Skip to main content

Staff Picks Spotlight - Frank S.

By
Frank

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson
A tragic mix of evolutionary development of submarine technology, politics of neutrality, and personal insights to the lives of her passengers.

 Interesting Factoid: After the Titanic sank, new and safer life-jackets were designed. While they were installed on the Lusitania, there were no drills held that required the jackets to be used. The torpedoed ship sank within sight of Ireland, and many died because they stepped into the jack  rather than putting their arms through the armholes. Many ended up flipping upside down in the water and couldn't escape. 



A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Rostov the ever gentleman versus the Bolsheviks, all while sentenced to be a prisoner inside the Metropol Hotel. Great character, pathos and twists contained within while the outside world changes over a thirty-year period.

Early utilization of the Marine Corps and the refined definition of the role of the U.S. Navy- combination of bravery, piracy, and deception. What's not to like?

Interesting Factoid: Master Commandant Richard Somers, USN, for whom Somers Point, NJ is named, lost his life in the Barbary Coast War and is buried in Tripoli along with his shipmates. An aside-reparation of their remains is an ongoing saga with Senator John McCain, (R-AZ) a leading antagonist. 

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ape House by Sara Gruen

By
In Gruen's debut novel Water for Elephants , readers fell in love with the titular elephant Rosie. In her second novel Ape House , a similar fondness occurs with the aforementioned apes. The cast of bonobos live happily in their Language Lab under the watchful eye of scientist Isabel Duncan. They are able to use sign language to communicate and enjoy playing around with visitors and the other scientists. Everything is going great until the lab gets bombed and the apes mysteriously disappear. Once the dust settles, Duncan is horrified to find out that the bonobos have been sold to a television producer who has casted them in their own 24 hour reality tv show. Joining forces with a newspaper reporter, an exotic dancer, animal activists and other research assistants, Duncan takes on the fight of her life to rescue her bonobos and give them the proper kind of life they deserve.
Post a Comment
Read more

"Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline

By
                       Fans of science fiction, video games and pop culture should add New York Times Bestseller “ Ready Player One ” by Ernest Cline to their list of must-reads.   USA Today has referred to it as "Willy Wonka meets The Matrix.” Although this may seem to be a strange comparison, nothing could be quite so accurate. On planet Earth in 2044, real life is pretty dismal. Most of society, including teenager Wade Watts, spends its waking hours plugged into the OASIS, an immense & fully interactive virtual world. OASIS users can be anyone and do anything that they choose. Think of the OASIS as a giant role-playing game…except the main character is you . Users can explore countless planets, purchase real estate, slay monsters and even attend school (as Wade does).   Wade's life changes when James Halliday, the enigmatic & reclusive creator of the OASIS, dies...leaving behind an enormous ...
2 comments
Read more

Tomorrow by Graham Swift

By
Swift won the Booker Prize for Last Orders back in 2004(?)...but I don't think he'll go 2 for 2 with Tomorrow , a quick read about a family with a dark secret. Paula Hook lies awake on the eve before her and her husband Mike divulge a long kept secret to their twin teenagers. The story centers around the history behind this secret and the rationale behind it. Truthfully, I was kind of annoyed for most of the book. The build up goes on and on for many pages with, like, no pay off whatsoever. The ideas in my mind were juicier than the real "truth" that was going to be told to her children. Though the prose is extremely well-written, I still kept saying to myself, "jesus, get to the point already"
Post a Comment
Read more