Living On Lightning Review

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(More customer reviews)I really enjoyed Don Green's adventure story about a strong, daring man's challenges and triumphs to stay safe in a hazardous profession, to perform worthwhile work that truly served the public, and to make a living for his family. The dangerous profession of lineman is described in sometimes hair-raising (!) detail, which I found quite interesting as it was clear enough to understand.
I also liked the overall sense of historical context... this wasn't just one family's tale but a spotlight on them amid the very difficult time of the 1930's depression. The humor sprinkled throughout sealed the deal; this book is a real keeper!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
Renee


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When twenty-five-year-old Emmett Green, his wife, and baby are forced off their Oregon farm in 1932 by a rent increase they can't afford, it sets off a chain of events in which Emmett becomes a lineman working on live power lines at up to 120,000-volts in Eastern Washington.At such high voltages, electricity can jump through the air out of the sizzling, crackling wires like lightning and kill anyone who gets too close.Attracted by the high pay and steady work, which were rare job benefits during the 1930's, Emmett continues working as a lineman in spite of the danger.This story is set in the high-tension time before much of today's safety equipment and procedures were developed for line work, and one in three linemen were killed on the job.During his adventures in this job, Emmett narrowly escapes being killed.Working in windstorms, freezing winter cold, and scorching summer heat, he finds himself constantly stalked by death, and he is not certain that he will survive.His plight is no different from that of the other linemen, and there is a close brotherhood between them as they face these hardships and dangers together.In spite of the adventure, danger and tension in the story, some hilarious situations result from interactions between men in the line crew, and between Emmett and members of his family.Emmett's wife urges him to get a safer job, and he ventures into other jobs in heavy electrical industries.However, these also prove to have their dangers.After some hair-raising adventures in these jobs, Emmett returns to line work.He has a final accident that ends his career as a lineman, but surprisingly puts him into a position to fulfill his lifetime goals.This story is a work of fiction, but it is based on the real-life experiences of the main characters.Two of the older linemen who have reviewed it said that some of the narrow escapes in the story are similar to ones they have experienced themselves.

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Resonance Review

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(More customer reviews)There have been predictions that the world as we know it will end on December 21, 2012 (122112). This is apparently supported by the Mayan Calendar and the I-Ching, as well as a crazy-eyed man wearing a signboard outside the pizza store. As I understand it, the Winter Solstice of 2012 is going to be a humdinger of a day, so mark your calendars, and just to be safe, make sure you take that long overdue vacation really soon.
Which brings me to the subject of this timely book, which warns of a phenomenon called "the shift". As far as I understand from the book, as well as a few doomsday websites, the shift occurs when the magnetic poles of the earth play switcheroo, and this happens every 65 million years or so, give or take a few million years. Apparently, the dinosaurs didn't like the last shift at all, so chances are we won't be too happy with the next one.
This work of fiction blends scientific fact with a lot of hypothesis in a slightly long, but riveting plot which provides a lot of food for thought. A geologist discovers that there are places on earth where the shift is already occurring. At the same time, two doctors find themselves in the middle of a deadly epidemic, and another discovers mutated frogs and other animals behaving badly. The story involves their interaction when their areas of research converge, and the surprising way that the shift affects each one, and also the rest of the population.
Although the size of the book was a bit frightening at first, it is an easy read and quite a page turner in places. A few sections ramble on a little too long, and the romantic bits are more clinical than passionate, but we can excuse this, because after all, it IS the end of the world, and the doctors are under a lot of pressure. Sci-fi fans should try to read this one before 2012.Amanda Richards, April 16, 2008


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The shift is coming. Soon. Dr. David Carter knows this. However, he's a geologist, so 'soon' means anywhere from tomorrow to a thousand years from now. People are dying. Now. Drs. Jordan Abellard and Jillian Brookwood are standing at the edge of SuperAIDS. Or are they? They won't be able to figure it out if they can t get some authorization signed--and soon. But they're peons and no one is paying attention.
Whole species died at the last polar shift, 65 million years ago. Right now Dr. Becky Sorenson has some seriously mutated frogs in her lab. In Los Angeles, Bees are making abnormal columns on the side of the freeways. In Georgia, birds are migrating out of season. It all makes a sick kind of sense when the doctors consider that the last magnetic shift is strangely coincidental to the dinosaur die-out. And the only similarity in the problems today is that each is occurring in a 'hotspot'--a pocket of reverse polarity tells them all the shift is already here.

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Escaping the Giant Wave Review

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(More customer reviews)If you want to read an exciting book about two kids running for their lives this book will keep you on the edge of your seat. Escaping the Giant Wave is an adventure fiction book by Peg Kehret. This book takes place on Kyle Davidson's summer break at the Totem Pole Inn is Northwest Oregon.
In the beginning of this book Kyle's parents won a trip to the coast of Oregon. Next Kyle and his sister, Bee-Bee, witnessed a tsunami while their parents were out on a dinner cruise. Would they be safe alone? Would their parents ever find them? You HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK ro find out what happens to Kyle and Bee-Bee.
The theme of this story is be alert to signs. They are put there for a reason. This book reminded me of the big tsunami that hit Thailand 1 1/2 years ago. Boys and girls who are 4th-5th grade would love this book!
M.H. in Annapolis

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Freddy Goes to the North Pole (Freddy Books) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the second of the Freddy the Pig books written by Walter R. Brooks. The earlier books, while terrific for children, are not as entertaining for adults as the later books. The Freddy books are great moral instruction without ever being preachy, always entertaining. In this book, the Bean farm animals decide to visit the North Pole. They have adventures galore on the way and, at the Pole, help save Santa from some well-meaning pirates who are trying to bring efficiency to Santa's workshop. I didn't rate this book higher only because later Freddy books have an even greater appeal. For children, this should be at least a four-star

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Freddy the pig, Jinx the cat, and Charles the rooster have been to Florida, and back again. But when the other animals who live on the Bean farm want to travel as well, Freddy decides to start Barnyard Tours, Inc. When word spreads across the countryside of the Bean farm's newest innovation, Freddy and friends decide to organize the trip of a lifetime-an expedition to the North Pole! Join Freddy, Jinx, and the rest of the hearty explorers as they trek north, encountering strange sailors, Santa Claus, and a pack of polar problems along the way."The American version of the great English classics, such as the Pooh books or The Wind in the Willows." (The New York Times Book Review)

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