Best Transportation
Their survival, and the survival of the men they left behind, depended on their small lifeboat successfully finding the island of South Georgia-a tiny dot of land in a vast and hostile ocean. 'A superb account of the greatest survival story of our time' - Chris Bonington The story of Ernest Shackleton's epic journey to cross the Antarctic overland has now been turned into four hours of gripping television with Kenneth Branagh playing Shackleton. Shackleton's mission failed, but the resulting adventure became one of the most celebrated accounts of man's survival against unbelievable odds.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Other must-reads in the genre are The Long Walk (though that turns out to be most likely fiction so I no longer recommend it), Into the Wild, and Arctic Adventure: My Life in the Frozen North. At the time of launching, Shakleton's expedition was history's most extensively planned exploratory trip to Antarctic, complete with a photographer, scientists, carpenters and engineers (a crew of 27 in total). The crew salvaged what it could and was forced to make do with dwindling supplies and provisions, eventually eating some of their beloved dogs. I won't dampen your reading pleasure by giving away too much of the unfolding events, but through a combination of amazing resourcefulness, outstanding leadership, and ultimately incredible luck on the part of Shakleton, the whole crew survived without a single life lost."
"The actual photographs of the Endurance stuck in the ice are worth the price of the new edition."
"It is really a testament to how strong people can be and how insanely powerful teamwork, positivity and determination can be. I bought the audio CD as I love to listen to books on the way to and from work and this one is of particularly high quality as the voice actor does an amazing job of using accents and real emotion while telling the story."
"After six terrible days, they made it to uninhabited Elephant Island; from there Shackleton and five other men set off in an open 22-foot boat on an incredible 800-mile voyage across the notoriously tempestuous Drake Passage to South Georgia Island, where they hiked across the island’s mountain range to reach a whaling camp. That these men were able to survive in the harsh, barren conditions of Antarctica, where temperatures frequently fell below zero is amazing. It’s nearly unimaginable that these men could survive for almost two years, their lives marked by a seemingly endless stretch of misery, suffering, and boredom, not to mention the threat of starvation. Don’t miss it."
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The riveting, tick-tock account of the largest manmade explosion in history prior to the atomic bomb, and the equally astonishing tales of survival and heroism that emerged from the ashes. , from acclaimed New York Times bestselling author John U. Bacon. This is the unforgettable story told in John U. Bacon's The Great Halifax Explosion : a ticktock account of fateful decisions that led to doom, the human faces of the blast's 11,000 casualties, and the equally moving individual stories of those who lived and selflessly threw themselves into urgent rescue work that saved thousands. With deep research and evocative writing, John U. Bacon has brought back to life this devastating wartime event and illuminated its lasting meaning.” (DAVID MARANISS, Pulitzer Prize winner, and author of Once in a Great City ). “The most destructive moment of World War I occurred far from the Western Front, in Canada, where an explosion blew a city apart but propelled two nations together. John U. Bacon, a superbly talented historian and story teller, has rescued from obscurity an astonishing episode of horror and heroism.” (GEORGE F. WILL). “John U. Bacon’s The Great Halifax Explosion is the seminal account of one of the bloodiest man-made disasters in world history, which killed some 2,000 people. Ultimately, it is a book about the power of the human spirit and how ordinary people overcome unimaginable horror to rebuild their lives and help others.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I don't know much about Canadian history, but I had heard of the Halifax explosion, so this book intrigued me. There are lots of interesting details, and I really liked all of the photographs of the people and the aftermath. (Photos are not necessary, but I appreciate them in a non-fiction book as it helps bring the subject matter more to life.)."
"I found the first third of the book an interesting read about life during WW I, but when the book gets to a point where about a dozen things go wrong in succession, leading to the devastating blast, it’s mesmerizing."
"I heard about this book last week on Al Kresta's radio show, as Al interviewed John U Bacon, and the book sounded so fascinating, I just had to read it."
"The blunders and treachery that lead to the explosion are surpassed only by the heroism and compassion of rescue and relief workers."
"A very readable book particularly when the stories of several local people are included in the listing of the events."
"Deeply researched and told in a riveting fashion, this book vividly draws you through the moments of one of the biggest man made tragedies ever experienced."
"He suspensefully sets up the collision of two ships and explosion that followed against the backdrop of WWI and US - Canadian relations in 1917."
