BATMAN - ONE BAD DAY: CATWOMAN (graphic novel) by G. Willow Wilson

Written by G. Willow Wilson

Art by Jamie McKelvie

Synopsis

The One Bad Day series is a look at some of the biggest Batman villains in a book just dedicated to that villain. A lot of them, but certainly not all of them, take a sympathetic look at that villain.

Batman - One Bad Day: Catwoman is one of the more sympathetic takes. 

Catwoman is looking through an auction catalog for high end jewelry when she finds an unusual listing for a piece of post-World War II French jewelry that commemorates the end of Nazi occupation. It is a rare piece with a message of a return to freedom for France's artists its reserve price is $30,000.

It is also a piece her mother sold to a pawn shop for only $200 when Catwoman was a child in order to attempt to make her rent money that month.

Catwoman decides to take back the jewelry and right a wrong...

My Review

This one was interesting because the stakes, in reality, are really pretty low - a piece of jewelry that is worth thousands instead of millions and a long-forgotten bit of family pride. 

But, because it's so personal, the stakes are actually very high for Catwoman.

The heist story was good. For once, this did not involve the worn-out plot device of Catwoman cutting glass with her claws and slinking around laser security systems in order to steal a priceless diamond from a museum. 

The art was clear and easy to follow and there was no need to be aware of some obscure plot point from a comic published decades ago. All that is required is a basic knowledge of Catwoman and her relationship with Batman. 

I rate this graphic novel 5 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: Batman - One Bad Day: Catwoman.

STAR WARS: LANDO (graphic novel) by Charles Soule

Published in 2016 by Marvel Enterprises.

Written by Charles Soule.

Art by Alex Maleev and Paul Mounts.

Synopsis

Lando Calrissian is in financial trouble - he has debts and he is working them off by pulling off "jobs" for the people he owes money to. He makes a deal to pull off one big heist for Papa Toren in exchange for all of his debt being cleared and the possibility of making of making a lot of profit for himself.

Lando and his sidekick Lobot (see picture below) build a team and pull off the heist - stealing a space yacht from an imperial shipyard. Everything looks great until they find a Sith artifact onboard and realize that they've just stolen the Emperor's yacht!

My review

This is the fifth Star Wars graphic novel that I've read written by Charles Soule, and it was the weakest of the bunch. It wasn't bad, but it just wasn't great like the others. The plot had a lot of zip at first but moved from a heist story to a horror story and it slowed down so much to build a sense of dread that it just failed to work for me any longer.

I rate this graphic novel 3 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: Star Wars: Lando.

BALD-FACED LIAR (kindle) by Victoria Helen Stone

Published in 2025 by Lake Union Publishing.

Synopsis

Elizabeth May has lived a life based on lies ever since she went off to college. As a small child she was caught up in one of those Satanic child abuse day care cases that swept the nation in the 1980s. If you are not aware of this, the cases were almost always built upon an accusation by an angry child followed by leading questions from a series of adults that convinced younger children that they should go along with the accusations. After a while, the smaller children just believed the made up version.

Elizabeth May has ran away from her past - no one in her hometown showed any understanding of how she was also a victim, including her own family. May hides by being a travel nurse - she can move every year or even every few months. She avoids long-term romantic entanglements, she uses every possible variation of her name - Liz, Betty, Beth, etc. 

Elizabeth May has lived in Santa Cruz for about a year. She's got a great job, a cozy condo with a special deal because she keeps on eye the nextdoor vacation rental condos, and she has a network of acquaintances that stand in for actual friends.

Suddenly, her carefully constructed life gets interrupted with a series of online and in real life incidents and Elizabeth May is scrambling to figure out who is a real friend and who is an imposter from the past looking for revenge...

My review: 

The problem with this book is not the tension created from the situation, it's the character of Elizabeth May. She is basically unlikeable. She listens in to her neighbors' arguments and gets joy a thrill out of it. She uses the security cameras to spy on their romantic moments. 

In a book like this, this reader has to root for the target. Elizabeth May is hard to root for, except that you just don't like anybody that's not clearly evil to have their identity stolen and be stalked. 

This book was just off from the beginning and ended up staying off the entire time. I rate this book 2 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: Bald-Faced Liar by Victoria Helen Stone.

SUPERMAN '78: THE METAL CURTAIN (graphic novel) Robert Venditti

Published by DC Comics in 2024.
Written by Robert Venditti.
Art by Gavin Guidry and Jordan Bellaire.

