leave behind? Investigator Ryan Monahan is a numbers man. So when his company sends him the Bacon case, which could net a ten-million-dollar payout, Monahan doubts that her death is just a tragic accident. But the husband has a substantial alibi and a number of witnesses claim to have seen Ana fall, and the official ruling seems to hold up. Still, the more Monahan uncovers about Ana’s life, the more he realizes how many people would kill to keep her secrets hidden. And the closer he gets to the truth, the greater the odds grow that he, too, will take a fatal fall.”– From publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Cornucopia: DAR Position Paper

August 20, 2025

Joined Children of the American Revolution circa December, 1958, Black Hawk Society, Illinois

Joined Daughters of the American Revolution: January 30, 1965, Eunice Dennie Burr Chapter, Connecticut

Re-instated DAR  December, 1993 Colonel William Prescott, Newark, NY

DAR Life Member: October 3, 2017

As a Life Member in good standing, it is with a heavy heart that I resign from NSDAR and the Colonel William Prescott Chapter, Newark, NY.

Our values and priorities are no longer in sync:

1:    I think wearing bright red coats for our DAR uniform is tantamount to taunting the British “lobster backs”. I’d prefer to wear a dark, forest green coat to honor the Green Mountain Boys.  Even more important than what we wear on the outside, and while increasing membership is important, I feel we need to honor our past, keep an eye on the future, but, most importantly, bond and work well with the members we do have. We are the nucleus from which we’ll grow and interest other women toward the goals of the NSDAR. As we enrich our grass-roots communities. New daughters will come.

2: I would prefer to award the Good Citizen pins, American History accolades, scholarships,  and other DAR opportunities to girls and women; let the boys and men be honored by the SRs and SAR.

   3: the National’s decision to accept altered birth certificates to admit transgender people; then, they should also accept the birth certificates of the children of adopted DAR members.

   4:  While the chapter funds the Honor Flight Veterans with cut flowers and candy (at the request of the chairman); small Betsy Ross flags to put on patriot’s graves  (at the request of the Regent); and Wreaths Across America that uses cut branches of pine trees (at the request of the chairman), these items are finite in their duration. They must be done annually year, often several times a year.

   5:   At the May 13, 2025 chapter focus meeting, $500 was authorized for Assessment & Restoration from the  George McGraw Grant for the 1917 Chapter Charter ($315 was spent).

   The motion to re-store the 1917 Chapter Charter would be a project to permanently preserve our chapter’s heritage.

   On 7/28/2025 1:05 PM:

The Charter Repair was voted down.

Deb Van Deusen, Secretary

Colonel William Prescott Chapter #1-035-NY, N.S.D.A.R.

   When the Regent refused to share with me exactly how many members voted, it raised my doubt there were enough votes on the motion to re-store the 1917 Chapter Charter, hence no quorum either way…especially after the Regent announced, with much hubris,  that no one would be wanting to be regent after her term and the chapter would die, so why re-store the chapter  charter?

   The chapter is sitting on over $190,000 and could afford $4200 (less with the tax exempt number) to do it. If the chapter did die, the beautifully re-stored chapter charter could be donated to the Wayne County Historical Museum for perpetuity of our chapter.

   What ever happened to the National’s objective to preserve our heritage?  Is the 1917 Chapter Charter not our heritage?

   6: The NSDAR reached out to me offering to transfer my membership to a Member-At-Large, so I could retain my Life Membership status. I declined, because the DAR isn’t the DAR I joined decades ago. I appreciate the traditions we cherish were once new and innovative, but we should not bury the tenets our God, Home, and Country were founded upon.  

Kate’s 2¢: “Agony Hill: A Mystery” by Sarah Stewart Taylor  

“Agony Hill: A Mystery” by Sarah Stewart Taylor  

NOTE: 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¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   Kristin Allison did a good job of narrating this book for us. I like the story and there were plenty of “persons of interest”, until the author revealed the truth.

   I’m not sure I like the ending  to the main theme, but I understand, this is the first in a new series, so of course, there are several loose threads.

Featured snippet from the web

Sarah Stewart Taylor is a journalist and fiction writer who lives in Vermont. She is the author of two mystery series, including the Maggie D’arcy series, and her writing has appeared in the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and other publications.

Born in the US, Sarah grew up on Long Island, and was educated at Middlebury College in Vermont and Trinity College, Dublin

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Agony Hill: a mystery DB128404

Taylor, Sarah Stewart. Reading time: 9 hours, 10 minutes.

Read by Allison, Kristin.

