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Earth

Julie Rose and Emile Zola

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'Only the earth is immortal...the earth we love enough to commit murder for her.' Zola's novel of...

Firewolf: Necessary Action: Book 3: The Precinct: Bachelors in Blue

Jenna Kernan and Julie Miller

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Firewolf - Jenna Kernan Dylan Tehauno is a hotshot, an expert in preventing and fighting forest...

The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning (2007)

4.0 (4 Ratings) Rate It

Movie

The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning (2007) Larry B. In this prequel re-telling of the famous...

Christine A. (965 KP) rated Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre in Books

Jun 19, 2020

‏I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review.

If you read World War Z, you know Max Brooks does an exceptional job at writing the fictional documentary format, making it feel like non-fiction. He does it again in Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre.

Devolution's release is accidently well-timed. The catalyst is the eruption of Mt Ranier. Roads are closed and destroyed by lahars, boiling mudslides. The government is working to help those affected. Outside the eruption zone is Greenloop, a small environmental utopia which consists of smart, completely "green" houses but still contains all of the modern amenities, Since their intention is to go completely green and reduce their carbon footprint, their food deliveries are for a week at a time. What happens when they are cut off and do not have the necessary food or supplies to get through the crisis? The discussion about consumers not stocking up and supermarkets offering farm-fresh items hit home during the Covid-19 crisis.

Oh, and there are also sasquatch they need to deal with. The premise might sound far fetched, but Brooks does a fabulous job of making it seem not only possible but probable. The people seem so real; I cheered out loud at one point.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 6/18/20.

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GWR Ganger: In Charge of the Permanent Way

Alec Brew

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Great Western Railway Ganger is the story of Dan Brew's life spent as a lineman for the Great...

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2269 KP) rated Shucked Apart in Books

Feb 25, 2021 (Updated Feb 25, 2021)

Shucked Apart

Barbara Ross | 2021 | Mystery

9.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Hunting for the Oyster Seed Thief

Julia Snowden should be focusing on getting the last-minute tasks done to open the summer season of her family’s clambake, but when her boyfriend asks her to help his friend, Andie, Julia can’t resist. Andie runs an oyster farm not too far away, and someone has just stolen $35,000 worth of new inventory from her. Andie seems reluctant to give Julia any suspects, however, so it isn’t that surprising that Julia hasn’t made much progress when she finds a dead body. Is the robbery connected to the murder?

This book does a great job of introducing us to oyster farming without slowing down the mystery itself. I learned quite a bit while also getting the foundation for the plot. The pace does build as Julia gets closer to figuring things out, and the climax wraps everything up for us perfectly. This series is often on the slim side, and this is no exception. While the suspects are strong and the mystery complex, the supporting players aren’t as prevalent as they might be. While I did miss them and wouldn’t have minded a sub-plot that could have included them, it’s a minor issue. The book leaves us with five recipes that seafood lovers will want to try. As always, this book left me anxious to find out what will happen to Julia next. Fans won’t be disappointed.