Synopsis

These are the further adventures of the Christopher Reeve Superman from the movie series that ran from the late 1970s into the 1980s. It has the feel of those movies in the simple and clear art style and the look of many of those characters. Interestingly, Superman looks nothing like Reeves and Clark Kent only looks like him from time to time.

The plot of Superman '78: The Metal Curtain is pretty simple. The Soviet Union has created a super soldier suit powered by a giant hunk if Kryptonite. The suit is pretty much an Iron Man suit (I know, wrong publisher) with the added benefit that it's fuel weakens the Man of Steel.

The Soviet Union is fearful of Superman. They perceive him as a weapon of the United States (because the events of Superman IV haven't happened yet) and plan to use the suit to defeat Superman and America...

My Review

I really liked the clean art style of this graphic novel. The plot is simple, direct, and the circumstances are dire. The only thing I did not like was the way Superman ended up winning - it was too simplistic and too short. It felt like a cheesy movie plot ending, which is exactly the vibe that they were going for. I guess that makes it a success.

I rate this graphic novel 4 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: Superman '78: The Metal Curtain.

BATMAN - ONE BAD DAY: PENGUIN (One Bad Day series) (graphic novel) by John Ridley

Published by DC Comics in 2023.

Story by John Ridley.

Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Cam Smith, and Arif Prianto.

Synopsis

Batman - One Bad Day: Penguin finds the hero (!) of the story, Batman's infamous foe Penguin, completely down and out. He has $20 and is sitting on a park bench in the rain. He is taped and bandaged up from a beating. He is unshaven and disheveled. He is waiting for a is waiting to meet a young person to sell him a gun.

He has been pushed out of his role of crime boss of Gotham by a former subordinate. He plans to go into the city and take back his organization - but all he has is one little snub-nosed pistol, one bullet, and no friends.

Turns out he didn't really need to pistol or the bullet - it's your friends that count.

My Review

I truly liked this comic. The way the story went surprised me and I really enjoyed it. Penguin can be a surprisingly sympathetic figure for a super-villain. His origin story isn't the roughest, but just about everyone has experienced a little bit of what made Oswald Cobblepot into the Penguin.

The tense confrontation/conversation that Penguin and Batman have in the middle was an interesting take on this version of Penguin. If this Penguin were in a Dungeons and Dragon campaign, he would be Lawful Evil, and that really shows throughout. No one likes a crime boss, but when the alternative is a chaos agent that actively enjoys the city being burned to the ground, you just end of rooting for the guy.

I rate this graphic novel 5 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: BATMAN - ONE BAD DAY: PENGUIN by John Ridley.

THE ASCENT: A NOVEL (Kurt Argento #1) (audiobook) by Adam Plantinga

Published in 2024 by Grand Central Publishing

Read by Charles Halford and Christine Lakin.

Duration: 10 hours, 44 minutes.

Unabridged.

Synopsis

The Ascent features Kurt Argento, a former Detroit police officer. His wife died from cancer and he is not dealing with it well. During a small riot, he defied orders to protect a civilian and hospitalized several members of a gang with his night stick - he literally worked out some of his grief on their not very sympathetic bodies. It was heroic act, but because he disobeyed orders he was forced to resign.

Argento takes his dog and heads out towards California. For some reason, he has it in his head that seeing the Pacific Ocean would be a good thing for his peace of mind. While traveling through Missouri he ends up in a scuffle with a corrupt local sheriff. The sheriff claims that his jail cells are too full so he can store Argento in a nearby for-profit state prison in hopes of Argento getting caught up in some sort of prison fight and perhaps getting shanked.

Before Argento can even get logged in to the prison it erupts in a completely out of control riot. To make matters worse, the governor's daughter is also in the prison as part of a visit for a college class and the only way to safety requires them to travel through every floor of the prison to get to the roof...

My Review

If you like the Jack Reacher novels, this book will feel very familiar. The book's plot is obvious when you read the summary, but almost all of it is a good read with unlikely, but not impossible, complications. There are two parts that are extremely (and unnecessarily) graphic. 

This book would make a pretty good plot for a videogame.

I rate this book 4 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: The Ascent by Adam Plantinga. 

THE MONKEY'S RAINCOAT (Elvis Cole #1) (audiobook) by Robert Crais

Winner of the Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original.

Winner of the McAvity Award for Best First Novel.

Originally published in 1987.
Published in 2008 by Brilliance Audio.
Read by Patrick Lawlor.
Duration: 8 hours, 9 minutes.
Unabridged.

I have been reading Robert Crais' Elvis Cole novels for 15 years and I just assumed that I had already read all of the early ones years ago. But, when I checked my blog I found that I had not read 7 of them - that is more than a third of the series! 

