Wednesday, April 24, 2024
What's Releasing (4-24-24 edition)
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Barnes and Noble wants you to have a Happy World Book Day!
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Pick up new releases, like:
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REVIEW: Tom Clancy Act of Defiance by Brian Andrews, Jeffrey Wilson, Tom Clancy
Synopsis
When a Russian superweapon is let loose under the waves, it's up to President Jack Ryan to find a countermove in the latest entry in this #1 New York Times bestselling series.
US intelligence says there's something going on in Russia. While their land forces have been decimated by corruption and incompetence, the Navy seems to be pouring money into some secret project.
Analysts are stumped, until the knot is untangled by one particularly bright young woman at the Office of Naval Intelligence--Katie Ryan, the youngest daughter of President Jack Ryan. Like her father, she sees patterns where other don't, and she's determined that the Russians are about to launch a super missile submarine, the Belgorod.
Now the race is on to determine where the sub is and whether it poses a threat to the continental US.
560 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication May 21, 2024
About the Author (from Goodreads)
Brian is a US Navy veteran, nuclear engineer, and former submarine officer. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree in psychology, holds a Master's in business from Cornell, and is a Park Leadership Fellow. He is a principal contributor at Career Authors, a site dedicated to advancing the careers of aspiring and published writers: www.careerauthors.com.
He is half of Andrews & Wilson, the USA Today, Wall Street Journal, & #1 Amazon best-selling co-author team behind the TIER ONE series. New in 2024:
- FOUR MINUTES: (APRIL)
- ACT OF DEFIANCE (MAY)
- EMBER: Tier One #8 (JULY)
In addition to their novels, Andrews & Wilson have multiple projects under development for film and television with major motion picture studios including Tier One, Dark Intercept, 4 Minutes, Portal, Glitch, and The In Between.
Find Brian online at:
Web: www.andrews-wilson.com
Instagram: @andrewsandwilson
Twitter: @BAndrewsJWilson
Sign-up for his newsletter at www.andrews-wilson.com to stay informed about all his new releases or "Follow" his Amazon Author page!
My Thoughts
Much of this story takes place on military submarines-- both Russian and US.
Mil.ru, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons |
Jack Ryan, who we were introduced to in Patriot Games, is back in the 19th installment in the Jack Ryan series. Now 40 years later, Jack is President of the United States, and his youngest daughter Katie has followed in his footsteps as a senior analyst for Russian threats. Like her father in more ways than one, she is as well-suited for the position as her father was, being knowledgeable and willing to do just about anything to get the job done, intuitive and honorable.
Like its earlier predecessor The Hunt for Red October (THFRO), the US is on alert to a threat from the Russians. And, like its earlier predecessor, there is a Ryan working the case!
First, let me say that I know The Hunt for Red October. I have to have watched the movie at least 40-50 times...very possibly more! I kid you not! I could recite the dialogue for half of the movie. I was married to a Fire Control Tech stationed on a nuclear submarine, and I would watch THFRO on repeat every patrol in order to feel close to him. I even went out on a day patrol on the USS Ben Franklin SSBN 640. We did different maneuvers like dives and emergency blows whereby the submarine rushes to the surface like a super-sonic elevator and pops out of the water. So, can you see how I would have a bit of a personal connection to this story?
This is like a modern day Hunt for Red October. I mean, very obviously so. This is almost like a parallel story right down to a submarine captain going rogue around the anniversary of his wife's death. If you followed a timeline of THFRO, this would basically coincide with the high points with just minor twists to make it different. Women are now much more prominent to reflect the changing times, but even things that are said tend to be similar to THFRO (i.e. "One ping... One ping only."). I can connect the characters to their equivalents in THFRO. "This guy is the equivalent of that second in command on the aircraft carrier that didn't like Jack Ryan in THFRO!"
But in this modern day retelling, it is Katie Ryan that takes on the role of competent and beleaguered analyst attempting to prevent WWIII.
Five words: absorbing, courageous, thrilling, familiar, true-to-life
My final word: Well, I think I've already established that I am partial to the movie The Hunt for Red October (the third book in this series), so this book is right up my alley. I think that the author is a talented storyteller. His experience in submarines make the submarine scenes feel particularly authentic. The writing really flows. It is easy, comfortable and enjoyable. The characters are rather one-dimensional, but that isn't really surprising for this genre. I think that my only real complaint is that it was too much like its predecessor THFRO. It became a distraction for me. I was constantly picking up on all of the similarities. But for someone not suffering from the same affliction as me, this is a fun, on-the-edge-of-your-seat ride!
