Silent Spring: Deadly Autumn of the Vietnam War


Patrick Hogan - 2019
    I began the process without much enthusiasm and quickly got side lined by my new civilian life. Little did I realize that I wouldn’t re-visit my disability claims again until almost forty years later, when I watched President Barack Obama give a speech on the horrors of the Vietnam War. I’m still not quite sure what happened that day, but after listening to the president, I committed myself to investigate the causal link between my tactical pesticide exposures and the myriad health problems plaguing my life and the lives of many other Vietnam veterans. My post-service medical problems began mildly enough but soon balloned and were followed by more serious health issues. Every time I would ask one of my doctors what was causing my illness, I would usually get the answer, “I don’t know, but---.” When I began my research in 2012, I would learn that Agent Orange, along with several other military pesticides, were all very capable of impacting every biological system in my body and could actually be linked to many wide-ranging ailments for which many of my doctors could only say they weren’t sure of the cause. Despite the uniqueness of Vietnam veterans and the incredibly diverse range of hazardous chemicals to which we were exposed, the DVA insists on assessing our illnesses by using civilian epidemiological studies, resulting in appallingly inadequate standards for evaluating our toxic exposures during the war. During my years of research, I have quite literally reviewed thousands of studies and documents. The vast majority of those records came to the same inescapable conclusions as I eventually did at the end of my investigation. Low-level exposures to just the various known chemicals discussed in my book will attack living organisms on an undetected hormonal, genetic, and cellular/molecular level, producing covert systemic damage and alterations to immune, cardiovascular, endocrine, respiratory, and neurological systems of any human unlucky enough to be put in their path. Exactly how that damage and those alterations manifest depends on the several exposure factors which I discus in the book. Regrettably, I couldn’t go back over the last half a century to get a do-over or to have the war conducted differently. I couldn’t force our legislative or military leaders to make better decisions. I couldn’t rewrite the unpleasant history of the Vietnam War, with all the numerous negative impacts that war had on me and every other soldier, marine, or sailor who served the United States in South Vietnam and in the blue waters of the surrounding ocean. The very best I could do, almost a half century after the war, was to write an account of our betrayal and describe our exposures to the toxic pesticides and abhorrent conditions of the Vietnam War. All in the sincere effort to correct the present so that what occurred in South Vietnam will never happen again to new generations of military personnel, their families and their children and quite possibility their grandchildren’s children. The mountain of evidence presented in my book points to one common sense conclusion: Exposure to the tactical pesticides used in the Vietnam War were extremely injurious to the health of military personnel, as well as, the health of anyone else exposed to them. Despite all the facts, the government still places the burden of proof on veterans instead of taking responsibility for the mess they made during the Vietnam War or in the words of Dr. Jeanne Stellman, the Vietnam War is, "the largest unstudied environmental disaster in the world."

The Last Correspondent


Soraya M. Lane - 2020
    But having risked everything to write, she refuses to be silenced and leaps at the chance to become a correspondent in war-torn France.Already entrenched in the thoroughly male arena of war reporting is feisty American photojournalist Danni Bradford. Together with her best friend and partner, Andy, she is determined to cover the events unfolding in Normandy. And to discover the whereabouts of Andy’s flighty sister, Vogue model Chloe, who has followed a lover into the French Resistance.When trailblazing efforts turn to tragedy, Danni, Ella and Chloe are drawn together, and soon form a formidable team. Each woman is determined to follow her dreams ‘no matter what’, and to make her voice heard over the noise of war.Europe is a perilous place, with danger at every turn. They’ll need to rely on each other if they are to get their stories back, and themselves out alive. Will the adventure and love they find be worth the journey of their lives?

The Precious Secret of a Loving Governess


Abigail Agar - 2019
    However, after her family’s fall from grace, she is forced to find work as a governess. When she is hired by a charming Earl, she strives to win his daughter’s affinity, but she is soon to find herself in a terrible position, after making an unpleasant discovery. Will she choose to keep the secret to herself despite what her heart commands? Or will she let a lie destroy any chance she has for happiness and love? Reginald Fairfax, the Earl of Hanover, is haunted by the death of his late wife and the engagement to a woman he does not love. When the new governess he has hired for his daughter appears, he is stunned by her beauty. Getting to know her better, he will get captivated by her kindness, but the reality is harsh and will not allow his feelings to bloom. Will he eventually choose society’s rules and let his heart down? Or will he find the courage to admit something he has been denying all this time: that he is in love? When their paths cross, Victoria realises that her secret is so strong that could bring them together or separate them forever. Will their love overcome society’s expectations? Or will they back down to a dull life, far away from each other?