The Monkey's Raincoat is the first in this 20+ book series. 

Synopsis

Two women come to meet Elvis Cole in his office. Cole is a decorated Vietnam veteran turned private detective. The women want Cole to find the Mort, the husband of one of the women and their son. Mort picked the boy up from school, but they never came home.

Elvis starts to dig around and quickly discovers that Mort's talent agency is in trouble. The more he uncovers, the more it becomes obvious that Mort has been hiding massive losses from his family. Elvis knows that there is deep trouble when contacts with the police let him know that Mort has been found dead in his car - but there was no sign of his son. 

He goes to meet with his client to discuss the situation only to find that she has gone missing as well...

My Review

In book one of a 28 year old detective series all of the pieces are laid out in a great example of efficient world-building. Elvis is a wise-cracking tough guy with a sense of humor and a soft side. He decorates his office with Disney memorabilia. He drives a yellow 1960s Corvette Stingray. His partner, Joe Pike, is never in the office, owns a gun store, and always answers the phone by saying, "Gun shop" in a flat tone. Elvis collects contacts all over town just like he collects Disney gear. Joe Pike collects guns and never smiles.

Some authors feel the need to take the reader all over the new world of their character to meet everyone and see everything that might ever be in a book, but Crais gets it all done in a quick and efficient manner - it's all there in the first 50 pages of the first book and and it has basically stayed the same for nearly 30 years.

Interestingly, the author has chosen to stop aging Elvis Cole and Joe Pike. What has changed is the technology. Elvis looks for pay phones several times and they all have cell phones and GPS in the newer books. Elvis and Joe are like James Bond - same age, new toys.

The mystery itself was good. Elvis got to do some detecting, he called on a lot of contacts and he met new people and charmed him into giving him the information he needed. He also punched people, got shot at, shot at people, and brought in Joe Pike to help when it got too tough for one guy. 

Basically, every Elvis Cole novel follows the plan of the previous paragraph and it has worked for nearly 30 years. 

You may wonder where the weird title comes from. It's from a Japanese poem by Matsuo Bashō which is quoted at the start of the novel: "Winter downpour; Even the monkey needs a raincoat."

I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: The Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais.

2024: A GRAPHIC NOVEL by Ted Rall

 

Originally published in 2001 by NBM Books.

Ted Rall's graphic novel 2024 is a loose re-telling of George Orwell's classic novel 1984. It feels like a healthy dose of Huxley's Brave New World has been thrown in as well. 

This is an alienating tale - it is hard to find any character with any redeeming qualities at any point. It is hard to really understand their society and how it works - until you realize that Ted Rall was actually quite the prophet.

In this world, the economy is controlled by massive corporate conglomerates that control the government as well. The main character is Winston. At work, his job is to re-write history (just like he does in the original novel). History has been re-written so often that even Winston can't keep track of what the official story is. 

He spends a great deal of time day trading and shopping for items online that he doesn't really need.

Parts that I thought were prophetic include:  

-Winston's country, Canamexicusan, announces a new set of alliances and pretends like it has always been this way. This reminded me of the Trump Administration's hard turn towards Russia and away from NATO, as if it had always been that way.

-Very few people are interested in sex. Sex is simply not interesting when compared to the videos and the shopping. This has been noted in our real world modern society as well.

-Very few people have any idea what's going on around them - they have their face in a screen all of the time. 

-Social media trolling as a hobby.

-On page 95 there is a TV announcement that sounds almost exactly like a Donald Trump tweet about the tariff trade war with China:

"Freedom Media is pleased to announce total victory against the Asians! That's right: In a TOTAL VICTORY for Canamexicusan consumers, Asia has agreed to smash tariffs on Canamexicusan products! Interest rates will be reduced, our total economic potential will finally be achieved...This is a great moment on a great day!" 

To be honest, this is quite a bummer of a book, but it called out what 2020's would be like on so many levels that you have to give it credit.

I rate this graphic novel 4 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: 2024 by Ted Rall.

STAR WARS: DARTH VADER: DARK LORD of the SITH, VOLUME 3 - THE BURNING SEAS (graphic novel) by Charles Soule

Published in 2018 by Licensed Publishing.

Written by Charles Soule.

Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli, David Curiel, and Java Tartaglia with Guru-eFX

Synopsis

This series tells the story of how Anakin Skywalker completes his transformation to Darth Vader under the dangerous and abusive tutelage of Emperor Palpatine. 

