Antone Charles "Tony" Costa was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1944. Costa was convicted of killing two women (Patricia Walsh and Mary Anne Wysocki), but it is believed he killed more (Sydney Monson, Susan Perry, Christine Gallant). He worked odd jobs and his last residence was in a boarding house/bed and breakfast type deal. This is where he came into contact with two of his victims. He thought of himself as a very kind and virtuous person, and his alter ego/voice in his head was the real killer. He detailed the murders in a novel he was attempting to write, so that helped to tell on himself. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murders.

I think it is absolutely ridiculous that girls called this guy "Sire" because he was the leader of some type of counter-culture movement. In actuality, he was a drug dealer, selling LSD and marijuana. People find themselves attracted to all types, which is why they are involved in cults, but that drove me up the wall. Sire. (Insert eye roll.) I did like that this book included the competition and independent research that Norman Mahler and Kurt Vonnegut did when they planned to write about this drug fueled, anti establishment culture. I also thought the connection that Vonnegut had with Costa was scary- Vonnegut's daughter had actually met Costa. Liza Rodman also has a book out that I read not long ago. Costa used to babysit her and her sibling when he worked as a handyman for a motel. You never know who people are behind closed doors, and people just trusted anyone with their kids. It's a scary thing to think about. Anyway, the book was really interesting and I learned more facts in this one about the crimes than I did in Liza's book. Both books were great, and I suggest reading a both of them if you are interested in Costa and his crimes. (Also, check out other books by Casey Sherman. He did great work on The Finest Hours and Boston Strong.) 

 Dominique Dawes was born in Maryland in 1976. She began gymnastics training at age six, winning her first competition by age nine. She was performing around the world by the time she entered double digit ages, which I find staggering. She made it to the United States Olympic Team in 1992, even though she was suffering from Osgood-Schlatter disease and ankle inflammation. The team won Bronze in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Dominique and her teammate Betty Okino were the first two African American females to win a gymnastics medal at the Olympics. She continued competitions after that, making her mark and continuing to be a crowd favorite. She did suffer from several joint injuries She returned to the Olympic stage in 1996, held in Atlanta, as part of the Magnificent Seven. All of her scores counted for the team final, helping to earn the team a Gold Medal. After her career in gymnastics ended, she married, had kids, and did a lot of work as a spokesperson, commentator, and heading up foundations.

I had a huge poster of Dominique Dawes when I was a child that I bought at the Scholastic Book Fair. I am almost certain it was from the 1992 Olympics. I found this book used and picked it up simply because I was a childhood fan of hers. It was interesting to see the highlights of her career, which I did not realize was so massive. I enjoyed watching her on tv, but I really appreciate what I was able to watch knowing that she was suffering through injuries all the while. It was a very inspirational book, and I wish I would have had it to read as a kid. 

 Liysa Northon was a surfing photographer, who also wrote books and screenplays. She claims that she was the victim of domestic violence, which resulted in the shooting death of her husband. The incident occurred while the couple were on a camping trip. It was posited that she attempted to drown him at first, and when that did not work, she decided to drug him with sleeping pills and shoot him. To her detriment, she stood to gain a decent sum from an insurance policy, airline widow's benefits that would allow her to fly for free, and a substantial amount of property. Also to her detriment, the contents of her search history were revealed to the prosecution.

The research for this case was really well done. I thought this book did a great job in covering the back story of the people involved, as well as doing a proper deep dive into the personalities of each. I thought the coverage of the crime and case was very well done. Ann Rule is a master at researching cases for her books, which makes me really enjoy her works. Interestingly, I looked up this case. She was released in 2012 and wound up married to the guy who wrote a book slamming this book. It is the opinion of several writers that Liysa is a manipulative person and a pathological liar. Either way it goes, she has served her time and the case is history. The book was good, so there is that, at least. 

 I have learned about Tiananmen Square a few times, but it was generally in short paragraph form in some textbook or another. This was the first real in depth account of that event and the events surrounding it that I have read. This was a very interesting book, and the experiences of this person and those around them were nearly unimaginable to me. Anyone who is interested in Asian History or Chinese History should read this book. It was not my most favorite book this year, or the best book I have ever read, but it was educational and eye opening. 

 Christa Schroeder gives her personal account of life during the Nazi era, and as a personal secretary for Adolf Hitler. She gives some really neat insights into his actions and behaviors, as well as the other leading figures who frequently met with him. She claims that she knew nothing about what was going on with the Jewish and other populations that Hitler wanted to be rid of, but I find that really hard to believe, especially since she was taking dictations and writing letters and stuff. This was a really interesting read. 

 I do not have the slightest idea why I would have read a book like this, but I apparently read it. I suppose that it was interesting, and I can see why fans of wrestling would be super interested in it. It wasn't the worst thing I have ever read, but not my favorite. I found it interesting to learn how he got into this career path and what he got out of it. 

 Kindle Unlimited had a sale on their membership. I renewed specifically to read all of these little books that are free to read on there. I bought the Charleston one on vacation and the Chattanooga one because I live here. I did not realize there was a whole series. These are not the greatest books, but I like the stories and the history lesson about the featured places. I was also unaware that Haunted America was a series on PBS. This book features a neat little story about a visit by President George Washington. I can't wait to read some more of these, even though I am not a super fan of reading on Kindle. 

 This is another short little book in the Haunted America series I have been reading. This one is free to read with the Kindle Unlimited subscription. It took be basically no time to read it, as it was only 139 pages. These little short books are certainly going to help me reach my raised reading goal this year with no effort. I enjoyed the little stories about several different haunted locations in New England. I would love to visit some of these places! 

 This book had some pretty neat stories in it about various locations around Lafayette, Indiana. The most interesting thing that I read in this book was about the grave on Perdue University. I didn't realize there was some controversy about where this person was buried until I looked into it further. I also liked the cemetery and battlefield stories. These books are short, but the historical places they introduce you to are really cool. This took basically no time to read, but I am looking forward to the next one to learn about some more places that I haven't heard of. 

 This book features some ghost stories and brief history lessons from Door County, Wisconsin. I love these Haunted America books for the simple fact that they are quick reads. I read this one in the pick up line at school, like I have all of the others. It passes the time without getting me annoyed that I have to stop reading because I am heavily invested in the book. Each chapter is just a few pages long, so it works out quite well. This one is available to read for free with the Kindle Unlimited subscription. It was an alright read, and I especially liked reading the stories about the lighthouses and shipwrecks. I love to read about shipwrecks.