This is not a book for the general reader. It is heavily loaded with data comparing the various forms of power and propulsion. The book is textbook dense, and will be most appealing to engineers, particularly mechanical and aeronautical engineers. While there is no calculus, it does require comfort with algebra and geometry, and some physics. (For example, from a paragraph from the chapter on oars, etc.: "When the advance ratio equals the pitch ratio, then throughout their revolution, the blades are continuously pitched so their chords are tangential to their cylindrical path, and the cycloidal propeller therefore does not develop any thrust." This is very difficult to visualize and fully comprehend without a proper background.) Also related, I found that even though the book is well illustrated, the section on propulsion could benefit from more figures, particularly illustrating difficult concepts, such as the one quoted above.

The book is divided into two parts: power, and propulsion. (In a small plane, the engine provides power, and the propeller provides propulsion.) The first part compares all the unconventional means of generating power, with lots of data for each to enable the comparison of dissimilar designs. The second part compares the myriad unconventional means of propulsion. (I found the biomimetic propulsion section the most interesting.) For those with the background and interest, this is a good supplement to an aeronautics textbook.

[Note: A copy of this show more book was provided to me by the publisher as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer.] show less

There is a whole lot of information and adventure packed into this relatively short (about 200 pages without the notes and references) book. The author documents their expedition up the Congo River to discover new species of reptiles and amphibians, and to add to the knowledge base of known animals. He does a great job of setting the scene regarding both the natural environment and the human environment that he encounters, often explaining history and human/animal interactions that have influenced the current environment. The book is very well documented with notes and references for those who wish to explore the subject further.

As usual with collections of short stories, some are better than others. I think a few of the entries suffered from translation from German into English, as idioms, customs, styles, etc. do not always translate exactly. Still, there were some very enjoyable stories. My favorites are "The Girl at the Dom" by Kai Hensel and "Ant Street" by Nora Luttmer.

[Note: The publisher provided me with a review copy of this book.]

Once again, a very nice set of noir short stories from Akashic Books. This time set in Sacraments. My favorite story in this volume is Nora Rodriguez Camagna's beautifully tragic "Painted Ladies."

[Note: The publisher provided me with a review copy of this book.]

This is our future, and it is terrifying. In this book, Matthew D. Taylor traces the roots of the Christian nationalist movement that led to the insurrection on January 6, 2021, and now the control of all three branches of the U.S. government. While it is tempting to write these people off as delusional (For example, a group of them traveled to Nepal to conduct “spiritual warfare” against a demon named “the Queen of Heaven” on the slopes of Mount Everest. (Of course, they claimed victory.)), this would be a mistake. They are smart, sincere, resourceful, ruthless, and relentless. Also, they are hellbent (so to speak) to rule the country (and, eventually the world), and to force everyone to follow their particularly narrow flavor of Christianity.
[Note: The publisher provided me a copy of this book as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer.]

This is a very difficult book to review, since all of the stories are saturated with the sad politics of the region. Trying to review without reference to the politics leaves little to discuss. Many of the stories do not fit the "classic noir" mold, they are instead simply (well told) tales of the daily struggles of the people in East Jerusalem. However, the final story "Checkpoints of Death" by Nuzha Al-Ramlawi is an excellent short story with a very "noir" twist at the end.



[Note: A copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer.]

This is yet another solid entry in the Akashic Noir Series. Packed full of stories of the unlucky, unfortunate, and sometimes criminal residents of Cleveland. There are quite a few excellent stories here, but my favorite has to be "The Silent Partner" by Susan Petrone which perfectly captures the feel of an old time baseball mystery.

This is another solid entry into Akashic Books wonderful series of Noir short stories based upon a single location. My favorite stories were 'Reflections' by Amanda Moore and 'The Good Neighbor' by Jeff Abbott. Honorable mention goes to 'Bangface vs. Cleaning Solutions, LLC' by Andrew Hilbert which is one of the most bizarre private eye stories I've ever read. This is a wonderful collection of stories.

This guide is a great reference for planning trips to national parks. It provides great maps and just enough information about various hikes in each national park to help you choose which hikes to attempt (and which to avoid). It is definitely not a trail guide, as it does not include enough details about the trails, but is a guide to the trails available at each national park. Well written in a casual and personal style, it provides great advice on selecting trails to hike.

[Note: A copy of this book was provided to me by the author as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer.]

This is a very enjoyable end of the world novel. It's the second in the series. I haven't read the first book, so it took a while for me to figure out who was who, and what was going on. But the plot moves at a good pace, the characters are interesting, and the suspense builds. I'll be looking for the third book to read.

Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism--and What Comes Next by Bradley Onishi is a book that everyone who cares about the future of America should read. It is equally fascinating and frightening how carefully planned and funded the authoritarian take over of America has been put into motion. Onishi concisely provides the history and some of the motivations of White Christian Nationalism from an insiders perspective. He also provides perspectives (and references) from a large number of experts and scholars.

[Note: a copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer.]

Wonderfully demented!