Noah's Petting Zoo


Idan Hadari - 2013
    With a great deal of courage and motivation, he turns Noah into a petting zoo, and by doing so, he helps his friend Noah to be saved.The story demonstrates to children how to crusade for what they believe in; to be more environmental friendly; to help one's fellow man; what true friendship is; and of course, to like and to play with all of the adorable animals in the story. Your kids will enjoy amazing paintings of a house full of all sorts of animals (dogs, cats, monkeys, turtles, giraffes, cows, horses and many more) and a very cute yellow tractor. Your kids will learn how to be more:• Social and friendly• Self-motivated• Environmental friendlyThe story is with simple rhyming text for children ages 3-8.

Wicked Temptations for the Seduced Duchess


Olivia Bennet - 2019
    When a striking young man suddenly lands on their doorstep, she is immediately enticed.An obscure aggressor is out for his blood and Edward Godwin is running for his life. Waking up after a fierce attack, he finds himself in an unfamiliar manor. Unable to recall that he is, in fact, the Duke of Summerhill, he finds work there as a stable boy.With his life threatened by the minute and his family looking for him, all clues lead to a mysterious woman who claims to be Edward’s secret lover...but that is only part of the riddle.Forgotten but never undone, an olden mistake returns from the grave to torment them, making Lydia and Edward realize they are on borrowed time.*If you like a realistic yet steamy depiction of the Regency and Victorian era, then Wicked Temptations for the Seduced Duchess is the novel for you. This is Olivia's debut novel, a historical Regency romance novel of 80,000 words (around 400 pages). No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a strong happily ever after.

The Republic of Imagination: America in Three Books


Azar Nafisi - 2014
    In this exhilarating followup, Nafisi has written the book her fans have been waiting for: an impassioned, beguiling and utterly original tribute to the vital importance of fiction in a democratic society. What Reading Lolita in Tehran was for Iran, The Republic of Imagination is for America. Taking her cue from a challenge thrown to her in Seattle, where a skeptical reader told her that Americans don’t care about books the way they did back in Iran, she challenges those who say fiction has nothing to teach us. Blending memoir and polemic with close readings of her favorite American novels—from Huckleberry Finn to The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter—she invites us to join her as citizens of her "Republic of Imagination," a country where the villains are conformity and orthodoxy, and the only passport to entry is a free mind and a willingness to dream.

To Obey and Serve


V.L. Perry - 2015
    Here she steps out of the shadows to tell her story: from fleeing the terrors of the Reformation to becoming a trusted spy for Queen Anne, to her own dangerous tumble in the king’s bed. In the political maze of the Tudor court, she can trust only one other person: a seemingly timid country girl named Jane Seymour, whose demure exterior masks a deeper ambition. But when it becomes clear that Jane is playing her own ruthless game to win the king’s affection – and Anne’s crown – will the web of betrayal be severed by the axe?

All Gone to Look for America: Riding the Iron Horse Across a Continent (and Back)


Peter Millar - 2009
    With a shoestring budget, a backpack and an open mind, Millar followed the railroad, watching the vast American landscape and listening to the stories and concerns of the people.

A Love Blooming in the Silent Ranch


Lorelei Brogan - 2019
    Being a mute was already hard, but managing a ranch brings her live in dire straits. All up until a stranger appears out of nowhere, offering to help her deal with everything she's been facing. Will she trust this mysterious charming man who arrived uninvited at her door? Or will she refuse the relief he is willing to offer, fearing that she might look weak?Jacob Dempsey is a reformed outlaw. The day his youngest brother died in his arms, he turned tail and swore he would never return to the town connected to his criminal past. Now, some dreadful news reach his ears and he is called upon to return disguised to his old home once again. He never planned to stay more than a night, but when he rescues a young woman, his destiny suddenly changes. But will he be able to survive the dangerous present, and reach the future he so desperately craves?Amelia and Jacob are about to develop a strong, almost magical, connection with each other. Yet, old enemies are prowling around, ready to attack. Will the heroes finally learn to trust each other, escape danger and surrender to a sincere love?

Every Love Story Is a Ghost Story: A Life of David Foster Wallace


D.T. Max - 2012
    In this, the first biography of the writer, D. T. Max sets out to chart Wallace’s tormented, anguished and often triumphant battle to succeed as a novelist as he fights off depression and addiction to emerge with his masterpiece, Infinite Jest. Since his untimely death by suicide at the age of forty-six in 2008, Wallace has become more than the quintessential writer for his time—he has become a symbol of sincerity and honesty in an inauthentic age.  In the end, as Max shows us, what is most interesting about Wallace is not just what he wrote but how he taught us all to live. Written with the cooperation of Wallace’s family and friends and with access to hundreds of his unpublished letters, manuscripts, and audio tapes, this portrait of an extraordinarily gifted writer is as fresh as news, as intimate as a love note, as painful as a goodbye.