Pre-Order Now (releases May 21, 2024):
Find purchase options on Penguin Random House
Characters: B+
Storyline/Plot: B
Interest/Uniqueness: B-
My Rating:
The Cerebral Girl is a middle-aged blogger just digging her way out from under a mountain of books in the deep south of Florida.
I received a copy of this book to review through Netgalley, in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not financially compensated in any way, and the opinions expressed are my own and based on my observations while reading this novel. The book that I received was an uncorrected proof, and quotes could differ from the final release.
Monday, April 22, 2024
Monday Book Love (04-22-24 edition)
Monday Book Love is a catch-all for all of those events where you share your latest acquisitions, events like:
WILL WE BECOME A SCANDAL TO THOSE WHO LOOK TO US AS LEADERS, OR WILL WE CHOOSE TO IMITATE THE SCANDALOUS WAY OF CHRIST? The fall of high-profile leaders has sadly become an epidemic, and although books and podcasts have sought to uncover the problem, they often fail to identify the root cause. In The Scandal of Leadership , JR Woodward offers a deeper diagnosis, outlining a more comprehensive understanding of power abuses in the church and the critical role of imitation. Drawing from Scripture and the scholarship of Walter Wink, René Girard, and William Stringfellow, as well as from positive examples of leaders such as Óscar Romero, this book offers a robust theology of the Powers––of Satan, the demonic, and the principalities and powers explored in the Bible. By unmasking the Powers of domination, Woodward seeks to help missional leaders practice a self-emptying spirituality that reshapes their desires and forms them into Christlike servants who join God’s mission in the world.
Briefly Perfectly Human by Alua Arthur
A deeply transformative memoir that reframes how we think about death and how it can help us lead better, more fulfilling and authentic lives, from America’s most visible death doula.
"A truly unique, inspiring perspective on the time we have, what we do with it, and how we let go of this world.... There is no one I'd trust more to guide me through an understanding of death, and how it informs life." — Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of Mad Honey and The Book of Two Ways
"Briefly Perfectly Human is a beautiful, raw, light-bringing experience. Alua's voice is shimmering, singular, and pulses with humor, vulnerability, insight, and refreshing candor.... Be prepared for it to grab you, hold you tight, and raise the roof on the power of human connection." — Tembi Locke, author of From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home
For her clients and everyone who has been inspired by her humanity, Alua Arthur is a friend at the end of the world. As our country’s leading death doula, she’s spreading a transformative message: thinking about your death—whether imminent or not—will breathe wild, new potential into your life.
Warm, generous, and funny AF, Alua supports and helps manage end-of-life care on many levels. The business matters, medical directives, memorial planning; but also honoring the quiet moments, when monitors are beeping and loved ones have stepped out to get some air—or maybe not shown up at all—and her clients become deeply contemplative and want to talk. Aching, unfinished business often emerges. Alua has been present for thousands of these sacred moments—when regrets, fears, secret joys, hidden affairs, and dim realities are finally said aloud. When this happens, Alua focuses her attention at the pulsing center of her clients’ anguish and creates space for them, and sometimes their loved ones, to find peace.
This has had a profound effect on Alua, who was already no stranger to death’s periphery. Her family fled a murderous coup d’état in Ghana in the 1980s. She has suffered major, debilitating depressions. And her dear friend and brother-in-law died of lymphoma. Advocating for him in his final months is what led Alua to her life’s calling. She knows firsthand the power of bearing witness and telling the truth about life’s painful complexities, because they do not disappear when you look the other way. They wait for you.
Briefly Perfectly Human is a life-changing, soul-gathering debut, by a writer whose empathy, tenderness, and wisdom shimmers on the page. Alua Arthur combines intimate storytelling with a passionate appeal for loving, courageous end-of-life care—what she calls “death embrace.” Hers is a powerful testament to getting in touch with something deeper in our lives, by embracing the fact of our own mortality. “Hold that truth in your mind,” Alua says, “and wondrous things will begin to grow around it.”
Sunday, April 21, 2024
Poetry Sunday (04/21/24 edition)
i'd rather be alone than form convenient
connections disguised as friendships.
my soul steers away from anything
unauthentic and disingenuous.
-- from Flowers on the Moon by Billy Chapata