In my opinion, the stories in the first volume ([b:Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories|255374|Count Magnus and Other Ghost Stories|M.R. James|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391750303l/255374._SY75_.jpg|247500]) were more memorable. However, this is still an excellent collection of ghost stories. The articles in the appendix were also very interesting as they illuminated James' thoughts on writing and what makes for a good ghost story.

Weird, not very funny.

Very few of these "pranks" are creative, and fewer still are funny. For example, putting pebbles in peoples hubcaps. C'mon man, this was old 50 years ago, and how many current cars even have hubcaps. Another example, prank calling people just to call them a jerk. I'm sure five year olds find this to be the peak of humor. One final example, leaving a pint glass full of water upside down on a pub table. This isn't funny. It's just being a jerk to the wait staff.

[b:Paris Noir: The Suburbs|59147357|Paris Noir The Suburbs|Hervé Delouche|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1635802099l/59147357._SY75_.jpg|93271443] is another solid entry in the Noir series from Akashic Books. As with other entries in the series, these authors do a great job of evoking the feel of the neighborhoods where their stories take place. All of the stories are very good, but my favorites are "Seeing is Believing" by Insa Sane and "The Shadows of the Trapeze" by Anne Secret.

This is a very well-written and easy to understand introduction to the science of dark matter and dark energy.

Like the author, I also live at 5000 feet elevation in Colorado. I really appreciate the detailed instructions on how to modify any recipe for elevation. Also, the recipes presented in this book are very detailed in their instructions, leaving no room for doubt. So far, I've only made the banana bread, but it came out absolutely perfect, and is my new go to recipe. Highly recommended for bakers at elevation.

[Note: the publisher provided me with a copy of this book for review through LibraryThing's early reviewers.]

The first half is a five star history of the discovery and early exploration of the Money Pit on Oak Island. Towards the end he gets into some ridiculous theories about the history of the pit, and that detracts from the book.

This is an absolutely wonderful collection of classic ghost stories. I'm looking forward to reading the second volume.

Black Lotus 2 is an easy, short read with lots of action and great characters. This is an excellent book for the beach, fun, with some mystery, and just a hint of science fiction.

[Note: A copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer.]

This is another great collection of noir from Akashic. Every story is very good, and most of them are excellent. I particularly enjoyed "The Expendables" by Rob Roberge and "The Salt Calls Us Back" by Alex Espinoza. I think editor [a:Barbara DeMarco-Barrett|182205|Barbara DeMarco-Barrett|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1450419162p2/182205.jpg] describes noir perfectly when she says "In noir, the main characters might want their lives to improve and may have high asperations and goals but they keep making bad choices, and things go from bad to worse."

[Note: the publisher provided me with a copy of this book via LibraryThing's Early Reviewers.]

I think it's sad that this short book on detecting frauds and scams is still (for the most part) as relevant as it was when Houdini wrote it over 100 years ago.

Even though this book is ostensibly directed to black people, white people really, really need to read this book. It really cuts through a lot of the bullshit excuses that (some) white people make when innocent black people are killed by police. While it has some humor, for the most part it just lays bare how dangerous it is to be an ordinary black person in the US. There are a lot of thought-provoking ideas presented here, and it would do us all well to spend some time considering them, and what we all can do to improve race relations. (For example, I had no idea about the third verse of the national anthem. Look it up. I'll never view the anthem in the same light again.)

My only disagreement with Hughley is when he re-defines racism as requiring power. I respectfully disagree. It's simple, racism is prejudice against anyone due to their race. Power is not involved. However, we really need to acknowledge that racism without power is like "They hurt my feelings..." while racism with power can destroy (or end) lives. There is a huge difference. Maybe we need a new word for racism with power... Also, power is not binary, but a continuum; the greater the power, the greater the danger. Unfortunately, right now, there is a lot of institutionalized racism with great power in the US. Sometimes it's disguised as patriotism, but upon closer inspection (such as Hughley provides) its core is revealed, and it's up to all of us to root out this nonsense. Unfortunately, I think this is show more going to be a never-ending battle... show less

Excellent. My new favorite of the Serge Storms series.

There's really not much of a story in this book, just constant, random, repetitive weirdness. Maybe it works better in the podcast.

Definitely belongs on my horror shelf, one of the most frightening books I've read.

Meh. Not bad. Not great. Occasionally humorous.

Very weird. Very good.

Having never read anything by [a:Alan Furst|49941|Alan Furst|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1226085973p2/49941.jpg] before, [b:A Hero of France|27876488|A Hero of France|Alan Furst|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1460910623s/27876488.jpg|47869159] is my introduction to his writing. I really wanted to love this book and its characters, but at the end found it somewhat lacking. It is very well written, with interesting characters, but the book just didn't grab me like it should have given its story line. While the main character, Mathieu, is well developed, the remaining characters seemed more like caricatures than characters. Also, while throughout the entire book, danger lurked on every corner, the suspense never really seemed to fully build. And while there was plenty of action, it never really reached the level of excitement I had hoped for. This is still a very enjoyable book, just (at least to me) somewhat disappointing in that it could have been better.

(This ARC was provided to me by the publisher via a goodreads giveaway.)