This book covers the events surrounding the Yarnell Hill Fire. The fire began on June 28, 2013 when lighting ignited some dry vegetation. The Granite Mountain Hotshots responded to this fire, and were unfortunately overran by it on June 30, 2013. There was an extreme shift in conditions that caused the death of 19 of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. This fire was the deadliest day for firefighters since the September 11, 2001 attacks. There was one survivor, who had been helping out elsewhere as a look out, and was able to escape the fire with them. There was some controversy surrounding the surviving member as to why he was not with the rest, but I believe that boils down to sour feelings and sadness about the loss of life.


I read another book about this topic, that was absolutely heart breaking, and thus had high expectations for this one. I was certainly not disappointed. The other book I read was from the only surviving member, and this one took an outside view of the events. I really enjoyed this perspective, even though it was a tragic, awful story. I have no idea why I read books about fire deaths, because it always hits me in a personal way, having grown up in a fire family. 

 I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in United States history or disasters. This book was an detailed account of the events at the Cocoanut Grove venue. I grew up in a family of firefighters, and have been on the scene of many fires and training sessions, and to read how fast this fire moved through this building was simply unfathomable to me. I cannot imagine the terror that these people experienced, and the suffering that some endured. There was one man in particular whose story was truly horrifying to me. The things that people were allowed to get away with and the results of those actions is shameful. This was certainly the best book I read for the month of January in my 2021 Reading Challenge. 

 I watched the Netflix documentary about this fire, and seeing the footage of the destruction was so moving. I looked up books about this fire, and this was one of two books that were highly recommended. This outlined the progression of the fire and the aftermath. It had a lot of personal stories about people from the town that lived and died. There were a few negative reviews that whined about the mention of President Trump and Bernie Sanders. The mentions were not overwhelming. These people were not the focus of the book. Sitting Presidents often visit places that have suffered some type of disaster, though they do not always have anything useful or smart to say. It is not a wild concept. I really liked this book, though it seems wrong to say you like a book about a tragedy. I would recommend this. 

 I found this to be an enjoyable read. It details the events surrounding the rescue of two crews of two ships that broke apart during a terrible winter storm. It gives some view of what Coast Guardsmen encounter, other than chasing down drug smugglers and boats that have ran out of gas. I think people do not always think about what all being a Coast Guardsmen entails, and I found it really enlightening. Also, the construction of these ships and the problems that they glossed over to cause these wrecks caused several shipwrecks and oil spills. 

 This is a collection of true crime cases, written up by noted true crime writer Ann Rule. I liked her writing in this book. You can tell that she is very knowledgeable about the cases she writes about. This wasn't a very long read, probably because the cases are split up and the focus isn't on one event. I prefer the books that focus on one case, but I have nothing negative to say about this. If you like anthologies, this might be a series for you. 

 Jesse Pomeroy was born in Charleston, Massachusetts in 1859. He had a tumultuous home life, resulting in his mother leaving his father and taking Jesse and his brother with her. His father used to beat him in a way that was eerily similar to how he beat and tormented his young victims. From 1871 to 1872, several young boys were lured into isolated areas, stripped naked, tied up, and beaten mercilessly. His mother moved the family to a different neighborhood, where the attacks carried on. One boy that was attacked was able to tell the police that it was an older boy with a weird looking eye. Jesse had one very milky colored eye, making him prime suspect. He was eventually arrested for his attacks on the boys and sent to State Reform School for Boys until the age of 18. Stupidly, he was paroled and returned to his mother not long after. He was arrested again, this time for murder.

I love Harold Schechter. He always does a lot of research on his subjects, and this one was no different. I had never heard about Jesse Pomeroy before reading this book, and I just bought it because of who the author was. He was a severely disturbed person, but apparently fairly intelligent. He did a good job getting over on the people at the reform school, getting them to release him early for good behavior and reformation....what a scam. He also got up to plenty of shenanagins in prison. I can't wait to get to the other books by this author. If you are interested in true crime, check this book out and others by this author! 

 This is a book about the Sicilian Mafia, and the levels if infiltration in the Italian government and public service areas. There are people who resist the claws the Mafia has them. I wish that I liked this book better than I did. I was bored senseless. 

 I remember the news story breaking that these girls had been found. I don't remember ever hearing about them going missing, or there being any searches for that, but I remember the day they were able to break free from that Ariel Castro and that someone was around to be able to call the police for them. I cannot imagine what that must have been like, being abducted and held captive for years. I cannot imagine the abuse and the horrible things they heard and saw. This was a tragic story, with an ending that was as good as could possibly be expected. I hope that Michelle and the other girls are able to get whatever help they need to move forward from their experiences and live the rest of their lives to the fullest. The only complaint that I could come up with was that the book wasn't as well written as the books that I normally read, but that was unimportant given the story and who wrote it. I wouldn't expect anyone in that situation to be writing at the level of a historian, and it really wouldn't read as well if it was written that way. I hate to say that I enjoyed this book because of the subject matter, but it was a worthwhile read. It really makes you wonder how many other girls are out there in the world right now being held captive by some weirdo. It is truly terrifying to think about. 

 I was really hoping to love this book and find it very interesting. I did not. It was terribly boring. There were a few parts, where she explained about her scandals and such that were moderately interesting, but this book was one of the worst that I have read this year. 

 This book is about Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. This is not one of the normal royal biographies that I generally lean to, but it was...entertaining. This book outlines the affair that Sarah had with an American businessman, which was splashed all over the press. I would like to find another book that was an actual biography and not some kind of tell all book. I would like to learn about Sarah and her actual life, and the pressures of becoming a member of the British royal family.