In the first story of Darth Vader: The Burning Seas, Mon Cala has been reluctant to join Palpatine's empire. Governor Tarkin has been sent to Mon Cala to negotiate with their king. Mon Cala is the home world of fan favorite Admiral Ackbar. Ackbar is only Commander Ackbar in this story, but he plays a prominent role. Meanwhile, Vader and his team have been sent to Mon Cala to hunt down a Jedi that the Empire suspects is helping Mon Cala in their negotiations.

When the shuttle carrying the Empire's negotiation team is destroyed by a bomb, all out war erupts...

The second story ties in with the movie Rogue One. It is set on the planet Geonosis where the Empire is working on Project Stardust - the plan to build the Death Star.

My Review

This is a very strong series. The first story in this installment was very strong. Young Ackbar shows why he would eventually be picked to lead the rebel fleet. He is audacious. The first story also shows us that everyone who opposes the Empire is not necessarily a good guy. There are reasons why some were more than happy to see the Jedi fall.

The second story is more of a moody detective story than an action story. It's a good story, but not a great story. 

I rate this graphic novel 4 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: Star Wars: Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith, Volume 3- the Burning Seas.

Link to my review of Volume 1 of this series.

Link to my review of Volume 2 of this series.

STAR WARS: DARTH VADER: DARK LORD of the SITH, VOLUME 2 -LEGACY'S END (graphic novel) by Charles Soule

Published in 2018 by Licensed Publishing.

Written by Charles Soule.

Art by Guiseppe Camuncoli, Daniele Orlandini, and David Curiel.

Synopsis

This series tells the story of how Anakin Skywalker completes his transformation to Darth Vader under the dangerous and abusive tutelage of Emperor Palpatine. Meanwhile, Vader and his team are searching for Jedi survivors of Order 66. The series starts with the end of Star Wars: Episode III.

There are two main plotlines in Darth Vader: Legacy's End. Vader has a lead on the librarian of the Jedi Temple. She is rebuilding the library in a safe location from scattered sources and memory when she realizes that she has to return to the library to destroy a list of force-talented youngsters that the Jedi had compiled to recruit to join their academy before they were defeated.

She is not nearly the warrior that Vader is, but she is very clever and knows the library like the back of her hand...

The second story line is about an assassination squad that has been sent to kill Vader. Vader investigates to find out who sent them - and he is not pleased to find where the trail leads...

My Review

I really liked this graphic novel. The art is fantastic. The character of the librarian was done well. Two things are shown in this story: 1) Vader has completely submitted to the Emperor, at least in appearance; 2) Vader keeps some of himself in reserve - just in case. 

I rate this graphic novel 5 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: STAR WARS: DARTH VADER: DARK LORD of the SITH, VOLUME 2 - LEGACY'S END.

Link to my review of Volume 1 of this series.
Link to my review of Volume 3 of this series.

STAR WARS: DARTH VADER: DARK LORD of the SITH, VOLUME 1 - IMPERIAL MACHINE (graphic novel) by Charles Soule

Published in 2017 by Licensed Publishing.
Written by Charles Soule.
Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Cam Smith

Synopsis

Imperial Machine is the first entry in a four-part series about Star Wars' most iconic character: Darth Vader. 

The series starts with the last scene of Episode III - the moment where Anakin Skywalker truly becomes the infamous Darth Vader.

But is he really and truly Darth Vader at this point? No, he has only started his long trip to being a Sith Lord and the Emperor is ready to train him.

The Emperor's training mostly consists of Vader going out to figure it out the hard way. For example, Vader has lost his light saber and Palpatine sends him out to take the light saber of a Jedi in combat. Then, Vader must corrupt the crystal inside, which makes it glow red. 

The problem is, there are hardly any Jedi left thanks to Order 66 and the other events at the end of Star Wars: Episode III.

My review

This was an engrossing story. Palpatine is abusive as a teacher - so abusive that you almost feel sorry for Vader. Then, Vader does something completely evil, reminding the reader of who he really is.

There is one very intriguing moment - a "what if?" moment when Vader begins to corrupt the stones of his light saber...

The art is fantastic, the story is excellent. Great work.

I rate this graphic novel 5 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: STAR WARS: DARTH VADER: DARK LORD of the SITH, VOLUME 1 - IMPERIAL MACHINE

Link to my review of Volume 2 of this series.
Link to my review of Volume 3 of this series.