"Hard to believe that this is a disaster story way overlooked by most history buffs."
On a winter day in 1903 on the remote Outer Banks of North Carolina two unknown brothers from Ohio changed history The age of flight had begun with the first heavier than air powered machine carrying a pilot Far more than a couple of Dayton bicycle mechanics who happened to hit on success Wilbur and Orville Wright were men of exceptional ability unyielding determination and far ranging intellectual interest and curiosity Two time Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough tells the dramatic story of how these courageous brothers taught the world how to fly and how their devoted sister Katharine played a far more important role than has been generally understood Book jacket The 1 New York Times bestseller from David McCullough two time winner of the Pulitzer Prize the dramatic story behind the story about the courageous brothers who taught the world how to fly Wilbur and Orville Wright On a winter day in 1903 in the Outer Banks of North Carolina two brothers bicycle mechanics from Dayton Ohio changed history But it would take the world some time to believe that the age of flight had begun with the first powered machine carrying a pilot Orville and Wilbur Wright were men of exceptional courage and determination and of far ranging intellectual interests and ceaseless curiosity When they worked together no problem seemed to be insurmountable Wilbur was unquestionably a genius Orville had such mechanical ingenuity as few had ever seen That they had no more than a public high school education and little money never stopped them in their mission to take to the air Nothing did not even the self evident reality that every time they took off they risked being killed In this enjoyable fast paced tale The Economist master historian David McCullough shows as never before how two Ohio boys from a remarkable family taught the world to fly The Washington Post and captures the marvel of what the Wrights accomplished The Wall Stree.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"David McCullough is one of the preeminent American historians of our times, the deft biographer of John Adams and Harry Truman, and in this book he brings his wonderful historical exposition and storytelling skills to the lives of the Wright brothers. If I have some minor reservations they are only in the lack of technical detail which could have informed descriptions of some of the Wrights' experiments and the slightly hagiographical tint that McCullough is known to bring to his subjects. Firstly McCullough who is quite certainly one of the best storytellers among all historians does a great job of giving us the details of the Wrights' upbringing and family. The Wrights' sister Katharine also played an integral part in their lives; they were very close to her and McCullough's account is filled with copious examples of the affectionate, sometimes scolding, always encouraging letters that the siblings wrote to each other. Lastly, McCullough does a fine job describing how the Wrights rose to world fame after their flight. McCullough's account of the Wright brothers, as warm and fast-paced as it is, was most interesting to me for the lessons it holds for the future. But perhaps what the Wright brothers' story exemplifies the most is the importance of simple traits like devotion to family, hard work, intense intellectual curiosity and most importantly, the frontier, can-do attitude that has defined the American dream since its inception."
"McCullough has written a serious and riveting review of the lives of Wilbur and Orville. FAMILY. McCullough makes it clear that the Wilbur and Orville were a product of their family environment. McCullough writes — “He was an unyielding abstainer, which was rare on the frontier, a man of rectitude and purpose— all of which could have served as a description of Milton himself and Wilbur and Orville as well.”. His strict values molded and focused the views of the three younger Wrights (Katherine, Wilbur, and Orville). I am sure that Orville and myself will do nothing that will disgrace the training we received from you and Mother.”. McCullough writes — “Years later, a friend told Orville that he and his brother would always stand as an example of how far Americans with no special advantages could advance in the world. the greatest thing in our favor was growing up in a family where there was always much encouragement to intellectual curiosity.’ ”. BUSINESS. McCullough records Wilbur’s thoughts on being in business in a letter to his brother Lorin in 1894: “In business it is the aggressive man, who continually has his eye on his own interest, who succeeds. … We ought not to have been businessmen.”. In 1911, Wilbur wrote: “When we think what we might have accomplished if we had been able to devote this time [fighting patent infringement suits] to experiments, we feel very sad, but it is always easier to deal with things than with men, and no one can direct his life entirely as he would choose.”. The Wrights never built, or even tried to build, an industrial empire as Ford or Edison or their Dayton neighbors John and Frank Patterson (National Cash Register) had done. Wilbur and Orville were superb engineers, though neither went beyond high school. For example, the wind tunnel had been invented thirty years before, but Wilbur and Orville developed it into a precise quantitative instrument. For example, McCullough writes — “In early 1889, while still in high school, Orville started his own print shop in the carriage shed behind the house, and apparently with no objections from the Bishop. To reinforce that point requires some expansion of that event or similar other defining events in the lives of Wilbur and Orville. One source of knowledge about the Wrights’ approach to aeronautics is the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton."