A Hard Man is Good to Find


James W. Lewis - 2011
    Despite the exceptional qualities and his obvious interest in her, things are moving too slow between them. Unlike most men who can’t wait to get in her pants, this particular man refuses to take things to the next level.DARYL JACKSON has grown tired of the nightclub scene and wants to settle down, but he has a secret that always seems to interrupt any potential love connection once he reveals it. He believes Michelle is the ideal woman, but can she handle the truth?After six weeks of dating, and still no attempt from him to get her “horizontal,” Michelle grows sex-starved. She is driving herself crazy trying to figure out Daryl’s problem! During a weekend getaway in Palm Springs, Michelle finally puts an end to the what’s-wrong-with-Daryl guessing game and demands to know what’s up. Not only does Daryl answer all her questions, Michelle learns first hand that you really need to be careful with what you wish for!

The Incorrigible Lady Catherine


Elena Greene - 2001
    Length: about 65,000 words. Sensuality: kisses, one sex scene.Lady Catherine Harcourt, the daughter of the Duke of Whitgrave, tries to escape her cold, repressive family by eloping with a rake. Foiled in her bid for independence, she is exiled to her aunts’ cottage in a secluded but picturesque corner of the Lake District. There she meets Philip Woodmere, a gentleman farmer as kind as he is ruggedly attractive. She warms to his lively family, so different from her own, and is drawn to his quiet strength. At the same time, she fears that if her father caught wind of a romance, he would do anything to prevent such an unequal match, without caring whom he hurt. Philip has been looking for a bride for practical reasons: to care for his numerous younger brothers and sisters. But he is moved by the mysterious lady who is living with his elderly neighbors under what he suspects is an assumed name. He senses passion beneath Catherine’s elusive manner and sets out to earn her trust and love. But their chance for happiness is soon threatened by a secret from her past.

Something for the Weekend: Life in the Chemsex Underworld


James Wharton - 2018
    In his search for new friends and potential lovers, he becomes sucked into London’s gay drug culture, soon becoming addicted to partying and the phenomenon that is ‘chemsex’. Exploring his own journey through this dark but popular world, James looks at the motivating factors that led him to the culture, as well as examining the paths taken by others. He reveals the real goings-on at the weekends for thousands of people after most have gone to bed, and how modern technology allows them to arrange, congregate, furnish themselves with drugs and spend hours, often days, behind closed curtains, with strangers and in states of heightened sexual desire.Something for the Weekend looks compassionately at a growing culture that’s now moved beyond London and established itself as more than a short-term craze.

Elizabeth I: Legendary Queen Of England


Michael W. Simmons - 2016
    Born the heir to the throne, she was declared a bastard when she was three years old, after her mother was executed for treason, witchcraft, and incest. During the reign of her sister, Mary I, she was a prisoner in the Tower of London, where she was expected to die. But when she became Queen, at the age of 25, she swiftly stunned the royal court by stepping into the seat of power with grace, intelligence, and an air of majesty that maddened and enchanted the men around her. For 44 years, Elizabeth I guided England through religious upheavals and plots to overthrow the government. Courted by all the most powerful princes in Europe, she baffled her advisors by refusing to marry any of them. And when England stood under threat of invasion by the most powerful nation in Europe, Elizabeth’s navy destroyed the Spanish Armada so decisively that it was seen as an act of God. In this book, you will discover why no English monarch has ever been more famous, more successful—or more deeply loved by her people.

Shakespeare's England


Louis B. Wright - 1964
    He left Stratford and walked to London, where, in time, he became the world's greatest playwright. Here is Shakespeare's little-told story, presented against the colorful tapestry of his England, the kingdom under Elizabeth I and James I. In the reigns of those monarchs, the nation was emerging from centuries of medieval turmoil. The small island that had changed so little since the Norman Conquest of 1066 suddenly became a center of international adventure, political experimentation, and artistic development. Young Shakespeare was fortunate to be in England. The first professional theater opened in London in 1576; he arrived, stage-struck and in search of a job, around 1587. He retired to Stratford a wealthy gentleman in 1611, only a generation before the theaters of England were closed by the Puritans. During Shakespeare's London years, England seethed with plots and intrigue and throbbed with pageantry; everywhere a writer looked was a scene to fire his imagination. Like Sir Walter Raleigh and other daring contemporaries, William Shakespeare was, indeed, an Elizabethan who took advantage of his time.