UNCOMMON VALOR: A STORY of RACE, PATRIOTISM, and GLORY in the FINAL BATTLES of the CIVIL WAR by Melvin Claxton and Mark Puls

Published in 2005 by John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

The Emancipation Proclamation was effective on January 1, 1863 - it included a provision that former slaves were to "be received into the armed service of the United States". The Union Army was a little slow to enact this provision, but by 1864 there were plenty of African American Union soldiers ready to go into the field. Uncommon Valor follows one of those units during the Petersburg campaign of 1864-1865.

This history primarily follows Christian Fleetwood, an African American Baltimore clerk. Fleetwood was born free, but living in a slave state was a constant reminder of his second class status. He had been considering joining the army for a long while, trying to determine if it would be a blow for freedom, or just choosing to support one oppressive regime in order to fight an even more oppressive regime. If that was the case, he might as well sit it out and let both sides clobber one another.

Sgt. Major Christian Fleetwood (1840-1914)
in the year 1900. 

After eight months of indecision, Fleetwood joined up. Using Fleetwood's autobiography, the authors tell the story of his training, his concerns about unequal pay, and his frustrations with inconsequential assignments. He was frustrated with their lack of action - he was sure it was because the higher-ups feared that they would not fight well. 

Eventually, though, they were given more and more assignments, including probes into the outer defenses of the capital of the Confederacy itself. 

In the summer of 1864, General Grant determined that he would push Lee's army continuously until he destroyed it or Lee surrendered. Lee had to defend Richmond at all costs, so it was starting to become a static line, almost like a World War I line of trenches. 

Grant ordered a quick attack on Petersburg, a large train junction town more than 20 miles south of Richmond. The theory was that if the Union took Petersburg and stop the trains bringing in supplies, it could quickly starve out Lee's army. 

Fleetwood wanted action - now he had it. He would serve in multiple engagements and eventually earn the Congressional Medal of Honor for his part in the Battle of New Market Heights.

All of these battles and maneuvers are pretty well-described, but maps, even poor ones, would have been helpful. I am always a fan of lots of maps in my Civil War histories - it just helps the reader understand things so much better.

Besides the maps, this book really needed a section that discussed what the main people mentioned in the book did after the war. It didn't need a lot of detail, but something would have been nice.

I rate this history 4 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: UNCOMMON VALOR: A STORY of RACE, PATRIOTISM, and GLORY in the FINAL BATTLES of the CIVIL WAR by Melvin Claxton and Mark Puls.

EXIT STAGE LEFT: THE SNAGGLEPUSS CHRONICLES (graphic novel) Written by Mark Russell. Illustrated by Mike Feehan

Published by DC Comics in 2018.

Part of the Hannah-Barbera Beyond series.

2019 GLAAD Media Award winner for Outstanding Comic Book

Synopsis:

DC Comics and Hanna-Barbera set out to reimagine some of their late 1950s to 1970s Saturday morning television cartoons, including The Jetsons, The Flintstones, Scooby Doo, Wacky Races, and Space Ghost. Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles is the last installment of the series.

The graphic novel is set in the Red Scare/McCarthyism era. Congressional subcommittees are looking for Communists in all fields, but they are particularly concerned about Communist entertainers who may be negatively influencing Americans.

Snagglepuss is a very successful New York City playwright. He lives in a world where humans and anthropomorphic animals interact as equals. He moved to New York from Mississippi years ago, but he still speaks in a Southern accent and often uses pithy folksy aphorisms. He is married to an actress, but that is a sham marriage. In reality, Snagglepuss is gay.

Snagglepuss has already appeared before the Congressional sub-committee and he did well. He defended the concept of Freedom of Speech and gave them a verbal tongue lashing that they will never forget. 

But, now the sub-committee is digging deeper into the personal lives of the people it questions, including looking into their sexual preferences. Getting outed could easily destroy the career of any actor, producer, or writer... 

Other Hanna-Barbera characters that appear in this graphic novel include Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw, Augie Doggie, Peter Pottamus, and a very creepy-looking Squiddly Diddly.

My Review:

Imagining Snagglepuss as gay and working in the theatre does not take a lot of actual imagination. I had never really thought about it before I ran across this graphic novel, but it tracked pretty well.

There is a great quote in this graphic novel said by Snagglepuss:

"Sometimes we become so preoccupied with the plot of life that we forget - it's only the characters who matter."

The weakness in this graphic novel is that it tries way too hard to incorporate so much of the Cold War into the plot that it just got confusing. There are nuclear tests, Nixon and Kruschev debating, an Iowa farmer throwing ears of corn at Kruschev, and an ongoing debate about national security. 

I am not arguing that these things were not a part of the anti-gay movement in the 1950s, but it distracted from the main plotline too much. It was too far away from the story of Snagglepuss and Huckleberry Hound. To go back to the quote I thought was so great, the graphic novel got so preoccupied with the Cold War tie-in that it forgot about the characters.

