TECHNOLOGY IN WAR

As a change of pace, I read a couple of nonfiction books that I have been interested in reading for a while. Both books deal with the development and usage of war technology. In Mr. Lincoln's High-Tech War: How the North Used the Telegraph, railroads, surveillance Balloons, Iron-Clads, High-Powered Weapons, and More to Win the Civil War, the authors Thomas B. Allen and Roger Macbride Allen explain the development of these various items and how they were used. I was fascinated by the fact that Abraham Lincoln was a great supporter of these new technologies but his generals preferred to wage war without them. With many photographs, cartoons, and diagrams you feel like you are right in the midst of the Civil War.

My second nonfiction choice was Steve Sheinkin's Bomb - The Race to Build-and Steal- the World's Most Dangerous Weapon. The book tells the development of the atomic bomb and its use on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II. I learned that Albert Einstein communicated with President Franklin Roosevelt urging him to sponsor the development of the atomic bomb. I learned how Robert Oppenheimer was chosen to run the project and gathered his team. And I learned about the spying by the Soviet Union, our ally, to gain this new technology that led to the Cold War of the 1950s and 1960s. Here also photographs and diagrams help you follow the progress of "the gadget" and meet the people involved. This book is also a nominee for the 2015 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award.

Look for both of these books in the Blogged Book display when you come back to school next week.

ACTION/ADVENTURE NEW BOOKS

If you know what a cryptid is (an animal whose existence has not yet been scientifically proven, like the Sasquatch), then you are ready for a new series from Roland Smith. Tenacles and Chupacabra are the first two books in the Cryptid Hunters series and they are packed with strange creatures, dangerous situations, and powerful enemies. Marty, Luther, and Grace track these creatures around the world and make amazing discoveries with the help of Dr. Travis Wolfe and his team. Opposing them is Dr. Noah Blackwood who owns several animal theme parks called Arks. Dr. Blackwood will use any means to bring the most unusual animals to his Arks -- stealing them or creating them genetically.

In Cristin Terreill's time travel book All Our Yesterdays, Em and Finn are imprisoned and tortured but must escape to restore the world they remember. Em has found a list of possible plans hidden in her prison cell. Only one possibility remains for them to try -- kill the man who invented the time machine. After they escape, they realize that this will be their last chance. One more trip back to the time and place where the future went wrong is all they have. But can they kill their best friend?

These books will be ready for check out in September. Look for them in the New Book Display by the windows.

NEW SCIFI FOR THE FALL

I just finished reading two new science fiction books that couldn't be more different. First time author Demitria Lunetta has created a frightening version of the future in her book In the After. Life has been pretty good for Amy until the world is attacked by Them, strange creatures -- maybe aliens -- who are always hunger for human flesh. Amy manages to survive for four years due to her own survival skills and an electrified fence that surrounds her home. While her parents and friends are assumed dead (and eaten by Them), Amy rescues a toddler whom she names Baby. Then they are captured by a strange aircraft which turns out to be from community of humans called New Hope who are trying to rebuild the world and its population. Unfortunately for Amy the answer to the identity of Them is also found in New Hope. A brutal, pulse-pounding adventure for anyone with a strong stomach.

On a much lighter note is Wendy Mass's new book Pi in the Sky. In this story we meet Joss, the seventh son of the Supreme Overlord of the Universe. Joss's father rules a dimension that oversees our galaxy and all the universe from The Realms. But Joss's job is to deliver pies until one fateful day when an Earth girl Annika accidentally see

s and travels to The Realms which leads to the complete disappearance of the our world. Now Joss learns his true job as he and the annoying Annika try to bring back Earth. While many facts about the cosmos appear in this story, there are chuckles galore as Joss tries to explain The Realms to Annika while trying to prevent her from learning too much of the truth.

These books will be ready for checkout in September.

I'M BACK!

Sorry for the delay in starting my summer book reviews but something came up and I couldn't get to the computer. But now I'm ready to start with 2 terrific new books that are already in the Lakeview collection.

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson envisions a future where some people, called Epics, have gained superpowers but, unfortunately, only use those powers for themselves. A few Epics with the strongest powers have taken over major cities and hire Epics with lesser powers to be their enforcers. Chicago is the focus of Steelheart who can turn anything into steel including streets, buildings, even the ground. When David is six years old, he sees his father killed by Steelheart. But he also sees Steelheart injured. David spends the next ten years researching Epics in the hopes that he can kill Steelheart. When he gets the chance to join a rebel cell of humans fighting and killing Epics, it may be time for his revenge. This story of danger, intrigue, and revenge will grab science fiction and adventure readers.

I have been fascinated by other cultures and how they live and are treated so it's no surprise that I wanted to read Susan Cooper's Ghost Hawk. What starts as a Native American story in early colonial days becomes much more. The story starts with Little Hawk and his winter-long journey into manhood. Before he leaves on this journey a couple of white men and a white boy visit his village. Little Hawk and the boy John Wakeley spend a day becoming friends. When Little Hawk returns from his manhood journey, he finds everyone dead except his grandmother from a white man's disease. Though many villages have been wiped out by this disease, Little Hawk and his grandmother find a new village that takes them in. On a fateful day when Little Hawk again meets John Wakeley, a tragedy occurs. The boys' friendship continues throughout their life overcoming unusual obstacles and we, the readers, get to see how the early English settlers interacted from both the Native American and the white man's viewpoints.

WELCOME!

Welcome to my summer blog. Each week I will update you on what books I'm currently reading. I have quite a stack that I want to finish this summer. I plan to spend most afternoons on my patio with a tall glass of iced tea and lose myself in the exciting world of books. I invite your comments throughout the summer. You may comment on the books I'm reading or make suggestions of books I should read this summer. Let's start a conversation!