The Library Policeman: Three Past Midnight By: Stephen King

The Library Policeman: Three Past Midnight 

By: Stephen King

     This is the third gripping tale in the four-part audio series from Stephen King's best-selling book Four Past Midnight. Set in Junction City, Iowa, The Library Policeman is the story of Sam Peebles, a middle-aged businessman who happens to have some overdue books. It seems a minor offense - but not to Junction City's malevolent monster of a librarian. What follows is spine-tingling suspense as only Stephen King can deliver it. From the master of horror, in one of the best collections of short stories available, The Library Policeman, is a perfectly frightful book for anyone who works in or visits a library. Remember to return your copy on time or the Library Policeman will get you.

Jinx's Fire By: Sage Blackwood

Jinx's Fire

By: Sage Blackwood

     Jinx concludes his suspenseful and dryly humorous adventures in the magical forest of the Urwald with this third installment in the series. This is a great coming of age novel where Jinx has to learn to be who he needs to be to save his home. Jinx and his friends grow and learn to use the powers within within themselves along with learning how to ask for help from others. This an excellent series for any young person or any person wanting to better them self. 

Jinx's Magic By: Sage Blackwood

Jinx's Magic

By: Sage Blackwood

     Jinx's Magic is the second book in Sage Blackwood's highly acclaimed fantasy-adventure series, Jinx. This humorous and smart tween trilogy set in a magical forest. Jinx, a daring young wizard's apprentice, as he travels from his home in the Urwald to an unfamiliar desert land in search of ancient magic. He needs that magic badly—there are forces threatening the Urwald from all sides.

The more he learns, however, the clearer it becomes that this quest will require more than the magic of a solitary wizard's apprentice, and soon he'll have to call upon all of the Urwald—witches, werewolves, wizards, and trees—for help.

     A lot of times series fall off as they go. This series is not like that. "Jinx's Magic" is a high action thrill ride from start to finish. I can not say enough about how excellent this series is. 

Jinx By: Sage Blackwood

Jinx 

By: Sage Blackwood

     Jinx is the first book in Sage Blackwood's Wizard's Apprentice Series. It is a Mark Twain Nominee 2015-2016. Jinx is the main character in this delightful children's novel about the Urwald and  its many curious inhabitants. This first novel will keep readers aching for more as Sage Blackwood starts and ends with exciting bangs. The travels of young Jinx kept me on the edge of my seat as it drew me away from my domestic chores. I had many nights of fast food and delivery while I read through this wildly entertaining adventure. 

     The Wizard's Apprentice Series would not have even come on to my radar if it was not for a new library customer who is currently in the fifth grade. At the time he asked me for the third and final novel "Jinx's Fire," and I was so excited by his enthusiasm that I promised him, and my self that I was going to read this series. I wish I knew that customer's name so I could thank him personally for recommending such a good series. If you love fantasy and new word building, but get lost in all the minutia then this book is for you. I literally read this series in 2 weeks. Thanks again super book recommender, wherever you are.   

Iraq: A History By: John Robertson

Iraq: A History

By: John Robertson

     In this insightful analysis, highly-respected expert John Robertson canvases the entirety of Iraq’s rich history, from the seminal advances of its Neolithic inhabitants to the aftermath of the American-led invasion and Iraq today. Grounded in extensive research, this balanced account of a country and its people explores the greatness and grandeur of Iraq’s achievements, the brutality and magnificence of its ancient empires, its contributions to the emergence of the world’s enduring monotheistic faiths, and the role the great Arab caliphs of Baghdad played in the medieval cultural flowering that contributed so much to the European Renaissance and the eventual rise of the West.

This book in many ways, is as tumultuous as the country of Iraq itself. First, this book attempts to cover about six thousand years of history in about three hundred pages. This is just not an achievable goal, especially when you consider the multitude of events the area of Iraq has seen. With that being said the book, Iraq: A History is still a good read. It gives you most of the highlights of the region and more importantly it shows how modern Iraq has come to be. It should be said that the author, John Robertson, pulls no punches when referring to the west, and even paints with a harsh brush at times. That fact might turn some readers off, but if you keep your perspective I believe there is a lot to be learned.   

SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome By: Professor Mary Beard

SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome

By: Professor Mary Beard

     Ancient Rome was an imposing city even by modern standards, a sprawling imperial metropolis of more than a million inhabitants, a "mixture of luxury and filth, liberty and exploitation, civic pride and murderous civil war" that served as the seat of power for an empire that spanned from Spain to Syria. Yet how did all this emerge from what was once an insignificant village in central Italy? In S.P.Q.R., world-renowned classicist Mary Beard narrates the unprecedented rise of a civilization that even two thousand years later still shapes many of our most fundamental assumptions about power, citizenship, responsibility, political violence, empire, luxury, and beauty.

