This was a very interesting book. In addition to learning quite a bit about the construction and changes to the residence over the years, I learned about the various female presences that inhabited the property over the years. These women were each very interesting in their own ways. I really enjoyed this book. I'm glad I happened across it. 

 This book is about Olimpia Maidalchini, who was the sister in law and (very) likely lover of the Pope, Innocent X. In all actuality, she was the Pope. She had her hand in policy making and entertaining both the church and nobles. She lined her pockets with church funds and bought expensive art works and commissions. I love Eleanor Herman, and am looking forward to reading more of her works. She does a great job with her research and her story telling. I liked this one, in particular, because I like learning about women in history. 

 Merry and her merry band of men are continuing on their quest to produce an heir in this book. Several of the guards have had powers restored to them, and tattoos are magically appearing on their bodies, bonding them to Merry in some sort of bizarre way. They somehow cause basically impossible things to happen through sex with each other. Merry also has another encounter with King Sholto, in which we learn more about him and things that happened to him. I really like Sholto, and am looking forward to continuing his story. Merry's crazy cousin Cel starts getting real crazy. 

 This book is on the suggested reading list for The Last Podcast On The Left. Jack Olsen tackles the subject of Arthur Shawcross, an American serial killer. Shawcross was described as being different, even from early childhood. He claimed that he was physically and mentally abused by his mother, and traumatized by events he experienced during his service in Vietnam. He was sent to prison for two murders, paroled, and went off to kill again. Shawcross was an extremely odd person, and the theories behind his actions are very interesting. This book was engaging and well written.

(Episodes 423 & 424, Arthur Shawcross) 

 I got this book for a dollar at the used book store in the city. I thought the story was very entertaining. The writing style wasn't quite what I generally like, but it wasn't difficult to get through. I found out later that some creative license was taken with the story, which disappointed me. Overall, it was an alright book. 

 This book is written by the wife of Daniel Pearl, Mariane Pearl. Daniel was a well educated man, having attended Stanford University, where he majored in Communication. He worked for several publications before becoming employed with The Wall Street Journal. Following the attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001, Daniel Pearl had a place in Pakistan that he used as a base to report on the War on Terrorism. He was on his way to meet with a contact to get some information for an article, but the contact turned out to be a ruse. He was abducted by a group of people, claiming to be the National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty. They sent a list of ransom demands to the United States government, along with graphic photos of Daniel Pearl. He was decapitated and dismembered before being buried in a shallow grave, not to be recovered for three months. His body was eventually returned home and buried in the states. A video of his murder circulated around for a while as well, where they had forced him to admit his Jewish heritage. Several arrests were made. His wife also gave birth to their child a few months after these events, and I cannot IMAGINE how hard that was for her.

I did not know who Daniel Pearl was until I read this book. I picked it up in the religion section at my used book store, but thought that it sounded interesting. I do remember seeing videos and things of this nature on the news over the years from the war, but I could not recall specific names. I think that what happened to him was horrible, and I hate so much that his family had to go through such a thing. You can tell how much this affected his wife, the author of this book, by the things that she says. An absolute tragedy and crime. 

 The 8th Air Force was established in 1942 as VIII Bomber Command. The first combat group to arrive in Europe was the 97th Bombardment Group. The first raid was launched on July 04, 1942. Regular combat missions began in August 1942. One of the men in this group during this time was Paul Tibbets, who would go on to pilot Enola Gay and drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The 8th lost more men in combat than the entire Marine Corps did in the Pacific Theatre...and that was a lot of men!

I love pilots, and I always wanted to grow up an marry one. I did not, but it was a dream. I love reading personal accounts from pilots, especially World War II pilots. The personal accounts and quotations in this book were very interesting. I loved learning about the history of the 8th and the missions they went on. Gerald Astor is a good author. The story is always captivating, and the research is always great. 

 I love Savannah, I love history, and I love true crime. This book has everything that I could ever hope for. It was well written, interesting, and entertaining. I can visualize all of these places mentioned, and I hope to go back and take the Midnight tour. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in any of the aforementioned things. 

 This book was about the events that took place at the Chernobyl nuclear facility. Reading this book made me so angry and so speechless at the same time. It was especially disconcerting for me, as I live between two nuclear facilities. The shortcuts in construction on this facility were appalling. The management of this facility was also lacking. Covering up certain things, not being honest with the public, lying about the levels of radiation... it was just horrible. This situation may not have been avoided, because nothing is perfect, but it certainly could have been prevented in a better manner. The book was well researched and it was a good read, but it is staggering to see what people in positions of power get up to, all for the sake of money. 

 Unfortunately, I feel that this series that I enjoyed so much is on a downswing. I hope beyond hope that there is an improvement on the horizon. I am longing for a return to the crime fighting, mystery solving of the first half of the series, but it doesn't look like it is coming in the way that I wish. Micah provides quite a bit of insight into his past and his through process, which I appreciated. I always love getting to know characters, and I felt that I got to know Micah a lot better. During this book, Micah accompanies Anita on a business trip, but the point of the trip is glossed over and barely resolved at the very end of the book. I realize that all relationships take serious communication, especially when there are multiple partners, but the conversations get pretty tedious. This was not one of my favorite installments, I am sad to say.