Best Aviation
On a winter day in 1903 on the remote Outer Banks of North Carolina two unknown brothers from Ohio changed history The age of flight had begun with the first heavier than air powered machine carrying a pilot Far more than a couple of Dayton bicycle mechanics who happened to hit on success Wilbur and Orville Wright were men of exceptional ability unyielding determination and far ranging intellectual interest and curiosity Two time Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough tells the dramatic story of how these courageous brothers taught the world how to fly and how their devoted sister Katharine played a far more important role than has been generally understood Book jacket The 1 New York Times bestseller from David McCullough two time winner of the Pulitzer Prize the dramatic story behind the story about the courageous brothers who taught the world how to fly Wilbur and Orville Wright On a winter day in 1903 in the Outer Banks of North Carolina two brothers bicycle mechanics from Dayton Ohio changed history But it would take the world some time to believe that the age of flight had begun with the first powered machine carrying a pilot Orville and Wilbur Wright were men of exceptional courage and determination and of far ranging intellectual interests and ceaseless curiosity When they worked together no problem seemed to be insurmountable Wilbur was unquestionably a genius Orville had such mechanical ingenuity as few had ever seen That they had no more than a public high school education and little money never stopped them in their mission to take to the air Nothing did not even the self evident reality that every time they took off they risked being killed In this enjoyable fast paced tale The Economist master historian David McCullough shows as never before how two Ohio boys from a remarkable family taught the world to fly The Washington Post and captures the marvel of what the Wrights accomplished The Wall Stree.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"David McCullough is one of the preeminent American historians of our times, the deft biographer of John Adams and Harry Truman, and in this book he brings his wonderful historical exposition and storytelling skills to the lives of the Wright brothers. If I have some minor reservations they are only in the lack of technical detail which could have informed descriptions of some of the Wrights' experiments and the slightly hagiographical tint that McCullough is known to bring to his subjects. Firstly McCullough who is quite certainly one of the best storytellers among all historians does a great job of giving us the details of the Wrights' upbringing and family. The Wrights' sister Katharine also played an integral part in their lives; they were very close to her and McCullough's account is filled with copious examples of the affectionate, sometimes scolding, always encouraging letters that the siblings wrote to each other. Lastly, McCullough does a fine job describing how the Wrights rose to world fame after their flight. McCullough's account of the Wright brothers, as warm and fast-paced as it is, was most interesting to me for the lessons it holds for the future. But perhaps what the Wright brothers' story exemplifies the most is the importance of simple traits like devotion to family, hard work, intense intellectual curiosity and most importantly, the frontier, can-do attitude that has defined the American dream since its inception."
"McCullough has written a serious and riveting review of the lives of Wilbur and Orville. FAMILY. McCullough makes it clear that the Wilbur and Orville were a product of their family environment. McCullough writes — “He was an unyielding abstainer, which was rare on the frontier, a man of rectitude and purpose— all of which could have served as a description of Milton himself and Wilbur and Orville as well.”. His strict values molded and focused the views of the three younger Wrights (Katherine, Wilbur, and Orville). I am sure that Orville and myself will do nothing that will disgrace the training we received from you and Mother.”. McCullough writes — “Years later, a friend told Orville that he and his brother would always stand as an example of how far Americans with no special advantages could advance in the world. the greatest thing in our favor was growing up in a family where there was always much encouragement to intellectual curiosity.’ ”. BUSINESS. McCullough records Wilbur’s thoughts on being in business in a letter to his brother Lorin in 1894: “In business it is the aggressive man, who continually has his eye on his own interest, who succeeds. … We ought not to have been businessmen.”. In 1911, Wilbur wrote: “When we think what we might have accomplished if we had been able to devote this time [fighting patent infringement suits] to experiments, we feel very sad, but it is always easier to deal with things than with men, and no one can direct his life entirely as he would choose.”. The Wrights never built, or even tried to build, an industrial empire as Ford or Edison or their Dayton neighbors John and Frank Patterson (National Cash Register) had done. Wilbur and Orville were superb engineers, though neither went beyond high school. For example, the wind tunnel had been invented thirty years before, but Wilbur and Orville developed it into a precise quantitative instrument. For example, McCullough writes — “In early 1889, while still in high school, Orville started his own print shop in the carriage shed behind the house, and apparently with no objections from the Bishop. To reinforce that point requires some expansion of that event or similar other defining events in the lives of Wilbur and Orville. One source of knowledge about the Wrights’ approach to aeronautics is the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton."