     This book is an excellent work of historical non-fiction. One of the most interesting aspects of this book is that it covers the time period 753 B.C. to 212 A.D.. This is interesting because we know the Roman Empire lasted much longer than that, but the date 212 A.D. represents the time that the Senate stopped being the dominate force in Rome. The title SPQR stands for Senate and the People of Rome. This book is an intriguing look at one of the most important times in western culture. There are many fundamental beliefs articulated and cultivated during this time period and they are for the most part glossed over by the popular renditions of the Roman Empire. Professor Mary Beard does an excellent job stressing the far reaching impact this time period has on western civilization. If you read only one book about Rome this book will not disappoint.  

The Last Armada: Queen Elizabeth, Juan del Águila, and Hugh O'Neill: The Story of the 100-Day Spanish Invasion By: Des Ekin

The Last Armada: Queen Elizabeth, Juan del Águila, and Hugh O'Neill: The Story of the 100-Day Spanish Invasion

By: Des Ekin

Ireland: Christmas Eve, 1601.

As thunder crashes and lightning rakes the sky, three very different commanders line up for a battle that will decide the fate of a nation. General Juan del Águila has been sprung from a prison cell to command the last great Spanish armada. His mission: to seize a bridgehead in Queen Elizabeth's England and hold it.

Facing him is Charles Blount, a brilliant English strategist whose career is also under a cloud. His affair with a married woman edged him into a treasonous conspiracy―and brought him to within a hair’s breadth of the gallows.

Meanwhile, Irish insurgent Hugh O’Neill knows that this is his final chance to drive the English out of Ireland. For each man, this is the last throw of the dice. Tomorrow they will be either heroes or failures.

These colorful commanders come alive in this true story of courage and endurance, of bitterness and betrayal, and of drama and intrigue at the highest levels in the courts of England and Spain.

This is an excellent read for anyone interested in history, naval history, or historical fiction. The author, Des  Ekin, writes this non-fiction book as if it were a historical fiction novel. All of the key elements are there with the added bonus of well documented primary sources. I would also recomend this for anyone looking to "get into" non-fiction material. And, hey, who does not like a story with a good struggle?

The History of Iraq (The Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations) by Courtney Hunt 152 pages

Since the early 1990s, Iraq (and its former dictator, Saddam Hussein) has been a fixture in Western media. However, few American adults know or understand the rich cultural history or the political forces that have shaped modern Iraq. As the future of Iraq is now being written, a clear understanding of the country's history is crucial in our new global environment. Through ten narrative chapters, Hunt delves into the rich history of this land from the earliest settlements in Mesopotamia, the introduction of the Muslim faith, and the conquest of Baghdad by the Ottomans in 1534 to the institution and eventual overthrow of British control and the rise of the Ba'athist party to Saddam Hussein's reign as president. Ideal for students and general readers, the History of Iraq is part of Greenwood's Histories of Modern Nations series.

This is a very brief and simple fact based book. Do not try to make it anymore than that and you will be happy with it. 

Castle of Wizardry (The Belgariad #4) by David Eddings 375 pages

END OF THE QUEST

It had all begun with the theft of the Orb that had so long protected the West from the evil God Torak. Before that, Garion had been a simple farm boy. Afterward, he discovered that his aunt was really the Sorceress Polgara and his grandfather was Belgarath, the Eternal Man. Then, on the long quest to recover the Orb, Garion found to his dismay that he, too, was a sorcerer.

Now, at last, the Orb was regained and the quest was nearing its end. Of course, the questors still had to escape from this crumbling enemy fortress and flee across a desert filled with Murgo soldiers searching for them, while Grolim Hierarchs strove to destroy them with dark magic. Then, somehow, they must manage to be in Riva with the Orb by Erastide. After that, however, Garion was sure that his part in these great events would be finished.

But the Prophecy still held future surprises for Garion--and for the little princess Ce'Nedra.

This continues the magnificent epic of The Belgariad,  begun in Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, and Magician's Gambit--a fantasy set against a background of the war of men, Kings, and Gods that had spanned seven thousand years--a novel of fate, strange lands, and a prophecy that must be fulfilled!

Magician's Gambit (The Belgariad #3) by David Eddings 305 pages

Ce'Nedra, Imperial Princess of Tolnedra, had joined a dangerous mission to recover the stolen Orb that supposedly protected the West from the evil God Torak. And somehow, she found herself feeling quite tender for Garion, the innocent farm boy, who would be forced into the strange tower in the center of all evil to retrieve the Orb by himself.

Queen of Sorcery (The Belgariad #2) by David Eddings 326 pages

"BELGARIAD is exactly the kind of fantasy I like. It has magic, adventure, humor, mystery, and a certain delightful human insight."
PIERS ANTHONY
The master Sorcerer Belgarath and his daughter Polgara the arch-Sorceress were on the trail of the Orb, seeking to regain its saving power before the final disaster prophesized by the legends. And with them went Garion, a simple farm boy only months before, but now the focus of the struggle. He had never believed in sorcery and wanted no part of it. Yet with every league they traveled, the power grew in him, forcing him to acts of wizardry he could not accept.