If I were part of the discussion with how to make this an effective graphic novel, I would have dealt with more with the "morals" argument and less with the Cold War argument. It would have been more relevant to nowadays with all of the book bans and boycotts over LGBTQ+ issues.

The nice thing about this graphic novel is that it ties in to the actual Hanna-Barbera TV shows that feature these characters and makes sense, as if the readers that remembers those classic shows is a part of Snagglepuss's world.

I rate this graphic novel 4 stars out of 5. Interesting read, thought-provoking, but flawed. It can be found on Amazon.com here: Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles.

THANKS a THOUSAND: A GRATITUDE JOURNEY (audiobook) by A.J. Jacobs

Published by Simon and Schuster Audio / TED

Read by A.J. Jacobs.

Duration: 3 hours, 12 minutes.

Unabridged.

A.J. Jacobs had been doing some reading and thinking about the concept of gratitude when it occurred to him that he really should be grateful for a lot of things that no one every expresses any gratitude for. He settled on his morning cup of coffee that he buys at a the corner coffee shop. 

On his quest to thank a thousand people for his daily cup of coffee, he starts with the clerk, the barista, and the management of the small coffee chain. He moves on to the people that make the cup lids, the cups, and even the metal of the coffee makers. Eventually, he gets to the guy that chooses the coffee beans that make up his favorite brew. That guy takes him to the farm in Colombia that grows his favorite beans and the bemused and confused Colombians host them for a little get together. 

The whole book is mildly amusing and somewhat interesting, but is not riveting in any way. It's nice, but hardly memorable. 

I rate this audiobook 3 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: Thanks a Thousand: A Gratitude Journey. 

THE SWEDISH EMPIRE: A HISTORY from BEGINNING to END (kindle) by Hourly History

Published in 2021 by Hourly History

Note: Hourly History specializes in short histories and biographies that take about an hour to read. Generally, I read them to learn more about topics that I would never read about in a full sized history. Topics like the Swedish Empire, for example.

As a history buff, I see references to the Swedish Empire from time to time - an empire of Lutherans coming out of the far north, fighting in several wars, and then retreating back to Sweden. I also recognized the name of one of its kings, Adolphus Gustavus because, let's face it, it's a heckuva name.

This short history does a pretty good job of explaining the pretty short history of the Swedish Empire (1611-1721). It explains how the Swedes raised troops, fought in wars against its neighbors, reforms that were undertaken by the king, the Swedes' brief foray into building a North American colony, and the end of the Swedish Empire.

I rate this e-book 5 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: The Swedish Empire: A History from Beginning to End.

FORGOTTEN TRAIL (National Parks Mystery, Book3) (audiobook) by Claire Kells

Published by Dreamscape Media in 2023.
Read by Cady Zuckerman.
Duration: 9 hours, 26 minutes.
Unabridged.

Synopsis:

Forgotten Trail is the third book featuring Felicity Harland of the Investigative Services Branch. If you are not familiar with the ISB, join the club - I had no idea that it was the "FBI" of the National Parks Service. If the local park can't deal with it, they call in the ISB. That always include murders.

Harland is partners with a park ranger nicknamed Hux. He is a big, strong guy. Harland is a short (but very tough and determined) lady. There is always of undercurrent of romantic attraction between the two, but there is caution about acting on this attraction for fear of messing up their friendship and very strong working relationship. Her dog rounds out the trio.

In this series, ISB is called out to a different park for each book. It lets the reader get a feel for a new park in every book. In this book, a brutal murder has taken place in a room at a brand new (and fictional) luxury hotel in the midst of its grand opening at Pinnacles National Park. Pinnacles only became a National Park in 2013 and its desert location offers a real change of pace from the previous two books.

My review:

 For me, part of the charm of this book series is its locations in and around the unique National Park environments. The reader gets to learn about what makes them unique and vicariously experience the challenges offered by that park's geography and biosphere.

This book was mostly set in the ultra-modern high tech hotel. There was a lot of talk about security cameras and key cards vs. traditional keys vs. app-based room entry system. It was very pedestrian compared to the other two books.

The resolution of the actual mystery was overly contrived in my mind. 

Bottom line - I like the characters a lot, the mystery was so-so. I hope there are more books in the series. I would love to see get around to lots of different parks all over the country.

I rate this audibook 3 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: Forgotten Trails by Claire Kells.