Best Transportation History
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The riveting, tick-tock account of the largest manmade explosion in history prior to the atomic bomb, and the equally astonishing tales of survival and heroism that emerged from the ashes. , from acclaimed New York Times bestselling author John U. Bacon. This is the unforgettable story told in John U. Bacon's The Great Halifax Explosion : a ticktock account of fateful decisions that led to doom, the human faces of the blast's 11,000 casualties, and the equally moving individual stories of those who lived and selflessly threw themselves into urgent rescue work that saved thousands. With deep research and evocative writing, John U. Bacon has brought back to life this devastating wartime event and illuminated its lasting meaning.” (DAVID MARANISS, Pulitzer Prize winner, and author of Once in a Great City ). “The most destructive moment of World War I occurred far from the Western Front, in Canada, where an explosion blew a city apart but propelled two nations together. John U. Bacon, a superbly talented historian and story teller, has rescued from obscurity an astonishing episode of horror and heroism.” (GEORGE F. WILL). “John U. Bacon’s The Great Halifax Explosion is the seminal account of one of the bloodiest man-made disasters in world history, which killed some 2,000 people. Ultimately, it is a book about the power of the human spirit and how ordinary people overcome unimaginable horror to rebuild their lives and help others.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I don't know much about Canadian history, but I had heard of the Halifax explosion, so this book intrigued me. There are lots of interesting details, and I really liked all of the photographs of the people and the aftermath. (Photos are not necessary, but I appreciate them in a non-fiction book as it helps bring the subject matter more to life.)."
"I found the first third of the book an interesting read about life during WW I, but when the book gets to a point where about a dozen things go wrong in succession, leading to the devastating blast, it’s mesmerizing."
"I heard about this book last week on Al Kresta's radio show, as Al interviewed John U Bacon, and the book sounded so fascinating, I just had to read it."
"The blunders and treachery that lead to the explosion are surpassed only by the heroism and compassion of rescue and relief workers."
"A very readable book particularly when the stories of several local people are included in the listing of the events."
"Deeply researched and told in a riveting fashion, this book vividly draws you through the moments of one of the biggest man made tragedies ever experienced."
"He suspensefully sets up the collision of two ships and explosion that followed against the backdrop of WWI and US - Canadian relations in 1917."
"Hard to believe that this is a disaster story way overlooked by most history buffs."
Best Mass Transit
If You Don't Have Kindle You Can Still Read This Book On Your Web Browser using Amazon Free Cloud Reader. Yet, we resort to these because they are easier to get and don’t involve us spending hours in the kitchen! • Why it is important to Meal Prep. • How to Change Your Mindset to Lose Weight. • Practical Tips to Make Meal Prepping Easy. • Mistakes to Avoid. • Frequently Asked Questions. • Four Week Meal Plan. • Breakfast Recipes. • Lunch and Dinner Recipes. • Dessert Recipes. • Smoothie Recipes. • Salad Recipes. • Soup Recipes. • Side Dishes Recipes. • Snack Recipes. • How to Stay Motivated. Download your copy NOW!
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Very informative."
"This is a great tool to keep my meals interesting and not boring."
"Great, quick read filled with a lot of info."
"Great book that definitely helps with meal prep."
"Very helpful for me being a beginner at this."
"Wouldn't recommend this."
"Instead, it's a couple of chapters of about weight loss and a bunch of recipes, many of which say to serve immediately."
"Definitely needed a few more eyes reviewing it before it was published."
Best Vehicle Owner's Manuals & Maintenance Guides
First published in 1969, this classic manual of automotive repair equips VW owners with the knowledge to handle every situation they will come across with any air-cooled Volkswagen built through 1978, including Bugs, Karmann Ghias, vans, and campers. John Muir, mechanic, author, and the publisher, wrote the original How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive in 1969.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"We used it so much that we decided to look for a copy to keep and Amazon had it for a great price, fast shipping, and very good condition."
