51 pages of summaries and analysis on Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks.This study guide includes the following sections: Plot Summary, Chapter Summaries & Analysis, Characters, Objects/Places, Themes, Style, Quotes, and Topics for Discussion.

    What was unusual was how seriously he took it. This is a classic western filled with suspense, and an underlying romance. In the Louis L'Amour tradition. Buckshot by L. J. Martin

    Russian President Volkov is obsessed with rebuilding the Russian Empire - by any means necessary. To reassert Russia’s sphere of influence the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) forge a historical Vatican Concordat with Hitler. Lorenzo Rossi, head of the Vatican Police, is sent to recover the Concordat before it falls into the wrong hands. Rossi follows a deadly trail across Europe that leads him to the doorstep of the Russian Kremlin. Rossi is ably assisted throughout by Cathy Doherty, a CIA Agent with a passion for all things Russian. Together they set out to establish the origins of the Concordat, and its intended purpose. Will Rossi be able to recover the Concordat and flee Russia with his life?

    

    The indigenous creatures of Faust have never accepted any invaders--but today, new arrivals haunt their skies. The Black Ship is a predatory vessel. Built for stealth, she glides undetected among the stars, seeking colonies along the Faustian Chain that are ripe for raiding--or outright conquest. These three forces: the colonists, the alien life forms, and the cyborg crew of the Black Ship, are on a collision course in this thrilling military SF adventure. THE BLACK SHIP is a Novella of classic military science fiction by B. V. Larson. The stories in this series can be read in any order.

    He was a Searcher of men who possessed a unique skill only a few possess. When not working he was self destructive and a town drunk. Jethro McDougal needed the services of a Searcher of the caliber of Reed Justus' ability. He found him in a saloon and his unkempt appearance made him wonder if this man could do the job. McDougal decided he would take the chance but only time would tell if Justus was really the one known as the Searcher!

    This is the new action-packed Western from award-winning author David Watts! After a dramatic gunfight with an Outlaw, Marshal Luke, is hired by a local Governor who has been plagued by high crime in a state bordering Mexico. With roving gangs of murderers flooding across the border—the Governor made an election promise to get elected. He would hire the toughest gunfighter to rid the state of crime… He gives the Marshal one order. Remove the filth from my state… anyway you can! The Marshal has a hard task ahead of him—but with the help of a lady in need, and some good folks who want their state cleaned up—he takes the criminals on. Above the law, with a gun in his hand, the Marshal goes to war and all who stand before him have two choices… SURRENDER… OR DIE! This action led Western features a ton of lead, a Bounty Hunter with a bad attitude and a lot of dead BAD GUYS! Ride along as The GUNS OF PECOS COUNTY clean up the lawless state that time forgot!