MONEY, LIES, and GOD: INSIDE the MOVEMENT to DESTROY AMERICAN DEMOCRACY (audiobook) by Katherine Stewart

Published in 2025 by Bloomsbury Publishing.
Read by Patricia Rodriguez.
Duration: 11 hours, 36 minutes.
Unabridged.

In Money, Lies, and God, Katherine Stewart takes a hard look at the intertwined worlds of MAGA, Christian Nationalists, big money backers (old money and new tech money), the Claremont Institute, White Replacement Theory folks, militias, and groups like Moms for Liberty. 

It looks like a lot to connect but, in reality, it's not too hard. Think of your stereotypical Christian Nationalist mega-church. They're going to be MAGA voters. They are exposed to materials produced by think tanks like the Claremont Institute or Focus on the Family that are financially supported by big money backers. Moms for Liberty will already be there, hyping up the dangers of public schools and certain reading materials. Some megachurches host faith and freedom conferences that are strong on the politics and feature a bit of Christianity.

The author, Katherine Stewart

I was distressed by the sheer quantity of Christian Nationalists out there. I am a lifelong Christian and this movement scares me. It is pseudo-Christian at best and it tarnishes the Christian faith.

What is a Christian Nationalist? It's not simply a patriotic Christian. It's a belief that it is not possible to be a good American unless you are a Christian. The federal government should declare the United States a Christian Nation and the federal government should actively advocate explicitly Christian values. Under all of this is the belief that the success of the United States is part of God’s plan (as though the USA is literally mentioned in the Bible).

Throw in a media and social media environment that reinforce the whole thing and you've got the recipe that makes your uncle sound like a crazy person at the Thanksgiving table. The key is, in his world he doesn't sound crazy - you do.

This is a powerful book. She weaves it all together wonderfully.

This was also a depressing book for me. My faith is being subverted by Christian Nationalism. My fellow Americans believe nonsense like children are relieving themselves in giant kitty litter boxes and they vote for people that agree with them.

Sigh.

I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: MONEY, LIES, and GOD: INSIDE the MOVEMENT to DESTROY AMERICAN DEMOCRACY by Katherine Stewart.

CHECHEN WARS: A HISTORY from BEGINNING to END (kindle) by Hourly History

Published in 2023 by Hourly History.

I chose to read this short history about Chechnya in order to be a bit more informed about Putin's wars in Chechnya and then apply that knowledge to the war in Ukraine. What I read does not inspire confidence.

Chechnya is an unfortunate victim of geography - it lies in a buffer zone between traditional great powers - the Russians, the Ottoman Turks, and the Persians. Even worse, they are on a natural land bridge between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. Throw in a religious difference between Russia and the Chechens and you have even more trouble.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Chechnya made a serious effort at independence that ended up in multiple military incursions by the Russians and decades of on and off irregular warfare (think guerrilla warfare plus outright terrorism).

For their part, the Russians responded with their own forms of irregular warfare - assassinations, possible false flag operations, and more.

As I read this, the tit for tat back and forth actions just sort of blend together and in the end it was hard for this outsider to see which corrupt oligarchy The West should support. 

Back to what I referred to in the first paragraph - what can some knowledge of the Chechen Wars tell us about the war in Ukraine? To me it says that Russia has a very solid sense of what territories it believes legitimately belong to Russia and it will hang on to that territory, even if it comes with tremendous costs.

Considering that Ukraine is much closer in a cultural sense to Russia than Chechnya is, this bodes poorly for Ukraine. I'm not saying Ukraine should be abandoned (far from it!), but this is going to be a very long-term issue.

I rate this e-book 4 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: Chechen Wars: A History from Beginning to End. 

LIQUID COOL: THE CYBERPUNK DETECTIVE SERIES (Liquid Cool Book 1) by Austin Dragon

Originally published in 2016.

Audiobook published by Well-Tailored books in 2024.

Read by Shamaan Casey

Duration: 11 hours, 54 minutes.

Unabridged.

Synopsis: 

Set in a future megalopolis called Metropolis, Liquid Cool is the story of Cruz, a young hustler that wants to become a private detective.

Cruz is mostly known for restoring vintage flying cars, his fedora hat, and his super attractive girlfriend that thinks he can be more than just a street hustler.

Cruz really wants to be a private detective, but obtaining a license from the city's convoluted bureaucracy is shockingly expensive. When a local boy turned millionaire offers Cruz the chance to do some detective work on the side, Cruz jumps at the opportunity. He picks up a how-to book from a famous private detective and starts to teach himself how to do the job.