Historical Mystery Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

“Set in rural Vermont in the volatile 1960s, Agony Hill is the first novel in a new historical series full of vivid New England atmosphere and the deeply drawn characters that are Sarah Stewart Taylor’s trademark. In the hot summer of 1965, Bostonian Franklin Warren arrives in Bethany, Vermont, to take a position as a detective with the state police. Warren’s new home is on the verge of monumental change; the interstates under construction will bring new people, new opportunities, and new problems to Vermont, and the Cold War and protests against the war in Vietnam have finally reached the dirt roads and rolling pastures of Bethany. Warren has barely unpacked when he’s called up to a remote farm on Agony Hill. Former New Yorker and Back-to-the-Lander Hugh Weber seems to have set fire to his barn and himself, with the door barred from the inside, but things aren’t adding up for Warren. The people of Bethany-from Weber’s enigmatic wife to Warren’s neighbor, widow and amateur detective Al

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Kate’s 2¢: “Rember Her Name” by Lisa L. Regan

“Rember Her Name” by Lisa L. Regan

NOTE: 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¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   Kristin Allison did a good job of narrating this book. There certainly was a lot of blood and guts as the author told the story polaroid by polaroid. A very novel approach to presenting the murder sequence.

   I was glad to read the Josie and Noah had reservations of both being in a life and death confrontation at the same time,  should they be allowed to adopt a baby.

Featured snippet from the web

Lisa Regan is the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Detective Josie Quinn series. Lisa is a member of Sisters In Crime, International Thriller Writers, and Mystery Writers of America. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in English and Master of Education Degree from…

Lisa Regan is the USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Detective Josie Quinn series as well as several other crime fiction titles. She has a Bachelor’s degree in English and a Master of Education degree from Bloomsburg University. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, Crime Writers Association, and Mystery Writers of America. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband, daughter and Boston Terrier named Mr. Phillip.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Remember her name DB126415

Regan, Lisa (Lisa L.). Reading time: 9 hours, 53 minutes.

Read by Allison, Kristin.

Mystery and Detective Stories

Suspense Fiction

“Detective Josie Quinn lifts the baby from the pram, holding her close and gently soothing her. Josie scours the scene for the sweet little girl’s mother, but the park is deserted. Glancing down, something catches her eye. Nestled amongst the child’s soft pink blankets is a polaroid photo, the corner smudged with blood. The search for Cleo Tate has Josie and her team in a chokehold; the abandoned newborn needs her mother, and every second counts now lab results show the blood belongs to her. The blurred photo of a body of water is Josie’s only lead. But what does it mean? And where was it taken? The answer is just within reach, but with Cleo’s husband lying about his movements that day, Josie can’t see it. Then it finally clicks: Cold Heart Creek, a crime scene from Josie’s past that she will never forget. Josie is terrified by what she finds there: Cleo’s body, cold as ice, with a second photo of a new location. A twisted killer is playing a devilish game. And when Josie finds a secon

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Kate’s 2¢: “The Embodied Child Readings in Children’s Literature and Culture” y Lydia Kokkola and Roxanne Harde

“The Embodied Child Readings in Children’s Literature and Culture” y Lydia Kokkola and Roxanne Harde

NOTE: 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¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   This BookShare download was narrated by synthesized speech. It has been a long time since I read an academic piece for expanding my horizons, validating my education,  and actually learning something new. I enjoyed hearing about the many opinions expressed in these essays.

From BookShare:

2018

Synopsis

The Embodied Child: Readings in Children’s Literature and Culture brings together essays that offer compelling analyses of children’s bodies as they read and are read, as they interact with literature and other cultural artifacts, and as they are constructed in literature and popular culture. The chapters examine the ideology behind the cultural constructions of the child’s body and the impact they have on society, and how the child’s body becomes a carrier of cultural ideology within the cultural imagination. They also consider the portrayal of children’s bodies in terms of the seeming dichotomies between healthy-vs-unhealthy bodies as well as able-bodied-vs-disabled, and examines flesh-and-blood bodies that engage with literary texts and other media. The contributors bring perspectives from anthropology, communication, education, literary criticism, cultural studies, philosophy, physical education, and religious studies. With wide and astute coverage of disparate literary and cultural texts, and lively scholarly discussions in the introductions to the collection and to each section, this book makes a long-needed contribution to discussions of the body and the child.

Copyright: 2018

Book Details

Book Quality: Publisher Quality

Book Size: 294 Pages

ISBN-13:

9781351588553

Related ISBNs:

9781351588546, 9780367346485, 9781315101262, 9781138081567, 9781351588560

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Date of Addition: 07/12/25

Copyrighted By: Taylor & Francis

Adult content: No

Language: English

Has Image Descriptions: No

Categories: Children’s Books, Teens, Literature and Fiction, Language Arts

Submitted By: Bookshare Staff  Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.