Pawn of Prophecy (The Belgariad #1) by David Eddings 304 pages

Long ago, the Storyteller claimed, in this first book of THE BELGARIAD, the evil god Torak drove men and Gods to war. But Belgarath the Sorcerer led men to reclaim the Orb that protected men of the West. So long as it lay at Riva, the prophecy went, men would be safe.

But Garion did not believe in such stories. Brought up on a quiet farm by his Aunt Pol, how could he know that the Apostate planned to wake dread Torak, or that he would be led on a quest of unparalleled magic and danger by those he loved--but did not know...?

Nightmares and Dreamscapes / Stephen King / 816 pgs.

Publishers Weekly:
This is a wonderful cornucopia of 23 StephenKing moments (including a teleplay featuring Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, a poem about Ebbet's Field and a brilliant New Yorker piece on Little League baseball) that even the author, in his introduction, acknowledges make up "an uneven Aladdin's cave of a book." There are no stories fans will want to skip, and some are superb, particularly "You Know They Got a Hell of a Band," in which a husband and wife drive through a town that may literally be rock-and-roll heaven; "The Ten O'Clock People," about unredeemable smokers; and "The Moving Finger," which chronicles a digit's appearance in a drain. Together with Night Shift and Skeleton Crew , this volume accounts for all the stories King has written that he wishes to preserve. The introduction and illuminating notes about the derivation of each piece are invaluable autobiographical essays on his craft and his place in the literary landscape. An illusionist extraordinaire, King peoples all his fiction, long and short, with believable characters. The power of this collection lies in the amazing richness of his fevered imagination--he just can't be stopped from coming up with haunting plots.

The Dark Man / Stephen King / 88 pgs.

Stephen King first wrote about the Dark Man in college after he envisioned a faceless man in cowboy boots and jeans and a denim jacket forever walking the roads. Later this dark man would come to be known around the world as one of King's greatest villains, Randall Flagg, but at the time King only had simple questions on his mind: where was this man going? What had he seen and done? What terrible things...?

Purportedly scrawled by a college-age King on the back of a restaurant place mat, this glowering poem introduced a wandering character of ultimate evil, who would later mature into Randall Flagg of The Stand, The Eyes of the Dragon, and the Dark Tower series. Therefore, even though this is a curiosity, it's a significant one in the King mythos, and Chadbourne's black-and-white interpretation gives the spare text just the rotten juice it craves. The poem itself is the sort of metaphysical, apocalyptic piece you might expect from the late 1960s, but is nonetheless evocative. It begins, "i have stridden the fuming way / of sun-hammered tracks and / smashed cinders," as we follow the slow nighttime progress of a smudgy man traversing a moonlit America of busted merry-go-rounds, dilapidated trains, and agonized cemeteries. Wordless pages fill out the five-stanza poem, with Chadbourne's flat, snarled pencilwork hiding snakes, spiders, rats, and faces in every twisted tableau. It's all suitably ominous, and bewitched fans will be able to draw a direct line between this and The Gunslinger (1982). --Booklist

"NOS4A2 : a novel" By: Joe Hill 692pages

Victoria McQueen has a secret gift for finding things: a misplaced bracelet, a missing photograph, answers to unanswerable questions. On her Raleigh Tuff Burner bike, she makes her way to a rickety covered bridge that, within moments, takes her wherever she needs to go, whether it's across Massachusetts or across the country. Charles Talent Manx has a way with children. He likes to take them for rides in his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith with the NOS4A2 vanity plate. With his old car, he can slip right out of the everyday world, and onto the hidden roads that transport them to an astonishing--and terrifying--playground of amusements he calls "Christmasland." Then, one day, Vic goes looking for trouble--and finds Manx. That was a lifetime ago. Now Vic, the only kid to ever escape Manx's unmitigated evil, is all grown up and desperate to forget. But Charlie Manx never stopped thinking about Victoria McQueen. He's on the road again and he's picked up a new passenger: Vic's own son.

One of Joe Hill's best works (and that's saying A LOT). Reminds me of his father.

"World War Z" Max Brooks 342 pages

"The end was near." -Voices from the Zombie War The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years. Ranging from the now infamous village of New Dachang in the United Federation of China, where the epidemiological trail began with the twelve-year-old Patient Zero, to the unnamed northern forests where untold numbers sought a terrible and temporary refuge in the cold, to the United States of Southern Africa, where the Redeker Plan provided hope for humanity at an unspeakable price, to the west-of-the-Rockies redoubt where the North American tide finally started to turn, this invaluable chronicle reflects the full scope and duration of the Zombie War. Most of all, the book captures with haunting immediacy the human dimension of this epochal event. Facing the often raw and vivid nature of these personal accounts requires a degree of courage on the part of the reader, but the effort is invaluable because, as Mr. Brooks says in his introduction, "By excluding the human factor, aren't we risking the kind of personal detachment from history that may, heaven forbid, lead us one day to repeat it? And in the end, isn't the human factor the only true difference between us and the enemy we now refer to as 'the living dead'?"


Very good read. Not your typical Zombie book. I wish I had two more arms so I can give this book four thumbs up!