After a few of these detective side gigs, an unknown benefactor offers Cruz an office and a secretary just like the ones that all of the film noir detectives have and he opens "Liquid Cool" - a detective service that cannot legally call itself a detective service because Cruz cannot afford the license.

And that's when the trouble really starts...

My Review:

This book was simply not very good. It has the basis of a good story, but it needs to be thoroughly edited. I listened to this as an audiobook and literally hours could be cut out of it. 

I know that Dragon is world building in Book 1 of what has become an eleven book series, but he introduces what feels like hundreds of characters in what seems to be an effort to have Cruz visit every corner of Metropolis just to show the reader this vision of the future. It is clear that this book was written to have sequels follow - save some of the world building for those books.

But, I had so many questions that were never answered.

For example, why is it literally always raining in Metropolis. ALWAYS. Even cities famous for their rain like London and Seattle have sunny days, but Metropolis never does. Was it due to environmental catastrophe, a nuclear war, a weather control system that was broken? Who knows.

Also, why is it such a big deal that some people own their apartments due to inheritance? This is mentioned multiple times as if it were vitally important and I never figured out why? It was part of some historically earlier troubles that led to the government structure that Metropolis has, but it is just left at that. No description of the troubles, no explanation of the apartment ownership thing. A good editor would make a note of this and it could be edited out or actually explained.

I Mentioned that I listened to this as an audiobook. It's pretty hard to make notes of egregiously bad writing when you are driving around, but I did catch these two gems that are within two minutes of one another:

"The events not only happened in close proximity, but they happened on top of each other."

"I was burning through money like a billion sheet roll of toilet paper in the center of the sun."

The audiobook was read by Shamaan Casey, an audiobook reader with quite a few projects under his belt. He did a good job with the voices and the narration.

The author did a good thing by finding a good narrator. Now, he needs to find a good editor to help this book shine.

I rate this audiobook 2 stars out of 5. It gets 2 stars and not 1 star because I did care about how the mystery resolved itself.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: LIQUID COOL: THE CYBERPUNK DETECTIVE SERIES (Liquid Cool Book 1) by Austin Dragon.

Note: I was sent an digital copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

BREAKFAST of CHAMPIONS or GOODBYE BLUE MONDAY by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Originally published in 1973.

Breakfast of Champions, to me, is the second most well-known Vonnegut novel after Slaughterhouse-Five. 

The plot of this story is deceptively simple and the writing style is not complicated - but this story has a lot going on.

There are three main characters. One is Dwayne Hoover, a very successful owner of a Pontiac car dealership from Midland, Ohio and numerous other small businesses. He is by far the most successful man in town. He helps bankroll a fine arts festival that the town helps will make them known as a cultural center. He is also going crazy.

The fine arts festival has invited Kilgore Trout, a recurring character from other Vonnegut novels, to be the star of the arts festival. Trout is a prolific, but unsuccessful author. He is published, but only by publishers of porn novels. They use his books as a way to make their books seem more legit, kind of like Playboy used "the articles" to make the magazine seem classier. Trout iis so unsuccessful as an author that he literally has to hitchhike from New York City to Midland. 

The third character is the narrator. The narrator is the author of the book and, I presume, the narrator is Vonnegut himself. The narrator has filled the book with his line drawings. Sometimes, the narrator uses the pictures to move the plot along, sometimes he uses it to avoid describing something, and sometimes he just throws in an illustration for the heck of it. 

The book is constantly moving to the point where all three characters meet in a hotel bar...

Vonnegut famously graded his own books in report card style. He gave Breakfast of Champions a C. 

I disagree, even though I have had a hard time coming up with a rating for this novel. This novel is too unique to be a middle of the road "C". It is often juvenile (Vonnegut spends a lot of time talking about penises, he has a drawing of his anus) but it is very Meta in the way the author is a character in his own story. Plus, the quirky illustrations add a certain charm.

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: Breakfast of Champions. 

BETTY WHITE: A LIFE from BEGINNING to END (kindle) by Hourly History

Published in 2024 by Hourly History.

Betty White was a staple of the American entertainment scene for literal decades. She was on multiple highly-rated TV shows, was a regular on several classic game shows, guested on dozens of TV shows, and even made one of the most popular Super Bowl commercials of all time. 

This short e-book gives the outline of her nearly 70 year career. It's pretty much a "just the facts" sort of book due to the limitations of this book series. Eech history and biography published by Hourly History is designed to be read in about an hour and the sheer length of Betty White's career means that the depth of this biography is fairly limited. 

Even if it is limited, I still found this biography to be enjoyable. I rate this e-book 4 stars our of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: Betty White: A Life from Beginning to End.