"I bought an original copy of this great VW manual back in the 1960's but I can't really say I noticed any updates worth mentioning in the new copy.That being said, it's a must for any new or old VW owner."
"I genuinely believe this book, a beater bug, and weekends in the garage with car talk on the radio in background were as valuable as a fair chunk of the money spent on the kids college education."
"As soon as I got my 73 THING, I ordered this book."
"Written with great thought and plenty of wit, this book sets out to allow any person who so desires to maintain their Volkswagen without needing to have any automotive training or prior knowledge at all."
"My boyfriend has a 72 VW and he loves this book."
"If you have a VW bug (ours is a 1974 Super Beetle) or a VW van this book is a must to have."
"This book is great and one I used back in my teenage years to rebuild and keep my bug running in high school."
Best Railroads
Featuring amazing images of trains, virtual tours of engines, and profiles of key innovators, designers, and engineers, Train: The Definitive Visual History traces the history of the railroad and the role of trains, from the first steam engines to today's high speed bullet trains. DK's aim is to inform, enrich, and entertain readers of all ages, and everything DK publishes, whether print or digital, embodies the unique DK design approach. DK acts as the parent company for Alpha Books, publisher of the Idiot's Guides series and Prima Games, video gaming publishers, as well as the award-winning travel publisher, Rough Guides.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"ANY DK book is worth picking up."
"Heavy book - dense with info and incredible pictures. All train lovers will love it !"
"Beautifully illustrated book on trains."
"Very, very, very thorough book."
"I bought it for my 34 year old husband for Christmas and he loves it."
"My grandson loves this book."
"3 year old loves "reading" the book and learning about trains."
Best Transportation Reference
- Rick Steves , Travel Writer and TV Presenter "An epic journey with a master philosopher." Nicos not only writes in an engaging style that allows readers to share his experiences, but his philosophical reflections provide unique insights into the process and value of education through travel." It also provides a philosophical framework for embarking on more meaningful and purposeful travels, whether it is an around the world journey, or an exploration of a region, or even a city. From Chile and Argentina to Thailand and Japan, Destination Earth explores the delicate and invisible interconnections of nations and countries, people and cultures, and delves deep into all aspects of travel and its transformational power: Ideas, experiences, stories and photographs are interwoven into a newly created Philosophy of Travel that is practical and easy to read. "In his book, Destination Earth, Nicos Hadjicostis shares the ultimate 'budget travel tip': how to make your travels transformational." Nicos not only writes in an engaging style that allows readers to share his experiences, but his philosophical reflections provide unique insights into the process and value of education through travel."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It is the fierce struggle against our already formed concepts of the ‘other’; the vanquishing of our dearly held beliefs, of what is familiar, intimate, cherished.”. Travel is more than visiting a place with a set itinerary. Let’s be honest, if the reader is seeking a travel book that one may sit and read about the world or a plan to take a trip this isn’t it. Where the world becomes a single destination where one can experience the past, present and the future within it’s boundaries and never leave the planet. The pictures not only capture nature’s beauty, but seeing real life in other parts of our globe – whether day-to-day activities, funerals, religious ceremonies or university students taking a break."
"In Destination Earth, Nicos Hadjicostis takes the reader through a new philosophy of world travel. Hadjicostis makes the reader really think about the way they travel and helps them to view it in a more mindful way. Travel can be more than a vacation, it’s an experience of another culture and learning more about other places in the world. Hadjicostis began his journey touring the United States, once that was competed he planned a jagged line for the rest of the world. While spending time in one village, he’d learn about a ritual in another, he was constantly on the move exploring."
"It inspired me to consider world travel as the “ultimate university.” It explores the more philosophical aspects of being on a long-term journey, dealing with foreign cultures and traditions, opening your mind to new experiences, and deciding how to approach a region so that you maximize your travel experiences in order to leave with a solid understanding of it."
"Given Nicos’s extensive journey around the world, he deeply understands this dichotomy and eloquently writes about how to balance the rewards with the challenges."