Edited by: Roxanne Harde

Edited by: Lydia Kokkola

Bookshare® and Benetech® are registered trademarks of Beneficent Technology, Inc.

Kate’s 2¢: “The Academy” by David Poyer  

“The Academy” by David Poyer  

NOTE: 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¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   Gary Galone did a good job of narrating this lengthy Naval novel. As Admiral Lensen manages to supervise the 4-000 Midshipmen at Annapolis Naval Academy for his ‘twilight tour”, he flashes back to his own time as a plebe and his career in the Navy.

   I enjoyed this story. Although this is a novel, much of the history of the academy would be true and, I suspect, many of the issues discussed are not unique to the naval academy.

   The Annapolis 21 plan sounds like a good solution for the real academy to consider.

Snippet from the web

David Poyer: Writing, Editing, Teaching, Publishing – DAVID …

DAVID POYER was born in DuBois, Pennsylvania in 1949. He grew up in Brockway, Emlenton, and Bradford, and graduated from Bradford Area High School in 1967. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1971, and later received a master’s degree from George Washington University.

David Poyer: Writing, Editing, Teaching, Publishing

poyer.com

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

David Poyer (born 1949) is an American author and retired naval officer. He has written over 40 books, mostly novels.

Early life[edit]

He was born in DuBois, Pennsylvania in 1949.[1]

Career[edit]

Poyer graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1971. He wrote as an active duty naval officer and a naval reserve captain;[2] his service included duty in the Atlantic, Arctic, Pacific, Caribbean, and Persian Gulf area prior to his retirement from the Navy in July 2001.[3]

Poyer began writing in 1976 and as of 2021 had published well over forty books. He has been called “the most popular living author of American sea fiction”.

Although best known for his naval fiction, during the 1980s, Poyer also wrote alternative history and science fiction under the pseudonym David Andreissen.[3] He has also published short fiction and nonfiction in numerous magazines, and is currently the contributing editor of SHIPMATE Magazine.

Poyer’s most popular novels, set in the present day, follow the career of U.S. Navy officer Dan Lenson, a thoughtful surface line officer whose ethical questioning sometimes conflicts with his duty. Another series, more slanted to the adventure genre, features an ex-Coast Guard commercial diver, Lyle “Tiller” Galloway.[2] Both series have been published by St. Martin’s Press. A series about the US Navy during the American Civil War is also published by Simon & Schuster. According to Poyer, much of his work draws upon his own experiences in military service and as a cruising sailor and sport diver.

Poyer also published a series of books set in a fictional Hemlock County. They explore the history and folklore of north-western Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania oil industry that was the original basis for American industrial power. One of the 2018 books in the series, Thunder on the Mountain, is set in the Great Depression period.

Poyer taught in the Wilkes University MA/MFA low-residency program in Creative Writing for sixteen years.[4] He retired from teaching in 2021 but still consults. He’s a fellow of the Ossabaw Writers Retreat and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, a life member of ASNE, SNA, and USNAAA, and has served as a board member of the Library of Virginia and the Eastern Shore Public Library.[citation needed]

Personal life[edit]

He lives with Lenore Hart on Virginia’s Eastern Shore.[1]

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The Academy: a Dan Lenson novel DB119515

Poyer, David. Reading time: 13 hours, 14 minutes.

Read by Gary Galone.

Suspense Fiction

Mystery and Detective Stories

Psychological Fiction

“In his final tour of duty after a remarkable career at sea, Dan Lenson is appointed Superintendent of the US Naval Academy at Annapolis. He begins at a difficult time: Congress is cutting military budgets in the wake of the devastating world war with China, calls for radical reform are upending traditions, and Dan himself faces legal jeopardy for his actions during the war. And when a Category 5 hurricane threatens to overwhelm the coast, Dan must fight to rescue the Academy itself. Parallel to this narrative runs the dramatic story of Dan’s years as a first-class midshipman, 40 years ago. An Academy classmate commits suicide, and Dan is drawn into the investigation. The decisions he makes will affect his entire career and shape how he comes to lead troops in battle and at peace.” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Downloaded: August 4, 2025

Download The Academy: a Dan Lenson novel

Kate’s 2¢: “Behind The Wheel:   Spanish” by Mark Frobose

 “Behind The Wheel:   Spanish” by Mark Frobose

NOTE: 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¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

   I down-loaded this series, thinking I’d give myself a thorough refresher course. I found I’ve forgotten more than I remembered. I’m not too bad in supplying Spanish words for a crossword puzzle, but conversational Spanish just isn’t there any more.  lol

Featured snippet from the web

Mark Frobose, the Language Guy® is a certified language teacher, bestselling foreign language author, prolific language program creator, and founder of www.languageaudiobooks.com. As a child, Mark was shackled by antiquated methods and non-fluent language instructors.