     THE WARBIRDS The Pentagon, Washington. When Libya provokes a world crisis, the 45th Tactical Fighter Wing is relocated to a base in East Anglia to prepare for combat. Colonel Anthony "Muddy" Waters has a mission: to mould a company of poorly trained rogues and misfits into heroes. His assignment is one that no other officer in the United States Air Force would touch. But Waters has a fabled stubbornness and dedication unparalleled in the armed services...and the will to make the impossible possible. This includes turning a superbly talented pilot but loose cannon named Jack Locke into a fighting force to be reckoned with. Because their country could ask them at any time to fly their F-4s into the eye of the firestorm, to face an overwhelming enemy and brave the flames of hell itself. Tomorrow that call will come. And there will be no turning back when the heavens explode… FORCE OF EAGLES Iran. 281 American POWs were taken captive when the US pulled out of the country. Now the US is assembling a Force of Eagles to bring them home. The POWs, including one woman, have become the latest bargaining chip in Middle Eastern politics. The rescue team includes ace fighter pilot Jack Locke, his weapons system officer, “Thunder” Bryant, Colonel Rupert Stansell, and General Lawrence “Sundown” Cunningham – and a company of Rangers. The Ranger’s Command Sergeant Major, Victor Kamigami, soon proves he is a force in himself. The mission becomes a race against a thirty-day deadline as a sadistic prison commandant works to break his captives' will… THE TRASH HAULERS Vietnam, 31 January 1968. Over an action-packed 24 hours, three lives collide amidst war and violence. Captain Mark Warren and his crew are trash haulers, airlifting supplies and personnel on their C-130 Hercules, the workhorse of tactical airlift. Flying a Huey, the helicopter that symbolizes mobile warfare in Vietnam, Wilson Tanner is a Dust Off pilot who risks all to rescue the wounded. At Se Pang, Colonel Tran Sang Quan comes into conflict with inept superiors as they initiate the People’s Army of Vietnam’s long-planned General Offensive and Uprising. This is the beginning of the Tet Offensive. Both sides face more than the enemy as superior officers manoeuver for political advantage, and where cowardice, prejudice and treachery infiltrate the ranks – on both sides. In the air and on the land, raw courage, tenacity, and honor are the marks of humanity that deal with the wreckage of war… Praise for Richard Herman ‘An imaginative action story told to perfection’ – Clive Cussler 'Too many of today’s geopolitical thrillers ring false, but not Herman’s.” – San Francisco Examiner ‘This is the sharp end, with vivid descriptions of air combat, the smell of hot oil and fear’ – The Times ‘A really fast-moving air force adventure story, with some superb action scenes which glue you to

    

    While he grew up in the gmay—Lancaster County’s Old Order Mennonite community—she was the daughter of a single mother who left her in the care of Luke’s grandmother. For six years Janna found love with the Martins, until her mother abruptly moved them away.Now, almost fourteen years later, Janna returns to the area with her daughter. Her hope for a new beginning is lost when they find their home uninhabitable after a storm, then an out-of-gas car leaves them stranded. When two women stop to help, they turn out to be Luke’s aunts, and the Martin family again takes her in.Janna and Luke, a widower struggling to balance business and family responsibilities, reacquaint as Janna assists his grandmother and cares for his son. Her self-protective independence and his conservative principles put them at odds, but the difficulties they face draw them closer.When long-lost friendship rekindles into unexpected love, will either be willing to make changes so they can be together?A portion of the proceeds from each sale will be donated to Clinic for Special Children in Strasburg, Pennsylvania.

    Short has lived many livespacked into one-from a family filled with turmoil to tumultuous loveaffairs and enough scandals of his own. But somewhere in the middle, Short's realization that there has to be a better way comes into fullview. "Coming Up Short" not only details Columbus Short's journey fromchildhood to Hollywood, it shows how even the most checkered of pastscan create a different person with the right amount of will and drive,especially when it comes to fulfilling your true destiny.

     Celebrated Seattle restaurateur Callie James is more than a little thrown when her ex-husband, French investigative reporter Daniel Odile-Grand, shows up after fourteen years asking for her help. Even more disturbing: as she throws him out, Daniel is deliberately hit by a car, hurled through the front window of her restaurant--broken, bloody and unconscious. He flees from the hospital and breaks into Callie's apartment, where he passes out. Reluctantly, Callie hides him. When she gets back to her restaurant, two assassins walk in, insisting that she find Daniel for them by tonight or pay the consequences. Overwhelmed and hopelessly out of her depth, Callie hires the only man she knows who can help her: Cash Logan, her former bartender, a man she had arrested for smuggling ivory through her restaurant two years earlier, and who still hasn't forgiven her. The assassins blow up her restaurant. It's Callie's nightmare. And the worst is yet to come as she and her unlikely, incompatible ally discover that the most perilous dangers are far closer to home than they'd imagined.