Best Ships
But the Lusitania was one of the era’s great transatlantic “Greyhounds”—the fastest liner then in service—and her captain, William Thomas Turner, placed tremendous faith in the gentlemanly strictures of warfare that for a century had kept civilian ships safe from attack. Full of glamour and suspense, Dead Wake brings to life a cast of evocative characters, from famed Boston bookseller Charles Lauriat to pioneering female architect Theodate Pope to President Woodrow Wilson, a man lost to grief, dreading the widening war but also captivated by the prospect of new love. Finalist for the Washington State Book Award. — History/General Non-fiction. A Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of 2015. A St. Louis Post-Dispatch Best Book of 2015. A Miami Herald Favorite Book of 2015. BookTrib's Best Narrative Nonfiction Book of 2015. #1 History & Biography Book in the 2015 Goodreads Choice Awards. A LibraryReads Top Ten Book of 2015. A Library Journal Top Ten Book of 2015. A Kirkus Best Book of 2015. An Indigo Best Book of 2015 "Larson is one of the modern masters of popular narrative nonfiction...a resourceful reporter and a subtle stylist who understands the tricky art of Edward Scissorhands-ing narrative strands into a pleasing story...An entertaining book about a great subject, and it will do much to make this seismic event resonate for new generations of readers." — The New York Times Book Review "Larson is an old hand at treating nonfiction like high drama...He knows how to pick details that have maximum soapy potential and then churn them down until they foam [and] has an eye for haunting, unexploited detail." — The New York Times "In his gripping new examination of the last days of what was then the fastest cruise ship in the world, Larson brings the past stingingly alive...He draws upon telegrams, war logs, love letters, and survivor depositions to provide the intriguing details, things I didn't know I wanted to know...Thrilling, dramatic and powerful." "This enthralling and richly detailed account demonstrates that there was far more going on beneath the surface than is generally known...Larson's account [of the Lusitania 's sinking] is the most lucid and suspenseful yet written, and he finds genuine emotional power in the unlucky confluences of forces, 'large and achingly small,' that set the stage for the ship's agonizing final moments." "Larson has a gift for transforming historical re-creations into popular recreations, and Dead Wake is no exception...[He] provides first-rate suspense, a remarkable achievement given that we already know how this is going to turn out...The tension, in the reader's easy chair, is unbearable..." — The Boston Globe. Larson is an exceptionally skilled storyteller, and his tick-tock narrative, which cuts between the Lusitania , U-20 and the political powers behind them, is pitch-perfect." "Larson so brilliantly elucidates [the Lusitania 's fate] in Dead Wake , his detailed forensic and utterly engrossing account of the Lusitania 's last voyage...Yes, we know how the story of the Lusitania ends, but there's still plenty of white-knuckle tension. "Larson's nimble, exquisitely researched tale puts you dead center...Larson deftly pulls off the near-magical feat of taking a foregone conclusion and conjuring a tale that's suspenseful, moving and altogether riveting." "With each revelation from Britain and America, with each tense, claustrophobic scene aboard U-20, the German sub that torpedoed the ship, with each vignette from the Lusitania , Larson's well-paced narrative ratchets the suspense. "[Larson] has a gift for finding the small, personal details that bring history to life...His depiction of the sinking of the ship, and the horrific 18 minutes between the time it was hit and the time it disappeared, is masterly, moving between strange, touching details." Not so with Erik Larson...Larson wrestles these disparate narratives into a unified, coherent story and so creates a riveting account of the Lusitania 's ending and the beginnings of the U.S.'s involvement in the war." —Pittsburgh Post Gazette "In your mind, the sinking of the luxury liner Lusitania may be filed in a cubbyhole...After reading Erik Larson's impressive reconstruction of the Lusitania 's demise, you're going to need a much bigger cubbyhole...Larson's book is a work of carefully sourced nonfiction, not a novelization, but it has a narrative sweep and miniseries pacing that make it highly entertaining as well as informative." "Larson breathes life into narrative history like few writers working today." "Now the tragic footnote to a global conflagration, the history of the [ Lusitania 's] final voyage... is worthy of the pathos and narrative artistry Erik Larson brings to Dead Wake ...Reader's of Larson's previous nonfiction page turners...will not be disappointed. "The story of the Lusitania 's sinking by a German U-boat has been told before, but Larson's version features new details and the gripping immediacy he's famous for." The fact that this is coming through a page-turner history book, where all the figures and details reveal an impeccable eye and thorough research, is just one of the odd pleasures of Larson's writing." He draws upon a wealth of sources for his subject – telegrams, wireless messages, survivor depositions, secret intelligence ledgers, a submarine captain’s war log, love letters, admiralty and university archives, even morgue photos of Lusitania victims… Filled with revealing political, military and social information, Larson’s engrossing Dead Wake is, at its heart, a benediction for the 1,198 souls lost at sea.” — Tampa Bay Times. "In a well-paced narrative, Larson reveals the forces large and small, natural and man-made, coincidental and intentional, that propelled the Lusitania to its fatal rendezvous...Larson's description of the moments and hours that followed the torpedo's explosive impact is riveting... Dead Wake stands on its own as a gripping recounting of an episode that still has the power to haunt a reader 100 years later." — Booklist , starred review "[Larson] has always shown a brilliant ability to unearth the telling details of a story and has the narrative chops to bring a historical moment vividly alive. But in his new book, Larson simply outdoes himself...What is most compelling about Dead Wake is that, through astonishing research, Larson gives us a strong sense of the individuals—passengers and crew—aboard the Lusitania , heightening our sense of anxiety as we realize that some of the people we have come to know will go down with the ship. "Critically acclaimed 'master of narrative nonfiction' Erik Larson has produced a thrilling account of the principals and the times surrounding this tumultuous event in world history...After an intimate look at the passengers, and soon-to-be victims, who board in New York despite the warning of 'unrestricted warfare' from the German embassy, Larson turns up the pace with shorter and shorter chapters alternating between the hunted and the hunter until the actual shot.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"In DEAD WAKE: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania, Larson returns to the subjects of war and ships and stirs in a potent mixture of international politics as well as a little romance to once again seduce his readers with a contemporary view of an historical situation. Written to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania, a Cunard passenger liner sunk by a German U-Boat, Larson's account differs in several ways from other well-known books produced on the subject. The pluses of Larson's latest work are his acute examination of Room 40, his up-close look at Woodrow Wilson, and his ability to swing between the behind-the-scenes action and balance his discoveries with a conventional but absorbing look at some of the passengers on board the Lusitania all while building a true and terrifying suspense in the narrative. Whether one reads a great deal about WWI history, maritime disasters, or early 1900s international politics, there is something new to be learned in DEAD WAKE."
"Erik Larson’s “Dead Wake” is an engagingly readable and deeply researched history of the sinking of the Lusitania in May 1915 off the south coast of Ireland by the German submarine, U 20, leading to the deaths of almost 1200 travelers and crew. Larson’s stage for the torpedoing is 200 pages of intriguing drama building background from the ship’s departure in New York, to its captain, small cameos of some of passengers and the entrails of the fastest ship in the Cunard Line’s fleet."
"The other books I mentioned managed to snag me early on and keep a hold right the way through whereas Dead Wake never really drew me in."
Best Automotive
Going far beyond the myth of the American road trip, he whisks readers down the I-95 Powerlane, across the Florida Everglades, in and out of the truck stops of the Midwest, and through the steep grades of the Rocky Mountains. Through it all, Murphy tells poignant, funny, and often haunting stories of the people he encounters on the job: a feisty hoarder in New Hampshire; a Virginia homeowner raging when Murphy’s truck accidentally runs down a stand of trees; an ex-banker in Colorado who treats Finn and his crew with undisguised contempt; a widow who needs Murphy to bring her archeologist husband’s remains and relics to a Navajo burial ceremony in New Mexico. "There's nothing semi about Finn Murphy's trucking tales of The Long Haul."
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Here's a sample: "A Jake brake...sounds like a machine gun beneath my feet as it works to keep 70,000 pounds of steel and rubber under control." Also, this: "I was running north in a convoy with nine other trucks...We flew together for 130 miles doing 65 the whole way...it was wonderful...We all fell into a groove. He was a smart, thoughtful, and defeated man caught in the amber of class, education, and diminished expectations for himself and his progeny.""
"WOW!"
"Very interesting stories and a fun book to read."
"I've moved several times in my life and it was enjoyable to read the movers side of the story."
"Quick and interesting read about the unsung people we share the roads with and who transport our life essentials."
"Great book."
"Humor mixed with reality on the road."
"I've always been intrigued by those giant trucks moving everything in this country on the highways, and I'm so glad to actually know a little bit about what it's like to drive one."