FROBOSE is the founder of the Behind the Wheel series. A foreign language instructor for more than thirty years, he has built a career on “taking the …

Mark Frobose – President at Language Audiobooks Inc.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Behind the wheel. level 1 Spanish, DB98320

Frobose, Mark Reading time: 9 hours, 56 minutes.

Mark Frobose

Language

The first part in a series of short lessons covering beginning to intermediate level Spanish. Features an English-speaking instructor with native Latin American Spanish speakers to aid with pronunciation. Supplementary print material available as BR 23827.

Download Behind the wheel. level 1 Spanish, DB98320

Behind the wheel. level 2 Spanish, DB98321

Frobose, Mark Reading time: 9 hours, 7 minutes.

Mark Frobose

Language

The second part in a series of lessons teaching Spanish grammar, vocabulary, sentence construction, and listening skills. Reviews vocabulary and basic concepts from Behind the Wheel: Spanish 1 (DB 98320) and expands on these. Features both English and native Spanish speakers. Supplementary print material available as BR 23828.

Download Behind the wheel. level 2 Spanish, DB98321

Behind the wheel. level 3 Spanish, DB98322

Frobose, Mark Reading time: 8 hours, 57 minutes.

Mark Frobose

Language

The third part in a series of Spanish lessons. Begins by building on the lessons of Behind the Wheel: Spanish 2 (DB 98321) and continues to build skills in vocabulary, grammar, and listening comprehension. Focuses on listening comprehension and interactive conversation skills. Supplementary print material available as BR 23829.

Download Behind the wheel. level 3 Spanish, DB98322

Kate’s 2¢: “The Winter Fortress” by Neal Bascomb

“The Winter Fortress” by Neal Bascomb

NOTE: 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¢ shares her thoughts about what she’s read. In her opinion…

      Judith Johannessen did a good job of narrating this lengthy story. I read this many years ago and recently re-read it.

   I remembered the fantastic ski scenes, rugged terrane, dedicated Norwegians, and the horrific, personal  sacrifice’s they made to regain their country from the Nazis.

   I’d forgotten how the American Allies conspired to not tell the government that they were going to bomb the heavy water plant…contra to the agreement to share information. And after all the devastation, they missed damaging the filtration part of the plant.

   The theoretical over-view of atomic science and the specifics of isotope separation, uranium machines, and the production of plutonium was above my ken; however, I appreciate the narrative arc of the various plots.

  Here is the whole poem: “For the Fallen” By Laurence Binyon

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,

England mourns for her dead across the sea.

Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,

Fallen in the cause of the free. (1–4)

Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal

Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,

There is music in the midst of desolation

And a glory that shines upon our tears. (5–8)

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,

Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted:

They fell with their faces to the foe. (9–12)

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them. (13–16)

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;

They sit no more at familiar tables of home;

They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;

They sleep beyond England’s foam. (17–20)

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,

Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,

To the innermost heart of their own land they are known

As the stars are known to the Night; (21–24)

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,

Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;

As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,

To the end, to the end, they remain. (25–28)   

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Neal Bascomb (born 1971) is an American journalist and author. He is known for his books on popular history.

Early life and education[edit]

He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Miami University with a B.A. in Economics and English Literature.[1]

Career[edit]

After graduation, he worked as a journalist in London, Paris, and Dublin. He was an editor for St. Martin’s Press, and in 2000, he began writing books full-time.[1] His books have ranked on a number of bestseller lists, been optioned for film, and been published in over 15 countries. He has contributed to the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and the Los Angeles Times.

Personal life[edit]

He currently lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[2]

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The Winter Fortress The Epic Mission to Sabotage Hitler’ Atomic Bomb DBC02883

Bascomb, Neal. Reading time: 14 hours, 11 minutes.

Read by Judith Johannessen. A production of Minnesota State Services for the Blind, Communication Center.

War and the Military

World History and Affairs

In 1942, the Nazis were poised to develop the atomic bomb. They had the physicists and the uranium. The missing ingredient they needed was only produced in one plant in Norway, a castle fortress on the edge of a gorge. The Allies wanted the plant destroyed but how would they reach it? It took a scientist-turned-spymaster, Leif Tronstad, to arrange the operation that ended its development.

Download The Winter Fortress: The Epic Mission to Sabotage Hitler’s Atomic Bomb