    ‘I can’t do this on my own,’ Emily sobbed. ‘I don’t know how.’When Emily’s husband dies in a terrible accident, she’s not the only wife he leaves behind.Because, before their whirlwind romance and Emily’s discovery she was pregnant, Pete had been married to Caroline for more than twenty years. A devastating tragedy had torn them apart. But there was a part of Pete that had never fully left his first wife and a secret that would bind them together, forever.Finding herself lonely, heartbroken, and forced to face life and motherhood alone – Emily is surprised that Caroline offers her support. But Emily knows she needs someone she can trust and rely on. Even if it’s the woman her husband loved before her.A tentative friendship develops and their lives become entwined. Their bond grows ever stronger as Caroline steps in to help when Emily’s baby arrives unexpectedly early. But it’s not just Caroline hiding a secret. Both of the women who once loved Pete have things they can never admit, without risking a friendship that might be the only thing keeping them both afloat.When grief begins to takes its toll on Emily, she feels sure that Caroline is the only person who can save her and baby Dylan… But should she trust the woman he loved before her – with her life… Or her child’s?An utterly devastating, but ultimately uplifting, emotional women’s fiction novel about friendship, motherhood and loss. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Susan Lewis and Jojo Moyes.

    At the same time, Russia, Iran, and Turkey are forming a highly dangerous alliance that could threaten the Western powers. Meanwhile, the U.S. is drawing down its military forces in the Mideast and focusing on matters closer to home. Where's it all heading?New York Times bestselling author Joel C. Rosenberg, based in Jerusalem, skillfully and clearly explains the sometimes-encouraging, sometimes-violent, yet rapidly shifting landscape in Israel and the Arab/Muslim world. Enemies and Allies will take readers behind closed doors in the Middle East and introduce them to the very kings and crown princes, presidents and prime ministers who are leading the change.Includes exclusive, never-before-published quotes, insights, and analysis from the author's conversations with some of the most complex and controversial leaders in the world:Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS)Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-SisiJordan's King Abdullah IIUnited Arab Emirates' Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed (MBZ)Israeli prime minister Benjamin NetanyahuIsraeli president Reuven Rivlin

    An untold one that played out in the district of Kozhikode when a young IAS officer took charge as the District Collector in 2015. Over the next two years, he led the district and transformed the very concept of public administration with the use of social media, public consultation, usage of technology, volunteerism and public participation in governance. The two year tenure of 'Collector Bro' in Kozhikode transformed the landscape and narrative of district administration and communication with the citizens forever.Within a couple of months, 'Collector Kozhikode' Facebook page became a trendsetter in Kerala, and the most followed district administration page in India. It still is. With initiatives like Compassionate Kozhikode, Operation Sulaimani, Savari Giri Giri, Kozhipedia, Freedom Café, Yo Appooppa and Tere Mere Beach Mein, IAS officer Prasanth Nair, who was the District Collector of Kozhikode at that time, ushered in a new language of governance that endeavoured to bridge the gap between the district administration and citizens through the optimal employment of social media. The District Collector descended from the colonial ivory towers and mingled as one amongst the common man, totally dismantling the hierarchical stereotypes that the society was used to.This book traces the story of how exactly this happened and how and why the public responded so overwhelmingly to such an initiative. It also chronicles how these experiences transformed the young officer also - from a hesitant public speaker to a crowd-puller, from an introvert to a seemingly extrovert energetic leader. For the first time, the emotional roller-coaster of events that re-shaped the attitude and language of engagement by District administration is narrated with all the inside-stories. Straight from the horse's mouth. The author however takes pains not to take centre-stage in the book and manages that somewhat with wit and self-deprecating humour. This book has got nothing to do with government; but it is all about governance, life and compassion. At one level it is a collection of case-studies, the most readable and engrossing ones, narrated with fun and illustrations. At another level it is a chronicle of a personal journey of a compassionate administrator. This is not a typical arrogant bureaucratic ‘I did this’ book, but an ‘I went through this’ book. Not a high-horsed motivational ‘you can do it’ book, but a book that makes you think and prioritise what you want to do in life.As Dr. Shashi Tharoor says in the foreword, a must read for all civil servants, civil-service aspirants, students of public administration and all citizens who dream for a better tomorrow.