Reviews
The Merriam Webster dictionary defines vagabond as
1: moving from place to place without a fixed home : wandering
2a : of, relating to, or characteristic of a wanderer
b : leading an unsettled, irresponsible, or disreputable life
The Total Outdoorsman Manual
By T. Edwards NickensWith 408 skill tips broken into 5 categories (camping, fishing, hunting, survival, and challenge) this complete outdoor manual covers all the basics and then some. Most of the tips are less than 4 paragraphs long, so the book works very well as a reference manual (though full page and even double page spreads are given to subjects that require it, such as track identification and fire starting techniques)for those who enjoy the great outdoors. There are some basic tips like seasoning a dutch oven, or identifying drake mallards, that will be redundant to people who have been camp
Beautiful Malice
By Rebecca JamesBeautiful Malice by Australian author Rebecca James immediately made me think of a teenaged take on Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl, except Malice came out first. Katherine has been keeping a secret about her dark past. Her very popular and pretty new best friend Alice has a lot of secrets, as well.
Directors: Life Behind the Camera
By American Film InstituteTaken from interviews with 33 well-known filmmakers, “Directors” is fascinating to watch for anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes of movie making. The directors discuss their journeys to becoming top directors, the complexities of the industry, stories of some of their best-known films, and their legacies. The result is an impressive collection of honest insight into the passion that underpins the business of Hollywood.
Dead Until Dark
By Charlaine HarrisI’ve long enjoyed reading Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse series. So long that I barely remembered what happened in the first book, Dead Until Dark. Instead of rereading it, I decided to listen to the audio. I’m glad I did.
The narrator, Johanna Parker, captures the essence of Sookie in all her different moods – perky, angry, scared, nervous, ecstatic, and so on. It was a treat to hear Sookie come alive.
Six Years
By Harlan CobenJake Fisher notices an obituary online and is swept up in a maelstrom of events. Six years before, Jake’s girlfriend Natalie married an “old boyfriend”, makes Jake promise to leave them alone and then disappears! When Jake sees an obituary for Natalie’s husband, he thinks it’s a new ballgame. But Natalie is nowhere to be found. Everything Jake does to find his missing love seems believable, and the mystery of Natalie evolves. Once Harlan Coben sets the hook, I just keep turning the page, and so will you!
Shadow Catcher
By James R. HannibalJames R. Hannibal’s novel titled Shadow Catcher reads like a Clancy thriller.
Nick Baron is an Air Force Major in charge of a failed B-2 stealth bomber mission that lands the fighter jet at the bottom of the Persian Gulf. Nick leads his Triple Chase team to find and dispose of the lost bomber before the enemy can get their hands on it.
100 Sideways Miles
By Andrew SmithFinn Easton is like any other epileptic teenage boy with a famous author for a father who had a horse fall on him, break his back and kill his mother. Which is to say that Finn Easton is like no one you have ever met. The eerie resemblance between himself and the main character of his father’s best-selling book, has left Finn wondering if he is even real. Measuring time by the miles traveled by earth’s rotation, Finn has a different way of looking at things than anyone around him.
Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-time Eater
By Frank BruniIn Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-time Eater, journalist Frank Bruni reveals all the intimate details of his decades-long battle with overeating and how it so negatively interfered with his personal life. Fast-paced, high-stress work for the New York Times didn't help. His story eventually makes an unexpected turn-around during years in Italy that eventually led to his job as a food critic.